#so here's one of the bonus cards from volume 2

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Oshi ni Amagami Artist: Suzuki Julietta Product: 'Oshi ni Amagami' Volume #2 Animate Bonus Monochrome Illustration Card (07/2023) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[stillness-in-green]

What do you think about Horikoshi ending the manga without a canon couple? Do you ship or used to ship MHA characters? Did you see romantic potential? Do you think Horikoshi might confirm a couple later?

No canon couple?  Au contraire, my dear anon!  The manga ended with the most important canonization of all!

(Everybody give a huge hand to The Only Hets Who Matter, Gentle and La Brava; they deserve it.)

As to the ships people actually care about or were expecting some word on (e.g. the stuff with the students), my reaction there is overwhelmingly “lol gj hori”.  I’m glad he ended it with no canon student couple to speak of!  While I do sympathize with the position of certain people on Twitter who contend that Ochaco’s arc about repression really needed her to actually confess to Deku, I hated what her crush on Deku did to her arc anyway, so I don’t have it in me to be too annoyed.  Anyway, I don’t think it’s possible to do the Iron Might 2.0 part of the epilogue if Deku and Ochaco[1] have been dating the entire time, so I’m perfectly happy to run with the headcanon that she did confess at one point and it didn’t work out for whatever reason, so by the time the last chapter rolls around, they’ve just been friends for years.

1: Or Bakugou, for that matter, but with all due respect to the BakuDekus who haven’t been seeing Shonen Jump battle manga come and go for twenty years with nary a confirmed gay MC amongst them, that was never in the cards.

I remember posting once ages ago about a Japanese fan’s hope that Horikoshi, who the fan perceived as being at least somewhat progressive about women, could manage to end the series without a bunch of timeskip romances showing up at the last minute.  While I have some deep reservations about Hori’s progressive cred at this point in time, and am not tremendously impressed with his writing of women, either, credit where credit is due: he did end the series without any timeskip romances.

As to there being any confirmation of couples in the material we have remaining, I imagine the last train station[2] for that is going to be the final volume release in December, as, on top of the usual volume extras, Horikoshi should be considerably more free to include expansions that his schedule and exhaustion kept him from in the weekly publication.  I could even see a bonus chapter of some sort, maybe something post-epilogue so we can see the power suit in action or something silly and fourth wall-breaking to celebrate the series conclusion.  There’s also going to be one last fanbook released in January, which I have been assuming will be a data book like Ultra Archive.

2: Or harbor, I suppose, since we’re talking about ships.

Now, do I think any of that stuff will confirm ships?  Eh, that’s not really in my analytical wheelhouse.  The farthest I’d venture to guess is that I would a) not be surprised to get some clarification on Deku and Ochaco, and b) definitely peg the volume release to have material like that over squirreling it away in the fanbook.

For myself, my shipping habits are somewhat erratic—it’s not really where my primary engagement in media lies, and certainly not for this series!  But that’s not to say I don’t have ships, or that I’m not happy to talk about them, so if you’re curious about that, do feel free to hit the jump.  I’ll order them by general sphere first, then by how passionate I am about them compared to ones I just think are kinda cute or funny for whatever reason.

DISCLAIMER: While I have not explicitly stated as much here before, I am a 40-year-old asexual proshipper, proshipper here meaning I'm in favor of curating your own fandom space and not harassing people about their fictional ships under any circumstances.  When I say I ship something, that does not mean I’m idealizing the relationship, want it to be canon, think it would be cool in real life, or am mentally putting myself in the place of one the characters.  It’s solely because there’s something in the dynamic I think is fun or interesting, and “interesting” can very much include the same kind of interest one might have in watching a building get demolished. 

That is to say, there are a handful of Too Problematic For Tumblr ships in here—one age gap but otherwise wholesome, one age gap and tacitly abusive, and one that really hits the Tumblr Trifecta by being age gap, abusive and incestuous. I've put all three at the very bottom in their own section in descending order of Most BadWrong, but if you’re one of those people deep into The Discourse about how ships need to be Morally Correct otherwise the shippers are terrible people who should kys, this is not the post for you.  The block button’s there if you need it—and be advised that it’s there if I need it, too, and I’m not afraid to use it. (I grew up in dark fantasy shoujo fandoms; I am not litigating my ships with anybody.)

~~~Stillness’s Dubious and Delightful BNHA Ship Opinions~~~

Villain-o-rama-rama:

Spinarakiya, ShigaRD, Spinaraki: Alas for my short-lived OT3!  I was really, really pumped for this in the stretch between MVA and the early stages of the first war, what with there being such interesting possible angles between all three parties, only for Re-Destro to get arrested and never seen in person again, Spinner to get snatched up by Gigantomachia and never look back, and Shigaraki to get lost to the possession plot for, at least as far as scenes with his allies were concerned, basically the rest of the series.

Not exactly great material for my shipping heart, though I’ll refrain from the rant comparing how long the PLF members were living in close contact with each other compared to the League of Villains and why that should have meant they developed stronger relationships than what we got.

But canon being what it is, I do still ship the hell out of these three in a canon divergence situation, or any number of potential AUs.  I love the connective tissue there, with Re-Destro + Shigaraki having some startlingly strong background parallels and lasting injuries courtesy of each other, Shigaraki + Spinner having the gaming and the emptiness themes, and Spinner + Re-Destro having their Big Gay Feelings About Shigaraki as well as an appreciation for patterned fabrics some shared early frustrations about Shigaraki’s seeming lack of plans or direction.

It's a good dynamic, and I think they could all do a lot for each other, though certainly not in ways that are good for the continued survival of Hero Society.  But fuck Hero Society anyway.

As to the component parts, I don’t ship Re-Destro and Spinner without Shigaraki being at least an invisible part of the dynamic (though I would read the fic where he wasn’t with considerable interest!), but I’m also very much on board with ShigRD and Spinaraki individually.  My constant refrain about Shigaraki and RD is that they have a lot of common ground but very little common language, and I’m fascinated by how much of that they could recognize in each other and how much of it they could then recognize back in themselves, versus how much you’d get one of those cases of, “This guy is a freak and I’m so normal.”

It's so, so, so important to me that Re-Destro is the first ally Shigaraki won entirely on his own merits.  He's got no borrowed reputation from Stain, no monsters on loan from Sensei, and no help from people on Sensei’s payroll, yet still, as a result of his efforts (both in his own fights and in making the League his own, even if it didn’t start that way) he wins himself an army and a follower who never saw a light that wasn’t his.

I weep for the Shigaraki/Re-Destro relationship we could have had if Horikoshi didn’t decide that Shigaraki in the endgame was to be nothing but a pawn, and therefore couldn’t be allowed to keep any of his markers of independence and growth.

As to Spinaraki, man, what is there even to say?  The relationship so clear and obvious that it had even the mhatwt bros out there saying, “Spinaraki but at what cost?” in the last chapter!  I will admit that I liked them better when their romance had that apocalyptic tinge than when it suddenly started getting painted as primarily about them being Gamer Bros, but at least that melancholic “beauty at the end of the world” shading came back when Shigaraki talked about destroying Mount Fuji for Spinner (be still my heart!).    

They will meet and be close in every world and I will hear nothing else.

RiKoku: I don’t think I truly understood the appeal of ex-lover ships until these two.  They snuck up on me in a big way, pretty much entirely a result of my realization when I was halfway through the (first and only, sadly) MLA Week event that Trumpet was pretty free-roaming and independent from Re-Destro all the way through Deika only to be glued to his side from there on out.  Together with the Spinner parallels (the subordinates who fought each other and then came together to the crater to see their worlds remade) and my jokes about wanting to see the MLA heads during their stressed-out, over-achiever college years, all the pieces fell into place for a Rikiya and Koku who had dated for a few years and then broken up when Rikiya realized that his authority as Re-Destro—and Koku’s strong subordination to that authority—meant that he could not responsibly stay in the relationship.  (This also presents several good explanations for why a man in Rikiya’s situation isn’t married with at least one child already.)

Anyway, to me, they never really fell out of love with each other; Re-Destro just couldn’t justify overlooking the power dynamic problems once he realized how extreme they were.  (This does make for a fun alternate angle on RD’s personal life post-Deika, wherein Trumpet watches RD pass the mantle of leadership to Shigaraki Tomura and then more or less immediately pounces on him because now he doesn’t have the power dynamic excuse anymore.  Look up the great Whatever Is Spared by @leftofrevolution on AO3 for more on this.)

Overhonest: I just like Nemoto much more than I like Chrono, and thus my Overhaul ship of choice follows suit.  I like the idea that their feelings are wildly unbalanced but not totally one-sided—Overhaul has more baggage than a freshly loaded airport carousel, but he does like the Shie Hassaikai, as proven by them being mentioned in the Likes section of his character page. Nemoto in particular is someone whose presence we know Overhaul finds reassuring and we know it because he told Nemoto so directly when Nemoto asked, which means it can’t be anything other than the plain truth.  He relies on Nemoto enough to make demands of him, he expects (and gets!) effectiveness, and he even bothers to take the time to justify out loud why it would be okay for him to merge himself with Nemoto physically (because Nemoto would say yes if asked, right? of course he would) rather than just doing it with no thought to Nemoto’s feelings about it because why should he care about that.

And Nemoto, for his part, is of course an obsessive weirdo who’s totally smitten with the first person he’s ever found who legitimately wants him around, so smitten that he’ll happily overlook the fact that Overhaul primarily wants him around because he’s useful.

Moving away from what’s on-the-page canon, I enjoy (and write) the take that Overhaul is sex-repulsed, not because he’s fully asexual, but as an extension of his mysophobia.  This makes his sex life extremely fraught, but not non-existent.  When I dabble with writing them (and they’re by far the ship I’ve written the most explicit material for in this fandom), I write him as basically a sex-repulsed demi (not that he would know or use that terminology!) who is attracted to Nemoto but has been largely left aggravated and sexually frustrated by their periodic experiments in non-traditional ways of getting him off.  (Nemoto, for his part, is more than willing to keep trying!  No kink is too weird for this guy if it means finding something Overhaul would actually like.)

(To get real here for a second, if Spinarakiya is meaningful to me as a person who’s comfortably poly, Overhonest is meaningful to me as an asexual person who's only ever had allosexual partners.)

AFOUji: Truly the Evil Husbands of all time.  I wish the shift from Final Boss Shigaraki to Final Boss AFO hadn’t left Ujiko with a few truly inexplicable characterization beats,[3] because I truly do love these two as just the worst pair of mutually enabling monsters making the world worse and more dangerous for everyone while being 100% supportive of each other’s passions the entire time.  Here’s to 70 years of Dark Lord/Mad Scientist domestic bliss.

3: For the record, I consider these to be his, “I've only been living for the boy's sake,” line in Chapter 269 and his clear reticence and dissastisfaction with Shigaraki getting the surgery in Chapter 240.

DabiSkep: Skeptic is the only man Dabi has ever thanked for his contributions.  Dabi goes out of his way to kidnap him.  I’m 90% convinced that they’d been working on the video together prior to the Villa raid.  The combination of Skeptic’s deep and abiding neuroticism with Dabi’s swings between lazy malice and manic pushiness is extremely funny.  What can I say; it’s just about the only Dabi ship that really clicks for me.  I enjoy leftof’s take that Skeptic had a goth phase he never completely exited and so Dabi appeals to his inner Hot Topic teen, which he is 100% aware of and 150% embarrassed by.

   

School Environs:

Mirio/Tamaki: Tamaki literally regains consciousness at the exact moment Mirio loses his quirk.  Other than cases where there’s some actual explanation for that—a magical connection, psychic powers, etc.—I have never seen that kind of beat happen outside of a shoujo manga.  The bit where one romantic lead just mysteriously has a Bad Feeling in the same instant that something Bad happens to their love interest is so shoujo-coded.  Jesus Christ, Tamaki is so moe.  And Mirio so clearly thinks the world of him, too, as evinced by what an over-the-top sobriquet he dubbed Tamaki with.  They’re great, end of story.

Monoma/Shinsou: I’ll admit I liked this somewhat better when I thought there was any chance at all Shinsou might end up in Class B—I kind of loathe that he wound up in Class A for the self-evidently terrible reason that it’s The Main Character Class, when it seems so obviously a conflict of interest for Aizawa to be teaching him.  But eh, it’s okay; it just means Monoma will have to nobly learn to look past it after a lot of time spent being completely obnoxious about it.

My annoyance with Shinsou’s class placement aside, Monoma is one of my favorite students, and I like that he immediately latches onto Shinsou as a kindred spirit.  And, like, if that were 100% one-directional, I would probably shrug it off, but Shinsou, despite trying to play at being aloof, does actually get invested enough that he gets pretty bothered by the idea of Monoma needing help, even in something as inconsequential as a class exercise.  It’s just a much, much more interesting dynamic than Shinsou has with Deku or especially Kaminari.

Also, as someone with a bit of a Thing for mind fuckery, the way Copy and Brainwash can play off each other is Good.

MomoJirou: The fanart is cute and I like Momo better than Kaminari.  And the culture clash thing is fun.

Shouto/Inasa: The fanart is cute and I like Inasa better than Deku or Bakugou.

   

Professional Sphere:

Hawksdeavor:The age gap adds flavor.  The fact that Endeavor is still married but deeply unhappily so makes it even spicier.  The difference in what they represent (or could potentially represent) to each other is the best part, with Hawks, for Endeavor, being someone who represents a totally clean page, while Endeavor, for Hawks, represents a lifelong adoration.  Finding each other’s reality in all of that would be an interesting relationship arc and could be extremely fulfilling and strengthening for both of them.

The spoiler is (or at least should have been, if I’d been writing the series) their divided feelings on Dabi.  Honestly, I really wanted to see them clash over the matter of Touya and how to deal with him, with Endeavor wanting to save him but not knowing how and Hawks just wanting him gone but not knowing how to get away with it.  A certain pair of facts is glaring to me: first, that Hawks was a chief architect of the second war’s battle plans, whereas we never saw Endeavor involved with them at all, and second, that, when the big day came, Endeavor was slated to fight All For One with Hawks at his side despite at least some guilty protests from Enji that he really ought to be facing Dabi.

It smacks strongly of Hawks making some profoundly selfish decisions under the guise of clear-headed strategy and I really wanted it to blow up in his face when Dabi found his way to their battlefield anyway.  Pushing Endeavor into a place where he had to choose between them and ultimately chose his son (say, by protecting him from an attack coming from Hawks) would have been validating for Touya, done a lot to lever Endeavor’s arc out of the reactiveness and passivity that drag it down so badly in the canon, and also handed Hawks a real consequence for how dismissively he treats the lives of Villains and how much he’s tried to avoid reckoning with both Endeavor’s abuse and Enji’s own attempts to do said reckoning!

In summary, Hawks and Endeavor could be very good for each other, and the incredible amount of baggage they’d have work through first would be key to either making that good ending feel earned or lead to them dramatically and deliciously imploding.  Either one works for me, and either one, even without the romantic angle, would have been more interesting than the pablum we got.

NightMight: Speaking of could-have-been-good relationships that dramatically imploded!  I love Sir Nighteye as the most visible cost of All Might’s lifestyle, the one he lost because he couldn’t step away from the path his ideals had set out, and how that ideal inevitably took him full circle so that he found himself standing, for Deku, in the same place Nighteye once stood for him.  And of course by then it was too late and Deku wouldn’t listen to him anymore than he himself listened to Nighteye back then.

But Nighteye didn’t give up on caring about him, even if he had no avenue left to express it but throwing himself into finding a successor All Might would accept, which led to Nighteye's own (wonderful) relationship with Mirio.

Just great, difficult, adult stuff about irreconcilable differences that never stopped them from caring about each other even as those differences forced them to their parting of ways.

Mount Lady/Kamui Woods: They’re cute and I like the idea that they both have trouble, for opposite reasons, with cameramen.  I like that he calls her just Lady when he thinks she’s in trouble.  And not to put too fine a point on it, but I like that they’re kinda the most explicit Pro Hero couple and yet she’s the more prominent and important character with the more visible arc, which is a nice contrast to most of the other hetero relationships in this benighted manga.

   

Other/Cross-faction:

Togachaco: The yuri ship that could.  My god, the canon divergence I want to give these two.  You know why I want Deku and Ochaco to not be together in the end?  Because I want Ochaco to realize that she did everything in her power to save her Villain while Deku—after all that talk on the cliff!—just killed his, and triggered Toga just before he left to do it, meaning Ochaco had a harder time with Toga than she might have otherwise.

But, I’m not here to talk about No. 2 Green; let’s talk instead about the canon divergence where Toga survives (shove that absurd death-via-blood-transfusion right into the incinerator) and then Ochaco has to come face to face with a system that does not want to let her be anywhere near as kind as she wants to be.  The canon divergence where Ochaco realizes that her forgiveness is immaterial to justice, where she watches the system she fought to defend gear up to try Toga as an adult because Japan needs a scapegoat for the destruction of the war and all of the people who are actually most responsible are already dead or dying.  Where Ochaco realizes that she has to do something drastic if she doesn’t want to live the rest of her life haunted by the knowledge that her compassion got a 17-year-old victim of emotional and psychiatric abuse executed by the state.  The one where she decides to take a fucking stand, and it forces the rest of her class to confront that need as well.

“The cutest girl in the whole world,” my god.

Kotarou and Nao: I’m not as big on it by the time we’re seeing them in the Tenko flashback, though I certainly wasn’t pulling for some mean-spirited, allegedly feel-good “Nao slaps Kotarou and the whole family walks out of him” thing like you see in fanfic sometimes.  No, what I really like with Kotarou and Nao is thinking about them when they’re both still young, in the stretch of years where they really think they'll be happy together.  That her being with him can make all his problems go away, that him being able to bury his past and be better than all the people who hurt him (and there were so many people who hurt him) will be enough, that love is the answer to everything. Sure, the cracks are there, but they’re thin, and they can be hidden beneath all the days when things are good, when the two of them hold each other and feel safe and loved and sure.

The cracks are still there, and love isn’t enough when love becomes a band-aid and a blind eye.  But the love is still there too, and it’s so fierce and so desperate, and it still won’t save them.

Sorry, everyone; they make me emotional.  They are beautiful in the way of sparks dancing above flames, or early flowers blooming right before a vicious cold snap.  Ah, me.

StainMight: GOD, All Might really needed to grapple more with Stain’s side of his legacy.  Like, StainMight is really a victim of the way the story looked like it was setting up to criticize All Might’s methodology as well-intended but not sustainable long-term, but then, like every other aspect of the series that was about systemic critique, that criticism just evaporated and Stain became an All Might cheerleader with nothing to say about the system All Might supported for thirty years.  Maddening!  But for real, All Might should have been badly hurt in that car attack and then rescued by Stain, both to give Deku some stress about how All Might could be in danger after they parted on bad terms, and also to really make All Might have to sit with this opinionated zealot all-too-prepared to talk about how no one else is really living up to his example.

And there should be UST the whole time.

Yoichi and Kudou: I am almost entirely negative towards the OFA Collective these days, especially Kudou’s role in the endgame, but I still have some fondness for what he and Yoichi could have been.  My god, the first One For All transfer really should have been because they kissed.  More beautiful, more tragic, more profound, and preserves the Yoichi that had some actual fucking agency in the life he lived instead of just constantly being AFO’s or Kudou’s trophy princess there to talk about how respectively terrible and awesome they are.

TogaTsuyu: I just think it would be interesting if Tsuyu were actually allowed to be more present in the Toga plotline, rather than only arriving as a spoiler to avert major shifts every time.  Toga says she likes Tsuyu, too, after all, and Tsuyu is so different from both Ochaco and Deku, so much more thoughtful and considered.  I dunno, I just wonder how things might have gone if, for example, it had been Tsuyu that Toga managed to draw away in the Jakku fight.  Given that side story with her snakey friend Habuko, evidence suggests that Tsuyu is a good deal more observant and intuitive than Ochaco, and I wonder if she might have been able to suss out what Toga was actually asking there better than Ochaco did, and how that might have changed things.

   

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THE TUMBLR PROBLEMATIC ZONE:

Gentle Criminal and La Brava: I was willing to follow the canon’s initial vagary about these two, but I also like them quite a bit together, so if canon wants to put them in wedding rings at the end of the series, that’s fine by me!  Yes, I’m aware that there’s a pretty significant age gap there, which would have been at its most apparent when she first sought him out, but I don’t for one single instant believe that he’d be anything less than a total gentleman to her.  Indeed, it’d be entirely plausible to mount an argument based on his behavior that they were not at all romantically involved circa the Culture Festival arc,[4] and only become so after Gentle’s imprisonment and subsequent release.  But in general, what I’m more concerned with is the dynamic—I regard a power differential in a relationship as a reason for both parties to be cautious and mindful of that differential, but not as an immediate game-ender.

4: Most obvious is that when she says, “I love you,” he only says things like, “Thank you,” in return.

In that sense, Gentle and La Brava are great—they click together perfectly and obviously make each other tremendously happy after a lifetime of rejection.  La Brava, in Gentle’s theatrical attention-seeking, finds someone who accepts her overflowing way of showing love; Gentle, in living up to La Brava’s feelings, finds a reason for his skewed heroism beyond satisfying his pride.  To whatever extent their life together was heading anywhere bad (and there’s no evidence of this at all save that Heroes were always likely to catch up to them eventually, making La Brava’svery extreme response to Gentle’s defeat likewise inevitable), Deku’s intervention got them off of that path and back onto one that let them be accepted by the world, which they seem to have capitalized on marvelously.

They’re the only Villains I can think of whose turn to Team Hero in the endgame works for me without any significant quibbles.  Good for them!  I hope they are so, so happy together, because they deserve it.

AFO and Kotarou: MEANWHILE, IN MY OTHER KOTAROU SHIP.  I love AFO knowing Everything about what he’s doing here while Kotarou knows absolutely Nothing about what AFO is doing here.  I love an AFO who is self-amused in being friendly and reassuring and distractingly attractive to Kotarou, an AFO who knows that his toying with Kotarou would make Shimura Nana sick with terror and rage, and even if she isn’t alive to be so anymore, the fantasy of it is satisfying enough, especially since Kotarou is himself a very handsome young man, one whose hurt and resentment AFO finds beguiling to sometimes prod at, as if unable to leave a bruise alone except the bruise isn’t on his own skin.

I have an AU I’m never likely to write where Kotarou winds up successfully knocking out Tenko on the night of the accident before going on the run with him, only for them to get picked up by AFO a few weeks later, and let me tell you guys, that’s where all my guilty pleasure AFO/Kotarou really lives.

That said, I liked this one much better before we got the opening for it in canon, and not just because AFO’s disguise persona was doofy-looking instead of devastatingly handsome.  It was always one of those ships that tickled my inner hedonistic wickedness fancier but that I never wanted to be canon because my affection for the ship's vibe was not more important to me than the integrity of Shigaraki’s arc, and Shigaraki’s arc was far better served by his early childhood being as free from AFO as possible.  Alas, the reveal is very AFOtarou but at what cost.

Dabideavor: Sorry not sorry everyone, but all the people screaming about how this is SICK FILTH seem to have missed the point that it is indeed, absolutely and completely, sick filth and that’s part of the appeal.  Personally, I like it for two main reasons.

Firstly, I want Endeavor to have as hard a time as possible, and times don't get harder than this. I enjoy it when he's frozen and helpless in the face of the son whose life he destroyed because I have a long history of enjoying stoic male characters being made vulnerable through suffering.

Secondly, and more importantly, I like it because I like the version of Dabi you see in it, particularly compared to the Fanon Dabi who made so much League of Villains fan content un-fucking-readable for years.

I'm going to try to keep the hot fandom tea to a minimum here, limited to the upcoming footnote, but I hated Fanon Dabi.[5] He was an incoherent mash of a character designed to be a vehicle for the unabashed revenge fantasy of bloody murder against Bad Dads while also presenting no danger whatsoever of splash damage, a Woobie Big Brother who was completely harmless except to the father whose organs he was planning to paint the walls with. Every excuse that could be made, would be made, for Dabi's more questionable or even outright nasty moments, even if it meant minimizing or outright erasing the harm we saw Dabi do, right there on the page in literal manga monochrome.

5: There's a particular type of flanderization that goes into Fanon Dabi, the same kind of flanderization I saw attached to Steven Universe's Lapis Lazuli, and which informed the absolute umbrage certain people took with Rebecca Sugar for describing Spinel, the SU movie's villain, as toxic. There is a portion of fandom that loves abuse victims who get angry and lash out, but which will go absolutely ballistic at the slightest suggestion that abuse victims are themselves also capable of harm, that lashing out has the potential to hurt innocent people. In a perfectly executed DARVO, it becomes "victim blaming" to confront an abuse victim about the very real abuse they're inflicting on others. I only specified fictional characters here, but it's a dynamic you see in real life, too. Some people hunger for nothing so much as an acceptable target and abuse victims are not exempt from that statement.

The Dabi I thought was fun was the high-energy maniac who doesn't give a shit about anyone else getting caught in the crossfire of his revenge. Both that version of Dabi and the Endeavor who's paralyzed with guilt and despair are facilitated by Dabi’s father-obsession having a taboo sexual dimension to it that Dabi is all too ready to shove in the face of absolutely everyone who would think worse of Endeavor for it.  That means Endeavor himself, of course, but also all the good little civilians who Endeavor keeps telling to watch him.  Watch this, says Dabi, as he makes lewd hand gestures on force-streamed national television.

It's not about Dabi healing as an abuse victim, and it’s not about Dabi having a fulfilling arc—covering that stuff was canon's job!  It's about the fact that I, for reasons both personal and related to fandom spite, am personally entertained by Dabi being pedal-to-the-metal deranged about doing whatever it takes to seize Daddy’s attention and never let him look away again, which also means acting to ensure that no one is capable of or willing to save Endeavor from that fate. Like, if you want someone who would spend ten years plotting the most agonizing possible way to torment his abuser, then it’s sophistry to suddenly declare some agonizing torments off-limits.  Dabideavor is just committing to the bit.

[m0e-ru]

tohruest adachiest manager's choice experience as compiled by the tumblr branch moel gas station 2023

helloooo my dearest okyakusan my most wonderful customers whether you have a membership card or just passing by. Here is the manager's choice of how to have the most tohru adachi experience ever 📣📣📣

this post will have a breakdown of the whole diagram with highlights, and my own opinions of each medium stated. Otherwise, here's a summary as a list!!

YES!!

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3 (scattered cameos)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

adachi jumpscare table

Vol. 10; Chapter 54

Vol. 12

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito special mention!??)

this is a bit cool too

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

The Animation

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

The Golden (PS VITA 2013) (Social Link, new events, etc.)

um

The Golden Animation

Episode 6: See? I told you Yu.

Episode 7: It’s cliché, so what?

Unaired Bonus Episode “Another End Episode”: Thank you Mr. Accomplice

other opinions 

I’ll be linking all available online resources for everything I’ve stated!! If a link is broken or the media is inaccessible, hit me up!! I have my own personal archive.

YES!! segment !! wahoo !!!!! this is where i constantly stuff my nose in whenever i want a good reference on adachis character. AND THEY'RE ALL PERFECT TO ME!! <- about the media

Persona 4 (PS2 2008)

Back to basics everybody!!! Let’s remember who this goofball is from the start. Forget he has a social link and see him be the bumbling fool for plot exposition and the real murderer !!!! Just like how I tell you not to reference the attendant during 3/20, we can put Shadow Adachi’s mannerisms and his influence under literal god aside and try and focus on what that means as symbolism and extra information on Adachi himself!!

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 3

THIS IS A FUN ONE he has scattered cameos throughout the drama and was essentially being dragged around by Dojima.

Basic premise of this volume that it’s sports festival season!! Yasogami’s at it and the IT are participating, as well as Nanako—although she worries that her dad won’t even come to see her and that she wouldn’t even be able to do the family three-legged race.

Adachi’s appearances here are so stupid, he says he was an “elite” then flops trying to help high-schoolers with homework because Naoto’s there. He does his usual begging and whining with Dojima etc etc he also drove Dojima to compete with Nanako after saying the man finished all his reports as fast as possible.

I like this one because it reinforces who Adachi is based mostly from the main game. With the context that fans listening are aware he’s the culprit (or not), they do sprinkle in his “emptiness” (<- no i'm exaggerating it sorry) and bring it to the front of the picture a bit.

Translated Transcript: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14uOTyzic9Ij9DjN4ZRNBLFTcGe0UF-PvX4qMnqcs2Fk/edit#gid=283104639

Available video link: https://youtu.be/p3yDNbczEqg?t=228 (timestamped to 3:49)

Manga Adaptation (Sogabe)

SOUJI SETA TRUTHER COMING IN STRONG also i just adore Sogabe’s adaptation on the game as a whole. While I am Marie lover#1, this manga did begin in 2008, and I like to think it’s the hypothetical that Marie really was expunged completely OKAY WHERE WAS I

As mentioned, this whole adaptation focuses on the game before Golden was ever a thing. No scooters, no extra events, no nothing. Although, Sogabe did write in a bit of Adachi’s Social Link in a context best suited for Souji.

I like Sogabe's take on Adachi in the manner of how he draws him and writes him as a character. It's not as whimsical or lazy like the anime, and the way he took the downhill spiral of the Hospital arc, from November to December, just actually felt like my emotions were ready in the right places. Surprisingly, in every adaptation, I was really enamored to see how Adachi acted differently in each one.

In the manga, he didn't seem as slack jawed as he did in the game at least. He looked like he was trying so hard to act concerned when he he actually feels guilty for everything going down !!! OR MAYBE NOT !!!!!!!

compared to the game, you can really how much he exudes of being so. plastic. ung kaplastikan. and you're mad not because you're stuck with ps2 limitations of three polygons of an arm waving around, but you're mad that he reeks of faking concern. But also unlike the game, you don't understand what's going on anymore because of the things that have transpired in relation to Adachi's character. Which is Sogabe's adaptation of his Social Link with Souji through having dinner with each other.

and Souji doesn’t know him! They share things with one another that one dinner but otherwise, Adachi’s never rambled on about himself as much as he does in a normal Social Link run. There is a different sort of motive with Souji and he wants to some things wrap things up while everything else is falling apart around him. If there’s a chance to help someone, even if he’s only talked thoroughly once or twice and that the other party’s opened up a single time to him, he’s the boy who wants to get through to people either way. What if Souji’s a bit selfish himself and wants to be in control of things when everything in his life and vision are literally blurring as he breathes? (takes place in november when nanako's hospitalized btw)

I love the lack of intimacy between the two, contrary to what majority of the fan base wants or even BELIEVES. Souji is a kid with a year in Inaba, of course he does a million other things with his time than hang out with an adult that’s some kind of darker version of himself and a representation of a possible bleaker future considering how similar they are. 

As for the specific chapters, I think it’s fulfilling to go through the whole manga from the start. Like, forget everything you know about P4 for a second and experience it as fresh as possible. Then you get to Chapter 54 to see Adachi’s condensed Social Link and get to Volume 12 to see things come together. Sure, I start getting a bit iffy with Volume 13 but I enjoy the parallels between the two, genuinely.

i have more stuff locked and loaded but uhmmm yeah 👍

Available manga link: https://manhuascan.me/manga/persona-4-official 

VISUALIVE (stageplay)

you will never see adachi ever act like a cunt like this ever again. he only does it once because hes gay.

i have made a million essays about this this is the foundation of this gas station itself

Available video links to the only things i’ve subbed ever because they’re the most important ones to this fruit’s development:

https://youtu.be/mWRB1dIgFNE

https://youtu.be/QRps3M9uXiw

or you can watch the whole thing because Masami Itou’s portrayal of him is just delightful: https://youtu.be/7oTpjmeD-mk 

Arena Ultimax; Episode Adachi

hahaha. haha. laughs weakly. haha.

I would kindly ask everybody to do this in Japanese dub but otherwise ehmmm yeah ! Episode Adachy. I do enjoy how they try to elaborate how his personalities are coalescing into a single face as he doesnt have to fake around people anymore. Like the fact that his lame humor is still present and he’ll do stupid voices, which makes you wonder if he was always like this or that it’s something he adopted while acting out the last facade he’s done for over a year—or more. 

HE IS SO FUCKING OPINIONATED AND THINKS HES SO COOL he has SO MUCH PRIDE but also he doesnt at the same time. you think hes a soldier surviving in the idgaf war but hes still dying in the mines he planted and crossfire for multiple reasons. hes simultaneously a teenage girl and a man in his late twenties.

Adachi is totally giving a fuck, not just in a white girl bully “I’m better than everyone” kind of way but like he’s totally giving a fuck about a lot of things. “Oh I gotta stop whatever this god has going down for this city in bumfuck nowhere because the case is going to go around in circles and i’ll never serve jail time in peace” how many times has he turned corners in an alleyway maze just by saying this.

hes literally trembling in his shoes with everything happening in that hour but hes just so good at bottling up emotions from others and HIMSELF. Theres only so much he’ll admit in his own monologue—in his own thoughts. That hes aware of things but he’ll never say it out loud even in his own head i’ll tear him apart with my bare hands <- i am just genuinely annoyed he can do this and not me but i should be grateful that i can express myself than be an emotionally repressed asshole 

He finds kids who are mirrors where he sees himself in. One, a goody two-shoes who has it all, the other an actual brat with a fucked up life from loneliness, isolation, and abuse (a million other things). And he’s not annoyed only because he finds similarities between him and them, but the fact that they’re children and they have at least a decade more than his ass which he spent sulking about with.

He’s mad at Bancho because he has his way from the kindness and generosity of his time he’s spent with others, something Adachi didn’t do; in which he could use his situation with his family and education as an excuse, but he never brings that up because as much as he likes seeing others eat shit and he has his way, Adachi also considers himself a fuckup. can you see this irony. So many chances to get out there and socialize, but he stuck his nose in his studies thinking a good future’s already laid out for him—BUT THE BUBBLE POPPED which is what fucking happens when youre in Japanese economic depression after the bubble economy. and you dont bother to leave your comfort zone either EVEN WHEN YOU DONT NECESSARILY like the things youre doing because it’s the only damn thing you’re used to !!!!

He’s sick of Sho because he’s an oversized 10 year old who’s doing the exact same thing Adachi’s done in the past and Adachi is sick of that. he hates himself. and he’ll hate a kid for acting the same way. He’ll project so much he’ll fix another person’s mistakes not out of pure goodness of his heart, but because he doesnt like himself as a person no matter how much he tries to deflect these thoughts in his own head.

Adachi’ll scoff and nitpick Narukami because he doesn’t want to admit this better version of him is better. That he’s not this other guy, but rather, he’s just himself. He complains and whines about Dojima and even says he “hates him,” but is everyone not aware he’s the second biggest tsundere in this series next to Marie at this point. they are COMPETING for that number one title.

no matter how many times he tries to sever connections for the sake of the other party, those bonds are developed enough for the other party to WANT to tie it back together. he doesnt know how to build bridges, but he doesnt know how to properly burn them either. hes sloppy at everything he does. he is gay.

okay sorry about that im sososo dizzy honestly. where was i. i talked about his issue with his Persona before and how it isnt his Persona a million times on this blog sorry i really everything's spinning right now 'and you're still writing an adachi essay?' hushup

Japanese Bubble Economy: https://www.britannica.com/topic/bubble-economy 

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/0TkRLCGqT3g 

Arena Ultimax Manga Adaptation (Rokuro Saito)

this is a bit funny. i read it mostly for Sho like. while i do adore it as very beautiful adaptation. when it comes to adachi uhh. hmm. looks around. the rokuro saito effect. he did mementos mission too if you're wondering and what I mean by this.

I mean he did reinforce Adachi getting proper police training and essentially being above average to the top of his classes (krav maga, shooting accuracy, detectivisms, etc.). His humor and mannerisms are also delightful i think personally with the way they're illustrated and essentially visualized. Rokusai has his quirk for drawing everybody really pretty which he does really well for Persona characters, but it also caught me really off guard when he works on adachi like okay! sho breaking his ribs can fix everything itsok.

Available manga link: https://m.manganelo.com/manga-cn116859

OH now this is the section where im a bit iffy with the characterization here but i still like to reference it sometimes

The Golden Animation

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 2; Bonus Drama CD: A Sense of Gratitude

Adachi doesnt have a big part here he’s literally there to help with the Dojima garden and Narukami plants cabbages for him.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/1SNKljdyUcY?t=640 (timestamped to 10:40)

Blu-ray/DVD Vol. 4; Bonus Drama CD: Boo ~ I bear a grudge on you ~

THIS. this, goodness gracious it was so silly. Adachi’s here for a few segments with Dojima in the pub. Detective yaoi if thats what you’re into I guess. He also sounds a bit cheeky here in speaking tone and the scheme he’s pulling to call Naoto to do their job while Dojima’s knocked out on duty.

Available Video Link: https://youtu.be/PasKTZtKx_c?t=720 (timestamped at 12:00)

The Animation

i dont have much to say about the actual anime i dont really watch it, but i respect the Narukami truthers out there. It’s just not for me, nor do I reference it for Adachi at all. why does he look like this

i dont have that much judgement to say if it's good enough to use as reference for Adachi besides it visualizing how much of a goofball he is, I guess I could mention that. I have issues of it depicting lore but otherwise i dont think it's that much different than what the base game pulls besides it different pacing to better fit the animation medium.

Standalone Drama CD Vol. 2: You'll understand when you get older

Not particularly partial with this one because the anime gave Narukami a face, like he’s his own character here. Dojima makes Adachi go to Okina and deliver something because his clown ass forgot to hand it over to the other prefect police who visited within the day. Narukami’s off to go help Ebi stand in line for a makeup promo and Dojima says they can go together. There’s a subplot with the IT where they think Narukami’s being arrested lol so they go follow him throughout the rest of the drama.

Adachi just hangs out with the silly billy that is his boss’ nephew who has so much kindness and generosity that it could get the kid killed one day.

Available Video Playlist Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Wysh6PBhe_jyqxxIcyt_XrW6GcKHRn0 

The Golden (PS VITA 2013)

I scratch my head and wonder what they were going for with Adachi’s Social Link besides the fanservice. I mean thats what they did with akc in royal i guess. <- has my own opinions about this but im closing my mouth.

It feels a bit too… intimate for me? What’s the deal with WANTING to invite him for dinner… without Dojima around either. Like they’re a two in one package for me, you can’t see one without the other most of the time. Like Adachi’s slacking off work while Dojima’s slaving away by himself? I’ve always believed they get off at the same time or something because of the subordinate status.

I did enjoy the Junes segments though, it kind of felt like it was a good placement—if you move things around a bit. Him hiding behind your back while you’re doing groceries so it looks like he’s busy was a bit funny, and him chatting you up while you’re supposed to be busy yourself is also silly if you consider that Bancho himself wants to bail and was just caught into his chismosa and whining. He has enough of a degree of association with you as you’re putting your nose into the murder case and that you’re his boss’ nephew, so that’s kind of why you’re the only few people he can talk to.

(pauses yes or yes ) i also ate ice cream where was I going with this

dont make me talk about the accomplice ending that thing’s pretty corny to me but also unnerving i dont want to think about it alot.

With the way things have gone for Adachi’s new characterization with the added Social Link and the new events for Golden, it personally made me think twice about it all, especially when his TV studio and Shadow self ended up the same. There’s a lot to go about this? (<- deranged) and I will admit that I myself got sucked into the idea that he’s an antagonist and couldn’t truly experience everything right at that point. whoopsie. Then again, looking at it at this point in time after a few years makes me realize yeah maybe this does make a bit of sense! The nature of the fog has changed, which can explain the drastic change in character between Namatame and Adachi. which is an essay for another day I really feel a bit out of it.

The “um” segment. Stuff I dont really like to reference nor put in the pot that makes adachi soup because im really iffy with it and how the writing was taken liberally for the sake of the audience rather than the reinforcement of source material itself.

The Golden Animation

The Adachi centric episodes 6, 7, and the accomplice ending bonus episode lol, as the whole Golden anime was really for Marie and other new Golden add-ons like Okina and scooters and ski trip and etc. 

how do I put this. im really opinionated on this segment it’s okay if you dont take my word for it. I dont like the production quality. The animation is honestly really bad and the artstyle itsnt tasteful with how it’s executed. There’s enough frames of Marie that people looking over my shoulder while I watch would call her Adachi. It really is a boatload of a cashgrab and fanservice that kind of adds new insightful things to the lore but honestly? I don;t trust it. Like the writers forgot what they were writing about and started writing fanfiction of what they originally made.

It did give some insight with Adachi, but I hate how they just made Narukami the way he is for this adaptation. Like the boy does have all the time in world and hes not an overworked high-schooler with so many commitments now he can… make a man dinner and deliver it to him…? I would definitely say “> Adachi doesn't seem to lead a nutritionally balanced life...” and leave it at that, i am not making him dinner i dont have time for that. can someone get this guy a girlfriend please. Don’t get me started how they treated his character development and lore surrounding him overall im sick of it. At least Sogabe made it all look pretty.

anyway here’s the part where i can add my closing thoughts as someone who fills a niche solely because they think and enjoy things so differently than the present majority. I don’t think im mature enough to enjoy things peacefully in a community full of different people but also because im losing the idgaf war myself. I’m glad I can enjoy a media in general and I’m so happy when people can enjoy it with me. (had to stop the cat from clawing on the vacuum he likes the texture apparently) where was I

hold my hand as i go through a hundred coming of age arcs in my life and that one day i wont be as embarrassed as i am now to admit i like tohru adachi as a character and talk about him with a restraint so childish because I dislike how a majority depict him. he’s part of my journey as i learn things about myself as much as mimi but in a more human way because. hes human. or something. one day i can forget his reputation in the community and create all the things i make with pure love that is not fueled by spite to be right and correct. I already know i am right and correct because everyone can enjoy things their own way and find things that they like in one thing that are different from things others like. for now, i will still treat him like an insufferable uncle older brother thing whose arm i periodically chew on until i reach bone and let him carry me back to bed when im tired of being annoyed of him. 

[fujowebdev]

✨Spotlight on Browserland✨

Today we're here to tell you all about the currently released characters of Browserland: HTML, CSS, and ARIA.

Follow under the cut to learn more about the #FujoGuide world and the wonderful people that brought it to life!

If you’re coming in with no context, our Kickstarter page has all the answers. Help us reach our next stretch goal—$600 to go!—and beyond by backing our project and spreading the word!

So, what is Browserland? While we have some ideas about how it might look (regular world, but more high-tech? with tubes?) and about its politics (what if the Browser Wars were about geographical territory?), for the most part we don't need to know how it works...yet.

Still, we knew we wanted some bonus characters to beef up the lineup of our first volume. And since this is a project about web development, who better than the awesome trio of technologies that power every website we visit? We're talking of course about HTML, CSS, and ARIA, portrayed here by ereriren.

We wanted them to work as a trio, so, our trusty @tvtropesorg always at our side, we got to researching. After consulting MANY entries, we landed on the Comic Trio trope, one of the most popular examples of which is the (in)famous Team Rocket from Pokemon.

🌐 Browserland Character 1: HTML 🌐

Early on, we decided to portray websites as places where HTML & gang would work. As the backbone of every site, we made HTML the team lead and immediately assigned him the "overworked millennial" trope.

We also wanted HTML to be a constant, unprotesting victim of CSS' penchant for fashion. Putting all this together, it soon became clear he'd be the “Straight Man (trope)” of the group.

@ymkse was tasked with his design, and oh boy did they deliver.

Only one issue: they made him extremely hot, but also extremely tricky to get right. Whenever someone else had to draw HTML, he required a significant number of revisions as we struggled together to get him to look the way we wanted. (We're learning, slowly... The eyes are key.)

The sacrificial hero of our first "HTML is really hard to draw" discovery was @catter-bug, who took on the arduous task of trying to make sense of his infuriating face. Thanks to their hard work and incredible patience, our HTML character card eventually came out 🌈AMAZING🌈.

You might have noticed that HTML is the only character whose roster pic (by @ymkse) differs from his card. This last minute change happened when @essential-randomness jokingly swapped him for his catmaid version, and realized the comedic (and storytelling) potential of him staring at his phone while everyone else looked to the audience!

All in all, HTML is the only character who has four different official designs. Rumors say this might be because our project lead is extremely biased towards him, but she obviously denies such baseless accusations.

🌐 Browserland Character 2: CSS 🌐

As the language in charge of styling, we knew right away CSS would be a tailor and HTML his chosen guinea pig/model. Most importantly, if HTML and ARIA were working at every website, we wanted CSS to be the one making their uniforms!

Once again, @ymkse was in charge of the design. We wanted him to be tiny, energetic, and disheveled. We also wanted to have a character with Native American inspiration and, after some research, the team turned to the Mi'kmaq tribe for guidance.

We were lucky to have @admiralexclipse consult with us as a sensitivity reader for CSS's design, and even more #blessed to have them join us as the official illustrator for his character card.

Something else you might notice from CSS' character card: he's deaf! We were thrilled to work with @angelfeast as a sensitivity reader to make sure we understood how to handle this in our material.

We're excited to portray him in our guides soon! (art by @admiralexclipse).

🌐 Browserland Character 3: ARIA 🌐

This brings us to the third member of our trio: ARIA. As a technology intrinsically tied to HTML, we knew we wanted them to work closely together. And as the "screen reader" technology, we knew we wanted him to be the group's "conversationalist"

Aside from this, he remained a mystery. That is, until we realized ARIA stands for Accessible *Rich* Internet Applications, and it all fell in place. The heir of a wealthy family, ARIA was sent to mingle with "the plebs," where he fell madly in love with the dashing HTML-senpai.

Our last-minute hero @sgt-spank swooped in to make ARIA a reality and complete our set of characters. He also happily obliged—and encouraged—our requests of adding increasing quantities of tattoos and leather straps. Too many, you think? No such thing.

While we won’t get to fully explore the trio until later (where there’s an Issue 0, there may one day be an Issue 1), we're stoked about them and their dynamics. And given that Git(Hub) needs actual files to operate upon, they'll feature heavily in our first guide's examples.

And that is all for the Browserland spotlight! If you like the amazing work of our team, you can hire our artists and writers (and help us reach our stretch goals) by backing our Git Art/Fic tier! (art by @cmdonovann)

Please help us by reblogging this thread and sharing our kickstarter link with friends, family, colleagues and Discord servers!

[xylomane]

Hi!! Quick little message, sorry for the long break! Update: I just really got busy and lost 50/50 to Qiqi on Nahida banner so I didn't get her but I got ayato but then instead of Haran I got Ei's purple spear. Have fun with my suffering as an F2P. Anyway for the long break, I decided to write a cyno x reader with a twinge of jealous, protective, and caring Cyno (no smut for now lmao). (This'll be part one, there's gonna be a part two so wait—) I just love him sm although he tortures criminals :3 I'll be making long charac x readers like this one but they are considered short fics since I've probably seen longer ones. I hope you like it!!! I might also start making ship fanfics! Btw bonus character involvement here: Alhaitham <3333 Enjoyyyyy <3333333 Always remember that you matter and you have so much more good things to experience in your life! This'll be my christmas gift to you! If you feel like reading it ofc (❁´◡`❁) Part 2 out now! Here

Daybreak, yolk of warmth rises, and the clock above Cyno's bedside table beeps on cue. The moon's counterpart had taken over the horizon and Cyno knew it the moment his eyelids fluttered to the stabbing ray of sunlight through the white blinds. The opening of another day has invited him to wake. With acceptance, he sat himself up, a sensation of burning excitement building up in his stomach. Whatever today holds set the young scholar eagerly looking forward.

The usually time-efficient scholar Cyno couldn't simply dilly dally in his day, in fact, it barely even exists in his routines and vocabulary. Perhaps to him the hands of clocks move faster that a simple five minutes of idling affects the time for his other activities like a trail of knocked-down dominoes. A short time spent for meaningless dawdle would only affect his time to finish his homeworks, pushing the weariness caused by day further through the night where silence sends him asleep. But just staring at the blazing morning sun from his opened bed window had him feeling the sudden urge to sit for a while, having time to notice this strange tranquility and wonderment he always felt every morning, as birds flew by the blue sky canvas and hearing their songs as the winds stroked his face.

Such a pleasant and delightful greeting of nature to him, birds chirping and one even landing by his window sill. Everything is as peaceful as it should be, like a golden Paris morning. Cyno couldn't believe that he never stopped himself every morning to admire such an experience. Why did he never stop to take a peaceful break? He sighed, leaving the thoughts behind. What was once adoring a peaceful moment became a time to think of somebody special.

Cyno couldn't help wondering, "How does his friend wake up with such a view? What must they be doing now? Are they still asleep?" Your existence in his life has affected him immensely. Now he just couldn't go about his day without thinking of you. Perhaps, you must be getting ready—preparing to wear that plain ol' hoodie of yours, ruffling your hair into a mess for supposed volumes, and picking that perfect scent that never fails to turn him on. An attracting aroma, indeed. Cyno inhaled the fresh morning air as if the scent was really there but then, he ends up shaking his head to full wake, deciding to finally wave the reverie away—he should be getting ready too. The idling scholar brings a hand to scratch his disarranged silver hair, closing the short break to an end, and making his way to the kitchen.

~~~◊▪◊▪◊~~~

Sunny side-up, golden rice, and a few cuts of fish meat on his plate. Cyno swallowed down a bite as he stared at his phone. Opposite of him is the always empty wooden chair, painted gold by the sunrays through the window. The sight of it empty had his mind desperately picturing you on it, the atmosphere of your smile, the spark of sheer joy in your loving gaze, and the lovely tune of your voice. He would play cards with you, wanting to watch you flip cards and shouting hoorays or grunting your disappontments in defeat as you play against him. He bet it'd be a fun challenge for him once you get used to his tricks. What if he wins over you and then suddenly you'd give it to him back—like a clever backfire?

Cyno shook his head. If that happens, his cheeks would burn red with embarassment the entire game... But it would also be very impressive of you, doing great with only a few matches. It seems you've got quite some talent with cards.

Looking down at his food, the remaining portion is still half many. Cyno's eyebrows furrowed at the new unlikely hobby as he stared confusedly at his unfinished meal. All those daydreaming as time ticked away... and he hasn't even finished his food yet, what a waste of time. What is he doing?! Daydreaming leisurely or without a care for time is such a seldom thing to happen to him but it's a rather strange day today... For some reason, he suddenly felt too lazy to have himself follow his usual proper routine. He even somewhat felt disappointed for himself, but he'll let himself slide for now since it rarely happens anyway. Cyno brings a hand down to his pocket, grabbing his phone, and opening social media to pass time for a bit.

Scrolling through his phone, Cyno skipped posts—fragments of captured moments, smiling strangers, random news... and then... he stumbles upon an image of you.

He took it all in. The strands of your hair, outlines of your face, that smile that makes him blush even more. Cyno cracked a smile at it before typing in a comment, showering as much subtle praises as he can. He didn't know how else he could express his love for you aside from a few hints but if it is to raise your confidence a little higher, he doesn't mind.

'You look great. <3 Please never let that smile fade, I love your smile.' He typed in.

Cyno sent the comment successfully. His phone made a cling and a checkmark on his screen informed that his comment has been posted, it made his heart skip a beat. Cyno couldn't help but chuckle slightly to himself at the silly reaction.

The little heart on his comment is something Cyno liked the look of so much, even though he felt shy to admit it to anyone and to himself. The idea of putting it there came from you. You always sent him that heart at almost every end of most of your messages. 'Hello Cyno! <3' 'Hey Cyno! How have you been doing lately? I'm doing great! Can you help me with my history notes if ur not busy? No pressure ofc <3' 'Don't forget to take care of yourself! <3333'

It makes him feel feelings he is very well scared and aware of.

Finally having the urge to look at the time, Cyno looked at it on his phone. 30 minutes before classes start. Hey... it's not that—No, he should be going to school now. What made him stall like this? You really made an impact to him, huh.

The woolgathering scholar, still sitting on his dining chair with a person in mind, just couldn't help replaying all your lovely phrases. But when time finally worried him enough, he reluctantly stands up, reminding himself that the faster he moves, the closer he is to seeing you. Cyno quickly headed to the bathroom for an ice-cold bath.

~~~◊▪◊▪◊~~~

Cyno closed the gates and headed out. Black hoodie and earphones on, Butterflies playing on loop as he stuffed his phone in his pockets.

I won't stop getting butterflies~ I get 'em every time, I look into your eyes~

Cyno hummed the tune, aware he's alone on the road, someone pictured before him as he reached the intersection. Their hair bounces as they take each step, and the winds tangle their fingers at a few strands. Their hand suddenly reaches to fill in the gaps of his own, like branches meant to be intertwined as they walked and the figure in his head smiles so brightly that nothing else mattered in his view except their face. Your touch traced his palms with warmth and he tried to feel it as soon as he clasped his hand into a fist. Just imagine how well your hand would fit in his... it would feel so good. The underlying question is...

...when?

You won't stop running through my mind For the rest of both our lives You give me butterflies And I keep on getting Butterflies~

Up on a bus and the light of day poured over his face as he sat beside a window with open curtains. 'What a day...' His mind grumbled. Almost half the time he spent thinking is only about you and the bugging existence of time. He stared out onto the blurring street as the bus zoomed ahead on the road, the longing for you to be by his side gnawing constantly at the back of his mind. You could put your head on his shoulder and sleep at the quietness of this bus, morning gold all over your face and he would stare at your pretty eyelashes. Your presence close to him is enough to make him feel at peace and contented... If only—Ugh. Cyno buried his face in his hands. He should stop feeling like this. It's only going to make him more disappointed that you're not even his yet. He just wants you to be his and this wish is slowly eating him whole.

Cyno opened his eyes as he put down his hands to his lap. At this point, you being in his life and living in his head rent free is both a blessing... and a curse. Being hoplessly inlove sure has its pain.

The music went on, but then Cyno finds himself not listening. He has been thinking, what if... what if you started having a crush on somebody else? Like... if it's not him but maybe one of his friends? Would he be able to survive knowing it? He looks up at the bus roof and imagines your bright smile being for someone else to own, his gut wrenches at the idea of it. What if that figure in his mind one day disappears? As if... he never loved them? What if after he admits to you that he loves you, you become disheartened and leave him? Then the buds of love wither away into oblivion... Cyno closed his eyes.

Dark. If one day he would no longer see that smile as something meant for him... His world would feel dark. Strange. Unusual. Lonely. Having not a place in his mind and his life for you at the future... it would feel so wrong. Like something's missing and the feeling is just so unfamiliar to him. He might be being overdramatic to himself but it's the most sincere he can get about his feelings. It's better to be honest than confuse oneself with one's own feelings when it comes to love. He wouldn't dare face the consequences.

Cyno felt himself torn into two sides, he could allow you to love somebody else for your better but. But... if he has a chance, he'll stay by you. He can't tell for now. But one thing's for sure, he won't stop loving you. And that's a problem if you reject him.

'12 minutes before classes start', Cyno mutters to himself the moment he opens his phone. Thank goodness there's no traffic. He'll reach you by anytime now and the strange excitement building up in his stomach is getting wilder than ever. Cyno tried to discipline his body not to do stupid things but just the sight of you sends him crazy, even if he was imagining it.

~~~◊▪◊▪◊~~~

It didn't take long for the bus to finally reach Cyno's school. The moment he saw the signature white and blue walls of it at a distance behind a cluster of trees, he has already began walking through the bus aisle, ready to go down. Cyno deeply regretted wasting his time at home and had he been here early, he would've had 30 minutes of chatting with you. Maybe not all of it was a waste of time though, especially when he commented on your photo. That's actually spending time wisely for him.

When you walk into the room I'm as nervous as the day I met you~

Cyno panted heavily up the school stairs as his feet quickly dragged him towards you with the second verse of the song playing on his red-tinted ears. He stopped himself before the gates and the pebble floor tiles to breathe—bending himself down, catching his breath and as Cyno straightened himself, he saw it there. The very person he feels so excited for, the smile he very much cherishes, and that presence... the way your gaze meets his... those sleepless nights.

The bright light of the morning sun blinded him for a few seconds so he squinted at your sweet infectious smile.

"Cyno!!!" You cried happily, going up to him to give him one tight bear hug. That smile, the feeling of stomach butterflies... Cyno went stiff.

~~~◊▪◊▪◊~~~

Cyno's stomach burst with funny feelings. The way you smiled at him—so cheery and when you put your arms around his waist— He felt bashful. He opened his arms for you and your body closed around his, his heart battling to come out of his chest. Cyno prayed you don't feel it while hugging him.

Cyno returned the warm welcome by hugging you back. The feeling of your body warmth against his own... Cyno blushed. This feeling is sending him nervous, almost close to an inner panic. He hesitated, is it really alright to hug you like this? Doubts suddenly formed in the corners of his mind, questions voicing out his inner anxiety. Cyno asked himself, is this hug really fine? Especially that it's clearly not just a hug for him. It's like feeling your body extremely close to his. What if you won't like him if this is how he reacts with your hugs? Does he really deserve to fall in love with his unaware best friend? Isn't that painful to the person he just shared an intimate friendship with? But now's not the time. Cyno thought the better of it and decided that better cherish the small moment before it fades. Relax now. R e l a x , he told himself.

Cyno burried himself into your shoulder, ready to smell your signature scent—Hm? What was that?— Cyno buried himself deeper onto your clavicle. 'It's... something new.' Cyno thought. He sniffed the scent, it smelled like a masculine perfume and a twinge of... lime fragrance? It smells so good but it's definitely not your signature scent. Has that cologne ran out? Cyno looked at the fabric of your hoodie only to realize that this is not even the color of the hoodie you always wear. It looked... oddly bigger than you before you hugged him but it probably wasn't that obvious earlier because the sunlight had been blinding him. Something feels off here... Cyno's senses suspected.

Just when he started feeling that he has had enough and the hug was beginning to become suspiciously longer than you had anticipated, he let loose from the hug but didn't let go, his eyes gazing overhead, only to see a shadow blocking the sunlight. And then he realized something.

There's... another something.... something serious... that even Cyno couldn't help feeling gut wrenched to besides a hard question in an exam. Jealousy. When he realized who was blocking the sunlight, further paces away from him, he felt the gut wrench.

It's not because the man before him that you must've been talking to before he arrived here is quite the rational and attractive man, or because he seemed to have more manly display. It's not any of that. It's because he's none other than the sly, untrustable, and mysterious Alhaitham. Why is he here? Did you two talk to each other? Why would you talk to somebody like him? Do you trust him? For what reason? What kind of mission has this man involved you in? Cyno couldn't help but keep his mind occupied by buzzing questions of confusion. And as it was happening, his gaze sharply meets the other scholar's. But of course, Alhaitham doesn't seem fazed.

Sharp stares are just another one of Cyno's old tricks and Alhaitham still vividly remembers that same day he met those eyes when Cyno and him went against each other during a supreme student government debate. Should he tell you the story? Alhaitham chuckles to himself. The glaring scholar before him hated every bit of that small smile. He really hated not arriving early now.

**To be continued**

[batmannotes]

Explore over eighty years of Batman history in this updated official edition featuring a wealth of new content, including a new chapter on acclaimed feature film The Batman.

Full video review below:

Featuring two new chapters and content from the new feature film The Batman, this updated volume tells the complete story of Batman and his many guises throughout the years. Since his 1939 debut in the pages of Detective Comics, Batman has become an icon, instantly recognizable the world over. Yet, despite being known to millions, Gotham City’s Guardian has been interpreted in so many radically different ways that we all now have our own Batman. To some he’s the colorful Caped Crusader who dispatches villains with a POW! To others he’s the grim Dark Knight hell-bent on avenging the death of his parents. And to others still he’s made of LEGO, has great abs, and likes to eat lobster thermidor!

This deluxe edition explores the Batman across comics, TV, animation, film, video games, and beyond, to present a compelling portrait of one of the most recognizable and versatile characters in the history of fiction. Covering the complete history of Batman in vivid detail, this deluxe edition features exclusive commentary from the key creatives who have been instrumental in building the Dark Knight’s ongoing legacy, including Neal Adams, Tim Burton, Paul Dini, Steve Englehart, Mark Hamill, Grant Morrison, Julie Newmar, Christopher Nolan, Denny O’Neil, Joel Schumacher, Scott Snyder, and Zack Snyder.

Along with taking readers on an unparalleled journey into the creation of the most memorable Batman moments in the character’s eighty-year history—from the “Knightfall” comics arc to Tim Burton’s films and the Arkham video game series—the book busts open the DC Comics and Warner Bros. archives to deliver an avalanche of never-before-seen visual treasures that are guaranteed to blow the minds of Batman fans everywhere.

Filled with exclusive insert items that further deepen the reading experience, this updated edition of Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond is the ultimate exploration of a true legend whose impact on our culture has no limits.

COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY: Over 400 pages detailing every incarnation of The Caped Crusader across comics, TV, animation, movies, videogames and beyond. ALL-STAR CONTRIBUTORS: Read interviews and insights from those who have shaped The Dark Knight’s legend, including Christopher Nolan, Mark Hamill, Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Grant Morrison, Julie Newmar, Joel Schumacher, Scott Snyder, Frank Miller, Kevin Conroy and more.

 EXCLUSIVE BONUS INSERTS: Filled with pull-out cards, posters, mini-books, and other interactive ephemera that bring the history of the caped crusader to life. NEVER BEFORE SEEN IMAGES: Taken directly from the archives of DC and Warner Bros., enjoy exclusive, unseen treasures from the 80-year history of Batman. COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION: Batman: The Animated Series, DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman and DC Comics Variant Covers: The Complete Visual History also available.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Insight Editions; Updated edition (December 2022)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 440 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1647228964

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1647228965

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.5 pounds

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 2 x 12.75 inches

Available now at Amazon. Direct link here.

[marcarella-pizza]

Buying Buddy Daddies media from Japan

I’ve been getting asked about where to get Buddy Daddies anime/ soundtrack, I’ll try to help here~

I’ll always recommend CD Japan, I’ve used them for years without issue (ships internationally, so all my aussie mates, we’re covered!) >>>

*Currently it’s only available in Japan as far as I’ve seen.

What’s included:

Anime: Currently, (5th April) BD is in the production phase of the individual limited volumes. Most animes do this, it’ll be two or three episodes, some bonus booklets/ CDs/ dramas etc. Buddy Daddies will have 6 volumes, around ¥7000 ($70) each. There’s also some extra character cards and goodies, check the Buddy Daddies site for more on each individual bundle!

There are no English dub or subtitles for this release.

Bluray is region free.*

Not complete series.

*Im basing this from CD Japan, I actually can’t find specifics on the box or the site so I’ll update this post with a definitive answer when I figure it out

Soundtrack: Three soundtracks exist. One for the OP by the artist, one for the ED by the artist, and one that is the ED by the artist plus a bonus track of Kazuki and Rei doing a “Lofi remix cover”

They’re a CD only.

No english.

First edition bundle of ED+Cover version comes with a mini print.

The disc case is cardboardish.

That last line feels important just cus, well , it’s not the most protective thing in the world I discovered.

English anime/ complete series: As of yet, neither exist. Mainly because the English dub is still underway. I’ve found that it’s the American release that’ll combine the entire series and a booklet of some content found in the Japan release.

Vol 2 will release by the end of April, I recommend looking at the site for the rest of the release dates!

[peofun1]

Expensive Anime Plastic part 2: Two years later

now with 80% less cardboard as risers!

so I've had this as my pinned post for two years now, but it's pretty outdated at this point. my collection has grown a lot in the last two years, and I wanted to show it off! this is my blog and I'll make you look at my plastic toys if I want to >:D

this post is a full tour of my anime figure collection as of June 2024, which basically spans across my whole apartment these days. this is my 11th year in the hobby, so everything you see here was accumulated slowly over that time.

buckle up because this is REALLY long and picture-heavy. (also other collectors can find me on myfigurecollection(dot)net as peofun1, if you'd like~)

Alright, first up, the detolfs in the living room:

Some thoughts: the BNHA shelf will likely get rotated out pretty soon. I fell off the manga pretty hard a while ago, but I do still enjoy these figures... but when my Haikyuu Kotobukiya scales get here (all four of them 😩) I'll probably try to turn that into a Haikyuu shelf. Jirou, Shouto and maybe one Dabi can take the place of the Haikyuu Nendos on the left side

the Katamari Dipp figure is a custom by sixsculpts on instagram! (topshelf on MFC) they reached out to me when I mentioned I'll probably never get my hands on the F4F Dipp figure, and made the Dipp of my dreams for me 🥰 definitely check out their work if you like customs!

last thing -- I know the bottom left shelf is kind of a disaster. Ike and Alphen just REFUSE to play nice together, with the way they both have big capes and swords that stick out and bump things -_- if it helps, we're usually viewing these shelves at an angle from our couch, and Claude in the back is much more visible from there

as a little bonus, here's what one of these shelves USED to look like before I rotated out these figures:

I decided to pack away most of my League of Legends figures after they laid off my wife 😐 (and several good friends 😐) I may bring them back out once I have more room, but they currently live in the closet. and that's fine, for now.

Next up, my desk in the office:

I put away all my random stacks of MTG cards to take these pictures.

most of the figures here are blind box/prize figures that I won't be too sad about if they get dusty or attacked by the cats (though I do use some boxes to block them from the cats when I'm not in the room). the exceptions are the goth angel, who doesn't fit anywhere else, the light-up Futaba figure and the Cintiq girlie, who simply have to live with my computer and Cintiq tablet. themeing!

some of the pins/keychains/prints here are official, but a lot of them are fan-made merch! some of them are bonuses that came with zines I preordered (including the infamous showtime akeshu zine)

also, since you can see a few of them in the top pic, here's those plushies. I have way more plush than this, but these are the ones that currently live on my desk:

Moving on to the bedroom: ❗❗ Warning: this section contains figures that are NSFW ❗❗ I've censored one of them (because her bits are just OUT and I don't wanna to get smited) but there are a few that are ~spicy~ proceed with caution

(I promise we have books that aren't manga, they're just all on a different bookshelf in the living room!) this doubles as our manga shelf, obviously. we got back into collecting physical manga after moving to LA, since it's easy to make a trip to Kinokuniya and pick up new stuff! mixed in are some older volumes I recently rescued from my parents' house. I'm slooooowly trying to complete TRC, but it's hard to find it these days...

anyway this shelf is kind of a mess theme-wise, since they're mostly just figures I don't have room for anywhere else. especially that top shelf, yeesh. 10th anniversary Miku trying to bridge the gap between horny 1/4 scales and live-service game hell.

long-time followers might also spot the sonic screwdriver, which is the same one I'm holding in the very first post I ever made on this website. please don't go looking for that.

I'm hoping to pick up a third display case (probably second hand, since ikea discontinued the detolf >.> ) but in the meantime they're here getting in the way of my manga.

aside from the LoL figures, I have three others not currently on display: one is Magical Mirai Miku 2017, which is in her box because she's broken 😬 her neck peg got messed up one of the times I packed her to move, so I need to fix that sometime. the second is the 1/4 Yakuwa Nazumi designed by WOOMA, which I desperately want to display but she's ENORMOUS so she'll probably have to wait until I get another display case. and the last is another Miku prize figure, because I clearly don't have enough of those lmao

so that's my whole figure collection! it's a constant work-in-progress, because they keep making cool new figures and I am never satisfied :)

if you actually took the time to read all this, thanks for indulging me!!

[annieskawaiiworld]

Hi! I'm Joana, aka Mysty, aka a few other names depending on where you know me online! I'm a 32-year-old woman with ADHD and chronic pain, among other things, and I need help.

For almost six years I've worked at the same fast food restaurant, and even during lockdown, I got mostly full-time hours and was able to sustain myself on this job as the minimum wage in my state is higher than average and I have a sister who I live with and split bills with.

Well, back in September, I had a meltdown due to stress. Since then, I've been fighting with the store to actually cut down my hours a little so I could avoid both the extremely stressful dinner shift and being there when my ADHD medication wears off. At first I thought the store manager understood because I got the slightly shorter shifts I had requested. And then they went right back to scheduling me how they were. When I tried to talk about it, the store manager gaslit me, trying to tell me I had never said I wanted the reduced hours as my permanent schedule, even though I had a note on my phone I had written so I would be prepared with what to say when I spoke with her, timestamped for that September.

And now, because I spoke up, they've pretty much slashed both mine and my sister's hours to practically nothing. In this month of January, I've averaged between seven and thirteen hours, and my sister's been about the same. We have bills to pay! We have rent, phone, internet, groceries, everything that an adult is expected to have.

So here's where you can help me. I have a few things to present to you guys.

The first, of course, is if you'd like to make a direct donation to me, you can do so here. I have a Paypal debit card, so any funds put in there I can use right away, meaning I'd be able to pay for groceries and such directly from it without waiting to transfer to my bank account or pay the fee for instant transfer.

The next: I'm a writer! I've been making some money here and there from it. If you'd like to support me and buy my stuff, here's a list.

I'm The Reincarnation of a Water Spirit

I'm The Protagonist of an Otome Dating Sim And I Don't Like Any of My Love Interests!

I Just Want To Play The Game Without Getting Crushed By Giant Tomatoes

These three are serial stories on Kindle Vella! I update them frequently, and on top of royalties from episodes read, the more engagement (likes, faves, reads) I get, the higher my bonus from them is every month. They're stories modeled after anime and light novels, so if that's your thing, great!

Attention to Detail

This is also a Vella serial, under my pen name. This one is more American YA-style (the protagonist has ADHD and is in a relationship with another guy! Neurodivergent and LGBT rep yay!).

SK Online, Volume 1

This one is a novella, another anime-inspired story about an MMORPG. If you like .hack, you'll probably like this.

Sweet Saviors, volume 1, volume 2, volume 3

Sweet Saviors is a novella series about manga artists, starring the cutest manga-ka you'll ever meet.

The links for the novellas lead to the e-book versions, but you can click into the paperback versions if you like!

And finally, I have a merch shop! I like to draw cute things. If you like wearing t-shirts and such with cute animals and anthropomorphized food, I bet you'll love it!

You can find the Annie's Kawaii World shop here at Threadless.

If you're still reading this, I love you forever. Even if you can't donate or buy anything to help out, reblogs to spread this around to those who might be able to are deeply appreciated. Thanks, guys. You're the best.

[darkkbluee]

9 People You Want to Get to Know Better

I was tagged by @eleonoraw. Took me a while to get to it. Thank you very much for the tag and sorry for the delay! 💖

1. Three Ships

I'll take some liberties and 4 ships:

Lawlight (my current OTP). What can I say, the enemies-to-lover and enemies-and-lovers dynamic has me captured. This ship has UST in spades. I just want them to kiss first and then go back to killing each other (literally or metaphorically, take your pick 🔥). And hey! Maybe they did kiss behind closed doors in Yotsuba arc. Their room had no cameras. Sus as hell.

NaruSaku: Naruto chases Sasuke across 50+ volumes and 500+ episodes, plus an on-screen kiss. The only people who get a genuine emotional reaction from Sasuke are his brother, the people who offer to help him take revenge on his brother, and Naruto. See the outlier here? Hint hint, nudge nudge. Yeah, they're totally gone for each other.

Bingqiu (from Scum Villain's Self Saving System, transmigrated millennial x black lotus demon lord): Shen Yuan aka Shen Qingqiu is the classic millennial (main hobby is meme, web novels, criticizing web novels, buying merch) who transmigrates into a xianxia novel's scum teacher. PS- Shen Yuan has no teaching credentials. Yeah, no way this can go wrong. Plus, oh look! There's feels too!

WangXian (from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, aka The Untamed): Lan Wangji's stead-fastness and Wei Wuxian's sheer chaotic energy has me captivated ❤.

2. First ever ship

Naruto & Sasuke. Shipped these two before I even knew what a ship was, back during the 2000s Naruto re-runs. It's a popular ship tho, so as a bonus, my second ever ship was Sun Knight/Judgment Knight, from Yu Wo's Legend of the Sun Knight. That's how I found ao3 btw. Searching for LSK fanfics 😂.

3. Last song

Mere Dil Gaye Ja (Zooby Dooby remix). Odd, I know. Alas, spotify does what it does and this one is actually an ear worm. Last English song was, 'Ka chink' by Shania Twain. A song about paying credit card bills and debt, whats not to like?

4. Last movie

Its been so long, actually had to look this up. Knives Out. Did a rewatch after Glass Onion came out.

5. Currently reading

The Republic of Thieves (third book of Gentlemen Bastards series).

6. Currently watching

The Witcher s1

7. Currently consuming

Air, water and Godiva Dark Chocolate Ganache <3

8. Currently craving

Chocolate gelato ice cream, spaghetti in spicy tomato and pesto sauce, pani puri and gulab jamun 🤤.

Andd that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed reading me rambling away lmao. Tagging others below, but its been so long, idk if they already did the game 🙈.

@dotti55 @spicyyagamis @rarepears @homoeroticide @llawlieta @kerosinom @idontevenuse-thissite

[azbreasts-blog]

Why the Holidays Are the Best Time for Plastic Surgery

The holidays are upon us once again, and as you plan festive parties and search for the perfect presents to give your loved ones, keep in mind that the holiday season is also the ideal time to give yourself the gift of transformation and rejuvenation. Whether you desire plastic surgery or a non-surgical cosmetic treatment, here's why the holiday season is a great time to schedule your appointment at Guerra Plastic Surgery Center.

Why the Holiday Season Is the Perfect Time to Have Plastic Surgery

Are you still thinking about postponing your procedure? Don't! Here are five compelling reasons to get plastic surgery during the holidays.

1. Downtime Is Practically Handed to You

During the holidays, relaxing without worrying excessively about work obligations is a privilege some of us have. If you are one of those lucky people with an easygoing holiday schedule, you are expected to take time off, sleep in, and stay warm by the fireplace, so no one should bat an eye when you lounge on the couch or stay in bed all day while recovering.

Rest following plastic surgery or a non-invasive treatment is important to prevent complications and ensure a successful outcome. Take advantage of the holidays' slowed-down pace and relax as much as possible. Combining paid time off with company holiday breaks can give you more time to heal and recover from more extensive procedures such as breast augmentation or a tummy tuck in Scottsdale, AZ.

2. Use Your Holiday Bonus to Invest in Yourself

If you receive a holiday bonus from your employer, consider using that money to lighten the financial load of your procedure. Whether you have enough money saved to pay for your breast implants up-front or plan to use CareCredit® cards to finance your breast augmentation surgery, your holiday bonus can help offset the costs and prevent you from cutting back on other holiday expenses.

The season of giving can be expensive, but with disciplined spending habits, a generous holiday bonus, and flexible financing from Guerra Plastic Surgery Center, you can undergo your preferred procedure before the year ends.

Related: 5 Foolproof Ways to Save Money for Plastic Surgery

3. You Have All the Help You Need and More

If your entire family gathers together to celebrate the holidays, you can forget your worries about who's going to help with household chores, childcare, pet care, and meal planning while you focus on recovering. From your parents and siblings to your extended family members, your relatives can assist you with matters such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of your kids. Of course, you can still do your part to the best of your abilities, but ensure not to overexert yourself.

4. Look and Feel Your Best for the Holidays

Do you want to look youthful, glowing, and rejuvenated throughout the holidays? Non-surgical aesthetic treatments provide immediate results with little to no downtime, allowing you to look and feel your most confident at holiday parties and family gatherings. Ask us about dermal fillers to restore volume to your face; chemical peels for glowing skin; or BOTOX® injections to reverse the effects of time and gravity.

5. Start the New Year With a New You

One of the main benefits of getting plastic surgery during the holidays is, in most cases, you will have recovered enough to return to your daily routine before the new year arrives. Dr. Guerra and Dr. Ogley specialize in natural plastic surgery results, so your friends and co-workers will notice a youthful and more radiant you without assuming you had any work done.

Most Popular Cosmetic Procedures for the Holidays

After nearly 20 years of performing plastic surgery in Phoenix, Dr. Aldo Guerra has seen various trends develop in his practice. Among those trends are procedures that increase in demand during the holiday season. Some of the most coveted include:

1. Breast Enhancement Surgery

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular surgical procedures all throughout the year, and the holidays are no exception. With or without a breast lift, the holidays allow women to heal and recover discreetly. In many patients who had breast augmentation during Thanksgiving, swelling and bloating have reduced significantly by winter vacation. Another reason breast augmentation in Scottsdale is sought-after during fall and winter is that the implants will have settled into their final position in time for swimsuit season.

2. Liposuction and Abdominoplasty

In 2020, over 300,000 people had a body contouring procedure before and during the holidays. It's so much easier to hide post-op compression garments under layers of winter clothing, and once again, the timing is perfect for final results to appear by spring and summer.

3. Facial Plastic Surgery

Facelifts and brow lifts are among the most popular procedures focused on enhancing the face. The holidays allow women and men who prefer to keep their beauty secrets a secret to undergo surgical procedures without everyone in their circle knowing. By the time the new year arrives, while the results may not be final, they will still look refreshed, rejuvenated, and years younger.

4. Mommy Makeover

If you wish to restore or improve your pre-baby body, scheduling your mommy makeover during the holidays will help you achieve your body goals before summertime. Like the aforementioned procedures, recovery is critical to successful mommy makeover results. Giving your body ample time to heal from surgery minimizes the risk of complications and ensures your results are both desirable and long-lasting.

5. Injectable Fillers

Dermal fillers are always a hot topic in the world of non-invasive skincare solutions. They are ideal for people with busy lifestyles, holidays or not. If you are looking for a quick and painless in-office treatment that addresses fine lines, wrinkles, and volume loss, popular fillers such as Juvéderm and Voluma provide long-lasting solutions for aging skin.

Schedule Your Holiday Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, AZ

Are you ready to take the first step toward looking and feeling your best? Contact Guerra Plastic Surgery Center at 480-970-2580 to book your consultation with the Best Male Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in Arizona. Our practice serves patients in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and nearby areas of greater Phoenix, AZ.

[babybluebex]

laszlo kreizler nsfw alphabet

so yeah this... Happened. the zemo version is coming soon, stay tuned! (probably tomorrow morning bc a bitch is tired lmao)

(gif credit to @lindir)

A = Aftercare.

Laszlo is such an aftercare king. He’s checking on you in every way he can think of: asking you if you feel alright, maybe massaging your hips if he had you in a weird position, offering you dinner or wine, maybe even a hot bath, if you’d like (and the bath would have special perfumed oils he had sent from Paris because Laszlo is SUCH a self care whore, he’s got soaps and perfumes out the wazoo).

B = Body Part.

His favorite part of yours are your breasts. No questions, hands down. He likes using your breasts as a pillow at night— just settling himself between your legs and resting his head on your tits is a dream he indulges in frequently. He also really loves seeing you in the new French-style of dresses that have a lower neckline, and, if you wear one of those dresses to dinner without telling him beforehand, he’s as good as gone. He’s staring the whole time and can only manage simple sentences.

C = Cum.

I think Laszlo likes to cum inside you, but he also wouldn’t mind cumming on your tits. If you’re on your knees, sucking him off, he’ll pull himself out of your mouth and almost rip your blouse in his haste to set your tits free before his orgasm rips through him. He only chooses to cum inside you if he can’t cum on your tits (for example, if you’re having slow, kissy sex and he can’t bear to leave your wet heat).

D = Dirty Secret.

Laszlo. Loves. To. Be. Degraded. From a psychological standpoint, he understands that his desire to be brought down and ridiculed is born from some sort of childhood trauma that DEFINITELY involves his father, but he just can’t help himself from getting so ridiculously turned on when you call him a dog for humping your leg while you try to sleep. Bonus points if you use his title while you do it: “Just like a little bitch in heat, aren’t you, Doctor Kreizler? You’re so aroused, you can hardly handle yourself. Are you too dumb to touch your own cock? Do you need me to do it? Oh, Doctor, what a dumb little thing you are.”

E = Experience.

Even Daniel himself has said that Laszlo has like NO experience. Laszlo got ZERO bitches (which I find hard to believe but ok whatever you say, writers of The Alienist), so, the first time y’all have sex, he’s more likely than not losing his virginity (let’s not get into the debate of “virginity is a social construct” because a.) IT IS and b.) Laszlo would lecture for hours about this). HOWEVER, these things come naturally to him. He is just Good In Bed. He figures it out very quickly, so, while you make fun of him for going a little stupid when he’s aroused, he makes up for it by bruising your cervix and apologizing later.

F = Favourite Positions.

Laszlo loves that soft, slow, kissy sex, so he’s into whatever position makes it possible for him to be inside you and to kiss you at the same time. Missionary is a go to, but sometimes he’ll have you sit on his desk and kiss your neck as he hikes your skirts up and fucks you all slow and nice.

G = Goofy.

Hardly ever? Laszlo is pretty serious most of the time, and the only time we ever see him Not Serious in the show is when he’s wasted after John’s bachelor party in season 2. So, maybe y’all went to dinner at Delmonico’s, then a ball for members of high society, and he had a little too much champagne and schnapps. He’s not like giggling and all, but his cheeks are red and he’s smiling more than usual, and calling you sweet names “Oh, mein Kätzchen” and “Meine kleine Prinzessin”. That’s Laszlo’s version of goofy.

H = Hair.

OK, my train of thought here is: LOOK AT THIS MAN’S BEARD. HIS BEARD IS NICE AS SHIT. If he treats his facial hair that good— regular trims, the beard oils we all know he uses, even if it isn't strictly canon— then his downstairs hair is nice too. Definitely soft, if maybe a little wiry sometimes (but tbh whose isn’t), and it’s a nice little cropping at the base of his cock. He also has a thin happy trail up his soft tummy, and a good amount on his chest (as we see in the show lol that much is canon).

I = Intimacy.

Laszlo is ALL ABOUT intimacy. You’ll know he’s in a ~mood~ because you’ll ask what’s being served at Delmonico’s that night, and Laszlo is like “I thought we might stay in tonight. John gave me his grandmother’s recipe for chicken soup”. He’ll light candles and pour you wine and play nice music on his gramophone, and he’ll romance you throughout dinner with little hand touches and sly smiles, until he’s kneeling in front of you and slowly kissing up your leg.

J = Jack-Off.

Honestly, he hardly does it. Of course, I’m sure he did it A LOT before he met you, but now he doesn’t need to pleasure himself anymore. He’s got you to do that. The only exception is if he has to travel for work and you can’t go with him. Even then, he’ll hold off until he absolutely can’t stand it, and then he’ll like read a letter you sent him or look at a sketch that John did of you while he whacks off; sometimes, he’ll just hold your letter to his face, and the faint trace of your perfume is enough to do the job.

K = Kink.

He likes impact play a lot (and perhaps a little roleplay wrapped up in it). On the rare occasion that his fucking is anything but soft and lovely, he’s gonna be hitting your ass and the backs of your thighs as you cling to him while he rails you stupid. Laszlo would try to hit your cheek, but he feels too bad when you wince at the pain of it. Spanking your tits is good to him too. His favorite though (and here’s where the roleplay comes in), is caning your ass. He’ll bend you over the desk in his home office and pull your skirts up past your hips, and he’ll make you count the amount of times his thick wooden cane connects with your soft asscheeks. The roleplay is, more often than not, you were his assistant who did something wrong and needed to be punished. If you miss one or forget to thank him accordingly “Thank you, sir”, he’ll focus the next hit on your thighs.

L = Location.

Either the bed or his desk. Laszlo is a little older (I don’t think we ever get an explicit age? But if we say he’s the same age as Daniel, then he’s 40 to 42-ish) so he can’t do it against a wall or anywhere too crazy (not to mention his right arm can hardly support much weight, so if he needs to hold you up, it’s probably not gonna happen). The bed is a special time for you two because of his arm; he’ll hold himself up with his left arm and rest his hand on your hip or wherever to give himself at least a little leverage. But the desk is usually easier because you can sit, or you can bend over and he can grab your hip.

M = Motivation.

He loves you and wants to worship you. It’s truly as simple as that. He loves you and thinks that you’re the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen, and he wants to show his reverence for you by making love to you.

N = No.

He can’t get into the role of “daddy”, nor can he call you “mommy”. Childhood trauma aside, he will be goddamned if Sigmund fucking Freud is correct about his bullshit Oedipus complex or whatever, so he just eliminates that whole thing entirely.

O = Oral.

He’s very good at it. He’s just… His lips are soft and his beard is good, and he’s not afraid to get a little messy with it. He’ll eat you out until he absolutely has to come up for air, and he’ll have a little bit of your wetness clinging to his mustache, but then he’s right back in it. His medical degree is also put to good use here because he remembers his female anatomy and he’s locked onto your clit the entire time. The first time you ever squirted, it was because Laszlo was nipping at your clit and sucking your wet little hole and pressing his thick fingers into you, and it was A Lot To Process, but you squirted and Laszlo came in his pants instantly because he’s like “I didn’t think women could actually do that… I thought that was a thing that penny novels made up”

P = Pace.

Again, he’s a little older, so he doesn’t fuck like some wild boy. He takes his time with you, touching you and caressing you and kissing you, and his pace is the same way. He’s slow and gentle, but has the capacity to go faster and harder if you ask for it.

Q = Quickie.

Hates them. Never. Never ever ever. If he can’t properly romance you and take his time with you, then what’s the point??

R = Risk.

Surprisingly, Laszlo is a little schemer, and he loves running a risk. He’s already looked down upon by other society members, so what’s the harm in squeezing your ass at a party? PERHAPS it’s inappropriate to get caught in a dark corner with your hand down his trousers and him kissing your neck, but it’s easy to blame it on the alcohol.

S = Stamina.

Once more, he is firmly middle aged, so he can do one round— maybe two, if he’s feeling particularly frisky. Usually, though, one is more than enough for both of you.

T = Toy.

HAVE YALL SEEN SEX TOYS FROM THE 1890S?? SHITS ARE SCARY. Laszlo does not like toys, but he understands their need for existing, so he may not like them but he tolerates them. That being said, he likes to watch you use them. LIke, he’ll sit in a chair by the bed and request you “put on a good show”, and he’ll watch you fall apart, and he’ll only come and touch you if you beg and plead for him to.

U = Unfair.

Mhm, so, in Laszlo’s mind, sex and pleasure are not just a give and take, it’s a two way street. They can (and often need to) coexist. He doesn’t like to initiate something if you won’t be able to reciprocate, so he’s not too into teasing or things. At the aforementioned parties, he’ll only goose your ass if he knows you’re 100% down for it.

V = Volume.

He’s fairly quiet. His mouth is usually really close to your ear, and you’re the only one who gets to hear his pretty little noises. The loudest he’ll be is when he’s come home after traveling and it’s felt like ages since he’s made love to you, he’s gonna come inside you, and his little gasp and moan are louder than usual.

W = Wild Card.

He is down to be tied up. He doesn’t like to tie you up, but if he’s the one being restrained, he’s all over it. It’s nothing too intense, just using a ribbon for your hair to tie his left hand to the headboard, not super tight but enough to make his fingers a little tingly, but he loves it. He loves the switch of the dynamic, how he’s fully at your mercy and you can use him however you please; usually, you just suck him off and ride him, but the endless possibilities get him hard as soon as you pull out the ribbon.

X = X-Ray.

Laszlo has Big Dick Energy, so he has to have a big dick. The best example of this sort of energy is in the very first episode after he goes and interviews Wolf, and comes to speak to Teddy, and Teddy is like “you interviewed the suspect? On whose authority??” and laszlo is like “Mine” like OH HIS DICK IS BIG I KNOW IT. He’s got an above average length and girth, but we know our man likes to eat, so some of his weight goes to his dick, so it’s like,,, He’s got a fat cock, sorry, I don’t make the rules

Y = Yearning.

Constantly. Neverending. He’s at work and he’ll catch a glimpse of a pastel drawing that you commissioned from John for Laszlo’s birthday that sits in a frame on his desk, and his heart starts to hurt from missing you. When he comes home, he’ll embrace you and kiss you like he hasn’t seen you in years, and he’ll want to hear all about your day. You have your doctor so whipped for you, and it’s a different kind of whipped than being pussy whipped. He’s, like, feelings whipped.

Z = ZZZ.

He’s a sleepy little baby after you guys finish. His eyes will be a little heavy and sticky as he’s cleaning up and caring for you (and you definitely coo at him “Oh, Las, you’re so sleepy!”) but when you’re both back in bed, our little man is circling his arm around your waist and nuzzling his cheek into your shoulder. He’s so soft and affectionate, and he’s out like a light when you kiss his forehead and tell him you love him.

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

Could you do a NSFW alphabet for Theo Raeken x fem!reader?

also:

pairing: theo raeken (18+) x fem!reader

warnings: smut → NSFW alphabet

headcanon 🖤

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

requests are open🖤

request guidelines✨

🌻masterlist🌻

smut night masterlist 💦

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

awh theo is very sweet and gentle

he'd help you clean up, if not do it entirely himself

he's sweet-talk you, whispering words of praises and affirmations

he'd ask if you were hungry and would make you something if you were

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

not meaning to be cheesy/cringy but every part of you

with sex, there's so much to do with every part of your body

he'd tie you up, kiss all way down your arms, ticking your skin

he kiss all over your stomach

love when your thighs shake

would love teasing your pussy and making you cum

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

oh my theo would love overstimulating you

to have you cum again and again and again for him

and with his permission would be such a godsend to him

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Theo would have a thing for teasing you in public

he would love whispering all the things he'd love to do to you in public

and if you're ever in a sex toy store or lingerie store, he would just die omg

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

i mean not a lot haah

i believe you're his first girlfriend so getting into kinks would take a while until you're both comfortable and they'd be introduced slowly

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

okay so theo would love having you on your stomach, where he's hovering over you and fucking you from behind

and his lips would trail over your spine

or he'd have you on your back when he's teasing you in foreplay lol

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

yes omg! having you laugh during such an intimate moment would be so soothing to him

especially when the sex is super rough and you're just giggling when you cum or when he teases you

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

groomed ahaha

theo is a person who cares about his appearance, despite not acting like it

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

seeing a smile on your face would mean so much to him when he's having sex with you

he'd always make sure that you're doing okay and would be so sweet when you need a break

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

not really actually

I mean he's got you around and sex with you is always super exciting so he doesn't feel like he has to

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

dom!!

i think theo is such a hot dom omg + would also think you're cute when you ride him and try to be dom

but i think he'd always break that 'dom character' to ask if you were okay

and he's very quick to notice if you're upset

would have a permission kink - like you would have to ask to cum

edging

would probably have a choking kink too

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

his truck

literally in every location of your apartment lol

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

what gets theo going are kind of polar opposides

you have one side when you're super bratty

and the other, where you're just gazing at him with so much love in your eyes

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

consent-non-consent

there is nothing more hot and liberating than having your full consent to something he's doing or what you both want to try out

if it's not there, he doesn't bother

if there's any sign of you being uncomfortable, he will stop and ask if you're okay.

there might even have to be times when you've had to take a break bc it's too much (especially with overstim) - like theo would hate to see you cry bc you're in pain or it's too much

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Since theo's a dom, he'd be more of a giver

bby boy would have you thighs, if not whole body shaking for him

he'd tease you so many times, ranging from kissing your folds, to licking everywhere but where you need him most

as for oral on him, he would still be in charge and have a thing for throat fucking (only if you were comfortable)

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

fast and rough baby

though don't get me wrong, having kinky sex isn't an always thing - sometimes you both need to take a break and just have slow sex

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Im going to say no to this. I think theo really loves taking his time with you, edging you so many times before giving you a plethora of orgasms

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Again, theo loves experimenting and finding out what you both like and don't like

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

I think it's less about stamina and more about how many times he can get you to cum sort of thing

there'd be times when he can get you up to about 5-6 orgasms: 1 = fingers teasing your clit, 2= fingering, 3= oral, 4= vibrator, 5/6 = fucking you

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

you know what? i think theo would love to try out a cock ring

like i wouldn't be surprised

we all know theo's a kinky little shit, so he'd have the whole ordeal - ranging from vibrators, dildos, cuffs (both arms and legs)

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

theo raeken is the definition of a tease

he loves edging you, getting you to that point of orgasm than pulling away

he'd love making your squirm, beg for him to let you cum

he can smell the arousal dripping off your body, wanting him so badly and he'd have the power to grant that or not

he would be such a tease during pack meetings or when you sat at your desk doing work

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

I think little grunts ya know

like not too loud or soft

definitely would be louder if he was talking to you & would sometimes do that through gritted teeth as he grunts lol

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

i've mentioned this before, but having sex in every room of your apartment (bonus if you both live together)

like I mean dragging you into the living room couch, then the kitchen bench, dining room table, against the wall of the corridor, even against your bedroom door

he'd certainly waste no time pushing you against everything

something about that domestic bliss - that you have the place to yourselves where no once else shares that space

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

i'd say he's above average lol

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

eh i'd say not too high but not too low

i think you both would have sex about 2-3 times a month (maybe more depends really)

but i think that's bc being a dom can be a little taxing on him

in the sense that he's doing things to you that he wouldn't do out of the context of sex - for example spanking

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Not that quick tbh

I’d imagine him to be the type to go on his phone for a while after you’ve fallen asleep

And just hold you

Sometimes though he can fall asleep pretty quickly

═══════*.·:·.☽✧✦✧☾.·:·.*═══════

tag list: (click here to be apart of the tag list!)

@dylanobrienhehe // @jermaee // @boxofsteampunkplaces // @mollyknm // @greengarsstuff // @caswinchester2000 // @fandomfoodiedancer // @bailaycantaconmingo // @angelcbf // @daniellegreavess // @shrekaliciouz // @todorokis-whore // @v3niceb1tchldr // @stellastyless // @jenniferrvsesi // @madaline1hatter // @aprilfire18 // @rcaeken // @smutlover123 // @lildylsprayberryswhore // @lim3rencee

═══════*.·:·.☽✧✦✧☾.·:·.*═══════

[syrpai]

Mirai Nikki booklets! (Part 2)

Let's start with a heartfelt confession: I only have two booklets left. In some volumes they were simply missing, in others they were nothing interesting and promoted other Shonen Ace titles. By that time Mirai Nikki had already lost its sense of novelty among readers, so no surprise there.

For this reason I will not write a lot, this post is more for fans of big and pretty pictures.

Vol. 9

Volume 9 of the manga hit store shelves in November 2009, and meanwhile Mirai Nikki 13-ninme no Nikki Shoyuusha was being prepared for sale, which was expected in January 2010. From here we get a nice little promotional booklet with a synopsis and a description of the characters and game mechanics.

To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of the game's main story, but the extra stories and merch like CD drama, pillowcase and other stuff hold a special place in my heart. Amano Rea making a game about Murumuru and mochi, what on earth could be more charming? That's why I was so fascinated by this flyer.

Redial

This time it's not the manga, but the DVD. I posted just one spread of this, but it's actually a little booklet of 8 pages, including the cover. The content is standard: synopsis, characters, and a few backgrounds as a bonus (some of which you can get a close look at in the Redial manga pages in Part C).

The fact that Kurusu is among the characters is amusing. As the description says, Kurusu does not appear in Redial itself, which raises many questions in view of the absence of 3rd, 8th, 10th, and even 7ths (I offer my condolences to Ai, she tried so hard) in the booklet. Esuno mentioned in the guidebook that he likes ossan-characters (I'm not sure how to express it accurately in English, like… old guy?..), based on which the Fourth appeared, and Murata Tomosa (Yuno's VA) once said that the Fourth is her favorite character, hmm… Perhaps the answer is hidden somewhere among these facts.

Bonus

And finally, the holy grail of my collection! It's an illustration card signed by Esuno for Volume 9 of the manga.

The caption reads,

"Thank you for purchasing Volume 9 of Mirai Nikki! This volume is full of 9th and Nishijima's appearances, but where will they go from here… I hope you enjoy it!"

No, Esuno, I didn't enjoy it. T_T As a NishiMine fan, I cried into my pillow all night. But as a Minene fan, I absolutely adore this card… Huh.

Bonus (?) 2

While talking about the T-shirt in the first part of this review, I completely forgot to mention one nice thing! In addition to the signed Minene card, Esuno drew many more like it, among which is the card with Yuno in that very shirt! You could get it with Volume 4, and you can see it now in the official guidebook.

At this point my little booklet review comes to an end! I hope I was able to show you something new and interesting.

And it's time for me to get back to what this account was created for, which is to draw some funny jpegs (I tell a lie, it's pngs). Bye-bye!

[akatsuki-shin]

I... I don’t often call out anyone specifically using social media before, but... I saw this among the reblogs in my first post about MXTX novels English release announcement and I feel that this is just too much...

I’m not going to tag this with the fandom tags because this is literally just my personal rant, and I don’t want unpleasant things to appear when people are happily browsing the tags.

I also censored the person’s blog name. It’s not like I want people to mass attack them.

But I do have some things I want to say about this kind of mindset.

And this is gonna be a long post, so I’ll cut it with "Read More” later below as not to disturb anyone’s browsing experience.

Why do they have to split the books into multiple volumes?

First, you do realize that the original Chinese version and other languages versions are also in multiple volumes that don’t always be published on the same date, right?

SVSSS has 3 volumes, MDZS has 4 volumes, TGCF has 5 volumes.

With the English release, both SVSSS and MDZS get +1 volume while TGCF gets +3 volumes.

Why you ask?

Have you ever considered how long a single Chinese word would be if written in alphabets?

The word “人” in Chinese only needs 1 (one) character, while in English it would translate to “P E O P L E” = 5 (five) characters.

The word “知己” in Chinese only needs 2 (two) characters, while in English it would translate to “C O N F I D A N T E” = 10 characters, or “S O U L M A T E” = 8 characters.

Now apply this to an entire novel. FYI, TGCF has more than 1 million word count in Chinese, so you can do the math by yourself.

I mean, just go watch the donghua or live action in YouTube. One single sentence in the Chinese sub is often translated to two or more lines in the English subtitle.

And have I mentioned that the English release will have:

Glossary

Footnotes

Character Guides

And I’m going to repeat this once again: In China and other countries that already get their official releases, it is also NOT always all released on the same date as a single set/box.

So yes, (not) surprise! For the Chinese release and official releases in other countries, you also often need to purchase multiple times, pay shipping fee multiple times, and wait for certain period of times until all volumes are released.

It doesn’t only happen to MXTX novels, it happens to almost all novels, be it danmei or not.

Why don’t they just wait for translations to finish and release it all at the same time/as a box set? Why the span of two years?

On my part, I already say above that in China and other countries that already get their official release, it’s also not always published all on the same date.

Other than that, I’m not an expert at book publishing, much less when the publisher is not from my own country. But maybe consider the following:

They’re releasing 3 (three) hugely popular IPs all at the same time. Maybe the preparations take more time and effort to ensure everything is flawless?

Since it is very rare (or maybe never, cmiiw) for danmei novels to be published in English, maybe the publisher is testing the market first? Because if they already release them as a huge bundle from the start and it somehow flops, the loss would be very big. If it works well, then good! Maybe for future danmei release, they will consider making a box set or releasing them within shorter timeframe. 

In terms of marketing, if they wait another 2 years to release it all at once, will the momentum still be there? You can say “so in the end it’s all about money”, but if not sales number and money, what else should the publisher expect to receive for their work? They’re already putting a lot of effort buying all three IPs from the Chinese publishers, proofread or even translate some from scratch, pay translators, editors, illustrators, printing companies, etc. If it’s not selling well simply because they release it at the wrong time, aren’t all these efforts going to be wasted? And you can bet there will be no more danmei published in English if their first try already flops merely because of losing the momentum.

Are there any other rules or regulations they need to comply that prevents them from releasing everything in one go? But once again, even in China and other countries, it is also not always all released in one go, so this argument is already invalid from the start.

But they make it so expensive like this!

I’m sorry to break it to you, but I’ve compared the prices to MDZS Japanese release + TGCF Thai release and... The price isn’t really that much different.

Btw, I’m using Google’s currency converter, in case anyone wants to know where does my calculation comes from.

Okay, so here’s MDZS Japanese version from CD Japan:

One volume of MDZS Regular ver. cost 1760 yen. This is 15,96 USD before shipping. There’s only like $4 difference.

There’s also the Exclusive ver. that cost 3660 yen (32,92 USD) but we’re not gonna talk about that because they’re basically making you pay for the bonus, which is some acrylic panels and illustration cards.

Now here’s TGCF Thai version from Sense Book:

Translation using Google Chrome page translate:

One volume of TGCF costs 360 baht. This is 10.77 USD before shipping. So there’s about $9.22 difference.

Again, notice the difference of word/sentence length in the Thai words and English alphabet.

"But there’s still difference in price and other releases usually gets merchandise!” - Correct me if I’m wrong, but the US is probably one of the most expensive countries in the world. Do you think the materials, printings, and manpower cost is the same with other countries? Especially compared to one in Southeast Asia.

“But it’s xxxx times more expensive than the original Chinese version!” - Excuse me, the original Chinese version doesn’t need to pay for translators, proofreaders and editors with multilingual skills, and purchase the IPs? If you think it’s more worth buying the Chinese version, then by all means go ahead.

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

Some last words...

I’m not looking down on those in difficult financial situation, but hey, I’m not filthy rich either? I come from a third world country and even if I’m a working adult, I’m still in working middle class + I got my parents to take care of. My country’s currency is literally just a tiny 0.000069 USD per 1 Indonesian Rupiah.

Every single fandom merchandise that you see me bought, either I’ve saved up for that or I sacrificed other things to buy that. I just don’t show the struggle to you guys because why should I? I’m just here to have fun about the fandom I love, not to flex my struggling financial condition.

These official English release of MXTX novels? All 17 books are going to cost me almost HALF of my monthly salary. But hey, I think it’s a good thing that they didn’t release it all at once, so that I can save up between months to purchase them all and plan my spending better.

If you feel the price is expensive, especially if you have to ship from outside North America, consider the following:

Book Depository provide free worldwide shipping

The books’ ISBN numbers are all available in the publisher’s website, just show it to you local bookstore and ask if they can order it for you

Plus, there are already hundreds of generous fans doing free giveaways in Twitter, even the publishers are helping to signal boost this. You can go and try your luck if you’re really desperate.

Lastly, I know how much love we all have for our favorite fandoms, but remember that fandom merchandise is NOT your primary needs.

You are NOT obliged to purchase any fandom merchandise if you can’t afford it and you should ALWAYS prioritize your primary needs.

Also, if you still want to read the fan-translations that are still available, alright go ahead. But remember that the translators themselves already said fan translations in English are now illegal. You can read it. We all consume pirated contents at one point. But don’t flex about it and diss the official release just because you can’t afford it.

I don’t know if the person who made that reblog tags are going to come at me or not, but even if they do, I literally don’t care. I’m not gonna waste my time arguing with someone with that kind of mindset and will block them right on the spot.

Also Idgaf if they call me out or talk behind my back, I literally don’t know them, so I don’t care.

End of rant.

[disjunkt]

I promised @sevencolouredworld / @sumomoyumekalibrary photos of the (recent) French publication of Okashiratsuki about a week ago, so here they are! :D

To anyone not familiar with the manga, here’s an excerpt from my upcoming site:

Sahara’s latest series, Okashiratsuki (2018), brings out the recurring themes in her works best: The protagonist cannot acquire a tan, no matter how many hours she puts into outdoor sports, and so the people around her assume she doesn’t do sports, doesn’t go outside, doesn’t give her best. Understandably, she wants to acquire a tan to fit in with her peers, a wish that translates to: I want people to see the effort I put in, and to see me for who I am; I want what makes me me to be plainly visible, to leave no space for misassumption.  The male lead, on the other hand, has a pig tail that is literally depicted in the manga, but is otherwise an obvious allegory for a non-conforming trait, a difference that may be harmless, but is stigmatized. By depicting that trait playfully, yet treating the subject matter in all seriousness, Okashiratsuki is a powerful open narrative that pleads for more tolerance and genuine understanding in matters of disability, mental illness, disorders, sexual orientation, gender identity, body image and further.

Noeve Grafx is a relatively new publisher on the French manga market, but the attention to detail and care they put into their publications makes any volume a true delight and real treat. The dust jacket and undercover design is standard in French manga publication; the obi (the strip of paper around the volumes), however, is not. (All three are standard in the original Japanese publications, if I’m not mistaken.) The collector’s cards are in Noeve Grafx’ own design and come with each volume that they publish.

I really love what kind of content (visual and textual) the publisher decided to feature on the obi and cards, especially since I rarely see this kind of playful, artistic and poetic quality in bonus material! (E.g. in the German market, they tend to be more gaudy.)

Translations of the bonus material under the cut.

Volume 1

Obi (front): And what if, before being recognized by others, we started by accepting ourselves? Mizu Sahara returns with an ode to tolerance and difference!

Obi (back): A work to put in everyone’s hands!

Back cover: It all started with a pig’s tail. This is the story of a miracle that we experienced, the story of the unforgettable days spent together, he and I.

Collector’s card: Nachi Hiyama — “I want to be accepted as I am.”

Publisher’s paper slip: Thank you for having bought the first volume of “A Tail’s Tale”! You’ll see, it is very beautiful!

Volume 2

Obi (front): After the innocence of childhood come the torments of adolescence!

Obi (back): An evolving story with an ever-powerful message!

Back cover: The weird ones who see the good in what we hate about ourselves are the strongest.

Collector’s card: Nachi Hiyama & Kaisei Utsumi  — “My name was on there! For the very first time!” “Really? That’s amazing!”