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everythingsinred · 1 year

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Mikan (pt. 8)

This will be the final part of the three-part culture fest! Mikan has had a lot of fun with her friends so far. In particular, she's learned a lot about Natsume in theory but he's not really interested in painting himself in a better light. Today we will discuss how the culture fest wraps up, and especially how the very end shakes things up for Mikan when it comes to her feelings for Natsume.

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Chapter Twenty-Three

It’s the performance day of the festival, and it’s the somatic class’ time to shine. Class B comes by despite Ruka’s insistence that they don’t, and they find out he’s opposed to their presence because he’s playing Snow White. Ruka is not happy to be under this kind of attention, likened to a “real girl,” when he never wanted the role in the first place. (And I can’t help but feel like Ruka must have ditched his culture fest duties so often to hang out with Natsume instead, not just because he wanted to make his friend feel better, but because he also hated working with Narumi on this musical.)

Mikan asks Koko about the sticky balls he bought at central town and when he offers one, she makes a comment about how she’d have nobody to throw one at, even if she took it, but she’s looking at Natsume the whole time and she does end up taking it (presumably to chuck at Natsume the next time he annoys her).

I'm so messed up and insane about this stupid, pointless exchange. There's not anything to analyze. Why am I even writing this essay?

And then disaster strikes: the musical equipment ends up crashing and falling, the sticky balls fly everywhere, and a child only narrowly misses being crushed by a spotlight. Narumi quickly adapts and utilizes what he can of the performance, enlisting “understudies” to replace the vital actors who have been slimed by the sticky balls.

Somehow when Mikan sees Natsume again after being pressured into playing a role for the sake of the child he’s now attached to, he’s dressed up as a wild cat!

Natsume is not Ruka. Ruka gets moody when people call him cute and girly, but all that does is encourage the attention. Natsume is scary. It doesn’t matter that he’s dressed as a cat, most people wouldn’t dare to say anything out loud because they’re afraid of how he’ll respond. Though Sumire is also unafraid, squealing over how cute he is, Mikan is boldly laughing at him.

Nobody has been antagonized by Natsume more, but she’s still the person least afraid of him. She finally has something to tease him for, after all, and she’s not gonna miss out on the opportunity when he never misses the chance to tease her. That’s what their relationship is based on, it seems: making fun of each other. It’s interesting that Misaki’s warning to keep clear of black cats seems like it was ages ago. Mikan is long past viewing Natsume as nothing more than a terrifying menace; he’s just a rude guy she knows now. With a little time and effort, they could even be friends. She made fun of her friend Ruka, so why not tease Natsume too?

She starts petting his little cat ears, making fun of him, calling him cute, until he snaps, flicking her forehead. They end up bickering and fighting a little until he totally sells her out and volunteers her to play the role of the prince.

I love their silly little dynamic during the culture fest. She is supposed to be ever at his mercy because of the genie thing but that doesn't stop her from annoying him anyway.

He is apparently so angry about wearing this costume that he will punish anyone for teasing him a little, even if it means using up one of his wishes. So Mikan is forced into playing the prince (a huge role) with very little prep time, and she seems to be the only one backstage opposed. She eventually gives in and dresses up in costume.

Poor Mikan, who wasn’t really at fault for any of the chaos that took place backstage, is now in an uncomfortable position, where the success of the musical rests partially on her. But, trooper that she is, she refuses to complain about it and instead sucks it up. It’s nice that Ruka comes over, because he was also forced into his role. He promises to help her out and they agree to do their best together. This is the first example of something that will be recurring throughout the manga: Ruka being a pillar of support for Mikan. He is always willing to help her out and be there for her, even if it’s something that neither of them wants to do.

He's so much more helpful than Narumi. At least Mikan has an ally in the somatic class or this would have been a lot worse.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mikan has her hair down for her role, something that makes her insecure. She feels weird having her hair down and worries that it looks strange since she’s usually wearing pigtails. She asks Ruka if it looks okay, and he evades the question, pointing out the obvious--that he’s never seen her like that before. Very unhelpful.

Self-conscious, she says she wants to put her hair up but Natsume yells at her for no reason. Luckily for her, her friend Hotaru is there, who will be blunt and tell her how it looks. When Hotaru tells her that it looks good and that she should be more confident, she finally feels better about it. What she’d wanted all along was some sort of reassurance and for some reason, boys are incapable of giving it.

Poor Mikan... This is so scary.

We can see another example here of Hotaru showing those little glimpses of kindness when it really matters. Though she begins the exchange with teasing, she becomes earnest when she realizes how much it matters to Mikan in the moment. Mikan is usually self-assured, but even a girl like her has lapses in self-confidence. Every part of this role is uncomfortable, being forced onstage with no real preparation, not being Yuri, having her hair down--it’s all far outside her comfort zone. Mikan likes being validated and reassured, especially in moments like these, so Hotaru’s compliment means a lot.

The play commences and when Mikan’s part is finally up, the audience is upset that beloved Yuri has been replaced. Mikan is insecure again. She wants to help the somatic class, but the murmuring from the audience is enough to make anybody uncomfortable. She’s lucky that the prince’s role has been narrowed for her sake, so most of the time she’s backstage, watching others perform and reacting to the inevitable chaos of Narumi being in charge of a musical. When it’s her turn again, it’s the final scene. She’s determined and doing a good job of reading the cue cards set up for her. She prepares to give Ruka a fake kiss on the forehead, but apparently Narumi wants her to smooch him on the lips for real.

That’s not anything Mikan has prepared for! It’s unfair too, because she’s doing the class a favor, and this is asking too much. Mikan is innocent, just a child. She’s never had a crush, let alone kissed somebody, and now she’s being put on the spot for something she didn’t want to do in the first place. Ruka sees the cue card and assures her that she doesn’t have to do it (and he’s able to look out for her and put her needs first because Narumi’s demands are unreasonable but also because he never cared much about the success of the play to begin with; it’s not worth it for Mikan to be forced into this), but Mikan doesn’t want to be the reason the play is ruined. She already feels guilty for not being Yuri, for not being the prince the audience wanted. She’s no actress, either, and all she wants is to make up for the sticky ball incident. So if Narumi says that’s what she’s meant to do, then even if she doesn’t want to, it would be unfair of her not to.

Screw you, Narumi.

So she decides to do it. She won’t do it the way Narumi wants. Even if she’s complying, she’s aiming for the side of the mouth and to be quick and abortive about it. But she doesn’t even get that far, because something collides with her head, interrupting her, and the lights go dark.

The play is over. She didn’t have to kiss Ruka.

But even though it didn’t end up happening, it almost did, and it’s uncomfortable.

In the anime, Ruka is a little morose, but he and Mikan make up quickly after the play. The episode ends with them having fun and even including Natsume. The chapter does not end that way. Instead, they can’t even look at each other and it’s awkward, and Natsume isn’t involved. Ruka isn’t too sad, I don’t think, because he seemed to be genuinely against Narumi’s cue card and would have understood that whoever threw the thing that interrupted Mikan did it with her best interest in mind (and Ruka’s too, because it would’ve been his first kiss too, and he also didn’t deserve to experience it in such a way). Instead, I think they’re both just uncomfortable about what almost happened at Narumi’s command. Though, Ruka might have a slightly different discomfort because of his crush on Mikan.

Ruka is so cute in these panels with his little blush.

I do think it was shitty of Narumi to do that to Mikan, bargaining off her first kiss for the sake of “sizzle.” Additionally, Ruka also didn’t want the role of the princess either, and if Ruka hadn’t peeked his eyes open to glance at the cue card and see what was keeping Mikan from continuing, he might’ve ended up ambushed with a kiss, which is also incredibly unfair to him. But I suppose in a school where exploiting kids is the norm, this would be tame compared to some of the other things kids are forced to do. It’s just unfortunate.

Especially because all Mikan wanted to do was help. She’s not in the somatic class. She didn’t bring the sticky balls. She didn’t cause the accident backstage. But in the end, she ended up carrying a huge burden that the other Class B kids didn’t have to carry, even the ones who did bring the sticky balls. It’s just sad, if we think about that from Mikan’s point of view, how something that should have at least been romantic almost ended up being staged and pressured onto her.

Chapter Twenty-Five

We finally get confirmation on Narumi’s end that Mikan is Yuka’s daughter. He had suspected it before, and the similarities were all too much to be a coincidence, but now he’s sure. And for what. Everything is falling into place. He’s the one who brought Mikan here for his own selfish ends, but now he cares about her. He knew from the beginning that Mikan would be treated differently (and he also treated her differently, giving her a dangerous entrance exam), but now that he cares about her, he is suddenly concerned.

But Mikan is not present for that conflict. She just watched the festival parade and is now watching the closing ceremonies, where she can finally see the headmasters for the first time, and her attention is naturally drawn to the ESP, who is a kid. Tsubasa explains not to draw their attention, because they’re sketchy, but to especially beware the ESP, the sketchiest of them all.

Alice Academy is a crazy school. Mikan already knew that. But every new thing she learns just serves to make the school seem crazier. From her perspective, being a newcomer to a fascinating world, principals who don’t age and kids who become headmasters are just more examples of what a wacky place the school is, instead of anything genuinely concerning.

Mikan watches the prizes get awarded. To nobody’s surprise, the technical class takes home a trophy, and even Hotaru gets awarded for her hard work. Mikan is very proud of her friend, but nobody in the SA class expects it when they too are recognized for their efforts. All of them are shocked.

Mikan and her struggle to fathom that her class's attraction (and by extension her own alice) has been appreciated to this extent.

Mikan wanted to participate in the culture fest from the beginning. She wanted to show off to the school that her class could do something amazing too (and, in doing so, also showcase that her alice wasn’t useless or selfish as she always fears it is). Their goal from the start was to have fun and help their guests have fun too. They certainly weren’t trying to get a trophy and thus never thought they’d get one.

But they did. Their efforts have been noticed and now they’re being given a shout out.

Mikan is naturally overjoyed and proud of herself. Without her, the SA class wouldn’t have put up an event at all, but because she refused to give up, they couldn’t either, and now they had a trophy to show for it.

Narumi comments on how much she’s grown. Mikan is quickly making friends and deep connections. She’s thriving, making the most of her circumstances. Yes, Mikan will be in deep waters in the future. Her life at the academy will certainly not be easy, but Narumi believes that she can make it through.

And I do believe that Mikan is thriving more here at the academy, with these friends, than she would have on her own back home. Though she’s still a newcomer to this place, she’s found ways to fit in, making more friends than she had back at her village. She misses her grandpa, of course, but she’s being allowed to grow and flourish here in a way she never would have if she’d stayed.

When Mikan and Narumi see each other, he congratulates her and gives her a surprise: a letter from Jii-chan.

Natsume told her not to trust any teachers, but Narumi has been doing his best to prove he can be trustworthy.

A long time ago, Narumi told Mikan to trust him, to believe that he will do what he can to fix things. And now he has the letter in his hand. This is his proof, his reward to her for her faith in him. She can trust that after that fateful night, her letters have been delivered. Natsume warned her not to trust any teachers at the school, but so far her trust is paying off.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Time for one of my favorite chapters in the whole manga. This is the chapter I’ve been waiting for.

This is the last day of the festival, the day of the after-party. Mikan finds out that there’s a legend surrounding the after-party, specifically that dancing with somebody at the Last Dance means you’ll be together forever. There’s three big romantic hook-up events at the academy (the Last Dance, the Christmas Ball masquerade, and Valentine’s Day, I’m assuming, particularly regarding the alice stone exchange), and all the girls in school are excited about it.

Except for Hotaru and Mikan.

Hotaru is uninterested in romance, more fascinated by some other, creepier school mysteries, and Mikan has never had a crush, so romance isn’t on her radar.

But the other girls are in a frenzy, and the most popular boys in class are getting harassed about it. Girls want to dance with Ruka and Natsume, and that shocks Mikan. Why would anyone want to be Natsume’s girlfriend? It’s impossible for her to even imagine.

Exhibit 1000 of Mikan feeling insecure because she's not experiencing what other people are. "Not that I care." Well, obviously you do!

Still, she feels left out. She wants to care about romance and girly stuff, just because other girls care, not out of an actual romantic drive. Mikan is--like I’ve said before--a pretty shallow person, as expected of an immature child. She wants to be liked and she wants to fit in. When her circumstances differ from others, she can’t help but feel like there’s something wrong with her. That’s why she’s always comparing her classes and circumstances to others’. So when she can’t click with all the romance frenzy in the classroom, she feels sad and left out. It’s kind of silly.

Higuchi Tachibana is really good at this kind of story arc. With the Reo Arc, for example, the story began with Mikan voicing the desire to listen to Narumi's advice and befriend the two people she disliked the most. It ended with her bonding with both of them. This chapter is a contained story, but it's similar in its framing. Mikan spends the entire chapter self-conscious about romance, panicking about not having a crush. The story must resolve, so this issue must be addressed somehow.

In any case, she feels weird and uncomfortable, insecure and wondering if there's something she's missing.

Until Mikan is suddenly the subject of rumor.

People posit that she’ll want to dance the Last Dance with Ruka, since they kissed and all during the musical. Mikan tries to defend herself, denying any and all romance allegations, but the attention only grows. Now girls from outside their class are gossiping about her, the girl who kissed Ruka and somehow managed to score the role of Natsume’s partner--a role a thousand times worse than playing a prince in a musical. Ruka and Natsume have shot the other girls down after all. It’s probably because they chose her instead: an ugly little girl who doesn’t deserve to affiliate herself with Ruka and Natsume, school heartthrobs.

Mikan gets ticked off, and starts screaming that she would never dance with Natsume, let alone go out with him! She doesn’t mention Ruka because that’s awkward, seeing as she did almost kiss him for the play and she doesn’t want to focus on that. But insulting Natsume feels safer. They don’t even really like each other that much and all they ever do is fight, so if she can get gossipers off her back by fighting a little more, then it all works out.

He literally didn't do anything! She's mostly being accused of being involved with Ruka, but it's Natsume that she singles out. Thrilling!

Mikan doesn’t really consider that she could be hurting his feelings. It’s hard to imagine he has feelings to begin with.

Eventually, the after-party is finally starting, everyone is dressed up, and she’s ready to start having fun. But romance starts seeping in again: Tsubasa and Misaki are practically married according to Megane, Otonashi has a boyfriend, Anna and Nonoko have their own crush, and even Hotaru is surrounded by admirers. (Again! There is so much focus on romance and Mikan being the odd one out regarding it, that the end of the chapter simply must resolve this issue in some way.)

Mikan is alone in her immature world. She starts panicking, because she’s left out again, the one girl in the class who is this immature, it seems. She’s never had a crush--how is she meant to fit in? But at least Hotaru is indifferent to her suitors, so Mikan has somebody to cling to and relate to.

Until Natsume and Ruka show up again--unwelcome sights.

Natsume literally didn't do anything but she's so angry at him anyway. She's only angry at him because girls wanna date him!

She doesn’t want to be around Ruka because it’s awkward after all that happened--and didn’t happen--at the musical, and all the resulting gossip. But she also doesn’t want to see Natsume because she’s angry at him for other people gossiping about her. How could ANYONE want to date Natsume? Even just the idea of people wanting to date him annoys her (curious!). He hasn't really done anything to personally earn her ire this time. Her mood sours again, very easily.

It's possible she's so mad at Natsume because he's the center of so much romantic intention--with so many girls having crushes on him. She doesn't understand romance at all and is now quite insecure about that fact. Additionally, it could simply be unwitting jealousy, that the constant reminder that he's popular with girls annoys her for a reason she doesn't even understand quite yet. I'm not sure!

She walks away, eager to avoid them, so that she can begin dancing. Mikan isn’t good with negative feelings. Higuchi Tachibana specifically designed her to forget her problems easily, and this is a long time for Mikan to get all worked up about something, especially since she doesn't fully understand what she's upset about to begin with. She just wants to have fun and get her mind off things. But for some reason, suddenly Ruka is bumping into her.

It’s uncomfortable, because all that kiss stuff has left things awkward between them, but since they’re on the dance floor anyway…

They smile at each other, and in no time at all, they’re dancing and it’s fun. It might start off a bit tense, but the awkwardness is quickly forgotten. Mikan is suddenly not thinking about romance at all. She’s just having fun with a friend. She thinks to herself that she was silly for worrying about fitting in. She should be prioritizing having fun with her friends, not forcing herself to think of romance, especially when she doesn’t understand it.

Why can't I like them platonically? You can't make me do anything!!!

She moves on to dance with somebody else, and then her feelings only get more cemented.

Narumi, Iinchou, classmates from SA, even Yuri--they’re all proof that dancing is fun and that worrying is stupid, especially when it’s about romance.

Until she’s alone on the floor for a moment and making eye contact with Natsume, who’s also alone for once. Her mood sours and she notices that his does too. He turns his head away in a huff and Mikan is momentarily offended that she’s the one person he refuses to dance with. But the thing is, she’s the one who said that first. She had singled him out and blamed him for people gossiping about her, but she’s still hurt that he’s giving her the cold shoulder. They stand there for a moment until somebody comes along that he could stomach dancing with.

Why is Natsume different, huh? Why does he stand out? Why is he the one she refused to dance with, the one she singled out? Natsume is different because of who he is, and because she chooses to make him different. Blah blah blah!

In the anime, Natsume doesn’t dance at all. He avoids the whole party for the most part so Mikan can’t take it personally when he doesn’t dance with her. But he has been dancing the whole time here, just like her, if we can trust Mikan’s comments about her being the sole exception. So her mood is soured again. Not a surprise, because Natsume always annoys her and ruins her mood.

She goes to the bathroom to calm down during a break and when she comes back, through a secluded path, she happens upon Natsume again, who’s feeding some animals. This time they’re all alone, with no question of dancing. She immediately reacts with anger and dismay, but Natsume doesn’t say anything for a while, and it dawns on Mikan that she took her anger out on him. He may be a jerk most of the time, but that doesn’t mean he’s always the bad guy. He hadn’t actually done anything wrong this time.

I don't have anything to say here, but how cute. She stands here. She could just keep walking but she stands still for a moment, almost like she's willing to wait until he says something or until she has the courage to say something.

In the anime, Mikan is bright and eager to dance with him. She doesn’t care about the issues from before. But Manga!Mikan is not just more stubborn, she’s more self-conscious. Now, even though she’s not really mad at him anymore, she’s still uncomfortable, unsure of how to talk to him. She’d be too embarrassed to ask him to dance right then because she’d be too embarrassed to say anything to him.

Mikan gets this way with Natsume sometimes, and I'll talk more about it during the Z Arc, but her insecurity around him manifests in withholding her feelings. She doesn't usually act this verbally evasive around anybody else. When she's genuinely indignant, she can confront anybody, including Natsume. But her feelings for him feel so particularly vulnerable that she consistently struggles with saying them out loud. Like apologizing, for instance. Even just saying, "Sorry I took my anger out on you," is hard for her.

This moment directly parallels the moment when the culture fest was announced. She had run into her worst enemy when he was playing with some animals, reacted with knee-jerk hostility, only for him to confide in her in his roundabout way.

This goes a similar way.

He’s first to break the silence, ignoring the tension and instead complaining about how stupid the culture fest is again. But Mikan knows better. She knows he’s just hurt about being left out. So she asks him if he had fun. For him, that’s irrelevant. For her, that’s the only thing that matters. He confesses that this stuff never had anything to do with him. She had been right that day in the haunted mansion: Natsume is indeed locked away mentally in a place where he can’t have fun no matter how much people around him are smiling. His life is different from the rest of theirs. Mikan has been given hints about this for all the time that she’s known him, but the extent is still lost on her. How could somebody be so far removed from the rest of them that he can’t even have fun once in a while?

We know already from Natsume's POV (and we all know even without the essay to be honest) that this warning is very well-intentioned, even kind. I think Mikan can tell too, that he's being serious in an odd way, that he's telling her something important. She wants to understand because she always wants to understand him and always will.

Then he tells her cryptically that she should stay in the light and away from the dark. He’s talking in riddles and it makes no sense to her at all. What on earth does that mean? Mikan notices that he’s not acting the way he usually does. He seems serious, and he isn’t even insulting her like he usually does. He’s not usually so evasive and strange. He’d usually just annoy her or do something rude. He’s not acting normally, so she’s concerned. He doesn’t want to clarify and in no time he dismisses her and insults her, right back to normal.

Mikan loses her patience. Every single time she gives him a chance, he ruins it! Every time she looks for something deeper, something Ruka swears is there, she ends up disappointed! There is nothing deeper. He’s not different at all! He’s just a jerk like he’s always been, probably going out of his way to torment her for his own amusement. Relationships don’t work if there’s no effort; she’s the only one trying here, so why even bother? So she scolds him for calling her mean names all the time when she has a perfectly good name that he seems not to know even though everyone else does!

It’s ramping up to be another fight. She’s sure he’ll just pull out another insult and then they’ll go back and forth forever, with him just proving for the ten thousandth time that there is very little to like about him--

But then he does say her name. Softly and seriously and gently. “Mikan.”

Twice.

Sparkles don't always have to mean something. But they mean something here.

Then he tells her to leave and that his last wish is for her to quit complaining about what he calls her. And that’s it.

Mikan leaves without another word.

This scene directly parallels the scene from chapter eleven. During that moment, Mikan was finally able to see a different side to Natsume. He was more than she’d initially assumed. He could get his feelings hurt. He could feel left out too. That scene helped soften her feelings towards him a bit. From then on, she hated him less and less until she felt like they could even be friends if he put in some effort.

This scene does a similar thing. It also helps turn Mikan’s feelings around. But instead of turning her feelings from hate, this time, her feelings start solidifying in a particular direction.

Natsume has never called her by her name before. But he said it now, in a weird way too. He was serious and the whole mood of that moment had been strange and tense. For that moment, she saw a glimpse of something, maybe something like what Ruka was talking about, something deeper and better than just a jerk with a sharp tongue. He seemed sad and cryptic for a moment, like he wanted to tell her something important, only to give up. And then to say her name like that…

When Mikan rejoins her friends, her face is red and her heart is thumping.

Jeez!

When Mikan danced with Ruka, she was able to forget all the awkwardness between them and just have fun. She realized, by dancing with him, that stressing about romance was stupid, that she should just have fun instead.

Now, after seeing Natsume, there’s the opposite reaction.

For most of their relationship, the only part of Natsume that was at all appealing was his air of mystery, the promise of a puzzle with no promise of being solved--a tired metaphor by now, I’m sure. But this moment is different. She saw a little glimpse of something she really liked.

This chapter is important because it’s the chapter where Mikan’s feelings become solidly romantic. He said two syllables and it turned her whole head around. It changed everything.

Exactly ten chapters ago, his feelings did a full 180. Now it’s her turn.

I'm not saying her feelings did a 180 like Natsume's. He went from hating her to loving her in a matter of seconds or minutes, depending on your own personal interpretation. But Mikan has been giving him the benefit of the doubt for a while. She's been looking closer at him. She's the slow burn one, and I think it's here that her feelings turn from fascination and intrigue to a bona fide crush.

Of course, Mikan’s feelings develop much slower than Natsume’s. She’s also not as closed off and secretive and she doesn’t have his same martyr complex or circumstances. But she is oblivious, naive, and immature. She’s not used to crushes, so it takes her a while to figure out her own feelings. Not to mention, Natsume is extremely confusing, going from hot to cold to hot again endlessly and without reason. It’s hard not to be confused by feelings in normal circumstances, let alone with somebody who’s so incomprehensible he drives you crazy. But from now on, that’s what she has: feelings for Natsume. Very embarrassing.

But the chapter ends with Mikan dancing the last dance with Hotaru, and dancing makes her forget her worries again, once more forgetting about romantic drama. The festival can end safely, with something sweet and carefree, instead of all the stress that Natsume brings.

Conclusion

The culture fest has finally come to an end! The musical somehow ended safely with 0 kisses and the afterparty was a blast!

We did it, boys! We finally made it to crush territory. Mikan is so hard to analyze because she doesn't understand her feelings so it's really hard to plot the actual timeline of them. But I'm doing my darnedest.

Tomorrow we will talk about the aftermath of the afterparty. Mikan isn't aware yet but she has a crush on Natsume now and he will not make those feelings easy for her at all.

Weekends are so nice! There's a storm here where I live and my mom hates it because she doesn't like the cold but I like the excuse to drink hot chocolate. I hope you are happy with your weekend wherever you are. And if you read this in the future when it's no longer a weekend then I hope your weekday is pleasant. Eat good food. Listen to absolute bangers. Think about NatsuMikan. Do this and your life will be sparkly and great.

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chiisana-lion · 11 months

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midori (either or both LOL) mona!!

just did enstars midori so haniwa midori time o9

Midori (Hamanaka)

Sexuality Headcanon: straight p much

Gender Headcanon: he is so transmasc 2 me

A ship I have with said character: midosena always 🔥🔥 theyre rly cute

A BROTP I have with said character: midori and haruki!!! also i think he and mona should be friends. please

A random headcanon: he accompanies sena to monas concerts a lot and gradually becomes a casual fan himself!! one time coming over he shows off a little keychain he got and its all fun

General Opinion over said character: really good and silly guy he just wants to say good morning to his crush and is really pathetic about it. lobes his girlfriend so much and i find it so funny that hes the more passive one between him and sena skdjfjjshd also i actually found a rare hworks merch in the wild and its a chibi of midori himself!!

Mona

Sexuality Headcanon: AROACE MONA MY ENTIRE WORLD!!! i like lesbian mona too tho

Gender Headcanon: transfem mona everything to me. also gnc to an extent i dont talk abt it enough probably

A ship I have with said character: i find asumona the funniest thing ever but hiyomona is also p cute (anime aside)

A BROTP I have with said character: mona and minami are the cutest ever theyre such good friends!! and w lxl too have i talked about the time they had an afterparty during the idol festival tigether and also sharing sweets after the halloween event theyre soo everything to me lxl and mona would deny it always but they do enjoy each others company somewhat too

A NOTP I have with said character: if i dont have to see yuu/mona or ai/mona ever id be very glad. dont mind people who do like them but it really just isnt for me and id rather not see it

A random headcanon: on variety and quiz shows she gets invited to she absolutely dominates every idol related question. no 1 idol fan idol

General Opinion over said character: MONA NARUMI MY WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD i cant even describe how much she means to me. closing herself off after what happened with her friends in middle school and distancing herself from sena as a result. her petty, cold and bitter personality her depression and how much she hates herself and even so she has so so much love in her for everyone her family her friends her staff her idols her fans. even since her awful debut and halfhearted efforts in the beginning of her career shes learning!!! and her spite towards lxl especially also drove her to be more passionate in itself to get where she is now mona narumi id kill for you

#ask game #posebean #sorry i got a bit. too rambly w mona there SJHDHFKSJJDD

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mrsmarymorstan · 4 years

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Now Furuba S2 is over, what now?

I’m already seeing a lot of people asking for recommendations now the S2 Sub is over; so this is a list of series that I think you’ll enjoy if you like Furuba!

All platforms listed are true for the UK, but might not be for other residences. More viewing options may be available in other territories.

Unless specified, All Manga/Comic recs are available from regular bookstores and EBook Stores. If you’re in the UK I’ll suggest checking out Hive, which is an online store where a potion of each sale goes towards a Local Independent Bookstroe of your choice! They also have flat-rate free shipping!

Okay, so the actual recs! (I got lazy in some places and used the official synopisis)

Romance

Convenience Store Boyfriends Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total

“Six high school boys hang out at a local convenience store where they talk about their daily lives. Haruki Mishima and Towa Honda are first year students looking forward to the high school experience. Alongside them, there’s Nasa Sanagi, the only member of the cooking research club. Natsu Asumi is a loner but has third year students, Mikado Nakajima and Masamune Sakurakoji, looking out for him.“

Kaguya-sama: Love is War S1 - Crunchyroll, Funimation (Sub) S2 Funimation (Sub/Dub) 24 eps - Ongoing Manga: 18/20 volumes available in English

“Known for being both brilliant and powerful, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya lead the illustrious Shuchiin Academy as near equals. And everyone thinks they’d make a great couple. Pride and arrogance are in ample supply, so the only logical move is to trick the other into instigating a date! Who will come out on top in this psychological war where the first move is the only one that matters?”

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Netflix (Dub/Sub), Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 12/12 volumes available in English

“High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarou Nozaki. When she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says she wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Sakura discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shōjo manga artist working under the pen name Sakiko Yumeno. She agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to him. As they work on his manga Let's Fall in Love they encounter other schoolmates, who assist them and serve as inspirations for the story.”

Snow White With the Red Hair Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 Eps Total Manga: 9/22+ volumes available in English. Anime ends Vol. 8

“In the kingdom of Tanbarun lives an independent young pharmacist named Shirayuki. Shirayuki is a plain girl, save for her shock of beautiful apple-red hair. Her stunning mane gets her noticed by the prince, but instead of romancing her, he demands she be his concubine. Shirayuki chops off her lovely locks, and runs away to the neighboring kingdom where she befriends a handsome stranger.”

Tsuruedure Children Funimation (Dub), Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga (Ebook only) 12/12 Volumes available in English

“Short and charming comedic vignettes offer a quick glimpse into the unique and funny situations, misunderstandings, and all around confusion that can happen in a high school romance. For starters, there’s a story about a delinquent girl and the student council president, and one about a stoic boy confused about an emotional girl. Relive the charm of high school romance!”

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Amazon Prime (Sub) 11 Eps Total Manga: 4/9 volumes available in english

Looking for a slice of life romance but you’re an actual adult now and don’t want to read about teenagers? Try Wotakoi! It combines office romance with childhood friends-to-lovers. Narumi is a Fujoshi who doesn’t want anyone to find out the truth of her ways, Hirotaka is a Game Otaku who doesn’t care what anyone says about it, together they go about the ins-and-outs of dating as an adult.

Coming of Age

BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt, so I’ll max out my defence Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Ongoing

“She may be new to gaming, but Maple has found the secret to invincibility! Just put all your skill points into defense until you can't even move. That works, right? She doesn't want to experience any pain in the VRMMO game she started playing, and somehow it works better than anyone expected. Now she's got followers??”

Brand New Animal Netflix (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

“Set in a world where humanoid animals (known as beastmen) inhabit Earth, the series centers on Michiru Kagemori, a young teenage girl who one day suddenly starts turning into a tanuki beastman. Running away, she seeks refuge in Anima City, a city built for beastmen to be able to live peacefully as themselves, and ends up meeting a wolf beastman named Shirou Ogami. Together, they investigate how and why Michiru became a beastman, becoming mixed up in even stranger events in the process.”

Hyouka Funimation (Dub/Sub) 23 Eps Total

“A worthy addition to any animation fan's collection, Hyouka is a stunning masterwork that spins a charming tale of high school romance and mystery. After disenchanted student Hotaro Oreki joins his school’s Classic Lit Club, he meets Eru Chitanda, a kindhearted and inquisitive girl with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting him caught up in all sorts of trouble.”

Koto Oto Tomara! Sounds of Life Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 Eps Total

“Down to its last member, the koto club will accept anyone who is interested in the traditional Japanese instrument. But when a delinquent and a prodigy player sign up, finding harmony isn’t going to be easy—especially not with ensemble competitions looming around the corner. With enough time and some incredible skill at the strings, perhaps this motley crew can strike a chord with the judges.“

O Maidens in your Savage Season HIDIVE (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 7/8 volumes available in English (8th available for pre-order)

The series follows a High School Literature club as they make their nervous first foray into the nature of sexuality. What is the difference between sexual attraction and romantic attraction? Does watching porn mean wanting to have sex? What are these strange feelings I am having down below? Why are boys so gross and girls so pretty? Each girl undergoes their own journey and finds their own destination, a brutally honest yet heart warming look at teenage female sexuality.

CW: Sexual Assault, pedophilia (both portrayed as BAD AND TERRIBLE things)

Our Dreams at Dusk Manga: 4/4 volumes available in English

IF YOU ONLY CONSUME ONE THING ON THIS LIST MAKE IT THIS!!!!! The series is the VERY DEFINITION of “It Gets Better”.

After his classmates discover some gay pornography on his phone, Tasuku Kaname contemplates committing suicide. Just as he’s about to jump, he spots a mysterious figure parkouring down a mountain. Shocked out of his moment, he decides to go and investigate what’s happening and finds an LGBT+ Drop In Centre. The series follows the lives of the people in the drop in centre, from Haruko who wishes to marry her closeted girlfriend, to Misora who is still trying to figure out what their gender is but has the threat of puberty hovering of their shoulder.

It’s very clear that Kamatani-sensei has written this story FOR the Queer Community. It’s a truly beautiful story. Please give it your money if you can, so that Kamatani-sensei can actually earn some money, and so that Seven Seas know that there is a viable audience for these stories! So that we may get more content!

Reverse Harem

Fruits Basket is NOT a reverse Harem, but i figure there’ll be some fan crossover.

Kiss Him, Not Me Cruncyroll (sub) Funimation Dub available on DVD etc. 12 Eps Total Manga 14/14 volumes available in English

“Kae Serinuma believes one thing—princes belong together! As an avid boy’s love fan, she loves nothing more than fantasizing about faux relationships between the boys at her school. But when she loses weight due to the stress of her favorite anime character dying suddenly the boys want…her?! From pretty average to prettiest girl, Kae just wants these boys to date each other, not her!”

Sub uses an irritating “Silly Fat Person” voice that the Dub doesn’t. CW for Sexual Assult, though it is depicted as a BAD thing and used for Kae to question why she is so into it when reading BL, when IRL it is terrifying?

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom Crunchyroll (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

A TRULY Bisexual harem! After bumping her head, young Katarina Claes awakens with all the memories of her past life... and promptly realises she’s been re-incarnated as the antagonist of her favourite Otome Game! Determined this time to live past the age of 17, Katarina starts to make plans to turn all her enemies into allies through the power of kindness and understanding! Throughout the series, she tries harder and harder to avoid her doom flags... without realising that she’s turned those doom flags into romance flags!

Katarina lives out the fantasy of going to magic school and eating cake as all the pretty people fall head over heels for her. A pity she’s too dim to notice.

Ouran High School Host Club Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 eps total Manga: 18/18 volumes available in english

Set in the high class elite private school of Ouran High, the Host Club exist to provide entertainment for the ladies of the school. Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi Fujioka, stumbles across the Host Club and in their haste to leave they knock over an ¥8,000,000 vase. Now she must earn that money back by working for the Host Club, all the while disguising the fact that she’s a girl. Not that she ever felt much like a girl before hand anyway. Along the way, she gets to know better the Cool Kyoya, the flamboyant Tamaki, the Mischievous Hikaru & Kaoru, the Strong and Silent Mori-senpai and the adorable Honey-senpai. Comedic Hijinks ensue!

Slice of Life

The Emperor and I Manga: 4/4 volumes available in English on Shonen Jump App

One day Kaho returns home from school to find an Emperor Penguin in her fridge. He quickly becomes a beloved part of the family, but a secret to the rest of the world who would want to take him away from them. Hijinks ensue.

Kakushigoto Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total

Doting single father, Kakushi Goto, is determined to hide the fact that he writes echhi humour manga for a living. He couldn’t bare it if his daughter were to ever find out the truth, the shame of his profession only alienating her. A laugh out loud series that will suddenly cut you deep as it explores the nature of grief and familial love.

My Brother’s Husband Manga: 2/2 volumes available in English

“Yaichi, a stay-at-home single father, lives with his daughter Kana in suburban Tokyo. They are visited by Mike Flanagan, the widower of Yaichi's estranged twin brother Ryōji, who has traveled from his native Canada for three weeks to learn about Ryōji's past. Kana is fascinated by Mike and is immediately accepting of him, though Yaichi is hesitant to accept Mike as family.

While Yaichi is not overtly homophobic, Mike suggests that his tacit discomfort over his brother's sexuality drove a wedge between them that led to their estrangement. Mike's interactions with the family and neighborhood over the subsequent three weeks prompt Yaichi to confront his own prejudices around sex and sexuality, as his growing tolerance and eventual acceptance of Mike parallel his overcoming of his own homophobia.”

Whilst the trope of “the gay brother dies and the heterosexual brother learns not to be homophobic” might be over done in western media, the same is not true for Japan. It’s a heartfelt and honest look at grief and acceptance, as well as how the nature of family is changing all around the world... but attitudes are maybe conservative attitudes aren’t as quick to catch up.

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life Funimation (Dub/Sub)

So apparently everyone went “this show is undubbable! It relies too much on puns and untranslatable humour!” and then Howard Wang said “hold my beer” and did it. A bizarre comedy series set in a high school. It’s probably best known for the ongoing fight between the deer and the principal.

Way of the Househusband Manga: 4/5+ (ongoing) volumes available in English

After he meets and marries the career driven Miku, Tatsu AKA The Immortal Dragon decides to give up his life of crime to commit to being the worlds’ best husband. You’d be surprised at the transferable skills between a Yakuza enforcer and a house husband. From knowing how to efficiently cut up a slice of meat, to how to perfectly clean a bathroom of all evidence. Hilarious and heartwarming, Taki and Kyoko would be best bros.

Slice of Life + Supernatural

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K S1 Funimation (Dub/Sub) 24 episodes Netflix S1 (Dub/Sub) S2 & 3 (Sub) 50 episodes total

“Saiki Kusuo is a typical 16-year-old high school student… except he has psychic powers. He can use them to get whatever he wants, but he also knows everything that people are thinking. Everything. No surprises, no secrets, no normal human experiences. He’s kept his powers in check since childhood, but with the temptations of high school now on his mind, he’s bending the rules—and spoons.“

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (2019)

Writer Kelly Thompson wears her magical girl influences on her sleeve in this new take on the Archie Classic. Sabrina is your regular teenager, except she is also a witch and so are her aunts. Hijinks (and Card Captor Sakura References) ensue.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 eps total Manga 13/13 Volumes available in English

“Kamome Academy is rumored to have many mysteries, the strangest of which involves the mischievous ghost of Hanako-kun. When occult-loving high schooler Nene Yashiro accidentally becomes bonded to him, she uncovers a hidden world of supernatural beings. Now the two of them are conspiring to keep the peace between student and supernatural—that is, if they can only stay out of trouble themselves.“

Jughead (2015) 4 Volumes total

Bought to you in various parts by the creators of Squirrel Girl, Jughead combines slice of life with spy thriller, time travel and the joy of a good burger. Hilarious and heart warming, this run holds a special place in my heart as the one where Jughead was confirmed as canonically asexual and continues to express various aro/ace moods throughout the series. There’s a REASON my friends say I’m a Real Life Jughead....

Weathering With You - available digitally/physically 28th Sep. 2019

In June 2021, first year high schooler Hodaka Morishima leaves Kōzu-shima in order to get to Tokyo. When his ferry to the city is hit by a rainstorm, he is saved by Keisuke Suga, who runs a small occult magazine that’s looking for an assistant. As Hodaka becomes broke and struggles to find work, he meets Hina Amano, an employee of a McDonald’s restaurant. She takes pity on him and gives him food. After agreeing to work with Suga, Hodaka learns about the legend of the “sunshine girl” who can control the weather! It turns out that the newly unemployed Hina is a sunshine girl! And with her little brother, they start up their own business to bring sunshine to the never-ending rain of Tokyo.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Crunchyroll (Dub/Sub) 12 Episodes Total Manga: 22/28 volumes available in English

After tripping on the stairs, School Bad Boy Ryu Yamada and Top Student Urara Shiraishi discover they can swap bodies with a kiss! They then learn that they’re not the only ones with magic powers in the school, and with the help of the Supernatural Studies Club they begin to track down the identities of the 7 witches of Suzaku High.

This series really stretches my limits on fan service, but at least it does proceed to get a little even in terms of gender. It’s still a really rather sweet and romantic series, once you get past the boobs and panties.

Your Name Netflix (Dub/Sub) Spin Off Manga “Your Name: Another Side: Earthbound” - 2/2 volumes available in English

A modern take on the Red Sting of Fate mythos, Mitsuha and Taki are two teenagers tied together. Three times a week, Mitsuha will wake up in Taki’s body and live the life of a Tokyo School boy. In turn, Taki will wake up in Mitsuha’s body and learn what it is to be a Rural Shrine Maiden. A look at the bonds that tie us, and how fate won’t let two young people fall apart before they can meet.

Also the animation is BEAUTIFUL and it made me cry. Like a lot. There’s a spin off manga called “Your Name: Another Side” that follows the same story but from the POV of Mitsuha’s friends and family. It really brings new light to the events and made me very emotional.

Mental Health

Green Lanterns: Rebirth (2018)

Jessica Cruz suffers from PTSD and severer anxiety, seeing her utalising her will power to overcome those problems and harness that energy to help save the universe is so incredibly powerful and moving.

Hawkeye (2012-2015) 4 Volumes

The Fraction/Aja/Wu/Hollingworth Hawkeye run is widely considered one of the best superhero runs of all time. Fraction and Aja perfectly capture “functional depression” at its finest, and we watch as Clint Barton slowly burns all his bridges before being forced by his friends to sort his shit out and put them back together again. There’s also a whole issue that’s primarily written in sign language too.

My Roomate is a Cat Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 12 eps total

“Mystery author Mikazuki would rather live in total isolation than deal with others. Getting a roommate is the last thing he’d ever do, until a stray cat sparks an idea for his next novel. After plucking the little killer off the streets, this four-legged muse inspires Mikazuki in ways he would have never expected. And for the street-wise cat, this human just opened the door to a whole new world.”

A Silent Voice (Manga/Movie) Movie: Netflix (Dub/Sub)

“A former class bully reaches out to the deaf girl he’d tormented in grade school. He feels unworthy of redemption but tries to make things right.”

CW Attempted Suicide, bullying

Please watch the dub. Lexi Marman Cowden, who voices Shoko, is an ACTUAL hard-of-hearing actress. It makes for a more real and vulnerable performance that avoids the mild ableism of the Sub hiring a Hearing Actress and robot-ising her voice.

Yuri!!! On ICE Crunchyroll (Sub) Funimation (Dub) 12 eps total

“Yuri Katsuki makes his way to the Grand Prix ice skating competition as Japan’s top representative with his eyes on the prize. However, instead of celebrating, Yuri walks away defeated and ready to retire for good. But a run-in with champion Viktor Nikiforov and rising star Yuri Plisetsky ignites a new fire within him. With the two of them close by his side, Yuri will take to the ice once more.”

Yuri’s defeat sends him into a very relatable spiral of lack of self belief that he slowly starts to regain thanks to the help of Viktor. Part sports anime, part love story, all full of feels.

The Dub is considered hit or miss depending on whether you like accents or not, but honestly it’s worth it for Sabat’s Christophe giacometti. Ayame walked, so Christophe could strut.

Generic

I’m gonna start by recommending the Shonen Jump App, it’s £1.99/month and gives you access to all their recent publications as well as their back catalogue in English! So you can read all of Boys Over Flowers, Nisekoi, Naruto, One Piece, Haikyuu, Assassination Classroom, My Hero Academia etc. for a fraction of the cost of buying the physicals! SO much manga at your finger tips! No, they don’t sponsor me but i wish they would.

Astra Lost in Space Funimation (Dub/Sub) 12 Eps Total Manga: 5/5 volumes available in english, available on the Shonen Jump App

A group of teenagers on a school trip become Lost In Space and quickly discover a conspiracy is a foot. Part thriller, part comedy, saying anything more about this series would count as a spoiler given the number of plot twists throughout.

Radiant Funimation (Dub) Crunchyroll (Sub) 42 eps total Manga: 13/13+ volumes available in english (ongoing series)

A french manga turned into a Japanese Anime.

“Seth, a sorcerer destined to find Radiant, sets his sights on Caislean Merlin for answers. He’s desperate to find out what the Knight Sorcerers know, but can he trust them? In the wake of all that is unknown, he digs deep within himself for the wisdom and confidence to control his powers. And as the world around him continues to grow with more magic and power, he gains strong new allies.”

The series has BIG Saturday Morning cartoon vibes. My 12 year-old self would have been ALL OVER this.

Batman Ninja (Netflix)

What if a Japanese animation studio asked DC if they could make a batman movie? And then just threw a Japanese history book at it? What if there was time travel? What if the main batman villains were all feudal lords in Japan? What if everyone were Samari? What if Damian had a small animal companion he could communicate with using a flue? What if Jason’s hood was made out of wicker? What if Penguin had a penguin shaped mecha?

A wild ride from start to finish that makes no sense but really, do you care?

#fruits basket #anime #manga #recs #furuba #anime recs

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lostsoulaltair · 4 years

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Owari no Seraph - Special Analysis for chapter 95 (Long Analysis)

After so long, I think it’s time I talk about the latest chapter; I believe some might be disgusted, others might have laughed a little, but well, before I start this analysis within a neutral view; I’ll let you know how I felt towards it.

To be honest, I think the comedy was unnecesary, I know the cast required a break but not in that way; I think it could have been a better chapter but well, it happened; and we can only hope next one can be better.

This analysis was updated in the Spanish Fandom and what you’ll read it’s just a translation of it.

Therefore, let’s proceed with this analysis.

NOTE: Analysis and theories don’t include ships; the view within characters is held neutral; posts aren’t made to disregard any character the reader loves or supports.

Perhaps it’ll give more mood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vfcrC87v8A

The chapter 95 started with Mikaela, on a place something that the reader @jipotato denominated as “Demon World”.

Image from Vampire Reign - Chapter 95

Within the first panels, we take a look on how the demon Mikaela sees the world he is; within this he states his hunger and thirst; we even see how his hand sightly fades and, thanks to the background on his last appearance, it can be said he’s within certain part in Shibuya after the squad and the Vampire Queen left.

First Note - The demon Mikaela

Now that Mikaela adquired the appearance of a child due to the fact his desires were at its highest at that age; Mikaela has no memories of who he was once; he doesn’t recall why he became a demon; the only thing he is a ware is that he needs to feed on human desires to not vanish.

Now, one thing that the fandom noticed is the fact that his eyes were blue instead of red; and you might state that this is due to the fact he has the Michaela trait and the Seraph trait. But these two traits work in a different way with a demon, what do I mean?

Another demon that is well known for possessing such trait is Ashera Tepes or commonly known as Asuramaru; this is due to the fact that Ashera drank Yu’s blood back in the Dark Ages of Greece; such blood was heavily linked with Shikama’s experiments way before the mentioned one was turned into a demon.

Therefore, such traits don’t work as a physical characteristic within Mikaela but rather, they’ll give strength required in order for him to become one of the most powerful demons that has ever existed.

For that, I’ll enter in detail in a theory later on.

Now, returning with the story, it could be seen how Yoichi left Krul on a bed since she ended up collapsing due to Mika’s Death Wail.

Afterwards, there’s the famous scene on which Yu “supposely explains” to the squad the events that happened back then when they weren’t present; within this, Kimizuki states he doesn’t understand a thing and ends up taking Yu to have a spar with him; on the other side, we see Shinoa and Mitsuba drinking without realizing what they’re drinking, giving not so much relevance to what Yu said.

Now, it is known that this chapter was supposed to be a way to give the characters a break, we could see Kimizuki’s frustration along the bond with him and Kiseki-O.

Therefore, let’s make a deeper analysis of these events.

Second Note - The squad’s behavior

Within this, I’m very aware there’s anger or perhaps sadness on how the squad ended up behaving but in fact, there are points on why they are acting that way.

First Point. Relationship between Yu and the squad

The squad, even after spending many chapters together, it’s not a squad that could be compared to what Narumi’s squad was once or what Guren’s squad is like; though, that doesn’t mean they don’t treasure each other; the squad is made of a bunch of kids that were forced to grow up, they were literally forced to take adult like decisions.

The squad itself has difficulties to interact with others without feeling shyness, embarrassment or in other instances, seen as something to laugh about.

Second Point. Kimizuki calling Yu stupid.

It is somehow common to see Kimizuki calling Yu dumb and on this case, Kimizuki had the right to call him that way due to how he literally shared the events way when they were split; Yu expressed all he suffered in an inmature way without really showing the severity of the situation; how it felt for him to lose Mikaela.

That being said, Yu always puts a mask in front of the squad so they can’t see him as someone weak; for Yu, weakness is reflected upon seeing others seeing him fall or seeing him cry.

And despite that, this is something the squad actually manages to see but, Yu, at the same time, has created a wall between them and him to the point that even if they wished to help him out, they really can’t thanks to those walls.

Third Point. Yu’s behavior

As I stated in the previous point, Yu usually wears a mask and a lie stating “I’m alright, everything’s fine”. Yu got happy once Krul told him Mika could end just like Asuramaru but now, why do I state his behavior is something to be noticed?

Yu’s behavior is unhealthy; Yu displays how terribly mentally and emotionally is in reality; but he has reached a point he never analyzes his actions and consequences behind them; he hasn’t realized that all his actions led to misfortune within his family. It seemed as if Yu didn’t care about Mikaela’s condition as long as he were alive. But now, how can I state it’s unhealthy?

Mikaela has been displayed as a character that worries about Yu’s well being; he’s always been with him, he taught him the value of family and friendship; which is something Yu didn’t value back when he was a kid until Mika “died”.

But once he saw Mika alive, it seemed like the lessons he received from mika ended up in half; Yu literally stopped distinguishing who were his friends and enemies due to the constant warnings he received from Mika. Though, despite if they wanted to run away, it would have been impossible at the very end.

It could be said that Yu is selfish. Yu doesn’t value Mikaela’s life. When Mikaela died for a second time; Ashera told him to see with his own eyes what it meant the loss of someone important; but it semed that all the emotional message along what Mika taught him along what Ashera told him seemed like they weren’t present within his life.

Fourth Point. Yu’s selfishness

It has been displayed that Yu in fact is selfish when it comes to his desires, he sets his goals first than the well being of his own self; he doesn’t give time to think and allow the pain flow from the bottom of his heart.

The fact that Shiho asked to sparr with him it wasn’t entirely for Shiho to discharge all his emotional frustration, but in fact, it was because just as Kiseki-O stated; Shiho sees himself as the adult of the family, he sees himself as the one that has to take care of the others because he’s the older figure in there.

It can be said that Shiho actually is aware that Yu is bottling up all his emotions, frustration and pain but despite trying to find out the truth, Yu simply avoids it with silly ramblings along the dismiss of such thoughts.

Fifth Point. The reason behind the sparr between Shiho and Yu

As I stated before, the battle or sparr Shiho not only displayed something hidden between actions, it also displayed how broken Shiho really is.

Shiho wanted to measure his strength with Yu but he only saw how weak he was, he wanted to release all the pain he had within his heart but, at the same time, comparing his strength with Yu, he wanted to be the one that actually could help Yu with that; but at the end, it became the opposite.

The sparr between those two only made Shiho see how weak he was; how he was unable to protect what he swore to protect once; he realized that he was useless to protect or even move a finger to fight against strong enemies that could stomp in front of them.

He realized that he’s feeling like a burden for the fact that he can’t protect his family, thus including the whole squad.

The battle itself displays so much how Shiho is weak, he realized that it’s always Yu the one taking care and making sure the squad is well protected despite him and Yu owning the same rank cursed demons.

Therefore, once his reason to live was taken, Kiseki-O ends up talking with him, he ends up telling him how he’s giving up; and the only way to keep Shiho alive, the only way to give him a reason to live is even with a childish desire that came from the bottom of his heart.

Despite Shiho stating he wanted to win against Yu, to have more power than him, in reality, what he wished is not just to show off, but rather he wanted to be stronger to have the power to really protect what’s dear to him in case Yu’s not there or in case they end up facing the strongest enemies out there.

Sixth Point. Yoichi, a person that hesitates about his decisions.

Despite seeing Yoichi’s behavior been taken well by the readers; it could be said that Yoichi is one of the characters that looks for the well being of the squad. Yoichi and Kimizuki are the main members with more maturity compared to the other 3.

Despite Yoichi being the one that notices much better the emotional condition of others, he’s aware that pushing and pushing won’t solve anything if the person he might be talking with won’t allow it; and this is exactly what can be see with Yu.

Yoichi is aware that Yu hides what he feels, but, despite this, he hesitates on asking Yu about it; he’s aware that the answer he’ll receive will be likely: -I’m fine.

Yoichi’s displayed as a shy boy and patient with the actions of others; he follows them and supports them without doubt, but, at the end, Yoichi is a character that seems to act as long as the other members have made their minds or have taken a decision, what do I mean?

When Kimizuki and Yu went to fight, Yoichi asks the girls if they heard what Yu was stating; he even asked what they should do; but despite this, Shinoa tells him they should relax; at the end, Yoichi ends up accepting said suggestion and this is due to the fact that the only help they could receive from is unconscious; Guren and the JIDA are definitely a no for the whole squad. They’re literally facing the world alone and for this, let’s go with the final point.

Seventh Point. Shinoa and Mitsuba’s behavior

Despite seeing the behavior of these girls and well, the spanish fandom in general got angry at this; the girls actually care about the others but there’s something that perhaps many might have missed, what do I mean?

For that, let’s talk about these two.

Mitsuba Sanguu

Mitsuba is a girl that has a hard time expressing her feelings towards others, she’s displayed as a Tsundere; but despite such thing, she actually cares about her friends and family.

Despite Mitsuba having a family, friends that care for her and viceversa; she’s still the same little girl that is terrified of losing her squad; she literally loses all form of authority and strong mentality when things go south; she isn’t capable of getting the whole squad together which is something that can be seen in chapter 77; first the squad hears the sound of a battle going, Mitsuba doesn’t stop Kimizuki, Yoichi and Narumi from leaving; she wasn’t even capable of thinking of a possible strategy and keep them together due to the seriousness of the situation at hand; furthermore, when the Hyakuya Sect takes Yu away; she literally panicked and started to search for the boys but, with all the stress carried away, she ended up alone.

Such behavior appears mainly due to the fact she lived a life on which the Sanguu family considered emotional ties as something worthless; she didn’t develop a strong conviction; later on when she joins the JIDA as a soldier; she ends up behaving how Yu was at the beginning, impulsive.

At the end, she ended up learning fear when her squad was killed in front of her; this only led to Mitsuba being unable to interact with others in a deeper way; she isn’t capable of actually going straight to Yu and ask him how he’s doing or how he’s feeling, she doesn’t know how exactly ask him about the topic.

Shinoa Hiragi

Shinoa is the character that is often seen that takes things lightly, but in fact, right now she’s actually one of the characters that is holding one of the biggest responsibilities of the world compared to the other members of the squad. What do I mean?

The first responsibility is that she has to keep her squad safe, she has to take the best decisions so they can keep surviving against all the odds of the world. Perhaps this might seem like her job but there’s something else she takes care of due to the late events.

And that is to protect the squad from herself. Shinoa now holds all the power and consciousness of the First Progenitor; she now has strength and power but, in order to have such power, she has to shut down even more her heart; she has to restrain more her emotions even more than they were once. This might even sound like a contradiction with how the previous chapters were like but in reality, it’s not.

It is well known that Shinoa feels admiration towards Yu; Yu has been the person that taught her the meaning of caring for someone, the meaning behind having a family; but within this, the First Progenitor used such events to the point he stated she was in love with Yu; when in fact; Shinoa is learning to be human; she is learning what it means to display emotions, to display affection and careness for others.

Just like in chapter 67 she stated she wanted Yu to teach her about the reasons to live and this is because she doesn’t understand how Yu can fight for others with passion.

It is true that Shinoa is not the best to understand others; she’s aware that Yu’s not emotionally right, she is aware he’s broken but with how the condition she has about getting close to him could only make her lower the walls of her heart; it could mean the doom of her whole squad; it could be the doom of the whole world if she set loose of the First.

Furthermore, Shinoa was raised with no love; after she was born, the tiny amount of love she received was from Mahiru Hiragi; but then, she was always alone, she lived alone and could only think about life and dead at night.

Just as Guren once stated in the first chapters, she was an ice queen that slowly melted after learning the lively emotions of caring about others along the values of a family.

Third Note - The meaning behind the drunk time of the squad and Shiho’s heart.

We can guess that the author wanted to give an humorous turn of events to the squad after so much chaos; the whole chapter itself is filled with sadness, what do I mean?

The girls are aware that things won’t ever be the same, they’re aware they’re dancing in the palm of a monster; they’re aware that they have no one to rely on; they’re aware that if they make a wrong movement, they’ll lose the adquired freedom they have along the answers they really seek; the only thing they display with being drunk is that they’ve been carrying so much mental stress despite the silly panels displayed.

The fact both got drunk easily has a lot to do with the emotional tie she has which is the fact she feels weak, uncapable of handling situations, uncapable of keeping the squad together when the leader isn’t there;her drunk state only displays a sad reality of hers; in Shinoa’s case, she’s aware that things will never go back, if she allows the walls of her heart to get down again, Shikama will awake once again, therefore, her mission is to give them more time so they can get answers with time.

As for Yoichi, the fact he ended up accepting drinking displays his innocence, it’s something new, and the fact he ended up throwing away expresses such thing; a simple wish which is to live a peaceful life just like Shiho desires; they’re tired of the hell they’re currently living.

Therefore, despite the comedy intended in the chapter, it is a chapter that reflects sadness and despair for the whole squad; the lack of meaning of living; the conclusion that responsabilities are something to carry on, the acknowledge of impotence and selfishness.

What do you think guys?

Let me know!

gif belongs to clair-audients

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sapphicdalliances · 3 years

Text

Dear Chocolatier,

thank you so much for being here!! my sincere apologies for the lateness and messiness of this letter! sorry about my incredibly inconsistent capitalisation! it has been updated on the 8th of january, and may receive more updates this week.

I’m a simple bitch with simple tastes; here is a general summary of my preferences, and fandom-specific notes and prompts can be found further down!

I very much enjoy:

Fics that are short, but imply a longer, deeper verse; since this exchange is for short fics, but some of my prompts seem expansive, I just want to give you carte blanche permission to dip into an AU, splash around in it, and simply not provide additional details.

Comedic tones, slice-of-life, lighthearted fun, any amount of improbable romcom tropes

Am also on board with misunderstandings and drama as long as there is a happy ending!

I’m deeply okay with AUs, and most likely would be down for any modern, romcom, fantasy/fairytale, gender swap, or remix/crossover AUs you feel inspired to explore! My favourite settings include mundane/urban fantasy (witches! werewolves!), anachronism-stew-with-magic western fantasy jumbles, and disney’s Tangled.

Writing tropes I love:

Proposal fic

Wedding fic where the couple getting married is not the main couple

Outsider/third character POV of the main couple

Exes who are still in love/getting back together

Friends-with-benefits-with-feelings/did a bad job keeping it casual

Shipfic where two or more couples are contrasted

Oblique declarations of love/saying i love you without saying i love you

Provision and caretaking (acts of service!)

Aggressive matchmaking/wingmanning by an enthused friend

Hanahaki, or any other improbably dramatic instances of Cannot Spit It Out

Arranged marriage/fake marriage/fake dating

Epistolary fic

Regrettably I also love a/b/o, especially the kind that emphasises on scent safety and contains little to no actual sex

Art tropes I love, if you offered art:

Art where the characters simply look fond.

Fashion remixes – street fashion, cultural/traditional clothes, festival clothes, renfaire-esque clothes, beach photoshoot, get wild with it

Putting animal characteristics on one or both of them

Botanical motifs + celestial motifs

When plants grow directly out of people

The thing where character A is focused on something they’re doing or seeing, and the character B is focused only, wholly, desperately on A. please… the Gaze

Depictions of intimacy where faces are partially or fully hidden, but the body language is gentle

Characters SLEEPING next to each other, or comfortably doing separate activities in each other’s presence

If you wish to get frisky with your fills:

Yes!

Go for it!

I don’t have strong top/bottom preferences (and usually enjoy it when they switch or are otherwise generally equitable) so whatever you’re in the mood for is fine!

Kink tropes I very much enjoy include oral, restraints, praise kink, when proud characters cry during sex because they love their partners so much, and xeno tropes.

I love non-horny sex scenes; comedic, silly, charged, fraught, or simply affectionate exchanges that happen to include sex are my favourite. Feelings are the real kissing disease.

But like, if you wanna get horny about it.

Chase your bliss.

They simply must be in love.

I’m not as into:

Kidfic

First person narration

Soulmate AUs specifically

Kink wise, my only major squicks are incest, teacher/student, and public sex/getting caught, but i’m also not super keen on daddy kink, toilet stuff, or anything with blades or needles.

In general, please avoid:

Character death or serious/permanent injury

Animal abuse or death

Infidelity

Hopeless or downer endings

Fandom specific info:

Haikyuu!!

changed my life, cured my depression, what can be said about it? truly one of the most important series to me of all time. all musings on craft and creativity aside, let’s focus on the TRUE LOVE!!

i’m all caught up with the manga and supplementary materials!

suggested prompts: - sakuatsu, being mean to each other on purpose vs. being soft to each other by accident - kagehina or iwaoi dealing with LDR - kyouhaba are forced to cooperate on an innocuous, preferably wholesome task, such as gardening, or finding the owner of a lost dog, and it goes approximately As One Would Expect - bokukuroo + overheard phone conversation: and you've slept together how many times now? hmm. yeah, that's not technically a bromance (not in a no-homo way, just in a we-are-both-so-stupid-and-like-each-other-so-much-way) - actually that overheard phone conversation would work for any of these ships.

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes!! - put some wings on some of them. now it's bird romance, which is for birds - (i lied, this isn't art-specific at all, wingfic is always welcome in any of its forms) - just pick up your whole boyfriend and carry him like that. maybe even kiss him.

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Oofuri

suggested prompts: - Hanai and Tajima really. struggle to get together. for like a bunch of years probably? Tajima copes with it by patiently processing his emotions in a healthy way and enjoying some casual dating. Hanai copes with it, as he does all things, by not coping - The ways Abe and Mihashi learn to take care of each other… Mihashi cooking 4 Abe… T_T

Promare

i simply think the twink and the himbo are in love.

Ace Attorney

favourite klapollo dynamic goes like this:

klavier: *genuinely and sincerely in love with apollo, in a very soft way* apollo: *furious* he's mocking me. why are you like this? klavier: I enjoy your company apollo: FINE, KEEP YOUR SECRETS

also consider: - what if klavier was a big ol golden retriever and apollo was just an angry liddol bunny. like, think about it

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Wotakoi

I love that this series has three couples in different stages of a relationship: one who’ve been together for years and love each other like well-worn grooves; one who have history but have only just recently begun a relationship and are discovering each other anew; and one who probably will not bring themselves to share a kiss for another 27 calendar years.

Narumi/Hirotaka: Honestly, the main couple of a series usually goes over my head a bit, but the more i thought about these two the more wretchedly fond of them I became. The thing I think of the most is how Narumi taught him how to smile as a child; how she did things that meant nothing to her, so easily does kindness come, but that meant so much to him; and how now that they are grown, he does things for her that take no effort, but shake her foundations. I think theirs is a love that grows quietly; something that cannot change the world, but can change them.

Koyanagi/Kabakura: My thoughts on these two are not complex, but they are deeply positive. I love how huge their personalities are, and how they fit around and against each other; I love the implication that despite their endless bickering, they are not an on-again-off-again kind of relationship, and have instead chosen each other over and over again for ten straight years. I love that despite everything, they are kind to each other, first and foremost; they find ways to apologise and to take care of each other, and treat each other gently in private.

Kou/Naoya: I love every ship in this manga equally but perhaps I love Kou/Naoya more equally than the other two? They are just so kind and so silly, and so sweet to each other in exactly the way both of them didn’t realise they were missing. I think about Naoya being told that Kou is “okay with being alone”, and realising that “okay with it” and “have accepted it” are different, and taking his little baby steps to fix it. I think about Kou giving Naoya every last drop of patience he’s trained himself not to accept, and doing so because it simply makes her happy. My only concern is that they are both bottoms. I don’t have a solution for this.

suggested prompts, fic:

- accidentally dating ft. Kou and Naoya, or, “and you’ve made out how many times now? Hmm. Yeah, that’s not technically a bromance.” - 5 times Hirotaka and Narumi almost, almost kissed, and 1 time they did; the unresolved romantic tension may kill me and it would be worth it - what Hirotaka and Narumi taught each other (apart from the more mundane gaming and life skills, i believe that she taught him how to smile and be loved by others, and he taught her how to be loved by herself!) - smutty domesticity ft. Koyanagi and Kabakura — a lazy Sunday, laundry in the sun, fucking on the couch, everything easy with familiarity - (addendum to above: pegging)

suggested prompts, art: - festival clothes - someone’s getting married - naoya: *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a t - red string of fate motifs

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun

seowaka: they are idiots, and they like each other very much, but they do not know. i love a tall crying boy and his short but much more powerful girlfriend.

chiyo/nozaki + chiyo/nozaki/mikorin: im rooting for her in the face of such overwhelming stupidity. one himbo is difficult enough to seduce but two. chiyo is a hero and a woman of rare courage. i like the pair and the trio equally; again, if you go with trio, it’s important that they all love each other please!

suggested prompts: - 5 times any of these ships went on a date without realising, and the time they realised - urban fantasy AU where Waka is a hapless monster hunter and Seo is an annoying but deeply harmless werewolf who’s been terrorizing his town?? - fairytale AU where Seo believes she must rescue the prince from the tower and deliver him back to the kingdom capital, and the prince, who had not realised he’d been kidnapped, thinks Seo is a usurper from a rival kingdom who must be supervised all the way back to the kingdom capital to be served her justice

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes… - nozaki carrying chiyo, who’s carrying mikorin - (seo carrying waka) - waka sleeping peacefully in seo’s presence… :’(

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

we made it through all the fandoms.

Thank you for making it to the end of this whole disaster; I hope at least one of the prompts sparked joy! The most important thing to me is that whatever you end up doing, you are able to enjoy the process at least somewhat, and deliver a creation that you like! I can also be found on twitter at @hawberries_ (for art) and @popplioikawa (for general ramblings). If you need some more inspo, I recommend going through my art tags for the selected ships because I put a lot of Opinions into my fanart.

#shut up phee #chocbox

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kazemon15 · 5 years

Photo

So, chatting with my friend, Moezy, we were listing our top 10 (.5) anime guys that we liked in all anime and/or manga that we have watched/read...here is my list starting from 10.

10. Kogami Shinya from Psycho-Pass.

Badass and intelligent. I just love this guy. His backstory is a sad one, but it’s not something that he regrets. He can be a bit emotional, but really, who isn’t? What I like about him is that he knows what the right thing is morally, but he just can’t help his emotions. He knows when he is doing the wrong thing, but won’t run from it either and accepts the consequences of his actions. And he isn’t bad to look at either!

9. Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

This guy is such a dork, but also badass. Powerful and smart, with a cool head (most of the time, which is funny, considering he uses fire). Like Shinya, he can also be a pretty emotional guy, and he uses his past as a reminder to not stray from his goal. He is also in one of my favorite ships, but that’s for another post. Also, did I mention he’s such a dork? lol

8. Yuri Lowell from Tales of Vesperia.

Now this guy is how you do a likable main character. Cocky and sarcastic and loves teasing his friends. He is also has a strong belief in stepping in and doing something about whatever wrongdoings is happening right in front of him, even if it means breaking the law and becoming a vigilante. He’ll do anything he can to set things right for those around him. Not so much of a sad past, but still a fun character! I love his sarcastic attitude at times.

7. Kai Hiwatari/Ray Kon from Beyblade 2001/V-force/G-Revolution

Okay I’m cheating a little bit here, but I just couldn’t decide who I liked more. Let’s begin: Kai: The cold emo Russian/Japanese boy with blue/gray hair. His past is extremely sad and it is understandable why he is such a cold jerk. However, I found his growth in the series amazing. He started off being forced to be a Team Captain for his group. This annoyed him to no end as he wanted nothing to do with the happy bunch. As time went on, however, he gained a soft spot for them and even started to become a real captain, giving advice and caring for their well-being. At first, he was prideful, so very prideful... but as time went on, that pride still remained, but only changed. He takes pride in beating his opponents fair and square and defending his comrades. (Despite betraying them 3 times in 3 seasons but...I chalk up the very first time to PTSD and mind-control of his past...other 2 times... well, that pride problem right?). Also, the irony, a cold emo FIREUSER. Right? lol

Ray: My Chinese catboy! Ray is very friendly and reserved. I was instantly drawn to him when I first saw him. Ray is one of the reasons why white tigers are my favorite animal. He will do anything for his friends and even a stranger if they need help. He always listens to both sides of the story before making a judgement and is the guy to go to for advice. Though later in the series, he does have his own personal battles which causes him to become a bit cocky and jerkish at times, but what can you expect from a nice guy who always put himself last and just wanted to do something for himself for once? Self-care, Ray! Self-care. And he isn’t the only catboy on this list...

6. Kimura Kouichi from Digimon Frontier

Another emo boy! But not a jerk like Kai. Kouichi’s past made me like this character so much and his struggle with his inner demons throughout the series is what made me love him. He was the first character to show me that the power of Darkness does not have to be evil, for without Darkness, there is no Light. He always holds a place in my heart is one of my favorite digi characters.

5. Eizen from Tales of Berseria

I wasn’t sure where to place Eizen. I had to think long and hard. At first I thought at putting him at 7, but then I realized I just loved this dork just a little more than the other characters. The comically serious... no seriously, this guy can fanboy at the silliest things with a straight face, like arguing over the name of a bug...or wanting to build underground tunnels...on an island... ...yeah... ANYWAY, I just love this guy because of his morals and creed. He never compromises his ideals and always faces the consequences of his actions. Yeah another one of those huh? Hm, starting to see a pattern here... Oh yeah, touch his little sister, and he’ll beat your face in and break all 10 of your fingers. Seriously, just...don’t touch Edna. Why couldn’t he be 1,000 years younger (2,000 in Zestiria...)? Such a badass long living adult!

4. Narumi Ayumu from Spiral. It’s a shame this manga isn’t that popular as Ayumu is a great character and his growth is amazing in the manga (not so much in the anime..) His growth is both sad and inspiring. He is such an inspiring character for me. He starts off as a stoic, with having no confidence in himself at all because of his brother, since he is constantly being compared to him and is reminded he can never be as good as his brother (I can relate)... but by the end of the series, despite all the sad things that has happened to him, he learned to smile in the end, no matter how painful. I really can’t go into details about why I love him so much, but you’ll just have to read the manga to find out why!

3. Niwa Daisuke and Dark from D.N.Angel

Yes I’m cheating again, but this is my list, okay?! Daisuke: I love this guy to death. A bit clumsy and timid, but never gives up. Always smiling and managing to find the best in people, even those who keep convincing him he is the enemy, he can end up friends with and change anyone with just that smile. However, even he is not all smiles and has his own concerns... even so, Daisuke doesn’t let such things get him down for long. He is a naturally empathetic person, and I have never seen him cry for himself. He cries for others, but also knows when to be reserved.

Dark: I wasn’t sure if I wanted Dark here or Hiwatari Satoshi, as they both have equally sad pasts. However, seeing as Dark lived for over 400 years and still manages to put up a cocky womanizing front to spare the feelings of others, Dark won out in the end. Again, can’t go into much detail, but the manga is amazing. I like Manga Dark so much more than his anime counterpart.

2. Sawada Tsunayoshi from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Ah yes my favorite series of all time....so then why is Tsuna at number 2?! Well, I’ll get to that when I get to number 1. Like Daisuke, Tsuna is a pretty empathetic person who cares for his comrades. He doesn’t necessarily have a sad past, but his growth is amazing in the series. Because he is around, he managed to help his friends through their own emotional turmoils and is just the light of the series to everyone.

1.5 Zeno from Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona

Zeno and my number 1 favorite have ALOT in common, which is why I put him at a 1.5. Despite this, Zeno does have alot of things I like him for him. I love the fact that Zeno does not hesitate to help his family or be in pain for them when the situation calls for it. It is the only thing he can do to help and despite always being in pain, he would rather have all the pain in the world than to have pain inflicted on his family. That is what I love about him most. Of course, his silly childish side is so lovable too! Him and Eizen can talk about the suckiness of living a long life together...

1. Train Heartnet from Black Cat.

Of course, for this guy, I strictly talking about the manga, not the anime...the anime just does not show how awesome and badass he is.

Like Zeno, he is also a very empathetic person who always wants to protect his family. What I like about Train the most is, though, like Zeno, despite having one of the saddest pasts, and has all the reason in the world to go around being bitter and emo, he decides not to. He decides it’s better to smile, have fun, and make the most out of life. He does have some tendencies to become emo, but only when the situation calls for it. And despite being childish and silly, always having fun, he never let’s that get in the way of being serious and protecting those close to him when needed. He always tries to cheer everyone up in a bad situation, and is not above asking for help when he really needs it. Not to mention, he’s a catboy and left-handed at that, like me! All my favorite things in one!

#sawada tsunayoshi #train heartnet #kai hiwatari #ray kon #zeno #kogami shinya #eizen (tob)#yuri lowell #Niwa Daisuke #Dark #Narumi Ayumu #Kimura Kouichi #Roy Mustang

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backtodc · 6 years

Note

As fun as it is to throw salt at Gosho I think this could be a good time to talk about some good DC cases. So, which are your top ten cases so far?

Hmmm, this took some thought–presented chronologically because I couldn’t pick preferential order XP

Billion Yen Robbery (013-016): Even disregarding its long-term impact on the plot, this case on its own had a good twist in how Akemi disguised herself and the lies she told to track down her robbery partners. I’m always a fan of people, rather than going for big heavy-duty disguises, just using little details of makeup and presentation to completely change their appearance. Ran’s big heart was evident in this case and how strongly she felt about “Masami”‘s safety after just meeting her twice, and this one also what is still one of my favourite ninja-Ran moments to date. Potential kidnapper/murderer across the street? Maybe we should call the police, or run down the stairs OR I GUESS WE COULD JUMP OUT OF A FIRST FLOOR WINDOW AND CHASE HIM ACROSS THE STREET AND DO A FLYING KICK TO DESTROY HIS CAR WINDOW AND ALSO HIS NOSE

Akemi’s death opens up a shitton of plot, and, despite how it gets slightly overused later on (not quite to “did you know Bruce Wayne’s parents got murdered” levels but definitely a biiiiit overused) it’s still one of the most genuinely tragic deaths, especially since Shinichi admitted his real name to her to try and offer her some comfort as she died. TEARS Q_Q

A Haunted Mansion Murder Case (017-019): The case that introduced the Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta. I always think of this one quite fondly. It had a genuinely creepy atmosphere–the “haunted” mansion looks the right side of cliche-creepy, especially once it turns out there’s actually someone around, and honestly I can forgive the incidents of the kids wandering off alone and vanishing because they’re six, of course they’re gonna do silly shit like wander off alone in a haunted mansion. And the truth of the matter is something that’s vanishingly rare in Detective Conan, something I wish we saw more often: a crime of passion.

There’s no clever trick to the murder: the son, Akio, just loses the rag under a torrent of verbal abuse and smashes his father’s head in with a candlestick. There’s no clever trick to the cover-up, either; his mother messed with the crime scene a bit and reported it as a robbery, and given that the family’s obviously very wealthy, money probably changed hands if any investigating officer did think to suspect anything other than a robbery. All she’s thinking about is protecting her son from the consequences of his crime; all he can think about is his guilt and horror over the murder he committed. The case goes from genuinely creepy to honestly tragic. It’s a proper emotional story, and at no point do any six-year-olds have to witness a human corpse, which I’m always in favour of. And I like Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi and I’m glad they were introduced shut the fuck up

The Hatamoto Family Case (020-025): This was another case with good creepy atmosphere, a solid closed circle situation, classic big fucked-up family situation but at the heart of it, Natsue and Takeshi are a genuinely sweet couple who really don’t deserve all this bullshit and you spend the case really hoping for them to be safe and things to turn out okay for them, the traumatic deaths of several close relatives aside. The murderer is pretty sad, though I feel like Gosho intended him to be more sympathetic than he actually was–he certainly could’ve done with less abuse from his grandfather and been allowed to emotionally invest in his art more, but the cousins thing aside, murdering multiple people over a girl you’ve never even approached marrying somebody else with whom she’s had an actual relationship and is in love with is… not sympathetic. But I’m also glad that the nice chef uncle came out alright too, and that all three of the sympathetic family members reappeared in later cases since they were all very likeable characters.

Moonlight Sonata (062-067): This one sticks in a lot of people’s minds, and I think it’s for the same reason that the haunted mansion case sticks in mine; atmosphere. This is another one with a good, genuinely creepy atmosphere from the immediate sense of “small town with a dark secret” we get as soon as the Mouri Detective Agency arrives on the island. Gosho was very good at building these atmospheres once upon a time, I would’ve liked to see him write a horror manga. The case is deeply tragic from start to finish, from the murders of the Asoh family, to the fact that Seiji/Narumi got the idea for the “curse” from playing a funeral song for a man who’d just had a heart attack after admitting to murdering their family, to the complex nature of Dr Asai’s grief and guilt that they felt the need to avenge their family but simultaneously called for a detective in the hopes that they’d be stopped, to their suicide at the end because they can’t live with what they felt obligated to do. There are Gosho’s usual… issues… with gender, and given the bigotry that became obvious later he probably had no clue at all what he was doing with Dr Asai’s gender, but I feel like they weren’t handled unkindly for an AMAB character living as a woman? I could be wrong and I wanna open this one up to the trans folk in the audience because I’ve never found a trans fan’s commentary on Dr Asai and how they think they were handled, but goddamn I still cry thinking of their suicide at the end and I appreciate that this was a one-off case that had a visible long-term emotional impact on Conan.

Magic Lovers’ Murder Case (192-196): As well as being an interesting murder involving some quite sympathetic characters, this is a really good case for seeing what Kaitou Kid’s like under the mask (or was like; I feel like he’s lost depth since this?) as expressed through Katsuki Doito. He came along to investigate suspicious user activity, but he joined the magic-lovers’ forum because he is a nerd for stage magic and stage magicians and enjoys nerding out about stage magic and stage magicians. He gets to unapologetically fanboy over his late father with other magicians, with is pretty goddamn cute imo. He also gets to show off knowledge and fondness for other magicians, and his knowledge of magic tricks is useful in solving the case, even though, by his own admission, he’s no detective, and it led to tragedy. We don’t really see how Kid felt about being unable to prevent that murder, since he was still being played as pretty mysterious at the time, but it was a good choice for his second appearance in DC imo since it cemented him as Not A Bad Dude. Also, Conan gets to be one of Those Shonen Protagonists by running across a burning bridge, which, y’know, is always cheesy, but also always kinda cool (the artwork was particularly effective imo)

Twilight Mansion (299-302): I genuinely enjoyed the gathering of the knock-off famous detectives and was pleasantly surprised by Hakuba’s appearance (back when I still held out hope that that kind of thing meant that Kid would get more involved in the plot). The mansion itself is actually quite gorgeously designed and rendered, especially at the end when the exterior crumbles, and again, DAT CREEPY ATMOSPHERE. I guess it’s officially plot-important now, too, which I just wanna say, I officially called nine years ago, but also I was hardly the only one calling BO involvement with Karasuma.

Most of all, in general, I just really like watching and reading things involving skilled people being very competent at what they do, so the fact that ALL of the gathered detectives (save that one dead one) figured out what was up and were able to communicate and come up with a plan without revealing themselves to the brilliant detective BEHIND the whole thing, and the execution of that plan, were all very, very good and I liked it. I might reread this one right now, actually, while I’m thinking about it, I really do enjoy it top to bottom.

Golden Apple Case (350-354): PEAK interesting backstory on the part of Vermouth and Yukiko, a reasonably interesting murder, Yukiko’s RAD driving scene, and one of my favourite Ran moments ever. The confrontation with the serial killer/Vermouth is tense as hell, and the fact that Ran reacts instinctively to save his life and just can’t bring herself to drop him and let him die, to be responsible for a death, no matter whose, is a very powerful statement on the integrity of her character. She’s just to her core, and Shinichi does steal the moment a bit by helping her pull the serial killer up and getting the really good “you might need a reason to kill, but you don’t need a reason to save a life” line, but this still feels entirely like a Ran moment for me. We find out later that this incident had a profound effect on Vermouth, too, and is possibly the entire reason she’s hiding Shinichi’s secret from the BO and explicitly the reason she doesn’t want Ran to come to harm. Shame we haven’t had much Vermouth character development in a while because this stuff was JUICY.

Two Cases Under One Moon (429-434): An ICONICALLY good Bo-fightin’ case where everybody involved is putting in Maximum Effort. Heiji puts on an extremely good show as a fake Shinichi (the boy’s an extreme drama queen and Heiji does that very well), Yukiko’s disguise skills are valuable and well-used, we finally get the revelation that Vermouth has been Dr Araide for a while AND that she’s maybe immortal (…not… that we’ve gotten ANYTHING on that since..) AND we get the VERY interesting nature of her feelings concerning Shinichi and Ran. Also, we get Ran so concerned about Ai’s wellbeing that she hides in a car boot and then jumps into gunfire in order to protect her, GOD that’s SUCH a good Ran moment. Shinichi, Jodie and Akai all also get to be very brave and very smart and very badass, and ugh really I just wanna go back to everything about Vermouth in this case and explore more of that forever. Please. Also more Jodie, whose backstory we finally got in this case after revealing that she’s not Vermouth. What is it with interesting women disappearing as soon as their backstory is out MOVING ALONG

Clash of Red and Black (595-609): This case is a cracking case. This one was long and complicated and many-layered and everybody involved was on their highest gears and it was great. Akai and Conan work as a fantastic team and Conan gets free reign to do some very good detective work for the FBI (I still believe he told Akai who he was during this case, it would make sense and undercuts how concerned I am with all of these grown adults letting a six-year-old run all around an active incident). We get a good look at the incredible power and cruelty of the Black Organization when they cause immense collateral damage just to flush the FBI out. We get the story on both Akemi and Akai’s relationship AND the Hondo family, and OH BOY THE HONDO FAMILY.

It’s also one of the most interesting Eisuke cases, imo, where not only does he do some solid investigation to find Mizunashi Rena, we get a glimpse of some real deep trauma over losing his last family member that’s driven him to be willing to attack Rena with scissors out of desperation to get answers about what happened to his father and sister. I mean, I am most definitely not advocating stabbing coma patients, but for Eisuke a lot of the trauma of your whole beloved family dying or disappearing was just implied and not explored, and then he got booted from the series immediately after things got interesting with him, so bleh. We also barely see Hidemi after this, and ?????????? because she’s a CIA agent who’s in DEEP to the BO after surviving a HORRIFYING situation where she has to proudly boast of murdering a man who was secretly her FATHER, who SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO PROTECT HER… why are we dicking around so much with Mystery Family instead of exploring this one??? This case is kind of the last hurrah for anything interesting happening with the Hondos so I love it for that.

And I love the complicated counter-bluff involved in delivering Kir back to the Black Organization without looking like they were delivering her. Again, this was apparently in exchange for her assisting the FBI and she barely appears after this…? Nope this isn’t about salting at Gosho moving on

The Life-Threatening Broadcast of Love (804-808): I love this one solely and 300% for the part where Miwako Sato jumps out of a helicopter, shoots a noose off of her boyfriend’s neck, grabs him, wraps her coat around him to protect them and knocks both of them out of the range of a bomb blast at the last second, like the goddamn action hero that she is.

So in no particular order, those are my top ten: how about the rest of you?

#peggaboo #detective conan

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cinnamayroll · 6 years

Note

Narumi, Kagami, Aomine, Takao, Hanamiya, Kise, and Kasamatsu with a girlfriend who wears crop tops all the time, and gets little glitter tattoos to show off on her midriff?

Thank you, that’s such a cool ask! I didn’t know if you wanted hcs or scenarios, so I did hcs cause I think they’re suited better for reactions since you can fit more into them. Also I’m sorry but Hanamiya’s are really short cause I couldn’t think of anything to write for him

I hope you’ll like them (btw,I didn’t even consider you could mean real tattoos, so I wrote them as rinseable tattoos, sorry if that’s not what you meant)

-May ^^

Narumi:

thinks that your crop tops are the hottest thing in the first place

always has his hands on your waist and likes to teasingly slip it up a bit too far up the top

but he’s a gone man when you put the tattoos on

Narumi literally can’t take his eyes off of you when you show them off

on the one hand he’s proud that his girlfriend is so hot and wants you to wear crop tops with those things all the time and show you off

but he also doesn’t want all of the other guys to ogle you, so he’s kinda in a dilamma here

“Hey babe, where are those lines leading?”

when he’s in the mood to tease, he’ll make dirty remarks about them and tries to amke you blush

they’re also an immense turn on for him in bed

his phone is full of pictures of your tummy and lower back or just you wearing that stuff

he generally takes pictures of you all the time

he’s just a very excited puppy over all of this

Kagami:

this precious boy thought that they were real tattoos for a moment and nearly got a heart attack

but when you told him what they really were, he was fascinated

gets flustered when you wear them in public

also used to get flustered when you wore them at home, but he got pretty much used to that

when you wear them and you cuddle on the couch, he’ll trace them with his fingers and chuckles when that makes you shiver

gets a little uncomfortable when other people stare at your midriff, but you do wear them so they can be seen, so he guesses it’s okay with it

really likes how they reflect the sun, so they make you literally shine when you two are outside

Aomine:

is thankful that he got a girl who wears crop tops so regularly every day

to be honest, it doesn’t really bother him if your wearing the tattoos or not as long as he gets to see your bare waist

unlike Namuri, he isn’t fond of showing you off especially when he catches another guy staring at your midriff

sometimes he even pouts when you put them on because it means there will be strangers oggling all day

when you’re at home home though he actually kinda likes them

thinks they’re cute but also somewhat sexy

you asked him to help stick them on once and you regretted it because you didn’t end up with any tatoos that day cause Aomine got a little caried away

Takao:

Takao loves them a lot

like the others, he already likes your crop tops a lot, but once you started wearing the little tattoos he preferred them when you added those

always proudl has an arm around your waist when you go out

he knows that you’re wearing them to show of your nice midriff, so he doesn’t see a reason to get mad when people stare at you

however, he gets very jealous when they try to make a move on you

has tons of fun to help you stick them on and you always ask him to do the ones on your sides and back cause you can’t reach them properly

jokingly puts them on his own waist sometimes and sends you pictures or pretends to catwalk into the bedroom

when you’re cuddling he often leans down to press kisses along the glittery patterns cause he just finds them so adorable

Hanamiya:

acts like he doesn’t care or even doesn’t notice them at all

like, if you wanna show them off, you do you

still, he can’t help that he’ll begin to trace them with his fingers whenever he’s distracted

teases you sometimes, saying that they are silly

but to be honest, he would be kinda disappointed when you stopped wearing them because of him

Kise:

Kise is so excited about them

he knew they where a thing, some models at his agency promoted them, but he hadn’t expected you to wear them

takes tons of pictures of you or the two of you when you’re wearing these (like, more than usual)

likes to use you to take aesthetic pictures for his Instagram from the weirdest angles

literally gushes over how gorgeous they are every second minute

really likes crop tops as they are and is glad they’re finally back in fashion and that you love to wear them

but the tattoos make them so much better

likes it the most when you wear golden ones because the your tattoos match his eyes

(”Kise, you eyes are brown.” “No! They’re golden, ____!”)

tries really hard not to be jealous when you’re looked at because he thinks he has no right to be when he literally has to stop for his fangirls on about every one of your dates (he fails)

Kasamatsu:

this guy is way too innocent for this

gets flustered when you wear crop tops and those tattoos only make it way worse

tries hard to not stare at them literally all the time

thinks they look nice, but doesn‘t think they’re worth going through so much trouble for

is really clumsy when he’s supposed to help you with them

doesn’t mind if other people are looking at them because that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?

he likes them the most when they’re some kind of lines running down your hip bones since he’s really into them

when he’s distracted while you’re sitting on the couch together he’ll start to piddle at them so you have to replace them pretty often

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zandyin · 6 years

Text

A post about androids where I’m not bashing *that game*, but utilizing its concept for another silly AU featuring my rarepairs.

I talked about it with a friend and Raidou is definitely the android sent by Yatagarasu to find out why androids are becoming deviant. There’s a very handsome android who’s amassing a small army of deviants... their headquarters seems to be located in some countryside village. 8)

The (more) silly part comes from Raidou seeing Dahn and instantly becoming deviant lmao. Or if you want a slightly less silly version, his mission is to learn why Dahn is a deviant and has the ability to command deviants. His mission is to get close to Dahn. He achieves his mission. 8T

Narumi can be Raidou’s human partner, but that’s not my ship so I don’t have much to say about that. Narumi is nice to his android partner and quietly accepts that Raidou has become his own person. He reports him missing to the Yatagarasu instead of ratting him out.

Other rarepair comes in as Demifiend and Hijiri. Demifiend is an android hunter hired to retrieve Raidou from Tsukigata village, as Raidou is an expensive, one of a kind model. (I suppose this can involve demon summoning but I didn’t think that much about it.) The surly Demifiend gets paired up with Hijiri, a helper-type android who documents all of their findings. Cause Demifiend is very “fuck that” about documenting anything. Like Hank, he starts off thinking androids are stupid and just machines. Over the course of this silly AU, he comes to care for Hijiri, who becomes a deviant after becoming damaged (while protecting Demifiend?) and having his old programming reawakened.

He used to belong to a peculiar occultist by the name of Victor, who had tampered with his programming to see if the human soul could be replicated within a machine body.

Why is Dahn a deviant? Idk, I’m not writing a serious android narrative here! :d He’s deviant cause he got tired of being told what to do, even if it seemed illogical. In the silly variant of this AU, Raidou becomes a deviant because Dahn is very sexy. How does that work? I’unno lol. This is basically what I headcanon in regular dsrk2 canon. Raidou becomes a Chaos Boy when he sees Dahn.

That’s deviancy love!

#zandyin au

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recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

Bookshelf Briefs 9/4/19

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 23 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Seido is reeling from their surprising loss in the final round of the West Tokyo qualifiers. Promptly, the third years retire to focus on college while the rest of the team gears up for the fall tournament. Many pivotal spots have been left vacant, so the junior varsity players are fired up to finally secure a place on the varsity squad. Not fired up are Eijun, who has trouble shaking the image of his pitch hitting a batter, and Kawakami, who squandered Seido’s lead and ruined the upperclassmen’s hopes of making it to Koshien. I always appreciate anything that leads Eijun to a more humble state of being and also really liked seeing Miyuki seriously step up to a leadership role after he is made the new team captain. I’m excited to see how this iteration of the team fares. – Michelle Smith

Barakamon, Vol. 18 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Much of the final volume in this series involves showing us that time is slowly marching on. There’s no time skip or anything, but life keeps happening. Tama gets a manga published. Miwa’s father is leaving to work on a ship, similar to Naru’s father, and Naru and Hina move on to the next grade, though the island is so small that they don’t get any underclassman to be sempai to. As for Handa, he’s become the stable part of the group; still teaching calligraphy, still being a bit of a goofball, but not going anywhere—this is where he belongs now. The overall tome of this series was relaaxing and fun, and that’s how it ended up, with the characters undergoing mild but meaningful journeys. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Count Fujiwara’s Suffering | By Mahito Aobe | Yen Press – I’ve talked before about how I think that omnibuses of comedy manga are a bad idea, and this 540-page volume bears that out. That said, I don’t think I’d love this even in single volumes. Count Fujiwara is a cat, whose thoughts we are privy to. He’s dealing with two sisters—one an airheaded NEET who stopped going to school after a past event we only find out about near the end; the other is a more “normal” girl who has an unfortunate crush on her sister—unfortunate in that it contains all the annoying “comedy lesbian” tropes. There’s a speck of a storyline here about what happened to make Shizuka like this, but for the most part it’s “look at the silly girls and their frustrated cat.” You can do better. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 8 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – I have occasionally wondered as I read a manga where a character discusses the fact that they’ve never felt love like other people if said character will actually end up being asexual. It’s rarely happened, and I don’t expect it to happen here, but it’s an interesting thought. Ayumi’s thoroughly analytical personality is great for a career as a newshound, but very bad when dealing with Takaya, who we’ve known for a while has fallen for her in his quiet, hard-to-read way. Her thesis paper on why they should or shouldn’t go out doesn’t help. Fortunately, we have Kai and Riko being adorable fluffs in love to balance things out. And this time Kagura’s on the cover, but STILL gets nothing to do. Arc when? -Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 2 | By Tomohito Oda | VIZ Media – Much of this volume is cute. A classmate declares herself Komi’s rival in the national health exams. Komi attempts to tell (lame) jokes in writing. The gang goes out for ramen after school. Najimi encourages Komi to go shopping for clothes and the gang all chooses different outfits for her to try on and rate. And then there’s Ren Yamai, who has a crush on Komi and promptly goes into scary, knife-wielding psycho mode. I liked that Yamai’s threats against Tadano prompted Komi to firmly state (in writing) that she decides who her friends are, as well as the fact that this whole situation prompted Komi to “talk” a lot with Tadano and allowed for some funny Najimi moments. But I really disliked that, after all Yamai’s terrible, alarming behavior, Komi consents to be friends with her after all. Yamai is the Mineta of an otherwise really fun series. Sad face. – Michelle Smith

Murcielago, Vol. 11 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – The police have had a very odd relationship with Kuroko, for obvious reasons, but they find themselves more drawn into the current case than usual. The people getting eaten by sharks rapidly led to brains in jars, including the wife of Tsuru, who he’s been trying to avenge but sadly reality gets in the way. Also, his partner may be secretly evil? Fortunately, Suiren is saved, and deals with her grief. She’s not even seduced by Kuroko—yet. And so we move on to a new arc, which involves someone going around killing master swordsmen. Murcielago will never win any good taste awards, and its leads are all sociopaths (even the police, to a degree), but it’s fun, and there are some great Kuroko faces here. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 17 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – When the hell did this get so boring? Its strength remains its humor, and the best parts of the volume are showing off that humor, such as Fubuki desperately trying to rally the incredibly apathetic troops, or Saitama only getting really pissed off because the hero hunter keeps ignoring him. But for the most part, it’s serious fights between serious heroes and serious villains, and honestly I can get that much better in My Hero Academia. The world is also pretty nihilistic here—we need the heroes because the villains are not going to stop and wait for them, as a Private Merc Force finds out when they are quickly beaten and enslaved. I want more funny stuff, please. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 8 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – It’s time for new employee orientation, including a field trip and a hot springs visit. This actually means a bit more fanservice than the other seven volumes combined, as of course Syalis goes along with everyone—they have to pretend she’s working as a demon in order not to give it away. (This being a comedy manga, the author lampshades that Syalis is in a swimsuit twice within three chapters.) The jokes are the same, though—Syalsi is spoiled and a bit appalling but also too difficult to say no to, and also sort of cute and adorable. At least she’s not gleefully killing everyone anymore, so that’s a plus. It even feels a bit like an extended family now. – Sean Gaffney

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 7 | By Maybe | Yen Press – We’ve hit a new harem manga record with this volume, as fully HALF THE BOOK is set up to have Satou and his fiancées get it on so that they can gain the power needed to defeat the Abyss King. Sadly, for anyone hoping for a payoff, there’s lots of skin and titillation but everyone is still a virgin by the end of the book. We also get some details of the prior hero, who was seemingly corrupted by the situation of “get to bone all these girls” and ended up getting killed by said girls, one of whom is still around thanks to the long lives of elves. Will Satou end up going down the same path? Well, not if this keeps up. This is a good series for fantasy fans but harem fans may be getting irritated. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 5 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – As with the series’ spiritual successor, Nisekoi, We Never Learn is very good at balancing out each girl in the romantic comedy stakes so that they all get something to do. Unlike Nisekoi, the choice is not obvious from chapter one, either. It doesn’t help that Fumino seems to be honestly trying to help Naruyuki get together with someone else… even as she gets the shippiest chapter in the book, the classic “we have to share a hotel room and there is only one bed” trope. But the others get their moments as well (including the teacher, which I suppose I will have to get used to), and it’s cute, fun, and a bit sweet and romantic as long as you don’t mind it then snapping back to status quo. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – Sometimes series can falter after their respective love interests get together, but so far that hasn’t been an issue with Wotakoi. There are some chapters that I find less engaging (generally the few that take place “in game”—I prefer the manga’s exploration of real life experiences), but as a whole it’s still consistently entertaining. I especially appreciate the importance placed on the series’ non-romantic friendships. The fact that Hirotaka and Narumi are dating is still being kept a secret in the workplace, so one of my favorite running gags in the third omnibus of Wotakoi is that their coworkers are all essentially rooting for them to hook up. In part this requires Fujita to introduce a few new recurring side characters who end up being a rather amusing addition to the manga. I continue to greatly enjoy Wotakoi. – Ash Brown

Yuri Life | By Kurukuruhime | Yen Press – Yuri Life is a collection of 4-koma vignettes about various cohabitating couples, the vast majority of whom are working women in their twenties. Some stories are kind of cute, but none is in the least bit funny, so it’s not that kind of 4-koma. Probably the best story in the lot is “Life with a Grim Reaper,” in which a grim reaper falls in love with a woman who’s supposed to die soon. I could see a concept like that filling at least one volume, but not so much the rest. The collection also includes “Life with a Yandere,” in which we get creepy inner monologues like, “If I snipped off those small, slim fingers, would I be the only one you touched?” Um, that is seriously fucked up! Why is that in the same collection as these other frothy tales? This is definitely a mixed bag. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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sapphicdalliances · 4 years

Text

Hi, Yuletide writer! First of all, my sincere apologies in my delay of getting this letter written up at all, and my enthused thanks for being here!

I’m a simple bitch with simple tastes; here is a general summary of my preferences, and fandom-specific notes and prompts can be found further down!

I very much enjoy:

Romance -- anything up to and including plotless shippy drivel

Short fics, or even collections of tiny fics

Long fics too, so I guess what I mean is, don’t feel pressured either way

Comedic tones, slice-of-life, lighthearted fun, any amount of improbable romcom tropes

Am also hella on board with misunderstandings, drama or angst as long as there is a happy ending!

Specific tropes I love:

Proposal fic

Wedding fic where the couple getting married is not the main couple

Outsider/third character POV of the main couple

Exes who are still in love/getting back together

Friends-with-benefits-with-feelings/did a bad job keeping it casual

Shipfic where two or more couples are contrasted

Oblique declarations of love/saying i love you without saying i love you

Provision and caretaking (acts of service!)

Aggressive matchmaking/wingmanning by an enthused friend

Hanahaki, or any other improbably dramatic instances of Cannot Spit It Out

Arranged marriage/fake marriage/fake dating

Epistolary fic

Regrettably I also love a/b/o, especially the kind that emphasises on scent safety and contains little to no actual sex

I’m not as into:

Political or social intrigue, mysteries, complex magical plots — by no means a dealbreaker, but not high on my list of priorities

Kidfic

First person narration

Soulmate AUs specifically

In general, please avoid:

Character death or serious/permanent injury

Animal abuse or death

Infidelity

Hopeless or downer endings

Fandom specific info starts here!

Princess Tutu - Ahiru, Fakir

I’ve loved Ahiru/Fakir for years and years — they are both very strong, willful but compassionate characters, and the way they intersect is just so sweet to me. While I would be ravenous for any tutu content, gen included, I really would be particularly delighted with some overtly shippy fic for this one, I hope that’s okay!

Suggestions:

Modern AUs: vet science major Ahiru + English major Fakir meet in theatre club?

Step Up-style remix where they become somewhat-unwilling dance partners because their regular partners are somehow indisposed and work better than expected

That one ending fix-it AU where Fakir writes her back into a girl and they retire into the village, the one we all have in our treacherous hearts, i will never get enough of these

Fakir and Ahiru’s relationship progression as observed by the other members of the school/town

Or mix it up with any of the tropes in my general list! For this ship, I would like a maximum rating of T, please!

Wotakoi

I love every ship in this manga equally but perhaps I love Kou/Naoya more equally than the other two? They are just so kind and so silly, and so sweet to each other in exactly the way both of them didn’t realise they were missing! Honestly, anything with these characters that’s along the lines of canon would be delightful; the particular energy of misfits realising that they don’t have to be alone is something very dear to me.

Suggestions:

Accidentally dating ft. Kou and Naoya, or, “and you’ve made out how many times now? Hmm. Yeah, that’s not technically a bromance.”

5 times Hirotaka and Narumi almost, almost kissed, and 1 time they did; the unresolved romantic tension may kill me and it would be worth it

What Hirotaka and Narumi taught each other (apart from the more mundane gaming and life skills, i believe that she taught him how to smile and be loved by others, and he taught her how to be loved by herself!)

Smutty domesticity ft. Koyanagi and Kabakura — a lazy Sunday, laundry in the sun, fucking on the couch, everything easy with familiarity

The fantasy/MMORPG AU, where Hirotaka is the lazy but brilliant crown prince, Naoya the hapless but beloved second prince, Koyanagi his spymaster and Kabakura the captain of the prince’s guard; Narumi his childhood friend-cum-betrothed, and Kou a mysterious archer who saves a distressed Naoya from bandits in the village?

The gang tries to play DND. We finally find a game that Naoya is good at.

Or mix it up with any of the tropes in my general list!

Nezha - Oubing

I feel 100 different ways about this movie and 88 of the ways are SO CHINESE. The filial piety, the familial sacrifice, the friendship! I do believe that Nezha and Aobing are in love, I hope this is a reading of the text that we share, but if not, gen about their friendship/rivalry would also be well-recieved.

Suggestions:

Aobing has been practicing bigu (a cultivation style that is meant to remove one’s need for food or water) since he was born; Nezha introduces him to food, and other creature comforts — do they have BEDS in the dragon palace for example?? Buddhist-style cultivation is very ascetic and difficult, but Nezha is so wild and full of feelings and love!!

Modern AU: delinquent Nezha and prim, proper exchange student Aobing

Modern AU addendum: nobody believes Nezha when he says he’s got a hot boyfriend in Taiwan and thinks that he has made Aobing up

Arranged marriage/political fantasy AU where the prince of dragons is given to the most controversial heavenly general in an effort to improve both families’ social standing

For a gen prompt, if you want to do something about Nezha and/or Aobing’s relationships to their fathers, debts and affections and resentments, that too would be lovely!

On the other end of the spectrum, i’m down for PWP with xeno tropes re: aobing’s dragon anatomy! So long as the top/bottom roles are not too strictly defined, i just like it when they’re equitable or switch!

And of course, feel free to mix it up with any of the tropes in my general list!

Kazetsuyo/Run with the Wind

I didn’t tag any characters because my favourites were not in the list, and of course because I do love everyone, but my personal priorities are in order: Shindo, Musa, Haiji, Kakeru, Nico-chan, Yuki, the bombastic twins, and then everyone else. The spaces between those positions are very small so if you happen to have a passion for a character/ship lower on the list, worry not, there is limitless affection within me for everyone!

Suggestions:

Shindo should get to take Musa to see the snow… he deserves that

He also deserves to run the ekiden again in his fourth year and not be sick and actually win section 5!

I do think Kakeru and Haiji are most definitely soulmates — if you choose to focus on one or both of them, I really do believe they are in the romantic kind of love, is the thing!

Perhaps their relationship, an inevitable drifting together, as perceived by everyone else in aotake?

Or Haiji comes to Kakeru’s graduation, all their tenderest affections still unspoken, and somehow, without any premeditation, by the end of the day they’ve kissed

You know what I think? I think Hana-chan likes and is capable of dating both of the twins, and I love that for her

Or gen canonverse with everyone (or just everyone you care about) taking turns caring for Nira and reflecting on the race!

As above, please feel free to mix it up with the tropes in my general list!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun

I only selected Seo and Waka because they are simply my top priority, but if you want to serve a side of Chiyo/Nozaki and/or Hori/Kashima and/or Seo and Kashima being beautiful best friends and/or Mikorin being a beautiful himbo who we are delighted to have here, i would not complain at all!

Absolutely anything about them being goobery oblivious idiots in love would be perfect, such as:

5 times they went on a date without realising, and the time they realised

Everyone else literally just thinks they’re dating and they are completely clueless

Or on the other end of the spectrum, everyone tries desperately to set them up/matchmake for them, not realising that they’ve been going steady for four months

A hanahaki AU would be particularly hilarious with these two, I feel

Urban fantasy AU where Waka is a hapless monster hunter and Seo is an annoying but deeply harmless werewolf who’s been terrorizing his town??

Regency or faux-regency AU where Waka is literally like “drive by your rival’s estate slowly so that she may seethe with jealousy at the loveliness of your new hat” and Seo is like “oh goodness, he is courting me. What a fool. What an absolute buffoon.” and challenges him to a swordfight

Fairytale AU where Seo believes she must rescue the prince from the tower and deliver him back to the kingdom capital, and the prince, who had not realised he’d been kidnapped, thinks Seo is a usurper from a rival kingdom who must be supervised all the way back to the kingdom capital to be served her justice

Or anything else equally romcom-y, and of course, as always, throw in as many tropes as you like!

Thank you for reading this whole mess of a letter, and I sincerely hope I haven’t bored you too much. The most important thing to me is that whatever you end up writing, you are able to enjoy the process at least somewhat, and deliver a fic that you like! I can also be found on twitter at @hawberries_ (for art) and @popplioikawa (for general ramblings), and if you have any desire to send an anon ask to this tumblr with questions, i’m actually not sure if that’s allowed but i’d be happy to get some! Thank you again, and happy holidays!

#shut up phee #yuletide

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zandyin · 6 years

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I am the April fool that has fallen too deep into silly Raidou/Dahn + SJ MC Son AU and I feel like taking a break from studying for this Excel cert, so let me ramble about some more headcanons… idk how much of this is gonna be repeated but damn I love what has become of this ship.

Okay, so I tend to apply the same general “quiet but quirky” personality to all silent protags, cause… well, they’re basically for inserting w/e personality you want, right? I’ve always pictured Raidou as the cool, calm, and collected – who is just a bit more focused whenever Dahn is around. He’s still got the same quirk of his lips, but maybe it grows more pronounced when that Tsukigata boy is around. :d

The way Raidou speaks is already lovely and perfect. Tomokazu Sugita does a great job and you can hear his rendition of Raidou if you search for the drama CDs on YouTube! Anyways, whenever Raidou says ludicrous things in this AU, uh, a tame example being, “Let me check with my husband”, it’s said in Raidou’s soft, polite tone. Straight-forward with a bit of amusement. His normal tone, but you can tell he’s smiling if you only heard his voice? Yes.

Dahn’s the more boisterous of the two. Hearing them have a conversation is fun, especially if it’s a light hearted one where Dahn can be loud and doesn’t hold back on his accent – which Raidou has no problem understanding, by the way! Dahn’s accent always enamors Raidou. Maybe he does things on purpose to get Dahn to say things without putting on airs. Raidou keeps his tone at a generally soft level that encourages Dahn stand a bit closer to hear. Raidou does it on purpose. Dahn is also capable of a quiet tone – he’s a ninja assassin, after all – and employs it whenever he’s having a close quarters conversation with Raidou. But Dahn’s got that kinda voice where it’s still kinda “loud” even when he’s trying to be quiet. It still makes Raidou feel a rumble in his chest and he loves it!

People notice Raidou becomes a bit more laid back after meeting Dahn. He’s still dutiful, as ever, but he also indulges himself when he is able. Like sending a plethora of demons to deliver messages to Dahn when he is unable to deliver them himself. Raidou has an expansive vocabulary that is either intricately employed by the messenger demon or ruined. Dahn’s a smart guy, as he says so himself multiple times, but the flowery language of ye olde demons doesn’t really strike a chord with him. Altho the bare bones dialect of other demons make him more confused than flattered.

The first handful of times Raidou sends a messenger demon, Dahn jumps right out of his skin. He’s fought all sort of nasties, but Raidou’s demons… are something else entirely. Some of them appear human, others are, hm, Dahn will have to talk to Raidou about them later.

Going back to earlier, after a lengthy courtship, there is MARRIAGE because this is my AU and I can do what I want. :p Raidou is a fan of saying things that remind people he is married to a rugged countryman. “Let me check with my husband,” he will say after the simplest of requests. Narumi thought it was fine the first few times, but Raidou never seems to tire of saying it. The Herald of the Yatagarasu’s face doesn’t even twitch when Raidou, in his most straight-laced voice, drops the line after a request. Raidou doesn’t actually check with Dahn, unless looking at the picture from the case file counts. Narumi wondered where that picture went…

In another, possibly distant future AU, we have some baby SJ MC aka Junior headcanons. Junya? Dahn-tan?

Like his ninja father, Junior has a natural way with bugs. He’s not afraid of them by any means! So as a child he collects a lot. The woods around Tsukigata mansion make that very easy. Dahn builds little bug cages for his son’s multi-legged friends. Raidou… is not a huge fan of bugs. He’s not afraid, per se, but he doesn’t like being woken up to Junior pouring all his “friends” on the cover of their futon. Or Junior shoving a handful of (flying) bugs in his face to proudly show off his new friends. At one point, Raidou tried to implement a “No bugs in the house” rule, but then his small son cried. Raidou changes this to a “one bug limit”. Dahn helps Junior hide other bug cages in his room/around the house and says it’ll be their little secret. They also erect a small shack just for Junior’s bug friends. Raidou doesn’t ever go there.

Now is not the time to worry about how genetics work, since Junior is essentially a test tube baby anyways lol, but I wanna pretend Dahn’s poison immunity passes to Junior – at least from bug poisons! SO while Dahn and Junior have no problem messing around with poisonous bugs, Raidou stands in the distance and looks like :> but sweating underneath his cap. He was not born into that immunity, so he just watches his family from the sidelines. At some point small Junior tried to eat a bug that was probably poisonous and Raidou snatched it out of his hands last minute!

Toddler age Junior was a big fan of climbing things. Mostly trees. He’d find himself up very high. He wasn’t afraid, though! Raidou would be afraid for him. Junior liked to sit in the trees and watch the bugs do bug things. Or watch the clouds from the top. See the trees sway with the wind.

So I think Raidou is always dressed in his summoner outfit cause he’s kinda “on-call” and that outfit makes it hard to climb trees. Raidou would send demons up to coax Junior to come down, but somehow Junior became efficient in demon negotiations and would send them back! If Dahn’s around, Raidou gets him to collect their son from the tree tops. But sometimes Dahn will just go hang with Junior up in the trees, and they watch the clouds together. Or little Junior does that thing kids do where they excitedly, and without reservation , tell Dahn all about each bug friend that passes by. Dahn listens and poses questions of interest for Junior to answer. Dahn already knows all the answers.

Raidou is good at a lot of things, but ... LIKE, he does the basic stuff but he’s not omniscient when it comes to watching his son. Bathe a filthy toddler and 10 minutes later he’s filthy again. Make sure he doesn’t eat weird things off the ground. Tend to his scrapes and bruises. Tell him not to trust demons or follow any deeper into the forest. Especially not royal fairies. Keep him away from sharp objects, although Dahn has probably shown Junior some moves on soft nunchaku. Raidou will enlist the help of his most loyal demons in keeping an eye on Junior. He’s had a lot of “auntie” demons try and pinch his cheeks.

At the end of a long day, Raidou would usually be in the mood to fool around with Dahn, but once Junior enters their lives it becomes very hard to find time between village duties, Capital duties, overall demon duties, parental duties, and anything else. They’re content for some cuddling and actual sleep. Maybe that’s why older Raidou’s so lusty once Junior moves out – to make up for all the time he had to hold back lmaoooo

Okay, back to studying!

#zandyin au

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sapphicdalliances · 4 years

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Dear Chocolatier,

I’m a simple bitch with simple tastes; here is a general summary of my preferences, and fandom-specific notes and prompts can be found further down!

I very much enjoy:

Comedic tones, slice-of-life, lighthearted fun, any amount of improbable romcom tropes

Am also on board with misunderstandings and drama as long as there is a happy ending!

Writing tropes I love:

Proposal fic

Wedding fic where the couple getting married is not the main couple

Outsider/third character POV of the main couple

Exes who are still in love/getting back together

Friends-with-benefits-with-feelings/did a bad job keeping it casual

Shipfic where two or more couples are contrasted

Oblique declarations of love/saying i love you without saying i love you

Provision and caretaking (acts of service!)

Aggressive matchmaking/wingmanning by an enthused friend

Hanahaki, or any other improbably dramatic instances of Cannot Spit It Out

Arranged marriage/fake marriage/fake dating

Epistolary fic

Regrettably I also love a/b/o, especially the kind that emphasises on scent safety and contains little to no actual sex

Art tropes I love, if you offered art:

Art where the characters look kind and fond

Fashion remixes – street fashion, cultural/traditional clothes, festival clothes, renfaire-esque clothes, beach photoshoot, get wild with it

Putting animal characteristics on one or both of them

Botanical motifs + celestial motifs

When plants grow directly out of people

The thing where character A is focused on something they’re doing or seeing, and the character B is focused only, wholly, desperately on A. please… the Gaze

Depictions of intimacy where faces are partially or fully hidden, but the body language is gentle

Characters SLEEPING next to each other, or comfortably doing separate activities in each other’s presence

If you wish to get frisky with your fills:

Yes!

Go for it!

I don’t have strong top/bottom preferences (and enjoy it when they switch or are otherwise generally equitable) so whatever you’re in the mood for is fine!

Kink tropes I very much enjoy include oral, restraints, praise kink, when proud characters cry during sex because they love their partners so much, and xeno tropes.

I love non-horny sex scenes; comedic, silly, charged, fraught, or simply affectionate exchanges that happen to include sex are my favourite. Feelings are the real kissing disease.

But like, if you wanna get horny about it.

Chase your bliss.

They simply must be in love.

I’m not as into:

Kidfic

First person narration

Soulmate AUs specifically

Kink wise, my only major squicks are incest, teacher/student, and public sex/getting caught, but i’m also not super keen on daddy kink, blood/piss/etc, or anything with blades or needles.

In general, please avoid:

Character death or serious/permanent injury

Animal abuse or death

Infidelity

Hopeless or downer endings

Fandom specific info:

Wotakoi

suggested prompts, fic:

suggested prompts, art: - festival clothes - someone's getting married - naoya: *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a t - red string of fate motifs

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Nezha (2019)

So, wow, Nezha and Aobing are in love maybe? It drives me nuts to think about these two extremely powerful and extremely lonely boys finding each other by happenstance and instantly giving to each other something they’ve never had before. Sometimes you live most of your life without the presence of the other half of your literal soul and when you find him it’s like discovering true happiness for the first time, and that’s valid? Some people brazenly sacrifice themselves for the chance to spend a last moment with their soulmate to cope??

suggested prompts: - modern AU: delinquent Nezha and prim, proper exchange student Aobing - modern AU addendum: nobody believes Nezha when he says he’s got a hot boyfriend in Taiwan and thinks that he has made Aobing up - pwp with xeno tropes? yeah

suggested prompts, art: - lesbians AU. lesbians AU. AU where they are lesbians now. - mer aobing. mer aobing. AU where aobing is a mer-dragon now - KISSING - pwp with xeno tropes, again

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Otoyomegatari

im skipping this section for now because i checked and im literally the only one who offered it. you’re not here to feed me otoyomegatari, and that’s fine.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

i haven’t, uh, played this game? and i have not, in fact, watched anyone else play this game. but really, i don’t know that fire emblem is a thing you understand with your mind so much as it is a thing you feel with your soul. and i feel that ferdinand and hubert are in love.

fandom specific DNW: i am not a huge fan of how the game handled its fantasy racism, so if you could sort of avoid that whole situation, that’d be great. literally would love an AU where ingrid and hilda aren’t racist.

Ferdinand/Hubert: THEY LIKE EACH OTHER SO MUCH AND IT’S SO VERY EMBARRASSING FOR BOTH OF THEM, just terrible, i can barely bring myself to look upon it. An important part of their rls to me is that they both have other things they value far more than each other, on an intrinsic, instinctive level; it does not make them love each other less, just differently. They are both so very dramatic in different, equally stupid, ways. ferdinand has one dimple in his right cheek, emits UV rays when he smiles, and loves horses and singing. hubert is sexy but in a way mostly reminiscent of the empty shed skin of a venomous spider. together, they fight classism

Dimitri/Dedue: like this

Dimitri: I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you Dedue: I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for YOU [5 years of soulful gazes and dimitri making increasingly drastic and ineffectual attempts at seduction]

Hilda/Claude + Hilda/Claude/Lorenz: the sex is good. the statecraft? even better. i love trios where all 3 characters love each other equally.

suggested prompts: - ferdinand and hubert making bare skin-on-hair contact and immediately bursting into flame - dedue: your highness, let me teach you how to garden. dimitri, internally: oh, to be a speck of wet soil clinging to the warm, calloused skin of dedue's hands! - gee claude, how come your mum lets you have TWO tops? - hilda, strapping it on: urgh you're making me WORK

suggested prompts, art-specific: - outfit swaps ALWAYS fun - modern AUs also always fun - horse

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Haikyuu!!

changed my life, cured my depression, what can be said about it? fwiw i am completely caught up with the manga and indeed to remain caught up for the duration of this exchange so nws about spoilers; of course i am also happy if you want to play around earlier in the timeline!

suggested prompts: - kagehina or iwaoi dealing with LDR - kyouhaba are forced to cooperate on an innocuous, preferably wholesome task, such as gardening, or finding the owner of a lost dog, and it goes, As One Would Expect - bokukuroo + overheard phone conversation: and you've slept together how many times now? hmm. yeah, that's not technically a bromance (not in a no-homo way, just in a we-are-both-so-stupid-and-like-each-other-so-much-way) - actually that overheard phone conversation would work for any of these ships

suggested prompts, art-specific: - put some wings on some of them. now it's bird romance, which is for birds - (i lied, this isn't art-specific at all, wingfic is always welcome in any of its forms) - just pick up your whole boyfriend and carry him like that. give the smooch.

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Ace Attorney

i laughed for 2 straight minutes about there being no klapollo in the noms but this is fine, narumitsu is good. a thing I think about a lot re: narumitsu is that they are one of those love stories where, like, yes they’re in love. that’s not the problem. no matter what conflicts arise, or for what reasons they cannot be together, the fact that they are in love, and choose to remain in love, is never even doubted. i just really want to assert that i do not personally believe that miles nor phoenix have ever done anything on purpose in their lives except continue to be in love with each other.

suggested prompts:

- proposal fic - wedding fic - attending-a-wedding fic (gumshoe & maggey, before they're married? apollo and klavier, after they're married? franziska and adrian? not terribly picky on the background couple here!) - wedding night fic and they're both 35 so just, honestly, the back pain - honeymoon fic - also anything from when they were little, standalone or in conjunction with/comparison to their adult lives!

suggested prompts, art-specific: - so what if phoenix is a liddol hedgehog and miles is a cat in a cravat. just a thought.

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun

seowaka: they are idiots, and they like each other very much, but they do not know. i love a tall crying boy and his short but much more powerful girlfriend.

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes… - nozaki carrying chiyo, who's carrying mikorin - (seo carrying waka) - waka sleeping peacefully in seo's presence… :'(

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

we made it through all the fandoms.

#shit fuck im SO sorry i had to finish a DEADLINE #shut up phee #chocbox

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