#will get to the manga once ive caught up

[yumedoca]

I've started watching Frieren btw...

[iid-smile]

hello! so, i don't know if you take requests, or write for blue lock in your blog, but if you do, may i request an interviewer!reader x the blue lock boys? the specific characters i want are: sae, rin, nagi, and kaiser. but feel free to add or remove characters as you'd like. but if you don't take requests and or don't write for blue lock, just tell me, no problem! thank you, and take care! also, i love your work!

crushing on the job

various blue lock boys x gn!interviewer!reader !

rin, sae, nagi, bachira, kunigami

author's note: this is a first because ive never thought id get a request for blue lock 😯 unfortunately, some sacrifices have been made since i don't read the manga, and kaiser has been eliminated... (im sorry i literally know nothing about him 😞) SO i added in bachira and kunigami in to make up for it

note: i wrote this as if they were normal footballers, so nothing from blue lock and whatever happens after is mentioned. the drabbles really very in length and definitely aren't equal.

synopsis: how they act when they fall in love with an interviewer at first sight. headcanons + drabbles!

itoshi rin I pre game interview

it's VERY obvious that he's caught something for you, because the way he looks at you is different to other interviewers

he's often at a loss for words and asks you to repeat your questions a lot. his head is in the clouds, and none of them get answered properly

he's overall a lot kinder and lighter with his words and ways of speech. his stance is much more relaxed than usual

the chances of either of you asking each other out are slim, so one of his teammates would do a bit of digging to get your contact info for him. if not, he'll be thinking about you nonstop and it messes up his performance

your feet move and twist around on the grass outside of camera view, as you stand beside one of the most skilled strikers in japan. the struggle of trying to put off this interview had to be abandoned at some point, and it's been months, yet it still feels too soon.

once the cameraman gives you a thumbs up, you take a deep breath and start to speak, completely forgetting to introduce yourself and the player. "so, what do you think the score will be in the end?"

rin just stares at you in the eye blankly, and it took you the small movement of turning the microphone towards him to snap him out of it. "huh?" his eyebrows raise a little.

you've seen how his other interviews have gone, and you were more than nervous to have your turn, fully expecting yourself to be belittled to some degree. but is it just you, or does he seem a bit... different? "t-the score? your predictions on the score?" you repeat, a small stutter in your voice and decreasing in volume as you go.

"uh..." he wipes his nose with his thumb and looks off to the side for a few seconds, before turning back to you again. "the score... yes." he answers mindlessly, nodding his head. it wasn't even a yes or no question...

in confusion, you blink, not even knowing how to respond. you were trying so hard to not let how uncomfortable you are shine through. you really have not a single clue what this man is thinking. "how are you feeling? about the upcoming match, i mean."

"a bit excited, i guess... i've been training." he looks at you and replies quietly before looking away again and scratching the back of his neck. "and other things..."

this is a first. anxiousness? rin always struck you as a confident man, or at least from what you've seen he is, so what does he have to be nervous about?

itoshi sae | meeting by chance (not)

(im sorry guys this may or may not be the most ooc and corny thing ever + im going off of the tiniest clips of him in the anime)

he just so happened to recognise you after a match

you interviewed every single player on his team except for him. coincidence? he thinks not. he's the best player, isn't he? why wouldn't you want to ask him anything?

for some reason, he finds it extremely entertaining when you're intimidated by him as a whole. he doesn't visibly show it though. you've got to have some confidence if you intentionally ignore THE itoshi sae

it's not that he's in love (probably in denial), but he's intrigued by you. he's a lot more pushy about things, but he doesn't mean to make it overwhelming. that's just his presence alone doing that

every interviewer out there knows how dry yet valuable sae's answers are. they ask the same questions, he gets the same answers, all the time. that's precisely why you don't want to interview him yourself. being shut down every time you try to question something is more embarrassing than people think, and you cringe just thinking about it.

so imagine your relief when you successfully get through an entire match without crossing paths with him. you would get to send in your notes, go home all happy and jolly, and sleep peacefully without a care in the world. but luck can only last so long.

you were just about to take a much needed bathroom break, but before you could turn a corner, there's a figure blocking your path. "you avoided me." it's itoshi sae in front of you.

your mind draws a blank. there's no one from your team within sight, or rather anyone in sight, and not even the comfort of your notebook could save you.

not only were you so confident in the fact that you wouldn't meet him that you hadn't written down any questions under his name, but you also told your team to wait in the car because you wouldn't take too long. "oh... i did?" a clear lie. "well, the producer and cameraman aren't here and stuff, so..." you attempt to get yourself out of situation, sheepishly at that.

his facial expression didn't change. he just continues to look down at you, and it was impossible to hold eye contact for more than a second. "unfortunate. because i want to hear what you have to say."

"i-it's nothing important, really... it's nothing you haven't heard before—"

he cuts you off. "i want to hear you say it."

something about the way he said it really freaks you out. conflict was running through your thoughts, your fingers twisting in the metal rings of your notebook. "okay... just a short one."

while your head was turned, you managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes squinting slightly, dare you say softening, and you pull out a pen from your pocket. "make sure you write down every word."

oh, you definitely were; with shaky hands. "will you say something different?" you ask. it was stupid, but still, you were eager to know.

for a beat, he stays silent, then tilting his head to the side. "...we'll see."

nagi seishiro I photobomber

this guy is in the background 24/7. he's honestly just a a bit lost and a curious little thing

he gets closer and closer until you finally interview him. at first he'll just be a blur, and he comes all the way up to behind you. he doesn't even mean to sneak up on you like that, he just wants to talk to you. his shadow would be so scary when he looms over you from behind

he's so weirdly energetic when he talks to you? not by a lot, but definitely more than when he normally speaks. he can actually be bothered to answer you properly, which is unexpected by many

he doesn't really flirt. if he does, it's unintentional. he's honest with his words and it kinda makes things awkward

"yes, thank you. i'm here at the saitama stadium to—" your eyes glanced down at the shadow on top of yours, growing larger and larger, and eventually overtaking the size of yours.

all of a sudden, there's a hand on your shoulder. "are you an interviewer?"

your head whips back and you take a step forward. you really shouldn't have been as surprised as you were, since you literally saw it coming. but you recognise this face. messy hair, much like a eskimo puppy, and dark eyes with permanent eyebags. nagi seishiro, who just happened to be a must have on your 'to interview list'.

"yes... yes, i am an interviewer."

nagi's hand remains on your shoulder, and he glances up at the camera in front of you. "is this on?" he points at it.

with a small glance at the device yourself, you nod. "mhm. and live." now that he's right here in front of you, you have to seize the opportunity. "since you're already here, would you like to...?"

lifting his hand, it's almost as if he took offence to the offer, his eyebrows furrowing. "who wouldn't want to with an interviewer as pretty as you?" he says, loud and clear.

you thought you were hearing things. him calling you pretty? that can't be real. "o-oh..." was the only thing you could say, a chuckle automatically leaving your mouth right after. it seems like he hadn't realised the effect of what he's said, moving on as if nothing happened.

bachira meguru I a silly pest

shameless and playful

the type of flirt that has you giggling and forgetting what you have to say because he's so smooth with it OR he's just so confusing that you accidentally agree to his advances

the type to say "this goal is for you" or "if i win this, you give me your number" and makes a promise to score as many times as possible

either he really embarrasses himself and you find his reaction cute, or he looks unexpectedly cool when he makes all of his shots like it's nothing

during one of his celebrations, he holds his hand up to his ear (🤙) so it's pretty much set in stone that you give him your number

you came prepared. interviewing a player very known for childish antics and trolling wasn't going to be easy, but you're always up for a challenge, especially when it'll reward you with some good material to work with. once the cameraman gives you the thumbs up, you finally start to speak. "are you disappointed that you haven't won an away games in a while?"

"hm..." bachira pouts, pretending to think as he rolls the ball beneath his foot. the entire time since the camera's been on him, he hasn't looked up from the ground. yet. "i'm more disappointed i haven't had the chance to meet you earlier. really had me missing out on life, you know?" he glances up at you as if that was the most normal thing to say, a cheeky smirk playing on his lips.

keep your cool, keep your cool. "how do you feel about being one of the youngest players on the team?" purposely, you don't expand on his answer, and move on to the next.

"i don't know. how old are you?"

as much as you'd like to entertain him, it wouldn't be appropriate. "too old for you." you reply, keeping your tone light with a chuckle.

"ah... you'll just have to wait for me then, huh?" oh. you don't think he was lying about that.

the smile and light atmosphere of the interview drops in an instant, replaced by a slightly stunned look that you know won't look good airing. how does he say these things with a straight face?

you quickly school your expression into a more neutral one. it's not like you can reprimand him on live tv, as much as you'd like to. "you don't think that's a little inappropriate?" you say.

bachira just shrugs, rolling a shoulder. "inappropriate is subjective." he doesn't give you a moment of rest, shifting his bodyweight to the other foot and continuing to toy with the ball. "can you ask me another question? this one is boring... actually, i'll ask you a question."

"oh god..." you mutter, your hand twitching and ready to facepalm.

"how about..." his eyes stare deep into yours, as if he was searching for something inside of them. "if i score a hat trick, i get your number."

your face scrunches up, since you thought he would take the hint already that you have to keep this professional. "that's a request." you correct.

"exactly."

"what?"

"so... number?"

"yes—" in that split second, your real personality slipped out, your brain subconsciously wanting to accept his offer. a brief moment later, the damage was already done, yet you were trying to fix it. "no! no!"

but he was already running off, a little skip in each step. "thank you~!" your manager won't be happy at all.

kunigami rensuke I press conference

probably wouldn't shoot his shot publicly/verbally, no pun intended. it's a respect sort of thing and a barrier between careers

might be ooc, but he really reminds me of this moment (i know its basketball, but still) are you seeing what im seeing?

accidentally threw his towel or water bottle at you at some point during his warmups, and then the sight of your pretty self was stamped into his brain

the clips would get really popular, and your company pretty much pressured you into going to his next game, and then the one after that, and the one after that...

even with all of the lights flashing in his eyes, kunigami could see you as if some sort of spotlight was on you, glancing around and hesitantly trying to find a moment to speak up. how could he not recognise you? you were that pretty interviewer that he threw his towel at by mistake. your face truly was unforgettable, and his first interaction with you happened to go like that.

usually, he would let thinks like this go, since it's not really something he needs to deal with, but he still feels like he owes you something. "hey, let them speak." he voices, firm and unyielding. anyone in their right mind wouldn't mess with a guy that clearly works out on a regular basis.

"so, you were saying?" he puts on his best smile, and you're so stunned by his kindness that you forget what you were going to say in the first place. luckily, you managed to put together some sort of random question that was good enough.

"ah, yes." you take a minute to look at your notes; they were completely blank. not very helpful... "you did really well during the game, but you didn't score as many goals as you did in your previous match. do you believe that you could have performed better, or are you satisfied with your results?"

he takes a second, and after a moment he responds. "well," his eyes gleam with pride. "i'm pretty satisfied with my performance. but i could do better, and i plan to in future matches as well."

and your little interest in passionate people ignites. "how do you do it? how do you keep improving, when you're already so good?"

he chuckles, slightly embarrassed by your compliment. "really, it isn't that amazing. i just love football, you know. i can't help but to always strive to do better. the people who are close to me motivate me a lot." a staff member moves over to adjust the microphone as kunigami has his head down, writing something on an unopened bottle of drink that his team was sponsored by.

by the time he lifts his gaze up to you again, he's suddenly struck with a certain dazzle in your eyes, a spark of curiosity. it felt like an attack straight to his heart, and that's when he knew you might be the one. perhaps it was naïve, but he's never felt this way before.

you knew it was best to step down before you get too ahead of yourself, so you nod and hand your mic to your assistant at your side. other people need their turns too, right? you also fail to notice kunigami giving the bottle to the staff next to him, whispering a few words to them.

only a few minutes later did you find yourself with a free drink in your hand, his number scribbled over the label in a thick black marker.

[class-1b-bull]

Got any hcs of these goofy goobers embarrassing themselves in front of their class?

Not proofread we die like men

Awase - ive mentioned before that awase triped and fell down a staircase in front of komori but what i didnt mention is he has actually done this multiple times in front of different classmates (all on accident)

Sen - i think if he did do something embarrassing in public hed be the type to act like he ment to do it. And everyone just plays along. (Him falling face first into a thorn bush was strategic)

Kamakiri - when he was walking out of class too fast his school jacket got caught on something. He struggled to get it off without ripping the jacket for a few minutes before he just took off his jacket and left without it

Kuroiro - he keeps to himself because every time he opens his mouth there is a good chance he will say something embarrassing as hell. He has no filter when it comes to things like that lmao

Kendo - she once went to school with a really bad cold and ended up sleeping through most of her classes. It wouldn't have been that bad if she didn't scold rin for comming to class when he was sick the day before...

Kodai - if she did something embarrassing it would probably be small and simple like stumbling over her own feet or almost knocking something over or something like that.

Komori - she tried to show some of the girls an outfit she was working on but when they walked into her dorm room to see it on the mannequin, it fell apart completely because it wasn't secure enough. It was embarrassing because of how highly she spoke of her faulty dress

Shiozaki - there is no way she hasent gotten her hair tangled with something. Ya know when youre headphone wire gets caught on a door handle and it sends you flying backwards? She has done that with her hair more times than I can count.

Shishida - one time in chemistry class he mixed the wrong chemicals and made a massive explosion that made everyone in the school have to evacuate. (Only his lab partner knew it was him that did it and he wants things to stay that way.)

Shoda - every time he opens his mouth when talking to someone new he embarrasses himself. He will trip over his own words, say things he didnt mean to say and overall just word things terribly when meeting someone for the first time. (Its kinda sad to watch honestly)

Pony - as much as I love her she isn't the brightest, but she is confident. She has confidently shouted a completely wrong answer in class multiple times. It wouldent be that bad if she was only a little off but she has genuinely said that 27 was an answer to a history question.

Tsubaraba - he does so many embarrassing things in front of his class everyday so its impossible to list them all. Of of the classes personal favorites though is when he bit into a cattail (the water weed) and learned the seeds expand rapidly when touched the hard way.

Tetsutetsu - it was embarrassing for him to trip and fall flat on his face while running to class but it was even more embarrassing for him to start doing push ups to 'play it off' while his nose was bleeding.

Tokage - shes overall a pretty confident person, especially when she speaks. She was even confident when she horribly mispronounced a common word when talking with her classmates.

Manga - ya know that meme of the burger king employee doing the fnaf dance but getting cut off because someone walked it? Its essentially that. He was doing something stupid and embarrassing cuz he thought he was alone but when he turned around he saw some of his classmates just staring at him

Honenuki - he wasent embarrassed about falling asleep in class but he was embarrassed about the insane ammounts of drool that got all over his desk and himself

Bondo - i like to imagine he has an embarrassing laugh/ scream or something like that. Like his scream is hella high pitched compared to his deeper voice or when he laughs he snorts a lot or smthn like that. (Another reason hes so reserved is to avoid laughing/ screaming)

Monoma - he is a walking talking embarrassment for everyone around him yet he himself can not get embarrassed. No matter what he does I dont think he can get embarrassed (its kinda impressive honestly) however when he does something embarrassing (like the multiple times he teases class A) its always the rest of the class that suffers.

Reiko - ive mentioned that she uses her quirk to scare her classmates every now and then but she had to stop when she accidentally sent an object flying straight into vlad kings face. She was pretty embarrassed (especially since manga and Monoma couldn't stop snickering)

Rin - during the colder months he has to bring multiple jackets to class. When he doesn't he has to rely on his classmates waking him up from his hibernation every 5 minutes (which monoma and the others obviously tease him about, making the embarrassment a little worse)

Gif anime - neon genesis evangelion

[aihoshiino]

ive seen interpretations of both but do you think ayumi's abuse of ai only started once the stepdad starting to uh make eyes at her or if it already was a thing before but escalated due to it?

I'm pretty certain and always have been that Ayumi was abusive to Ai the entire time she was in her care - 131 just clarified the shape of it and its point of explosive escalation.

Even prior to that, I was pretty firm in my reading that Ai did not have anything resembling a normative upbringing in her mother's household. Even before we have any of the details about that relationship presented to us, Ai says herself in chapter 1 of the manga no less that she has 'always wanted' a family because she does not have one. As 131 tells us, Ai didn't leave her mother's house until she was nine or ten years old at the very least. She was raised by Ayumi for ten years and still considers herself to be a person who never had a family.

We see this clarified in chapter 8 where Ai more explicitly talks about her abuse: Ayumi abandoned her to the care system after her arrest, which Ai frames as preferable to "getting hit", making it more or less explicit that Ayumi was, in fact, physically violent towards her outside of the incident we hear about in 45510. However, the most damning part of this scene to me comes from elsewhere:

"I don't remember ever being loved."

Even by her own mother. Ai has no memory of ever being loved by Ayumi. We get a reiteration of this idea during Ryosuke's attack on her, as Ai says over and over: she doesn't understand love. She doesn't know how to love people, no matter how desperately she tries.

This by itself is all very alarming before you ever account for Ayumi's violence. Remember that Ai cannot be any older than 11 or 12 years old here and yet this is still how she chooses to describe herself: as a person with no memory of ever being loved. As an antisocial liar, a people-hating liar. A twelve year old child should not be able to even think of herself in these terms, let alone articulate them.

There's a lot of other small hints scattered around, too— Ai is implied to have some anxieties relating to food security and she is shown to be quite short and slight even by the standards of an average Japanese woman, which possibly implies a history of not being fed enough or not having access to food as and when she needed to eat. During her big Ai research session, Akane even directly says that, with the way Ai's personality turned out, there's no way she could have come from a good home environment.

Ai's personality isn't the only red flag here, though. Ayumi herself and the way she talks about both Ai and her abuse of Ai when Aqua finally speaks to her in person paints a very clear picture of the sort of mother she likely was, even in the short amount of time that we have page time with her. I did a much longer analysis of her in a previous post but to TL;DR it, Ayumi spends the entire conversation simultaneously backpedalling at breakneck speed from any claim of agency and responsibility in her abuse of Ai while also placing the blame of that abuse on Ai herself.

Not only that, but here's something I just caught on reviewing the chapter right now — Ayumi never even actually admits to abusing her daughter. Pay attention to how she describes the series of events: She became angry at her boyfriend, jealous of her daughter and then… their family just 'fell apart'. There is a glaring hole, a missing step in this process and that missing step is her violence towards Ai. The closest she ever gets to acknowledging any sort of mistreatment is her saying that she would just "wind up hurting" Ai if they were together again, which is about the most understated nothing sentiment imaginable. Of course Ayumi can never atone for what she did. She can't even fucking admit it.

The way Ayumi disavows herself of agency while centering Ai as holding responsibility for her own victimization and abuse combined with Ai's own personality pretty much makes it explicit to me that Ayumi was emotionally abusive to Ai for all her life. Specifically, I think Ayumi was probably the sort of mother that is colloquially referred to as a "narcissistic mother" - specifically, I think she falls under the umbrella of 'covert narcissist'. While discussing this type of behavior, psychologist Craig Malkin said "Covert narcissists feel special because they believe their pain is more important than others". Covert narcissism is defined by jealousy, difficulty maintaining meaningful relationships, projection of insecurities onto others (in this case, from mother to daughter) and an inability to handle criticism or cop to their own behavior. Sound like someone we know?

Another big tell is just… honestly, looking at any list of the long term effects of this kind of abuse on children. Growing up under this kind of parenting leads to a whole host of issues, but most relevant to my point here is as follows:

Hyper-vigilance towards other peoples' feelings

Poor emotional intelligence; specifically, a lack of comprehension of your own emotions

Unhealthy desires for validation from other people and tendencies towards codependency in relationships

Perfectionism and/or self destructive tendencies, either separately or in parallel

Low self esteem, poor self image, high levels of self doubt and self criticism.

If you're reading that list and going wow! this is basically just a Greatest Hits of everything wrong with Hoshino Ai! then congratulations because you successfully completed my thought experiment for me. I've described the effects of Ayumi's abuse as running through Ai like fault lines before and this is the sort of thing I mean.

I also don't want to leave it unspoken that like… violence the likes of which Ayumi subjected Ai to does not come from nowhere. A normal, loving parent does not escalate to putting fucking glass in her daughter's food no matter what the hell else is going on in their life. It's unclear whether Ayumi's physical abuse of Ai was something that only started after the incident with her stepfather or if it was an aspect of the ongoing abuse she subjected Ai to all her life, but I simply don't think it's possible with everything the manga has laid out, explicitly and implicitly, about their relationship that Ayumi was ever a loving mother to Ai or that the two of them ever had a remotely normal relationship. In a horrible way, Ayumi's abandonment of Ai was the kindest thing she ever did for her, because it means she finally got the fuck out of her life.

[bisquuet]

hi! still alive! AN UPDATE: LONG READ :D no new devlin content since im focusing on my oc comic :( ( speaking of comics. remember that other comic i posted here like once and never talked about it again?? yeah.. ) - lets talk about that. will i ever go back to that comic? -yes, when? i don't know.. i realized i went into the comic very.. unprepared.. or less prepared than i thought i was. so it got me second guessing things and getting confused..!! i have a VAGUE idea of how I want it to go, or atleast i DID, now im not so sure.. I think i need to sit down, splurge out my thoughts and ideas and go from there,, now i technically have a WHOLE post that is done that was supposed to be dropped shortly after the first one. but i thought to myself, oh ill just work on the next update and once im halfway THEN ill drop the second one! i never got halfway. i ended up just sketching more up ahead and adjusting and ''fixing'' things in the second update. making me loose track of time and getting behind, not only i had school to deal with too! so i just have a LOT of storyboarding of pages...that im slighlty afraid of looking at cuz i know that ill want to fix it but ill be unmotivated to actually fix it.. (bad rawr!!) eventually i have to get to it..!! >< ANOTHER major factor of the delay was my confidence, i wasn't satisifed and even frustrated at times when something didnt come out as good as it did in my head. i REALLY like the first update pages! especially devlins scene! but i think i got too ahead of myself and put WAY too much onto my plate, raising expections, of others and myself, mostly myself.... and I was trying to copy to a manga style, rather than convert my style normally into a manga setting, if that makes any sense. so i wasnt.... 'comfortable' drawing.. i dont know how else to describe it! but ever since then and even before, ive been getting less confident with my art and my style, feeling like its ugly or its getting worse. forcing myself to keep drawing, straining myself trying to make something that looks good to me. i have lots of fun and joy drawing for others, the reason i draw is BECUZ i just want to share what i make! as shallow as it sounds i like creating content for others to enjoy! it makes me happy and proud of what i draw! so. when i make something i dont like, i cant bring myself to show it cuz I dont like it.. others may, but that wouldnt change how i would feel about it. i felt that way deeply with the second update, which is why i kept tweaking it,,, and so I just let myself get caught up with other things.. feeling upset and guilty that I kinda just.. abandonded the comic..! saying that ill pracitce and oh ill do that , i Need to do this and this and this when i havent even done ANYTHING! i think, and i genuinely mean this, i think ive only recently started to ACTUALLY do things.! like development for my OC comic, writing for it, making content and sharing about them to whoever would lend an ear! so in a way the seewar comic walked so that my OC comic could run, hopefully.. so, unfortunately ill be focsuing more of my attention on my OC comic, and i honestly can't promise anything. the only thing i CAN say is that i will share the second update that i finished long ago.., no matter how much internal rawr doesnt want to, i feel like thats the first step to overcoming this fear and dread ive associate with the comic, which is something i DONT want. ill be scheudling to drop this weekend since ill be away.. i dont know when ill actively start working on the seewar comic again becuz i genuinely want to finish it and share it, i just have to not be too ambitious and plan out whats necessary. anyways.. now that school is out im finally paying all of my debts and owed art.. its rough but it has to be done. thanks if you have read all of this,, i greatly appreacite the support, from friends and followers, fossils, (thats what my fans are called wink wink) love yall fr <3

[rojekte]

how long exactly has the silver eve arc been going on in wha? maybe it's just because i happened to read and catch up with the manga when it was starting (i believe ch49 was the latest release when i had caught up tho it didn't have an eng tl yet) and therefore this just so happens to be the arc i've had to wait for monthly updates on but,,, man,,,,, feels like we've been here forever

like i love wha dearly but most chapters feel like we're not really going anywhere? not that every chapter has to specifically drive the plot forward - and there have been some very special moments to me in this arc. for the record, i know that This Particular latest chapter was just a character focus on utowin bc shirahama was,, busy? didn't feel well? one of the two i don't remember. so i do get that and im not saying anything against this specific chapter. just more of an overall feeling ive been getting month after month

it's very possible that once this part of the story concludes i'll be able to go back and read thru it all at once and think it's amazing but rn i've just.... not really been all that excited for new chapters

[someh0eontheinternet]

Yelana x Obsessed fem.reader

(this is just a fanfic i wrote in two seconds and is purely a self insert because im OBSESSED with her but i hope u enjoy anyway haha 🌸🌸) (SEASON 4 SPOILERS) (no manga spoilers)

You became a scout because you needed the money. nothing more, nothing less. you weren't trying to chase after glory, or even protect the ones you loved.

all you wanted was to get your bag and go home.

luckily for you, your fighting skills were second to only the Ackerman's and you werent heartless enough to not put yourself in dangers way to save a comrade or two from the jaws of a titan. because of this, you were adored by the whole regiment due to the countless lives yourve saved in battle.

during the attack on Marley, and following your return to the flying blimp, you were greeted once again by your beloved comrades. you take a moment to silently count to yourself the number of soldiers around you and send a silent prayer to the ones who have fallen.

Interrupting your train of thought was a loud screech from the room over, that almost resembled a child. curious, you make your way over to the captain's den to find eren, levi, zeke, and two screaming children yelling about something you couldnt understand. Levi was the first to speak up...

"Y-n. I'm glad you're safe but this doesnt concern you. Please return to the other room."

You shrugged your shoulders and was about to turn to leave when a tall figure caught your eye.

"omg...omg....omg"

(sorry if this next part is cringe lol)

it was love at first sight. you lost control of your body as you speed walked over to her. she absolutely towered over you. she had to be 6'7 at least. you didnt even know women could get that tall ....

without thinking, you stand alarmingly close to her, taking her by surprise, and start speaking without thinking.

"oh my god....you are the most beautiful woman i have ever seen. everything about you is just so....handsome. your blond hair. your gorgeous grey eyes. even the way you're looking down at me. who on earth even are you!???" you look up at her with a sparkle in your eye that almost made the tall blond lose her composure, but she recovered.

She had never been complimented like this before. her whole life she had been told that she was a misfit and she was too 'masculine' to fit in. god....you really caught her off guard.

she tried to hide it however, her pride was too important.

"I....who i am is none of your business, soldier. i would advise you return to...."

she was cut off however by you moving your body closer you hers, your breasts pushing up against her chest, causing her cheeks to become a deep red.

"oh please pretty lady, no reason to be so harsh with pretty old me. i just wanted to tell you how beautiful you were".

"Well i um...*cough*" the tall woman looked away embarrassed.

hange entered the room and spoke up.

"come on yelena, you should give her more of a chance. this is y-n. one of our strongest and bravest soldiers. plus, she's cute as a button. practically all the boys in the servey corps have developed a crush on her one time or the other" hange chuckled as they entered the room.

"....hey, i havent" eren pouted in the corner, too embarrassed to be taken seriously.

"haha fucking loser" zeke said, mocking his little brother eren.

"hey! shut your trap Zeke" eren growled.

"hey back me up levi. tell yelena how good of a soldier y-n is" hange whined

"well...ive never seen anyone kick ass quite like her. even mikasa hesitated on the field, but y-n just shoved her blades right up their smelly asses"

"she did what..." yelena interrupted.

"pretty pleaseeeeee yelena darling. ive never liked any of these nobodies (eren: hey!) but you're special. please if you take my hand in yours i swear to love you until my last breath".

yelena looked away and pouted before swinging you up over her shoulder and walking out the room with you.

"we will be back later. and dont u dare disturb us."

*blush* *blush*

💕🌺💕🌺💕🌺💕🌺💕🌺

authors note:

im so sorry xDDDDD

[eyefocusing]

while I've only read up to pollack's run + the gerard way run & the other recent run

i feel like despite doom patrol pretty clearly following from one author to the next (except byrne...) each version is basically is its own thing and isn't NECESSARY to read the next run. Very interesting to me

personally i do enjoy Morrison's run but just like every Morrison thing it has their very big writing flaws in it

... i feel like I was going to bring something else up either related to Morrison in general or Morrison's doom patrol but i forgot what. hmm maybe Tempest and Dorothy being from Kupperburg's run but it wasn't necessary to read for Morrison's run? hmmm oh well

speaking of doom patrol; Xombi was inspired by the original run. and Xombi like most milestone titles is great

as for other manga; I think the only ones I've been reading that I haven't mentioned that I've been reading are Yotsuba, Sakamoto Days, Undead Unluck, and Frieren

saw some cool fanart of some of the manga characters, so I'm thinking of reading dandandan after I get caught up on loser ranger (i think that's what caused me to start reading undead unluck - fanart of fuuko, chihiro Rokuhira, and foot soldier d that was like this other more recent fanart I saw of frieren, Sakamoto, and dandandan protag.)

I think Sakamoto days was either because of john wick and/or spy x family. Frieren was because I saw a lot of yearning frieren fanart

anyways my personal least favorite doom patrol runs are kupperburg and the most recent one (haven't read byrne's... and tbh I don't plan to). They feel too normal

i think that's it

oh yeah i get what you mean about each run kinda being its own thing. for better or worse ive always found it interesting with longer running titles or teams when a new writer makes it their own, its just neat to see what people do with whats been established and how they mix it up. thats one of my favorite things about comics in general (of course its also one of the more annoying things about comics, esp nowadays when you get the feeling writers arent really lookin into a series/character/teams history before doin their own thing but. i digress)

i keep feeling like i should check out frieren but it hasnt piqued my interest enough to actually get me to open it. im sure once i actually do ill read through it all in a couple days, but uuuughhh.... im lazy.....

[quwr0fwrlccywrlfh]

HxH Ch 395: Founding, Pt 1

My thoughts on some of the newest hxh chapters, bc I’m losing my mind and need a place to just spew out every rambly little thought going through my head.

Spoilers ahead ofc

We’re staring at the beginning of the Meteor City flashback, bc tbh I’m not even caught up on the current arc yet, but everything pales in comparison to the momentousness of the PHANTOM TROUPE’S BACKSTORY. These sprawling panels alone already had me so emotional. This is a story decades years in the making: 20+ years ago, there was the *briefest* of scenes in the Yorknew arc of bb Chrollo playing catch with a VHS tape (it got like 1 panel in the manga and less than 10 seconds in the 2011 anime—even less in 1999). It’s one of my absolute favorite scenes in the series, and I even designed a big heckin enamel pin of little chrollo with the tape, but I was resigned to the likelihood that it would remain just that: a cryptic, wisp of a scene that would never be fully fleshed out or explained.

And tbh? I was totally fine with that. One of my favorite things about Chrollo and the troupe was how little we knew about them, how their characters and motives were presented by indirect information and impressions. The air of mystery made them more intriguing.

So when I saw this tape again, I had mixed feelings—I was excited beyond belief to get more spider content—and not only that, but have my pet favorite cryptic hxh scene CONTEXTUALIZED—but I was also a little apprehensive. I was worried I’d be let down by knowing the truth, that the spiders’ backstory would be hoaky. (Specifically, I was worried that their eventual genocide of the Kurta clan would attempt to be justified in some way—because, well, um, no.)

But wow was I wrong.

So that’s what this whole rambly, off-the-rails post is about: how wrong I was to worry that the spiders would LOSE their interest and appeal by getting a backstory. Bc they have only gained it, and once again, togashi is fuckign brilliant.

Also Meteor City is beautiful. Like yeah it’s a junkyard, but the vast expanse conveyed in this opening panel is breathtaking, and ever since first hearing of its existence in hxh Ive been fascinated by the concept of a wasteland city—it’s just so dystopian and unique—and now we finally get to SEE IT.

Was definitely reading through tears when I saw these three—the BABIES. We now know the two other kids Chrollo was playing catch with way back in the Yorknew flashback was Franklin & Shalnark. It surprised me a bit at first, bc I never considered the possibility that practically the WHOLE troupe were childhood friends (I suspected a few of them were, but not the whole group)—but thinking about it more, it makes sense that these three were close right off the bat. Chrollo, Franklin, and Shal. They’re the cerebral & logic-driven spiders. The brainiacs, the nerds—and the weebs (Franklin: I hope it’s anime!). These panels already establish that hunting for tapes is their thing, even at risk of trespassing on another kid-gang’s territory.

Side notes: 1) shal’s little gap tooth smile!!! 2) they’re wary of Machi in particular--as they should be

Here’s their rival kid-gang: Uvo & Machi (bb Machi!!! ;_;) Again, after a little thought, it made sense to me that those two were a team as well—they’re both instinct-driven and reliant on brute force and physical strength (Machi just happens to double as a healer). And what a cute little duo they make too: little Machi providing Uvo with ammo :’) The way Uvo calls it his “kingdom” is interesting as well, but more on that later.

Side note: Chrollo’s soft little “Ah! So soon?”

Shal the smartass is rewarded with PAIN haha. Something that I LOVE about these chapters is how the troupe’s child selves are portrayed so consistently with their adult characters—it may seem obvious, but writing a consistent character is HARD, especially when their story spans 20+ years of real time and undergo massive amounts of life-altering development. Also, it’s cool to see that despite abandoning themselves to become hardened criminals, parts of the spiders’ personalities remain unchanged. For Shal specifically, bc we already knew he was a little psycho, so it makes perfect sense becoming a mass murderer didn’t do much to change who he is at the core: a smartass.

It also provides a neat little contrast to Chrollo, who DID change quite a bit—but we’ll get to that.

SHAL IS STILL ROLLING XD Uvo’s “9 deaths left!” conveying that despite Shal’s snide comeback, he knows very much what he said—and meant it. He’s more than just your average meathead: he’s straightforward rather than simple, and he makes his own definitions.

Chrollo, Franklin, and Shal are clearly at odds with those definitions here—hence the conflict. Where Uvo sees his personal kingdom, the brainiacs see public property. This conflict might seem tense at first, but we soon see that it’s not:

They’re grinning, clearly having some fun with this. It’s implied that this isn’t their first run-in, and it’s a repeated game for them. How else do kids stay occupied in a landfill?

It’s notable that Franklin steps forward to confront Uvo, since it implies leadership (to be fair, he’s also big, unlike Chrollo, and fully functional, unlike Shal). Franklin also delivers their scavenger group’s worldview: the harsh reality that they live in a junkyard full of discarded trash, and everyone has an equal right to it. During the conflict, Shal has only snarked, and Chrollo has only made quiet side comments—more to himself than anyone—but Franklin confronts their “enemy” directly and speaks for the group.

Uvo responds in the most Uvo way possible, and it’s a really touching line, honestly: “Only dumbasses let their surroundings define them! I’m wherever the hell I say I am!” His pride shines just as brightly as a kid as it does when he’s an adult, and it goes on to shape the whole troupe’s philosophy too: the underlying sense of pride they have at not letting their circumstances define them, and refusing to let the world silence them.

Touching philosophy and fun games aside though, they still beat each other up haha.

Enter: our third little gang! It was no surprise that Phinks and Feitan were a team, because they’ve remained close even as adults in the troupe, but what WAS a charming surprise is them bullying Chrollo. I had a pet theory that some of the troupe members used to bully him as kids—bc well, he’s a little nerd—and it was so gratifying to have it confirmed.

Notable that Phinks does all the talking—it’s consistent with the idea that Feitan may have been a newer resident of Meteor City at this point, and was still not confident enough to speak in the local language. It’s also so cute to think of Phinks stumbling upon a scared, shy little new kid and deciding to adopt him :3

Side notes: 1) the deliciously detailed shots of the junkyard meteor city rubble 2) phinks and feitan’s hairrrrrrrrr 3) phinks’s FACE 4) Chrollo being the cutest lil guy once again

The sneaky little thiiiiief ahhh. Well, not a thief yet really, since Meteor City trash IS communal property, but I love how he pulled one over on Phinks. It reaffirms 1) how much of a lovable, gullible dumbass our resident tracksuited himbo was and is 2) how crafty Chrollo was even as a kid. Also love how Chrollo doesn’t say a word the whole time—he seems pretty reserved overall, saying very little, and when he does speak it’s often side comments to himself without any intended listener, more just a way to help him reason through a situation. For all the changes that happen to the poor little guy later, that’s consistent with his adult self haha.

Also going back to phinks’s “we’re not like that meanie Uvo”: it hints at an aversion to physical conflict when he can avoid it. The bike speaks to this as well: he’d rather zoom away from a problem, which is totally fine, especially when so many ‘problems’ in Meteor City are far too big for two kids to take on alone, and escape is a much wiser option. Feitan, however, is cruising for a bruising—just look at that bat.

Side note: another really pretty strip of sheer Meteor City setting detail ahhhh. It’s clear now that a lot of the residents live in hamlets or shacks, which is definitely what I pictured and makes sense.

CHURCH BOY CHROLLO CONFIRMED!! It was so obvious I couldn’t believe it at first, but wow, there it is. A nice twist is the hodgepodge architecture of the building: it’s not just a traditional Catholic cathedral. It fits with how despite the endless jesus parallels and the louder elements of adult Chrollo’s character design (inverted cross, forehead tattoo), his shtick is more than just christian. His character has elements of Buddhism, Judaism, fatalism, etc. He’s a sampler of religion and schools of thought, not necessary an adherent to any particular one, in part because he grew up in a multifaith setting.

Philosophical and religious musings aside, this scene is so quietly touching and sad. Chrollo still has his little tape, but he’s got a basket of flowers as well, implying that he stopped to pick them before heading over to check the tape, and further implying that the flowers are even MORE important to him than the tape he and his friends risked bodily harm to collect. Looking closer we see why: the center lower panel is filled with little crosses. Graves. He laid flowers on gravestones.

It immediately brought Melody’s words about him in Yorknew to mind: “He walks with death every day of his life.”

This scene established that Chrollo is indeed a frequent visitor of the church. It’s his sanctuary: a place for him to go and study. The church itself seems surprisingly nice and well-kept too: the only finished building we’ve seen in Meteor City so far, which implies it’s supported financially in some way, and is a priority in the community. They may not have houses, but they have a nice church. The how’s and why’s of this aren’t specified yet, but it makes me very curious about the structure of the city’s society.

Speaking of society: the priest sheds light on the graves outside: they’re children’s graves. Specifically, children who have been abducted. So the graves are meant to acknowledge the missing rather than the confirmed dead, which is almost worse. It’s also the first little hint of what we’ve all been looking for in this flashback: the probable reason behind the troupe’s anger and despair.

The sheer weight of the information contained in these panels, wow.

Before getting into it though: we can see Chrollo’s flowers by all of the graves, and they’re nice big pretty flowers too. Zinnias, dahlias, maybe roses. He took time out of his very urgent tape mission to gather and leave those flowers. It’s heartbreaking.

Para 1: info we knew already. Meteor City residents are all unpersons, so the system doesn’t care what happens to them.

Para 2: more info we knew—MC struck a deal with the mob in exchange for protection—but then a new gut-wrenching detail that makes sense but makes it so much worse: the vast majority of the victims were kids.

Para 3: very fitting, since we already knew chrollo took one of his strongest known abilities, Sun and Moon, from a MC elder, and interesting that we now know that multiple such elders had similar powers.

Law of Retribution motto: the same as the note the spiders left behind at the Kurta massacre. There’s so much to say about it but I think I’ll save it for later, since this is meant to be a light little jaunt of note-taking lmao

Para 4: the wording confuses me a little—does it mean the troupe were literal babies when this system first started, meaning it had already been in place for a few years by the time they reached the ages they are in this chapter? Or is it more figurative timeline-wise: meaning it was still in development, and that’s why so many kids are still going missing. Togashi is occasionally very hyper-specific when it comes to timing, but most of the time he’s pretty fast and loose, so I’m guessing it’s the latter, the law of retribution is still in development--or it’s proving to not be very effective.

NNNAHHHFHFHDJADHHSKS

the BABIES T_T

It was a shock and also no shock at all that Chrollo and Pakunoda seemed to have a close friendship and aren’t surprised to run into each other at the church. Needless to say I think it’s the highlight of this chapter for me, not least of which because we already know full well how this story ends, and the flashback only makes it hurt that much more.

I’ve also seen this panel of Chrollo circulating around with the caption ‘He used to be so happy’--and yeah, yeah he was. This whole chapter is shaping up to deliver the resounding point that Chrollo used to be a bright, happy, normal (?) kid. I’ve also heard him described as having a mix of Gon’s boundless enthusiasm and Kurapika’s insatiable curiosity and intellect, and I think that really fits.

Side notes: 1) Chrollo’s “Yo!”, I cry ;_; 2) Paku’s HAIRCUT. Stranger Things inspired, perhaps? A nod to how both she and Eleven have psychic, memory-reading powers? Either way, the look is fire.

They’re so cute I am in pain ;_;

Tiny Chrollo’s little meltdowns :’))) Once again showing how EMOTIVE he was as a kid, versus the cool and collected facade he keeps up as head of the spider. As a kid he had no qualms about letting his feelings show, which is extra endearing as a boy, who are often socialized from young ages to bury their emotions (but hey, maybe Meteor City is different).

“You read us like a book, Paku!” - clearly a nod to what Paku later develops as her hatsu: psychometry. Reading memories, and therefore people.

THE LITTLE GLANCE PAKU GIVES HIM. It’s everything to me tbh. I remember when my friend first started sending me leaks of this chapter, these tiny side panels were some of the first I saw. To me it confirms what I’d already suspected: Paku had deeper feelings for Chrollo. Whether she kept up the same childhood crush is up for debate, but either way, she cared about him a lot, and I’m connecting the dots that it’s why she was unable to sacrifice him for the sake of the spider in Yorknew.

Paku’s shock at Chrollo being fluent in at least two foreign languages, paired with Rizol listening on thoughtfully, followed by a cut to what looks like some kind of MC council meeting. Chrollo is a prodigy, no doubt about it, and he’s getting noticed. What makes me pause is how they’re already pinning the hopes of an entire city on a child--it certainly adds to long list of christ figure elements of Chrollo’s character, but it’s like... are things really so desperate... that you’re going to burden a kid with this responsibility? Perhaps. Perhaps they’re looking more to the future, once Chrollo is allowed to grow up a little and rise to the role on his own, but either way, it’s clear the point of this scene is to cement Chrollo as his community’s genius golden boy, much like a certain Kurta.

We get more angles of the fascinating architecture of the church, as well as an interior that seems to be the council room. Chrollo’s penchant for burning candles on his pedestal? It was born here.

The fancy outfits of Rizol and the council member shed more light on Meteor City as well: it shows it has a distinct culture, which makes perfect sense and seems obvious in retrospect, but it’s yet another thing I didn’t really consciously think about when I used to imagine Meteor City. I didn’t picture it this organized. What bothers me though is how the priests and council members get nice, fancy outfits but the kids are running around with rags their feet instead of shoes.

THE MYSTERY OF THE TAPE IS FINALLY SOLVED. I can’t quite describe the noise I made when I saw this for the first time, but it was definitely very loud and very exuberant. As a 90s kid, I was RAISED on the Power Rangers, and that’s clearly what the Clean-Up Rangers are parodying. What a fitting parody for a city fully of scrunkly street urchins too haha: the theme of cleanliness. (For the troupe in particular it has even greater thematic weight, but we can save that for later). But once again: I cannot believe the mysterious VHS tape people have been theorizing about for 20+ years turned out to be episodes of the Power Rangers. It’s better than anything I could have ever come up with.

Chrollo mentions “yesterday,” which means they left and came back at some point, and further cements that they hang out in the church together pretty regularly. It also implies that Chrollo was right in that no one ever guesses where he goes--at least not Phinks or Uvo--and he can keep it secret for at least a day longer.

Paku’s enthusiasm for getting everyone together to watch it is so heartwarming too--it speaks to a sense of community that looks past silly turf wars (depending on who she means by “everyone,” haha).

Lastly, Chrollo’s got a plan. His first of many:

Paku and Chrollo’s interactions here are so quintessential “KID” it destroyed me :’))). First, Paku calling Chrollo ‘Li’l bro,’ - which you’d think might cancel out the romantic crush theory, but my read is it’s more along the lines of kids not fully grasping the nuances of different types of relationships yet--that or she’s in denial, which is also likely xD

Then Chrollo getting absolutely MIFFED about being called younger, when he is actually OLDER than Paku, thank you very much!! *huffy face emoji* It’s exactly what a kid would do, and once again it breaks my heart to see him be this cute and innocent and know what he becomes :’)

Paku’s “You don’t look it!” calling to mind all the other times in hxh when people have commented on Chrollo’s age vs appearance: such as Neon (a literal teenager lmao) being surprised that he was in his late 20s, and the mafia men who found Chrollo’s “body” being shocked that their forces were decimated by a “kid.” Chrollo is and always has been: baby.

They’re so adorable I just wanna dunk them in my coffee.

SPEAKING OF ADORABLE

I think it’s precious that these two babies find it very important that the three female characters in the Clean-Up Rangers get three distinct voices--because yeah, yeah it is important, good job kids (I just wanna pat their little heads ;_;) And not only that--once again we see Paku surmising Chrollo’s thoughts/actions without him needing to say anything, which attests both to her future nen abilities and to just how closely she pays attention to him.

CHROLLO’S ‘I LOVE YOU, PAKU!’ GAHHHHHH. stooooop T____T 

100% became a core memory for this girl, and Chrollo has *zero* clue what the big deal is. It could just be childish innocence, but it could also be that Chrollo’s model for attraction doesn’t allow him to see the significance of telling a girl he loves her (*cough* ace *cough*). Because on the other hand - it shouldn’t  be any more significant than for two kids of the same gender, but since we live in a world still heavily influenced by the gender binary and heteronormativity... *sigh.*

(I can just picture adult paku thinking about this sometimes though... “when we were kids he told me he loved me...” no wonder she couldn’t let him die).

Chrollo insisting on his sincerity is so endlessly precious too--because he DOES mean it, just not in the way that Paku might be hoping for. If there’s any major, overarching takeaway from these chapters it’s that Chrollo loves his friends very, very deeply.

Side note: Chrollo surprised pikachu face.

Enter: two more Chrollo friends! I love that his closest friends all seem to be girls :’) Their introduction comes with mixed emotions though, because we’ve seen Sheila before, in Kurapika’s backtory--and that’s a big shock--but we have not seen Sarasa anywhere, so... where did she go? Could she possibly be one of the unaccounted spiders: the original # 4 or # 8? Or could something else have happened to her?

Moving on past that thoughhhh - it’s neat how they have such vibrant personalities that we get a read on them right away: Sarasa is the spunky go-getter who loves trying new things, and Sheila is quietly curious, happy reading her favorite book over and over (”Your sound arguments won’t change my mind.” - I’m DED) Also love the detail that Sheila’s a bit of a klutz: she trips and falls over mid-book, and there was already a bandage on her leg before that.

Other great details: Their little nerd hideaway is called the “All Faiths Church,” confirming what was already implied with the mixed architecture. Just like Meteor City itself, the church is a bit of a hodgepodge.

“Don’t let Uvo and the guys find out!” - there’s a gender divide here, and it’s interesting how the line is drawn with Machi on the side of the “guys” and Chrollo on the side of the “girls.” (kindling for my own little theory that they’re both trans/non-binary and are most comfortable hanging out with a gender different than what they were assigned at birth).

Chrollo being a little genius once again--verging on the unrealistic, because even if it took Paku a couple hours to find their friends, it’s a tall order for even an expert translator to write up an entire script. But it sure makes a point that this kid is SMART, and on top of it, he doesn’t seem to let the praise get to his head, breezing right past Paku’s shock--which is so so so precious. Modest little guy :3

“Huh? So you’re playing everyone else?” - the significance of this didn’t hit me at first, because I was too busy being distracted by all the CUTE, but this is clearly foreshadowing to Chrollo’s struggle with identity. Right now he’s just being an ambitious little actor (and a bit of a hog - the excuse not to let *anyone* else in seemed a little flimsy to me), but in retrospect it’s easy to make the connection: so good at playing other people that he forgets who HE is.

“No way was he born here.” - I have so many thoughts about Sheila’s comment. Might Chrollo have come from somewhere other than Meteor City initially? Or is she just referring to how gifted and charismatic he seems, how it’s hard to believe a kid like that could’ve come from a junkyard? It almost makes me wonder if she suspected there was something off about him, even while they were all still just sweet, innocent kids. I also think it’s an ironic statement, considering how Chrollo grows up to become the embodiment of Meteor City: taking everything, but having no identity of his own.

Side note: Sarasa and Chrollo dancing around all excited. The cutest.

The cuteness sure gets dampened abruptly, though. Here we are: the last page of 395, and a very ominous hint once again at what might be the cause of the troupe’s rage and despair.

It’s redeemed a bit by the image of Chrollo and friends working on their dub though. Once again, never in a million years did I expect my beloved mystery VHS tape to be... Power Rangers haha. And never in a BILLION years did I expect it would lead to Chrollo forming his own dubbing company.

Final takeaways from this chapter: 1) the founding members of the troupe have ALL known each other since childhood (yeah nobu’s not here quite yet but I’m sure he’s... somewhere), and not only that, a lot of them were close friends 2) many of them seem to have retained a lot of their childhood personalities, with the notable exception of Chrollo and Paku, who are MUCH more full of life as kids than they’re ever shown as adults 3) Baby Chrollo in particular seems very different, in all the best of ways, and it makes me so incredibly sad. He lays flowers on graves, speaks at least two foreign languages and gets excited about the Power Rangers. Whatever happened to that sweet little kid? Or is he still there, somewhere?

Guess we’ll have to read the rest of the flashback.

Until next time!

[takami-takami]

yes yes to everything u said.

i genuinely think ur literally such a good writer like not even just for hawks but for any thing the way u write or see things is just yes chef's kiss. its so true so many people have so many misconceptions about hawks, they love to dumb down him as sad and flirty its as if they only saw two scenes of him and ran with it.. they make him either a extreme pervert (wtf lol?) or "not touchy" also I bet hawks has had a cooking hyperfixation at one point but hawks is actually a really good written character ((most of the time hes just a dude but with a lot of hero training + wings) at first i never liked mha but i have sm appreciation for the characters stories, i hope tumblr doesnt eat this because i sent smth yesterday but i dont know if you got it (it was a fluffy imagine) sorry if u get spammed my phone is shit, i have literally so many random essays abt characters i promise u nobody would be complaining if u analyzed and made essays abt hawks but ur feeding into my addiction of birdman tho😔 point is : you actually see what he actually is lol he isnt stupid he knows what hes getting into.. about getting corrupted from work if that means he can save one more person, he's one of the few characters ive seen written well about lesser of two evils yk? i think thats why hes really likable but also upsetting, when having to do something when they "ask him" when it isnt really a " question"/"ask" its also annoying when people hate him for reasons *(esp with twice stuff)* when he didnt really have a choice under so much pressure and sm consequence.. his personality isnt only just work even though he doesnt get to explore his own likes often i really hope at the end of the manga or whatever he ends up okay cause it would be so tragic if he was a done deal and died or forever trapped in the hero stuff, i havent caught up with the manga i saw some spoilers and now i want too..but even if he does end up um.. :( .. it's okay cause he was still a good written character but he deserves to be in the story still lol

ALSO I DONT KNOW IF THE DOG THING WAS JUST ONE TIME THING BUT IT WOULD BE SO CUTE IF U NAMED HIM/HER and like we all accept the dog as your follower's inside joke and bring it up every once in a while or in other drabbles :) it was so cute ahhhshsh remember to take breaks if you ever need one - have a medal 🥇👺

AAAAAH I APPRECIATE THIS SO MUCH!! I love seeing other people pick apart the bird boy too. I agree mha is like, really fun because of the character stories in particular and there's so much care put into how they write hawks. I AGREE that Hawks hasn't had the oppurtunity to really explore who He is outside of his work, like so much of his identity is tied to that and I think he notices that too? It's part of why he thinks about a society where heroes are bored and have too much time on their hands so much (though I think his primary goal is that he wants to keep the world safe; if heroes have too much free time, that means there's no one that needs saving/help).

I may bring the doggie back!! I'm glad people like him <333

If they kill Hawks I legit will not be okay but I HOPE THEY WON'T TOO!!! HE DESERVES TO THRIVE AND BE HAPPY!!!!!

[bastardbvby]

are you going to read the one piece manga?

yeah !! i started reading it once i caught up to the show, but ive been slacking so im only just about to reach the baratie arc asfhfjf im really looking forward to reading everything though and i loveeeee reading through the question columns and getting extra info about the lore and characters its so <3

[katvaramell]

Ive just caught up to the JJK manga (chapter 249) and its insane 😭

I started reading it after watching the anime and oh my god I did not expect it to continue this way!!!

One I was quite disappointed that the amazing „I am you“ sequence between mahito and Yuji was only a few panels. I really loved the way they did it in the anime and I think it gave the moment the gravitas it needed.

Yuta is actually helping Yuji??? I got spoiled about quite a few things but this didn’t register at all. I loved their work together though :,) especially now in the fight against sukuna I’m very curious how it’ll go

The amount of information at once about the culling games is very disorienting. It’s such a complicated magic system and now all these new people and rules all at once really take some focus to understand!! (Which I’m not used to after starting with one piece…)

I love how Yuji manages to unintentionally get an adult to adopt him every two weeks it’s so cute

This scene was such a gut punch!! Having it spelled out and then yuji saying he’s guilty just shows again how hard the shibuya incident hit him. And they had no breaks to mourn since then. I think it’s so heartbreaking how yuji only sees himself as a cog with a function and puts himself in this role he can’t escape. I genuinely appreciate that they basically redid the scene, but this time explicitly said that it was sukunas fault and that Yuji agreed!

When megumi killed that guy and it was announced that he got 5 points I absolutely couldn’t believe it. I know that they weren’t disillusioned to killing but still seeing them do it willingly really surprised me and also hurt :(( they’re just babies

It’s very overwhelming to be introduced to so many techniques after each other, but I think it’s very interesting how they work and develop!!

Also I love Maki so much. Absolute icon behavior. I love that she is as strong as Toji now!!!! Gege is not great at writing women, but here he really popped off

I’m very interested how the whole angel plot line will continue. Because after it turned out that she was someone that megumi saved, and she wants to help him in return for that I think some surprises will still come up (also I loved the flashback with gojo ruffling megumis hair 😭 it really showed how involved in each others lives they were :(( )

Poor megumi😭😭 I got spoiled for it but the panel at the end of a chapter where megumis soul is just lying in the dark all miserable made me cry :(( they’re just babies your honor

I’m also quite curious to see if he is still alive and how his cursed technique is faring. I didn’t quite get what is going on with him currently, so I guess we’ll see

There is a totally straight explanation for this I’m sure 🤡

I love and hate that gojo got a little flashback scene to his dead friends. I’m glad they’re reunited again, even if they’re still burdened by what happened to them - but it still hurts that they died here. Even though they were so strong.

I don’t think that Gege will bring gojo back. I do think he’s dead, because the way things look now they don’t genuinely need him to win. And it would take away the severity of the plot, if they could just do take backsies

I love that yuji has a voice as a sorcerer even without being sukunas vessel. He seems to still think that he is just a cog but I do think he starts to value himself more

It is also very interesting to see more of higurumas development and I was so surprised to find out that he is just as powerful as gojo! It truly seems to be a second golden age of jujutsu with all these powerful players assembling

I guess that even though Yuta beheaded Getos body, it doesn’t seem like kenjaku is dead because he is just the brain. I can’t quite tell if he will return in Getos body or a new one. It seems like the body is finally dead for sure, because all the curses escaped. But I’m sure we haven’t seen him for the last time

All in all it seems like the series is coming to an end in the near future. Everything starts to funnel down to a last show down, but I can’t quite tell how that will go.

[waterfallofspace]

Hi hello!! Local lurker here. Im sorry to hear youre having a rough time!! D: hopefully itll get resolved soon enough!! Your recent skk piece was. Coughs. It was. Very very nice so this little distraction is the least i can do FHDJDJ

A little general question to distract, if youd like: ive noticed you have vnc in your fandom list-- WHICH AHH. Vnc has been living in my head rent free for a hot minute now. I wanted to ask about your favs and also general thoughts on the recent chapters, if youre caught up? (not that theres alot that goes past the anime BUT STILL. gosh the them)

Aww, thank you!! and aghsagjk I'm glad it was enjoyed hahahaha~

OMG I DO!!! AHFOSJIAKLG AHHHH I'm so out of my mind excited to talk about it but I do have a confession... I haven't read the manga yet ToT It's not on the site where I read my manga, so I have to find/purchase it somewhere else, and I just haven't had the chance yet~

BUT!!! I adore the anime with all my heart and omg so I'm Basic and apparently have A Type and so my favourite is V/anitas. Hands down. I adore N/oe too, he's a complete sweetie, (and uhh.... D/omi is pretty uh.... she's good.... haha~) but V/anitas holds my heart in his slightly-clawed-gloved-hands.

They're SOOOO- I stand by the take that they are in love. And you know what??? Their canonical love interests are basically just versions of the other. Which is a whooooole thing I won't get into, (and don't get me wrong, I love the girls too, just... why not with each other sfhsjfhsj) but I definitely love their bond either way!! (and hope to GOD that we get another season once the manga keeps going!!! so many questions aughh-)

(also just gonna add that yes. I have The Thots [snz] about them/this show, and I may one day act on it. I do have a lil google doc with Notes To Self about them hehehe~)

[fairestar]

the ending of your lie in april.. </3 hold on, howl's moving castle is a BOOK? WHAT? also, your name is made by makoto shinkai!!! i recommend suzume, weathering with you, 5 cm per second by him! :D dragon ball z and naruto is nostalgic, and my love story with yamada-kun at lv999 looks so cute, i just added it to my list!! to answer your question, i like 'darker' animanga :) like jjk, akira, ergo proxy, oyasumi punpun, aot, tomie… but i also love shoujo a lot! i really liked nana recently. I CANNOT CHOOSE FAVOURITES UNFORTUNATELY 😭 maybe naruto, pokémon (ahem you are definitely eevee in my head), or spirited away since those were my "firsts"? ANYWHO, sorry for the my wall of texts but i hope you enjoy my spam eheh very excited for your new post <3

YES! is a book of the same name written by diana wynne jones (one of my favourite books), it is very lovely and brings so much comfort, but it's very different from the movie. i remember i once read someone say the movie is how howl tells the story and the book is how sophie tells it, and that is just so accurate. it's the only occurrence when im happy the movie adaptation doesn't follow the book because it's so nice that we got such different tellings of the same story. and im always thankful to hayao miyazaki for making howl such a loveable character because book!howl isn't as dreamy. aaa, if your name is by makoto shinkai then im sure i will like his other work. i think of that movie often, it had such an impact.

im also more into more complex animanga, im currently watching death note and im surprised at how much i like it, even though light is so irritating. and i am loving jjk, ive just caught up with the manga (let's not talk about it...) and the anime is sooooooo good (the opening???? one of the best ive seen), im so excited for the shibuya incident arc to develop. although i must say that the first season felt like a combination of naruto and bleach (which i have yet to finish but i haven't been too motivated to do so because it is awfully repetitive, worse than naruto when it comes to the flashbacks). and about aot, ive tried watching it countless times but i just can't get into it, but i want to because i feel like im missing out on something good! although because it's so known i think i know about something that happens with eren and it's such a turn down to start watching it while knowing that (if what i know is accurate, but i dont want to make sure because that'd only make it worse).

ive only watched maybe like three pokémon chapters and all of them from different seasons, mostly because of landing on cartoon network when zapping as it was being broadcast so i can't say much about it but i just looked up eevee and it's so cute! i could see myself as it hahah.

and don't worry, i loved your texts! you are one funny individual and im glad we share this many interests!

[fubukiswifenoimnotjoking]

So! Finally caught up on opm manga!!! Gotta say I’ve loved these last few chapters and I missed reading it so much, college has taken away the time to read my fav series regularly :( Anyway, my thoughts aren’t completely sorted yet but I’ll say a few things! (MANGA AND WEBCOMIC SPOILERS BEWARE)

1. OH MY GODDDD the Blast reveal about why he’s been away? So fucking cool!! It’s weird bc that’s like the one thing I haven’t been spoiled on lately so it was a fun reveal and makes me extra interested in his character and where he’ll go from here, especially when Blue gets introduced.

2. OH MY GOD GENOS BEING A LITTLE SHIT AT THE MEETING AND EVERYONE BEING LIKE ‘this bitch is gay’ WAS EVERYTHING IVE EVER WANTED OH MY GODDDD. Also, the way everyone played off of each other in the meeting, especially Genos being a snarky bitch to everyone and Zombieman trying to mediate was so funny. I love Genos oh my FUCKCJCJCJX 😭😭😭😭🧎🏻🧎🏻🧎🏻🧎🏻

3. AND THE FUBUKI AND PSYKOS FLASHBACKS?? So impressed with the way Murata has really brought One’s art to life in his own way once again! Amazing work, and I won’t mention the gay shit between them bc that’s all I’ve been talking about lately. I will say, I was worried the Psykos and Fubuki fight had been cut out or something but I gotta say, making it a short flashback that also foreshadowed God was genius and a great solution to having the fight without conflating the MA battle even more.

4. Arguably one of the biggest deviations from the wc, Tatsumaki herself. Seeing that her fight with Fubuki over Psykos is now “staged” in some way bc of Tatsumaki, it absolutely drives another wedge between wc Tatsu and manga Tatsu as completely different people. In the wc, the fight over Psykos was extreme and Tatsumaki put Fubuki down more than usual, threatening to seclude her and it painted her as overprotective and downright cruel. I imagine that she’ll still play up the whole mean vibe as an act, but that’s just it! The fact that she isn’t going to plain kill Psykos out of the whole “she must die because I say so” idea, even tho she has another idea with what to do psykos in relation to the ones who once experimented on Tatsu completely distinguishes her as the kinder, more well rounded Tatsumaki here, both because of her actions and the larger amount of insight into her past that we’re given in the manga. The only thing this will change, tho, is her fight with Saitama, which was born of pure anger because of his words that supported Fubuki and told Tatsu she was being shitty. Now that it’s an act, will she get as angry and do the whole side fight with him, or will he get involved bc of the Tskyuomi guy? (I’m sorry Idk how to spell it😭). If so, it won’t be bad, but I’m worried it won’t be as good as the og fight, that one’s a classic.

Regardless of changes, I’m so so interested in the way this arc is going down and the way the changes of the MA battle are making bigger and bigger ripples! Also, sorry for being so MIA, promise I’ll try to talk to some of my mutuals and asks and stuff, y’all are very fun to talk to and I feel mad at myself for not finding more time to exist in the community again :(

[kenmahive]

daiya no ace long post that nobody asked for but i literally just finished it rn and i have a lot of thoughts

(mutuals who are into sports manga/anime please WALK WITH ME and what i have to say)

daiya no ace (ace of diamond) is a sports manga centered on baseball written by yuji terajima. it follows sawamura eijun, a pitcher, who was scouted to join an private high school known for its baseball team.

im going to be outright: i did not get this it at all when i first tried consuming it. initially, i tried watching the anime after a friend recommended it to me and it was also the first time ive ever heard of daiya. ao ashi is my favorite sport manga/anime of all time and she said that since i liked ao ashi sm, i should check daiya out since the two works have some parallels. so i did.

but i couldn’t get into it. it was so painfully slow and i also think my headspace/current situation at that time also had a play in it. i think i got to around seven episodes and stopped because things were barely moving forward. im a busy college student, and i really wanted to watch something that would entertain me during my rare free time, and it wasn’t doing it for me. so i stopped watching. but i wasn’t opposed to picking it back again some other time around.

fast forward to now. it’s a semester break, i picked the manga up a few days ago and decided to come back to the story but to read the source material first because im in a sports manga kick after reading slam dunk. and i think just found my second favorite sports manga.

like my experience, i understand that this may not be for everyone and that it’s hard to get into. the story really takes it time, act 1 (the one im talking here btw and the one i just finished. ill start act 2 tomorrow) has around 400 chapters and the protagonist isn’t even a starter for his team by the end of it. and you could say that it’s realistic and beats other sports mangas in the field in the realism department. because being an athlete isn’t easy, being the best in a team doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye.

but im telling you pls PLS give it a chance because once it kicks in, you can’t stop reading. like i kid you not while reading throughout the series and i only had a hundred something pages left, i felt like i was robbing my future self of joy by continuing reading because that means that the story would end soon (i know there’s act 2 but). like i simply did not want it to end soon, but at the same time i want to know what happens next.

the mc is also going down by my books of favorite protagonists of all time, and i want to add that im someone who don’t gravitate towards mcs most of the time. for some reason, other characters like a deuteragonist or side characters tend to catch my attention more. watching him grow and his journey was so … uplifting ? and it was such a joy i was rooting for him all throughout.

i also think that the manga does a good job in portraying the unpredictability of sports. most of the times in sports mangas/animes, the formula would be: main team would lose to the big guys, main team would train, main team would fight the big guys again, then they win. but thats not the case for daiya (i mean they will face them off again in act 2 but the fact that it subverts the formula in act 1 still stands), which again, accurately portrays the unpredictability of sports irl. some favorites to win get eliminated shockingly.

the story also does a good portrayal of a healthy rivalry where the competition between the two rivals (eijun and furuya) mutually allows them to grow and better themselves. not only that, but they’re also supportive of each other and have a good relationship overall.

anyways now i want to talk about my favorite character: miyuki

can i just say MI CAPITAN. literally my number one boy we cannot replace.

when i first tried watching the anime and my friend (the one who recommended it to me) asked me who are the characters that caught my eye from the few episodes ive seen, i mentioned a bunch of characters and she was in disbelief that i didnt mention miyuki and now that ive read the entire thing IM IN DISBELIEF TOO.

i just love him sm and the way he supports his juniors/pitchers. not to mention hes really an integral part of the team as the catcher, captain, and was responsible for two important aspects in a game in order for them to win. his whole performance in the seikou game is the biggest i am him performance ever and he just moves me sm like idk if i want to be with him or BE HIM. ive only finished part 1 and im curious to know more about his character on the second act.

anyways i think ive rambled too much and idk how to close this huge word vomit but yeah. READ DAIYA!! genuinely give it a chance and you wont regret it