#homura cats arc

[coquelicoq]

[ID adapted from alt: Two panels (the first is on the left) from the Natsume's Book of Friends manga in which Natori uses the phrase "clowder of cats". The first is from chapter 101 and he's saying to Matoba, Natsume, and Nyanko-sensei, "So Ban is aware of the clowder of cats that Natsume saw." The second is from chapter 102 and he, Natsume, and sensei are looking at a dozen or so ceramic lucky cats surrounding a man passed out on the floor. Natori says, "Wow, this is a real 'clowder' of cats..." /end ID]

ugh gretchen stop trying to make clowder happen, it's not going to happen 🙄

#i had to look this up. i've been reading english for three decades and i s2g i never saw this word before #apparently it's a collective noun for a group of cats. like a pride of lions‚ a murder of crows‚ a clowder of cats #if you say so gretchen... #i love that he says it like a normal word the first time but he must have gotten some weird looks because he's quote unquoting it #the second time #wow this is a real [pause] CLOWDER of cats... #<-said no one ever you big weirdo #i have to wonder though if this is just a totally normal word in japanese and it's an artefact of translation #because we don't really have a collective noun for cats in wide use in english... #natsume's book of friends #natsume yuujinchou #kittehs #fun with words #my posts #natori shuuichi #homura cats arc

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

okay just one more Madoka reference 

#jaune: so you saw that evil cat near your friends and immediately shot him into swiss cheese? awesome! great job! #homura: he didn't die though #jaune: well it's just like that sometimes #homura: and you are not going to fucking believe what madoka did next #jaune: TRY ME #rwby spoilers #curious cat #jaune arc

[treecakes]

teenage matoba in lending hand and also the miharu arc convinced me to like matoba

#the homura arc really really convinced me too but by that point i already started to like him #i remember waiting for that to be translated i was so excited to talk abt matoba & the cat vessels with ppl #anyways bless their hearts you can afford to be patronizing only when you’re powerful -15 y/o matoba

[lavenderr-starrs]

I’m sorry to my mutuals who are watching me like disappear for a week or a month and then reappear reblog stuff and post stuff from fandoms you’ve probably don’t even know about (A lot shit on my plate that’s been burning me out lmao! I’m fine though just been busy dw!! It’s nothing bad I promise even though it probably sounds like smth bad XD)

but I’m gonna make this post before I literally lose my marbles

It’s about twisted wonderland and Madoka magica so strap in fellas this is gonna be hella targeted to probably me and me alone and maybe like one other person

Anyways HEAVY AND I MEAN HEAVY SPOILERS FOR BOTH FRANCHISES and A REALLY LONG RAMBLE UNDER THE CUT LMAO

So don’t click keep reading if you havent finished or started either (ESPECIALLY MADOKA MAGICA, Trust me the show and movies are so good walking into blind I’d kill a man to watch it blindly again) also warning for potentially shit grammar incoming lol

First things first-

HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN SOMEONE NOTICE THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN OVERBLOTS AND WITCHES?

The similarities is the over-use of magic and negative energy polluting the energy source they use to performing these magical abilities turning them into abominations that go on a rampage and effecting the lives of those around them.

The difference though is that for witches, it’s specifically middle school girls who become witches and them becoming witches have the chances of causing world ending atrocities- and in the world of puella magi most Natural disasters are due to the fact a witch is the cause of those disasters and only incubators and other unsuspecting naive magical girl know of

Whereas in twisted wonderland *So far* we’ve only seen Teen high school boys overblot and that didn’t(Besides chapter 6 and 7) have any world ending consequences in my opinion

Says alot huh? XD

Anyways that’s a point I wanna get to another time

You know what I’d love to see? a reader-insert or just a yuu from puella magi in the world of twisted wonderland!

Now this is when I start getting real self-indulgent with this XD but I wanna see like a Homura!Yuu! :)

basically a reader-insert who takes the role of Homura Akemi, right?

And the entirety of the first anime happens and Madoka goes from a 14 year old girl who made a wish to save a cat from dying by unknowingly trading her soul to become a magical girl as an energy source to a higher being

to end up becoming an omnipotent concept that saves magical girls when their gems over pollute and are about to become witches

But instead of the Rebellion Arc happening and Homura!Yuu becoming a witch and demon and all that pizazz! let’s say they “try” to keep going and just Bans themselves from going back in time again and trying to go forward for Madokamis sake and deals with those weird wraith things in the new universe

and maybe a little cherry on top they try to learn and expand the magic abilities Yuus other magical girl friends had.

Later on we move to let’s say, 17 Year old Homura!Yuu, and guess what? You’ve been isekaid bestie have fun!

During the prologue introduction, when Homura!Yuu wakes up into the coffin grim doesn’t get a moment to even open the coffin as you just kick it open ready to transform believing this is some form of a witches labyrinth and are ready to jump into a bunch of conclusions

Now, in comes a poor unsuspecting Grimm

And the first thing Homura!Yuu does upon notice of him? The same thing Homura did to Bebe in rebellion-

just one Quick grasp onto his neck and just instantly slamming him into the nearest wall before he could even say a word. Questions being shot left and right over this potential Witch-like being or a being that seems to be similar combination of a witches Familiar+ Kyubey. A thought you do not like the sound of.

Grim is quite fairly, terrified out of his mind (I’m sorry my son) But! Lucky for him in comes the headmaster to witness this display of aggression! And school hasn’t even begun yet! The nerve!

Now this can go from here in Multiple ways, but for now, how id see it going is Crowley using his whip to tie up Homura!Yuu and just yoinks up a scared grim similar to what Mami did in rebellion

you’re only reaction to this is “Ah shit, here we go again.”

Now I can see Crowley ends up kicking Grim away still since you’ll obviously deny any association with him and just questions Crowley like there’s no tomorrow and just like in canon those questions fall on deaf ears! Lol

Crowley believes that coming to night raven college has frazzled your young hormonal teenage mind into acting so aggressive and since he’s such a kind and generous headmaster does not hold you accountable for it, isn’t he so wonderful c:

Homura!Yuu ends up quietly playing along to whatever the hell is going on to get a better and proper assessment on the situation you’ve been put in. So everything continues on as normal while the students of NRC give you a strange look until it’s finally your turn to approach the mirror.

How I’d see the mirror react to a Homura!Yuu is once you give it your name, I feel like he’d go “their soul is..Missing?..” Because as you know your soul has been turned into your soul gem and the mirror has no knowledge of this so you’re not gonna be assigned any dorm, sorry not sorry c:

This, understandable, freaks everybody out.

This is when Canon plays out a usual in the story for the prologue with the headmaster taking you to Ramshackle and you’re Re-encounter with Grim.

When you do encounter grim again you transform again and start to chase after him to continue where you left off back in the mirror chamber. This leads to Homura!Yuu discovering grim to be innocent in your arrival here and just simply… wants to be able to grow stronger.. hmm why do you feel like you’ve heard that before

Upon Grim proving his innocence and quite frankly become official scared of Homura!Yuu in comes the ghosts to scare him some more! They watch you chase him down and wanted to join in on the fun.

Mind you, you aka Homura!Yuu are still on guard and still transformed so you obviously attack the ghost with grim ending believing you attacked them for his protection! You didn’t, but if it makes up for scaring the piss outta him sure 👍 well go with that.

Now we continue with canon from here with Crowley calling you a beast tamer and hiring you as a janitor yadda yadda, but Grim ends up referring to you as his Bodyguard instead of henchman in this one! Which if Homura!Yuu was going to be honest, Grim was 1,000 percent a bigger improvement then kyubey.

I totally wanna make a side writing blog and make more stuff like this if it gathers the attention of others lol, I already have it made I just need to edit it along with my other side account where I used to post art until I took them down due to tumblrs Ai update lol

Once I’m done fixing up those two I’ll make a master post with the users of all three of my blogs and my ao3 too lol

Anyways thanks for reading my weird ass ramble :) I have so many ideas I wanna talk about for this and so many story scenarios that probably no one’s gonna be interested in XDD

#am I gonna tag it as x reader? #yeah :) #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #thanks for reading the ramblings of a mad women #I’ll make a tag for this #Homura!Yuu #there we go that’s good

[saitama-vs]

Hello. THis is the big list of all the results, sorted alphabetically. Warning: LONG LIST UNDER CUT.

Aang from Avatar: the Last Airbender 41.0%

Ahti the Janitor from Control 52.8%

Akinator from Akinator 47.8%

Amelia Bedelia 80.8%

Amy Wong from Futurama 31.4%

Arale Norimaki from Dr. Slump (and one episode of Dragon Ball Super) 78.3%

Assassinlan Pasalan from The Battle Cats 54.0%

Astarion Acunin from Baldur's Gate 3 8.5%

Bambi from Bambi 19.1%

Barney the Dinosaur from Barney and Friends 27.8%

Batman 11.4%

Beedle from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 52.5%

Bennett from Genshin Impact 18.3%

Bocchi from Bocchi the Rock 55.7%

Boyfriend from Friday Night Funkin' 22.2%

Brassmo the Chao from Saltydkdan 83.2%

Buggy the Clown from One Piece 37.9%

Bugs Bunny 86.2%

Bunga from The Lion Guard 25.0%

Burgerpants from Undertale 34.7%

Captain Biceps from Captain Biceps 22.9%

Cats from Real Life 76.4%

Cecil Palmer from Welcome to Night Vale 72.1%

Charlie Kelly from Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia 24.1%

Chell from Portal 54.9%

Chompy from Bug Fables 87.2%

Clover from Homestuck 57.1%

Columbo from Columbo 79.3%

Connecticut Clark 71.9%

Dan from Dan VS. 38.6%

Death from Discworld 63.7%

Discord from My Little Pony 34.2%

Ditto from Pokemon 57.0%

Divecat build Purrloin from Competitive Pokemon 62.8%

Dougie Jones from Twin Peaks: the Return 43.5%

Ebony Dementia Darkness Raven Way from My Immortal 45.8%

Eduardo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends 40.3%

Fear from Inside Out 23.0%

FEAR rattata from Competitive Pokemon 57.5%

Figment the Dragon from EPCOT 47.0%

Flabébé from Pokémon 36.9%

Flan from Everhood 41.6%

Flora Reinhold from Professor Layton 72.2%

Fumihiko Takaba from Jujutsu Kaisen 62.9%

Gamzee Makara from Homestuck 41.5%

Genie from Aladdin (1992) 66.2%

Genie from Aladdin (2019) 14.3%

Gir from Invader Zim 61.5%

Gnome Ann from Xkcd 85.6%

Gorgeous Freeman from Gorgeous Freeman 56.8%

Gotrek Gurnisson from Warhammer Fantasy 63.1%

Hatsune Miku 73.8%

Holly Jolly from Sleepless Domain 72.6%

Homura Akemi from Madoka Magica 28.1%

Imposter from Among Us 50.5%

Ingo and Emmet from Pokemon 47.7%

Isca the Unbeaten from X-Men 3.1%

Jailbot from Superjail 46.2%

Jerry from Tom & Jerry 89.7%

Joltik from Pokémon 68.7%

Kabal from Mortal Kombat 23.2%

Kanade Yoisaki from Proseka 33.3%

Karl the Raccoon from Bungou Stray Dogs 84.9%

Kira from Death Note 16.9%

Kirby 86.8%

Kobeni from Chainsaw Man 53.4%

Kyubey from Madoka Magica 20.6%

Lamb from Cult of the Lamb 51.5%

Larry the Cucumber from Vegetales 48.2%

Leeroy Jenkins from World of Warcraft 37.2%

Link from The Legend of Zelda 22.0%

Luigi, While Doing Nothing 79.3%

Luo Binghe from Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System 43.4%

Macbeth 15.6%

Madoka Kaname from Madoka Magica 49.0%

Magda from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 67.0%

Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy 52.6%

Maxwell from Scribblenauts 75.4%

Melissa Foddebrat from Beware the Villainess 40.5%

Metal Cat from The Battle Cats 51.6%

Mindy from Animaniacs 58.4%

Minimoose from Invader Zim 82.3%

Mio Naganohara from Nichijou 80.3%

Mister Invincible from Mister Invincible 76.3%

Mister Miracle from DC Comics 37.0%

Mob from Mob Psycho 100 41.2%

Monkey D. Luffy in Gear Fifth 25.6%

Monokuma from Danganronpa 16.1%

Mosquito from One Punch Man 76.1%

Mr. Bean from the Mr. Bean Show 51.1%

Nahida from Genshin Impact 15.4%

Neco-Arc from Tsukihime 70.9%

One of Every Pokemon 44.5%

Orko from He Man/Masters of the Universe 53.4%

Peegue from Return to Wonderland/Wonderland Secret Worlds/the Wonderland Adventures trilogy 59.1%

Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney 57.4%

Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians 10.1%

Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb 66.4%

Pikmin from Pikmin 77.4%

Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony 90.4%

Plank from Ed, Edd, N' Eddy 74.7%

Plankton from Spongebob 29.1%

Pop Fizz from Skylanders 41.6%

Princess Tutu from Princess Tutu 63.4%

Prismo from Adventure Time 61.2%

Q from Star Trek 33.3%

Raku-Chan from Nyan Neko Sugar Girls 42.1%

Reigen Arataka from Mob Psycho 100 41.5%

Remy from Ratatouille 54.2%

Rick Shades from Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic 16.6%

Rio Mason Busujima from Hypnosis Mic 29.6%

Roadrunner from Looney Tunes 93.8%

Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit 66.1%

Ryan, the 'I Like Trains' kid from ASDFMovie 68.1%

Saiki Kusuo from The Disasterous Life of Saiki K 65.7%

Saint from Rain World 56.4%

@saitama-vs 30.3%

Sans from Undertale 51.3%

Santa Claus 64.2%

Saxton Hale from TF2 43.5%

SCP-682, The Hard-to-Destroy Reptile 24.2%

Shedinja from Pokemon 72.5%

Sissel from Ghost Trick 68.3%

Six Balls from Scum Villains Self Saving System 70.1%

Socioeconomic Inequality from Real Life 72.3%

Spider Ham 53.0%

Spies from Spy vs Spy 45.3%

Squirrel Girl from Marvel Comics 83.5%

Stanley from The Stanley Parable 49.0%

Starchild Dave Bowman from 2001 34.7%

Steve from Big Top Burger 81.7%

Stuart Little from Stuart Little 23.7%

Swarm of Bees from Real Life 83.5%

Tenma Tsukasa from Project SEKAI 39.9%

The Animaniacs 86.9%

The Cabbage Merchant from Avatar: The Last Airbender 33.6%

The Djinn from Twisted: the Untold Story of a Royal Vizier 86.5%

The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones 55.7%

The Goose from Untitled Goose Game 94.3%

The Gopher from Caddyshack 79.4%

The Groke from Moomins 73.5%

The Midnight Crew from Homestuck 23.9%

The Monty Python Rabbit 64.8%

The Penguins from Madagascar The results of this one are complicated

The Pink Panther from The Original Pink Panther Cartoons 87.5%

The Swan from Hot Fuzz 90.7%

The TF2 Mercs The results of this one's complicated

The Tick from The Tick (1994) 34.7%

Tom Bombadil from Lord of The Rings 80.5%

V1 from ULTRAKILL 65.9%

Vriska from Homestuck 36.2%

Xi Ping/Xi Shiyong/Tai Sui from Tai Sui 34.2%

Yonah from Nier Replicant 28.6%

You 22.6%

Youngster Joey's Top Percentage Rattata 37.9%

#not saitama poll

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

More Writer's Notes

Would this story deliver more catharsis if it ended with a less happy ending? Full on Homura from Rebellion. I wanna say... Yes.

But it would have been more satisfying because Simon simply doesn't get his shit together until literally episode 9. He goes through too many revelations in one episode for us to feel satisfaction. From all the other episodes up till that point, if Simon walked into the abyss with Betty, it wouldn't have been healthy but it would have drawn a straight through line from all the episodes before.

Literally if we splice the end of episode 2 and jump cut to episode 9, where Simon goes to Shermy and learns about his relationships that way - the whole story would still make sense. Because we would be learning at the literal pace that Simon did.

They veeeery much wanted to make Simon just a healthier individual. But if they had to spoonfeed Simon's problem to him on the second to the last episode, then that's a pacing issue. That's not gonna deliver catharsis.

We're at the end. Simon should be further along his realizations by now. If this was what they wanted, we should have had the satisfaction of Simom unraveling himself from day one.

Fionna denouement in comparison is waaay better done because her appreciation for her ordinary life gets seeded through each episode. She starts identifying her problem by episode six?

Also Cake... Cake's arc was a little wasted or neglected. I thought her whole introduction was learning about how her cat instincts don't translate as well now that she can talk. Or learning to be... I don't know, more considerate about others? But she also has the most to lose in an ordinary world and we don't get to explore any possible guilty feelings she may have re: Simon.

Honestly, we could have woven the three stories together around the way neither three really think about their impact. Only in Fionna's arc do we get to see that fully played out.

Also Prismo forever never suffers consequences. Which is fine. I guess?

#adventure time #fionna and cake #simon petrikov #betty grof #fionna and cake spoilers

[defeateddetectives]

CHAPTER 103-104 Where Vessels Lie in Slumber I was so happy to work on a longer story for once. My head starts filling up with what to do next while I'm still working on the current episode when I'm in one-shot mode. But being able to linger on a story arc reminded me of the excitement I felt back when I first wanted to be a manga artist. I still have a lot of storylines I'd prefer not to cut short, so I hope I get more opportunities like this. I've wanted to do this particular story for a long time, but I feel like it could only be done now because of how Natsume's currently feeling. I hope you can pick up on how Natori and Matoba's relationship changes subtly depending on the situation, and that you get a feel for their solidarity as exorcist peers. It was so fun drawing everything I wanted to include: Natsume's faith in his friends; Natori's belief that he can still offer help even as an exorcist; Matoba, who's sometimes prevented from action because he knows and sees too much; Tanuma, who's surely able to help, but is unable to accompany Natsume; the cats protecting their secret; Nyanko sensei. And of course there were even more things I wanted to expand on, so I'll take my time working them out.

- Midorikawa Yuki, notes on the Homura arc, Vol. 26

#natsume yuujinchou #ft. #horrible exorcists #crumbs #bc they got me verklempt while sobbing into my copy of vol 26 which i haven't been able to let out of my sight (in spirit anyway) for weeks #and wasn't sure if these had been shared here before #it also got be v emo that this was the story she chose for her 100th chapter!!!!!!! :') #truly playing the long(est) game (with my hearttttt)

[honey-tongue]

Okay! After rewatching pmmm for the first time in about 10 years, what are my thoughts?

(This will be all over the place and probably really long. Formatting? What's that?)

I'll start with the ending! It's very emotional and bittersweet. It puts enough emphasis to show how major Madoka's wish is. Not in terms of the universe, but in terms of Madoka's existence itself. And everytime she's asked if that's what she truly wants, she's says she's fine with it. Even with her heartbreaking goodbye with Homura.

And the ending tries to be a little ambiguous where this will go. Madoka's hope that Homura will remember her reminds me of Kyoko's hope that she can bring Sayaka back. Granted, Madoka truly hoped for that and wasn't trying to give false hope like Kyubey did. But still! Idk if it was intentional but it's cute! We also see after the credits (I never saw this part :0) was Homura walking to some wraiths and Madoka's aura(?) Telling her to do her best and her little smile is cute. :) Apparently those wings weren't supposed to be there, one of the staff just put them there because it looked cool lol. Anyways! Everything is supposed to be all good now! Right? It seems all good now!

Well... I'm gonna read the wraith arc soon after this and before rewatching Rebellion. (Rebellion will always confuse me lol.) But... I dunno! It wraps up a little TOO nearly, huh? It makes sense why people hated Rebellion and like how it ended. And some people like bittersweet endings, that's fine. But... It just seems a little TOO okay. We all know Homura wasn't really happy. Duh. But she's definitely less cold and she's smiling! That looks good! Kyoko and Mami are alive! That's good! Sayaka got to see the dumb boy play his violin and got some closure! That's good! But, again, this all just seems a little TOO fine. Like, how Madoka felt about how she'll forgotten and only a concept. She's just like "yeah! That's fine! That's okay with me! :D" I can't buy that. Not without that being a front or a result of feeling PUSHED into carrying this heavy burden and combined with her low self esteem and self confidence.

Madoka, like the other girls, was completely exploited. That's just a fact. You'll never make me believe otherwise. No normal person with a good mindset would wish that upon themselves, that doesn't have some form issues within themselves. Not to mention how Kyubey LITERALLY FORCED her into seeing things she didn't want to. You really think it didn't bother her? Just like my post about Sayaka, this dumb cat KNOWS what he's doing. Madoka has a kind heart, obvious she wants peace and goodness for everyone. We see and hear this time and time again, so it really hurts seeing that used by the magical system to try exploiting it for their own gain. And it sucks that this very system, that has caused so much pain, in fighting, abuse, instability, is the way to fix it all. But, I suppose that's how it is in the real world too... Anyway, Madoka was in a vulnerable spot, just as Kyubey wanted. Like he's scripting all of this just to push her. And I just have to emphasize that I don't buy Madoka being fully okay with this. Girl just wanted to be good at something, to give something amazing to this world and she thinks the only way to do that is to become a concept of law. People argue that "she wanted this" and yeah, maybe I'd fall for it too if I had all this information pumped in my head by Kyubey PLUS the whole events of the anime itself with Mami, Sayaka, and Kyoko dying and Homura almost dying.

Oh, my Homura... Babygirl. I'll add that Christina V was SO good at her emotional parts, honestly. It's a good reason to watch the dub! Idek what to say about Homura that I haven't either said irl or liked other people's posts about. But God... The whole ending is about hope. I GET IT. I GET IT. But there was just... It felt so wrong seeing her act okay and I guess that's the point of the darkened eyes at the end, mayhaps? I get how Homura feels selfish now, because even I feel selfish about wanting those two together after seeing how "okay" things are. ;_;

(I GOT DISTRACTED AND STOP TYPING RIP ILL DO MY BEST TO CONTINUE.)

Going away from the ending, Sayaka is such an underrated character oh my God? It felt like she was stealing the show sometimes lol. I don't understand how she's so hated. I mean I do, but I feel people see her wayyy too surface level. I almost started loving her more than Homura! Crazy! Her arc always will break my heart. It's the main reason I didn't rewatch it for so long, it's just so... Depressing and relatable as time goes on. (I first watched in like... 2014ish) Her English VA is so good too! Especially in the quiet moments when her voice is breaking. Ahh

!ALSO I DONT REMEMBER HATING KYUBEY THIS MUCH. Obviously, I didn't like him before, but I don't know if like, life has changed me or anything be I just wanna 😡😡😡 everytime he was on screen after they find out about the soul gems. I will NEVER understand how people can find it in their hearts to sympathize with him after seeing all that he's done to be manipulative. Like, did we watch the same show???

And Kyoko! She doesn't get much screentime but ah! What a doll! I forgot she ever interacted with Madoka! She's so sweet to her despite hardly speaking with her to begin with. Literally every magical girl wants to look out for her and I just 🥺💜💜!!! Honestly, her adamant stance on never wasting food hits harder now that I've actually experienced going without food. I remember not caring much about her when I first watched, but she's so fun! And normal lmao. Probably the least messed up in the cast. And I LOVE the idea of her and Homura having a solid friendship. The way they interact in rebellion and the way they get along in the show is refreshing. I'm sure Homura appreciated not having to babysit her as much as the others.

Overall, this was painful. :) Episode 8 was the most painful one, if I'm being honest. Sayaka breaking down plus Homura's emotional outburst HURT. I kept having to pause from watching it because I just couldn't handle it. Also, because I watched the dub, I didn't get to see something's be translated.

This was when she became a witch and :((( she felt so bad for wanting to be acknowledged. My heart...

Sighhhhh.... But those are my thoughts. Is it just as good as when I watched it? Even better! I feel like as an adult, I understood the concepts and explanations way better and have a better appreciation gift the themes it tackled and the way it was written! I low-key hate it now though because for now, I feel oddly... Bad for wanting Homura to pull Madoka down. I never felt bad about it and now I kind of do? I feel like the "Homura is evil and everything was fine before she interfered" people are infiltrating my brain. Oh no... Well! Time to watch Rebellion after I read the wraith arc. Maybe that will help me not feel so insecure with how I feel.

Also this was really all over the place, I can't seem to fully sit down and write this out like I did with my Sayaka vs Madoka post. My brain is truly a mystery.

#idk why i suddenly feel do insecure with my thoughts all of a sudden? geez... do i dare even tag it #ash says stuff #ash watches pmmm #pmmm #SCREW IT ILL DO IT ANYWAY

[ruki--mukami]

Only a few mere days after the event, the magical girl was downtown with her beloved vampire, despite the throbbing pain on her delicate neck, and bruises around her wrists from his harsh grasp, she was still seemingly as in love with him as before.

However, it seems as though they went to the very wrong place, at the very wrong time, as her, supposedly heirloom, necklace began glowing, and she looked utterly terrified from that, and yet she knew that she couldn't bribe the black-and-white haired vampire to get out and leave, so, she just trusted him blindly to keep her secret...

And turned to her magical girl form the moment called for it, when the place around them warped and distorted, and eventually, became something horrible, something unreal. She was quick on her feet, leaving the vampire's side blindingly and ventured into the dystopian looking place with her weapon in her hand, and a weird, cat like creature guiding the vampire after her.

The sight would've been enough to terrify anyone, even an undead being that has seen so much. A disturbing weird creature with many flashing colours was devouring a girl without a head, and then, a blinding and flashing light blinded everyone briefly... Before the creature turned to the magical girl at hand, and charged at her, it was a long fight, a fight where she got injured badly, and her necklace almost went completely black, but at the end of it all, she defeated the creature, and used something weird that fell from it to cleanse the necklace..

"What would you wish for, if you could wish for anything, ruki? " the cat-like creature asked.

(Rukis homura arc?!?)

“What… What is this place…? This not quite like Makai by any means. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said the Vampire as he looked around, up and down, side to side, scanning the various abstract scenery unfolding like a pop-up picture book fabricated into reality. Mandalas of vibrant colors spiraled forth, circular rhombus-patterned structures spun in place, and soon the entire area became shrouded in darkness much to Ruki’s both awe and dumbfounded state. More importantly, the strange catlike creature treading beside him pulled a suspicious raise of the brow from him as he averted his gaze down to examine its white fur and ruby red eyes. “Who are you and where have you taken us? I know this is your doing.”

That question remained unanswered as it was soon interrupted by a commotion of spectral beings engaging in combat.

“All of this is far too bizarre beyond comprehension… Even for a Vampire such as myself,” he muttered in contempt, looking for a potential escape route, but not before he could reunite with his beloved. “Just where exactly have you taken her—?!” 

As if on cue, the violent spectacle displaying before his very bewildered sapphire eyes featured none other than his significant other, clad in magical attire and brandishing an illuminated weapon that seemed to emit be the only light source quelling the surrounding sea of darkness. When she braved the first injury, Ruki shouted in protest upon seeing the gory clash. It pained him knowing he could not obstruct the witchlike monster’s advances in this foreign place, though he did attempt to approach them thanks to his vampiric teleportation abilities. 

“Oi…! Get away from her!! Livestock, get out of here, it’s dangerous…!!”

Then she sustained further wounds and slashes to her frame, which only elicited more enraged shouts from him in futility.

“No… Stop this madness at once…!!”

Despite all that she endured, a bright flash emanated from her weapon and before he knew it, the witch began to disintegrate and faded into nothingness, save for an ominous gem that absorbed the black from the magical girl’s so-called heirloom. Now Ruki was convinced everything she told him was a lie, albeit to conceal her identity and hardship. Rushing to her injured side, he took her bleeding body into his arms, one hand caressing the side of her face like she was made of the most fragile glass.

“You… All this time, you were…”

Then the catlike creature neared him, asking a peculiar question during a dire time like this. Right now Ruki didn’t care about what he desired most in this moment. He simply wished to protect the magical girl and bring her to safety. With that in mind, he voiced his concerns aloud to the small beast.

“What do I wish for? Do you think wishing and praying to some omniscient being to grant us our desires will save us right now?! No, do not be so foolish. We must escape this place immediately… I just wish to never see her suffer at the hands of such vile abominations ever again,” he lamented. “The pain and punishments I put her through will suffice, but this… This is something different entirely.”

#diabolik lovers #ruki mukami #mukami ruki #ask #react #diabolik lovers rp #ana-darkcloud #magical girl s/o #(( MAGICAL RUKI WHEN— ))

[notarealwelder]

All right, here goes (segmentary) Neko Kuro liveblog

Today's offering: Neko Kuro Ep 1

> They are bitter memories, they are sour memories, but somewhere deep down there's sweetness to be found. > She was bewitched by a cat. > A cat. > A felid, a carnivore, a mammal. > Ever since, I can't stand cats. > I'm afraid of cats. > Yes, just as I'm afraid of Hanekawa Tsubasa. Nisio Isin just has a way with words, doesn't he? (I may be always saying that, but it's true!)

---

> A brother who'd fall asleep after that is better off dead. Hi Tsukihi

---

Glasses-and-braids Homura Hanekawa brings back memories, hm? Rather a contrast to her e.g. Owari image. (Well, of course it is, there are, what, three growth arcs between them.)

---

And while we're at the opening, let's reflect: what do we expect of a Monogatari? Witty dialogue, some of it guiding the plot and some incomprehensible punning. Social-ish commentary subtext. (Or just text, really.) Metaphors for human condition of variable subtlety.

So here's a question for the arc: what is it about? Is there a clear-cut thought the author wished to communicate? (Plausibly as many as several.)

---

waves hands at artstyle play

---

> 驚くって言うか,轟くよ! And that's why subs are the preferred translation method; how else are you gonna catch this horrible, horrible pun (My respect to translators, who tried their best)

---

How did I watch monogatari for all these years without noticing just how blatantly it's ≈reaching for visuals to go with dialogues (It's the paying-attention-for-liveblog, isn't it)

---

H-san? Oh dear.

---

(Re: reaching for visuals) Like really

---

> So His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness, at once taking and changing the young girl into a multitudinous and close-toothed comb which he stuck into his august hair-bunch, said to the Deities Foot-Stroking-Elder and Hand-Stroking-Elder: I'm sorry what

---

(05:12) So girl, such wow

---

> When, and at what stage, did you first conclude you were in love with him?

We could sigh and shake our heads at this, but consider: doesn't it make sense to reach for comforting certainty of analytic frameworks when thrust into the unknown?

---

Hooray for Tsukihi and unabashed epistemic sanity!

---

> カモシレルヨ! Isin, Japanese language is not a stick of plasticine, you can't just (Have I mentioned my respect for translators)

---

Yet again with the artstyle!!

---

> I figured we'd try it out. Ah, Monogatari! Never change.

---

> sexual frustration talk

Now that's just ridiculous; how did they jump from "oh yeah telltale signs of romantic affection" to "wait, no, if there are sexual components it doesn't count"

---

> Scene no. 223 (black) ..why does Araragi speak in katakana?

---

...and why is Karen taller than Araragi.

---

Once again, Araragi & Hanekawa are delightful!

---

....and then it's as if there was a genre shift; well done, animation team

---

> Why does it sound like she's trying to justify what happened? Hi japanese cultural mores!

---

> Is this supposed to be that kind of scene? Well it's nice to shift back into silliness, isn't it?

---

And the ending is.....full of Araragis falling apart and being-put-together.

---

> It was a perfectly wholesome act. With the implication that the previous horny was....a play to change the mood, and to pretend-forget? Araragi really is..insufferable in his niceness.

---

> These feelings and desires only continue to... > bury me under their weight. Elsewhere, Senjougahara Hitagi snaps a pencil, and has no idea why.

---

Overall statistics:

Shaft head tilt count: >=6.5

Essay topics for Ep 1: - The dichotomy and conflict of perception and analysis in romance - What is love? An epistemic perspective - Acceptability of romantic and sexual expression in modern Japan

---

> This is a preview hallucination. It....sure is.

#neko kuro liveblog #if you're here for monogatari liveblogs feel free to offer format suggestions #I have no idea how people usually liveblog things and will appreciate ≈expectations and preferences #or discussion of any kind really

[coquelicoq]

[ID from alt: Two pages from chapter 101 of the Natsume's Book of Friends manga. Natsume faces Matoba, holding Nyanko-sensei and standing in front of Hiiragi. He says, "Mr. Matoba?! What are you doing here?" Matoba says, "I came to rescue you." Natsume, surprised, says, "What?" Sensei says, "Here they come" as he looks at the sky behind Matoba. Matoba smiles without turning around as Ban's wooden puppets fly toward his back. He turns his head as a paper doll whizzes past, toward the puppets. As Matoba stands there calmly, several paper dolls whoosh past him to collide with the puppets. Sensei says, "Paper dolls?!" Natsume thinks, "Those are…" and turns to look behind him in the direction the dolls came from, where Natori has appeared. Natori says, "Good, you're safe! This way!" /end ID]

matoba trusts natori so completely to handle the puppets that he just stands there totally relaxed as malevolent entities target his unprotected back. doesn't lift a finger to defend himself. okay. hot.

also what's funny is this is the exact same energy matoba was giving off in world unbent when their positions were exactly reversed - back then it was natori who was standing right in front of the threat and matoba who was shooting around natori to attack it. matoba is now confident in natori's abilities in the same way he's confident in his own - though as we see later in this same arc, he's also aware that he's capable of things natori isn't. he doesn't need natori to be exactly on his level, he just understands what natori can do and adjusts his behavior to leave those things to natori and to focus his own efforts on the things he's better at. he's strategizing as a team, under the assumption that natori has his back, under the assumption that they're working together and that they know how to do that. the competence & confidence & compatibility & trust! three whole chapters before he and natori do their incredibly sexy joint spellcasting, matoba is already fully in battle couple mode. not to put too fine a point on it but hot hot sexy hot.

#if natsume weren't so distracted by the horrors he'd be throwing up a little in his mouth #natsume's book of friends #natsume yuujinchou #horrible exorcists #my posts #links #homura cats arc #like in the previous couple of pages matoba showed up and saved natsume from a puppet #then TURNED HIS BACK ON THE REST OF THEM and just started casually talking to him? #instead of dealing with them? because he knew natori was right behind him and would handle it?? #he got there first because he's better. so he took care of the first one. and then he was like eh bae's got the rest of 'em #which also creates the (incredibly funny out of context) dissonance of him being like 'i'm here to rescue you!' #as he stands there doing nothing letting natori do the rescuing #sorry i'm obsessed with him! as if it's my fault!!!

[charlierejouis]

2023: The Year of Universe Zero

Last year was been quite a year, huh? It was a crazy and eventful year. I haven’t done too much outside of Quick Notes on this website. So I’ve had a lot of time to think through doing this.

This post will be different than the past years. Normally, I would talk about the seven best things to happen in the year for EZ fans. (I’d also have done it in 2023.) But outside of the anime, anything else I could mention involves the same thing: the shift into Universe Zero.

This was the second biggest thing on last year’s list, but barely. The only reason I didn’t have it as number one was because its overall impact on the series had yet to be made clear. It’s hard to think of anything in the manga this hasn’t affected last year.

So as the year has ended and Mashima seems dead set to end the series, it’s about time to ask an important question: is Universe Zero a good thing or a bad thing?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Many of the more tragic after-effects from before have been undone. Every character who died in the last universe has come back alive. All kinds of other tragic events have either been undone or lessened.

I know the way both sides feel. The negative side is that any tension from before is dissipated. The comeback for that is that having everyone come back gives the EZ crew more to protect. I lean towards the latter, especially considering I made a similar case when we learned the nature of Cat Leaper.

Though, you might remember that I made a bit of a bold prediction in that post. I said that Mashima could use the concept of what we’ve come to know as changing universes to bring about particularly drastic results for example all the past villains get together and form a super evil coalition against the EZ crew.

What happened in 2023?

The Oracion Seis Galactica came back. Deadend Crow and God Acnoella are joined by an evil AI made by Professor Weisz and Dr. Muller. No matter who the other two members were, this was an amazing setup for the group. Outside of the group, Drakken Joe and Poseidon Nero team up against the EZ crew, with Sister, Kris, and Kleene. Poseidon Shura brings the Ocean Six back into the fray. And behind all of this, the EDENS ONE, Void, and the Dark Starts are racing towards Mother, who is on the verge of dying.

So, the stakes are the highest possible, right?

Well, only kind of?

Not to disrespect anything I mentioned before, but it’s not like I figured it would be. Ignore the EZ Crew in what I’m about to say. Weirdly, this universe is a kinder version than before. (Such a Mashima fan complaint.) Mashima is amazing at dramatic situations, more than he’s often given credit for. Though, as you might tell from my jokes about his “school of despair”, things end up a bit too happy. It feels like this universe was a way to reset crazy things on a large scale.

Drakken Joe, the villain responsible for stealing the life spans of people around the planet, including Weisz’s mother? Now he uses animal life to keep himself going.

The battle between Oasis and the Aoi Empire, which is one of the most pivotal series of events in the past two universes? They realize they have a common enemy and fight him quickly.

Dr. Muller, arguably the most evil villain in the series, and easily my favorite villain? Weren’t you paying attention? He’s that common enemy. The Rutherfords don’t even get a shot at him despite teasing the idea.

And then there’s the EZ crew.

Probably my biggest complaint about this situation is one that I have with a lot of Mashima’s writing. We don’t get to see stuff we should. We should see how and when everyone came to realize that they’re in the new universe. I think the best chapter in this arc, and possibly the series, was the last chapter from last year. We had a repeat of the last chapter with a couple of twists. It ends with them realizing what happened.

It was cool to see how the EZ crew members came to remember things. My favorite one was Homura. Unlike most of the members, her recollection didn’t come from seeing the other members of the EZ crew or being on the EZ. It wasn’t until she was reunited with Valkyrie that the memories came flooding back. (More on this to come.) But we should have seen this for all the members. What made Laguna Hermit and the Rutherfords remember their place on the EZ crew?

And I can’t stand the training and handling of new powers in old bodies. I hate that things played out how they did. They just catch onto things they know despite their bodies having to adjust. Making Over Drive work is one thing. Cat Leaper coming back was a slap in the face. I would have been fine if the effects stayed, but they didn’t. The training should have been a mini-arc. But, again, Mashima is dead set on ending this series soon.

I must admit that I enjoy the positive gains the EZ crew has experienced. Homura was able to reconcile with her mother more realistically. (Loathe as I am to admit, no one is as cruel as the original Kurenai in real life.) Weisz gets to be with his mother again. Even Happy is a real cat and not a cyborg – a point that causes issues during fights.

And, speaking of positive changes for the EZ crew, we haven’t even gotten to the biggest one of all: all four of the Shining Stars have been reunited. It only took around four years from when the idea was teased on Sun Jewel, but Witch, Sister, Hermit, and Valkyrie Yuna are all on the same ship again. On one level, it feels cheap that they’re back. But, to be honest, it makes perfect sense. The whole universe was reset to the time before Witch Regret’s sacrifice. And with a Kurenie who’s helping the resistance, this wouldn’t lead to the incident that did Valkyrie in.

The most fun thing about the Shining Stars all being back is the allusions to the distant future. These were teased during the Aoi Cosmos war, but we’re getting a better look at what led to the Shining and Dark Stars to exist. I won’t pretend I understand much of it. However, the lore behind this whole thing could blow a hole through much of our current understanding of the series, depending on how Mashima takes it.

Speaking of Mashima, I’ve hinted at this multiple times, but I need to talk about this. Mashima has said that he wished for this universe to be much happier. It seems that he isn’t too comfortable with the dark aspects of this and any series he writes. It’s a shame because it’s one of the best things he does.

In Conclusion:

Seeing things play out in Universe Zero is as much of a grab bag as so much of Mashima’s writing. A lot of good has happened and a lot of bad. As always, let’s just stick along for the ride and see how things play out.

#good riddance 2023 #edens zero #edens zero spoilers #universe zero

[treecakes]

like i guess the earlier matoba chapters were interesting but i find his later appearances to be much more interesting and i cannot wait for them to be animated. i want to see the miharu arc and whatever was going on in hakozaki arc pt. 2 animated soooo badly.

#also the homura arc i want to see the little kitties…… #i don’t actually care abt matoba in those chapters although it is funny he has an entire catalog of ceramic cats memorized #i care more abt the situation with his sister that’s just more interesting…..

[sweettsubaki]

J'ai publié 8 262 fois en 2022

C'est 4 089 billets de plus qu'en 2021 !

138 billets créés (2%)

8 124 billets reblogués (98%)

Les blogs que j'ai le plus reblogués :

@spongebobssquarepants

@yramesoruniverse

@renecdote

@kitkatpancakestack

@rantblog-no1

J'ai étiqueté 5 940 billets en 2022

Seulement 28% de mes billets ne comportaient pas de tag

#911 fox - 2 708 billets

#eddie diaz - 1 372 billets

#evan 'buck' buckley - 1 329 billets

#buddie - 953 billets

#miscellaneous - 337 billets

#howie 'chimney' han - 295 billets

#911 parallels - 273 billets

#buddie parallels - 272 billets

#henrietta 'hen' wilson - 266 billets

#animals - 262 billets

Tag le plus long : 139 caractères

#i'll be honest i first saw him in hana yori dango in which ...well his nickname was 'tête à claques' which is a french expression meaning :

Mes billets vedette en 2022 :

n°5

I would like to congratulate Mochizuki Jun for taking 2 romantic moments from Princess Mononoke and merginf them into one romantic moment between Vanitas and Noé (plus another one not that long before).

Just... Congratulation

49 notes - publié le 9 mai 2022

n°4

Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume's Book of Friends / Le Pacte des Yokai chap 100

Look at how adorable he was as a kid. I just can't.

57 notes - publié le 31 août 2022

n°3

Homura Arc (chapters 100-104) - How Ban's character highlighted Natori and Matoba's bond/Frienemieship/Whatever it is they have through cats

@joelleity here's the thing I was talking about

Heads up I haven't read the non translated chapter so this is only resting on the canon we have up to chap 108.

I've always considered NatsuYuu to be a cat people story in part because most characters have cat-like tendencies (especially if they're Ayakashi related, whether because they're Yokai or because they can see/feel them). This show is about the importance of interpersonal relationship and those are treated very much with a cat themed thesis of "even if it's just for a second and you find happiness with other people, it doesn't make its impact lesser than"...Also Natsume punching creatures bigger than he is and running away immediately is peak cat behavior u.u.

Generally speaking there are very few humans in this show who give the cat vibe as much as Matoba Seiji does.

However I didn't expect Midorikawa sensei to play with it this literally instead of just jokingly (if one day we get a chapter with any character, but especially Matoba being turned into a cat I'll die)...

More seriously though, the focus of this story is Maneki Neko exorcism tools and the fact that Ban wants to capture them for his Master who happen to be Matoba Seiji's Sister (whom I will call Lady Matoba from now on for practicality). Which actually give us these two as foils

through the Matoba siblings feud(?).

Surprising, I know. I actually don't know the point of this, I've mostly noticed a pattern and am trying to write my thoughts down.

First let's take a look at what we know of where Matoba Seiji and Natori Shuuchi are at, at the beginning of this story.

So far in the main story Matoba and Natori have been established as people who know each other through having clearly worked together before which brings some level of knowledge about each other that's common between colleagues and Natori is particularly distrustful of Matoba. They still both acknowledge the other's skills.

We've also got to know only a few chapters prior that they have known each other since high school and had moments which they remembered differently. Natori remembered not liking the loquat he tried meanwhile Matoba remembered being offered loquats only because he was with Natori and remembering the context as well as remembering Natori's experience too.

The flashback chapters, which we have had for longer, give a lot more depth to this. We know that Natori's distrust is caused both by Matoba's attitude toward casually using others (well, him specifically) AND because of Natori's family rejection because of who he is. Basically Natori has a huge inferiority complex and doesn't know how to have interpersonal relationships.

Meanwhile Matoba seeked him out regularly 'cause lonely teenage boy, and because he too sucks at interpersonal relationships, he tried to find a pragmatic reasoning for why he was there. Since he was basically raised to live, breathe and die for his clan his pragmatism is inherently linked to that. Whether he was trying to find use for his clan and took the opportunity to find a friend or he wanted a friend and took the opportunity to help his clan is left unsaid. Either way he tried to get both.

It generally seems mostly one sided in the fondness department. with the exception of that one time Natori woke up after being possessed, Matoba seems to be the only one trying to turn this into an actual friendship.

So on the one hand we've got Matoba seeking Natori out and trying to befriend him but unable to be vulnerable because that would make his clan vulnerable. Matoba even tried to get Natori to come to his clan so he'd get a talented exorcist and get an actual friend out of it (vulnerability would not be as much of a problem if it's from the inside. Granted I doubt he though that far ahead). Matoba who is used to being rejected and still tries. Though he stops trying to recruit Natori he still seeked him out. Until he stopped which we don't know a thing about.

On the other we've got Natori who doesn't want to be vulnerable out of fear of being rejected, who takes Matoba at face value and never really tries to see past the Clan Heir to who Matoba is because Matoba's front gives him an excuse to fear vulnerability.

The one time he tried, Matoba got cold feet because while hoping, he's never actually had anybody try to reciprocate a genuine interest in him as a person and didn't know how to react so he fell back on known mechanisms.

This is represented by their names. Matoba calling Natori by his first name and getting him to call him Seiji and them arriving at adulthood using their last names with a polite distance.

Neither was in a good enough place to actually manage to build strong foundations so there are foundations but they're kind of just...there waiting to be reinforced and built on.

So that's it for the run down.

But why does that matter ? Well this chapter nuances everything through more or less subtle additions which hasn't really happened yet in the main story, at least not on such a big scale.

Natori's familiarity with the Matobas

We start the arc with Natori recognizing an object belonging to someone we don't know. Just that they make him shudder. We learn at the very end that this is Lady Matoba. Which brings some behaviors to a different light.

For example when explaining who Ban is and what kind of person he is sevring, we get this:

Voir l'intégralité du billet

57 notes - publié le 29 août 2022

n°2

Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume's Book of Friends / Le Pacte des Yokai chap 101

Matoba is such a nerd.

72 notes - publié le 3 septembre 2022

Mon billet n°1 en 2022

OK but Eddie's announcement about leaving the 118 and putting Buck on the spot at the end of 510 is sooooo similar to the way he chose to enroll in the army leaving Shannon behind.

In both cases he's running away with the excuse of taking care of his son (both were fully valid, but still excuses).

He admits to Carla that the shooting and the kidnapping both impacted him, the same way he admitted to Buck that he left for the army because he was scared.

Except now he clings to his son instead of leaving him behind. But he still leaves his partner behind without discussing with them the fact that he won't be able to have their backs first.

If there was any moment Eddie needed to get Therapy... It's now.

141 notes - publié le 3 mars 2022

Obtenez votre année 2022 en revue sur Tumblr →

#tumblr2022 #année en revue #mon année tumblr 2022 en revue #votre année tumblr en revue #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[scorpionatori]

can never get over this panel like The Only time we have seen him with a smile of genuine fondness for matoba (as opposed to his usual >;V faces). “that guy’s a cat lover🥰” okay gay boy

#love that natori knows matoba is a cat lover and also that he apparently finds this a very endearing trait of his #imagine being natsume and up till now it’s always been #‘grr I don’t like matoba sorry you have to deal with too🙄’ #and then also seeing ‘mmm that guys loves cats natsume🥰’ #natsume seeing how they interact in the homura arc: ah. I see. they’re divorced

[mikazukidoesart]

Matobaxcats + Natsume, Natori and Nyanko-sensei's reactions 😍💖

#fanart #natsume yuujinchou #natsume's book of friends #matoba seiji #natsume takashi #natori shuuichi #nyanko sensei #traditional art #sketch #cats #based on homura arc