#also foreshadowing future nanas thoughts

[quotedroom]

[text]

You know, Hachi…

I still believe that life is what we make of it. But now, I’m able to recognize that not everyone can be strong all the time. Because of that, I’ve grown much kinder than I used to be.

[doodlegirl1998]

Hi. I just got an idea for a gamer au. Not sure if you know but some fics play with the concept of game for Izu. "What if Izu has a quirk that allows him to see life as a literal game?"

My take: Izu has this quirk waken in him when he was 8 years old (bk is a PoS and calls him deku) now the difference here is how...the quirk does interact with Izu and people can see it. My main gripe with this trope is how ...no one ever touched how sus would for Izu to "obey" quirk that only talks to him and no one can see it.

So...in this au, the quirk has the form of a green bunny (of course!) And her first priority is to protect Izu and she acess the situation. Aldera is not the best place for him and Inko is not...a great parent.

She bestow Izu with a quirk, a beginer one. Izu can control the perception of light one see.

Everyone is jaw drop. Quirkless Izu is no longer quirkless! Then everyone move on. Bk continues to be a PoS (his issue is with Izu, not the fact he is QUIRKLESS)

Bunny level up with him saying Izu to open his others quirks needs more stats and time "but this one will do"

We see them bond ad Bunny is now the mom of Izu. Inko? She doesnt change much she is relieved her son has a quirk but never asks about the bruises he got.

Bunny second mission is to elevate Izu's self love. She even hears Izu's rambles on how to defeat BK. "Cold water will do" bunny is pleased.

Here the thing...foreshadow for Bunny being a lovecraftian THING. Smth even Dark Shadow is wary and cowering.

Izu's life changes...not bc he has a quirk but bc he has someone on his side.

Izu meets AM who is impressed at Izu (and confused at bk as why he is being so rude to Izu "he saved him...there's smth wrong here") and wants to give him ofa - bunny has talked about afo and how he is a joke among the gods, oh yeah in this the outer gods messed up humans 200 years ago and the results are quirks- and Izu declines. Bunny chews AM out and drops Nana's name.

AM is shocked.

Bunny:😒 do I look human to you?

Nana is also shocked. But curious. They all are curious.

UA invasion begins and Izu saves Aizawa from Shig...and starts to belittling him and Shig is not having it. "He saved you! Show some gratitude!" Bunny is scheming.

Aizawa is a PoS. Bk is not at ua but he tries to appeal, only Aizawa hears him. The staff hates him for that.

The mall date begins and...well, bunny is very pleased to see Shig did take him to a nice cafe while he is bitch talking about his boss and stain. See in this version Shig wants to kill afo and accepted the mission of invade ua bc he thought afo would share some potential weakness to him.

Izu:🤨my dude. Afo is a moron.

Shig:🙄tell me about it.

Is bunny plotting for Izu to take down afo? Maybe. She is a ride or die here. If Izu wants to conquer the world...she is on his side.

Bonus: people get a bit unnerved by bunny, especially if she just stare at you- is she seeing your soul? Your future? Your death?- but Shig is strangely cool with that.

Bunny is scheming.

Oh bonus 2

Ochako confessed to Izu - right the time he gets a big intership🤨- and tells how he is plain but she likes him anyway.

Izu...turns her down.

Ocha:😮

Izu:🤨you called me plain! I think you are plain too so maybe we shouldnt hang out

Ocha:😮

Mina:😮

Izu left

(Not to insinuante Ocha is a gold digger but I cant really see her a love interest nor his friend anymore. Kudos for those who can)

Bunny is scheming! Izu is plotting too.

Hi @mikeellee 👋,

I certainly don't remember seeing this trope done before for Izuku but it certainly sounds like an interesting concept. An Izuku that sees life as a game, very cool!

Also I love your green bunny guide for Izuku that even makes Dark Shadow wary. Ooo! Perhaps Izu and Tokoyami could have a close bond in this considering the other worldly nature of their quirks? I do like the explanation you gave for quirks in this AU too.

It's so sweet that Shig and Izu have a respect and fondness of each other in this version of events and that Aizawa gets called out and Bakugou never makes it into U.A lol.

I do like how in the Bonus 2 omake Izu shows respect for himself by calling out Ocha calling him plain but still asking him out. It's strange how Hori treated Ocha and Izu - she's meant to be his endgame love interest yet Hori gives their friendship hardly any focus, they don't spend time together much at all or are shown / referenced to speak to each other and has her do things like calling him "Deku" all the time and "plain" which undermine the ship.

[spicycactus7]

I AM HERE to rant about BNHA’s One For All User and quirk lineup so hangout with me!

(Possible spoilers about all the OFA users, and their quirks…so just to be safe don’t read if you haven’t read a lot of the manga.)

Okay :) here we go.

First User: Yoichi Shigaraki - thought to be quirkless at first, but actually possessed the quirk that gives OFA the ability to be passed on and given to someone else.

Second User: We don’t know his name or his quirk. He looks A LOT like Bakugo. (I’ll come back to this in a sec.)

Third User: I don’t think we have a name just yet.

Fa-Jin is a sort of quirk that makes him move in crazy speeds. He was also hidden from the vestige lineup in the beginning as the second user was.

Fourth User: Hikage Shinomori. Danger sense. He pretty much decided that his quirk wasn’t a combat type quirk so, he isolated himself while building OFA up before he died of ‘old age’ at 40. The Second longest living user next to allmight.

Fifth User: Daigoro Banjo. The first quirk we see revealed in the anime. BlackWhip!

Sixth User: En (on the left) was Daigoro Banjo's protégé. His quirk is smokescreen. We see this in the manga.

Seventh User: Nana Shimura. Float was her quirk.

Eighth User: Toshinori Yagi (All might) Born Quirkless, just like Midoryia.

Ninth (Potentially The Last User) : Izuku Midoryia

I have a couple things to say.

1. I know you’ve probably heard this a billion times, but the second OFA user has an uncanny resemblance to Bakugo. We also don’t know his previous quirk either, which raises my suspicion that Kohei is about to pull something wild.

I feel like it’s way too coincidental that he resembles Bakugo, and the fact that the second and thirds vestiges were completely blacked out in the beginning. Why? I’m not saying that it IS Bakugo. Because these users are long dead and many many years in the past, it seems unlikely. Unless time travel is involved but, somehow I don’t think so. What I’m saying is…Kohei knows what he’s doing. I feel like there is an absolute reason he drew him to look so similar and I don’t know if im ready lol

2. There’s a common theme with all of the past users. They’re all dead. Most of them killed off by AFO, or by their own deterioration. Either way, they’re gone. Which brings me to my next topic I wanted to rant about. At some point, all might will cease to exist too. It’s been foreshadowed for the entire series. Against my wishes, it makes sense. ‘The gruesome death’, NightEye foresaw is brought up very often. Deku wonders if he’ll be able to change that outcome. The death of All Might would shake the entire series, but…it does makes sense. At some point in the very near future, Deku will master OFA. At that point, there’s nothing else for All Might to teach him. Something will happen unless Midoryia finds a way to change that future.

[swiftwidget]

MHA: Fling Theory

While writing a much, much longer analysis and prediction post (which we will finish and post hopefully by Wednesday - fingers crossed, it’s already been delayed over a week because of work schedules and additions) and a portion discussing what @aoimikans​ and I know of the wider-known Dad for One Theory, I had to pause while discussing the topic of Nana Shimura’s husband.  

At the time, I had been writing about the alternative ways All for One found Nana Shimura and her husband (whether he was a hero, a civilian, or perhaps the 6th User of OfA) and killed her husband. I mentioned there is an alternative theory floating around that All for One was actually her husband, but it is generally easy to debunk based on canon information, including recent information given to use via Gran Torino’s flashback: 

In a recent chapter, when we see Gran Torino watch Nana as she gives up Kotaro, Nana says later in the flashback “if he learns of Kotaro” as if All for One was not aware of the boy, to begin with. That may imply that her husband was killed while she was pregnant and she escaped AfO’s attention long enough to raise Kotaro for a few years. 

One would think that if AfO was her husband, he’d know about Kotaro early on, or at the very least know of the attempts to have a child. And if AfO already knew of their connection, he would try to use it against her and put both her and her child in danger. Not only that but when All for One finds Shimura’s family later on - and he would have to have found them to show interest in Tenko - he simply allows Kotaro and Hana to die. Kotaro, Nana’s son, and Hana, Kotaro’s daughter who resembles Nana in both name and appearance. If he had been her husband and found she’d managed to hide away a child, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t move to possess that entire family somehow. 

Then… It occurred to me that there is another alternative option which I’m calling the Fling Theory. 

All for One approached Nana Shimura under a different name and quirk (much like the theorized Dad for One = Hisashi Midoriya situation) and attempted to get close enough to her to create a relationship, trick her into giving him One for All (and maybe even a child at that point). All for One was unsuccessful stealing the quirk by force up until then. Perhaps he thought a different approach would work, and being a charismatic person and egotistical it sounds like something he’d do. 

Maybe it got as far as a night of passion before Nana realized who All for One was and fled. That would certainly give one plausible explanation for why everything seems so personal when All for One discusses Nana Shimura. Moreover, if she discovered she was pregnant after? A marriage to a hero or civilian husband to cover for the existence of a child would be necessary to hide him. Again, in Gran Torino’s recent flashback, there is that focus on what Nana says: “if he learns of Kotaro...” 

If Nana fled this false relationship, found out she was pregnant but decided to keep the child, and got married to another man in a very short amount of time, wouldn’t that give the prideful All for One reason to kill the otherwise unnamed, unidentified husband first? Revenge against the woman who did what his brother never could except through death, escape him and build another life. When Nana makes the heartbreaking decision to alter her family registry and send Kotaro into foster care, she is not just protecting herself and Kotaro at that moment, but she is ensuring she takes the secret of Kotaro’s father to the grave.

Which makes it all the more terribly ironic given what we believe All for One did upon discovering Kotaro and the life he’d built for himself. 

We believe All for One discovered Kotaro and his family and watched them for some time. Enough time to know their names, their home life, the kind of life Kotaro’s children were living - specifically Tenko Shimura. In 2016, aoimikans wrote a fanfic called “What Lies Have You Told?” based on her theory that All for One gave Tenko the Quirk: Decay. Then in chapter 235, we see a man dropping Tenko off wearing AfO’s signature suit with no tie (just before Decay manifests). This seemed like pretty strong evidence for that to be the case. A while back during our MHA discussions, we also added to that theory that in exchange, All for One took Tenko’s (“Ten” 天 = sky, “ko” 子 = child) unmanifested Quirk: Air Walk which we saw him use at Kamino and was the only Quirk written specifically in katakana. (Sky child, Air Walk → Sky Walk → Skywalker because Horikoshi loves his Star Wars references.) 

All for One never learned of Kotaro’s true origin. In giving Tenko Decay, he put into motion the events that led not only to Kotaro’s death but also the death of Tenko’s sister, Hana.

Each time All for One tries to own/possess family, he ends up destroying it. 

And again, every time All for One speaks to and of Nana, it’s terribly personal. 

In the All Might Rising OVA, AfO thanks Nana for the “amusing comedy.” Is that a bitter reminder that what they had was an act? That it was all a game to him? (At least, it was meant to be a game until she escaped him for a time.) Either way, his monologuing at Nana, the personal focus on her, may have cost him the chance to capture All Might while he was young and unprepared to fight him. 

During their first fight and at Kamino, each time All for One talks about Nana to All Might, he mocks her to anger him. All Might is Nana’s successor but more than that he is like her son. He is representative of everything All for One could not get from Nana, both One for All the quirk and the love and loyalty of family (be it a child or his brother’s remnant in OfA). Of course, he takes every opportunity to rub Nana’s death and what he views as her shortcomings in All Might’s face. 

And how would All for One know of Nana’s ideals in order to mock them? How would he know of her signature push-up smile that he parrots at Kamino? The way he talks about her even as he mocks her seems to imply that he knows these ideals of hers, how she might talk about them, her vision of the future… Sure, she might have said things during their fight, but honestly, that sounds more like something you’d tell someone as you were getting closer to them.  

This theory naturally pairs well with the Dad for One Theory for a few reasons:

The resemblance pointed out between Nana Shimura and Inko Midoriya. (All for One has a type.) 

The resemblance and similarities between young Tenko and young Izuku. (A family resemblance?) 

The continued themes of family, lineage, and legacy that is shown throughout MHA but works specifically well when we think about how Shigaraki and Deku relate to either side of the All for One / One for All coin. 

The continued use of name puns and Star Wars references that hint and foreshadow. 

Side note: How does the 6th User of One for All fit in this theory? 

We assume based on what canon tells us that All for One has been trying to take back his brother’s quirk, the last remnant of his brother and only family. 

(All for One claimed to love his brother - though his view of love is clearly skewed toward simply possessing his brother - and he tried endlessly to manipulate his brother into showing his “love” in return with loyalty to him and his view of the world. In death and through the passing down of One for All, his brother had escaped him.)

Based on flashbacks, All for One’s attempts up until the 6th User seemed to include killing them off while they were relatively young. Maybe he was attempting to hunt them down, weaken them, and then torture them until they willingly gave him the quirk; however, he was never successful because each User of One for All was successful in passing it down to the next, playing a dangerous game of keep-away.

From the 4th (top right, long hair) to the 5th (see his jacket shoulder), from the 5th (center, bald) to the 6th (far right hand?), from the 6th (bottom center, black hair) to the 7th (Nana’s gloved hand at the very bottom of the frame?). 

Aoimikans and I were trying to figure out: Who was the 6th to Nana? 

He looks younger than most of the other users we can see (not counting the younger, blurry version of Toshinori), too young to have been teaching or training Nana. And in the frame discussing how the quirk was passed down, we see that his right arm is missing, he is offering his hair to pass on One for All, and also… 

… he’s smiling. 

There is something else Nana said that makes us wonder if maybe the 6th User was Nana’s first love:  

To be able to meet again at the end within One for All, she thinks it’s romantic. It may just be her personality, but the idea of reuniting with specifically the previous users is romantic to her. 

Could it be then that the 6th was her first, young love? Could it be that they were both heroes and when he was hunted down by All for One, the 6th hastily gave her the quirk with a smile on his face - a smile she pressed onto her face, and a smile she passed down to Toshinori?

Could All for One have found out that she had that kind of relationship with the 6th and attempted to replicate the feelings that led the 6th to pass OfA to Nana? 

Not only that, but there is that focus on the romantic with regards to specifically previous Users of One for All. Why don’t we see that kind of desire to reunite with the husband that was killed? 

Well, if she were trying to find a husband quickly (not necessarily for love), one who wouldn’t mind that she was already pregnant or who would want to just as quickly have a child with her under the belief she wasn’t pregnant - how best would she go about finding such a man? Quirk marriage. It was likely more common in her time. She’s a hero, young, and with a flying-type quirk. She’d be a catch for any man wanting a marriage focused on mixing quirks. And wouldn’t that be just the kicker for All for One? In his view, she fled him only to run into the arms of a man who wanted her for her quirk? His ego can only take so much of a beating. 

Possible timeline: 

The 6th and Nana have a romantic connection

AfO hunts down and fatally injures the 6th

The 6th gives One for All to Nana with a smile 

Nana escapes for a time

AfO discovers Nana and knows of her previous connection to the 6th

AfO uses his knowledge of their connection to try and manipulate her into a relationship based on falsehoods to trick her into giving him One for All 

Nana discovers AfO’s identity and flees

Nana discovers she is pregnant with Kotaro

Nana quickly marries a man, possibly through Quirk Marriage, to explain away the pregnancy

AfO finds Nana again after years and rashly kills her husband before finding out more about her life

Nana is forced to quickly give up Kotaro to foster care and alter her family records to hide him from All for One, keeping All for One from using the knowledge of their connection against her (again) 

Nana goes into hiding again, eventually finds and trains Toshinori and passes down One for All 

All for One finds Nana again but she doesn’t run away. All for One mocks her (allowing her successor and friend to escape) and kills her in the fight but keeps her hand. 

AfO later finds Kotaro and his family, gives Tenko Decay, unwittingly allows Tenko to destroy what family he had made, AfO takes in Tenko and gives him the name Tomura Shigaraki claiming that Shigaraki is his own surname - ironic to be giving his own grandson his surname thinking he’s simply taking from Nana Shimura the last remnant of her own family. Revenge for her giving away the last remnant of his brother to All Might.  

Meantime, AfO took on the name Hisashi, met Inko (who looks like Nana but would be in his view meeker), and had Izuku. 

Fun fact: Shigaraki is 20 in canon. Izuku is around 15. AfO would’ve likely taken in Tenko Shimura around the time Izuku was born. So, at that point in time, he thinks he’s won that battle. Started a family of his own with a Nana look-a-like, and stolen away Nana’s family. All he needs to do now is take back OfA and kill All Might. Then he’ll have everything he’s wanted.

Then, All Might smashes All for One’s Empire and head in, and he takes away All for One’s ability to be a part of the family he’d tried to create. Adding insult to injury, All Might takes Izuku under his wing 5 years later and gives him One for All. Stealing everything from All for One. (All but Shigaraki - the child pawn All for One raised to hurt All Might, not knowing his own grandson.)

And there you have it: Fling Theory!  

[hopeswriting]

I meant to do a post about my thoughts on the Daily Life Arc now that I finished rereading it, but I can't seem to find the time and it's been a while now, and if I keep it up I'll forget what my thoughts are to begin with lol, so here's the long story short:

I know it's a long arc, as in it starts being boring and more or less unbearable past some point, because the "gag of the chapter" format only takes you so far, and not actually very far if Amano's humor doesn't work on you much, if at all. I don't think it's an arc you can reread right away/soon either, lest you feel that one flaw even faster.

And I felt it too, starting with the fourty-something chapters I felt like it was dragging on too much, though to be fair that probably had to do too with the fact I knew things much more interesting were coming after that.

Still, all that said, like, it's an enjoyable arc. Amano's humor happens to work on me, and she does it really well, and I liked reading the arc. There are some chapters where you're really asking yourself why they were written for lol, but even then you read it for the characters, and it somehow keeps you going.

And like, even though I think Amano could have seen the fact the comedy was going to turn repetitive and thus boring at some point, and try to diversify it or something, it's just how comedy/humor/gags works? Some jokes land and some doesn't, but for me at least a lot more of them worked than not.

The DLA is a good enough arc is what I'm saying.

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On than note and on the contrary, of course it's fine if you think it's a bad arc, to each their opinion, but personally I really don't agree it's an unnecessary one.

I'm saying this because apparently it's not uncommon to advice new fans to skip the arc and directly start with the Kokuyo one? (Or so I learned on TV Tropes anyway, this might or might not be still relevent/accurate.)

Now don't get me wrong, the DLA does fail to hook the readers to the story for the reasons stated above, I agree with that, but it literally introduces the main character? And all the other characters, and gets us to know them, and establishes the dynamics between them and why they're the way they are, and, though only in a more or less superficial manner (and more than less) by design of the arc's purpose (not being deep in any way lol), it still gives us an insight into the characters and why they're the way they are. A glimpse into the core of their personality, the "stakes" of their characters, the flaws they have to overcome.

And all that in the context of their daily life, so if you skip it to go directly to the arc that challenges them, you can't appreciate fully how they rise to the challenge, how it shows their growth or reasserts their core values. You can't know how much or what it means, for example, off the top of my head, to have Yamamoto sacrifice his arm to beat Ken, when only a year ago he tried to kill himself over his broken arm. Or Hibari losing against Mukuro, thus telling us how much of a real threat he was. Or Tsuna screaming at Lancia for having hurt his friends, anger on his face, clearly despite himself, that Dame-Tsuna.

All these just wouldn't hit you the same, and it'd be such a shame? I mean I guess the ones who start with the Kokuyo arc go back to read the DLA, or you could compromise like the anime did by splitting the DLA between more serious arcs, but like I said I personally don't find the DLA that bad, so I still wouldn't advice it lol.

Even if, I suppose, it'd mean they might give up on the manga somewhere through the DLA, but like? Some mangas just don't speak to you, and that's fine, and it'd be a little of a shame from my POV as a KHR fan, but still, no big deal.

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I'm still very impressed with how smoothly Amano went from a gag manga to a shonen one, and how she made it so the DLA still fits with the rest. I mean the sudden change in tone/stakes/etc is jarring, sure, but it's all based on stuff she introduced in the DLA, which she presumably came up with with no intention to ever make it something deeper/more meaningful.

It's easy to believe the foreshadowing, and generally speaking the worldbuilding was planned all along, which, again, probably not, and like? Super impressive.

(Though once more don't get me wrong, there are inconsistencies/plot holes in Amano's plotlines and worldbuilding, but not, like, at their seams, if I can say it like that? It's more often in the details, and it's fairly easy to fill in the blanks ourselves.)

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Finally it was a lot of fun to rediscover the characters in a new light, and a bit of a disbelieving surprise tbh.

For context before I started my reread of the manga, all this time I was going with the time I read/watched it years ago plus the times I skimmed it, but mostly by all the fanon I was consuming. And it's not to say fanon is wrong per se, but it latched on one to three character's traits, or slapped an easy character archetype on them easy to "relate" to within, and apparently never looked back lol. And also often dialed up those traits (good or bad) in a very noticeable manner.

What I'm saying is, fanon is, in fact, wrong sometimes zldnslsz, and the characters are much more nuanced even in the DLA! (Which still leaves us at a more or less superficial level, because, you know lol, but still!)

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To name the ones that stood out to me the most:

Nana isn't abused by Iemitsu, nor is she unhappy in her marriage despite Iemitsu being an absent husband (which is not relevent in the context of the DLA, but still, you can tell). She isn't an abusive mother to Tsuna either, and she is literally never an airhead. She literally just isn't, she actually does react very normally to the crazy Reborn brings with him, but much like Yamamoto as long as no one gets hurt (or walks it off), she just brushes it off.

And she has friends she goes listen to piano recitals with, and tries to save on money by eating rests, and gets in two-way arguments with Tsuna, and raises his allowance if he gets better grades to push him to work harder, and all around is just your average mom that really didn't read as just The Mom, if you know what I mean.

She has her flaws, definitely, she's not a great mom, namely is apparently used to call Tsuna Dame-Tsuna, but she's not just that.

She takes care of him, worries over him, and seems to be the only one who hasn't given up on him yet when the story starts. She supports him (though sometimes in a tactless to hurtful way), praises him when he does well, and trusts him to watch over the kids.

She's not that bad is what I'm saying, and 100% redeemable (that is, if you think she needs to be redeemed to begin with, which I actually do think she does, calling Tsuna Dame of all things is just a really shitty thing to do.)

(Though it's interesting to note that she doesn't do it again after what happened with Kyoko iirc, even if she might very well still talk to him in a belittling way at times. I just wish Amano would have commit fully to acknowledge it and resolve it, what with already having made it Kyoko's Dying Will Regret.)

(Edit: I had forgotten but she literally forgets his birthday while preparing someone else's birthday, so I take back that she is 100% redeemable because it's being too nice. But my point still stands.)

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Haru is literally such a fun character, it makes me even more sad now to know what Amano did with her (nothing ansknslq 😭😂).

She's unhinged, has zero impulse control, does not reflect on the consequences of her lack of impulse control as Tsuna points it out, is ready and willing to throw hands at any given moment and is unapologetic of it, and is the one Amano actually calls an airhead.

The only problem she had with the mafia is that she thought Tsuna was forcing it on Reborn, and when she confirmed it was all true she literally didn't even blink at it, and immediately called herself the future Decimo's wife djosdkkd.

On that note she is literally mafia right from her first appearance, is more or less involved in almost all the mafia shenanigans, was right there with Tsuna & Co when they went to destroy the Tomaso's headquarters.

And like?? Amano could just have left it at that if she wasn't going to do anything else/more with it. Haru had so much potential, and not only Amano did nothing with it, she actually watered her down and took away all her distinct character's traits 😭.

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Hibari is so much more feral and playful than his fanon cool, overpowered, quiet badass counterpart. Which I love too, don't get me wrong, but these two sides of him don't have to be exclusive!

He talks and smiles and jokes often, and shows off and casually insults you, and licks the blood away from his lips after having beaten bloody other middle schoolers who dared to defy him (I know this happens in the Kokuyo arc, but it illustrates my point the best).

Not much more to add than that, we should just acknowledge that and put it in our works more often.

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Gokudera is a compelling character from the get go, and as far as the DLA goes, he's the most compelling character second to Tsuna. He's the only one to actually have flashbacks and a backstory. And what stood out to me the most that I don't see often in fanon, is that he's really a good friend.

Yes he has a short fuse and snaps easily and is easy to anger, but he's not always angry. And is seen having and being capable of positive exchanges outside of Tsuna (I'm thinking Yamamoto namely, who's made with Ryohei to be the one he gets angry with the most).

And yes he holds Tsuna on a pedestal and sees him through heavily tinted pink glasses, but even through that he's earnestly a good friend. And tries his best, and is hardworking and overachieving, so much so he messes up without meaning to, but he only ever has honest, straight-forward good intentions behind it all (well, maybe not always lol).

I love him a lot more now is what I'm saying.

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And Tsuna. I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate my thoughts properly, but like... he's just your average teenager. Which of course is his whole thing, and I'm saying it in a very not judgy way whatsoever, but he's often made to be at least a little more than that, namely about his bullying.

Like, it's kind of dramatised in fics? And I'm not going to elaborate on that more because it might come out wrong and I don't want that, but it's just, like—canonically he is just bullied, simple as that. Like many other teenagers are.

And it's all in a "chill" way (for unfortunate lack of a better word, I don't mean to trivialize bullying at all, it's wrong and unfair and never deserved or okay, just so we're clear), and by the time the story starts Tsuna is used to it and has given up fighting against it, and actually finds refuge and a twisted comfort in embracing his Dame-Tsuna's monicker, because at least he's not gonna hit rock bottom deeper than that if he does.

And I'm not actually going anywhere with this, it's just? It hit me how differently canon and fanon portray his bullying.

Back on the note of him being a (below) average teenager, Tsuna is not an uwu pure cinnamon roll too good for this world.

He's literally so quick to judge and criticise, whether in his head or out loud when he knows more the person (namely Haru lol, poor girl), it was actually a bit of a shock tbh lol. He snaps easily, and is lazy, does not want to try even one bit, and is happy to run away from his responsibilities whenever he can.

And not only I'm not saying that in a judgy way this time either, but I'm actually saying it in a good way. He really felt like your average middle schooler, and it was so refreshing to see. That, plus the fact the narrative never holds it against him, let alone punishes him for it even if he's made to grow out of these traits, and it's literally part of his character arc, is kind of unique for the shonen genre (maybe, I'm not exactly a specialist of shonen mangas lol).

And I can see why you'd want to change it in fics, but personally I think it really makes his character's arc even more meaningful.

[filliteapot]

I'm going to use this part of what you said in a previous answer that made me really curious "the way of the authors to tell the story is another matter" to know your top 5 (or ~10) of that :)

Ah :D I guess the easier way to put it would be “This time I chose my favourite styles basing on art style mostly, but if I were to choose my fav storytelling/mix of art and how authors tells it/what they want to transmit, the odrer/the list would be different” :”) So some authors/stories on the list of my fav storytelling (not sure if it's the right term for what i mean but let's use this) are the same I put in the previous list. The titles and authors won’t be surprise for you, but I’ll list them anyway. Warning: I love talking about such things a lot, so I suddenly wrote a lot.

(Ask me my top 5-10 anything)

1. Literally anything by Takaya Natsuki. You have no idea how #tired I am of all the discussions about both adaptations of her Furuba (which is better which is worse no listen to me bc I Have an Opinion of High Authority) when not a single adaptation quite got her style in storytelling, foreshadowing and especially presenting her characters’ personal drama. I think I espcially love her for not throwing it all in your face right away, being careful at hinting at things (so that you don’t quite get some parts of the characters’ thoughts and inner struggles until you learn the facts and it hits you) and for leaving you some space to use your own brain what you think about this or that storyline. (Tamura Yumi does it too which makes her my second fave author). Also, years after reading and rereading her works I see better how storylines are entwinted and unfolding, and it still makes me yell “HOW does she do it” every time I go back to Furuba and her other works and see something new. I love her Hoshi wa Utau (which hits hard and is painfully real in the matter of parents/children’s conflicts), and Liselotte to majo no mori (darkish fairytale with hopeful messages) and wish more people knew about them too, not only Furuba.

2. Kouno Fumiyo’s Yunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni. I first read this manga a long time ago and was dying of happiness when it got published in my country bc oh my gosh. It’s a historical thing, it’s a heavy thing, she does have such unique style (my first thought was ”ah looks cute, like children books illustrations” and then it killed me) and approach to place panels on pages or transitions between scenes or past and present (I think some comic researcher or smth even called it innovative). The page that struck me the most was a spread near the end of this story, presenting a character in his older years sitting on the beach of a river in Hiroshima and him in the same place right after the war. Perhaps it doesn’t sound so original but this work and these two pages live rent free in my soul to this day.

3. Ando Yuki’s oneshots (and Machida-kun). She is my favourite short stories author, she just knows how to tell it so that I got tuned in from the start. Be it a school slice of life or basically Edith Piaf’s song Hymne à l'amour presented in the form of manga oneshot, they give me immense joy. And oh, there’s almost always a twist near the ending I can’t predict. Her characters act a bit weird and take weird decisions sometimes but I think it’s what makes them feel so real to me.

And it’s cheating, but while I’m talking about oneshots, I want to mention Midorikawa Yuki and her shorter-than-Natsume stories. Because they give me a similar feeling to Ando’s oneshots - the atmosphere is different, but the way they touch my heart is the same. Don’t get me wrong, I love Natsume and its structure (main characters and their personal jouney through unrelated stories of other people/not humans), but I love Midorikawa’s shorter stories much more.

4. Takamatsu Misaki’s Skip to Loafer. One of the best slice stories I’ve ever read. Right amount of drama and comedy, a cast of characters with different problems and motivations. I can’t help but think “Oh I wish I were able to create a story like this one day”. Also, someone wrote about it: “let me live the wholesome high school life i didnt have” and ugh I felt it :”))

5. Yazawa Ai’s stories: Nana and Gokinjo Monogatari. Did “Nee, Nana” moments kill my soul every time it was used in the story? Yes, absolutely. Did it make me cry? Don’t even ask.

6. Nishi Keiko’s stories: Otoko no Isshou, Koi to Gunkan. A person I know described her stories like this: “If life goes the wrong way, it’s better to go home”, and I think it sums it up. Both of the stories I listed are about ordinary life in small towns, they both me melancholic and somehow cozy feeling. Both stories have themes and characters that don’t really interest me much, but when I read them, I usually cry. It’s another A+ slice of life author imo.

7. Tsukuba Sakura’s Mekakushi no Kuni. It’s dear to me for special reasons. There a girl who sometimes sees future when touches other people, there is a boy who sees the past all the time he does the same, there’s another boy... And NO evil organizations chasing them for their superpowers, NO global plots or problems or author’s will to condemn society, no deep philosophy questions about time and so on. Just normal slice of life of not so normal peoplewho try to cope with this particularity they have and fit the world they live in. (I wish authors realized the potential of such slice of life centered urban fantasy but they keep failing me aiming at the Global, sigh)

8. Torino Nanko’s Toripan. It’s basically authors essays on her daily life and mostly birdwatching, but ugh it’s so good. Peak comedy about birds and heartfelt pages for when she speaks about her memories or remarks on nature, it’s so full of love towards this world and life. After I read Toripan I feel like I become kinder and better :DD

(author’s A+ faces and haiku about sparrows in the winter)

9. Watanuki Yoshiko’s Manatsu no Delta. I read it some time ago and my first thought was “Wow, this IS how you touch an unpleasant yet existing problem”. I’ll certainly be waiting for this author’s other works.

10. Ikuemi Ryo’s stories, especially the ones featuring metaphorical ghosts (Kiyoku Yawaku, Torch Song Ecology) and Taiyou ga Mite Iru. Joseis with ghosts are my fave thing on earth, and Ikuemi’s great at it. But she can make any theme totally worth digging into, be it school life or cheating and complicated family relationships. I think TGM is her work that left the deepest trace in my soul because I was reading it when it was ongoing, for three years, and it’s basically just something that makes you die slowly looking at how not so bad people fk up their life decisions bc of their unresolved traumas and issues but you can’t take your eyes of it and then need several years of therapy after reading such manga. And she doesn’t even preech or say you should not live like this. She’s like “this is a life story I want to tell, take whatever you want from it” and I’m like “gooosh this is so painful and looks so real and makes me feel things, I love it”. Ikuemi Power as it is. (Life teaches me nothing, I lowkey want to read something like TGM again and Akaneda Yuki’s Saraba Yoki Hi fulfills this wish of mine, but uh I’m so glad it’s rarely updated)

(text: Nire is here to kill me)

Thanks for such ask, it was fun :D

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Chapter 242: The Christmas Chapter, 1 year later

Hey everyone! Since I wasn’t doing the MHA chapter reviews back in September (I really wish I had at the time, cause that arc was amazing) I never actually did a formal review of the Christmas Chapter. In honor of the day, I figured I’d go back and reread it, post my thoughts, and just generally have fun looking at Class 1-A having fun (because dammit it’s been a long time since Deku and co were actually happy.) 

Let’ go!

I’m sure that plan’ll go great. (Oh who am I kidding, the actual internships were awesome, it’s just the aftermath that sucked for all)

But all our fandom theories! I cry, pointing at the thousands of pages of speculation.

NOW ONTO THE PARTY

BEST PARTY EVER. My god they all look so happy and festive.

BONES. My folks at Bones. You know me and filler, we’re not friends. But you guys do such good original MHA content in general. At the very least - an OVA, a filler ep, a movie, whatever - you must find a way to give us some of these ladies internships from this arc. I have to know how Jirou (and Shoji) get along with Gang Orca. Show us what Majestic is like. Give us some idea of Ryukyu’s agency.

Mostly posting this cause  Deku is too goddamn cute to be allowed. Also, feels.

1) Mina and Kaminari doing the good work this chapter. Lowkey MVPs. 2) Bakugou in that lower right hand panel=Really Really Pretty. Damn. Prettiest Kacchan since the Glamouroki incident.

This foreshadowing didn’t really go anywhere. Though I still hold out hope that since Jeanist didn’t like the Current Hero Name either that he’ll change it to something more interesting in future. (Literally everyone but Shoto, Ochako, Toko, Tsu and Iida needs to change their hero names anyway.)

Mina developing Nana/Ochako’s powers and floating in the air to get the coat on. Also, Shoto is only shown watching Kacchan this chapter, not Deku. The TDBK is strong with this one.

See what I mean?

Posting just for the Foodservice. Damn that’s a nice looking turkey.

CuteService time. Merry Xmas Eri, you lil badass. You and Deku both are just too adorable for words.

More festive imagery just because I need it. I wonder if they’ll bring back Jirou’s singing  voice for this scene in Season 5?

So Jirou got Sero’s, Sero got Tsu’s, Mina must’ve gotten Kirishima’s (MY SHIPPER HEART) and is being really irresponsible with it, Kaminari got...I don’t know who would’ve given him a basketball but he seems sad about it. Iida got Momo’s I think? That rarepair getting some love. And Bakugou...glasses, maybe? Are they Iida’s? 

Eri easily got the best gift of all. I want future ProHero Eri fanart to include this sword.

Deku looking adorably androgynous here, with the suit cinched in in the middle. Also DekuJirou is lowkey becoming my fave het ship for Deku (possibly for Kacchan too, actually) so seeing her offer him help brings a smile to my face.

Though of course WonderDuo’s true OT3 steps in quickly to reclaim his crown.

1. More Androgynous dress-like Deku which is too cute. 2. Shoto wasn’t shown listening to Deku’s problems earlier but just offers him anyway, can’t forget that TDDK, 3. That direct look at Kacchan though. 

Merry Christmas, Wonder Duo. Want a job?

Those three panel shots are really nice. It’s weird to think that before this arc, the concept of Todo, Kacchan and Deku as a trinity wasn’t really a thing. Like, there was the three separate  rivalries, but they were all their own separated things pretty much. You didn’t see all three of them together on their own, but now it’s so established the third movie’s gonna be about the trinity. There is something kind of amazing about the synergy of Class 1-A’s Big 3. They have trouble getting along, and yet they just fit together so neatly. 

Anyway enough OT3 Gushing. Christmas time is here and this chapter is a blast. CANNOT WAIT FOR SEASON 5. GET YOURSELF WELL AND OVER WITH 2020. 

[amandasgeekblog]

Finished LiS: TC

Have some very spoiler-y bullet points of what I can remember in these last 5 days or so

Steph's smile is so radiant

Ryan and Gabe are exes, I don't make the rules

Yeah, no Pike... literally don't prank like you're gonna arrest anyone, but lol, You know I'm f*cking not trusting that kind of character or person.

If Charlotte wasn't my brother's girl...

Also Riley seems into me too... in another life. Lol.

Oh evidence for bi Gabe is his finger gun picture (which is bi culture)

Umm, excuse me why has Alex not experienced Joy until Ryan's laughing fit, that's really sad actually.

literally the whole LARP chapter gave me so much joy

Like all these people acting for Ethan

We inspired ice cream flavors, pretty sure we saved that company

The "snake" was cute

I chose Steph for the distraction, ummm, hello? No one in this town is straight

Riley's nana wanted to do body shots with me, help, none of the women are straight

Spoilers, I'm warning you, spoilers

Okay so maybe Mac wasn't that paranoid, lol but literally the whole time I'm like corporations and capitalism is gonna be the Big Bad Isn't It.

So, the foreshadowing for Jed I literally didn't get until when she looked at his crown and said what a good actor he was

And then it was obvious, like, show me in the middle of the night

I am sorry but you are Not going to a second location in the middle of the night

All of Alex's backstory unfolded Chp. 5, not sure if I love the pacing on it, but I am open to the story. Still not sure why Gabe needed to tell me I wasn't chosen... because I had to choose myself and choose my family / home. I guess?

Alex bringing Jed into focus and tearing him into shreds, like when she called his name and said Stop and everything froze, I was like, "King's Disposition"???

Me watching One Piece several years ago and not even getting far enough for him to do it again besides his first accident, lol.

Ummm. Oh yeah, saw the results, wtf, like 72% of gamers forgave him? Sorry, brah, why would I

She should have broken ribs and this game really didn't keep like Worse Injuries than her cute little 4 cuts I will forgive them. (like mac's face also)

Oh not to complain about textures, but Gabe's neck is way pale! lol, I feel like they textured his face and hands and didn't realized they made him darker and didn't update the base model for the body.

I had only a few weird rendering things, Ryan's hair was blonde for part of that hike/joy scene, some flashing plants, steph's hair too dark at the final scene in the bar?

Oh, storywise musician thing, didn't come across strong enough for me? Like yeah Alex likes guitar and to play for Steph, but I think being like a touring musician wasn't that strong in the writing. I guess, if you remember the journals she does write songs for each person, but like in game storywise.

Steph :' )

I'm curious to see other endings, but I have I am assuming LPs to watch and gonna get a friend to play who will probably choose Ryan or no one. Lol.

OH, I was sad Ryan literally wasn't in my "predicted future" by Gabe, like literally we are good friends, you can show him I promise

Don't know where to put this but Gabe and them take so many pictures with individuals and stuff it's so nice. I haven't took photos with people in so long

I also noticed how touch is so casual for most of them. Like... I wish... I hope in the future, ugh, can you tell we're in a pandemic.

Oh, people probably wonder how I feel about Asian American representation. Well, I do like sprinklings in of aesthetic, and rice cookers are a must, the little shrine. Hmmm, I don't need more, I mean, I guess they did have a solid little while with their parents but after that it was foster homes and group homes and stuff like that, so, Asian American identity, I tell ya.

OH yeah, Alex Did Not ever question the ethics of her powers, which is surprising, but I guess that was because the main theme was helping people, finding a home, and family. So like... ethics be damned? It would really be hard to date a supernatural empath/psychic. It's like, Alex would also have to be honest all the times about her feelings.

I am sure I'll have more thoughts later or I'll think about it, but...

Overall, I think it was a good LiS game, maybe not as big of a finish as we're used to, or maybe it was...

OH last thing, When I saw Diane went to a therapist I'm like, there's a therapist here and Alex is doing the heavy lifting? Lol.

Oh, btw, I chose stay in Haven, because I figured she could stay and then leave. But it would be really freaking wild to live where both your brother and dad were murdered

Ummm, Yes, I like how anyone who is playing LiS right now is getting with steph except like 20% or something.

Yeah, I dunno! Lol, I'm sure I'll be thinking about this more and collecting collectibles and achievements again sometime soon.

[stillness-in-green]

Shigaraki, the League and “Redemption”

(In this post: 1700 words about how much I feel like stories/meta in which Shigaraki is rescued or redeemed miss the entire point of Shigaraki.)

It's a big open question how much of Shigaraki's backstory was engineered by All For One.  We're not even sure if AFO is the villain who killed Nana's husband, the event that kicked off the entire downward spiral of the Shimura family, much less what degree of involvement he had in Tenko's manifestation of Decay.  There's a tremendous amount of well-thought-out, interesting meta and fic about what will happen when Shigaraki finds out the truth, whether he can or should still be redeemed as he currently stands, or how Tenko might have been saved from ever becoming Shigaraki to begin with.  While I have read and enjoyed quite a lot of those theories and stories, I still find myself bothered by the prevalence of that line of thought because it ignores the fact that hero society stands condemned regardless.  

Whether or not AFO gave Tenko the Decay quirk knowing what would happen, whether he found out about Tenko the night of the accident or never lost track of Kotaro from the very beginning, in truth, none of that matters to the narrative of the League on the whole.  Nothing about Shigaraki's past has any bearing on the pasts of the other members. Trying to decide how to "save" Shigaraki avoids the fact that he is the leader of the League of Villains and their pain still stands regardless of their leader's history. 

You cannot act as though saving Shigaraki--with All Might, Inko, Izuku, Eraserhead, anyone--would redeem hero society, because Shigaraki is not hero society's only victim. He's not even its most straightforward one!  The condemnation he articulates of the world he lives in can't be addressed by him realizing he was manipulated by AFO all along or getting a good therapist in prison, because the world he lives in has failed a good many more people than just him. 

Let's break it down.  

The League Members

Twice fell through the cracks because of a lack of social support after his parents were killed in a villain attack.  He was just a teenager back then--what arrangements were made about where he was going to live?  If he was old enough that foster care/being placed in a group home wasn't a good option, did he instead have a stipend from the government?  Where was the social worker who should have been overseeing his case?  Where was his homeroom teacher when he dropped out of school?  What support should have been available when he wound up homeless on the streets?  Heroes stop villains and are rewarded both socially and monetarily for doing so, but the much more difficult and involved work of dealing with the fallout from those battles is clearly undervalued, badly so, in comparison.  Hero society, which prioritizes glamorized reaction over everyday prevention, failed Bubaigawara Jin.

Spinner had the wrong kind of face.  X-Men-style mutant discrimination left him isolated and alienated, shunned by the inhabitants of his backwater hometown because of his animal-type quirk.  To say nothing about the threat of violent hate crimes implied by the existence of a KKK analogue!  But it goes further than just the bigotry of his neighbors--Spinner's quirk was also unremarkable, meaning that, in a society that prizes flashy and offense-based quirks in its heroes, Spinner would have had few if any role models.  Given how many heroes there are, it seems strange to consider that there isn't a single straightforward heteromorph for Spinner to idolize, but given how strongly he latches onto first Stain's warped ideals and later Shigaraki's nihilistic grandeur, Spinner is clearly a young man desperate for a role model--if a hero that fit the bill existed, he wouldn't be a villain today.  So he's failed directly by his community for their bigotry and indirectly by society for the way it told him, in a thousand ways big and small, that Iguchi Shuuichi was not a person worth valuing.

Toga had the wrong kind of quirk.  It's true that, more than anyone else in the League, she feels like a character who would always have struggled with mental stability, even with the best help imaginable--but she didn't get the best help imaginable, did she?  She got parents who called her a freak, who berated a child barely into grade school about how unnatural and awful the desires she was born with were.  She was put into a quirk counselling program that apparently only caused her to feel more detached from society.  If Curious' characterization of quirk counselling is at all accurate, it seems to focus not on how to manage one's unusual or difficult quirk in healthy or productive ways, but rather on stressing what society considers "normal," on teaching its participants how to force themselves into that mold.  Hero society wants people with different needs to learn how to function like "normal" people; it is unwilling to look for ways to accommodate such people on a societal level.  Toga Himiko was failed by a society that demonized and othered her for a trait that she did not choose and innate desires that she never asked to experience.

And then, most prominently of all*, there's Dabi.  We all know where the big Dabi backstory mystery is going, and his is the most open condemnation of hero society of them all.  Dabi was raised on a heady cocktail, parental abuse mixed liberally with unquestioned acceptance of the fundamental importance of having a powerful quirk.  Whatever else can be said of Endeavor's path to redemption, the old Enji is emblematic of everything wrong with hero society: the fundamental devaluing of those without power, the fervent strain to push oneself past one's limits over and over and over again, regardless of the consequences to your health or your relationships, the practice of raising children to glorify a dangerous profession that fights the symptoms of societal ills rather than the root causes.  The ugly secrets hidden in the Todoroki house are the ugly secrets hidden within hero society's ideals, and because he embodies those ideals so thoroughly, of course Endeavor is lionized and well-paid by a society that never had to see Todoroki Touya's scars.

Mirror of Reality

All of these issues map to things in real life, and I don't only mean in a vague, universal sense--I mean they reflect on specific and observable Japanese problems. Read up on koseki family registries and consider how the dogged insistence on maintaining them impacted the Shimura family, tracked down by a monster.  Look into societal bias against orphans and imagine how it shaped peoples' reactions to teenaged Jin and his alleged 'scary face.'  Read up on how Japan approaches mental and physical disabilities, on what it regularly does to homeless camps, on what responses get trotted out when someone comes forward with a story about closeted abuse.  The League embodies these issues in indirect, sometimes fantastical ways, but they're not what I would call subtle, either; there's a reason the generally poor, disenfranchised League members are contrasted with powerful, urbane criminals like All for One, callous manipulators like Overhaul, and entrenched pillars of society like Re-Destro.  

Hero AUs are a fun thought exercise and all, but the League exists to call out and typify very real problems in heroic society and, by metaphorical extension, modern day Japanese society as well.  Hero society studiously looks away from its victims.  It doesn't want to see them and it thinks even trying to talk about them is disruptive and distasteful.  There's no indication in-universe that there's even a movement trying to change this state of affairs.  Certainly there are a great many things that could have changed to spare the BNHA world Shigaraki Tomura, but none of those quick, easy solutions would have saved Twice or Toga, Spinner or Dabi.  The League of Villains is the punishment, the overdue reckoning that their country will have to face for its myriad failures--for letting its social safety nets grow ragged, for failing to stamp out quirk-based prejudice, for allowing its heroes to operate with so little oversight.  For growing so complacent that not one person had the moral wherewithal to extend a hand to a bloodied, lost, suffering child.  

Shigaraki, Past and Future

One of the most heartbreaking and yet awe-inspiring aspects of Shigaraki's characterization in his Deika City flashback is that he was thoughtful and compassionate enough to reach out to other kids who were being excluded and teased by the rest of his peer group.  The League is foreshadowed for him even as a child, because even back then, he was a kid suffering repression and repudiation and so had empathy for others in similar straits.  Young Tenko is the person who would have reached out a hand to the scary but obviously needy Tenko wandering the streets; Tomura, despite everything All For One did to him, still retains that core of fellow-feeling that invites other outcasts to play with him.

"Saving" Shigaraki without addressing the societal flaws that created the people gathered under his banner negates the entire point he and the League exist to raise. I think readers will be forced to confront those flaws alongside Midoriya and the rest of his classmates, who the story has made a point to keep mostly isolated and on a steady PLUS ULTRA diet of all the same rhetoric that leads to consequences like the League to begin with.  I only wish more of the fandom--hero and villain fandom alike--was on the same page and writing their fic and meta accordingly.

Footnotes and Etc.

*The only characters in the League whose backstories we don't have much window on are Mr. Compress and Magne, both of whom are framed as seeing society as repressive.  Magne openly says as much to Overhaul; Mr. C intimates it to the 1-A kids during the training camp attack.  I'm inclined to hold off on commenting on them very thoroughly, though, because in neither case do we know exactly what drove them to crime in the first place. That's not a huge problem for Sako--if anyone on that team is into flamboyant villainy for the sheer joy of it, it's him--but I would definitely want to know more specifics about Magne's personal history before I correlate her experience as a trans woman with her portrayal as a violent, even lethal, criminal.  That would get right into the problematic elements of portraying all these societal outcasts as villains, people who undoubtedly have a point, but have taken to terrorism to illustrate it.  It's very possible that, for all that the League maps to real problems in Japan, we're still going to get a very mealy-mouthed, "But it's still wrong to lash out when you could protest nonviolently and work with your oppressors to seek a peaceful solution," moral from all this.

P.S.  None of the above meta even takes into account the multiple non-League characters whose stories illustrate various failings of hero society--Gentle Criminal, Hawks, Shinsou, even Midoriya himself, as those endless reams of Villain!Deku AUs are ever hasty to expound upon.  Vigilantes touches on the idea of "hero" and "villain" categorizations as being almost entirely political in their inception, as is also hinted at with historical characters like Destro.  Seriously, the mountain of problems with hero culture just looms higher with every passing arc!  

P.P.S.  I absolutely do not mean to imply with this meta that Japan suffers uniquely from any of the problems discussed above.  Other countries obviously have their own difficulties with homelessness, accessibility of care, victim blaming, and so forth.  Horikoshi is writing in and about his own culture, though, and stripping Shigaraki of his villainous circumstances in the interest of making him happier and/or more palatable strikes me as being kind of culture-blind in a way that it’s very easy for Western fans to unthinkingly slip into.  Just some food for thought.

[acupfullofcolors]

Boku no Hero Academia - Chapter 193 & 194

In chapter 193 we learn about the origin of one for all and Izuku is able to see the former users during the dream he has.

 Two of the seven people standing there are blurry and he’s not able to see them because they are too far away, There are a lot theories about those figures because one looks like a blurred out contour from Katsuki, which I think is very unlikely because All Might told him that Izuku is the ninth user, which means those people are already dead and it is kinda impossible for one of them to be Katsuki since he’s a tad too young and well, alive and I don’t think we are dealing with reincarnated versions of Izuku and Katsuki, because the one next to All Might kinda looks like an older undercut haired version of Izuku so... 

Like I said, we learn a bit about All for One, which seems to be the older brother of the first One for All successor and I think it’s funny how much the first user and Izuku have in common. 

They’re both born quirkless, unable to fight for their ideals because they have no acutal quirk and are looked down because of that, made fun of and pitied for having ideals. 

They both like to read up on superheroes, finding salvation in their stories of heorism, trying to change the world and fighting for their ideals even though they have no real power. They stand in for what they believe in and refuse to give up on their dream even if all around them don’t support them and try to push them down. 

I think because of them being so similar to each other is the reason that Izuku is able to interact with the original user of OfA furthermore it’s the reason OfA contacted him directly to show him his past, his story. He even tells Izuku that he wanted to show him more but is only able to show him the start of his story because Izuku is only able to use 20% by now and it’s safe to say that if he would have better control over his borrowed quirk that he might be able to see more of the story behind the origin, maybe get into contact with more OfA users and I wonder how this is going to go from here on. Maybe he will have more prophetic dreams like that?

Chapter 194

The next chapter is basically Izuku meeting up with All Might and talking about hsi dreams. All Might told him that he himself had those dreams as well but was not able to talk to the first person who inherited One for All and that Izuku is the first person who was able to. His talk with All Might shows that he starts to get a better understanding for his quirk and that he has already such a deep connection to it that he’s able to get into contact with the former successors. 

All Might tells him that all the former users not only left their strength within that quirk but their will as well which makes it stronger in another way. Those remnants also hold some kind of memory of their reasoning so I think it’s once again safe to assume that he might have more encounters like that in the future when he gets more control over his quirk.

I also wonder if maybe Izuku’s mother has some sort of conection to All Might’s master because I too thought that she and Nana kinda looked a lot alike, from their dark hair to their hairstyle, but that might be pure coincidence but my conspiracy theory heart tells me otherwise, I have a feeling that Horikoshi has a big ace up his sleeve with this, because we learned that he never randomly mentions things or put them into his manga, everything he draws is like foreshadowing and dropping hints here and there and oh my god I am so hyped for this to go into more detail, I feel like crying! Also do you see how very proud All Might is when Izuku tells him that Nana was very beautiful? 

One thing that also happens in this chapter is Shinsou trying to get into the hero course but I think I’ll do a big post about his arc when it’s finished!

[hoktorice]

Vol. 3 Part 2

Nyooming back to the “future”, Tezuka once again dishes out a work full of philosophy, mystery, confusion, and tragic love stories. 

The panel arrangements of the first good half of  Hi no Tori: Space mirrored humanity’s advancements during this time period; like volume two, society seems to heavily rely on technology, and the panels alignment could imitate how mechanical and cold the future has become. Tezuka’s stylistic choice could also infer to the minds of society; as the space crew is light years away from civilization, they dedicate their entire lives to deliver cargo to another planet. To me, I find it quite sad and barbaric that they send children on such a mission(Nana only at the age of 12). While I understand times are different and for there to be a successful journey, logically the reason makes sense to send them off at this age. But the thought that the crew essentially could not experience their teen years as teens is disheartening. During WWII, society’s younger generation could have gone through a similar childhood: no fun but hearing violence all around them and working towards the goal of solely supporting their country. 

I still don’t really see how these look like “trees”. That aside though, I found it interesting how this particular panel was drawn out, the white box slowly caving in on her. It’s like a steady suffocation or push to survive, and a foreshadowing on how she will eventually become one with the plants as the blackness, (or planet in general) come to imprison her and trap her on this bizarre world as well. In a sense, this could also be a highlight of Tezuka’s ongoing theme of rebirth; she essentially becomes one with the “earth” and has another start to live again(even though she now lives as a plant). In Tezuka’s previous volumes, I feel other characters go through a similar manner of having a second chance at life. Humanity is perpetually bound in an endless cycle; people are born, grow up, live a good life and die trying, be happy or ruined by violence and war, and then eventually return to the other again where another human will take there place.

...cursed image.

Tezuka’s development for the characters took me by surprise in this volume of Hi no Tori: usually, I either despise the character from the get go, don’t care about them, come to love them eventually, or want to protect them with my entire being.  However, the reveal of Makimura’s previous nature made me writhe in disgust(PROTECT THE WAIFU). His transformation from a soul who “died” from space neurosis because he couldn’t handle the loneliness to an actual douche bag who was a terrible husbando hints to the evolution of human nature. Makimura’s appearance of innocence is due to himself already being reverted to a fetus. However, when his true nature of savagery is revealed, his behavior was that when he was an adult. In the process of growing up, we all lose a sense of pureness and become independent to make decisions for ourselves; in some cases for survival, it means resorting to heavy means of violence. 

...Makimura don’t bat those pretty eyelashes you murderer... anyway RIP space crew of 2577 AD.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Shield Hero 11 - 13 | Price of Smiles 12 (FINAL) | Morose Mononokean II 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Spec Ops Asuka 11 - 12 (FINAL) | My Roommate is a Cat 12 (FINAL) | Mob Psycho 100 II 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Yu-No 1 | Fruits Basket (2019) 1 | We Never Learn 1 | Kimetsu no Yaiba 1 | Kono Oto Tomare! 1 | Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin 1 | Fairy Gone 1 | Rendai Utena 1

Notably, Sarazanmai’s first ep isn’t here, but it’s a huge contender for making my spring watchlist.

Shield Hero 11

Okay, someone’s trying to remind me of Goblin Slayer, aren’t they…? *grumble grumble grumble*

I wonder if Naofumi has a Thunder move like those guys…?

Why isn’t Raphtalia, who was cursed by Rage Shield, affected, but Filo, who was eaten by the zombie dragon, is???

Price of Smiles 12 (FINAL)

Is Huey…not an a$$? Is he just really tsundere…?

Fingers don’t move that way, Layla…

Post-credits segment. Keep watching…

I feel like making Stella and Yuki meet off the back of Layla’s death was a bit much and pushing the button together was a bit…much-er, if that’s a concept. Anyways, see you next time!

Morose Mononokean II 12

The Cobweb = Above the Spider (by literally translating that ep title, that is).

I’m finally listening to Koura’s voice. Koura sounds like she’s always teasing Itsuki…

Jinja = Shinto shrine. That nuance is missing from the translation.

Why did that one track (when Itsuki was escaping) sound like Mission Impossible…?

What’s an analeptic? I can’t seem to pause the video…Update: Apparently my ad blocker was stuffing with the pause button. Also, an analeptic appars to be a restorative drug, or describing a drug as restorative.

Rippou sounds so enthusiastic (sarcastic) when Shizuku offers to make him tea.

Spec Ops Asuka 11

Wat. A girl in Thailand going “nya”? Update: Uhh…apparently the girl in Thailand…was Peipei??? Wuh???

Hmm…I never actually put 2 and 2 together regarding karate and the whip. It makes sense in retrospect, though.

“…sever the…” – Sever the…what, exactly?

I thought human!Giess didn’t exist anymore under that armour…so seeing him surprised me.

Sometimes I feel like I sympathise with Chisato more than Asuka or Kurumi…that’s how developed Chisato is.

Mob Psycho 100 II 12

Serizawa is playing Bomberman.

I like the symbolism of the umbrella as a “light”.

My Roommate is a Cat 12 (FINAL)

The ep title is “Kimi to Boku to” (You and I and…). Presumably it should end with “everyone else”…or something.

Wait, wasn’t Subaru’s umbrella handle round before??? It’s straight now!

What a waste of a perfectly good umbrella!

Somehow I knew Subaru would go to Nana once he needed cat knowledge.

*Subaru rescues Haru* - *cue Lion King song* Ahhhhhhh ze ban yaaaaaaaaaaa…or something like that.

Why is it that I want a dub for this so…darn…badly???!!! Wait…*record scratch* it already has one. Scratch that.

Shield Hero 12

“I can’t stop trembling,” Raphtalia says as she stands there, still as a statue…geesh.

I’d assume there’s a Meteor Shield in there for Naofumi as well…?

Come to think of it, we never learnt that weapon merchant guy’s name until now, huh? Elhart. I’ll try my best to remember it.

Spec-Ops Asuka 12 (FINAL)

Twin-headed Dragon Peipei, huh?

Morose Mononokean II 13 (FINAL)

*Fuzzy gets punched away* - Fuzzy, noooooooo!

In the same way Mob became a so-called “bishonen” for s2 ep 5 of his show, Hanae became kind of hot – but also kind of weird – for the finale.

Notably, the “Ashiya” Abeno is referring to is only Hanae…not Sakae at all. Hmm.

Mob Psycho 100 II 13 (FINAL)

“Bishonen” Mob returns!

I keep getting the feeling that Mob will sacrifice himself this episode. It’s a very Mob thing to do, but…I worry about him, because without him we have no show.

*explosion* - I wanna yell “KANEDAAAAAAAAAA!” Is that appropriate for this scene?

I LOLled at Dimple wearing Serizawa’s chunk of hair, haha.

Anyways, that was way too fun (and way too worrying at the end). See you next time!

Yu-No 1

Okay, first episode of this particularly meager season…coming right up!

I’ve never had to watch an ep on phone for subs before…I much prefer a bigger screen.

Okay…as soon as I heard Potato-kun say “Panties?” I knew I was in for a bad time. I’m watching based on the title and the series image, not the fact it’s based on an adult VN.

I can’t believe we have to be told about these ladies from the guys first…I feel sorry for Yuki.

I-Is Arima-mama the kind of person one would call a “MILF”…? I dunno since I don’t swing that way.

Seriously, how long ago did Potato-kun’s father die??? (I know his name is Arima Takuya, but…he’s “Potato-kun” to me, even as a joke.)

Potato-kun is so obviously following his…pen island, so to speak.

Ah, Potato-kun. The only time you make me laugh is when you humiliate yourself on public news. Thank goodness this show isn’t particularly lewd…yet.

It’s like Grand Blue…only with less drinking.

Seriously, why does Yuki call Potato-kun “boss”???

The one time I hear the name “Neumann”, it’s this time travel show, of all things…*remembers von Neumann architecture* Yup, that’s where I remember his name from. By the by, Googling “Neumann space” yields this site on travelling to the…stars? Wrong frontier, folks.

Okay, that was probably the least exciting way to pull off a big reveal like that. Drop.

Shield Hero 13

To be honest…I like Rise better…

“You’re are surrounded.” – I know you’re in a hurry to sub your content, CR subbers, but seriously?????

It’s always funny to see Motoyasu get a good socking from Filo, LOL.

Fruits Basket 1

I have zero experience with OG Fruits Basket outside 1 episode I didn’t really finish (but finishd the entire manga and may have caught a tiny bit of it - not enough to mark on anyone’s anime list as “complete” - while it was on TV), so…this’ll be interesting.

This is exactly as I remember it! Beautifulllllllllllll…so beautiful I wanna cry…(Keep in mind I binged most of the manga years ago, so it’s getting harder and harder to remember the exact story every day.)

Holeeeeeeeeeeee…sugar. I just realised how old Fruits Basket is! Also, rumour has it Motoko has differently coloured hair in the OG version, but I didn’t watch (or didn’t remember) that part, so…I don’t have a standard to hold her up to, really. Plussssss…I love how Motoko and her Prince Yuki fanclub are like Mean Girls. The reason I had to check up how old Fruits Basket is is because of that comparison. Mean Girls is from 2004, thereby being 5 or 6 years younger than Fruits Basket.

The angelic “ahhhhh” in the background really sold how good Tohru’s food was (for Hanajima).

This CGI fan is going to haunt me until the end of my days, isn’t it…?

Ouch…I think I just realised why Fruits Basket is so powerful (at the part where Tohru is working hard at her job). It resonates strongly with those who are lost in life. I found I couldn’t really relate when I first read it though, which may have been attributed to the fact I was…what, 13?...at the time.

Shigure, you a$$!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna kick you for laughing at poor Tohru!!!!!!!!!!!

Photorealistic clouds…no. I think that Indian festival with the dye (I don’t remember which one it is off the top of my head) happened to my eyes…(i.e. my eyes…my poor eyes…)

I didn’t think Vickeblanka was capable of doing slower songs. This song’s kinda nice…but only because I heard the last few seconds of the ending (the rest was obscured by background noise and I don’t have time to play it again).

Between the comment about Shigure and the comment about the clouds, I was internally bawling about how stupid and spoilt I’d become. This is the power of Fruits Basket!

We Never Learn 1

Hmm…I thought the manga of this (or what I saw of it, at least) was kinda vanilla, so…this’ll be an experience, one way or another.

Yuiga’s face game is spot-on, LOL.

Aw, this show encourages the growth mindset…how cute. *does Kaguya-sama face*

The eyecatch is about what classes the main trio are in, but Furuhashi is taking it as related to boob size…*sigh*

The sign just says “library”. There’s no need to contextualise it more than that…

Yup, this is vanilla like ice cream…

Come to think of it, why did I pick this series up? I’ve read the manga parts that correspond to this episode…Well, I remember when this series was still new. I think it was that it was refreshing to see these guys so gung-ho about uni, because recently I’ve been in doubt about my own future (and to tell the truth, I’ve been thinking different things about what I want to do at different stages of my life anyway). I’ve literally only settled on the things I’m doing because I suck at everything else, but I can do whatever I put my mind to…for most things I try. Much like Fruits Basket is for those who are lost in life, We Never Learn is an affirmation that you can change your future…or something like that, anyway.

…The disembodied mouths creep me out…anyways, this show isn’t bad, it isn’t 100% a keeper either (unless I get co-opted into a collab for it). It’s just squarely in the middle.

Boob grope…eesh. That brought down the keeping factor down a little.

Kimetsu no Yaiba 1

[big chunk of information redacted because it’s me stressing over what has to be done before I go overseas...and also it reveals I had a collab for this lined up, which I’m trying to keep a surprise at the time this post went out]

To be honest, I don’t like 1st person cam.

Hmm…there’s more CGI than I’d like to admit is in here…

I remember reading a while ago that the “Tan” in Tanjiro is the word for “charcoal”.

Take = bamboo, and he’s a woodcutter kid. LOL.

This is exactly as I remember it! It’s kinda cool, since the smelling thing is obviously foreshadowing.

I remember I didn’t quite get the idea that Nezuko was growing in size in the manga…well, now I just did.

Oh-hoh-hoh-hohhhhhhh! Giyu Tomioka, me boy! There he is!

I didn’t know Giyu Tomioka was basically a ninja, LOL.

This is definitely one of the better series out there this season. It might not be the best due to its sheer amount of shonen trappings, but it’s still dang good! (I like Giyu Tomioka already, but now that I think of it, I’d like to see Lightning Boy in action within the show and not just the OP…hmm.)

[Sarazanmai 1 is not here because I saw it at the anime club first. I do intend to cover subsequent episodes here though…]

Kono Oto Tomare! 1

I find Funi’s video player unwieldy, to be honest. Maybe it’s because I’m too used to CR’s…

Oh! It seems like the Defence Club has a legacy now!

Surprisingly, this is very funny…!

Hmm…this seems like a show where you should ship people, but there doesn’t seem to be enough of a connection between anyone that I can see anyone shipping. I guess that’s why this thing is basically a shoujo in appearance, huh…?

By the way, who’s “Nadeshiko”? Takezo…?

Do you guys even know what a koto is? If you do, that’s great, but if you don’t, you’re going to have to infer…that’s a bit nasty for an ancient instrument the West doesn’t know about. Then again, this clearly isn’t something made for the West.

I’m wondering why the culprits confessed so easily…

Well, that was…alright. I went “aw” more than I expected and laughed more than expected. It’s not going to top the other shows I’ve got though.

Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin 1

For some reason, I’m just not used to calling this show “Midnight Occult Civil Servants”…that sounds clunky. That’s why I’m calling it “Mayonaka” for short…oh yeah, right now Funi is undergoing maintenance which is why I had to shuffle Mayonaka forward. I was meant to be doing Fairy Gone in this slot, to be honest with you.

Hmm…*thinks about time talking with Plyasm* *thinks about how Seo trid to kick this Reiji Kyoichi person* I see a resemblance here…with the kicking and all…Update: There is a guy called “Reiji” in this show, I just read “Kyoichi” wrong because I was trying to type up comments here.

Somehow it never actually occurred to me that Seo was a gender-neutral name. I’m normally quite good with these things…or maybe it was Ply keeping me up late that’s making me not notice…or even the fact I’m not listening to Seo’s voice, since that’s sometimes a hint to a person’s gender in particularly ambiguous cases (I’m currently not listening to the audio). Update: Okay, that’s definitely a man’s voice coming from the effeminate-looking Seo.

Oh yes…I forgot to mention, this show does an awful lot of telling and not showing.

I keep noting this episode is set on April Fool’s Day…what a day for pranking, huh?

I’ve seen a Cait Sith in anime before…so there’s a dog version too (Cu Sith), huh?

Tape? That’s so mundane…then again, I guess this is what happens when you have boring jobs in interesting places, huh? Reminds me a lot of my own stabs at this kind of story.

This is…angel-tengu Romeo and Juliet…

Now this is the real Reiji…I think?

Ohhhhhhh crab balls…these CGI angels look terrible.

I never thought cherry blossoms could look so terrible…urgh.

I’m of two minds when it comes to this show – on the one hand, I like its plot (it’s better than Charlotte in this field, at least). It’s a bit cliched, but it might lose against competition like Sarazanmai or even Kono Oto Tomare. On the other hand, its visuals are kinda…ugly.

Fairy Gone 1

Fa-Fanatica…? What sort of name is that??? (That’s not a good sign if I question the first name on the screen now, is it?)

Lay Dawn, would you please…lay down? (Okay, that joke only works with a particular pronunciation of “down”, but you get the bad pun…right? Right?)

So this is Spec-Ops Asuka without the huge boobs, I expect? That would make Fairy Gone at least 10 points (on my anime list) better than the thing I’m comparing it with.

I think the tiny symbols under most of the credits are stylised English, although I was looking at a credit for a guy with the surname Yamamoto and it wasn’t quite working.

The CGI is one of the better efforts I’ve seen, but still slightly obvious.

Veronica’s run reminds me of Akira from Devilman Crybaby. You know the one GIF of him running while leaning forward at an impossible angle? That one.

Post-credits scene…keep watching.

This is another anime Jesus…(the first one was Kagura’s dad in Ga Rei Zero.)

Rendai Utena 1

(Update: This was an anime I had to watch via VPN. Notably, the last time I resorted to one was B Project...however, no one remembers that but me, so the last big time I had to use a VPN was for Sakamoto Desu Ga?.)

Uh…yeah. This is the one Buddha anime this season. But before you run off, screaming about how blasphemous I must be to Buddhists, I’ll have you know I was originally not intending to watch this…if you know me well enough, you’ll know I like bishies. Only after I compiled my to-watch list for this season did one of the star bishies show up and convince me to watch…yeah, now you can run away screaming. (Oh and if you’re interested as to what image caught my attention enough to make me watch a show…it’s the top image on this CR page – not the thumbnail, the other top image.)

Okayyyyyyy…for a show about bishies, you sure aren’t capturing me right now with this plight of a salaryman.

Aw, dangit. I actually liked the few moments this was a zombie anime! Give me High School of the Dead, but with bishies instead of jiggly-boob girls! *shakes fist at cloud*

Oh, great…I can’t even tell who’s who around here. They even had little name cards and everything! So much for my great memory…*grumble grumble* But hey, at least I recognise some names…not from being Buddhist, but from other anime. I mean, Miroku is the guy from Inuyasha and Fudo Myouou is the guy who inspired Okurikara in Touken Ranbu, yeah?

Uh, hey. Isn’t sloth meant to be a vice? Isn’t “lounging around” a vice???

Another thing. I get the feeling that putting these guys in tracksuits is just trying to coast on the success of Touken Ranbu. Touken Ranbu is nice, but only because I was familiar with the source game and a bit about the fandom. This? I have no such basis.

Lotus Head – Bonten – his nagging is starting to get on my nerves already. I came for Taishakuten, not you!

Yeah…even in Touken Ranbu, they have washing machines. Convenience, but also…vice in terms of that old-timey Buddha stuff, I guess…? Update: Actually, I thought about it and I don’t think they’ve ever shown a washing machine in Hanamaru, but I think they might’ve had a fridge.

Wait, wait, wait…the bird was a bishie tooooooooo?????????????? I think that’s the biggest bending my brain’s going to get all premiere season (for this season)! Even more so than the entire debut of Sarazanmai!

Wait, wait, wait…Bonten likes porridge?! D’ya mean “congee” or “oatmeal” kinda porridge? I can’t tell because I’ve got the volume off, but if it’s the latter then Bonten wouldn’t have known about it. Update: It appears to be the latter. How Bonten would’ve ever known about porridge…I don’t know.

New aesthetic – Taishakuten’s hair. I like me a man with a ponytail (which is why I fell hook, line and sinker for him in the first place), but his hair done up like it is in the bath…*swoons, then goes back to normal* That is all.

What’s up with Paomi anyway…? And…this is kinda petty if the central conflict is just getting Shaka to get off cooking duties. That’s too low a conflict for even Hanamaru, methinks.

So…you introduce all these Buddha guys and then expect me to care about some human who doesn’t even have a name? Wuh…?

Okayyyyyyy…I’ve never seen an earthquake that was that fast before.

Wait, wait, huh???????? The guy who voices Taishakuten is…Choreo (Brave Beats)??????????? Oh no, I should’ve listened to it! Anyways, I’ve decided I’m dropping it, simply because if I want Taishakuten only for his looks, I can just find a wallpaper of him.

[lostinafictionaluniverse]

Riverdale 1 X 08 thoughts

Things that struck me during the episode, in no real order

- Juggie’s narrative calling Cooper’s the Stepfords of Riverdale, Alice being controlling even during the family portrait - boy, she never lets up does she?

- Juggie at Pop’s with Jason and Polly (Is that some kind of clue? Like he knows more than we think? And that he’s everywhere, just blending in with the background, apparently) This may become dangerous for him as he may witness/ hear something he’s not supposed to, that could make him a threat to the murderer? 

- Jason was supposed to deliver the drugs to an address upstate. Will this come into play ever? Is this the person FP is role-playing for? And is the jacket his collateral to use against the guy? 

- The ring went up in flames? Nah! I’m sure the ring has some role to play, Nana Blossom brought it up in ep 5 and now Polly is all broken up over it. It’ll show up, rings don’t get burned anyway. Maybe Jason stashed it in his jacket?

-  Juggie saying to Archie “you accidentally keep killing me” troubled me a lot, I think its foreshadowing for betrayal by Archie. Quotes Sartre, then brings up the Gordian knot. And his roommate/BFF/Bro doesn’t know who Dylan is. How are they friends again?

- Fred acknowledging that the drive-in meant a lot to Juggie was seriously so great!  

- Veronica talking about her elite lifestyle being invited to Oscar parties and Kevin getting starry eyed. And then about Hermione’s shoes as well. Kevin is a total fangirl.

- BETTY”S BOYFRIEND! There it’s finally said, signed, sealed and delivered!

- Archie’s expression was telling. NOPE Archie! And WTF, I noticed much later (thanks to some gifs) that Val was sitting right there beside him. This seems like a recurring theme with Archie. Sigh!

- Mama Cooper not pleased with Ronnie but Ronnie looking on like a proud mama bear when Betty stands up to her mom! I love supportive Beronica

- Polly asks for Penelope to be there at the shower. Something tells me Polly going to the Blossoms is a carefully laid out plan. But for what? Does she suspect they may have offed Jason and wants to find a few clues herself? Maybe Jason told her about something at his place and she wants to do some sleuthing of her own? Incredibly foolish of her if that’s the case. She should be thinking of her baby/ies. Okay, I had an afterthought. Polly was in the book with Jason. What if all Polly’s been telling them has been a lie, and is playing a long con? I don’t know what exactly, but it started out with Jason playing her. What if he never stopped and then she started playing him? Idk, I’m overthinking

- Fred confronting Clifford Blossom was ballsy or stupid or both. He had no plan, in fact, he was very Archie-like in his approach. Impulsive, and not practical which is a side to Fred that we haven’t really seen. So Clifford wanted to buy the drive-in and here comes the Maple Syrup reference for this episode! This is more ludicrous than Nana Blossom’s sex-predicting talisman!  

- Archie and his friends pitching in to help. Who in the heck was the fourth guy asking Kevin to join the football team? And biggest mystery - why no retort from Juggie at the “Some of us are bruiser studs” quip from Moose?? Missed opportunity for more Juggiesque witticisms.

- Archie and Juggie conversation, Archie is seriously someone without any sensitivity. I think he’s not a bad guy, he’s just not empathetic and sensitive to other people. It’s clear that he’s impulsive, he’s also self-involved though he can see the light, he needs it spelled out for him. And then there are those surprisingly mature moments like the one where he tells Fred he has to protect his legacy. But those are like lightning flashes, they quickly come and go.

-He jumps to blame Sheriff Keller, he brushes off Val’s advice and her plea to talk to her and just walks out of the room!  Impulsive. Brash. What was he even thinking going up to the bar and seeking out those Serpents? He would’ve gotten his ass kicked if it wasn’t for FP. 

-Listen to Juggie, Arch. And Betty too. They told him the Serpents were dangerous! What even are you thinking walking into that bar with your bright yellow Letterman jacket and picking a fight? Ronnie switching off at ‘construction’ and ‘site’ is so Ronnie

BTW, who are the Bulldogs? A rival biker/ drug dealing gang?

FP saves the day! (MUSTANG!! ) The dynamic between FP and Fred and wait - did Fred say you’re a Serpent again? Does that mean he’s been in and out of the gang? Perhaps he went straight for a while? And how long has he been an alcoholic? Has Juggie never had a normal family? Is that why he never brought his friends home? That could explain why his dad doesn’t know of Betty though it breaks my heart on a whole different level. 

- I liked the conversation between Hermione and Alice. I’m so eager to see more of the dynamic between the parents and how they knew each other. Jughead described Hal and Alice as high school sweethearts, so maybe the theory of Alice having been in love with Fred or FP falls apart. Then again maybe not, since Juggie may not have all the facts, except what Betty may have told him about her parents.

- The baby shower itself was a disaster except for 

’Our House’

Bughead kiss

‘Totally on my bucket list’

‘Nana Rose has dementia and gypsy blood’

‘Let’s find you a nice spot beside the food table’

‘This is occultism at its most ludicrous’

I’m so here for Alice- Penelope trading insults. Madchen is awesome, and Natalie does great too in her cool and bitchy Mama Blossom avatar

- Polly’s breakdown seemed real, but idk why I feel she’s playing everyone?

- Archie the impulsive airhead makes an entrance and Juggie’s face! Oh God! The way he looks at Betty! Kill me now

Sidenote: I think KJ does a better job at Angry/pissed off Archie scenes than any other. 

- Alice finding out about the ‘appointment’ Hal made for Polly to fix her ‘mistake’ - euphemisms abound! Truly this episode belonged to Madchen!

--Betty getting to meet her future FIL officially! Yayy! FP lied at first about Jason and then told them that he’s been running drugs. Juggie’s look of disappointment to discover that his dad is a drug dealer after all! (DAMN, he didn’t know, the poor boy was shocked when Betty told him Jason was running drugs for the Serpents! Oh the betrayal- I’m crying - fuck you, FP)

- ‘Its the DARK AGES, dad’

- He still believes his dad - because (and Skeet killed it, he’s just so effective)

- THE BUGHEAD KISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The light, the open mouths, the face holding, her smile, the everything!!! I’m deader than dead

- Shit, Joaquin was playing Kevin all this while, but perhaps he likes him too?? I know this is a classic trope but WTH I ship it!

- FP saying ‘We all have a role to play, including me’ and then reaching for that beer. Does he mean he’s pretending to be an alcoholic? For some reason?? To protect his family cos he doesn’t want them to be with him, because he’s playing a dangerous game and they might get hurt?

- My theory is FP knows who offed Jason and the jacket is security for him against them (to use as blackmail) and also against Keller ( to whom he can offer it as evidence in return for immunity) Smart! I can see where Juggie gets his intelligence from!

- Juggie and Archie - bro moment. Archie hesitating (almost blushing) before he made that bro whisper was pretty cute actually. Jug had no such hesitation. But before, when they were making up after the Grundy fallout, it was Jug who didn’t want to hug in front of the whole town. I’m thinking his relationship with Betty is changing him, making him more open, less afraid.

- Polly, O Polly what are you upto? Its clear you have no love lost for the Blossoms. How can you think you’d be safer there than in your own home? After knowing Alice kicked Hal out? I think there’s something deeper going on here. That creepy look Clifford gives Penelope as he ushers Polly in? BRRRRR, gave me chills!

- Alice breaking down in Betty’s arms - slow claps for Madchen!!!!

[kurisus]

Noragami general thoughts

Special reread edition, since I finally finished my reread and am ready to die when chapter 73 (which doesn’t exist) comes out

This is going to be very long so buckle down

The ENTIRE outcome of Kamuhakari was foreshadowed starting in the Underworld arc.

Meaning Adachitoka had all of this planned for a VERY long time

You can see from my Snapchats that beginning with Ebisu’s forceful execution the characters are kinda like “Uh idk if that’s entirely necessary” “Why does heaven think of this as a game” and so on

Not to mention later on Kazuma talks about becoming Yato’s enemy and protecting Bishamon till his last breath

And Yato half-jokes that he will commit high treason

Overturning heaven’s rule is discussed several times as well

There’s a lot more but you get the gist

Not to mention, this arc also plays on the Underworld arc’s use of irony, except here the irony only becomes apparent once you’re looking back on it knowing what happened

Point being, there was a lot of obvious foreshadowing we overlooked because of the month-long wait and there being more important things to focus on at the moment

Remember when everyone was praising Yukine for becoming a hafuri? And then you find out that maybe that’s not such a good thing, and then our three known hafuris are all put through different hells concurrently (really, it’s no wonder Kiun doesn’t want to be one)

Not to mention the whole “blessed” and “burial” thing and the very real possibility that Yukine died by being buried alive, though I’m also pretty sure Amaterasu or someone used that phrase when he was sealed in the box (which was also called a stone coffin or sarcophagus....hmm......)

One of my main reasons for rereading also is because after chapter 72 everyone’s pretty much in agreement that the arc is over and we can put these nasty memories behind us

Also because there IS disagreement about how the arcs divide up so I wanted to see if the arc being over was the case

Because I always thought we were in the same arc since chapter 42 or so, but then I see people talking about the “Sakura arc” and “hospital arc” and “rebellion arc” and that sort of thing so I was like “am I remembering wrong are we in a new arc”

So pretty much everyone agrees about where the first three/four arcs of the show begin and end--Introduction, Yukine, Bishamon, Underworld, and after is where we run into problems

I’m hoping that my viewpoint can provide us with a little more consistency as far as what exactly happened

Basically, the arc I’m gonna call the “god’s greatest secret arc” began with chapter 43 (42 kinda hinted at it but the term wasn’t dropped until 43) and continued through all those other things

The reason those other mini-arcs aren’t their own separate things each is because we never got a break

After the Yukine arc we got a couple of chapters to calm down, same with Bishamon, and the Underworld arc had two chapters to close out the resolution since a lot of stuff happened, and then chapters 40 and 41 were just kinda random silliness (especially 41; 40 was about Yato trying to become a god of fortune so it was looking to the future) and then 42 begins to shift the tone back to dark

The so-called Sakura arc was only like three chapters, as was the hospital arc, and there was no break between those and the chapters around them; the dark tone shift kept right on going through the end of Kamuhakari

So did chapter 72 end the god’s greatest secret arc?

Well, I hate to admit it for a multitude of reasons (this arc STILL not being damn over being the primary one), but I’m not so sure it did

It COULD have, but we really need more information to determine so and I don’t like saying it because we’ve been waiting SO LONG for this arc to end

It seems to me that 72 was more of a bridging point--whether this is between two arcs or just continuing to a different part of the same one remains to be seen

There definitely was an ending there, don’t get me wrong: the good guys won their fight, everyone lives, they’re spared and cleared of charges, and they all go back home

Not to mention the fight at Kamuhakari was a buildup of stuff since the 40′s, like the god’s greatest secret, Kazuma betraying Bishamon, Yato finally becoming a god of fortune, and the whole deal of if a god can actually change their nature

But there are also a LOT of unresolved plot points: what will become of Kazuma, what Nana will do now, Yukine remembering his past slowly, the heavens still not willing to let Yato and Bishamon off the hook so easily, the list goes on

On that note, I’m still unsure as to the reason Kazuma stung Bishamon--the eye on his neck appeared after he said he was going to protect her, so was this when he decided to flee?

Haha man I really missed a lot of stuff in the recent chapters because I was reading with a very elevated heart rate so the small details flew over my head but now that I know how it ends I was able to calm down somewhat and figure out the bigger picture

The trio is back together for now, but all is not completely secure, concerning Yukine especially

Oh my god I have so many feelings about Yukine

He DIDN’T want to go to Kamuhakari, he DIDN’T want to fight Takemikazuchi, he DIDN’T want to defy heaven

Talk about not deserving something, damn

No wonder Yato blames himself for everything--Yukine wanted no part in this but got dragged right into the middle of everything

Honestly, this just makes everything so much worse because I think I knew of this but didn’t really think about it and/or forgot the extent of it

I’m sure this is also a fact that Yato is painfully aware of, so it will be interesting (suffering?) to find out how he progresses from here

Basically, in summary, this arc’s “end” is tentative at best because it seems like a bridging point to another segment of the same damn arc

But again, we won’t know for at least a few chapters yet, so we’ll see how everything pans out

If this arc is not, in fact, over yet, we’re left with the frightening and all-too-real possibility that this could be the final arc of Noragami and they just started moving into it very early

I have my doubts about that but I don’t think we have too many arcs left either way considering the typical length of monthly mangas and how long the god’s greatest secret arc was (at most, two arcs are left in this series’ run)

Honestly, the whole Kamuhakari event was so painful to read monthly (I caught up a couple weeks before 55 came out so I’ve been here since before then even) and we were complaining about how much it “dragged on” (a term I’ve always been reluctant to adopt because there was a lot that needed to be resolved after all)

But rereading it does give me a new perspective; the fight goes by MUCH faster and MUCH more cohesively when you look back on it in this way

So actually, while this single fight was longer than the whole Underworld arc, the second time around it has a lot to it and is very complex but it is a fast read as well

If you get the feeling that the fight did drag on I do recommend you reread it since your perspective does change a lot

That being said, I will always have awful memories of waiting month after month in the hopes that finally this stupid fight will be over since I was anticipating the arc’s end from the moment Bishamon pulled Nana from the box, and things still went on for over a year after that

And THAT being said, I almost feel like it couldn’t get worse but Adachitoka will challenge that and hurt me much more than ever

So what I’m expecting out of the next few chapters, aside from some comedy for a damn change, is an explanation of the covenant, some light shed on Father and Nora (Yato DID say he would explain things to Tenjin and Ebisu later), and Yukine’s past because now that it’s starting I’m just so rabidly curious

I’m sure I forgot a lot of what I wanted to say but this post is already a fucking novel so just take it for now

[blessedyuki]

Noragami Chapter 72 Analysis

No matter how much pain the last arc brought us, at least we could all agree on our interpretation of the events: the situation was bad. Things are different now. Chapter 72 (temporarily?) resolves the conflict, but it also raises some flags for other things that might come as a result of this. Of course we can just focus on the positive and ignore these things for now. In my case, I can’t.

I think it’s quite funny that the most shared panel of this chapter is also the one that encapsulates the current division in the fandom:

Some are happy to see Yato finally smile, and some say he looks dead inside. To me, it’s a mixture of both. At this point, and after what he’s been through, I’ll take any smile from him. It’s not necessarily a fake smile either, but it’s a forced one. It’s a smile of relief, but it’s also one that Yato doesn’t quite seem to believe himself. I think it’s also quite telling that it happens right after Hiyori and Yukine make an attempt to cheer him up. Even though he tries to keep it together for most of the chapter for everyone else’s sake, it’s quite obvious that he’s not OK. 

Meaning, he believes it’s his fault Yukine ended up in the box, and it’s eating away at him. Hiyori says what we're all thinking: he did help. In fact, if it wasn’t for the type of person he’s become for this past year, he wouldn’t have gotten help from Tenjin, Ebisu and Daikoku. However, that’s not enough to him as Yato insists on how powerless he felt during those moments. And even when Yukine is the one trying to convince him otherwise, Yato just brushes it off, and apologizes for his rant. Yeah, totally sincere. 

How will Heaven take this defeat?

Putting aside the fact that Yato’s side won and everyone survived, the whole thing was resolved fairly quickly. Perhaps too quickly. In fact, there were many things that happened off screen in this chapter. Granted, some of those are understandable as they would be redundant or wouldn’t add a lot of value. Kazuma’s ablution happening off-screen is not that strange either, as every ablution except for Yukine’s has had the same treatment. Furthermore, I think Adachitoka are intentionally leaving us in the dark when it comes to Bishamon and Kazuma. However, one thing that needed to be shown (and I’m sure it will) is the repercussions of Heaven being found in the wrong. The series has usually been very secretive when it comes to the higher ups of Heaven, but that’s one thing that could change after this arc. I also expect to see some scenes with Father and Mizuchi. I’m really interested in what his thoughts are regarding Yato’s actions and everything that went down. Will he change his approach? Will he try to convince Yaboku again?

These are all reasons why I’m not making any assumptions yet. I believe we have to wait for a couple more chapters to fully grasp the implications of the events that took place in this past arc. And then there’s the things that did happen in this chapter, but that we had to really pay attention to see. As Nana pointed out, the chapter had many “realization moments". There’s a very clear context between the text (everyone being alive and happy, Heaven being wrong...) and the subtext (ominous foreshadowing, whatever’s going on inside Yato’s head...). Before delving into these uncertainties, let’s take a look at the things that were confirmed, and what they could mean for the future:

The Three Sacred Regalia cannot die. Like many of us assumed, Heaven’s Three Sacred Regalia can reincarnate. In a different way than Gods do, Tenjin adds. I also concur with what nanielavnz said on this topic, so I recommend reading that post for more insight on this.

Arahabaki is Nana's previous master. The mystery is finally solved. Arahabaki’s the one Nana referred to as “Aya-sama”, and he’s also on Yato’s side (they even have nicknames for each other and that’s hella cute). As an Emishi god, Arahabaki can provide tons of exposition that, so far, we only got from characters like Tenjin, Iwami or Father. We can also expect the Emishi war to continue being relevant, even more so now that there’s probably discord in the Heavens. I’m just really excited about Arahabaki and Takemikazuchi joining Yato’s team, and the new dynamics this is going to bring. If Yato’s going to go to war anytime soon, he’ll certainly need all the allies he can get. Arahabaki refers to Nana as his “daughter”, and like many others, I believe he means that in an adoptive sense (you could also see this is as yet another parallel to Yato an Yukine and how they’re like father and son). Finally, Nana being upset and conflicted is understandable, but then again so are Arahabaki’s actions. I’m still not sure on what to think of Nana’s future either. While Yato and Bishamon might have been pardoned, Nana should still be locked away. If that’s the case, then I’m guessing Arahabaki will have to take Nana and leave somewhere else, even if he cannot be her master anymore. Which brings me to the next point

Gods cannot rename a Shinki they have previously released. Not even with a different incarnation. This information does not only give more meaning to previous events (mainly, Bishamon hesitating to revoke Kazuma’s name, and refusing to release Tsuguha), but it also raises some flags for Yukine and Yato’s relationship. That does not mean Adachitoka will act on them (it would be a very drastic change in the series), but it’s certainly going to influence Yato’s actions in regards to what he does with Yukine. Don’t forget we come from an arc that has pretty much confirmed Yato’s fears that he cannot change his nature as a God of Depravity and that he only brings disaster to those around him. If he truly believes he’s to blame for Yukine’s state, chances are he might consider stepping away and revoking Yukine’s name to save him. On the other hand, if Yato refuses to release him (or even worse - if Yukine begs him not to), then the only option left would be going to the person who seems to know more about Karma: Father. Why would Father help them? Because he could blackmail Yato into saving Yukine in exchange for making him his Shinki. Don’t forget it’s always been one of Father’s goals to make Yukine his. And what’s one of the things Yukine would hate the most? To become a nora. Whatever ends up happening, I’m sure it’s no coincidence Adachitoka decided to reveal this information the same chapter that Yukine goes through the same thing Tsuguha did. I can only hope Nana being mad at Arahabaki for abandoning her does not become yet anoher parallel for Yato and Yukine.

Hafuri: Always on the losing end

Did you notice? In an arc that’s focused so much on the whole blessed/burial vessel debate, the biggest losers are Yukine, Kazuma, and Nana.

Once again, we got no information whatsoever on what the exact consequences are for Bishamon and Kazuma. We only know they’re bad. Bishamon survived, but she’s borderline comatose. Kazuma has left, but we don’t know where, if he has a goal/destination in mind, or if he’s even planning to return at all. On top of that, everyone’s currently too worried about their own problems to go look for him. The thing is, him coming back at some point, apologizing, and being accepted back by Bishamon has already been done. They had an entire arc dedicated to them and their communication problems. And while I understand bringing their relationship back in an arc that focuses so much on Hafuri, what negative consequences could there be this time if it’s not death for either of them? I don’t think Kazuma is on a suicide mission because then he could have simply offered his head during the covenant. Kuraha speculates that the reason he blighted Bishamon was because he “knowingly did something wrong”. It’s possible that the “wrong thing” he did was to decide to abandon Bishamon. His next act after getting corrupted was to go up to Bishamon one last time to try to save her, only for her to push him off. Now that the whole thing has been resolved and that Bishamon should be fine, he’s decided to walk away for good because he believes he’s failed as Bishamon’s guidepost. Once again, the theme of “walking away to protect someone”.

There’s little I can say about Yukine that hasn’t been said already. He’s currently suffering from PTSD both from the box, and from his past. This is a very unstable situation: the moment one of those flashbacks includes his human name, he’s done for.

There’s also something that I have been wondering for a while: where will Yato take Yukine in the meantime? They currently live at Kofuku’s, and Yato can disguise Yukine’s state as post-battle exhaustion + the trauma of being locked away. However, it’s only a matter of time before Daikoku realizes something else is wrong with him. Yato can tell Kofuku what’s going on, but there’s another Shinki in that house. And we have just recently seen that, no matter how much Kofuku loves Yato and Yukine, she won’t risk Daikoku. Is it finally time to temporarily go to that tiny land Yato got in Takamagahara? Of course, this is only assuming that he doesn’t go straight to Fujisaki like I mentioned before (he knows where he lives, after all).

New year, new arc

Kinda. Noragami keeps expanding and escalating the story arc after arc. Even though we didn’t have any major losses out of this arc as we were promised, we didn’t leave empty-handed either plot-wise. There’s new characters, character development for Takemikazuchi/Kiun, Amaterasu, reforging of friendships... and, what’s most important, a huge crisis in Heaven that might as well start a cold war.

Chapter 72 brings a happy resolution, yes, but it’s only because we’re looking at it from the perspective of what happened in chapters 70-71. The thing is, even though Yato’s side won the covenant, they got nothing good out of this. All this mess started because Bishamon wanted to defeat the sorcerer. She didn’t achieve that. And, in return, she got badly injured, Kazuma left her, and Yukine’s in a very bad state. It’s a “won the battle, lost the war” kind of situation. 

Judging by that “but how many scars have been left behind…!?” part from the short preview of chapter 73 , it appears that we haven’t gotten the full picture yet. I have said many times that this arc is a turning point for the series (if you’re into One Piece, I like to refer to it as ”the Marineford of Noragami” lol). Even though Yato might still not have many followers, he’s no longer an unknown God (Amagiri-no-Mikoto, huh?), and that’s bound to change things. And Yato might have allies and friends with him, but he’s feeling more hopeless than ever. It reminds me of how hopeless he felt after Ebisu died in the Yomi arc. Coincidentally, that arc also involved Heaven (and Amaterasu), and brought a lot of change for the series. So I say expect lots of change. This it not really a resolution - just a short break. 

[emmagreen1220-blog]

New Post has been published on Literary Techniques

New Post has been published on https://literarytechniques.org/foreshadowing-in-literature/

Foreshadowing in Literature

Foreshadowing in literature is used to create suspense or mood, to hint at upcoming events or plot twists, or to reveal important character traits. Foreshadowing can be created by the narrator or the characters themselves, through descriptions and dialogue. Foreshadowing can also be created by shifting the plot structure of a narrative and using flashbacks or flash-forwards to relay important information about past or future events to the audience.

10 Examples of Foreshadowing in Literature

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“The weather was unusually warm for the last day of October. We didn’t even need jackets. The wind was growing stronger, and Jem said it might be raining before we got home. There was no moon. The street light on the corner cast sharp shadows on the Radley house… We turned off the road and entered the schoolyard. It was pitch black.”

Scout’s description of her and Jem’s journey to the school for the Halloween pageant creates a mood of suspense and fear, foreshadowing the fateful events that will come later. The night is very dark with no moon; the only shadows come from streetlights which cause shadows on Boo Radley’s house, the source of the neighborhood children’s legends and fears. Scout and Jem are having a difficult time walking to the school because it is so dark, and Jem didn’t bring a flashlight because he didn’t realize it would be so dark. When they leave the pageant, they are the last ones out of the school, and the night is even darker. Footsteps follow the children, and eventually they are attacked by Bob Ewell who finally makes good on his threats to get back at Atticus for embarrassing him in court.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

“A great event in my life, the turning point of my life, now opens on my view. But, before I proceed to narrate it, and before I pass on to all the changes it involved, I must give one chapter to Estella. It is not much to give to the theme that so long filled my heart.”

Pip narrates his tale from the present so most of the novel is told in a flashback format. Here, Pip is relating the turning point of his life, foreshadowing that there are many changes that are upcoming soon, right after he gets through discussing Estella again. The tone which Pip uses here to tell the reader about the upcoming events foreshadows that Pip’s relationship with Estella does not work out, and that the changes he undergoes aren’t necessarily pleasant ones.

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely settled–but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”

This chilling opening by the narrator, Montressor, to the audience reveals a terrifying foreshadowing of vengeance and murder for Fortunato. Montressor reveals that Fortunato has insulted him in a way that can never be forgiven, and he has decided to make sure that Fortunato will never insult him– or anyone else– again. He lays out in cryptic detail that he has managed to keep Fortunato from suspecting his true intentions, but that he has waited for the moment to get his revenge. This scene sets the mood of the story, and foreshadows Fortunato’s unfortunate untimely demise.

The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

“At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.”

James Hurst explores the psyche of brothers in this short story, which features the unnamed narrator and his younger, disabled brother named Doodle. Doodle was born with a weak heart, and was predicted to not survive, let alone be able to walk, run, go to school, or do anything else little boys are supposed to be able to do. The narrator makes it his mission to help Doodle overcome these obstacles, partly because of his own shame at having a brother who isn’t “normal.” Throughout the story, the color red is used as a motif to mirror Doodle’s own red appearance as a baby, and whenever he strains with physical exertion. The scarlet ibis itself symbolizes and foreshadows Doodle’s death. It is a bird that has traveled an unlikely journey far from its home in the tropics, much farther than it should have gone, and in death, it is still beautiful and graceful, with a curved neck and bent legs. This death scene of the ibis, coupled with Doodle’s fascination with the bird, foreshadow Doodle’s own death later on.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

“‘Poor Harry Jekyll,’ he thought, ‘my mind misgives me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations. Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace: punishment coming, pede claudo, years after memory has forgotten and self-loved condoned the fault.'”

In the second chapter of Stevenson’s cryptic novella, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, is becoming increasingly worried about his client’s well-being. His friend Richard Enfield had already imparted a story to him about a man named Edward Hyde trampling a young child in the streets and paying £100 to avoid a scandal. The check he provided for the £100 was signed by Dr. Henry Jekyll. In these lines, Utterson is worried that Dr. Jekyll is being blackmailed by Mr. Hyde for some sin he committed many years ago; however, these words also serve as foreshadowing because Dr. Jekyll is in trouble because he has fallen in love with the darker side of himself that he repressed many years ago. This darker side is allowed to come out with a special potion as Mr. Hyde, which is slowly taking over Dr. Jekyll completely.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

“‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?'”

Simon has an imaginary conversation with a pig’s head, which the other boys have erected on a stick. It is covered with flies, and Simon begins to call the head “The Lord of the Flies.” The head’s conversation with Simon reveals that Simon is starting to understand the truth about what is happening to the young boys stranded on the island: there is no real beast that is chasing them. Instead, they are battling against each other. The true beast is inside them all, and it will destroy them. Simon’s conversation with the head foreshadows his own death, Piggy’s death, and Jack’s savage behavior which turns the rest of the boys against Ralph.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

“Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends. But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and a female Five who he had noticed had the different, lighter eyes. No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals.”

Jonas and Lily have just met Gabe, the newchild their father has just brought home to take care of until he is able to thrive better. Jonas and his sister Lily both notice Gabe’s eyes, and how rare they are in the community. These eyes foreshadow something very special about Gabe and Jonas. In fact, the Receiver of Memory of the community also has the same pale eyes, and Jonas is later chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory. Their eyes connect the three in a way that is special and different from the community, especially as Jonas discovers that he can give memories to Gabe. This leads Jonas to form a strong connection to Gabe, and to save him from the community before they can “release” him, or send him to Elsewhere.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“‘I want you to take me to your cinema,’ Mariam said now. ‘I want to see the cartoon. I want to see the puppet boy.’

With this, Mariam sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Her parents stirred in their seats. Mariam could feel them exchanging looks.”

Up to this moment in the novel, Jalil, Mariam’s father, and Nana, Mariam’s mother have been portrayed in black and white, good and evil. Jalil’s visits to Mariam are a saving grace from her mother, who treats Mariam with utter disdain. However, when Mariam finally makes a request from her father– and especially one to be seen in public with him– the atmosphere shifts and foreshadows that something has irrevocably changed in their relationship from this request. The next day, Jalil does not come to get Mariam, and she walks down to Herat. She soon discovers that her father is ashamed of her, and by leaving her mother’s kolba, she sends her into such a depression that Nana hangs herself.

The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs

“‘It had a spell put on it by an old Fakir,’ said the Sergeant Major, ‘ a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.'”

This section from Jacobs’ short story reveals both foreshadowing and theme for the story. The monkey’s paw is bewitched, and is intended to grant three wishes to three men. While Sergeant Major Morris is obviously perplexed by the paw and tries to warn Mr. White against using it, he also tells the White family that the intentions of the old fakir who put a spell on it was to show that people can’t interfere with fate. Mr. White wishes for £200, and while he receives it, it is because his son Herbert is killed in a machine accident at work. His next wish, to have Herbert back, results in a strange knocking at the door and Mr. White wishing for his son to be dead again. They know that the real Herbert would not have been at the door; they could not change their own fate.

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton

“The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.”

In this excerpt from Stockton’s cliffhanger short story, he uses foreshadowing to hint at what the princess’ choice will be. She comes from a line of semi-barbaric people, and her father, the King, is especially barbaric in his tournaments of judgment. The fact that the narrator continues to focus more time on these elements that are mixed in the princess’ bloodline gives a clear indication that she likely chose the door with the tiger and watched her lover being ripped to shreds rather than allow him to be happy with any other woman but herself.