#which it was btw like it was said at the later part of the manga that the journey was about accepting death

[garbean]

I always found dunmeshi to be kind of... Scary. Not like horror scary, but Horrors scary yk? Cause it's like, the journey was built on a small chance and like deluding yourself into believing Falin was still gonna be fine. Even when there were several signs that she probably was already digested by then. I kind of watched the whole show thinking that she's dead already and this was just a group of people who couldn't accept that.

[verysium]

some hcs abt the bllk boys doing modeling shoots as pro-players? (like what they’d model for and the ways they captivate their audiences and stuff)? ty and love ur works btw 💞💞🫡

idk why but this ask made my brain freeze up and refuse to write anything for 3 days, so apologies if this is late anon:

sae would be so done. i mean....he walked out on a literal interview, so what makes you think he won't walk out on a photoshoot? he probably hates the very idea of plastering his face all over billboards and magazines. but his manager said that he was in desperate need of good publicity, especially after that stunt he pulled with the last commercial endorsement. if sae was forced to model though, he'd definitely be as stiff as a board. no facial expressions whatsoever and always sticks to one pose. oftentimes, this involves him facing the wall and only showing half his face. if the photographer wants a full frontal, he's going to have to deal with sae's "i don't want to be here and i'm being held hostage" face. even if sae does try smiling, it looks more like a grimace. the only redeeming quality here is that he is good-looking. if you look at the official art, he doesn't even have to try to get all of you drooling over him. that face card does not decline. like ever. so the shoots usually wrap up pretty quickly because out of the 100 images taken, at least half are going to be usable. he's photogenic from any angle.

kaiser would strike a pose for everything, even his own mugshot. i picture him as that one johnny depp advertisement for dior sauvage. blue lighting. a silk blouse with the top button open to show off a sliver of his sculpted chest. his hair is slicked back with gel, and his knuckles are decorated with silver rings. the tattoo just pulls everything together. if not a perfume commercial, then i think he'd model for adidas or some other german brand (maybe even a beer company if he's old enough). i don't think he has any trouble with the actual modeling part of process. he knows how to flaunt himself. the only issue is that kaiser is a lazy perfectionist. he would show up late to the shoots and then stays even later just looking through the shots and choosing which ones to include. puts a lot of time and effort into things like this. after all, his image and his brand are important to him.

shidou would be sponsored by an energy drink brand. like red bull or monster. if not that, then axe body spray lol. as for modeling, i feel like he wouldn't be able to sit still. probably pulls out crazy poses that piss the photographers off on purpose. it always cracks me up how one of his first appearances in the manga is him being muzzled and restrained in a straitjacket inside blue lock's time-out zone. he's so chaotic. you would have to hold him down and shove the camera into his face to actually get a good shot. i also picture him wearing lots of black leather, maybe even silver jewelry (eg. studs, piercings). and of course, you can't forget the hot pink accents.

isagi would model for family-friendly brands. if not that, then just japanese brands in general. i imagine him doing skincare commercials for shiseido or maybe even participating in a campaign for UNIQLO. as for modeling, he would be awkward at first but then gradually get the hang of it. always thanks the team afterwards and is very mindful of the photographer's suggestions. everyone says he is a pleasure to work with.

rin would model for luxury watch brands like TAG heuer or IWC. maybe when he grows older and further develops his career, he might even become an ambassador for louis vuitton or bulgari. overall, his advertisements are very elegant and professional. only endorses high quality products. never looks at the shots afterwards because he hates looking at his own face. gets somewhat embarrassed when his mama points out his billboards and makes clippings of his magazine covers. he absolutely flipped when a brand suggested that he do a collaboration with his brother. so when this collaboration actually did take place, it was like a repeat of the whole messi-ronaldo photoshoot. they didn't actually meet on set. they were just photoshopped together into the same frame.

barou models for calvin klein. lots of denim and shirtless photos. all of the staff got nosebleeds, and his fanbase went wild when the issue was finally released. there's this one image his fans worship religiously where he's posing in his boxers and there's a clear shot of his abs and happy trail. (he's so hot wtf) there's also another shot that wasn't used cus a million people would've been deceased. he's standing there with his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and wearing nothing underneath his denim jacket. his hair is also down, and his skin is all sun-kissed and golden.

reo models streetwear, and this is canon because he has the drip. honestly, his duality needs to be studied because he can go from high class gentleman to bad boy who wears chains and knuckle rings. he'd try all different sorts of styles, and he'd look good doing it. out of all the bllk boys, i feel like reo gets the most sponsorship deals because of his versatility. he does the styling, hair, makeup, posing, editing, etc. honestly, they need to hire him as a creative director already. nagi would tag along behind the scenes, but he'd end up scrolling on his phone the entire day.

[evillex11]

I often like to show my appreciation of jjk through the characters and how they're written but one of the things that appealed to me is the existence of a system that ultimately fucks or fucked the characters over and how important it is to know that bc it's essential to the plot + something we should pay attention to in real life

people like to put the blame on individuals for how things ended up like “if yuki hadn't talked to geto” “if toji didn't kill riko” and even “if yaga did something as a teacher”???? 1. geto was already spiraling before yuki said anything and he would've come to the same/similar conclusion sooner or later because .. the system 2. toji was abus3d and casted away by the zen'in clan and while it's mamaguro's death (which we dk the cause of) that flipped him, geto still would've seen the ugliness of the world—the treatment of sorcerers by nonsorcs and the higher ups—because.. the system!! 3. what could yaga have done? he would've been killed too because... the system!!

almost all the tragedies we know of, big or small, can be traced back to it.. and said tragedies would've happened in one way or another because they're all under it's fucked up control!! it was bound to happen with the way they operated.... someone would've eventually seen how messed up it is and (try to at least) do something about it.

if it weren't for the characters who defy the higher ups, the cycle of treating sorcerers poorly and losing valuable sorcerers would continue until what? they all just die without even reaching a quarter of their life. like if yuta was executed as the higher ups intended, that would've been a special grade sorcerer (that is a kid btw!!) they just lost... a door of potential they just closed. if the sorcerers were treated more fairly (god knows how), would there have been more skilled sorcerers taking on sukuna? if gojo fought along with geto, who didn't need to leave bc^, could they have defeated sukuna without as much bloodshed?

I do think they would still eventually fight sukuna but I think it'd be much better if the higher ups were just better...

it's just so important to realize this bc it's like this irl too and it's often overlooked by the viewers.... we're screwed by the system/s we're under and while people do have power to a degree, there's so much change the “higher ups” could do so easily... and we shouldn't have to rely on individuals to try to make big changes bc we have no trust in our governments who have our lives in their hands!!

I like how this is in jjk and it's part of the reason why I like it so much,, I think I also read that gege does intend on calling a real problem out in his manga but I don't exactly remember which it is..

but yea I just think not enough people notice or talk abt this aspect of jjk .. a really good theme actually ! because it's such an important thing to know in our everyday life

[themattress]

Re:Celestia Ludenberg, GOD DAMN IT!

So this happened again over 5 years later, this time on a short video centered around Celeste's character. And while I am glad that we're at a point where damn near every commentator is able to say "No, that's wrong!" since Character Perception Evolution toward her has become widely spread toward what I said also 5 years ago, I also wanted to spare some thought as to why the misunderstandings even occur among people. Whose fault is it?

The answer: half Kazutaka Kodaka's fault and half the people themselves' fault.

I think Kodaka writes Celeste in the original Trigger Happy Havoc game wonderfully. But you know what he didn't write wonderfully? Chapter 3. It started "Chapter 3 syndrome" and why I'd argue it's the best of the lot, that still doesn't make it good. And this sadly extends to how he ended up depicting Celeste's role in it. Beyond leaning way too hard into her not being as competent as she would like to be to the point where the case itself is too easy to solve and thus frustrating to go through for players after the legitimately spooky set-up, there's the matter of the girl behind the facade. We have seen glimpses of Taeko Yasuhiro in the prior chapters and Celeste's FTEs, but now when it really needs to shine through to clarify how twisted yet tragic a character she is, it mainly just comes through in her raging breakdown. Thus while we do also get her humbled acceptance of defeat and her whole parting words that hint at deeper reasons than greed for her turn to villainy and buried affection for her classmates despite trying to get them killed, it's overshadowed for many by how pronounced the crazy side of her was, and so the impression that makes + her lies as she tries to remain in-character as Celeste to the end = the "she's just a fucking psychopath" misinterpretation. Tellingly, the manga, anime and stage show versions all pronounce the true sad reality of Taeko more, and all without losing the fun of her crazy side, so I definitely prefer those here.

But as for how it’s the people themselves' fault? Beyond many of them just being dumb?

Umineko's motto fits perfectly here. Celestia Ludenberg is egocentric, condescending, and all-around off-putting, and that's before she becomes a villain who tells some truly heinous lies and works some insidious manipulations in a plan that leaves two dead and with more intended just to achieve a ridiculous, shallow dream. Her design, voice and manner of speaking are all pleasant, but otherwise, let's be honest - she's a difficult person to love.

However, almost every other character in the game is the same. Chihiro and initially Sayaka aside, all the students have truly glaring personality flaws that can easily turn people off of them...heck, three of them (Byakuya, Toko, and "Junko" once the truth about her is revealed) are even worse than Celeste. But the game still invites you to love them; to learn to love them through FTEs and interactions during trials, to say nothing of School Mode (which btw wasn't in the original Japanese PSP release of the game and is thus an absolute God-send.)

You really do have to love Celeste, or at least want to, in order to be motivated to put in the work of uncovering the truth about her. Makoto gets halfway there, but the rest is on you. Kodaka has been open about that: as the Queen of Liars there is almost always different thoughts and feelings that contradict her words and actions, and you have to actively engage with her as a character in order to sort those out, with the end result being a regular, introverted, socially awkward and somewhat childish teenage girl with no self-esteem who desperately wants to live as what she believes to be a more interesting, important and memorable (even if bitchy) character, and whose fears and insecurities surrounding the environment she was trapped in did more to push her into villainy than the allure of money.

Without love for Celeste, flaws and all, Taeko cannot be seen.

[sapphic-agent]

Can you please get into how much the fandom demonizes Rei? Like, I’m not disagreeing that she wasn’t the best mother. But people really turn this woman (who is financially, socially, AND emotionally dependent on her husband and Clan!) into some abusive mother who WANTED to burn Shoto’s face! When it’s obvious that she was begging her mother to take her away from the house because she was too stressed out from Endeavor’s influence and Touya’s death!

I don’t know, I just think she’s not a perfect mother, but nobody can be a perfect mother. She clearly did her best with what she had, and who would’ve believed her if she said Endeavor was an abusive husband and father? The police? Other heroes? No! I bet Endeavor would’ve claimed that SHE was the terrible parent and that she was suffering from PPSD (which, she probably was, four kids, two of which were born when Endeavor started getting obsessed with overcoming All Might? She definitely had that) and she would’ve ended up in the hospital no matter what.

Let's talk about it😈

So I was actually skimming through the manga where Shoto mentions this. He says that his mother was pushed and pushed by Endeavor until she just broke. And I love this because Shoto understands that his mom was in a shitty situation and never intended to hurt him. Unlike this shitty fandom, he's aware enough to see who was the abuser and who was the one who made a mistake.

Let's go over Rei's past for a minute. She:

Grew up in an environment that was at the best neglectful and at the worst abusive

Was sold like an object (and yes this is canon, the Himura Clan canonically sells their children it was a forced marriage, not an arranged marriage)

Married Endeavor and had Touya at 18

Already, she was dealt a shitty hand. Endeavor is also four years older than her, so he was 22 while she was only barely an adult. Even outside her being bought by him, there's a huge power imbalance here. Even if he was polite and nice in the beginning, she was at a major disadvantage in their "relationship."

One of my gripes with Horikoshi and the later parts of the manga is the retcon of the Todoroki past. How Shoto tells the story and how it's portrayed later are very different.

In Shoto's version, Endeavor hit Rei for defending him from Endeavor. In the Touya flashback, she tripped. In Shoto's version, Endeavor only saw his children as means to an end. In the Touya flashback, he's portrayed as caring about them. In Shoto's version, there's a menacing and villainous aura surrounding Endeavor. In the Touya flashback he's portrayed normally.

And this is done to make Endeavor look more sympathetic. Which is bad not only because he was an abuser who doesn't deserve sympathy, it also antagonizes Touya and Rei in the process.

(People could argue that Shoto's love for his mother and young age make him an unreliable narrator. But to me this is dismissing the victim. Shoto might have been young, but he recalls enough to tell it in excruciating detail. It was a huge part of his life and writing it off like that does him a disservice)

So there are two instances specifically that people demonize Rei for.

1. Shoto's Burn

Now this is the one that is her responsibility. My thing is though... No one ever said it wasn't? Least of all Rei herself. Once she saw Shoto again, she immediately apologized. During the event itself, she realized what she did and broke down and tried to fix it. She also spent 10 years in asylum paying for what she did (which is more consequence than Endeavor faced btw).

The thing no one seems to acknowledge about this is that this didn't come from nowhere. She didn't do what she did out of cruelty or hatred towards her son. She did it because Endeavor had abused her to the point of insanity. To the point where even seeing them in her kids' faces caused her to have a complete mental breakdown. Which is understandable due to the physical, verbal, financial, and sexual abuse he was putting her through.

You know, there's an irl story like this. A woman was suffering from severe PPD and other mental issues after having four kids I think it was. Doctors and everyone repeatedly told her husband that she souldn't have more kids. He didn't listen (I'm not sure if SA was involved here but I'm inclined to believe it was) and they continued to have more. Eventually one day she snapped and killed her children.

PPD is seriously dangerous when it's left untreated, even worse when that isn't the only thing going on. Rei was no doubt suffering from the ramifications of that, but on top of everything else Endeavor out her through I can't believe she didn't break earlier.

2. Touya's Situation

It baffles that people find it in themselves to blame Rei but feel sympathy towards Endeavor over Touya.

Because on top of every instance of abuse I mentioned above, Rei was also taking care of four kids completely by herself. That would be hard even without her own and Touya's mental issues.

From the manga panel I provided, she was the only one between her and Endeavor taking Touya's mental well-being seriously. She knew how having more kids would affect him and she was right. She was the one who had to deal with Touya lashing out when Endeavor ignored him (which also contributed to her breaking down and burning Shoto due to Touya emulating Endeavor).

Rei is a character who's been judged so unfairly. Partly because Endeavor fanboys, partly because Dabi/Shoto fangirls, and completely because of the misogyny that runs rampant in this fandom. She deserved so much better.

I have a fic giving Rei the justice she deserves if anyone's interested. It features my OC who happens to be Rei's quirkless younger sister. Give it a read if you want

[kerubimcrepin]

Wakfu Manga - Tome 5, Part 1

Cute Joris.

Cynthia Leman's art is wonderful, however, I am going to miss Said Sassine's art greatly... It was a very iconic part of the manga.

"Joris has only one precept: justice" Yeah we noticed. And it's totally not paving him some sort of road to hell as we speak.

When I first read this manga I burst out laughing to the point of tears at the line "my womb is frozen" and I am still giggling to myself about it — though knowing it's coming up has long took away the sheer comical punch that it had back then.

I'm sorry, but this is so unserious.

Of course he'd be the one carrying all the Dofus...

Btw, no, this is not the death of my "during this entire manga Joris keeps his stupid battle-stump in his haven bag, which he actually has" theory. I don't think he'd like to have six dofus in his haven bag. Or anywhere near his belongings.

Creature.

Joris's many gentle hypocrisy moments is him going "well it would be very dangerous..." at the idea of battling Jiva, and then, a while later, going "fine, you are my little pogchamp, Yugo" at the idea of using them to save Tristepin.

It's in-character for many reasons, by the way. (AKA: ughh Yugo will be sad, ughhh Kerubim will be sad if kids are orphaned, ughh maybe Jiva won't kill the kids, ughh we could finally defeat Ogrest, uhghh—)

Very pretty Joris.

The idealogical debate of "nobody should have nukes" and "I, Yugo, should have nukes because I'm a good boy" has sadly been resolved, and not in Adamai's favor, as of season 4. Surely, the world will not suffer for it.

He should be scared and nervous more often.

With every passing year, every new thing revealed about Waven and the Great Wave manga, this exchange gets more and more funny.

Rare moment of Joris being genuine and emotionally truthful. Best not to get used to it, btw.

He is so well-drawn here... I really like it when his cheeks, cheekbones, or the face shape in general, is visible.

Joris looks so shocked, it's funny. Buddy, this happened to you like twice growing up. Kerubim literally also decided to keep you or something.

Real

😰👍

"tap tap tap"

">.<"

Bug.

The definition of insanity is making a little guy run again and again in an active warfare, and he gets exploded each time, but you keep telling him you'll hold the explosions back this time, every time.

DFKSADJGUIODSFGDJSOFGHSDOFUIGHDSFGHDSFKGHDSFKLJ

THIS MANGA IS WIN AFTER WIN AFTER WIN AFTER WIN FOR US, JORIS FANS!!!!!! Joris being hurt. You agree. Reblog.

His snork mimimi face after being beaten into unconsciousness is everything.

So pretty...

Man, in their eyes, he's actually cool and a badass, isn't he?

Real friends get K.O'd together

This is a very good illustration... I can't just crop it!

:(

And of course the thing Joris is most worried about is Dofus.

Though I guess logically, the kids aren't in any danger, which is why his priorities are so screwed up. Jiva has proven that she can keep a child alive for a year, and is merely mentally ill about adoption, so obviously, Joris is more worried about other things <3 (HE IS NOT NORMAL OR SANE FOR SAYING THIS!!!!)

[stepmarchen]

okay i know that you said you're not the greatest history buff, but i realy wanted to know your take on the Safavid kingdom as a representation of a middle eastern community..? if you've read enough manhwas you probably have seen some stupid stereotypes and it realy sucks. god i feel like i'm bothering you asking this i mean we don't know much about safavid .. you don't have to answer this :D

of course! i'll try my best to speak about it! the floor is also open to anyone who has their own additions!

So. We all know that ASM borrows inspiration from existing territories and conflict from the 1700s all the way up to the late 1800s, right? Well get ready for this.

If we use this same research model, we'll come to find that the Safavid Dynasty also existed in Iran back in the 16th century. Which means we have a direct reference point we can compare the (manhwa) Safavid Kingdom to! (just remember to take it with a few grains of salt. We're dealing with 400+ years of history here!)

In my humble opinion (as someone who isn't part of the middle-eastern community btw), I feel like ASM does a pretty fair job at representing the middle east via Safavid/Pasha Family. The biggest hurdle just comes from the fact we haven't seen much of them yet.

The first thing I noticed was the architecture. During Halima's trip back home to Safavid we get to see ORKA's depiction of the Kingdom. As you can see below, the inspiration behind the Bahjat's Palace is pretty directly linked to the Meidan Emam in Isfahan, a royal mosque from the Safavid Era!

Unfortunately, the establishing shot of the city isn't as easy to compare, with the introduction of modern architecture. But if we look at Yazd, an untouched city in Iran, we can see the traces of inspiration with just a few minor discrepancies: minaret, domed mosques, earthen town houses.

We also get these small fleeting moments that really make the characters feel like they're from another country. For example, Nasir, Ali's escort can be seen wielding a curved sword as opposed to a European broadsword. Later, Nora mentions that it is a shamshir, a type of Persian scimitar.

even these small details really make for great world building. Honestly, I'd love to see these props make a comeback in future scenes. Like can you imagine seeing one of the rugs Ali brought in the Neuschwanstein Castle?

Now to finally get to the part you've probably been waiting for. The clothes.

Unfortunately, I'm not as well versed in royal fashion in the Middle East so I had a hard time identified the style of dress.

When we compare the real Shahs of the Safavid Dynasty, we'll see that their fashion of choice changed greatly over the course of the ruling. I couldn't pinpoint exactly who, when or which specific culture ORKA is referencing here. But we do see some elements from Tahmasp I (feathered turban, ornate belt, embroidered textiles). Please correct me if I've made any errors here. I'm totally not confident in my Middle Eastern fashion history.

But above all else, I really just enjoy how the Pasha family is written and designed. I think we've seen stereotypes in all forms of media where middle easterners are portrayed... not so well.

In ASM, they're just the Pashas. As a foreign kingdom, they pose a threat against the Empire, but they're not evil. The King seems to be as tired with Halima's bullshit as the Empress is with Theo. Even Nasir has his own occasional dialogue, exasperated by Ali's behavior. And if you've read the same comics I have, we're all too familiar with the "dangerous and stoic middle-easterner" stereotype.

IMO, we've seen "foreign" characters in manga/manhwa that are usually boiled down to one of three types: the socially insensitive clowns/perverts, the murderer, or the alien that somehow has white skin and hair. but I personally find it a breath of fresh air how ASM leans full into the concept of darker skinned characters with dark hair and actual rounded personalities.

This shouldn't be such a high bar to reach, but ORKA has one again reached it.

[popponn]

things about michael kaiser.

kaiser is genuinely interesting and i really want to see more of him really. despite the vendetta i have against him for touching isagi's chin. so im rotating him in my head for a bit here for reasons. this is more of me observing and putting down what i perceive so far, especially with his personality. some are hcs and assumptions. manga spoiler up to uber match ending btw.

this guy is teasing isagi a lot and does not shy away from touching isagi when doing so. their literal first meeting, that one headpat—like is it more of a display of power? very likely.

but then look at how his face was at his teammates during vs barcha, then vs manshine, and in that screening room with ness. this guy is cold, like his expression change between cold, expressionless, or pissed. with sheeting and smug as an extra.

then come the vs uber + fragile ego theory (his volume cover that use glass chain instead of iron as usual, a pretty popular theory)—and yeah if his confrontation with chris and lorenzo is any indication. yeah, this guy got something going on there

which is where after this, as there is no backstory for him yet let's start headcanoning and/or analyzing his behaviour and lil bits of info. first thing first noa.

in barcha, part of this guy's strategy is staying away from the masters' 1v1. which is smart, very cool and understandable. shows that kaiser is not all smug and drive the point even more that he is talented and smart too. is in line with isagi's perception of him, a very good player—paraphrased btw.

but then vs mc came and stuffs gets interesting. after nagi's miracle goal, chris and noa enter the field. if you look at his face around here, he is clearly not happy.

and i think this is where kaiser's fragile ego really starts to show. nagi—the 'shitty baby chick'—pretty much 'win' against him and isagi and scored what pretty much is a super goal. a flashy one.

and now chris and noa, the #2 & #1 is in the field.

remember kaiser's goal? the one where he want to get out of bm via auction. and if anything so far, NEL shows us that you have to stand out to win higher bidding.

put it simply, probably the reason he is not happy at that point is that his chance to shine more is pretty much getting heavily hindered already.

and this is more headcanonny, but this guy definitely has a complex and a tendency. the said tendency is pretty much spelled out by chris—"going against the weaker one, but escape the stronger one". and even tho kaiser get pissed and go head to head with chris—probably due to a bruised ego, which would be a point that would came up again later—this tendency seems to be in line with him wanting to go out from bm.

"he can't shine with noa there"—if this was isagi or barou or rin, i highly doubt this sentence would appear at all. which is interesting because undoubtedly, so far, kaiser is shown as someone who is as strong if not stronger than isagi. but this, along with the line that kaiser said about him only feeling happy when putting people down, only shows his reluctance in 'fighting' noa. opting to just be in another club to reach the top.

i think this has potential to be read as "kaiser's ego is all about destroying other people" (aka the already corrupted mean girl esque guy get even worse and corrupted) or "kaiser will get schooled by the plot and isagi" (aka character development baby, in 'true? ego awakening' kind of way that might or might not be similar to various bluelockers). but as of now, uber is just ending and rin just appeared again. pxg and backstory not out yet so who knows

back to topic, calling kaiser's ego 'weak' right now is not wrong tho. it is easily bruised—it has been repeatedly so far, by chris and isagi during vs mc as the two most in the face examples.

but on another side, kaiser really is not an all talk guy. he is effective, definitely put himself on a high standard, and is not a lazy player (quite harsh on himself, if that uber goal of his was anything to go by). (personal bias and opinion, but i really hope his character will grow even after NEL. this guy is entertaining as hell to watch and he is like an onion. writing wise, i really like him.)

then there is his vendetta (?) with noa. while how and what their bond truly is hasn't been explicitly shown or talked about, there is definitely an odd, pretty antagonistic relationship as a mentor and a pupil there. noa seems to held a certain expectations for kaiser while kaiser seems to not like when noa meddles or comment on him. (and tbh, while isagi is the one 'chosen' by noa so far, i would be 0 percent surprised if noa in a way 'use' isagi to shape kaiser too. rationality, something something, rivalry, something. i will go back to this after i sleep maybe)

idk how far it goes but this guy sounds like a theater kid and he is dramatic. idk what to do with this.

so far we dont even know his age and height. and it's uber match ending......i will update this list one day. hopefully.

kaiser also has two popular theory going on about his back story. 'really poor like noa (and that's why in that one cover the ball under his feet is dirty)' or 'really rich because he seems pretty spoiled and unknowning of the harsh world (hence his weak ego)'. personally, i think both theories have their strength and weakness. so i will just shut up about this.

but back to kaiser's ego—which seems to be the biggest peek into his personality as a whole so far—i really wonder how will the theme of 'fragile ego' will eventually intertwine with his theme of 'doing the impossible'. like, blue rose, the sheer concept of kaiser impact being that OP, his overall capability in changing the flow of a match—this guy is just a reasonable and believable deus ex machina sometimes, for the lack of better wording.

but, truly, the fact that his friendliness and teasing persona is more of a facade. while the 'truer' part is more angry and cold is just chef's kiss.

it makes one really wonder about his speech about envy to yukimiya and his attitude. like this guy is disgustingly cocky towards those he saw as below him, is bothered when someone goes against him, and really dislike it when someone is better or manage to put him down.

and then there is still his comment about isagi—who still keep going even though kaiser repeatedly prove to him that kaiser is superior. like, again, this guy is so interesting in the way while there are conflicting aspects of him, i genuinely think they make sense. this is the guy who keeps looking up and put a high and harsh standard on himself, all while actively choosing to face people he knows are inferior to him instead of actively going up and clashing against stronger opponent. all while being very very skillful and talented.

while honestly there is a very sad undertone here, if my gut is right, this approach of his is really... cowardly? pathetic? in blue lock setting. like, the fact that he is not the main character aside, with this sort of personality and mindset? yeah no way he is becoming the best in the world.

all in all, a very interesting bastard that is more than what meets the eye. isagi being surprised of his play being so good feels relatable now.

very hc territory, but the classic trope of 'flirty confident guy with issues' being twisted this much is so fun. the issue genuinely makes me squint my eyes.

yeah okay, this guy have issues. i smell insecurities. with high self standard that must be hell. (hc, unconfirmed. still no kaiser backstory or height info or bday in sight so far.)

[daily-rikukingdomhearts]

I AM SUPER SORRY FOR BOTHERING YOU im trying to get back into Kingdom hearts (your art is really cute btw) im trying to make an AU but i have no fucking idea where Kairi's body went when she lost her heart in KH1 when her heart's with Sora later Riku finds her body and he has it WHERE DID HER BODY GO? i saw a reddit post where somebody said Maleficent found her body and her body probably went to hollow bastion because that was radiant garden BUT HOW DID HER BODY GET THERE?? i forgot a lot of things maybe i can figure it out myself? but if you have an answer that would help me

I love asks ☝️🫵 you are not a bother! And thank you for the compliment. As customary, I have to post a Riku photo due to the nature of this blog:

As for your question:

I truly have no fucking clue 😬 I looked and looked and I couldn't find anything!!!! I looked in the manga, light novel, the wiki, and cross referenced with other kh experts but didn't come up with anything canon. Here's a BEST LOGICAL GUESS...:

Since Maleficent is collecting the princesses of heart she most definitely found Kairi

If it was in Hollow Bastion or Neverland, I don't know. Hollow Bastion used to be Radiant Garden and Kairi is from there so she probably ended up there like Riku did at the beginning of kh1 because, remember, Riku didn't end up in Traverse Town like Sora. The reason I'm thinking Neverland is so Maleficent can manipulate Riku. Again, she's gathering the princesses of heart, Riku wants his friends back together, he's been manipulated into thinking that Sora has replaced him, and he just had a major blow to the ego in Traverse Town. It's possible that Maleficent tells Riku that Kairi is in Neverland so he can play hero and save her, that way he can be more easily controlled. Those are two options.

It's just ... Hard to say. Because they don't really care about Kairi. The only people who care are Shiro Amano (the manga author) and half of the fandom. They really just halfheartedly throw her in the dumpster in every game which is a shame! She could be a great character.

As for how her body got there! I dunno! Kingdom Hearts is weird. Like here's a flow chart that my experts and I discussed:

Both Kairi and Sora are the only people who could keep living along side their nobodies. However when their nobodies "woke up" they were in completely different places than expected, Naminé being at Castle Oblivion and Roxas being in Twilight Town.

Personally! And just personally! I think it has something to do with your heart like how much dark and light it has in it, etc. Depending on that factor, that's where you get spit out. I could be 100% wrong though.

The nice part about AUs is that you can kinda do whatever the fuck you want... I have an AU where I kept the world system and keyblades and changed everything else cause no one can stop me. If you want Kairi in Hollow Bastion, slay! If you want her in Neverland, cool! If you want to ignore this post, even better! Do what you want! I hope you get back into kingdom hearts!

[eternityservedcold]

an extremely thorough list of content warnings for jojos bizarre adventure

because the old one was made by a deleted blog so it isnt easily accessible any more (and i dont think it was good enough to begin with)

btw if you say anything to the effect of "why do people like jojo when it has x" or "you guys really excuse y?" on this post im just gonna block you. people who get angry about me saying to skip parts/episodes will also get blocked.

feel free to reply/send an ask with anything i missed, preferably with a chapter or episode number. parts 7 and 8 wont be on here in full until i finish reading them but feel free to send me cws for them and ill add them. also the warnings are just in the order they appear, and more specifically when they appear in the anime, so as to not have weird "x is more important than y" nonsense

general warnings

these are things that…. basically if youre triggered by these i think you should just sit this out tbh. its an amazing series but its not worth repeatedly triggering yourself. this ones just ordered alphabetically bc its throughout (read: in at least 3 parts)

blood, violence, body horror, gore, and death -amputation -animal abuse and death (especially of dogs) -decapitation -eye, nail, and mouth horror -impalement -parental and sibling death -police brutality -suicide and self harm

child abuse -child abandonment -corporal punishment -leering shots of minors bodies -pedophilia (still gets a warning every time) -physical abuse

christian themes and symbolism

drug use -alcohol -tobacco -underage drug use -unspecified white powder

fire and explosions

gambling

misogyny, both in-universe and on the part of the author

racism (gets specific warnings every time)

sexual misconduct -catcalling -rape (still gets a warning every time) -sexual assault -sexual harassment

unsanitary -eating/drinking gross things —being forced to eat/drink gross things -pee -poop -snot -vomit

vehicle accidents -car accidents -plane crashes

part 1: phantom blood

(manga only) ritual sacrifice

restricted eating

non-consensual kissing

(manga only) a dog is shown on fire

poisoning

chinese ethnic stereotypes

a baby gets eaten

part 2: battle tendency

okay im gonna rip the bandaid off now. there are nazis in this one, and its significantly worse than youd expect just reading that. im gonna quote the old list here: "there are so many nazis in this part and they’re not condemned like at all tbh". i would almost say its glorified, one of the main allies is a nazi and another main ally directly praises a different nazi. in the manga, hitler and swastikas are explicitly shown as well as nazis being called by name, but in the anime, they are removed and simply called german soldiers.

almost nothing from this part comes back in the future and what does come back is explained as it comes up or is understandable from context. so please. if you need to skip this part, just do it. i even understand if you skip the whole series because of this.

its possible some may find the mesoamerican aesthetic of the villains in this part to be insensitive or offensive. im mexican and i personally dont, but i could see why someone would

racism toward: -black people -mexican people —slavery and degradation of mexican women is explicitly shown -japanese people

hostage situation

kidnapping

human experimentation

ritual sacrifice

"man in a dress" gag and subsequent transmisogyny

unintentional incest. there are only two scenes of this, which are: -a character spying on someone (later revealed to be their mother) in the bath -going through said mothers belongings and talking about her panties

animal cannibalism

part 3: stardust crusaders

since fights in this part are much more self-contained than the other parts, its possible to skip some of these if youre triggered by them. those will be marked with chapter and episode numbers

a woman gets spontaneously undressed in the middle of a fight (only her bra shows but it happens against her will)

jotaro, a 17 year old, kisses an adult woman to save her from possession. i wouldnt really say this is pedophilia and it lasts for 1 panel/less than 10 seconds but i found it uncomfortable

while incapacitated from sickness, holly will randomly be shown naked with weird leering camera angles. this happens many more times in the anime than the manga

pedophilia (depicted as a bad thing and the victim is saved before anything happens) (skip chapters 17-19/episode 7)

native american stereotypes (skip chapters 20-22/episode 8)

"person gets replaced" trope (skip chapters 23-6/episode 9; chapters 76-79/episode 27)

infection

suffocation

drowning

"child acting like a pervert" trope (skip chapters 92-96/episodes 32-33) -in the same episodes, the child spends the entire fight naked which might be uncomfortable for some

stardust crusaders ova

this gets its own subsection due to being so different that i was having to say "this doesnt apply to the ova" for a lot of the warnings. unlike the main sdc section, since this ova is extremely pared down, there wont be skippable warnings. also note that this is in "manga order", so its 2000 ova then 1993 ova

the english voice actor for avdol (a black/egyptian character) is a white guy doing a vaguely "ethnic" accent

the non-consensual kissing thing above, here its with a girl jotaros age though

infection

suffocation

ritual sacrifice (used as the intro animation for the 1993 portion)

drowning

part 4: diamond is unbreakable

rape, pedophilia, and kidnapping mentions

physical abuse

electrocution

blackmail

yandere trope -emotional abuse -isolation -stalking -kidnapping

restricted eating

skin picking

(anime only) jumpscare

invasion of privacy (skip this part if this bothers you because one of the main allies power is just, doing this, and its constant)

"child acting like a pervert" trope

bodysnatching/"person gets replaced" trope

theres an uncomfortable scene where a child gets attacked in the bath (non-sexually). both the child and the attacker are naked for the duration of the scene

part 5: vento aureo/golden wind

gang violence/the mafia (main crux of the plot)

bullying

(anime only) racism toward japanese people

reckless driving

torture

rape (not shown just heavily implied)

terminal illness/infection/disease

(anime only) pedophilia

forced childbirth (its like, magical childbirth and the mother doesnt register it)

possibly offensive depiction of systems (systems, feel free to correct me on this)

medical malpractice

a guy gets swapped into a girls body and gropes it

part 6: stone ocean

(anime only) heavy use of chromatic aberration, which may be eye straining for some

this part is really horny, comparatively speaking. this isnt really a bad thing but depending on your level of comfort with that you may want to skip

(manga only) misgendering a trans man

hallucinations

memory loss

abuse of religious authority

(manga only, only in some translations) homophobic slur

grooming

gang violence

"disposable sex worker" trope

creepy stalker-ish behavior (the person who does it becomes a main ally & never stops or eases up)

cult

drowning

electrocution

unintentional incest

the kkk (in the anime its a generic racist mob) -lynching

part 7: steel ball run

possibly offensive depiction of native americans (feel free to correct me if youre native)

a 14 year old girl: -is a child bride and im pretty sure this isnt condemned at all -gets hit on by adults -experiences a rape attempt? -gets pregnant?

the entire plot is about curing a disability

medical malpractice

capital punishment

(only in some translations) r slur variant

homophobic slur

attempted pedophilia/rape?

"bisexual sex pest" trope (grown woman making advances toward a minor/trying to rape her)?

part 8: jojolion

ableism?

rape?

part 9: the jojolands

"unsettling gender reveal" trope

pedophilia

[croutonconfidential]

juvia got done dirty cuz shounen manga couldnt handle such a complex female character like her and mashima the author focused on using fanservice more later down the line and overused comedy in his writing(he still made a really great manga that i love very much tho)

i saw the first few of juvia's appearances in the manga and was not ready for her to turn infatuated with gray the moment they had their first conversation on their first meeting, she was used for comedy instead of her being a sad bad ass s-class wizard

she had such a strong presence in her first appearance, with sharp yet sad eyes and a cool look and i expected her to have mental fortitude and really give it her all for a fight especially for someone mashima spent so long hyping up as a powerful wizard and formidable opponent, but instead of taking something seriously mashima went for the humor of juvia falling in love like she was plummeting off a cliff

that said i did think it was pretty good thematically for where mashima decided to handle the ending of juvia vs gray fight and engaging in her backstory mid fight while gray is entirely unaware of her internal monologue and introspection so hes really confused ( i did honestly find it funny and endearing of juvias character that shes the type to jump too conclusions and have strong emotions but the way she developed feelings for gray so quick it felt unnatural and put me off a bit)

and despite her fluster and sudden infatuation shes still strong and powerful in the fight so its not like she was hyped up for nothing, midfight she does put her new feelings aside to engage in combat against gray after he shoots her with ice spears

when she tries to talk gray out of fighting she offers a way to settle the fight peacefully by him turning over lucy to phantom and her convincing jose to send phantom to withdraw (this also shows some of her naivete/the shallow understanding she has of her guild master compared to gray because jose wouldnt abandon his vendetta against fairytail just because the job to kidnap lucy and return her home was complete, he wasnt even going to complete the job he was going to use lucy as leverage to extort lucy's dad for all his money) so that she doesnt have to fight gray because she doesnt want to fight someone she likes, who is also still recovering from an injury btw, in serious combat , this is a good moment in the story because it highlights the difference in their perspective and values that they developed in completely different environments of their respective guilds

but then it takes another turn in the comedy direction of her perceiving gray's declaration of never turning on his friends no matter what as a declaration of gray's love for lucy and its supposed to be funny about how she jumps to conclusions and has a short temper when it comes to romantic rivalry but its just odd to me (although it does showcase how juvia doesnt have a naturally gloomy disposition and shes really high energy and strong in a fight when her emotions are running high)

in actuality i feel like an emotional appeal was really the only way gray could beat juvia who is an s-class wizard and reasonably couldnt be beaten by gray, especially when hes still injured from the mission on galuna island

so ya, im dissatisfied with the comedy cheapening this moment in the phantom lord arc and the nature of the comedy, but realistically its the only way gray would be able to win against juvia and juvia isnt a stone cold bad ass like her reputation made her out to be, shes a teenage girl with a wide spectrum of emotions which is part of what this part of the arc shows during the gray vs juvia fight

unfortunately great stories can sometimes be hurt by author's choices in the direction the story takes and constrained by their genre and target demographics but that how it is sometimes

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Kisaki and the pursuit of love to fill the lack of it

Manga spoilers

When Takemichi finally gets to confront Kisaki ; he gets his answer as to why Kisaki did all of what he did. And like Takemichi, we get angry and confused. Is this selfish childish reason really why he did all of that ? And the answer is yes, obviously. But it’s not that shallow, nor is it Wakui being lazy.

He wanted Hinata’s love.

Did he ? From what we learn from his and Hinata’s flashbacks, Kisaki was considered ‘creepy’ and ‘heartless’ by other children. Hinata was the only one to talk to him (and willingly!) and saw him as a good kid – even after they stopped seeing each others. She wholeheartedly believes Kisaki is a good person and that he and Takemichi would get along and is shocked when Takemichi tells her Kisaki’s part of a gang, saying “No way ! It doesn’t suit him !”. Which is the direct opposite of how Takemichi, and we the readers, react. “Kisaki, a good guy… ? There’s no way. He’s the inhuman bastard that killed Hina. “

Kisaki’s “Hinata would definitely liked a prodigy like me” isn’t that much an implausible way of thinking (for a child lacking love). Why would Hinata interact with him if she didn’t love him ? It couldn’t be just because she was a nice person, nobody else interacted with him. It didn’t seem like it was out of pity either. They even walked home together and were neighbourgs. It’s a very simple-minded thought – but Kisaki didn’t know better, and never got to. After all, he’s antagonized since the start by most characters, including the protagonist whom we readers follow, and the narrative. For good reasons, yes. But instead of trying to stop everything he planned, it would’ve been a lot more effective to learn about him, to get close to him, and not as to gain informations to use later to win, but in a way to actually form a deep, meaningful, true friendship with him. Because Kisaki doesn’t have friends. Mikey’s a pawn. Hanma’s a pawn. Izana’s a pawn. And they all know it – they accepted Kisaki’s scheems because they had something to gain for it. They’re all relationship built on a deal : I gain something I want and you gain something you wish in return. Mikey wants darkness to consume him, and wants Kisaki to be that part of him (his moon – which btw, good nod to the Pierrot/Kisaki comparaison) whereas Kisaki wants to be Japan #1 delinquent and he needs Mikey’s charisma to do so; Hanma wants his world to stop being so dull and Kisaki gives him that, he makes Hanma’s life as colorful as a circus (once again, the Pierrot/Kisaki comparaison never stops, Wakui really wants you to know his vilain is a clown) and Kisaki needs a pawn who would do everything he asks – and a pawn he can put the blame on ; Izana needs Kisaki to ‘satisfy his heart with his malice’ and to gift him a depressed/grieving Mikey he can ‘tame’ whereas Kisaki needs Izana to get to Mikey even after the Christmas incident and Emma’s murder. So yeah, not friends. Acquaintances ; business partners at best. Hinata then remains the only person who willingly went to talk to him out of kindness and nothing else, she didn’t have any motives.

So Kisaki clings on her. The idea of her. Somebody being nice to him. When nobody else does, nobody else ever did. Does he do anything to deserve kindness ? Why would he need to deserve kindness ? Since when is kindness deserved ? He plans a lot of messed up things, but until Baji’s death, none of them succeeds. Then again, would’ve being kind to him prevented all of what he plotted ? And again, he started being a delinquent solely because Takemichi was one.

Stalking Takemichi already wasn’t a good sign, but that didn’t necessarily mean Kisaki would one day become a merciless murderer. But then Takemichi said he’d be the top delinquent in Japan which prompted Kisaki to research about them and what it meant to be one. Because if Hinata loves Takemichi and Takemichi plans on becoming Japan #1 delinquent, then Kisaki becoming Japan #1 delinquent will make Hinata loves him. She has to. He believes in it so hard, he doesn’t even try to reconnect with her even as a childhood acquaintance during the years it takes him to reach to the top. No, he reaches the top and straight away go ask Hinata in marriage. And the moment she rejects him – even though he’s Japan #1, even though he did everything to undoubtedly gain her love, even though Takemichi isn’t there anymore – he has her killed. Because the only person in his life who has been kind to him, wasn’t anymore and he, after a decade of doing everything he thoughts he has to do to gain her love, couldn’t deal with it. That’s how Takemichi ‘betrayed’ him – Takemichi became his model, a hero, and yet he took the only thing good in his life away (without even being aware of it).

Kisaki doesn’t see himself as a victim – he’s very aware of everything he does. He manipulates, he kills, he doesn’t have an ounce of remorse about it… Yet, he still calls himself a Pierrot. And Pierrot is defined by his unrequited love for Columbine who herself loves Harlequin (who loves Columbine back) which makes him a sad clown. Pierrot is also naive, light-hearted and trustworthy. Which is definitely not Kisaki as a delinquent, but may have been Kisaki in his childhood.

Takemichi only starts to think of him as a human being and not an ‘inhuman bastard’ after his death. Takemichi wants to face him again, because he actually wants to get to know Kisaki. Even if he hates him with everything he has. The talk they had was too short.

At the end of the day, does that change the fact it was incredibly selfish and childish ? No. But Tokyo Revengers is based upon relationships and the impact people have in other people’s life so for it to have its main antagonist have no meaningful relationship at all, and it being the reason why he turned out that way, makes perfect sense. (it’s also the same with Izana who didn’t think he had anyone until the end where he realizes he did, he does, Taiju who thought he only had his siblings to realize he actually technically didn’t have anyone, Hanma whom we don’t see close to anyone but Kisaki (and that means something), Kazutora who found himself with only Baji at some point, and even Sanzu who obsesses over Mikey because in his mind he can’t rely on anyone else anymore – but all of them at least had someone in some way)

Edit: In the Final Timeline, this lack of meaningful relationship that Kisaki has ceases to exist. He becomes friend with Takemichi, Mikey, Toman.. And so he has no reason to obsess over Hinata

His vision of Hinata and their relationship most likely came from his idea of how reality works - a very stereotypical one. They're both childhood friends and then they'll fall in love and he'll go to work and she'll be a housewife and he'll be like everyone else, he'll achieve what everybody else has and/or he will copy his parents/what japanese society (and not only it) deemed a 'normal family'. They'll have one or two kids and it'll be the way it has always been.

Kisaki doesn't know much about interpersonal relationships, so he has a very stereotypical vision of them

[sayakxmi]

[Magi rewatch] Episode 4: The People of the Plains [Part 1]

Alrite, let's get it over with. And, yeah, you can proobably tell that I'm not that excited about this arc, and, honestly, both the Kouga Arc and the Morgiana Arc are just... well, I don't really care about them. Don't get me wrong, they're both good arcs, Morgiana Arc especially, but they just. Well, they don't do it for me. Again, nothing to do with quality, just preference.

Another downside is that I slightly shot myself in the foot with that rewatch, because it kinda drags, ngl. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to rewatching the Magnostadt Arc, so imma be strong and not skip anything. "Do it for her" meme, except it's me and Kukulcan. Imma do it for my lovely snek and I remember that he had silly faces in the anime. At least I hope I remember well. But, eh, I like rewatching the Magnostadt Arc in general, so I'm losing nothing, and I can still make fun of the art quality which kinda scores a downgrade idk.

Alright, alright, I'm shutting up, let's get to the actual episode.

Sadge.

Love the low bg quality, but anyway, my girl Elizabeth is here :>

Ok, so, something that makes it pretty darn different - here it's said Alibaba's stayed in Qishan for three days, while in the manga Alibaba stays for three days... and then 3 weeks, I believe. That's a pretty big difference.

They look kinda funny here.

Ok, I kinda ended up checking Morgiana's VA, bc it reminded me of somebody, but also, the same VA apparently voiced a character from Zettai Karen Children, which is one of these kinda niche series that I have a sentiment for. Btw Zettai Karen Children: UNLIMITED opening (Last Resolution) is fukcing fire. Also, damn, the ZKC anime aired in 2008, how tf did I find it years later.

BACK TO MAGI

Ok, that's also an interesting difference. In the manga, Alibaba says that he freed everybody etc, because this is what Aladdin would have wanted. At some point after freeing Garda he also tells Toto that he did if because he [Cassim] would've done that, and I'm kinda reading it all as him not yet coming to terms with his own desires, and, yeah, Alibaba does struggle with that a bit, something that Hakuryuu kinda points out. I'm reading it that way because 1) I simply prefer to, 2) I kinda don't think Cassim would've cared that much about Garda. Like, maybe? But idk, it doesn't seem right... Anyway. Back to the topic. Here Alibaba tells Morgiana that it's because he felt that it was something he had to do. So, no deflection, he did what he thought was right. Welp, anime!Alibaba got to show more of insecurity in the Dungeon Arc, while manga!Alibaba here.

Aaaand Morgiana's reaction to finding out that Alibaba'd left was skipped completely. Darn. Kinda a shame. I feel like that moment sets up the fact that Morgiana joins Aladdin to find Alibaba, at least a little bit. That, and later there's a moment in the Balbadd Arc where Morgiana recalls that moment after Alibaba's said something similar, and connects the dots. But oh well.

Aladdin looked much angrier in the manga.

It's supposed to be imposing, but damn, it looks kinda off, and as a result really funny. Like, maybe it's the perspective, but isn't his head, like, kinda small? Idk, man.

I'm just. Listen, I'm trying to be serious, but it reminds me about these Friendship is Manly MLP animations, and I just can't.

Ok, now he's angry.

Baba! And Aladdin's future staff! That will break! Whoops!

Oh, look, the magi lore funky wallrug

Ok, in the manga, Toya was here earlier, and it was Aladdin who'd told Baba that he can see Rukh, too, but here she's the one to just know that he does. Here, though, we jump straight into the lore.

This looks hilarious here, but also, it probably was on purpose, as a form of subtle foreshadowingTM. But anyway. Magi: expectation vs reality.

This entire animation of Rukh flying here is fucking gorgeous. I've told you I'm a corvid.

Ok, but I feel like overall in the anime adaptation Aladdin's lost a bit of his agency, y'know? First in the Dungeon, to Alibaba, and here, too, he seems even more passive than he actually is.

Toya! Definitely gives off a more depressed vibe than in the manga. On the flipside, very nice voice.

Damn, there sure was a lot of effort put in here.

Aww, we didn't get the best fucking wingmen in the series : (

Aww, the "whatever your name is spelled as this time" looks kinda ni-

(honking laughter noises)

Ok, in the manga it was obvious D-guy had a huge crush on Toya, while her feelings were more ambiguous, but here it's Toya who seems to be crushing more.

First of all, lmao, and second of all, I am about to reach the pic limit bc of this image alone.

(more honks)

clueless, and the goddamn horse not getting paid enough for this bs

And last but not least

The boy.

That being said, in the anime he brings out Ugo just like that, completely unprompted, while in the manga he wanted Ugo to thank them for saving him, too, F.

Fambily.

Honestly, I feel like I gotta tone it down with pointing out the differences. I'd just never shut up. So unless I consider something important or interesting, imma drop it.

Aladdin's in much more hurry to return to Qishan in the manga.

Say what you will, but Aladdin and Alibaba's friendship comes off as far stronger than there, even if it already was pretty darn strong.

Oh, so now it's- Actually, I'm having second thoughts. Is is it a crescent or full moon. Whatever. It's pretty.

Ok, I seem to be pretty close to the photo limit.

[ofwraithsandwords]

Sees: "This sort of goes into my headcanon on how Integra's father has influenced her conduct with her subordinates and her position as director, but that's another subject entirely."

May you please explain more about this! (same anon btw). I am very interested! I feel like it might be in the minority of thinking she's not a very good leader/director. Her go-to solution to most things is to send Alucard out. Which always leads to a mess. Even her father realized that using him too much could've been bad. Not sure why or how he came to that conclusion. Or if ever learned from it in his later life… But I do find it interesting that his daughter proceeded to use Alucard for everything involving vampire extermination. Even gaining a replacement for alucard in seras during the 30-year gap.

More likely, stuff like that was written for cool set pieces/fights rather than show questionable leadership choices. Thus some of my confusion comes from whether this is sloppy writing or was actually intended in some way. Also, I should end this by saying this isn't a knock on her character. I just like to overthink ideas in this manga too much.

Hey again, Anon! Sorry for the delay!

Yeah, I do feel like Integra's leadership skills are definitely lacking in certain situations, but like you said, this is likely more of a way to showcase Alucard's abilities and violence in the anime as opposed to showing how Integra is kind of an incompetent director.

But here's the thing: you have to remember that Integra was given the organization when she was...14, I think? So she basically had 7 or 8 years to learn all the ins-and-outs of not only vampires as a species, but occult/supernatural-related subjects as well AND has to direct, supervise, plan, and mitigate any incidents/operations thrown her way. All the while keeping this secret sector of the English government totally under wraps. So...no pressure?

Like you, I don't think less of Integra as a character if she's seen as a faulty leader. In fact, I think it makes sense in certain cases and makes her characterization more complex and nuanced.

Anyways, as far as my headcanons about how her father shaped some of her mannerisms goes, I think it was his more clandestine behavior is what really effected Integra the most. The womanizing, drinking, smoking, fraternizing with other officials and superiors, keeping the true nature (or at least part of) the Hellsing Organization from his only daughter - the list goes on. Being around this behavior is going to have an impact on a child, especially seeing how her father probably treated women as little more than arm candy and a means for pleasure.

I think this might've been part of what drove Integra to dress in suits, to smoke cigars, and go by "Sir" in order to be on the same pedestal as her male counterparts. You could argue that it's because only knights could join the Round Table of Protestant Knights and not dames, but honestly? It's not like they couldn't make an exception. They wouldn't have had a choice. Regardless of what your opinion is, Integra chose to go by "Sir". No one calls her Mistress Integra, Lady Integra, or Dame Integra - there's only one person that refers to her with a female title and it's the Nazi war criminal himself with "Mein Fräulein".

I also have a headcanon that until Seras showed up, Integra was very in the closet and had a good bit of internalized misogyny. I mean, she grew up around and was raised almost exclusively by men, most of which who implicitly benefited from their patriarchal government. I'm sure a few of them had a few choice things to say about women and minorities in general despite Integra being half-Indian.

Anyway, once Seras was introduced and she and Integra spent the next 3 decades together, I like to think that Integra really unlearned quite a bit of the prejudice that was put on her at an early age and came to be proud of her identity as a half-Indian woman.

Most unsavory comments are met with criticism or a good glare from her which ended up causing quite a rift between her and some of the other knights. But most of them are maggot food at this point, so it doesn't really matter.

I will say though, despite her being much more respectful than her father, she's been known to put on the charm in front of a pretty lady once in a while.

[fumifooms]

Kimbliza crumbs in canon

The ship of Solf Kimblee and Riza Hawkeye (kimbliza) is a rarepair, unsurprising since they share only one interaction and scene. That’s not to say the ship has 0 canon basis, however, and this masterpost is me just compiling things that makes me go “oh yeah, kimbliza”. I go over the iconic scene they have together first, but then I delve into more obscure bits and details that I haven’t seen others point out. This is meant to act as a masterpost of sorts. Under a cut bc this’ll be decently long. These keep me up at night 

Manga

Let’s first of all go over said scene they have together. Very similar in Brotherhood and the manga, but the manga is much easier to showcase here.

Nothing short of Kimblee’s most iconic quotes being addressed to her! Their first and only interaction, quite the icebreaker. The first thing to notice is that he’s quite directly answering a question she asked, definitely didn’t ask him, but he all the same heard and wanted to tell her what he thought about it. Second is that he singled her out, even if he had been addressing his speech to the whole group. Third is how he was able to read her, it’s one thing to guess she dislikes her “job”, but another to assume a part of her would take pride in her skills which we’ll assume is at least partially right due to her reaction (It’s mostly simple philosophy/logic rather than him reading her well specifically, but still fun to point out). Most importantly is how impactful this interaction was for Riza. This interaction is clearly one that she remembers even now still (which can be assumed, for one, by how the Ishval scenes are contextualized by Riza talking to Ed about her experiences in Ishval) and that affected her a lot, both in the moment as seen with her frequent and intense panels in the scene and later on through the wake-up call she needed. It’s honestly not something you can say every day, that a character changed another’s perspective on such a topic like this.

Moving on, this impact can be seen quite clearly here.

Kimblee spoke of orders, and where blame should be held, in the one who orders or who obeys. Riza in the first scene was horrified at the war she was participating in, no doubt feeling extremely guilty, but she was still somewhat talking about it like some tragedy happening around her instead of something she was actively and willfully participating in. Of course Riza’s retrospective and growth on the topic can’t all be attributed to what Kimblee said to her, but it’s a direct link drawn that Kimblee made them all question themselves and shift their perspective. She went from “How is this all so messed up… Why is the military like this?” to “but we were the ones who carried it out” and remembering the dead and wow, way to say Kimblee’s words have left a deep impact on her omg. (These scenes are like 1 chapter apart btw so like mentioned, the link drawn between them isn’t hard to miss at all) 

Now! Unrelated but oh so relevant: Kimblee liking/being interested in people with strong wills is an ongoing theme and big trait of his character, constantly praising and respecting those who he deems to have strong convictions they stand by, and his whole interest in battling and conflict being framed by wanting to see “a battle between strong wills”. This bit is one such moment:

(manga cap taken from @everykimblee​ ) 

He is here talking about Winry (next panel is him saying she’s too young for him at Edward’s judgy gaze, no worries), but. His type is one that works hard and is serious/passionate about her work?? HMM GEE I WONDER WHO FITS THAT BILL!

Last but not least story-wise… Isn’t it kinda weird that Kimblee received a fatal would to the left side of his neck… Like Riza later received a fatal wound to the left side of her neck? If not character foils then how come their deaths directly parallel each other hm? I’m kinda joking but that is such a specific thing, how even…

Alas this is it for the manga portion, the veterans don’t ever mention Kimblee and Kimblee likewise never talks about them, and they don’t have other interactions together. 😔 The rest of this post is all about details and less plot points/character analysis

Anime

If there’s one thing Riza and Kimblee share beyond this sort of composed and regal air, it’s fashion sense. I MEAN EXCUSE ME??

(One of her few Brotherhood out-of-uniform outfits, as seen in the scene where she meets up with Rebecca at a cafe. Also depicted in other scenes and official artworks, often with some minor variations)

White + lavender is Kimblee’s whole scheme in the anime, and Riza is sporting that? White coat??? With lavender accessories?? Now now, this isn’t at all a point you can make for the manga verse, and the Brotherhood artists sure do seem to love their purple for some reason, but omfg. Do I truly need more to consider this a crumb? No.

Official art

(For Brotherhood. She’s wearing lavender 🥰)

(For the 2003 anime. Still a white coat :] )

End

Listen. I could try and analyze what their dynamic would be like based on canon. Do I want to here? Not really, so the post ends here until I find more to add onto it. But the crumbs sure are yummy!

[briilovezclouds]

heyy so I lowkey need advice because idk if I’m just being judgmental or if I’m in the right to be a little skeptical,

there’s this girl at my school, she’s like a junior, and I think that she’s weirdly obsessed with like Japanese / East Asian culture, she wears a lot of cutesy stuff (which isn’t a problem) listens to vocaloids (isn’t a problem) but her recent “crushes” all have stuff in common, black hair, and moderately skinny, kinda emo looking. Anyways, her interests are Anime, Vocaloid, K-pop, fashion, Sanrio, Pjsekai, Strawberries (according to her ccard), she has a “plan” to go to Japan and learn Japanese and entering a school in Japan (without doing any research 😭), according to her friend she has really bad grades and this girl skipped lunch just to see her crush that doesn’t even like her. Besides that she’s weird in general too, her friend said she’s brought a yaoi manga to school, reading it in class, any guy that passes by that she has an interest in, she says “oh I’m gonna touch him” or something along those lines, and + that my friend’s friend from ANOTHER school said that, that girl was weird 😭😭, in her insta she posts a lot of East Asian related art and stuff. She has her own little wattpad series that’s about yaoi boys and mochi, and one of the main characters are ofc Japanese. Btw most of this information is either coming from her insta, what I’ve observed, and her literal friend 😭 idk what her ethnicity is but from what I can tell she does NOT look like she has an ounce of Japanese in her or wtv, she looks mostly European or Hispanic smth of that nature but yeah tell me what you guys think bc I don’t rlly know what else to say + I might delete this a lot later

(another note; there’s nothing wrong with wearing cutesy stuff and listening to vocaloids bc I do the same but with her certain things add up and it just gets to a point where it looks not so good on her part)