would rather kms than make my only winbre post be about Suo's stupid ass, so it's time to talk about Nirei cause i love him. i read a post and my blood started boiling i dont fuck around so now i gotta defend him with my life. also cause im sick and tired of him not being deemed marketable enough to be included in merch and collab illusts when he's a whole—if not the most important—third of the main trio. (theres something to be said about Tsugeura too, considering they don't use him but love using Kiryuu, but that's a different conversation.)
anyway, on Nirei and the exceptionality of being ordinary.
manga spoilers btw also disclaimer im not eloquent at all i just say things.
there's something about Nirei that just simply isn't special and i think that's wonderful. not in a mean-spirited sense; Nirei is the most regular out of anyone in Furin, so much so that he had to buy an ugly shirt he didn't even like to stand out. he's just a kid with a notebook and a simple backstory trying to follow a hero's example. he's nothing extraordinary, especially seeing the people he's surrounded by. physically, he's very limited, which he knows and doesn't ignore at all, so he can't do much in fights. no one is more acutely aware of his own limits than Nirei. i was reading the first couple chapters again and it breaks my heart to hear his efforts be dismissed as "playing hero," because Nirei is the biggest hero in this whole manga.
it's true, yeah, he can't fight. he's more like another average citizen of Makochi than he is a Bofurin member sometimes. he lacks fighting abilities, his diplomacy isn't particularly the best, and he's two seconds away from going into cardiac arrest at almost all times. but it's not like he gives a shit. every single time he gets beaten into the ground, he picks himself back up immediately. he takes hit after hit, time and time again, because no matter how battered or defenseless he is, his drive to stay and protect the town is ridiculously strong. he does go down when he can't take any more (keel), but it's with improvement and training that he manages to throw his first—albeit useless—punch (noroshi or whatever this arc is called idk). improvement that, mind you, comes from recognizing his own limitations.
some have called him reckless (Suo), but i disagree, because Nirei is right. i know the kids would rather look out for him and have him uninjured by the end of a scuffle, but he doesn't need to be coddled. everybody else jumps into a brawl and gets a broken nose regardless of their fighting skills. Nirei isn't any different. he knows he's limited, he knows he can't fight, he knows he's nothing special. he risks it all anyway, because even though he wasn't built for fighting, he's more than prepared to try over and over again until his efforts are enough to make a difference. he's looked at Sakura's back and thought he couldn't match him, that Sakura gets back up even when he's almost fully tapped out, that he's not needed because Sakura's stronger and will be okay without him.
maybe he's right about this, too. i'm inclined to disagree, but i understand where he's coming from. Nirei chases, Nirei can't stop running because he'll fall behind all these phenomenal beasts that can hold their own. i'm so glad the conclusion he reached was "okay, i gotta step up my game," but i'm not really surprised. this is Nirei Akihiko we're talking about and, i think Suo put it best, he wants to become stronger more than anybody.
he's been at a disadvantage this whole time, "playing hero" rather than being an "actual" hero, but he has a goal. if he has to tear himself apart to stand next to Sakura, he will. he doesn't have to, of course, he's already more than useful the way he is, but when you're so ordinary that you get lost in the crowd, standing beside someone so exemplary makes you want more.
honestly, Nirei's fucking wild. lil bro's actually crazy. we've seen characters go apeshit, but no one in this entire manga is nearly as insane as he is. i appreciate Suo telling him to slow down and chill out, cause he was fully intending to kill himself learning how to fight with zero foundation. my guy was more than ready to actually fight Endo. he meant that. it's a good thing he's properly learning how to defend himself, considering he probably lacks the muscle to go on the offense. those are his limits and he knows that. it frustrates him, but it definitely does little to stop him, because look how big his back is. i hope somebody tells him, after all of this is over, that he's doing more than enough, more than great.
to be fair, fighting isn't even where he shines, and that's okay. he's not strong enough to beat anyone's ass and he doesn't need to be, either. he doesn't need to be a leader like Sakura or a devotee like Sugishita or mimic whatever the fuck Suo's got going on. in the words of my favorite pink curse, the real heroes are the ones who support from the back, and that's exactly what Nirei does. he's said it himself, he wants to guide Sakura all the way to the top and he can, because he thrives in being another citizen of Makochi. he's a regular person and i think that's what makes him so compelling and important.
there's something so fascinating about his simplicity. he really is nothing more than just an ordinary kid. put him in a normal high-school classroom and he'll pass his midterms with a 75. he recognizes what he's good at, of course, he knows the town inside out and it's very useful, especially to Sakura. he's amazing support. it really doesn't seem like it and people love to completely dismiss him, but i wanna be outrageous and call him the backbone of these kids. he was Sakura's first friend and he continues to be the one pushing and prodding to make sure he stands back up every single time. he's more necessary than anyone gives him credit for. i have no doubt in my mind that, if it weren't for him, Sakura wouldn't be able to do half the things he's managing. even Suo, who's out here acting like he knows the secrets of the universe, has to stop and reorganize his ideas when Nirei talks.
if Suo is the heart (debatable, but okay, whatever bro says) and brain, i'd like to think Nirei is the spirit and the soul. there's no chance the kids would work so smoothly without Nirei around—which, yes, arguably the same could be said of all of them, but i've seen Nirei be dismissed as a Zenitsu looking ass gag character and i've never had to hold back a kys so hard. idk for sure what the general consensus on him is cause i've only ever seen him used in the context of ships and never on his own, which honestly makes me a little sad. especially after seeing the popularity poll cause he didn't even make it into the top 5 with not even 1k points personal offense tbh i need a word with the voters. what i've gathered is that aint nobody gaf about his ass im devastated Suo has to fuck off (13k votes is crazy gang come on). which i don't understand. take him out of the equation and everything falls apart. Sakura's the sword, Suo's the strategy, and Nirei is the ambition, the desire, the force, the feelings.
there's much to be said about how he's treated, not only in-universe, but also by the people consuming the media and the pr team. i don't fuck with shipping, but when i'm scrolling through my timeline, Nirei only exists in the context of somebody's favorite ship. and don't fucking get me started on the mischaracterization. look me in the eye and tell me Nirei doesn't have more conviction than any of these dumbass kids. yes, he gets scared and he's fucking horrified most of the time, but motherfucker he's fighting. he's out there in the frontlines, making himself useful, biting more than he can chew and then some. i dare you to treat him like wittle baby that needs protection.
if not for his uniqueness, look at him for his regularity, because i find it endearingly wonderful. i think there's something so special about the ordinary. he deserves a lot more than what he's getting so these mfs better put him in all collab illusts cause if i have to see Kaji in his place one more time i will personally book a flight. okay thank you thats all i promise ill never come back here have day.
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Scorpius is so much like Astoria that it kinda shocks Draco. He sees his wife in him every day, and instead of him slowly becoming more like his father, he just seems to becomes more similar to his mother. Draco gets to see the love of his life everyday, even after her passing, in the thing thats most important to him. Their son.
Because Scorpius is kind in a way that Malfoys aren't used to, soft in a way that the Greengrass lineage can't fathom. He doesnt talk in the way you'd expect a respectable pureblood to. He stuttersz rambles, and stammers, and hesitates. Scorpius doesn't even carry himself in a way you'd expect a respectable pureblood to, because he stumbles, shuffles, and skips, and prances.
Scorpius wouldn't be found sitting in a boring meeting, blathering on about politics. Its unnatural, its not supposed to be. Scorpius can be found sunning in the garden or with his nose deep into a book. He can be found writing owls to his bestfriend and practicing potions in the manors laboratory.
Scorpius is extroverted. He loves talking, he loves learning, he loves making friends. But he's alot to deal with, and he has a bit too much love for most people to handle. Scorpius life is a tragedy disguised as a coming of age romance story, in a way that parallels Astoria too much for Dracos comfort. He worries, that the curse may affect Scorpius. He doesn't want his son to hold any more burdens, doesn't want to even think about the rumors that would come around if he did. Draco worries. And he worries because of how different his son is. He doesn't have that natural Malfoy stubborn and charisma, that would get him out of a tricky situation if he so pleased. Draco doesn't think his son can defend himself and that terrifies him, because he knows Scorpius is being tormented and there is nothing he can do about it.
So he thinks about what Astoria would do. In a perfect world, Astoria would still be here, and she'd sit in the fields with her child, and hold him to her chest, and run her hands through his hair while humming some made up song. And maybe then Scorpius would be happier, because maybe all he needed was his mother's soothing touch. Soothing in a way Malfoys nay Greengrasses are. Soothing in a way Draco doesn't think he can replicate.
But he trys, Merlin he trys. And it won't be as sweet as it would if he was Astoria, but he knows Scorpius doesn't care. He knows his son is happy just being held by his father, getting shapes traced onto his back until he eventually falls asleep. It's kind. It's soft. And isn't it so wonderful how children rub off on you?
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Oneshot Mini-Ramble Three
For This: https://www.tumblr.com/puppetmaster13u/749966584630673408/thinkin-of-several-oneshots-and-i-wanna-ramble
ANYWAY. Day 3, doing another middle one: Shadow Dragon Au
Well first off, this is a reverse robins AU! Bruce gets baby- around 3 or 4- Damian due to said baby taking after him draconically. The Al Ghuls are more serpentine dragons, more eastern-style mixed with sea serpent. And it's just not healthy for Damian to live there in the desert, so he's brought to his father instead.
There's of course adjustments, and then in the middle of all this? Finds the neighbor's toddler digging through the trash with another blonde toddler. Apparently someone left a cursed item or three be easily accessible and yeah, there's two more hatchlings in Gotham.
Now Damian? Relationship with his siblings is quite different because older sibling? Bad. Younger siblings? Why that's a small creature that looks up to him, that sees him as a role model. And dragons? They hoard.
So is it really that big of a surprise when more hatchlings follow?
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One of the biggest book crimes is Harry naming his son "Albus Severus". I feel like the Marauders were done so dirty and it makes no sense to me. I hope you right this wrong in Lionheart!
I've never seen any fandom come together so unanimously to reject a writing decision with the same vehemence that they have Albus Severus (save, like, the ending of Game of Thrones). Everyone looked at it and went "weird, no thank you." Beautiful moment of unity for the fandom.
It might be realistic for the first generation after a major war, but naming all the kids after their grandparents seemed cliché to me. Rose and Hugo and Scorpius were much better, and seemed more like real names that you might pick out because you liked them. Harry doing that to honor his parents specifically because they never got to have normal and long lives is a nice gesture, but it's then weird to use the name "Albus," who lived a very long and successful life, tragic as it was. (I've sometimes tossed around the idea that Harry gives Albus II that name because he wants one of his kids to have a proper "wizarding" name, i.e. something that ties them unimpeachably to the wizarding world, rather than the muggle names given to James II and Lily II — almost an effort to cement his family as being Magic.)
But I was never going to be the right audience for the Potterlets, anyway. I'm not a fan of timeskip epilogues — they work when it's a short jump, but years (or decades) stretches it too far. Either the characters feel like strangers, or they feel the same, which is almost weirder. Which is why I've been on EWE copium since I read the books.
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