aylskarstark - Tumblr blog

[aylskarstark]

giant fluffy dad.

[aylskarstark]

i’ve been thinking about furudate’s comment in the guidebook saying the character most representative of them is ukai jr. it brings to mind this exchange between ukai and takeda early in the series about why he was reluctant to take on the coach position

…and thinking this is probably how furudate feels about volleyball, how they felt writing a volleyball manga while thinking back on their own special memories playing in high school. furudate, who wasn’t able to let go of their volleyball experience in high school, wrote hq to commemorate those memories as well as to go new places they weren’t able to reach in the past. even without furudate saying anything about relating to ukai, the first time i read the panels above i was moved by how utterly sentimental and lovingingly nostalgic ukai’s words were. to me, these were clearly the words and feelings of furudate themself. the unique, precious qualities of their own personal high school volleyball memories, forever frozen in time.

writing and drawing weekly hq chapters with virtually no break for the past 8 ½ years was an incredibly ambitious, difficult work of love that furudate poured their heart and soul into. i can’t find it anymore, but there’s this one author comment they wrote about how drawing a weekly manga is 90% stress/frustration. i’d like to think that despite the difficulties, writing and drawing certain incredible moments that floored countless readers throughout the years were also a source of accomplishment and exhilaration for furudate, reminding them that at the end of the day they love volleyball. that drawing manga about one of their greatest loves is fun.

furudate’s comment regarding ukai is just the ultimate cherry on top, a concrete confirmation of something that’s already blatantly woven into every page. they truly love the story and characters they created. to be able to write such incredibly varied and complex characters, churn out hundreds of those beautifully drawn double page spreads, and maintain such consistent quality week after week is not only a testament to furudate’s talent and work ethic but also to how immensely special volleyball is to them.

even though it’s a light novel and not canon (i.e. not written by furudate themself), in LN vol 13 for akane’s interview with him and takeda, ukai tells her it was because of those boys, because of karasuno, that a high school bench warmer like him was able to make it to nationals. meaning it’s also furudate themselves saying they owe it to karasuno for helping them achieve a dream they weren’t able to in high school. this…absolutely wrecks me. this is something a parent would say about their children. ukai giving his gratitude to the boys who brought a bench warmer like him to nationals, furudate giving their gratitude to the boys who helped them fulfill a dream from their youth.

throughout the past week with all the new content dropping on twitter including a trove of new insights, comments and illustrations, i’ve lost count how many times i felt furudate’s love for their characters hit me like a tidal wave and every time it’s such an overwhelming but very very warm feeling.

after 8 ½ years, this past week was furudate’s final send off expressing their utmost love and gratitude to these boys, and finally letting them go.

[aylskarstark]

Just so we’re all clear, it is okay to miss people you no longer want in your life.

[aylskarstark]

[aylskarstark]

[aylskarstark]

Strawhat women :)

[aylskarstark]

cowboy mommy again 🤠

[aylskarstark]

[aylskarstark]

cleaned up my old fem law and bepo sketch

[aylskarstark]

ace arriving in the afterlife like

[aylskarstark]

i love drawing one piece sillies this is so canon 😝

[aylskarstark]

:3

[aylskarstark]

“Blue is a good color on you, my lady,” Jaime observed. “It goes well with your eyes.” She does have astonishing eyes.

[aylskarstark]

POV: You’re about to be framed for tax evasion

[aylskarstark]

the fantasy genre turns people into royalists so fast. i’m not even talking about return of the true king fairytales here but i mean, like, when there’s a “who will become king/queen!” plotline and people immediately start genuinely talking about who has the rightful claim. can we all sit down and first agree that none of these people “should” be king or queen because that isn’t a thing that should happen to people. what century are you from. divine right isn’t real go back to sleep

[aylskarstark]

How funny that she never considered that.

[aylskarstark]