pokomumee

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Remember when Hinata and Kageyama called each other “Tobi” and “Shou” and we all died

The first time they meet—in middle school, in a hallway next to the bathroom of the gymnasium—they don’t know each others’ names.

And they don’t learn them, not even after two quick games where neither of them really wins anything.

Not the King of the Court, who still can’t sense the widening rift between him and the team on his side of the net, because he’s too focused—on the game, on his tosses, on the other side’s smallest player, the one with so much wasted potential. So he thinks.

And the Small Giant hopeful, he doesn’t have enough time. Not time enough to stay on the court he’d always dreamed of, nor to learn the name of the one blocking his path.

They don’t understand one another. They move on.

They come back together.

Not by choice… when they see each other again at Karasuno, there is no feeling of kinship, only irritation. But the captains have the roster, and their names, and so they are finally introduced.

They really can’t stand each other.

Kageyama is dumb and oblivious, and wildly reassured of his own abilities. He has yet to learn that there are multiple people on a team for a reason. He’s a bastard, Hinata says, he’s my rival.

Hinata is less oblivious but just as dumb, and has no idea what to do with a volleyball, which puts an expression of permanent constipation on Kageyama’s face. Hinata wants to do everything right now. He’s a dumbass, Kageyama says, I won’t ever toss to him.

Then he does.

They remain rivals, but become partners, too.

They discover, much to their shock, that it’s occasionally very difficult not to become friends with the one person who knows them best.

It takes three years of high school for them to crumble and admit it during one incredibly embarrassing conversation shortly before Nationals that they will never tell anyone about, ever. They’re both fairly sure no one they know has ever had to make a dramatic friendship confession and would not understand. Really, this is why they are friends.

But in the interim, changes become a necessity. After spending so much time at the Hinata household, it becomes natural for Kageyama to call Shouyou by his first name… just because the alternative is confusing both him and his sister whenever Kageyama wants to talk to one of them. That’s the only reason.

And Hinata finds himself strangely obsessed with the way Kageyama’s ears and the back of his neck turn very pink when Hinata calls him by his first name, so he just keeps doing it, after the first time. Eventually, Kageyama gets used to it, and the blushing and stumbling over all his words for several minutes stops; but the fact that he is used to it becomes kind of nice, too. Only Hinata calls him Tobio.

Only Hinata has ever tried to hold Kageyama’s hand and kiss him on the walk home from school in their third year (and succeeded).

They are friends, plus a little bit more.

Sometimes a little bit more becomes a lot.

Being on the same side of the net becomes being on the same side, always, even when they fight. Even when they make each other angry. Being rivals aiming for the world stage becomes a long journey in each others’ company. And being invincible becomes being in…

…bed together as late as possible on sleepy mornings when they don’t have practice, or aren’t traveling with the national team. Hinata always ends up taking up most of the space in the bed despite being so much smaller, unless he’s wrapped every possible limb around Kageyama, who has learned to accept his fate.

Sometimes, there is Hinata’s nose and then entire face smashed between Kageyama’s shoulder blades, rubbing insistently until Kageyama finally mumbles, “Shou… Shou, five more minutes…”

“I’m starving.”

“I’m sleeping.”

Hinata hugs him from behind, fingers splayed under Kageyama’s shirt over his chest and stomach. Kageyama is fairly sure he’s copping a feel.

“Tobi…” Hinata whines plaintively, and Kageyama’s perpetually low reserves of “resisting Shouyou” willpower evaporate. “Make me breakfast?”

The names they call each other may have gotten shorter over the years, but it seems a good exchange, for this life they have together.

[pokomumee]

i’ve always liked how human oikawa is, he seems unreal because he looks otherworldly but he’s so petty and jealous and insecure and he’s a yearner and he wants and he holds a grudge forever and he regrets and he doubts and he’s so human and he needs to prove himself and it’s not enough that people look up to him because he doesn’t see it and dreaming is not enough he needs to put so much effort in that he self sabotages himself and

[pokomumee]

お前がオレを飛ばせたあの日から、オレはお前のものになっていたんだよ、バカやま。

オレはお前を飛ばせたあの日から、オレはお前しか目に入らなかったんだよ、ひなたボケ。

(From the day you mad me fly, I've already been yours, just yours...

From the day I made you fly, my eyes have only seen you, just you...you dumbass)

[pokomumee]

Unpopular opinion, I think Yachi was kind of in love with Hinata.

[pokomumee]

So… aren´t we gonna talk about Ayumi Kuroiwa? For the ones that didn´t know she was an animator of Haikyuu!! that some time ago post the pictures down here on twitter. Of course after that Production I.G fired her. The pictures are beautiful

More information here: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-26/haikyu-animator-reprimanded-by-i.g-for-indecent-comments-images-on-twitter/.81472

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miwa told tobio to be "good to hinata" for their fancy date night and "open the door for him" because that's what superior romance is

and tobio manages to forget the keys inside with hinata and locks himself out.

he's struggling to open the door.

hinata is cackling inside.

after getting to know his intensions, it turns into a competition how quickly they get out the door and open it for the other. its funny because hinata is more efficient, and tobio is hilariously clumsy at it

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I HATE when people don't break up their paragraphs. because 1. that's not multiple paragraphs, that's just one paragraph 2. why is it so close together?? did I accidentally read that line already. oh wait no it just confused me because of how close the words are 3. its confusing and makes me dizzy SPLIT UP YOUR PARAGRAPHS!!

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yeah

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too much!

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And Another Lovely Day

Leehama - Webtoon canvas

Ongoing - 36 Episodes - Scrolling

A "(non) rom-com" following Nora and Elliot, two aromantic/asexual teachers at the same school. The two have a fateful and romantic meeting off the clock, which causes them both to worry the other has fallen in love with them.

I first started reading Leehama's work with Flowerpot on Tapas (then tapastic!) back in 2017, and I've been following her work ever since. All of her comics are incredibly thoughtful and heartfelt, and And Another Lovely Day is a shining example of all the care and consideration put into Leehama's work.

(Speaking of Leehama's comics, Gourmet Hound is on my list of comics to talk about here, too—stay tuned for that later!)

There are a lot of small details I enjoy about this comic, such as the name scheme of the cast. Every single character draws their first or last name from a color, either being named directly after a color itself (ie Nora Chestnut, whose surname is a shade of warm brown) or their name drawing on something related to that color (ie Isaac Heather, named for a purple flower). I adore the fact every single character's name, no matter how big or small the character's role, both fits a certain theme and tells us a little about them, as it makes the whole work feel a little more cohesive.

Related—unsurprisingly by the attention paid to colors in the name scheme, And Another Lovely Day's color work is phenomenal. Every single panel is easy on the eyes, with a nice balance of bright and cheerful colors. Of course, the art style of the comic is also incredibly pleasing, with a super charming and distinct style for people and expressions. The comic especially prefers oranges and blues, the colors of the aromantic-asexual flag.

My favorite small detail is the way the comic uses stars. Many romance comics use things like hearts around a character in a panel to denote romantic feelings, and this comic has a similar symbol: stars, for platonic or familial affection and feelings. A specific symbol to highlight these moments in a comic specifically about how platonic connections instead of romantic ones is incredibly useful, as well as really fun to pay attention to once you know to look for it!

And Another Lovely Day is a very heartfelt comic, portraying asexuality and especially aromanticism in an honest and sympathetic light, something that can be very rare in media! The "tragedy," if you can use so heavy a word here, of Nora and Elliot's lives isn't their aromanticism, as both of them are relatively content with their own interests and their platonic or familial connections. Instead, the comic deals more with things such as the isolation of navigating in this world built around romantic partnerships as a person removed from romance entirely.

While the comic handles these feelings respectfully and with the care and weight they deserve, it never stops being a light-hearted and comedic story. And Another Lovely Day has a very clever and silly sense of humor, and I've shown many of the jokes from this comic to friends as they land every single time. I walk away from most episodes of this series with a genuine smile on my face. A personal favorite style of joke that this comic does is footnotes which comment on or contradict the content of the panel or the misconceptions of the characters, a gag that makes me laugh every single time.

(Just rereading this comic for panels to sample was cracking me up all over again)

These are two of many of the comic's strong points as a written work, but the comic is also strong in character writing and in handling relationships, both platonic and romantic. Elliot and Nora are both incredibly interesting characters, and between the two, I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite (and that's not even getting into all the rest of the cast!)

Every episode of And Another Lovely Day comes with small bonus panels of trivia, and there have been several bonus episodes with more extra information and content or context about characters or writing choices. These are absolutely fascinating, and many of them—such as one which pointed out the author's use of stars—have changed the way I read and appreciate the comic.

As a last note, the author posts here on tumblr @/leehama! I would recommend checking out her tumblr for trivia about the comic, as well as her entire body of work as a comic artist. I've never read something from Leehama I didn't absolutely adore with every fiber of my being, and I plan to follow her work wherever she takes it.

[pokomumee]

On Writing Romance

⊹ If their personalities don’t change the way they love, I don’t care. Show me the emotionally constipated gremlin trying to say “I love you” through soup or blood sacrifices.

⊹ Miscommunication tropes are only tolerable if it’s because both characters are awkward disaster goblins who panic and start lying for no reason.

⊹ Romance should amplify character arcs, not replace them. If they abandon their goals the moment someone is cute at them, that’s not love, that’s weak writing.

⊹ Let them fall in love slowly. Through shared snacks, petty arguments, silent glances, sarcastic encouragement, bandaging each other’s wounds. Love is built. Not summoned.

⊹ Consent is hot. Clear boundaries are hot. Flirting where both parties know what they’re doing and still get flustered is the hottest.

⊹I don’t want “he was dark and brooding.” I want “he was emotionally unavailable and bad at feelings but showed up anyway and said 'I’m trying.'”

⊹ If you're writing a friends-to-lovers arc, the moment they realize is not when they see each other in a pretty outfit. It’s when they see them being genuinely kind. Or brave. Or stupidly loyal.

⊹ Physical affection is great, but emotional pattern recognition is better. I want “I noticed you chew your sleeve when you’re scared” kind of intimacy.

⊹ Let one character love the other first and let them suffer. Let them burn quietly in the corner while the other obliviously sharpens their sword.

⊹ If they don’t have a little bit of “I hate how much I love you,” what are we even doing here?

⊹ Sometimes the romance arc is learning to love yourself first. Or breaking a pattern. Or finally understanding you’re worthy of love at all.

⊹ The best romance scenes are never just about the romance. They’re about trust, choice, timing, and all the things they’re afraid to say.

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soft vs hard love dialogue and prompts

➣ SOFT LOVE

♡ "you're cute when you're mad."

♡ soft shoulder kisses.

♡ "home is where you are, whether it is here, in the deepest ocean or hottest desert, you are my home."

♡ slow and curious first kiss, both characters seemingly nervous, blush painting their faces.

♡ stolen glances across the room.

♡ "the gods took their time with you."

♡ wearing their heart on their sleeves around each other.

♡ character A's face blushing as B smootheres them in compliments even years into their relationship with character B.

♡ quiet murmurs of affection.

♡ “i missed you.” “i was gone for two hours.”

♡ coffee shop and bookstore dates.

➣ HARD LOVE

♡ guttural rain confessions.*

♡ "do you not get it? every second i spend in the absence of your presence pains me."

♡ harsh and passionate first kisses.

♡ "i fucking yearn for you and you haven't so much as spared me a glance in years!"

♡ walls that they have each spent years building crumbling in the presence of one another.

♡ heated arguments turned into heated confessions.

♡ "i hate you! i hate you so much i can't bear to be near you." "you are walking a fine line between hate and desire, love."

♡ both being far too stubborn to admit their feelings, their hearts both caged deep within them.

♡ (years/months) of pent up emotions being aired in an argument and when the dust settles the only emotion left is their desire for each other.

♡ “do you think i want this? do you think i want to be stuck in this endless cycle of wanting you? do you truly think i enjoy waking up every morning realizing you’re not there?”

♡ tears spilling as they finally give in and proclaim their feelings.

♡ “i am not an easy person to love.” “i think i’ve got the hang of it.”

REBLOG TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WRITERS!!<3

* rain confessions coming soon !!

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Thank you to everyone who's been following along with this blog and supporting me as I share my art. All these pieces and more are available as prints in my shop!

[pokomumee]

suga stands in the sand with sandaled feet, hands on his hips. “all right, kids,” he announces. “can anyone tell me the rules, again? haruto-kun, what’s the first rule?”

“always keep suga-sensei in sight!”

“good. mirai-chan?”

“stay with a buddy at all times!”

“yes, that’s correct. itsuki-kun?”

his bespectacled student squints at him. “don’t throw sand at anyone?” suga chuckles.

“no, but that’s true, you shouldn’t throw sand at anyone. the last rule is to always make sure your feet touch the ground when you’re in the water. if anything happens, what do you do? hiroto-kun?”

“blow your whistle!”

“and does everyone have their whistle?”

twenty or so arms raise in the air, wrists decorated with bright orange whistles around on a bracelet. fumiko exclaims, “i lost mine!”

“here, i have an extra one.” daichi kneels beside her, sliding a bracelet around her wrist. “i’ll make it a bit tight, so you won’t lose it, but if it’s too tight, find me and i’ll loosen it, okay?”

“okay!”

suga smiles at his partner when he straightens, then turns to the class. “don’t forget the golden rule, okay? have fun!” with that, the elementary school kids descend upon the beach in a cloud of excited fervor.

it’s tradition for suga to take his class to the beach during the last week before summer vacation. parent chaperones are required for such an outing, and this year, he was able to recruit help in the form of his partner and local policeman.

daichi walks behind a group of boys, watching them approach the water and splash through the shallow waves. nearby, some girls shovel sand into pails to make a sandcastle, and another duo are sitting on a beach towel to put sunscreen on their arms. suga approaches him, stands close enough for their elbows to brush. “thanks again for this,” he says. “you really saved me this time.”

“i’ve always wanted to spend my day off watching your kids,” daichi replies dryly.

“i already said i’ll cook dinner for the rest of the month!”

“and kiss me goodbye in the mornings, even when i have to leave at 5 am.”

“damn morning shifts,” suga grumbles under his breath, quiet enough as some of his kids approach them.

“suga-sensei! daichi-san! come into the water with us!”

he feels daichi glance in his direction, hesitant. “i’m not sure about that…”

“you should go,” suga urges. “i have to stay and keep watch from the shore, so it’ll be helpful if you’re in the water.” he nods at the floating platform in the distance, where several kids are already on top of.

“if you say so. just give me a minute, kids,” daichi calls out, jogging to the beach chair they set up earlier, and shucking off his shirt. heat surges through suga’s cheeks at the sight of his partner’s glorious chest, abs, and arms, generously sculpted from years of regular exercise.

thank god he chose not to leave love bites last night. “just shout if you need me,” daichi says, walking past him. when suga doesn’t respond, he bumps into his hip. “koushi?”

“ah, yeah. of course. get out there.” he swears his partner grins at him before joining the boys.

“suga-sensei?” akari asks behind him. he turns away, glancing down at his student. “are you okay? your cheeks look really red.”

suga coughs, turning his back to the water. “i will be, after i get some water to cool down.”

it’s better to watch his partner from a distance, surrounded by the glistening waves, water radiating off his skin like scales. he towers over the kids, a few climbing onto his arms to swing and launch themselves into the water. daichi’s voice carries through the air, resonant with the laughter and shouts around him.

his heart stutters at the sight in front of him. daichi has always been good with kids, always knows what to say and do. suga relied heavily on his advice at the start of his career on classroom management and keeping the students in check, and now, they make a strong tag team, capable of making every field trip run smoothly.

and if he treats them as pseudo dates, that’s only for him to know.

daichi doesn’t return until an hour later, soaked from head to toe, sand clinging to his skin. suga passes him a towel, who accepts it gratefully, wiping his face dry. “should i be worried about any of them drowning, now that i’m out of the water?”

“they all know how to swim, or at least float. we spent a month learning at the local pool.” suga scoots over in his chair, gestures for him to sit. daichi obliges, damp skin brushing against his. “was it fun?”

“oh, yeah. i always enjoy playing with your students, no matter what.” he leans on his shoulder slightly, scent sharp with salt and sunscreen. “do any of your old students visit?”

“not really. i think the only consistent one is megumi-chan, only because she picks up her brother from kindergarten. she plays for her junior high volleyball team.”

“always spreading the agenda, huh?”

suga grins, catching his eye. “always.”

their eyes turn back to the beach, scanning the shore to keep track of all the kids playing in the sand, moving in and out of the waves, running across the beach with frisbees and balls. “what are your thoughts about having kids, ourselves?”

daichi stills, fingers dangerously close to his. suga is tempted to reach for them, pinky stretched in his direction but waits for his partner to respond. “i think i have the same thoughts as you,” he answers slowly.

“and what thoughts are those, exactly?”

“i think you know exactly what they are.”

suga watches the shore again, eyes lingering over the group of girls constructing their sandcastle, the pair of friends reading books with their toes in the sand, the boys jumping off the platform to compete who has the biggest splash. every year is a new group of kids, a new set of challenges and nuisances, a new collection of memories, but by spring, they’ll move on, leaving him behind as a fragment of their childhood. how precious would it be to witness such growth, step by step?

their hands find one another with mirrored smiles. before he can speak, a surprised “ah!” makes him jump, jerking his head to haruto, who’s pointing at them like they committed a crime. “suga-sensei and daichi-san are holding hands!” he shouts.

“ewww!” the boys echo behind him. suga rolls his eyes, rising to his feet to scold them, but daichi places a hand on his shoulder. his partner gives him a wink, then leans forward to kiss him.

“now they’re kissing! gross!”

“kissing! who’s kissing?” the girls abandon their construction to join them.

“suga-sensei and daichi-san! they’re kissing!”

suga smiles against daichi’s lips on his, unable to help but laugh, daichi joining in. yeah, he definitely knows exactly what he’s thinking.