#still remember when i read the manga years ago and got to learn about him

[iris-nonsense]

Sometimes i forget that the greatest pice of shit of fma is this cute little child

[da-janela-lateral]

Aaaaa I wish I could make some art to accompany this post, but I can't do so in the moment and I really want to express my "post-epilogue Mob and Tsubomi friendship" thoughts. LONG text below.

They start talking some time after Confession Arc, but their bond actually begins after Tsubomi moves from Seasoning City. She enjoys having someone to tell her how things are going on her hometown, as she didn't keep in touch with all of her school friends and misses how life was in Seasoning. This helped her to get more used to this drastic change on routine.

It was... awkward on the start. Mob had to process that Tsubomi was nothing like the perfect concept that lived on his head, besides the fact that she was upset by people idealizing her (its not nice to know you're part of the problem). Tsubomi on the other hand needed to shut down her slight suspicion built with the experience of bad rejection aftermaths and trust in Mob's intentions. After all, he was her good childhood friend

It doesn't take much for them to get over this, though. Mob comes to care a lot for the real Tsubomi and makes an active effort to know her better. This flawed, human Tsubomi was different, but she was a dear person to him and so it wasn't an issue. Tsubomi is relieved to see Mob's desire to become her friend was genuine (and feels a little bad for doubting). She was glad to get back in touch with him after so such a long time and got impressed with how much he had matured without her noticing. In a way, she also used to see him as that little boy from years ago...

They talk to each other by phone almost daily, speaking of how was their day and sending random stuff. If anything happens, they sure would inform the other.

Mob discovers she likes the yellow cat plush and keeps showing her cats he saw. Tsubomi tries to read some of his favorite manga to understand what he is talking about.

Tsubomi got overwhelmed with how much her school life changed in her new city. She was very happy to not being treated as a deity, but also wasn't used to being a common student. Mob helps her to become adjusted to a normal life and stop wearing the mask she was forced to use in Salt Mid. He understands how weird it is like to be your own vulnerable, true self next to others.

In exchange, Tsubomi's experience proves to be very valuable when Mob gets more attention from his peers and has to face social situations he never participated of before. Parties are stressing. She too recognizes he is still learning to express himself and is happy to see how he opens up with her.

Althought Tsubomi learns to be more authentic over time, she still struggles with demanding too much of herself. She panicked after thinking she didn't do good in her exams, and Mob spends an hour explaining that she isn't special and how its bad to expect she'll be flawless all the time. Besides that, her skills shouldn't define her worth as a person, as she is much more than her results. Tsubomi remembers this.

Mob often asks for Tsubomi's opinion. Sure, Reigen is still his go-to for advice, but some topics are more comfortable to talk with someone his age. Mob really values Tsubomi's confident honesty and her practical, direct solutions. He also feels safe talking with her because he knows that despite being blunt, she wouldn't say anything to hurt him.

They visit each other occasionally when they're on high school! The train rides are quite long, though, so most times it's more practical to invite more people and have a sleepover. Mob and Tsubomi's respective friends know the other pretty well.

[1000sunnygo]

Dressrosa Archives: Kappei Yamaguchi (Usopp) x Kamiya Hiroshi (Law) talk (2015)

Here's another interview that was released during Dressrosa, Kamiya was hosted by Kappei (x). The conversation focused on Kamiya's experience voicing Law, analyzing characters (notably Law and Rosinante) and the studio's atmosphere.

It's a long interview that was separated in two parts (bless Kamiya's photographic memory). Starts below the cut!

Yamaguchi: This time on Usopp's 'This is Real!', we have the talented Hiroshi Kamiya who plays Trafalgar Law - a character who has been very active in the TV series lately (applause)!

As we're reaching a crucial point in the battle against Doflamingo, we'd like to delve deep into Law' s character. Thank you for joining us!

Kamiya: Thank you very much!

Yamaguchi: Let's get straight to it. Law is still a character shrouded with mysteries. But what was your first impression of him?

Kamiya: No seriously, he was a mysterious fellow alright (laughs).

I believe Shabondy Archipelago 2 years ago was his first appearance. There was hardly any information other than being a "Rookie with a bounty exceeding 100M who leads a pirate crew aiming for the New World." I had no idea how to portray him. I felt like other rookies stood out more.

Captain Kidd, for example, made it to the back cover of the manga. Since Namikawa Daisuke was casted for the role, I thought he might become a big character in the future.

Yamaguchi: But I felt that Law was the craziest one. For a mysterious role like this one...was there an audition, again?

Kamiya: No. I was approached by the producer from that time. Recently I was told by the producer that he didn't think the role would become so important!

Yamaguchi: Same here (laughs). Law really entered the spotlight during the Summit War, didn't he? That's where he got closer to Luffy, or that's where he might have started considering the off chance of an alliance...

Kamiya: You may be right. Looking back on his encounter with Luffy; after learning about Law's past and his relationship with Doflamingo, I think Law might have sensed some possibilities when he saw Luffy defy the Celestial Dragons.

If that's the case, just my personal speculation, it somewhat makes sense as to why Law saved Luffy during the Summit War. But back at that time I didn't know any of it. It was impossible for me to foresee Law's role there (in the war). I thought he would reappear after like 5~10 years (laughs).

Subsequently, when Law saved the passed out Luffy from Akainu's attack, I thought, "Is this why his character existed?" I was wondering if his role as a rookie pirate was done. But then at Punk Hazard... It was rather a quick reunion (lol)

Yamaguchi: Seeing him at Punk Hazard at that time, I was like, "Huh? Where are Bepo and team? Did he end up alone?!" (laughs)

Kamiya: Same here. I was like, "????" (laughs)

Yamaguchi: Even though Law was a character veiled under mystery, he has gradually revealed his human side in the flashback. You played Law's childhood as well. How was the experience?

Kamiya: When I read the flashback in the manga, I really wanted to voice him. Initially, Law proposed an alliance with Luffy to take down Kaido. But there was also this desire deep down to crush Doflamingo himself.... All these make him rather a suspicious character with unclear motives from reader's perspective, right?

But after knowing his intense past that lead to that point, I decided "I want to portray Law's childhood too!" I was very eager to do it, I expressed my wish to the producer. It turned into an audition.

Yamaguchi: So that required an audition. (laughs)

Kamiya: Exactly. At that time, the manga volume wasn't out yet. So, they gave me a copy of the Jump magazine. After finishing the usual recording, I was reading some lines from it. I remember you asking me, "What are you doing, Kamiya kun?" and I said, "I have an audition after this." (laughs)

Yamaguchi: I remember too. I was wondering, "What audition?" (laughs)

Kamiya: Strictly speaking, it might not have been a traditional 'audition' - given that there were no other candidates. It was more like having my voice heard (by the staffs) and assessing whether I could voice the character.

Yamaguchi: It's common to hire a different actor for flashback roles to match the character visuals. But letting the same actor voice in flashback makes a character more consistent. Law's encounter with Cora san was a turning point in his life, you being able to play that role should become crucial for depicting his character from now onwards.

On this topic, did knowing Law's past influence your performance of his role?

Kamiya: I didn't consciously change my acting. But there are some differences in his portrayal when I know Law's past compared to when I didn't.

In the early days, I voiced Law with a subdued, cool tone; but as the story progressed and his character unfolded, I believe my tone range expanded.

Yamaguchi: I totally get it. Back when Law started interacting with the Straw Hats and yelled "I hate breads!" - it left a strong impression in me. I felt that line alone made him instantly more relatable and easy to like.

Kamiya: That's right. Actually, at the "I'm a doctor!" scene in the Summit War, I was told not to raise my voice. So I focused on acting cool. But I'm more comfortable being expressive and yelling these days; I feel like I've been allowed some leeway since "I hate bread!" (laughs)

Yamaguchi: (laughs) I remember "I hate bread" most vividly, but which line do you think left the biggest impression on you?

Kamiya: Not mine, but Cora san's "I love ya!" made me go, "Uwoh, so that's how it's delivered!"

As for Law's lines, hmm.. "I'm a doctor!" and "Drake-ya, how many people have you killed?" are memorable. Also, "I've broken the gears!" after slashing Suwabe san..No, Vergo.

(Junichi Suwabe: Vergo's actor. Currently acting as Green Bull.)

Yamaguchi: Back when Vergo was slashed, none of us had any idea about the the two's real relationship.

Kamiya: Indeed. But the scene was remarkably balanced. While maintaining a calm expression, Law sliced through everything in the background in half, including Vergo. This spoke of how intense his deep emotions were. This scene really etched in my memory.

Yamaguchi: Amazing, it's still giving me chills!

Kamiya: Since I was under the request to not raise my voice, so I acted coolly. But seeing the intensity transmitted so well in the art... I felt glad.

Yamaguchi: Breaking the gears in Punk Hazard and tying up loose ends in Dressrosa – it feels like even after Dressrosa, Law's journey with the Straw Hats is far from over. They still need to reunite with Sanji's group and visit Bepo and team!

Kamiya: That's right. Hasn't it been about two years since Law mentioned them being left at Zou?

Yamaguchi: In real world, it's been about two years. But in the story, it's like the same morning?! (laughs)

Kamiya: Pretty much like just a moment ago. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: That was insane! When Law told Doflamingo, "You called CP0 this morning", all the cast members made faces like, "THIS morning!?" (laughs)

Kamiya: We've been through some insane times, haven't we? (laughs)

Yamaguchi: This conversation had been insane too. Sadly, it's time to wrap up. Thank you so much, Kamiya kun!!

Bonus talk (website special edition) : Child Law and the Donquixotes

Yamaguchi: Law's past is currently unfolding in his flashback. What were you particularly mindful of while playing Law's childhood?

Kamiya: Since he carries a tragic past, I was conscious of portraying the notion of "no belief in humans" and "humans only harbor malice." It's somewhat a tunnel vision of the world. But considering he was a child, I convinced myself of that. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: When the story transitioned back to present from the flashback, I was a bit sad thinking how I won't hear little Law's voice anymore. But then it felt so natural to hear adult Law's voice. I remembered, "Oh right! Kamiya kun had always been Law." (laughs)

Kamiya: I'm so happy to hear you say that!

Yamaguchi: Speaking of the flashback, Cora san plays a crucial role.

Kamiya: Yes. When I heard Cora san would be played by Yamadera san, I thought, "Woah, a freaking amazing person has joined!" As I mentioned before, his performance of "I love ya!" is so touching that just remembering it makes me tear up.

Well, my first impression to Cora san was "Who's this dude?", though (laughs). He's a guy who gets annoyed by children and throws them out...Frankly, it was hard to believe he's sane. It was inevitable for Law to be pissed off and yell "I'll kill him!"

Yamaguchi: From Cora san's exchange with Sengoku afterward, it seems he intentionally treated Law and the children harshly to keep them away from The Family... but there could be a better way to do it (laughs)

Regardless, Cora san struggled with many hardships from his childhood; I feel sorry for him.

Kamiya: He had a hard time due to his idealist father. His father was a goodie-two-shoes blind to reality, so to speak; unable to recognize the poor intent of others. I think he was the type of person whose survival was meant to be a struggle in the world of One Piece.

Yamaguchi: True. This caused his wife and children to suffer. I felt like telling the father, "you're too naive."

Kamiya: Actually, in the scene where Doflamingo's father says, "I'm sorry I'm your father," I couldn't cry even though it was a tragic scene of a parent being murdered. Instead I was very angry at him.

Yamaguchi: In that scene it's easier to resonate with Doflamingo: "What has father done!"

Kamiya: When I read the manga, I didn't feel much. But once it was animated and I could hear the lines, I really understood Doflamingo's feelings. "Ok, he's an idealist dumbass." "This man's is no good, I couldn't possibly keep up with him either!" (laughs)

Yamaguchi: Being sandwiched between these two, I pity Cora san.

Kamiya: Cora san probably had perceptions of both a Celestial Dragon and an ordinary human since childhood. That's likely why he could handle special missions like being a spy.

Yamaguchi: Unlike Doflamingo who couldn't adapt to the world, Cora san didn't really do anything wrong but ended up being crucified anyway. I felt really bad for him.

Kamiya: The flashback elaborated quite well on Law's feelings. But the mystery behind why Cora san suddenly changed his demeanor after learning Law is a D is still there.

Actually, that's the only part that left me unconvinced. Why's that a man who hit him is suddenly saying let's pack up and run - I couldn't wrap my head around it. But Yamadera san's presence and persuasiveness left me feeling, "this person definitely knows something, I must listen to what he has to say."

Yamaguchi: I get you. Even though Yamadera san is no different from us and knows practically nothing (laughs). By the way, I'm really looking forward to how it'd go when the last bit of the flashback airs.

Kamiya: I'm curious about its reception.

Yamaguchi: Lastly, any message you'd like to share with the fans?

Kamiya: It was fun talking with Kappei san and sharing personal impressions and perspectives, but please forget everything I said! I want everyone to enjoy it naturally, I'll be happy if you continue supporting One Piece from a neutral perspective.

Yamaguchi: Kamiya kun, thanks for today!

Kamiya: Likewise, thank you very much!

Interview #2, Studio Experience and popularity

Source: [x]

Yamaguchi: By the way, I was at the restaurant Baratie for an interview recently, and they were showing the first episode of One Piece. I saw your name credited among the cast and went "Gweeeh?!" (laughs)

Kamiya: (laughs) Yeah. In the first episode, I played pirate A.

Yamaguchi: One of Alvida's henchmen?

Kamiya: Yes. As pirate A, my role was to discover Nami sneaking onto the ship, and then immediately to get knocked out by a groin kick.

Yamaguchi: I didn't show up until episode 9. You were earlier than me! (laughs)

Kamiya: Actually, I debuted earlier than even Kazuya Nakai san (Zoro's seiyuu), since Zoro only had a brief appearance at the end of the first episode.

Nakai san came to tour the recording. I remember asking "what's up, Nakai san?" and he mumbled something like "Ah, well, um" and just quietly sat there.

Yamaguchi: (laughs) Did you have any other roles after pirate A?

Kamiya: I did a couple more after that, but the first episode left the strongest impression on me. I still clearly remember Luffy bursting out of the barrel in his debut scene. Deep down, I got excited during the recoding, thinking "Woah! One Piece has really begun."

Another memorable role was Eddy, the four eyed helmsman of the Bellamy Pirates. It was strange to voice Law facing off Bellamy himself in the Dressrosa arc, having voiced one of his ex-subordinates long ago. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: Wasn't it in Mock Town? When Ueda Yuji san was there?

Kamiya: Yes. Ueda Yuji san voiced Sarquiss, the vice captain of the Bellamy Pirates.

After that was the story of Shichibukai meeting arranged by the World Government. Doflamingo appeared and used his strange power to make two marine officers fight each other to the death. The two marines who were made to fight each other - Marine Officers A and B, were played by me and Ueda san. They knew they were being controlled, but nobody knew how it was being done, or the power of something like Ito Ito no mi.

Yamaguchi: We didn't know anything either! Bet you didn't expect to end up fighting against the same Doflamingo years later.

Kamiya: That's right. I never imagined I'd get to play a character with a connection to Doflamingo. Moreover, at the time of Law's debut, I didn't think he'd be the one to with such connection. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: Seriously. Life is full of surprises. (laughs)

Anyway, changing the subject, how do you like the atmosphere in One Piece voice studio?

Kamiya: I absolutely love the atmosphere on the One Piece set! There are many seniors there who can be called legends, so of course, there's tension. But it's the type of tension that makes you feel comfortable as a professional.

Yamaguchi: It's okay to be honest, you know (laughs)

Kamiya: (laughs) But I am being honest.

In presence of legends like Mayumi Tanaka san who has been leading One Piece for 15 years, I'd always think that I have to give my absolute best. Of course, when it comes to the actual recording, being serious isn't an option for us. But only recently I've realized that it's okay to ease up and have fun outside the recording sessions.

Yamaguchi: Well, that's the captain for you. (laughs)

Kamiya: She's really something else! (laughs)

t/n:the strawhat VAs all call Luffy's VA Mayumi san 'captain.' I've noticed Kamiya doing the same few times. HMmm

Yamaguchi: The Straw Hat crews are scattered during Dressrosa and the team's brain cell Akemi Okamura chan, who plays Nami, isn't around. So, I personally consider you the only remaining brain cell in the current studio, Kamiya kun. You're the last straw that keeps the studio standing as a "workplace". (laughs)

Kamiya: What, really?! (laughs) That's a lot of responsibility. But I've recently realized that even if I'm criticized for it, it's best to get along the flow when I'm high on energy. (laughs)

(T/N: not confident with my translation for this sentence^)

Yamaguchi: (loud laugh) Come to think of it, you sure have been doing that a lot lately! I thought it was quite like Law.

Speaking of which, do you think the One Piece cast resembles their characters in some aspects?

Kamiya: Hmm... Law is such a serious character, so I always feel like I need to be firm with myself, but I often find myself like a puddle (laughs). Especially when Mitsuya Yuji san (Pica) and Mayumi san (Luffy) keep fooling around, I'm all over the place.

Yamaguchi: Those two... even though they're both in their sixties! (laughs)

Kamiya: I can't anymore... They say "Just ignoore", is that really okay?

Yamaguchi: I think it's fine. (laughs)

Kamiya: Even though they're like that most of the time, they completely change when it's showtime. It's amazing. Every time we record, I'm in awe, watching them carry the weight of the series on their shoulders.

Yamaguchi: Despite being small. (laughs)

Kamiya: ...Despite being small! (laughs)

Yamaguchi: Mayumi san's microphone is quite low, isn't it? Because she's small.

Kamiya: That's right. But I still get nervous when I think about using the microphone Mayumi san used. She's an amazing senior, but she also has this quirky side to her. I hope she stays this way forever. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: I also like Mayumi san's quirky sides (laughs) Once we start talking about Mayumi san, we could go on forever. So let's save that for another time!

Website Special Edition #2, More Law talks

Yamaguchi: Law is a cool and chill character, but I like how he playfully calls others "[ ]-ya". (laughs)

Kamiya: One Piece has many characters with distinctive speaking styles, as in the way they laugh or talk. Even a character cool at a glance can have this unique speech pattern that'd make them approachable. Law didn't seem to have any of that. At first I was worried - is this guy just cool? So when he started calling others with "[ ]-ya", I felt a weight off my chest (laughs)

But his accent is still a little troublesome, especially saying "Nose-ya" to call Usopp.

Yamaguchi: It seems he searches for someone's specific characteristic to come up with a nickname, like Luffy. But when he can't think of any, he just adds "ya" at the tail of their names (laughs)

Kamiya: Yeah (Laughs). Like how Nami becomes "Nami ya", Drake becomes "Drake ya". I find it funny.

Yamaguchi: This playful side is what makes 'the attractive guy' Law so endearing.

And he's insanely popular, isn't it? When I went to Universal Studios Japan the other day, there were many children cosplaying Law. Do you have a specific mindset when you're playing such a popular character?

Kamiya: Well...When Law ranked 2nd in the official popularity poll, I felt happy and pressured at the same time. Not because of the result itself, but because it made me more conscious not to undermine Law's charm in my acting.

On the other hand, I think it's a great privilege as an actor to be able to voice a character like this. If even one person becomes Law's fan after watching the tv series, I'll feel incredibly proud.

Yamaguchi: Yeah, I understand. It's a great honor as an actor when people start liking a character because of our performance.

By the way, how was the feedback from the people around you when you started playing Law?

Kamiya: Thankfully, the feedback from Law fans was amazing! On the flip side, the people around me were surprisingly chill. Like, "Oh, the ROOM dude?" (laughs).

Yamaguchi: "The ROOM dude"! (laughs) Which one is your favorite from Law's moves?

Kamiya: Got to be "Shambles." To be more specific, "Shambles" followed by "ROOM"!

Yamaguchi: The combination has such a catchy, memorable rhythm. To mimic Law, "ROOM" and "Shambles" are a must!

Kamiya: I'm a bit relieved. If such a catchy combination didn't gain attention, I would've blamed myself.

Yamaguchi: It's an awfully strong killer move. Depending on how it's used, the power can be invincible.

Kamiya: It's unfairly strong, isn't it? The fact that it can even grant eternal life made me think it's an outrageous Devil Fruit ability.

That said, it's not like magic - having known that using the technique depletes the stamina of the user. Cora san also mentioned that it's an ability that one can't handle without knowledge. Law must've been able to handle it because he studied medicine.

Yamaguchi: Indeed, like it was his destiny to eat the devil fruit.

Lastly, what do you think is the charm of Law?

Kamiya: Hmm, I generally try not to overthink about the charm of the characters I'm currently playing. If I understand the charm too well, I might start acting while thinking about things like, "This is their charm, right? So this is why they're popular?" So, I try to approach my work neutrally and avoid thinking too much.

Of course, there are times when I simply think Law is cool, but I deliberately don't dwell on what made him cool. I hope that when everything is said and done, I can look back and realize, "Wow, that thing Law did was ridiculously cool!", or "This is what makes Law so amazing!"

Yamaguchi: I see, that's an interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing all these insights today!

Kamiya: No, thank you so much for having me!

—

Relevant stuff if you're in for more:

Mattew Mercer (Law's English dub va) talking about Law's unexpected relevance post timeskip (@ 6:10, not time stamped)

Hideyuki Tanaka (Doflamingo) hosted by Yamaguchi Kappei

[epickiya722]

I do not know if it was you, or another blogger that made a character analysis of Gojo that made me like the character and discover more about him through the manga.

While I never read the manga before or watched the anime, I had been exposed to it by my friends and some BNHA bloggers. Back then, I found Gojo to be overhyped (discount Kakashi) while liking the animation(?) style, bit still no interest.

BNHA and its Endeavour Redemption arc in the doing was tiring me to the point that I stopped reading it and manga altogether. For mayne six months or so, until now, at least. I randomly found your blog last week , and it got me a new hyper fixation 😃. You got me to start reading JJK (Megan cos playing also helps).

I bought Number 0 and Number 1 of the mangas. Only to remember midway in Number 0 that Walmart Kakashi will be snapped in two like a Kit Kat🥲. I saw that leak in one of the BNHA blogs, and I didn't mind it back then since I wasn't in the fandom, but Lord, now it sucks.

Anyways, all this long rant to say that I like reading your posts.

Gojo, rest in pain, I guess?

Probably was someone else, I don't write much analysis posts about Gojo. I think once or twice I did, I can't recall. Probably reblogged one though you saw!

I don't know, they're really just two different characters to me. Also... I was never really an active reader or watcher of Naruto like that (just very familiar) so when I first saw Gojo, Kakashi didn't register to me at all.

Like, I did not get similar vibes at all. And it actually annoys me that people will be like "He copied Kakashi's flow"! Kakashi ain't the only white haired, face covering character out there with magical eyes, y'all stop. 😆

Even funnier when, by this point, Gojo has probably been unmasked more than he has been wearing something on his face and switches up what he puts on his face. Kakashi been wearing the same mask for...? Also, didn't it take years for Kakashi's whole face to be shown or something? Took like seven episodes for Gojo to show that face.

**

I always been a fan of Megan's music and then when I found out she was into anime I was like "YYYYYEEEEEAAAAH". She cosplayed as Miruko one Halloween and it made my year. I am a former believer that Miruko would vibe to her music.

Just seeing other Black women being unapologetic fans of anime (or anything) does wonders for me and I hate it when people act as if it's such a foreign idea to understand. Honey, we can have interests, too, like everyone else. It's normal.

**

I always try to be careful about spoilers for anything I'm into. Like, I can talk about a chapter that happened two years ago, but I'll still mark as a spoiler because I know some people don't read Mangas or even if they do haven't caught up to that specific part.

That actually what set me off when Usher cosplayed as Gojo because he literally put "rest in peace, Gojo" or something along those lines and the amount of people who weren't even aware of 236... like bro, come on.

I knew it just had to be a marketing tactic because I know damn well Usher ain't seen JJK a day in his life and how convenient it is he comes out with that cosplay around the time when "Daddy's Home" becomes a fairly popular song used in Gojo's edits. I can't go watching one video on YouTube without hearing that song play when Gojo pops up. And even if he has... WHY WOULD YOU TAG IT LIKE THAT?!

Oh, but Megan definitely doesn't know any of the characters she be cosplaying, alright... okay... 🙄

I'm just going off on a whole tangent here, I apologize for that. I've been sick for like three days and just woke up from a nap. 😅

**

Also, thank you! Glad you enjoy my posts!! Anytime anyone says they like reading my posts, I still get shocked. They're really are just random thoughts I been having and really I'm still learning grasping the characters and story myself. And this is just for any. I don't even for them to get read, let alone for anyone to actually agree with me. I guess because, at the end of the day, I really just needed to throw a thought out there before I lose it or keep rethinking about it over and over.

[luffythinker]

can i introduce to my latest obsession?

Astro royale

i come from my hero so i keep calling their powers "quirks" but it's like my hero except family centered and we are smack dab in the middle of "quirks" being a thing, and everyone is using their powers to try and rule the world sort of. everyone says this manga is trash but i look on twitter and everyone says the author is cooking every chapter, and i was reading it myself cause i remembered after tokyo revengers ended they said the author was making a new manga and it looked interesting so i picked it up not many days ago

people were complaining about how the artist style is "stiff" and other stuff that doesn't matter like "hating the designs" and "the story is dumb" or something stupid like that that makes me feel like they didn't read it or just hate this creator cause he ended his other manga in a way that upseted ppl, but i love this manga so far 12 chapters in and it's such a good story and i got attached to the characters so fast i love my kids so much and i love this manga and i want other people to love it too

it's like, theres a yakuza family ok? and there are 20 brothers? i think or less, the protag is the only blood related brother everyone else is adopted from rival gangs or whatever, and the father wants him to be the next leader - if something happens to him - i don't wanna spoil it but it happens in the first chapter and it's part of the plot but the dad yeah he kicks the bucket and tells protag your gonna lead this organization, the shooting stars fall everyone wishes on their items and gets super powers based off their wish and now everyone's fighting to be the top dog BUT WITH POWERS

they are literally my favorite little guys ever, please give it a read or add it to your list it's so interesting to me

okay this is either gonna be really funny or just really awkward 😭

i actually know and have read this manga, i know wakui from tokyo revengers a manga series i really really loved and followed it until the end, and yeah im one of the people that wasn't happy with the ending for many reasons.

so when i heard he was making a new manga i was skeptical but still wanted to give it a try bc tokrev really captivated me from the first couple of chapters, i think for someone that isn't familiar with his writing style and art astro royale can feel really good!! so i totally understand the people that like the manga, but I think its a bit unfair to say other people (like old tokrev fans) complain about "things that don't matter", because yeah some of his art is a bit stiff, but for me my main issue is that i couldn't really connect with the characters because they look a LOT like a lot of other tokrev characters, so in my brain it's a bit difficult to fully separate the characters i knew and loved from these new ones that look a either exactly like one of them or just a mix of others (but this is my personal issue with the manga), i read it up until chapter 10 and i wasn't really feeling it so i dropped it for now, i might give it another try in a few months

now about the story itself I think the idea and plot is really cool, i was super curious about the idea of people getting powers associated with something that is personal to them, im not really big in yakuza/mafia plots tho so that wasn't a selling point for me, but i totally understand for people who are interested in this concept that the story would be really cool to see it developing

so yeah i dont hate astro royale, i dont hate wakui, but I can understand the feelings of people who were not satisfied with the end of tokrev as well, this would create a certain skepticism to how we will handle this story. what i can say is that hopefully he learns from it, because his story telling and character build in tokrev were pretty amazing for like 70% of the manga, i was begging my friends to read it a couple of years ago so i do think he is super talented, and i really hope he can have a good run with astro royale! and i hope you keep enjoying the story

[steve0discusses]

Ep 46 Pt 1: Zorc’s Massive Low Hanging Fruit

We are getting very close! I don’t actually...remember how many episodes there were in this season but listen, It can’t possibly be more than 50 right?

Right?

Anyway, we’re starting off in the battle basement in Yami’s tomb. Who, of course has a battle basement installed right outside of his final resting place, just like how he would have wanted.

And it’s here that the form of Bakura that the dub is telling me is Ryou wants to kill his own classmate. Which, I’ll just point it out since a couple people mentioned it, apparently the manga did not do this nor did the original Japanese version. The dub just made this Ryou for giggles. We already know Bakura can split into evil pieces, this was not necessary. We also know that Ryou is sleeping on those painful steppies, so this doesn’t make much logical sense.

But like we’re watching the dub right now, so sorry, everybody, this is Ryou. Ryou on a bad day, I guess. Dark Ryou. Not to be confused with Shadow Ryou, who is...that other freaking guy.

Yugi just upset that he forgot to bring his dueling disk to a dream universe in the past or whatever. Must feel naked without that thing stinking up his left arm and making that school blazer all wrinkly. Bro is telling me that Yugi should have one really big arm, kind of like trogdor.

(read more under the cut)

the one thing that does make sense with making this Ryou is a little bit of symbolic imagery. Ryou talks about how he doesn’t have friends anymore in the beginning of this arc, and we can assume it’s because he’s decided to step away from other people because of the ghost in his bean. In contrast, Yugi has all these friends he cursed to like him (woops), and for whom he just risked his whole life for, and for whom he didn’t learn the Pharaoh’s name that he needed in order to save all of mankind.

Which, for reals, Tea and Joey are such good buds, that he really did just end the world to save their ass, and that is pretty anime of him.

But Tea gets very nervous over whether or not Yugi was going to perma-die. It would be very awkward if he died, since he’s also the host of this puzzle which is she is currently stuck inside of. Though I’m not 100% on if it’s even possible for him to die here. Little bit of a chicken or the egg situation, which I may have brought up before.

But still, she’s worried about it.

Which is when Joey does a quick head count and go “WAIT WAIT"

(the show does not show us where Tristan is)

Back at Kul Elna, everything is very quickly falling apart. Rocks are falling from the sky, Pharaoh is back at the capital with Seto and the other Seto, and Karim helllllllllllllla died last episode (or 2 episodes ago? I have such bad memory nowadays) so we’re just gonna leave his corpse in the barn and go.

sorry I just took in the incredible abs on this oversized chess piece that is Hassad. 

Why bother? Like for reals why bother?

I have so many questions about this random guy and his character design and they will not get answered. Apparently Dark Side of Dimensions dives into it as well as other unresolved issues from this season but like, that’s for another time. We will be watching that later, and at my rate it’ll be like 5 years from now but I swear...unless I caught covid a second (third?) time we will eventually get there and find out the deal of this...this freakin guy.

Meanwhile, our story boarders are not finished flexing. I think they really enjoyed this particular episode, with this really fun composition around Bakura here. They LOVE to shred scenery with Bakura on this carving, and there are so many good shots where it’s like a comic cover. I mean, look at this:

Damn that’s a good idea. This composition is fun. You got the curves from this...pokemon that I forgot the name of... you got him dead center all strong and rigid to contrast the curves. You got purple and green clouds. It’s fun. If y’all ever want to do the “draw this anime still but in your style” this is a good still. Good stuff.

And then Bakura peaces off--no idea where, and it doesn’t really matter since we have like so many Bakura’s at this point. Lets just assume he’s everywhere.

And with that, the ground gives way to the ZORC within.

This ultimate being, Zorc, who we’ve been talking up for so many episodes.

And that’s when we find out Isis also left out another crucial detail about Zorc:

So listen. We can say that the...neck...of the snake is coming out of his lower stomach. But also, they left it in shadow for a reason. 

The reason is, this episode is getting me flagged.

It occurred to me I don’t have to go for the low hanging fruit. I don’t have to. I can find a way around this. And I struggled. And I did whatever I, a full grown adult, could think to do. I thought to myself, I am a creative person, and I am inventive and I can write comedy well enough so it’s not just about poops and butts and dicks.

And then I gave up because of the number of times this thing is dead center on screen. And really, truly, I make a lot of low hanging jokes on this blog anyway so we’re just going to embrace Zorc for who he really is, both inside and outside.

And he is a slowly growing talking dragon shaped penis with legs.

Covered up by my joke towel in this scene I want you to know the snake just had it’s maws wide open to shout them down. It literally does only talk out of the dragon head on the bottom part of him.

Anyway, then Hassan jumps in front of the missiles zorc shoots from his crotch and well...he dies that way.

Death by firecrotch. This is like an immortal God meant to be the protector of the Pharaohs but you can kill him and the way how is disgusting.

There they go, back to the palace, which like, I guess is VERY close to Kul Elna, since Yami and Seto are currently vibing there right now.

Back at fight club, these two are still at it.

and then back at the funeral of the most romantic anime death of all time, Seto is still at it.

Seto, despite probably having to throw just SO MANY funerals for his tragic backstory is not very good at them. So right now he’s just distancing himself emotionally from literally everything going on around him by convincing himself this is all a very vivid hallucination.

Which it is. For once he is correct, this entire arc is a hallucination, but a hallucination with consequences. Which he is not used to. Hell he doesn’t see consequences when he’s not in a hallucination half the time. He’s like super rich.

Yami decides he did what he can, but he’s done with this freakin guy. I guess trying to reach through to Seto is a skill that only Yugi possesses, cuz Yami is just clear out of patience for this sociopath. Which is a shame, he usually loves this sociopath.

I laughed out loud at this cut to this horse’s ass and Seto’s reaction to being left behind from getting a ride the one time he was the one who needed a ride.

LMAO at the dub for adding that suspicious soil clump where a dead girlfriend probably was laying before.

but being real, this is another very nice shot, I didn’t cap it for vibes, and I really should have. Again, if you’re looking for a “draw this in your style” anime still challenge, this is another fun one. You got a juxtaposition of old and new. You got the storytelling of the dead girlfriend and trying to understand feelings you don’t understand because you were taught to never love. You got lovely ancient pillars. You got a clump of dirt that used to be a girl...

Like we may have dragged Seto’s ass back here, just to make him look cool and out of place in that coat as the wind sweeps by him. And that’s fine, I’ll accept that Seto this season may only be here for some vibes.

As he admires her slowly breathing (yes, breathing, thanks dub) he flashes back to that only time he every had a single conversation with this woman (a conversation they had, only because she thought he was someone else)

And off he goes, to look cool and probably do little else.

And as always, here is the link to read these from the beginning in chrono order.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[gojuo]

Gojo has his head. In season 2 he tells toji he failed to kill him because he didn't cut off his head. Sukuna didn't cut off his head. He can still heal his body.

Plus we see Nanami tell gojo that there are two paths. One to change you or one to stay who you are. Gojo says goodbye to his dead friends and we see him walk away showing he's taking the second path. We also see a lotus then.

Which symbols strength and renewal.

Gojo is not dying. He may be gone a few chapters but everything his hunting he will heal his body and be back.

Gojo will live.

i wish i had your hopium but i gotta correct a few things here ... 1) it was said by i think kashimo (i dont even remember) that cursed energy comes from the gut, and gojo has been split into two from his stomach. toji never bisected him, even if he managed to stab him through the cranium. 2) gojo didn't say goodbye to his friends in the afterlife, that was a mistranslation. 3) he's not walking away from anything either ?? 4) the chapter title is called "going south" bruh...

listen. i so badly want him to come back. i really fucking do. i read jjk 0 when it came out in jump giga in 2017 and when it wasn't called jjk yet (it was called tokyo metropolitan curse technical school btw). i've been with gojo since mfing 2017... 2017!!! i've loved him for over 6 years now i can't even believe it's been so long.. i never expected that silly oneshot manga to become this popular 🥹 kinda makes me happy how loved jjk is currently :')))) but the fact of the matter is that gege has stated numerous times that he wants to finish jjk soon. he actually stated in late 2022 that he was planning on finishing it in 2023. gege's editor has come out and said that the manga will not be ending this year though, so my guess is somewhere around spring 2024 everything will be wrapped and and be donezo so that gege can move on to that goddamn idol manga he's been yapping about for a while now. so what am i trying to say with this tangent? i'm saying that jjk is ending soon and that gege has stated multiple times how difficult it was for him to write around the powerhouse that is gojo (which is just an admission of his own shitty writing/planning because mf YOU 🫵 are the writer like you are the one that created him!!! learn how to plan out your story and how to utilize the characters you yourself have created for it you stupid fucking cat i swear to god....). this all just screams to me that it's over. it's finished. gojo already died once and came back enlightened, he's not gonna have it a second time. not this close to the end. not after having been removed from the narrative for over a hundred chapters. not after seeing sukuna back at full health in his heian era form, something gege didn't even have gojo force out of him. like gege really got him out of the box so that he could be done with him unarguably and conclude his character arc because he wants to finish jjk.

gojo is dead, nobara is for sure dead, megumi is basically done for (we'll see him once more within the mind once yuuji does his soul cursed technique whatever bullshit on sukuna to have a talk but he's not coming back no more), and yuuji, the kid whose execution started this story, will be the only one left alive. gege said in an interview a while ago that he wanted to end jjk with either 1 of the main 4 dead, or only 1 of the main 4 alive. i think it's pretty obvious that person is supposed to be yuuji. "die surrounded by your friends" from the first chapter is going to turn into "all your dead friends will surround you". i am wholeheartedly convinced of this. i'm sorry, but after 3 years of having to sit through that worthless culling game arc leading to absolutely nowhere for our heroes, after realizing that there will never be a pay off for the last 100+ chapters because the whole point of the arc is now fucking dead just like that, i do not have it in me to have any faith nor hope in gege's writing skills. it's become painfully clear to me how mid that guy is at writing and how hard he is rushing towards the end. i have lost all faith and goodwill i used to hold for gege.

[feyqueenzoom]

I've been reading FullMetal Alchemist during my off time, so I'm going to just make an archive of moments that stood out to me that I want to share.

Also, a side note I'm going to mention before anything, I'll already seen both brotherhood and the original. So I know the story already, but the original I watched last year and brotherhood around 6 years ago, so my memory on brotherhood might not be as good in some areas.

Also, side side note, spoilers ahead for anything fullmetal alchemist related.

Book 1:

And the journey begins!

Ah, what a great first introduction to get Alphones. Just a amazing moment.

Then it's followed up for an even better introduction of his brother! Edward has always been my favorite of the brothers. He's just such an amazing character

We just got banger after Banger after Banger! An amazing intro to Lust. Now, I will admit that I feel she was a better character in the original anime, but that still doesn't mean she's not a great character in this one

Ah, good old Roy Mustang, now he's a character I'm going to want to pay close attention to during this read through. During my watch though of the original fullmetal alchemist, I noticed something interesting. He actually is very much ashamed of the actions he took during the ishval Civil War, even killing both of winrys parents. I don't remember that happening in Brotherhood, so I'm going to pay close attention to him.

Ah, what a friendly old man and his child. I bet nothing wrong is going to happen here!

Oh... now I think there is a big thing I must mention about Nina and tucker. There arc happens way too fast during the manga. Tucker is introduced on page 188. He turns her into the chimra on page 204. That's 16 pages to get to know her, their back story, the struggle they are going thought and everything. In the original anime, they had a really good set up, this arc took place while Edward and Alphonse were first starting out and took place over the course of 3 episodes.

Now, it feels like a really good time to mention another big change between this and the original anime. We don't get a big flashback to fully explain what happened to their mother or their past. In the original anime, it starts with them dealing with the fake priest, and then after we get a multiple episode long flashback that goes over there, Edward becoming a state alchemist and them staying with tucker during that time. So when they learn that Nina dies, it takes them like 3 years to learn that scar was the person responsible for it. But in manga, it's almost an instant thing that they learn the same week.

Ah, the intro to scar. It has always been one of my favorite character introductions in the series. Scar is just an amazing antagonist to Edward, and the ways that they both affect the other during the series are great.

Just such amazing art, honestly, gives me tons of tri-gun vibes that I just love.

[yeehawbvby]

My First Kiss (Went a Little Like This) | Piers x OC Maxine

Rating: Teen+ (Explicit Language, Suggestive Themes)

Summary: "In the most cliché, teenage rom-com fashion imaginable, Piers and Max came to an agreement.

If neither of them had their first kiss by the time they were both 21, they’d have it with each other.

It was corny, and they denied it would even come down to that… But here they were. "

Author's Note: I've been completely brainrotted by the friends -> lovers these two have going on lately and HAD to write about it >:3 This all takes place in the past and pre-SWSH.

In case anyone is curious to learn more about Max, her tag on my page is “oc maxine”!!

I hope y'all enjoy this, I had a lot of fun writing it! x

Check it out on ao3!

This is part of a series of one-shots! Please see my SWSH Masterlist for the recommended reading order.

The walls of Max, Piers, and Marnie’s shared apartment were paper thin. It was to be expected. Spikemuth’s never been known for luxury. That said, Max was laying on her bed, her Rotom phone hovering over her face, when she heard a baritone “Oi” from just outside her door as opposed to a knock. 

She checked to make sure her sleep shirt was long enough to not flash her panties at anyone. Had to scoot it down a little bit. Once in the clear, she answered, “What’s up?” 

When Max didn’t hear a verbal response, but rather her dingy doorknob turning and the dragging of socks against the wooden floorboards, she looked to the source. Piers, still in his dark ripped jeans and loose blue muscle tank from the day, offered a lazy grin which Max reciprocated.

She grabbed her Rotom and closed the manga app she had been browsing. Then, she sat up and let the device float over to her bedside table before leaning back onto her palms. Her absurdly long hair, not tied back into its usual low pigtails, got a bit wrapped up around her arms in the process; and as Piers sat down beside her, he helped detangle it.

“Everything alright?” she asked, eyes focused on her friend’s pale fingers. 

Piers grunted in place of an answer. After finishing his work on her hair, he playfully insulted her, “How’s it feel to be an old hag?” 

Snorting, Max lightly tapped his right side with her right knee. She met his eyes, squinting her own. “Not even an hour after my birthday and you’re already bullying me?” 

“You did the same thing last month.”

“Yeah,” she explained, “you were an old fart last month.”

“And now you’ve caught up t’me.”

“And I’m as young as can be,” Max wistfully retorted. Piers rolled his eyes, his grin betraying the action. “You come in here just to harass me, or what?” she asked.

“Quite the opposite, actually.”

Max tilted her head to the side. Some stray hairs fell into her face, which she quickly tucked away behind her ear. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Piers sighed, looking down. He almost looked a bit shy. “You remember that little pact we made a few years back?”

Max scrunched her nose. “We’ve made plenty of those.”

“Well, yeah, but… jus’ think about it.” 

Max looked up, trying to recall which one he was talking about specifically.

There was that one where Piers promised to hire her as gym and concert staff if she couldn’t find a steady gig (that wasn’t illegal), but they were past that point by now. She’d been at his venue for a few months.

Another where she told him that, since he took her in, she’d do the same for him and Marnie if it ever came down to that and she was able. But they were up to date on bills, so she doubted that was the case this time.

Hmm… 

Oh. 

It was just over two years ago. Her and Piers were sitting in her tent — her home at the time. Snacking, listening to music, chatting while they watched the denizens of the city go on about their nights. 

Marnie was at a friend’s sleepover play-date a few blocks over, Max’s Misdreavus was curled up and sleeping on her crappy blow up mattress, and all of Piers’ Pokémon were tucked away in their balls for the night. Piers’ 19th birthday was coming to an end, and Max’s would arrive exactly one month later.

They had both been lamenting the fact that they’d gone so long without dating anyone, let alone having their first kisses yet. How pathetic they were, how much it sucked, how they felt like they were so far behind other trainers of their age because of it.

They acknowledged that it made sense — sure, Piers was an up-and-coming rockstar and queued to be the new Dark-type gym leader after the current competitive season ended, so he had far more chances at romance than the average person... But he was an introvert, through and through. So was Max. She’d never really put herself out there, so she didn’t stand a chance.

In the most cliché, teenage rom-com fashion imaginable, they came to an agreement. If neither of them had their first kiss by the time they were both 21, they’d have it with each other. They found each other attractive and felt comfortable enough in their friendship that they didn’t think it would be weird at all, so it kind of just made sense.

It was corny, and they denied it would even come down to that…

But here they were. 

There was a short silence as the memory hit Max like a freight train, her cheeks gradually growing rosier. “Oh,” she chirped, still zoned out with her gaze off of Piers.

He laughed, bringing Max’s attention back. “There ya go,” he teased. “Knew it would come to ya.”

She looked down at her lap, smiling and playing with a piece of her hair as she batted his side with her knee again. “So, like… now, huh?”

“Only if you still want to,” Piers reassured her. “I’d be wounded by the rejection, but I reckon I’ll live.” 

Max appreciated the lightheartedness of his approach. She took a deep breath, then looked up at his face. His was a little pink too. Well, what she could see of it, at least.

Piers’ hair, now longer than she’d ever seen it, draped down to the middle of his back, with side bangs reaching just below his right cheek. It was styled half-up today. He’d been experimenting with how to maintain it, wanting to grow it out for his ~brand~ but struggling to figure out a good style with how thick it was.

It looked… really, really good like this.

He cleared his throat. Max blinked, realizing she’d been staring. 

Oh god.

Why was her heart beating so fast?

“Alright there?” he grinned.

“Yeah, sorry,” she answered, shutting her eyes. Took another deep breath. “Um… yeah,” she nodded, a breathy laugh escaping her. “Let’s do this.”

“Cool,” her friend responded, still grinning.

“Cool.” Max smiled sheepishly. She was growing more excited about this than she cared to admit. “So, how do you wanna go about this?”

“Well, I figured we could just mash our faces together and see what happens.”

Max got up onto her knees and rotated a little, shimmying herself closer to Piers. She sarcastically remarked with a laugh, “Oooh, you’re so smart!” while lifting her hair out of the way of her legs. 

She sat down onto her calves and dropped her brown and pink tresses while Piers angled his body more towards her’s, only slightly adjusting from his previous position as he quipped, “S’about time you noticed.”

As Piers lowered his right hand to the mattress, he gnawed at his lower lip. Swallowed hard. Max watched the bob of his Adam’s apple and wondered if he knew that he looked as antsy as she felt. She wondered if she looked as antsy as she felt, too. The thought made her more nervous, so she began fidgeting with the bottom of her oversized tee.

“Ready?” Piers breathed, his gaze flickering to Max’s lips for a moment.

All Max could manage to do was nod. Her grip on her shirt tightened when Piers leaned in a smidge. His eyes lowered to her lips again, and stayed there, which made her tummy tingle.

Max looked at his lips too. Has Piers always had such nice lips? They looked so smooth… and served as a subtle reminder for her to wet her own. She didn’t want Piers’ first kiss to be with sandpaper.

He smirked at the action, and for some reason, that made her breath hitch. Piers leaned in a little more. So did Max. She could feel his breath on her face now. She felt like she was going to die. Why was this so nerve-wracking?

A little further… and their noses were touching oh my god it was really happening! 

Max chanced one last glimpse up at Piers’ eyes just as he decided to do the same. His pupils were huge. Was that normal? She had read about eyes doing that when you look at someone you think is pretty, but she didn’t think it was real.

Were her pupils that big too? 

She slowly looked back down, and felt an amused huff against her lips.

Piers angled his head a little to the right, and Max mirrored him, parting her mouth slightly and letting her eyes flutter shut. Their lips touched, and lingered there for a moment, before Max and Piers simultaneously locked them together.

After a few short seconds, they separated. Neither of them spoke as they hovered just in front of each other. Max was unsure of what Piers was doing, but she was still staring at his lips, as if in a trance. She could see both of their chests heaving slightly in her periphery. To her surprise and delight, Piers dipped back down. 

He kissed her with a little more confidence this time. It felt nice. Max smiled against him as she reciprocated, hoping it wouldn’t ruin anything. Her worries were quelled when Piers did the same. The solidarity made her smile more toothily, and he followed suit.

They tried to kiss through it anyway. Their teeth bashed together a little, and they both laughed quietly about it before resuming. Rather than pulling away again when they unlocked this time, they simply repositioned, testing the waters of how it would feel if they’d both leaned to their respective lefts.

…Yep, still good.

But not as good. They silently agreed to go back the other way.

Max felt the bed shift a little, followed by the warmth of a large hand against her cheek.

Oh, she really liked that.

She parted her lips again and kissed Piers deeper, removing her left hand from her lap and placing it on the bed in front of her knee; giving herself some leverage to lean in closer. His hand slid a little further back, his thumb remaining on Max’s cheek while his fingers brushed her neck and tangled through her hair. He matched her energy, kissing her harder, and Max sighed dreamily through her nose as he began gently nudging her backward.

She took it in stride, leaning back on her right hand for support while repositioning her legs in front of her. To assure him that she had no intentions to break their kiss as she moved, Max used her left hand to brush Piers’ hair away from his right eye, keeping it between her middle- and forefinger while placing the rest of her hand against his cheek.

Max’s mattress dipped around her as Piers finished lowering her down to her pillow. He kept his body to her right side still, but his right hand was now caging her beneath him. His other hadn’t left her head. Now that she was fully prone, Max got a little cozier, keeping her right leg flat but bending her left knee. She also brought her now-free hand to Piers’ other cheek. She subconsciously brushed soft strokes against his skin with her thumb, which he absolutely loved . 

Considering this was both of their first kisses, Piers wondered how it was going so perfectly. For now he would chalk it up to the fact that he was kissing his best friend. Because obviously the person who knew him best would know how to kiss him well… right?

Piers decided to savor the moment now, question it later.

Besides, his thoughts were broken by a blissful, almost heady sigh from Max.

He pulled away a bit, reveling in how Max craned her neck up a little in an effort to chase his lips. When he opened his eyes fully, looking down at the scene he’d caused, he was caught off guard.

Max’s mane was splayed around her, looking soft as ever. Her eyes sparkled with a glint he hadn’t seen in them before, and likewise, her pupils were blown wider than he could’ve ever expected. Her lips were red and swollen, still parted as she softly breathed out through them before closing them together. Cheeks were redder than they had been earlier, too. 

Max was just as starstruck by the view above her. Piers’ cheeks had more color than she’d ever seen in them, given how ghostly his skin was. His hooded eyes had a certain look about them that she couldn’t pinpoint. He looked… enamored by her.

That wasn’t right, was it?

She ignored it, favoring how almost ravenous Piers looked as well. God. 

Just like her own lips, his were swollen from all the use. She kept her hands on his warm cheeks. Played with the hair between her left fingers a little as she watched him watch her.

His lips twitched, and she perked up in anticipation. 

“Can I try something?” Piers asked, his voice quiet and slightly hoarse.

Curious, Max nodded. “Okay.” 

Piers lowered himself down again, but as he did so, he repositioned his hand lower on her face. His pointer remained against her jawline while most of his other fingertips laid on her neck. His thumb rested against her chin, though. Max didn’t close her eyes just yet, curious about what her friend had in mind.

Piers chastely kissed her again. She kissed back, like the gentlewoman she was. Then, he added pressure to her chin, gently using his thumb to tug Max’s mouth open. Her eyes widened as she felt his tongue slip past her teeth and against her own. She shut her eyes again, but the noise that came from her throat as Piers experimented was downright embarrassing.

He sealed the kiss in favor of laughing quietly.

Shit.

“You like that?” he whispered, his gaze hungrily flickering between Max’s eyes and lips.

Oh.

Oh.

Why did he have to say that like… like that?!

Max’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she settled on simply nodding again, humming “Mhm” for some extra confirmation. 

“Good,” he murmured before repeating the action.

Max was a little more responsive this time, now that she was more prepared. She did her best to swirl her tongue around his without overdoing it. A strong sigh left Piers and she figured she was doing something right. Her hands traveled further, both her fists tangling into his hair. Tugging a little as they all but sucked each other’s faces off. 

Satisfied with their new rhythm, Piers tested the waters some more. Tentatively, he brushed his hand down Max’s throat and onto her collarbone, then down her side. Repositioned himself so that his right leg was between both of hers. He shuddered as she lightly sucked his tongue, then felt her shudder as he cheekily tugged her bottom lip between his teeth.

He squeezed her hip, and thought he was going to fucking faint when she – subconsciously, he assumed – rutted against his thigh a little.

It was then that he noticed their breaths were getting heavier and louder, and their hair messier. He also realized that, at some point, Piers lifted Max’s huge shirt to her tummy; that he was squeezing her bare hip, only slightly clothed by some soft cotton panties. He didn’t even mean to do that. Either she didn’t mind, or she was too lost in his lips to notice.

At this rate, Piers thought, things might go too far if I don’t calm the hell down.

Reluctantly, Piers pulled back. Unable to resist, he left one more lingering kiss against Max’s lips before actually breaking off. His palm was still against her hip, now rubbing soft circles against her skin.

Max sighed, slowly opening her eyes. Looking into Piers’ through her lashes. Seems like they had the same idea, as they noticed each other trying to settle down a bit. Piers pressed his forehead to hers, and they both shut their eyes again.

“We should probably stop for now,” Piers suggested. His voice was barely there, and Max took note of how somber his words had come out. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, opening her eyelids again.

Piers sat back onto his knees, and Max leaned up, her position similar to how it had been when he entered her room. Just much more disheveled this time. Shamelessly, Piers scanned Max’s body. He’d seen her stomach plenty, given her taste in clothing, but… this was…

Oh god. He had to leave.

Max, watching as Piers checked her out, felt frozen. She wanted to cover her face, but opted to keep staring right back at him. Her throat felt dry.

“Um…” She got back on her knees, sitting in the same position Piers was in. “That was… that was cool.” She giggled a little, fully aware of how dumb she sounded.

Piers couldn’t help but laugh too. “Yeah?” Max nodded. “Yeah,” he finally agreed, “it was.” 

“Yeah…” Max looked down at her lap – now covered by her shirt again – and resumed her earlier fidget, playing with her hair. “Not too shabby for our first.” She looked up, a playful glint in her eyes as she held a fist in front of her.

Piers snorted and bumped it with his own. “Nerd,” he commented.

Max switched it up, now flipping Piers off. He did it back. They often greeted one another this way.

Slowly, Piers got back on his feet, still facing Max as he backed away from the bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” 

Max nodded. Again. He’d never seen her this shy, at least since back when they were barely acquainted. 

It was cute.

“Yeah.” Max had a super dopey grin on her face.

It made Piers happy.

He had no idea that he was sporting the same look on his own features, nor did he know how happy that made Max as well.

Piers turned to approach the door, but looked back over his shoulder after opening it. “G’Night, Max.”

“Night, Piers.”

Once alone, Max flopped back on the bed. Her hands covered her face and she rolled onto her tummy, freeing her hands only to squeak her feelings into her pillow.

[cai-yue]

Thank you @blackmonitor for the tag! Here we go! I kept thinking about how I should make this list because throughout my life I had too many fictional crushes 🤣 So I decided to make a "retrospective" of those who stayed in my mind for a greater time!

(actually, I decided to go crazy and explain the freaking list 😬 I've been working and studying so hard and I miss so much this type of silly fun thing that I completely overdid it 🤭)

1. Luke Skywalker - little me used to be obsessed with him and he remained unmatched in the Star Wars universe for several years until a certain blue guy took his place! But even now he's still a crush of mine.

2. Sirius Black - Sirius remained unmatched not only in the HP universe but for teenager me he was my absolute favorite. It all began when I developed this weird sympathy at the beginning of the 3rd book and the obsession skyrocketed at the end for obvious reasons.

3. Anakin Skywalker - judge all you want but this is a sad truth in my early teen years. He didn't top his son, obviously, but considering Luke wasn't even born 99% of the prequels... I know some people will find this very problematic, but rest assured I don't like this character the way I liked him 20 years ago but I had to list him here because it's part of my story I and think this whole thing quite hilarious today.

4. Aragorn - Aragorn was my LOTR crush back when I was younger! Even though he is not anymore I still understand all the appeal the younger me saw! Totally worth mentioning

5. Sesshoumaru - It was the beginning of my anime/manga era, which lasted many years, and if I had to pick a few crushes Sesshoumaru HAS to be one of them. I read many fics about him and these fics were the reason I managed to learn English 70% on my own (I know, speaking and writing skills are not the best, but reading and listening which are the ones I use the most are ok). I'm not much into anime/manga anymore but every time I look at him I feel I go back in time!

6. Kira Sakuya (Angel Sanctuary) - Even though I would not read this manga again because this is not the type of material I feel good reading anymore I do used to be obsessed about it and this character (be aware of great spoilers if you google it). I had to mention him because back then I had a great time.

7. Elrond - After I don't know how many times rewatching LOTR something was drastically changed (I got a little bit older I guess) inside of me and now Elrond has my heart (I won't say he is unmatched because Tolkien has simply too many characters in all his creation and well... You know...)

8. Solas - I think we finally have a crush that comes from a fully adult phase of my life! When I played Dragon Age: Inquisition I was away from games for a few years and I took this one out of pure intuition from my brother's selection. My intuition was 100% right and after many stressful years I went back to a world that made me feel at home and because Solas was my crush back then I had to mention him!

9. Thrawn - My most recent obsession hahaha. Not so recent though because it's been (at least) 5 years since he appeared in my life and Luke lost his number 1 title. There are way too many things I can say about my history with this character but thinking back to when I first read the old trilogy I think is interesting to note that I remember not liking him that much at first and not considering him crush material. I've never been so wrong 😅

[carissaluv]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone is doing well, bless all. I’ve been doing rather good and I’m very excited for Black Friday XD School is very annoying and wrestling season just started. I’m on break of course, not for so long though. Lots of homework, a bunch. My English teacher assigned us to read 6 books this quarter, each due at a specific date, which she basically gives us 10ish days to finish reading a 200 (has to be over 200 I think) chapter book each. Right now, 3 books is due at 12/2. And what did I do this whole time? Not read. I’ve been procrastinating. So now I have to read 3 books till 12/2. Sigh. My mangas don’t count as books so it’s tough lol.

Anyway, forget my worries. I decided to write about my top BL recommendations if any of you people are trying to find a good one. So… let’s get into it. Ask me any questions by the way :D (By the way some will be 18+ so read them at your own discretion)

Ten Count

Boy where do I start. Ten Count is awesome, there are 6 volumes and does include explicit content as you can see on the cover. We have our two guys, Shirotani and Kurose. Shirotani has a severe phobia to germs (OCD also) and he is a secretary at a corporation. Shirotani and Kurose meet at a hospital since Shirotani’s Boss, Kuramoto, got injured. Kurose is a counselor at a psychosomatic clinic and easily spots that Shirotani is clearly a germaphobe. He offers him help and that is where the journey starts. I enjoyed Ten Count very much and I reread many times. If you hadn’t read this at all, I so recommend.

Given

This is a masterpiece. All 9 volumes are amazing. A day never goes by without listening to Fuyu no Hanashi. Literally. I have a personal connection with this series. I so so so much recommend Given the most out of the other BL out there. It’s so sad but with a happy ending, don’t worry. Our two MAIN guys are Mafuyu and Uenoyama. There also are side couples. They both are in high school. Uenoyama is in a band with two other guys who are college students. Mafuyu has been wanting to learn how to play a guitar and is completely new to the whole music stuff. He doesn’t even know the most basic parts of a guitar to give you an idea. When Mafuyu finds out Uenoyama also plays the guitar, he begs him to teach him and Uenoyama gives in. Given is safe to read, just mild sex scenes implied and language. Truly amazing :)

Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru

This manga has a special place in my heart. It isn’t much popular unlike Given but still an amazing read. It only has one volume so you won’t have to spend more money on other volumes lol. It also has a Drama CD! We have a hitman named Chinatsu and a blind boy named Kasumi. Despite that Chinatsu is supposedly a hitman, his heart can’t take to kill after witnessing his brother’s death. They met when Chinatsu saved Kasumi from a thief and after that they fell in love. Isn’t that so damn romantic. Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru is pretty safe to read, just a bit explicit in their sex scene. Heartwarming!

Angel Buddy

I’m not sure why but Angel Buddy is deep down the vault. I came across it from a literal ad I saw when eating chicken nuggets 3 years ago (yes I remember it so vividly) so I went and read it. No regrets made at all. We have Sooho and Taker. Sooho is a college student and able to see/interact with ghosts. CRAZY! Sooho can’t tell the difference between angels and ghosts mind you. So when Sooho encounters a tiny white bird with their wing injured, Sooho had no choice but to help that bird. Turns out, Taker, is that bird and can turn into an angel. Taker felt a strong connection with Sooho’s soul and decided to stay with him. GOSH ANGEL BUDDY IS GREAT! There is a good ending and is just so sweet overall. Angel Buddy is definitely safe to read, pretty much all fluff. The only explicit sex scenes are in the side stories, but the rest of the chapters are safe.

Walk on Water

Okay. This one is our last one, since 5 is my lucky number. Walk on Water is very much explicit actually! Painfully obvious because the characters are involved in the corn industry. I’m not sure how to word it, but Walk on Water is somewhat realistic in some way, it just does it right. It was actually a novel before, beautifully written. So we have Ed, or Tommy Ross is his “stage” name. Creed, or “Glenn McQueen” is his “stage” name. Ed is a bodyguard with many debts, so basically broke. When he was at bar and heard a guy saying how much money he makes working at the industry, specifically gay, Ed decided to try it out to help his awful debts. That’s where he meets Creed, the one who owns the whole film production company. Then they fall in love, not so easily though haha. Lots of obstacles to cross over. Forget that, you should definitely read this! Just beware of the 18+ content if you aren’t comfortable with that.

And that is where we’re gonna end off. I hope any of these interests you and if it does, go for it. I’m glad I got to write this, I needed to get some unpopular ones out there for some recognition. I’ll try to write more frequently, but those 3 books I have to read are killing me… Wrestling season might also make me busy too…

[apenapaperandadoofus]

OK OK OK

So listen: from what I remember (I read the manga like two weeks ago and it was during exams time so my memory is fuzzy) Operation Strix is supposed to be a peaceful way for Loid to talk to Donovan and put an end to the war- obviously through negotiation.

Now I assume that means that they will not put Donovan in harms way (example, just killing him instead- obviously that would be stupid for so many reasons but they do want peace)

BUT

A thing Loid said at the end of this week’s episode just- it destroyed me

At one point in the end he said something along the lines of “anyway if it comes to it there are plenty of ways to kill Donovan secretly/without anyone finding out”

And like I guess that’s just the last resort plan bUT IMAGINE LIKE

An au where there’s angst (bc I love breaking my heart :D)

So imagine; even though Anya and Damian become close, for some reason or other, let’s say Donovan decided to speed up the war’s process- anyway the thing is the spy agency finds no other solution than to kill him.

Afterwards the Forger family does stay together, we can say Loid got attached and they find out about their secrets etc etc so they move away, get new identities and leave.

Damian suddenly comes home to find his father dead, and him and his brother being questioned by da police or smth.

I don’t remember how old Demetrius is so we’re going to skip over that part but anyhow

Damian finds out about his father and he’s obviously mad but for drama reasons (and something I can strangely see happening to him if it came to it) he does a complete 180°. He obviously wants to impress his father, I mean iirc he says he wants to be like him and stuff- and anyway since he’s so young he gets so angry by this that he decides to avenge him. Yup you heard that right (all soap opera drama in here lmao)

Anyway since he’s so young and he doesn’t really understand why what his father wanted was yknow, wrong, he gets raised in a really military-ish ambient. He drops out of Eden and also moves somewhere else. NOW I want more drama (when do I not lol) SO even though Damian’s brother is full on set to cause war and havoc again, all Damian wants is to destroy the people that killed him (AKA WISE, aka Loid) but he doesn’t really get in his brother’s way.

Since he’s the second son he doesn’t get full control of his fathers company- that’s Demetrius’ job- b u t he can still be second in command (hey maybe even be a part of the police Yuri’s a part of? Maybe??? I think Yuri worked for Donovan aNYWAY) so Damian becomes business man by day, and spy/police officer (?) by NIGHT. He mostly focused on stealing info tho, he’s not really the one you call for action packed missions but mostly for more tactical stay in the shadows and steal info kinda ones.

Now- let’s go back a bit and talk about Anya.

She moves away and both Loid and Yor find out about her powers, along with a few higher ups at the agency. Loid obviously doesn’t let them touch his precious daughter, so they decide to recruit Anya as a spy, since her abilities are obviously an added plus.

Anya grows up learning from Loid and Yor how to fight and how to be a spy. She’s more of a fighter though, and becomes pretty amazing combat wise. (You see where I’m getting at pft Ying Yang y’all)

A few years down the line the Desmond company has grown again, and they find out that the new heir is trying to start up war again.

Anya, having already formed part of Operation Strix gets called into Operation Strix 2.0 (or smth I’m not good with names)

Anya gets sent back to where she used to live before and starts working for the Desmond’s company and gets tasked with getting near to one of the sons to get information about the war. Her main task: kill the remaining Desmonds and stop war (since they weren’t able to gain peace, they realized they should destroy all the Desmond’s, since the whole thing can happen again so it’s better to just nip it the bud) idk if I used it right English isn’t my main language aNYWAY

Damian was working overseas, and Anya somehow managed to get in kahoots with his brother (she went high up on the ladder quickly and they’re “friends”), who unlike Donovan is out and about in the open, making him an easy target for Anya.

While she’s getting to know ya boi DUN DUNNNN

Damian appears!!!

Now keep in mind Damian has only heard rumors about Anya’s family so he doesn’t know Loid was the one behind his fathers death- but he knows she had something to do with it.

So he starts off with Anya on the wrong foot (they meet somewhere in the company where Damian explodes, he is not happy with Anya and Anya ain’t taking any shit from him)

Like he is legitimately mad at her now, since he feels betrayed and hurt and he wants to hold her so badly but nO she had something to do with his father.

NOW for more drama, Demetrius comes to him and tells him, hey Anya might actually be a spy, I want you to get as close to her as you can and uncover all the secrets so we can finally get ahead on the war.

So Demetrius (who doesn’t know they met before) presents them to each other and tries to get them together so Damian can yknow, find out things about WISE.

So now Damian and Anya both are put in a situation where even though they don’t like each other, they gotta get close to the other one to find out things about the other party- and obviously fall in love because YES.

Now the thing is I think both Damian and Demetrius will get some info from some spies that there is an esper working for WISE and Damian figures out it’s Anya, which is why he’s able to keep her in the dark.

Anyway obviously that’s all I have for now lol I came up with it on the spot but like? Isn’t it good and angsty lmaoo

I also want to add Becky since we know the Blackwells are associated with the Desmond’s so either she’s also a spy or like information worker (like Frankie) or she can just be a regular worker. But she’s a bit mad at Anya for leaving her alone all of a sudden but they do get back into friendship mode quickly!

Also I want both Loid and Yor to have a little thing because like: imagine it’s Anya’s first solo mission- she’s a good spy but she’s always worked with her father.

So both Loid and Yor are proud parents but worried parents, so unbeknownst to Anya they FOLLOW her to see how she’s doing- they would never interfere with her mission obviously (she’s made it clear she will be mad at them if they do) they’ll just uh- push her in the right directions sometimes.

I also just find it funny for them to try and hide from Anya while she’s working- and since they know she can read minds now they can keep hidden from her a bit easier and i just find it hilarious for some reason these two going all the way to try and get Anya to not suspect them (which even if they go over the top ridiculous she never seems to figure it out-) also imagine a cute scene where she’s talking to an old man on a bench in the park when she’s all sad (and she doesn’t know it’s Loid) and she’s sad because she just wants to make her family proud and Loid gives her words of encouragement and is so proud but like also oops sir you’re not supposed to blow away your cover and PFtt it’s so cute!

Anyway might write it? Idk maybe? I mean classes are going easy so I could sneak writing a few chapters or two while in class 👀

So what do y’all think? Should something else be added on? Or any other ideas? Cuz idk I think it’s nice shshshs

[okaywa]

*Kiss Me Sweetly

Tendou x f!reader 

Angst with a happy ending, excessive fluff, friends to lovers, smut, dry humping 

4.4k words

The demon of Shiratorizawa had crimson hair and eyes to match. He was tall, composed of long limbs and sharp angles. His eyes were perpetually half-lidded and droopy with dark bags. He had a crooked smile made up of pointed teeth and a silver tongue that frequently got him in trouble with the school staff and students alike. 

He wasn’t actually a demon, a nickname branded to him by cruel children in elementary school. He wasn’t a monster either, despite popular belief. Although he had learned to embraced his title as the Guess Monster, even learned to love the respect that came with it from his opponents. In the end, however, Tendou Satori was just tired. Tired of the people at this school, tired of the nicknames that stalked him though the halls, and tired of you.

You, who never stooped to your peers level with half-brained insults and nicknames. You, who had smiled and said hello every time you saw him since elementary. You, who encouraged him to pursue volleyball, the only thing he felt powerful doing. You, who sat through his seemingly endless chatter with an interested smile. You, you, you and your kind smiles, soft words, and gentle curves. 

It wasn’t until high school that you started sitting with him at lunch. Eventually lunch transitioned into getting coffee every Monday after school. Then the coffee hangouts progressed to going to your house and reading the latest manga he was interested in every Friday. 

Each moment with you was a breath held in anticipation for the other shoe to finally drop. When were you just going to get it all over with and stop acting like you cared about him? Enough of the pity, please. No more shared lunches. Stop giving him your notes when he fell asleep in class. He was exhausted for you. 

Sometimes he let himself believe you. That you actually cared for him and enjoyed being around him. He convinced himself that your laughter was genuine when he teased you and made sardonic jokes about the world. He could go months relishing in your friendship before remembering it wasn’t real. 

Being around him certainly didn’t benefit you. He had heard plenty of the rumors and he know you did as well. 

I heard that he’s so controlling she’s too scared to actually leave him. 

We aren’t even together, he thought viciously.

Well, I heard that she only puts up with him because she feels bad. Seriously, who actually wants to hang around that freak . 

He wanted to scream that he knew. He knew you pitied him. He wanted you to leave but you never got the goddamn hint. You stuck by his side all through high school and now it was the last day and you were still here. Sitting next to him, sharing his earbuds. You could’ve walked home ages ago, but you were adamant about waiting at the train station until he got picked up.

“You can stop now,” he said, setting you free. 

“Hm?” You looked up from your phone. “Oh, do you want to play your music?”

“No, you can leave,” he snapped. “No one is looking at you anymore; no one cares. You don’t have to be here with me.”

“Tendu-chan, I don’t understand,” your pretty lips were turned down in a frown. 

“I don’t need you,” he lied. “You don’t have to be here to make me feel better. It’s over, we move on now and we forget about it.” 

“What are you talking about?” Your voice was soft, confused. 

“I don’t need your pity,” he said, finally getting the words off his chest after all these years. “I know you only stuck around because you felt bad for me. But I don’t need it anymore, high school is over. I don’t need you to hang out with me because you feel bad.”

His eyes were closed, and he relished in the peace of finally, finally spitting it out. 

“Is that what you think?” 

His eyes snapped open. You were angry? You should be happy. Happy you finally have an excuse to get away. A clear exit.

“Fuck you, Tendou,” you stood up, throwing his headphones at his chest. “That’s what you really think of me? That I just pity you? You think I’m so shallow that I hung around you to make myself feel better? Is that what you think?”

You stopped, sucking in a steadying breath while he stared up at you in shock. Yes, that’s exactly what he had thought. 

“I-” 

“No,” you cut him off swiftly. “You’ve said enough. I’m leaving. You can talk to me when you get your head out of your ass.” 

Tendou watched you walk away until you disappeared around a corner. He had been wrong? But he almost always guessed right… right?

Had he really been so consumed by his self-loathing that he had misread the intentions of the one person who cared the most for him? 

“Oh,” he let his head fall back against the bench and stared at the bright sky until his eyes watered. 

Not many had witnessed it, but the demon of Shiratorizawa was indeed just a person. A person with emotions, as disguised as they may be. He hid behind this personality he’d crafted. The carefree, loud, perpetually cheerful demeanor that protected him from his peers and their wicked words. It had never protected him from you though. You saw through it as if it were glass, just a window to his misery. 

“Oh,” he said again, standing up slowly. “I see now.” 

He boarded the train and rested his forehead against the window, watching dark storm clouds creep over the city with the silence of a cat stalking its prey. 

How fitting, for it to rain, he thought as the first drops splattered against the window. 

—-

After three sharp knocks on your door, Tendou stepped back and held his peace offering close to his chest. He knew you were home because your rust bucket of a Toyota was parked in the driveway. His fingers tapped the plastic bag impatiently and it was nearly impossible to ignore the way his heart jumped when the door cracked open slowly.

“Ah, I see you’ve managed to pull your head free. Was it difficult?” You asked flatly, leaning against the doorframe with your arms crossed.

“Immensely, took Wakatoshi three bottles of lube,” he said earnestly. 

You cracked a small smile, eyes flitting to the plastic bag in his arms. You raised an eyebrow as a silent question. 

“Can I come in?” He asked. “It’s awfully cold out here, you don’t want me to catch a cold now, eh Y/n-chan?”

“Maybe I do,” you said, stepping aside to let him in. 

“How cruel of you!” Tendou gasped, pressing a hand to his chest in feigned offense. 

He stepped into your entrance way and you were quickly reminded just how tall he was. His lankiness only made him look taller as he loomed over you, eyebrows drawn together in determination. You stared back, suddenly nervous in the presence of your friend.

“I’m sorry for misjudging you,” he said, intense red eyes still locked on yours. “It was wrong and unfair of me to make such harsh assumptions.” 

You weren’t used to him being this serious. He was always intense but the two combined were overwhelming. 

“Let’s sit down and eat whatever you’ve brought,” you said, stepping around him to walk to the kitchen. “Then we can talk, yeah?”

He followed so close he accidentally kicked your heels a few times and you could still feel the heat of his gaze on the back of your neck. He set the bag on the table and unpacked the to-go containers. 

“It’s from that place you really like,” he said. “By the school.”

“Oh, thank you, Tendou.” You accepted the chopsticks he held out. 

Tendou gasped dramatically. “Such formalities, Y/n-chan!”

“Tendu-chan, then,” you corrected yourself.

“Much better,” he said praisingly.

He sat down across from you, eating only a few pieces of chicken before setting his utensils aside. He didn’t say anything, even as you ate your fill. It was clear he was antsy, fingers tapping a staccato beat against the table. 

When you finally slid your plate to the side he scooted forward, resting his face in his palms expectantly. 

“I forgive you,” you said simply. 

Tendou’s signature manic grin took over his entire face and his long fingers tapped a rapid beat on the table in his excitement. Oh, how he had missed you during the two weeks he spent giving you space. He had never realized how much he enjoyed your presence until it abruptly disappeared. Tendou’d also had a few other revelations during the separation.

He said your name softly, so at odds with his typically loud demeanor. He was his most authentic self in your presence, he had come to realize. You looked up from packing up the remaining food and tilted your head. 

“We are still friends, right?” He asked with a tinge of nervousness. 

“Were we ever?” You countered, not angrily. 

“Yes,” Tendou answered quickly, reaching out to grab your hand. “Of course, it was my mistake to ever think otherwise.”

You looked down at his hand on yours and ran a finger over the wrappings he kept on his two fingers. He watched you keenly, fingers twitching at your delicate touch. 

“My, my,” he said with a sly grin. “What is little Y/n thinking about?”

You shot him a bland look, dropping his hand pointedly. “You’re disgusting.”

Just like that any tension between the two of you vanished with his boisterous laugh. He wiggled his wrapped fingers in your face enticingly until you smacked them away.

“I brought the latest chapter Shonen Jump,” he said animatedly, reaching into his bag. “I thought we could read it together.” 

It was a Friday, after all.

“Sure, let me put this food up,” you said. 

Tendou grinned eagerly, bouncing to his feet while you brought the food to the fridge; already talking a mile a minute about a different manga he had just finished. You couldn’t stop the smile that worked its way onto your face, you loved his aimless rambling. Where you more reserved, Tendou was outgoing and could fill any gaps in the conversation you left behind. It worked well for the two of you. 

While watching Tendou chatter away you wondered if you had been too harsh at the train station. Clearly there was an underlying insecurity that convinced him you didn’t care about him. Was it his history of bullying? Before you had really gotten to know Tendou, it was hard to imagine him as anything but carefree and untouchable. You knew he would tell you eventually. Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow. Over the past few years you had found the best way to get Tendou to open up was to say nothing at all, his rambling always ended up on touchy topics anyways.

Tendou held out an earbud for you once you sat down on the couch beside him. You placed it in your ear and smiled when you recognized the playlist the two of you had put together. The only time Tendou could stay quiet longer than five minutes was when he was reading. You settled into the familiar routine, sitting close to him while he angled the pages towards you so you could both read. Tendou was such a fast reader you were forced to learn to speed read as well in order to keep up with him. Now, you were perfectly synchronized.

 Today, however, he couldn’t stop glancing over at you. Ugh, he suddenly so acutely aware of everything you did. Every time you shifted to see a panel or readjusted the earbud he felt his heart pickup and he was too aware of every movement he made. His limbs felt too long and awkward, his face felt too warm, and oh my god did he brush his teeth this morning? 

Tendou swallowed nervously, for once relieved for the chapter to finally end so he could put some space between your bodies. He stood up abruptly, wincing when the earbud was ripped out of his ear. 

“Ow,” you held your ear. “Is something wrong, Tendu-chan?”

“Of course not, dearest Y/N,” he put on his widest grin, bowing down and extending his hand. Fuck, your nickname for him was not helping his nerves. “I was just wondering if you would like to accompany me to the bathroom.”

“Ew, what is wrong with you?” You smacked his hand away. 

“Well, you did ask,” he chirped cheerfully before prancing down the hall. 

You sighed, replacing the earbud while settling into a more comfortable position. After several minutes you realized Tendou had yet to return. Frowning, you stood up and went to the bathroom to find the door still closed. 

“Tendu-chan?” You knocked softly. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, Y/N,” Tendou popped his head out from your bedroom. “I was looking at your photo wall.”

You raised your eyebrows, following him inside. “Yeah? I have quite a few.”

It had been a hobby of yours to have at least three pictures of each of yours friends on your wall since elementary school. Since you started hanging out with Tendou at the beginning of high school, his section had amassed a great deal of photos. 

“I forget you’ve never been in here,” you smiled, watching Tendou closely.

You had never seen such an open expression on his face before. His eyes flicked over the photos of him taped to your wall quickly, as if he couldn’t decide which to focus on. 

“I didn’t realize,” he said softly.

“Hm?”

He tilted his head back, sliding his eyes to look at you. “I didn’t realize I still had a safe place, a paradise.” 

“You’ll always be welcome here, Satori,” you reached out and squeezed his bicep. “I promise.” 

“I feel so blind, Y/N,” he closed his eyes, head still tipped back as he took in a slow, study breath. “I thought I had lost everything when volleyball ended. My friends, my passion…” 

Crimson eyes locked on your own, the intensity of them so startling you sucked in a sharp breath. 

“But I still have you,” Tendou said, slowly turning his body to face yours. “Right?”

“Of course,” you answered.

“Good,” he nodded. “Good.” 

His head turned back towards your wall of photos, fingers reaching out to snag at the bottom of one. You looked closer and saw it was a picture of the two of you at one of his games. You had jumped onto his back to hug him and your friend had barely managed to get the shot. The blurry grins on your faces were bright and excited.

“Can I?” He asked, tugging lightly on the corner. 

“Take it, I can print a new one.” You said. 

He peeled it off carefully and flashed a grin at you. 

“Thank you,” he reached out, placing his hand on the top of your head, ruffling your hair messily. 

You knocked his hand away and brushed your hair back into place with a huff. Tendou laughed loudly, sprawling backwards onto your bed with a thump. He looked at the picture once more before sliding it into his pocket. He folded his hands behind his head and looked up at you with his signature sleepy smirk. 

“Make yourself comfortable, I guess,” you said. 

“Aw, you’re so considerate,” Tendou crooned, stretching his arms out until his shirt road up to reveal his toned stomach. 

You glanced down at the exposed skin and blushed, looking away quickly. Tendou noticed, of course, and couldn’t stop the mischievous smirk on his face as he reached out and grabbed your hand. 

“Tendou-“

“Oh, hush,” he chastised lightly. “I’m just getting you to sit. This is your bed, after all.”

You sat down on the edge, watching as he pulled your hand to his chest. He examined your fingers faintly before weaving his fingers with yours. When your fingers spasmed nervously he gripped them tighter. 

“I had a lot of time to think,” he sighed, eyes still fixated on your joined hands, before elaborating. “While we were apart.”

You stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue with bated breath. 

“I like you, Y/N,” his eyes seemed to bore straight into your soul. 

“Tendu-chan-“ You started to pull your fingers away.

One second you were sitting at the edge of the bed and the next you were pinned beneath Tendou’s body. His breath tickled your lips and his hands kept your arms above your head by the wrists. 

“Please, let me say this,” he pleaded, eyes switching between yours and your lips. 

“You made high school bearable for me,” he said, pushing up until he was knelt between your legs instead of having you pinned. His hands rested on either side of your ribs. “I didn’t appreciate you enough at the time but-“

His fingers clenched in the sheets. “I do now, I appreciate you so much. Everyone else thought I was a monster, demon, whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore but when it did you were the only one who made it all easier. Does that make sense?”

“What about Ushijima? Your teammates?”

Tendou chuckled, letting his head droop between his shoulders. “Of course them, silly Y/N. They didn’t really have a choice, hm? I was on the team, you don’t really get to pick who’s there. You went out of your way to befriend me, to make sure I was okay before you even knew me.” 

You looked up at him, ignoring his little sniffle and the way he rubbed his nose against his sleeve subtly. You sat up slowly while Tendou watched you closely with his head tilted. 

“You’re my best friend, you know that right?” You asked softly. 

He nodded. 

“You will always be welcome in my home and I promise I will always want you around. You’re right, whatever those people used to say about you doesn’t matter. They were needlessly cruel and I wish I could’ve stopped them from hurting you,” you reached up, cupping his cheek gently. “You’re important, Tendu-chan. You’re caring, funny, and genuine. I love hearing about your favorite anime and your coolest blocks. I really do.” 

“Ohhh, is little Y/N crying for me?” He cooed, using his sleeve to wipe away the tears gathering on your lashes. “Sweet thing.” 

“I’m serious,” you said, letting him wipe your cheeks. 

“I know,” he squinted at you. “Will you let me try something?”

From the way his crimson eyes kept flickering down to your lips, you could easily guess what he wanted to try. You nodded mutely, breath catching excitedly as his face drew closer. 

The first touch of his lips felt like a static shock. Your eyes fluttered close as he pushed a little closer, experimentally moving his lips against yours. He let out a low groan into your mouth, pushing forward until you were laying down again. The hands that had been by your sides now moved to tangle in your hair and cup your face while his hips settled comfortably between your thighs. 

The first brush of his tongue across your bottom lip sent fire licking up your spine which eventually settled as a fluttering warmth in your stomach. Your hands came up to grab his arms, nails leaving shallow crescents on the pale skin of his biceps through his shirt. Parting with a nip to your bottom lip, Tendou licked his lips as he looked down at you. 

The sight of your flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips sent a thrill of exhilaration through his chest. 

“Well?” He asked, a cocky grin smeared across his lips. 

It was like you were seeing Tendou in a brand new light. Before he was just your friend. You always knew he was good-looking but now, you were supremely aware of his shapely lips, cut jaw, and broad shoulders. His hips between yours was as intoxicating as the elated look on his face. 

“Stop looking so smug,” you huffed, pulling him down to your lips again. 

Laughing softly, Tendou happily obliged you in another sensuous kiss that left you dizzy and breathless. He swallowed your gasp when he experimentally rolled his hips into yours.

He pulled back, eyes lidded with a dazed smile, and tilted his head. “Is that okay?”

You nodded eagerly, leaning up to capture him in another kiss. With a sly smirk he pulled out of your reach, head tilted expectantly. 

“Yes, Tendou, now please get back to it,” you snapped, secretly appreciative of his need for clear consent. 

“There we go,” he murmured, stooping back down with a thorough roll of his hips. 

A groan was shared between both of your open mouths as his hips fell into a steady rhythm, slowly undulating against you. Sighing out his name, you let your head fall back while Tendou trailed kisses across your jaw and down to your throat. 

“Fuck, Y/N, you’re so perfect,” he murmured breathlessly, leaving wet, open-mouth kisses down the column of your throat. “Feel so good, hah-“

 His clothed erection lined up perfectly with your core, sending searing electricity flickering through your stomach. Your hands went from gripping his arms to tangling in his hair, tugging lightly at the crimson strands. 

“Haah-ah,” you moaned at a particularly accurate thrust that had his entire length dragging along your clit. “Satori, please.” 

“Oh, fuck,” Tendou sighed into your ear, pushing aside your hair so he could hide his face in the warmth of your neck. “You’re so hot, gonna make me cum in my pants. Keep making those pretty noises for me, sweet thing.”

You nodded along eagerly, pulling his head away from your neck so your could attach your lips again. Steady thrusts began to lose their rhythm as both of you got closer to completion. Tendou let out a throaty groan, wrapping his lean arms around you tightly so he could rub his hard-on against your core with more force. 

“Satori, ah!” You cried out at the stimulation. 

He clashed his mouth against yours messily, teeth clicking while he gasped against your lips. 

“M’ close,” he clenched his eyes shut. 

“Me too, me too,” you whined, hips writhing up against his desperately. “Satori!” Tendou practically growled at that, mouth claiming yours assertively. You shouted his name again while your orgasm wracked through your body, leaving you sensitive and tingly as Tendou chased his own release. He came with a low moan into your mouth, hips rolling gently through the aftershocks. 

When he finally slowed to a stop he went completely slack on top you. Tendou mouthed gently at your neck, fingers petting your hair as you both caught your breath. You released his hair and unclenched your stiff fingers a few times before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

Curious hands slowly pushed beneath your shirt, tenderly exploring your body while Tendou continued to leave lazy, open-mouthed kisses on your neck. His handsiness didn’t bother you since you were also busy tracing the muscles of his back. 

You whined when he landed another quick kiss before pushing off of you. 

“I gotta clean up,” he said, darting down to kiss you again. 

That reminded you of the uncomfortable dampness in your own pants so you got up as well. You found a pair of sweatpants that he could fit into from your brother and set them by the bathroom door for him. By the time you came back from changing he was already lounging in your bed again, your brother’s sweatpants an inch or two too short  above his ankles. 

Tendou’s expression brightened when you walked in, his eyes wide to match his grin as you climbed in to lay next to him. He was quick to wrap his arms around you again. 

“Well?” He asked. 

“Hmm?” You responded, face pressed against his shoulder. 

“What are we now?” He leaned back so he could see your face. 

You stretched languidly, tossing a leg over his hips and an arm over his chest before responding. 

“What do you want this to be?” 

“I want you to be mine,” he answered honestly. 

“Then I’m yours,” you said simply, kissing the hinge of his jaw. 

“My girlfriend,” he said adoringly, twisting to his side so you were facing each other.

You laughed softly, letting him cup your cheeks so he could pull you into an unhurried kiss. His tongue pressed past your lips to sweep along your teeth and slide hotly against yours. 

“I’m pretty great at apologies, huh?” He boasted. 

“Oh, shut up,” you groaned, pushing him away by his forehead. 

Tendou let you shove his face away with a quiet giggle before brushing your hand away so he could attack your neck with more kisses. 

“You better not be leaving marks,” you threatened halfheartedly, too caught up in the addicting sensation of his lips on your body to be serious. 

Tendou eyed a particularly red spot, pressing a light kiss to it. “Of course not, baby.” 

“That didn’t sound too convincing.”

“Well… it might fade,” Tendou circled the spot with his finger. “I kinda like it.”

“Satori!”

“Whaaat?” He crooned. “It lets everyone know you’re mine.” 

“Ugh, you creep,” you murmured, accepting a soft kiss. 

Tendou giggled cheerfully, squeezing you closer to him affectionately. He left a flurry of kisses across your cheeks and nose, sighing happily. 

“I love this,” his hands roved over your body. “Getting to touch and kiss you as much as I want.” 

“Mm, me too.”

Tendou’s lean body was beautiful, so was his blush when you informed him of this. He groaned and hid his face in the crook your neck. 

“I’m serious!” You insisted, pulling his face from your neck so you could look at him.

“I know you are, thank you,” he mumbled, avoiding your eyes. 

“Aww, are you embarrassed?”

Tendou scoffed. “Tch, of course not. I’m a catch, a total babe.”

Laughing, you let him bite playfully at the hinge of your jaw for a moment before shoving him away so he couldn’t leave another mark. Tendou settled down and was happy to let you brush your fingers through his hair until it lost it’s shape and started to fall over his forehead. 

“Mmm, sleepy,” he sighed, practically purring as you massaged his scalp. 

“Go to sleep then.” 

He hummed, twisting his body until he was on his stomach with half of his body draped over yours. You smiled warmly, of course Tendou was a clingy sleeper. 

[inhonoredglory]

another character based question - how do you feel about mikasa? a lot of fans dont like her, im curious about how you feel! - armin anon

Hellooooo Armin Anon. OMG it’s been forever since I had the time to sit down and do a proper meta, and I apologize.

First off, I finished the manga!!! (So, spoilers ahead for anyone else reading this.) I had to lie down after reading 139. It’s a tremendous story and I’m still taking it all in. The set pieces and personal/emotional stakes of everything that happens is just astounding. If it’s one thing Isayama does good, it’s the gut-wrenching personal anguish that underlies the action. I’m absolutely floored. My favorite bit was probably the timey-wimey stuff in Paths and Eren. That blew my freaking mind. But onto Mikasa!!

A Cruel Yet Beautiful World

I remember way back when I started the anime that I started liking Mikasa first out of the group. I liked how sullenly silent and no-nonsense she was, and I liked her loyalty to Eren. Her emotion, especially when Eren died in Trost, was palpable and terrifyingly beautiful. Her grief was incredibly realistic––rushing off with a death wish that even she couldn’t succumb to in the end, because of the drive to fight that she got from Eren. In a world like SNK, her relentlessness breaking through her grief was incredibly moving. And her philosophy is basically the driving theme of SNK: “This is a cruel world, and yet so beautiful.”

This is the same moral message she gives Eren when he can’t find the strength in him to fight Annie––and gives him that warm, understanding, inscrutable smile that allows him to finally accept his own monsters, fight Annie, and save her and Armin. (One of my favorite panels of her from the manga, actually.) Mikasa is basically the first character we meet who embodies this contradictory morality, which grows to engulf SNK and other characters as well (Levi, Reiner, and Armin especially come to mind). Which could be why I was drawn to her at the start, since the complex moral outlook of SNK was the primary reason I fell hard for this story.

(And gosh, it’s tragic to realize that it’s teaching moments like the scene above that made Eren into the person who could influence his own child self to murder, the person who could wipe out so much of humanity, the person who could take Ymir’s challenge to free her by destroying the love of the person who cared the most about him. I’m still processing yo.)

Acker-parallels

I started really analyzing Mikasa when I had to defend her from a friend of mine who accused her of resenting Levi (for beating up Eren) and that’s why she attacked him so violently in the RTS serumbowl. Because of my research into rebutting that, a lot of my affection for Mikasa now comes in seeing the little ways in which she cares and trusts other people, including Armin, Levi, Gabi, and Jean. And her quiet sensibility that goes beyond her love and protectiveness of Eren.

With Levi in particular, I find a lot I like about her. Because you can definitely see her annoyance at him, but she also trusts him more than anyone else in the Corps outside of Armin. After Levi’s violent encounter with Historia, she was the only one who implicitly trusted Levi’s judgement, backing up Armin’s more reasoned logic. She sees beyond her own emotions and even moral feelings and realizes the world is cruel enough that sometimes people have to do dark things to help others and survive.

This is very much the same statement Levi made to the 104th when he had asked them to follow Erwin’s orders when the commander’s plans were questionable on the surface: “Do you trust him? Those dumb enough to say yes… come with me.” These two understand each other on a moral level, and they ask for their comrades’ loyalty without demanding it, because they each know that everyone’s conscience is their own.

There’s a clear parallel between Mikasa and Levi, not only because of their Ackerman heritage and sensibilities (loyal to a fault to their chosen person, impossibly strong, quiet and grim), but their frustration when they cannot protect the people they are responsible for. They both know they are the strongest around, and if they cannot fulfill on that power, a lot of people will die.

There are many moments in which Mikasa puts aside her personal feelings to do her soldierly duty, from leaving Eren to help with the evacuation of Trost to leaving Eren and Armin to fight the Colossal Titan alone in Shigonshina.

And then there’s the fact that Levi’s the one who could break past Mikasa’s headspace and distraction so that she can do the right thing. He understands her strong emotion, he respects it, but he also knows when that has to be put aside for the greater good. But he doesn’t put her down for having those emotions, either.

Strength from Eren, Humanity from Armin

Mikasa’s love and loyalty to Eren challenges her tremendously after the timeskip and her sorrow at Eren’s change is what really stands out to me about her character in the Marley arc. The absolute grief in her eyes when she tells Eren what he’s done is devastating, and it shows just how much goodness and compassion she does have.

And yet she longs to understand Eren, to trust him, to believe there can be something redeeming, and not merely jaded and tired, in what he taught her so many years ago––to fight, to win, to live.

There’s such a difference between these same words said here by Mikasa, so many years later, after so much heartbreak, to the anger and flame that were in them when she first heard them, back when she realized that this was the way of the world. That death and killing happens in the natural world everyday and that’s how you survive. That the world is both cruel and beautiful.

And yet as the years wore on, as Mikasa grew closer to others, found purpose in protecting others, sought a life with Eren… as she wandered further into the forest of life and society and relationships, she lost some of that simple injunction... to live is to fight, to fight is to win. She, like so many of the 104th and the others on this journey, found that it’s not enough to just fight and live and be satisfied. We really want it all to mean something, to have our actions be redemptive. To allow ourselves to believe that we do what we’re doing because we’re not just saving ourselves, but saving others, “saving the world” like Yelena points out (in the forest therapy session pfff). And it’s that drive for something bigger in our actions that grieves her so much with Eren, because as she wants her own actions to be fundamentally good and selfless, she wants his actions to be moral as well.

So while Eren is the person that frustrates Mikasa and motivates her to become stronger and braver than she ever was, Armin is the person who humanizes Mikasa and allows her the space to be gentle and vulnerable. She comforts Armin, confides in him, puts her faith in him, and puts her life in his hands.

She trusts Armin with Eren, and she values Armin’s intellect and compassion, qualities she doesn’t have in nearly as much quantities as he does: “There are only so many lives I can value. And… I decided who those people were six years ago. So... you shouldn’t try to ask for my pity. Because right now, I don’t have time to spare or room in my heart.”

This bit from her confrontation with Ymir and Historia was a defining moment for me with Mikasa. It’s honest and realistic in a way that few of us care to admit about ourselves, and it’s just super chilling and badass coming from her, too. It also shows how much she fights for Armin and Eren both. They are the two people she loves the most in the world, and she never gave up on saving either of them––from death or from themselves.

I’m looking back on Trost now and finding so much irony with the ending to SNK. In Trost, she was the one to give up on Eren, telling Armin that it was hopeless to try to extract Eren’s personality from his Titan form. And yet, like in the end, it’s always been between Armin and Mikasa to try to salvage Eren’s humanity. In Trost, Armin tells Mikasa to leave––to go do what she’s good at (saving lives)––and to entrust Eren to him.

It’s a huge expression of both Mikasa’s trust in Armin, and her belief in Armin’s abilities and friendship for Eren. And in the end, it’s the two of them again debating on if there’s any humanity left in Eren. The bond they share is intimate and deep. With all the military doubting Eren and scheming to take away his Titan (with even Jean and Connie unavailable to them emotionally), it’s only Armin and Mikasa against the world––the only two people who can truly consider Eren’s actions and hold off on judging him. And you can feel their love for him even as they doubt him.

And like back then, it has always been Armin who understands Eren most, the one who recognizes his own evil and Eren’s and finds a redemption in having others stop you, because you cannot stop yourself.

And that’s the thing I really take away from SNK and from Mikasa’s journey, that we all have devils inside us, and yet there is still beauty to be found, within us and in the world––from the natural wonders that Armin dreams of, to the comfort of purpose and companionship that Mikasa has in Eren. Love and wonder is what redeems us of our devils. And yet love itself is complicated, and can turn ugly in its obsession. That giving up that love is what makes the love selfless and beautiful, what absolves us of the selfishness within us. That’s what Mikasa learned. And in the end, she was able to release that love for the good of the world.

So I guess to sum up, I really love Mikasa. I can see why her dogged loyalty to Eren might annoy some fans, but I think there’s a lot more to her than simply that, and in fact, her journey and growth is heart-rending and one of the most symbolic arcs of SNK and fundamental to its entire theme. She’s a badass with a lot of emotion and depth behind her cold mask.

[robinchan-hananomi]

Okay, I’m gonna stop taking about the manga I promise, but I did want to mention my favorite stories first!

The first was Ivan and Pao-Lin trying to give Barnaby a late birthday present. So the two learn about Barnaby’s birthday and the fact that they are the only ones who haven’t gotten him anything. So they decide to band together and get him a gift. Ivan picks it out (it’s a happi) and Pao-Lin wraps the gift writing ‘Congratulations’ in kanji. They leave it with Barnaby’s stuff but since Barnaby doesn’t know kanji, he figures they left it by accident and after Keith points out which way they went, he heads out to return it to the two.

However the gift gets stolen by a group of thieves. Barnaby, who still doesn’t know it’s a present for him, goes after the thieves to get it back and Pao-Lin goes with him (Ivan takes an elevator instead of jumping off a bridge. You know, like a normal human being.) And the three chase the thieves down. Pao-Lin takes down one and Barnaby takes down the second but the third is still standing...rather they fell on a car but they are still able to fight. At least until a grumpy local who lives in a nearby apartment comes out, yelling about all the racket they are making and the car that got smashed just happens to be theirs. The grumpy local is Kotetsu and furious at the damage to his car, he just flips the guy off and captures him before seeing the other heroes and learning what just happened.

Barnaby then tries to give the package back to Pao-Lin and Ivan but they get too embarrassed to explain it’s actually a birthday present for him. Fortunately for everyone Kotetsu comes over and explains what it is, Barnaby apologizing for not knowing as he can’t read kanji, and opening it up. To the three’s absolute shock, he actually puts the happi on, smiles, and thanks them for the gift (remember this is episode 5 of season 1, so this is pretty odd). The mystery is solved seconds later when they realize the noise drew a crowd and Barnaby was showing off for his fans.

My other favorite story is one I’m actually disappointed that they never used in the show. Or at least a variation of. So Kotetsu is on his way home from work to find all his hero cards are sold out. Out of curiosity he checks all the stands that sell the cards and every time he gets there he learns all his cards are sold out. He gets so excited he tells the other heroes (and when Keith points out his cards are always sold out Kotetsu says there is a big difference between Keith’s cards being sold out and his own cards being sold out). The other heroes are more preoccupied with a series of random arson cases though. Barnaby is worried about Kotetsu since he’s still injured from Lunatic. Instead of asking Kotetsu is he’s okay like he plans to, he instead shows Kotetsu a bunch of information he gathered about the arson case. Kotetsu suddenly becomes serious and claims he has something to do before taking off.

While Kotetsu is gone, Agnus calls all the heroes and informs them that they found a link between all the arson cases. They found a type of paper at the cases that is used in the trading cards for the heroes. At the most recent site they found a partial of Wild Tiger’s card, meaning whoever is doing the arson cases bought all the Wild Tiger cards in the city and are using them to burn places down. Barnaby realizes Kotetsu figured something out and heads out to find him. He sees Kotetsu wondering around town in his mask, calling for someone to ‘show themselves’. Kotetsu is attacked by a man who can apparently ignite cards and use them as bombs. Barnaby intervenes and the suspect gets away. Kotetsu tries to write it off but Barnaby gets mad and Koetesu admits that the suspect is a guy Kotetsu arrested 10 years ago when he was a rookie.

Agnus wants all the heroes to function as a body guard group for Kotetsu, which he unsurprisingly refuses. When no one is looking Kotetsu escapes his new entourage and goes out looking for the suspect. Barnaby discovers he is gone and follows him. It turns out that the suspect is being controlled by another NEXT, the man’s own daughter, who blames Kotetsu for her father being ‘broken’ after his time in prison. However the suspect explains that Kotetsu actually saved his life ten years ago. Kotetsu had arrested the man during a chase but granted his plea to visit his daughters birthday party before handing him over to the police. Before the man could give his daughter a birthday gift however, an assassin attacked him. Kotetsu saved him, but it looked like Kotetsu hurt him instead. So the daughter went her whole life thinking Kotetsu just showed up at her birthday party and randomly attacked her dad. She and her father apologize to Kotetsu for all the trouble and the daughter does get arrested for arson.

The third goes to a Christmas story. Kotetsu is trying to call Kaede to wish her a merry Christmas, but he keeps getting her voicemail. He’s discouraged but keeps trying. He mentions to Barnaby that he’s not good at the ‘dad’ thing and Barnaby tries to consul him that it’s all part of the job. Kotetsu tells him it isn’t normally part of the job, that he made it part of the job.

Kotetsu tells Barnaby about a time one year after Tomoe died. It was Christmas Eve and he promised Kaede he would be home. Young Kaede is so excited, she not only draws a picture of her, Tomoe, and Kotetsu but waits up all night for him even sitting outside in the cold so she can see him as soon as he gets there.

Meanwhile in Sternbild Kotetsu and Ben say their farewells for Christmas, however Kotetsu gets a call. He goes out and does a rescue job but immediately after there is a fire and he goes to help put out the fire. All night there is call after call and by the time Kotetsu is able to leave Sternbild, the last train to Oriental Town had already departed. While we got to see this was still a time where Kotetsu was a top charting hero, it is heartbreaking to see him get so close to seeing his daughter for Christmas only not to make it. However, Muramasa is there in his car, telling Kotetsu he left for Sternbild right after Kotetsu talked to their mom that afternoon because he figured something like this would happen. On the drive home he scolds Kotetsu for his priorities and tells him he won’t say something like ‘it’s part of the job’ because it isn’t and Kotetsu also needs to prioritize Kaede. He says if Kotetsu can’t ‘stick to his guns’ and figure out a balance, he and Anju won’t be able to root for him in the future. Kotetsu wraps up the story in present time by telling us that he made it home just in time to get the presents under the tree before Kaede woke up, and had to take the first train back to Sternbild so he never got to see her.

Kotetsu asks Barnaby to keep an eye on him and make sure he ‘keeps to his guns’. Barnaby is confused. Later while at a photo shoot, Kaede calls Kotetsu’s phone, but because Kotetsu is busy it’s Barnaby who picks up. Barnaby offers to go get Kotetsu so they can talk but she says it’s fine and asks if Barnaby can deliver a message instead. She says for him to tell Kotetsu to stop worrying about her all the time as she is fine and focus on being a hero because if she messes it up, she can’t root for him. Barnaby only laughs in response because he tells her he may not have to keep an eye on Kotetsu after all.

The fourth is Kotetsu is on trial for damaging the Justice Statue, which is making a record breaking fine of approximate 20 million. Kotetsu doesn't make any case to defend himself as he’s being prosecuted by the man who created the statue. The testimony from Barnaby and the rest argues that Kotetsu had used the statue to plug a hole where a vast amount of water was escaping and threatening lives and emergency transportation. It is ruled that Kotetsu’s actions were instrumental in saving lives but the question is more of why he used such an important landmark to do it. Barnaby says that it’s because in the heat of the moment, Kotetsu didn’t have anything else nearby to use. The court case is called to a recess however due to a call.

While leaving Kotetsu is stopped by a woman with her children who thank him for the day before and apologize that he is in so much trouble because of them. Kotetsu tells her not to worry about it before leaving. Later the court case reconvenes and Yuri asks if Kotetsu has nothing to add. Kotetsu says he doesn't and Yuri reveals the woman came to talk to him, informing him that Kotetsu was originally going to use a nearby car to plug the hole but the woman begged him not to as her and her family were living out of that car. So he used the statue instead, which was the only thing nearby.

The prosecuter is outraged, saying the statue is worth more than a stupid car and Kotetsu intentionally destroyed it. Barnaby and Mr. Lloyds are also stunned because Kotetsu didn’t mention them at all. However both Yuri and the statue’s creator find that Kotetsu made the right choice. The creator of the statue only asks for the money that would need to repair the statue, half of which Yuri charges to the transportation companies. The other half is ended up being raised by the people of Sternbild and Kotetsu repays his part by helping fix it.

The two honorable mentions that I won’t go into detail of are Muramasa and Kaede’s visit to Sternbild as well as Kotetsu carrying around an injured man all day so he he can say goodbye to the love of his life before he goes to jail.

[labarch]

Attempt at a Witch Hat Atelier timeline

We are still missing a lot of backstory for our main cast, but I thought I’d try and write a timeline based on what we know so far, and explore where their storylines might intersect.

I am pulling these numbers out of my hat for convenience sake, but here are some approximate ages for the characters: at the start of the manga, let’s say Coco, Tetia and Agott are all 12, Riche is 11, and Qifrey and Olruggio are 28.

20-23 years ago: Olruggio leaves his birth town Godley and moves to the Great Hall, maybe as young as 5 years old.

While many witches are born in the Great Hall, Olruggio comes from a town called Godley in the North. Yet he doesn’t remember Utowin, who came from the same place. We know that young witches usually start their training between the age of 7 and 10, but since witch society is awfully elitist, Olruggio would have been sent there as soon as his talent for magic became apparent.

Being ripped from his home at an extremely young age could explain his fear of being unwanted and left behind: he overworks himself as a way to feel useful and validated, is defensive about his own feelings, and he gets agitated and sometimes aggressive whenever Qifrey hides things from him.

20 years ago: arrival of Qifrey at the Great Hall at age 8. Olruggio befriends him soon afterwards. The both of them start sneaking out at night to chase Brimhats.

8 year old Qifrey was one fierce little thing, you have to give him that. His abuse at the hands of the Brimhats was brutal enough to break a grown man, but he picks himself up and goes right after them like “Alright jerks, you’ve got some explaining to do and I want my eyeball back!”.

Also it cracks me up that Olruggio was carrying this massive book in their flashback. Gotta love that his reaction to Qifrey’s “Let’s go chase some terrorists!” was “Sure, let me just pack my homework =>”.

Finally, there might be a slightly more selfish motivation for Olruggio’s fast friendship and devotion to Qifrey. Olruggio’s self-esteem lies in his ability to help people, so he would naturally be drawn to someone helpless. It’s unclear how much of Qifrey’s memory was missing: apparently he didn’t know about birthdays. How many other basic concepts was he missing? Did he know how to read? Between that, his lack of knowledge about magic and his injury, he was probably completely dependent on Olruggio at the beginning. Given Olruggio’s wish that they go back to “the good old times” when they were always together, I am wondering whether some hidden part of him misses being essential to someone. It’s well-intentioned, but not entirely healthy, especially if he is using Qifrey as a coping mechanism for his own insecurities.

14 years ago: Olruggio and Qifrey make a pledge of (betrothal) friendship, exchange tassels and attempt the Librarian test at age 14. It is their last adventure together, but Qifrey will continue his investigations on his own, to Olruggio’s disappointment and betrayal. Qifrey starts wearing his half-tinted glasses.

In the pledge flashback, they are wearing their old tassels, but they have swapped them by the time they undertake the third test. Also, when he remembers that pledge, Olruggio says that Qifrey’s investigation “should have ended at the Tower of Books”. The tower is the last likely place where Qifrey could have found answers about his past and a non-forbidden way of getting his eye back. Olruggio probably made him promise that he would stop his search afterwards.

Beldaruit says that he thought Qifrey had given up on his search after the third test, but Olruggio tells a slightly different story. Apparently he thought Qifrey “finally stopped causing trouble” after taking in apprentices, which means he was still behaving suspiciously right up until he became a teacher. Alaira also comments on Qifrey’s interest in the Brimhats in the first volume, so clearly his investigations were common knowledge among his friends, even as an adult.

Olruggio’s anger whenever the Brimhats are mentioned would then be caused not just by his own fear of forbidden magic, but by the reminder that Qifrey broke his promise to him, and refused to leave his past behind. Naturally, Olruggio doesn’t know about Qifrey’s change in circumstances: he is no longer looking to retrieve what he lost, but trying to stop an impending threat.

Qifrey’s discoveries in the Tower of Books also seem to have renewed his disgust towards his own scar: he starts wearing glasses shortly afterwards, even though his eyesight hasn’t yet started deteriorating.

14-5 years ago: in that interval, Coco’s father dies of illness. Olruggio becomes more and more famous for his magical items, and is given the title “Shining Torch” / “Master of Lights”. His glowstone paths become widely popular, and are installed around the castle near Coco’s mom. Both Qifrey and Olruggio pass the fourth test and complete their training.

At this stage, I really doubt that Qifrey intended to become a teacher. Whatever information he found at the Tower of Books convinced him he had to stop the Brimhats’ plan. He was probably planning to complete his training and then go straight on to his quest, not really expecting to return alive.

There are also hints that this was a strained period for Qifrey and Olruggio: Olruggio mentions that he would like them to confide in each other “just like old times”, which implies that they grew more distant after the Librarian test. I’m suspecting that Qifrey was trying to slowly remove himself from Olruggio’s life, hoping Olruggio would be so famous and beloved by the time they graduated that he would forget about Qifrey and barely notice his disappearance. Qifrey’s self-esteem isn’t the best y’all.

5 years ago: Coco receives the magic picture book from Iguin at age 7 at the Silver Night Festival. The Brimhats stop showing signs of activity. Qifrey takes on his first apprentice (probably Tetia, age 7). He interrupts his investigation of the Brimhats and creates the atelier. Olruggio becomes his Watchful Eye.

We don’t know exactly how old Coco was when she got her book, but her tiny chubby face makes me think she was 6-7. Alaira also tells us in the first volume that the incident with Coco’s mother is the first sign of Brimhat activity in five years. I am thinking that after Iguin gave away the book, he instructed the other Brimhats to keep a low profile until his scheme could hatch.

I also wonder whether Coco getting her book might coincide with Qifrey becoming a teacher and creating his atelier. Given that Qifrey is probably tied to Iguin’s schemes, how coincidental is it that Qifrey wandered into Coco’s village and set her fate in motion? Perhaps Iguin contrived for them to live in the same area so that they would meet eventually. Either he somehow influenced Qifrey’s choice of location for his atelier, or he selected Coco as his “child of hope” because of her relative proximity as well as her love for magic.    

7 years old is when we could expect Tetia to have passed the first test. For now we know little about her backstory, but we can guess a few things: she is enthusiastic and ambitious, but gets easily side-tracked by pet projects and struggles to stick to the curriculum. She craves positive feedback and is worried her spells and interests will be condemned as frivolous. It makes me think that she passed her first test early, but was then mistreated by her first teachers for being too childish.

We’ve seen that Qifrey has a compulsive tendency to adopt children in distress. It would fit his character if he became a teacher on impulse. Maybe he had to pass the fifth test in a rush to be allowed to keep Tetia by his side. This also brought Olruggio back into his life, as he was the only one willing to follow him away from the atelier as Watchful Eye.

The complicity between Tetia and Qifrey, and Tetia taking on the role of a big sister for both Riche and Coco, also make me think she was Qifrey’s first apprentice. Tetia is often shown teasing Qifrey, quoting both Qifrey and Olruggio, and imitating Qifrey’s teaching style: I can totally see them as a little family of three at some point in the past.  

4 years ago: Riche starts training under her brother’s master, a creepy asshole, at age 7.

We actually have a clear timestamp for that one in chapter 25, woohoo! Riche’s old teacher can eat a brick.

3-2 years ago: Qifrey and Olruggio learn about Riche’s mistreatment in her old atelier and promptly adopt her. Beldaruit takes on Ririfin as an apprentice. Qifrey’s eyesight starts deteriorating. He adds the light protection glyph to his glasses.

Before that time, Qifrey might have intended to put his quest on hold until after Tetia’s graduation, but now his impending blindness puts him on a time limit. He can’t do a lot about it however, since the Brimhats have been keeping a low profile for years and are not leaving him any clue.

It’s unclear how long Riche stayed at her old atelier, and whether she joined Qifrey before or after Agott. I’m hoping she made it out as soon as possible.

2 years ago: Agott passes the first test at age 10. She gets accused of stealing someone else’s spell, is rejected from her prestigious family’s apprenticeship, and joins Qifrey’s atelier.

Agott has been treated harshly by her family for not being enough of a genius. She mentions passing the first test at 10, the upper end of the normal age range. She was probably given a hard time for starting her apprenticeship so “late”, which explains why she is now adamant about passing the other tests as quickly as possible.

I wonder whether she felt ambivalent about joining Qifrey’s atelier at first. On the one hand, Qifrey was taught by the Sage of Education himself and is clearly very powerful. On the other hand, he has only a couple students and lives in a weird little school in the middle of nowhere, a big fall from grace compared to her prestigious upbringing. I wonder whether Qifrey went to find her after he heard she was the object of nasty rumours (he knows a thing or two about those), and Agott didn’t feel like she had other options.

0 year ago: Coco and Qifrey meet. Iguin goes “F***ing finally, I thought I’d have to watch that humdrum one-eyed twink bake potatoes for another five years. It’s dragon-slaying time now baby!!!”