#not that i have a full series in mind i could make into a manga rn

[eirian]

ramble post

i really do struggle with the intense desire to make comics and tell stories but the severe lack of energy and motivation to make them :( thats why mirrors as a comic got cut short and why facets didnt even get a comic release

when i was little i wanted to make my own manga. i wonder if it would be cool still to go for that now..?

my art style has changed a lot since i was little (it used to be full anime) and while i can still draw in a similar style idk if it would feel genuine to use it for a comic series. then again why wouldnt it be genuine, if im enjoying it? hmm

idk. im just watching a bunch of manga/comic videos on youtube and getting inspired but im afraid itll fade as usual. sad

i just love telling stories with characters !!! ;-; and i love drawing...i really love making comics and seeing the comics come to life and seeing people's reactions to the pages. i think part of why im hesitant besides the lack of energy is the idea that i would probably be making something to print and sell, which isnt the GOAL mind you, itd just be something id be able to do to help support myself. but i dont want that idea to become the main reason i make a comic. i want to do it for the love of telling a story

another thing when i was little that i wanted to do was be a comic artist but that was like..a smaller desire i think. i think i just wanted to be an artist in general. honestly im not sure where im at rn, i think i still just want to be a general artist who does commissions for a living? but if i could make a living with my comics hmmmmm id enjoy not having to take commissions lol. but man thats asking a lot in this business..i know comic artists dont rly make a lot and its rly hard to get published and stuff. so. idk what i'll do

[yumeka-sxf]

Thoughts on Spy x Family CODE: White

My thoughts on CODE: White will likely be different from most people since I knew pretty much the entire plot beforehand. I'm a spoiler fiend when it comes to my hyperfixations like SxF, so I read the novelization of the movie back in January and kept up on all the promotional videos and images that were released. But when it was finally time to see the movie for myself, did that ruin my enjoyment? Not at all. For me, it actually made me enjoy it more because 1) I knew what to expect so I wasn't disappointed, and 2) I found myself looking forward to seeing all the scenes I only read about or saw short clips of.

With that said, yes, I enjoyed the movie so much! If you're a Spy x Family fan, or even just a casual enjoyer of the series, it's a ton of fun. It has all the elements we love about the series: clever humor, sweet family moments, and spy action/drama. And because it's a movie, we get to see all of this with a movie animation budget instead of a TV series budget, which is another plus!

One thing to keep in mind with these original, stand-alone anime films based on series is that they're meant for a more general crowd than just fans of the series. Since theaters attract a wider audience than late-night TV and online manga chapters, movies like this serve as a means to introduce the series to people who may only have a vague idea of what it's about. That's why these movies contain a storyline that can fit mostly anywhere in the series chronology and don't have anything canon-altering.

CODE: White is an interesting mix of plots that, for the most part, blend together well. There's the main plot that continues throughout, which is saving Operation Strix by having Anya learn how to make the meremere for the cooking contest, but then there's the Yor jealousy plot B which is resolved in the first half, but is then replaced by the next "plot B" in the latter half of the movie, which is saving Anya from the military.

A lot of people didn't like the "Yor gets jealous" subplot when it was first revealed before the movie even came out, since it seemed to be a rehash of her being jealous about Fiona. I personally didn't have a problem with this since I don't think it's unreasonable for her to get jealous a second time, especially when she thinks she sees Loid doing something extreme like kissing another woman (as opposed to just talking). But the way it was resolved could have been a bit better in my opinion. The ferris wheel scene in the movie very much mirrored the bar scene from the series, but the reason the latter is so effective is because we get to hear Loid's inner thoughts during it; we know he's going full Twilight-mode and isn't being sincere, and that's why Yor kicks him. But then at the park, he talks to her much more genuinely and they work things out. But in the ferris wheel scene, we don't get to hear his inner thoughts so we don't get any indication as to whether his repeating of the marriage vows, etc, is him being sincere or not. Then she smacks him, they insist they aren't fighting when Anya brings it up, and that's the end of it.

I do like the fact that Anya reads their minds and seems happy with what she "hears" in their heads, but I still think the subplot would have felt more complete if it ended after Yor realized her mistake rather than have Loid do the ambiguous Romeo act again. Or it could have been brought up one more time later in the movie, for example, Yor apologizes for hitting him, he talks to her more sincerely, etc. If you're gonna rehash the bar scene, at least rehash the scene that brought it closure, which is the park bench scene. Again, I'm totally fine with the jealously subplot overall, just thought it could have been wrapped up a bit better.

Other than that, there were just a few little issues I had, like how was Anya able to afford what was probably an expensive liquor? (was she really packing that much dough in her little bag? She went straight from the bedroom out the window so it's not like she "borrowed" any money from Loid). Also seemed weird that she didn't pick up on Yor's infidelity worries until last minute. A few things stretched the line of believability a bit far too, like Loid's ability to make perfect masks so quickly, and Anya just happening to hit her head on the button that conveniently opened all the windows on the bridge. Also something here and there that didn't align with the manga, like Yor not having any reaction to sharing a room with Loid, whereas she has a totally different reaction to this in chapter 94. Maybe a bit more resolution for the fates of the villains too. I guess Luca and Dmitri survived the crash, but what about Snidel? Did Loid actually kill him or just knock him out? And if it's the latter, Snidel seems like the type who would want to get revenge. A quick cameo of what happened to them in the end would have been nice.

Speaking of the villains, normally I wouldn't like the fact that they're pretty one-dimensional and not that interesting, but for a movie like this where most people just want to see the Forgers being themselves in fun and exciting scenarios, taking time away from that to make more developed villains who likely won't be seen again in the franchise, would have not been the best choice, lol.

But even though I had some criticisms of the movie, all of them are minor and not enough to overshadow everything else that was enjoyable about it. Besides all the humor, of which there was plenty, there were so many cute "awww" family moments that perhaps didn't lend anything to the plot, but were still important to establish the characters and their relationships, and thus make us care about what happens to them. Like the scene of Anya, Yor, and Bond playing at the hotel...it could have been skipped without anything seeming out of place, but it reveals so much about the characters without being blatant about it: how Yor wants to please Anya despite being a bit embarrassed at first to take part in her game, and then how Anya's eyes light up with happiness when Yor starts playing with her...for a series like SxF that's character-driven rather than plot-driven, scenes like this are so important and I'm glad the film creators realized this too!

There were also so many cute, subtle scenes as well, like when Loid and Yor smile at each other after chiding Anya, as if they're happy to share this moment of exhausting yet satisfying parenting; when Anya reads Loid's mind after he saves her but doesn't reveal what he's actually thinking yet we can imagine what it is based on her expression; Loid showing feelings of comradery with the restaurant owner because their pasts are so similar; Anya quietly and sadly hugging Bond in the bedroom; and in the ferris wheel after Yor feels so embarrassed about misunderstanding what happened with Loid and the woman but then can't help but smile with motherly love when she sees Anya waving at her...the movie is filled with moments like this that are like little love letters to fans who know the true heart of SxF isn't so much the action and spy drama as it is the family relationships.

And of course, as I mentioned before, the animation of the movie is fantastic! Not just the action scenes, which are great by the way, especially Yor's fight with Type F, but the character expressions as well. Anya's always had the most varied and hilarious faces of all the characters, but the movie goes even harder with her expressions, especially when she has to hold in her stool! Her faces were making me both cringe and laugh at the same time! The animators did such a good job making me feel sorry for her but also laugh at her.

I'm not a fan of potty humor, but I was confident SxF would make it funny, and I was right! The poop god sequence in particular was as equally cringe as it was hilarious!

To conclude, CODE: White is a must-see for anyone who likes or loves Spy x Family. I can't say it's a cinematic masterpiece or anything, but for what it's supposed to be - a fun and enjoyable film for those who like the series, it definitely delivers! Can't wait to see it at least two more times during its showing in the US...and more times in the future!

[kurokens]

In The Middle | Satosugu

anime/manga: jujutsu kaisen

character: gojo satoru & geto suguru

words: 798

pronouns: they/them

request: none

notes: probably an overused prompt but idc sue me, i needed to write one of my own. im a sucker for misunderstanding. i haven't written anything in such a long time, it's been a while im sorry, satosugu have been on my mind for a while, and i needed to write something with them because i love them so fucking much. it's gonna be a series, so hopefully i dont disappear after one part lol... later on it might be specific on some insecurities bc i need it and i thought well let's just share it with the world and other who might need it. sorry for any mistakes T-T

not proof read

song rec: SHE'S - In The Middle

genre: hurt comfort, fluff, slowburn, a little bit angsty, poly?

warnings: bad english not my first language, satosugu are in a loving relationship, misunderstanding, pinning, a lot of pinning on satosugu's end, reader is so oblivious (is that the right one?), insecure and self conscious reader

You've always told yourself you weren't the type to live with anyone, you liked your quiet and your peace. Alone in your little bubble, without a soul to disturb it. And yet, here you were awoken by your roomates lover quarrel in the room next door, for the hundredth time this week.

"Don't you love me anymore? Am I not enough for you?" a whiny voice whisper-screamed "Satoru, my love, it was a dream, it was all in your head." an exhausted voice replied

"So what?? It doesn't mean anything? Are my feelings not valid?" Gojo huffed.

"How are you so dramatic so early in the morning? Let's go back to sleep come here.", Geto carefully lifted the blanket so his boyfriend could go back exactly where he belonged, asleep and quiet in his arms.

Such occurences weren't new to you, you could even say there were your daily life, that's why you laughed hearing the bickering couple, and turned around in your bed to try and fall back asleep while their muffled voices could still be heard in the background. This was without counting on what part of their conversation your brain decided to pick up on next. "I dont know for how much longer I can do this Sugu.." Satoru sighed. "Me neither love, but there is nothing much we can do about it.They live with us." His black haired lover replied. "I know, ugh I know, but it's getting so much harder everyday. Seeing them is becoming unbearable. I can't stand it anymore, we need to do something." He went on. "Shh, I know, I feel the same. But we can't just drop this on them all of the sudden and expect it to go well." The oldest reasoned.

Your heart shattered on the other side of the wall, now sitting against the headboard, an unstoppable flow of tears falling down your face. You were a bother? You thought the three of you were friends, shit, scratch that, best friends. And yet, yet, this was how they felt about you. Fuck fuck FUCK You needed to calm down, it's okay, you're okay. It must have been a nightmare, yeah that's right, a nightmare. Your brain loved playing tricks on you, waking you up in the middle of the night with the most vivid and realistic nightmares ever, enough to send you into full blown meltdown. Nothing to worry about, it was just a nightmare, nothing else. That's what you told yourself and yet when you woke up you couldnt shake this weird feeling in your stomach. You contemplated staying in your bed all day and avoid your roomates but that would be silly to ignore them for something that was potentially just a dream. So you shook the silly feelings away and got out of your bed, made your way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Your two roommates were already there, being lovey dovey in each others lap and the weird feeling made its way back into your stomach. "Hi there." You greeted tiredly, only to be met with an echo of short hms, and not even a nod to accompany the cold greeting. The lack of acknowledgment not helping with your already overthinking mind, you decided to take a quick breakfast and just leave them be. It could just be a coincidence, nothing to worry about haha, right? Or so you thought, because you were back in your room mindlessly scrolling through tik tok when you once again hear the muffled voices of your roommates. Your brain screamed at you to put your headphones on and drown out their conversation, but you couldn't get yourself to do it, and you decided to listen to them, to at least finally be able to know whether or not you dreamed what happened last night. And maybe you shouldn't have, but what else could you do now but listen to the cruel words of the ones you once considered your best friends. "Suguru, we need to do it soon. I can't even handle looking at them in the eyes anymore, let alone utter a word to them. We can't keep going like this." Satoru complained. "I know 'Toru, I know, but you need to understand it's not as easy as you think it is." You heard the black haired man answer. And it was enough for you, you needed to get out of there. You obviously were no longer welcomed here, and the sooner you left, the better it would be, for both parties. So inbetween tears you picked up a bag and threw some spare clothes and anything that you could think of in your frenzy state before you ran out of there, determined to never come back, at least not for a while.

here u gooo!! sorry i've been away for a while, i've been finding it hard to write and staying focused, but i missed it so much, especially for these two. i'll try not to take too long to write AT LEAST a second part, but would love to do more than this bc i want it to be extremely slown burn and a little bit angsty krkrkr

part 2 is here!!

[autumn-foxfire]

Like, I get why the shippers are upset at the news. But it is not lazy writing; most of his stories have been built over time and stretched. Just because an uncanon ship is incest does not imply he is lazy. There are other situations in the manga that imply that they have been related for years, and Gosho even stated in 2013 that there is more to unveil between these two.

Like just keep shipping them, many people sleep with their cousins.

Do you think I'm mad because of my ship? Yeah it sucks but I'll still ship them as cousins because they were never going to be canon anyway!

No, I'm mad because it was bad writing. He ruined a relationship that was fun for me, not Shinichi and Kaito but rather Toichi and Kaito a Yuusuke and Toichi. I'll get into Toichi and Yuusaku first but he's had YEARS to imply a familial relationship, it could have been implied in canon when Shinichi encountered Toichi as a child! It could have been included in past movies if he wanted to go the movie route! The first Kaito KID focused movie was based on FAMILY. It could have set up properly a long time ago! But it wasn't and I'm tried of people pretending it was. Him saying he'll explain it is NOT him setting this plot point up.

So you're telling me for no good reason (and no Toichi fighting a criminal organization is not a good excuse considering he didn't mind having a son meanwhile) Toichi and Yuusaku did not introduce their families? That Toichi, who is supposed to be important to Yuusaku, is never even mentioned?! That they didn't think it would be a good idea for Kaito to have support from someone his own age and family while he was grieving his father?! Do you really want him to be such a selfish man because I don't.

And a more personal note, I enjoy the plot of two rivals of matching intellectual prowess actually facing against one another but he's taken all that away with this reveal. He's ruined Toichi and Yuusaku's relationship for me.

And this isn't me even getting into the implications of what it means for Kaito. He idolised his father! He risks his life to bring him justice! And his father is alive and letting him! What. The. Fuck. I always knew Gosho wanted him to be alive but I had hoped that he would recognize the bad decision it would be. I'm afraid not.

And do you want to know why I think its lazy? THE SERIES IS FULL OF LOOKALIKES. Okita for example is right there! Is he a cousin too? Are Ran and Aoko cousins now? They look alike! It's even commented in the manga! Shinichi and Ran look alike.

Gosho has never been very creative with his character designs, it's a fact acknowledged by fandom, so that's why we know this him making Shinichi and Kaito cousins is a cheap excuse to disguise that.

You won't change my mind about his writing being terrible, Anon, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[thechekhov]

Since you've covered a pretty big bit of the manga so far, can I ask what are your opinions on it? Deeper than just the quick reactions you've shared with us so far.

What are your opinions about the manga's characters? Its pacing? The mystery element? The magic system? What areas do you think it succeeds, and what areas do you think could be better?

I understand if you're reversing judgment until you finish, but you've also read quite a bit of the story so far. Idk, I'm just curious!

Especially seeing as you're a writer yourself, so I imagine you have a different perspective on how the story functions as, well, a story!

Oh, hmmm... that's an interesting question.

As of right now I'm on chapter 35-36 so I'm about a third through the story. The first major arc (find dragon, yoink falin out of its body, etc) has kinda happened, and we're hitting some larger world arcs.

As you mentioned, I DO want to withold judgement but for now... But I will say what I think thus far, with full awareness that my mind might be changed later depending on circumstances.

Comment 1: The manga is finished! Actually, just knowing that makes me feel like it's a more cohesive storyline.

Maybe I'm boring, but I'm not a huge fan of neverending storylines in general. Naruto, Bleach, etc. They have their place in the forever-young-monster-of-the-week genre, and I know why so many manga just keep... on... publishing....... but I feel like there's a lot of merit to being able to just wrap up a story and say 'there, that's how it ends'.

Comment 2: Laios is very well developed, even at this point of the story. Senshi remains a mystery. Marcille... speedran her arc?

I think this is the closest thing I have to a criticism. While I think Laios' character is well-paced in its revelations throughout the series (the slow ramp-up from 'oh this guy is weird' to 'oh, this guy is a freak club card carrying member' to 'oh, this guy is the freak club president' was great!) Marcille is.... a little more of a mystery to me.

Now, perhaps my memory is bad. But I did find her turnaround at the end of the Red Dragon arc a bit... out of the blue?

Don't get me wrong. I think it's entirely believable. But I wish there had been more hints - or rather, more visible progress of her studies of ancient magic. I know it's been mentioned, and there WAS that chapter of her and Falin during their school years... but watching episode 2 of the show on netflix when she goes 'I feel useless, my magic doesn't help anyone :(' and then reading the manga and seeing her straight up go from 0 to 100 as she decides "we're gonna rearrange falin's bones and then I'mma raise her using this ancient technique I've been studying all along that I didn't tell you about because it was sus" is... a little bit of a turn?

Maybe it's on purpose! Maybe, when I read further about her personal journey, the pieces will fall into place more neatly. But compared to the rest of the characters, which seem relatively steady in their reveals (Laios, Chillchuck, Senshi) Marcille took a bit of a turn.

Which, again, isn't bad! It just seems contrasted to the rest of the team.

Comment 3: The magic system is more like a magic ecology.

Actually, in the beginning, I found the magic system Marcille used very vague. It was just a 'do what needs to be done' type of power with very few apparent limits or power balances aside from 'sometimes you run out of mana'. But I think at this point, I'm beginning to assume that the details of the magic are closer to the functions of an ecosystem or an organism, and therefore WHAT the magic does is kind of moot point. Marcille is just a little bacteria inside of the great intestine labyrinth of the dungeon, and she is using its energy to survive, like a sort of microfauna.

Comment 4: Man, the worldbuilding is cool. It's so cool.

I don't think I've seen another story that goes so deeply into dungeon ecosystems before this one. Not only are the people who live there fleshed out in terms of individual cultures and traditions and norms, there are also monsters that serve as a natural fauna that inhabits the halls of what OUGHT to be a mindless 'turn left and fall into a trap' setting!

There's sticking monsters into your world, and then there's 'digging out a trench 1 meter deep, pre-soaking the soil, inserting monster's roots lovingly into the spot, and then covering it with fertilizer and spritzing the leaves'. I don't doubt that there ARE other works that go into this level of detail, but the dedication and the ideas Kui-san has for this very much makes the dungeon a living part of this entire tale. :)

I'll probably have more to say later but for now.. that's about it!

[goingbuggy]

Good morrow my shuggy liege!

I was pondering if I should or shouldn’t ask but I hope it will not be too much bother to answer

It’s about one of your metas about the love and sacrifice Beautifully written I must say but reading through it again made me wondering how does buggy fall into the sacrifice themes of one piece?

It pains me to admit that once I’ve read 1082 I had many different feelings and one of them thought of buggy sacrifice as quite selfish in a way? Don’t get me wrong I’m sure came from him believing in shanks and the love he had for the boy! It just it felt in a way like he was burdening shanks with his own dreams

I’m happy he finally got the courage to follow his own path It’s beautiful and inspiring I just wonder if my interpretation is coming from anxiety or is actually true? Thank you and I’m sorry to sending this on anon

Hello, anon! Thank you for your kind words about my metas. Before I answer your question about where Buggy might fit into the wider themes of One Piece -- like sacrifice -- I think I should address your interpretation of 1082's events and compare them with mine.

I can understand why someone might conclude that Buggy's faith in Shanks is a burden of sorts, and ultimately selfish; after all, Shanks never asked for the weight of Buggy's expectations, and you could argue that Buggy's plan was to live out his dreams vicariously through Shanks. However, I think that there are some key points which entirely re-frame the situation.

Buggy didn't actually tell Shanks about what he did.

This isn't explicitly confirmed by the manga, but based on 1082's events and Shanks/Buggy's relationship timeline going forward, I can definitely make a strong case for their miscommunication in this regard.

Although we have Buggy's narration in 1082 to guide us through his flashback and enlighten us with his true feelings about Shanks, remember -- it's an internal monologue. The only thing Shanks knows is what Buggy tells him, and what Buggy tells him is not the full story. Look at this series of panels to see what I mean.

We have a very important contrast here -- Buggy's thoughts ("You're not the next generation's king?! I misjudged you, Shanks!" / "Don't you care about following in Captain Roger's footsteps?!"), versus what he actually says. ("You coward!" / "It's your fault I lost that treasure map!")

In classic Buggy fashion, we see him deflect from the truth; instead of explaining how much he believed in Shanks' potential, he brings up a petty grudge and insults Shanks out of disappointment, hurt, and anger/frustration. Nowhere do we see Buggy explicitly tell Shanks what/why he gave up. And this miscommunication is not only the heart of Buggy's sacrifice, but the exact reason why they split in the first place: Shanks did not tell Buggy what made him change his mind about going to Laughtale, and Buggy did not tell Shanks about his decision/dream.

I think this is key to understanding the way they navigate their interactions later down the line, in Marineford. Remember: Shanks believes that they split due to the whole map ordeal, which is not only a relatively lighthearted grudge to hold, but also very confusing from Shanks' perspective.

I love the curt answer he gives here, because it really reflects Shanks' limited understanding of what actually transpired between them that fateful day at Loguetown. Thus, it's also understandable why Shanks acts the way he does at Marineford. I highly doubt Shanks would be so casual if he knew Buggy's real reasons for parting ways. Hell, their split was so important to Shanks that he still remembers Buggy's gripe about the map 20+ years later -- and even uses the promise of one to draw Buggy back into rehashing things between them. (The anime expands on Shanks' confusion/limited understanding even more, but because we're dealing with the manga only, I'm not going to reference those added scenes.)

This interaction can seem quite confusing, but place it in the wider context I've just proposed, and it makes a lot more sense. Something fundamental has permanently shifted between them, but Shanks does not understand the gravity -- nor the real reason -- behind that change. And yet again, Buggy perpetuates this cycle of miscommunication by not telling him.

So, now that I've argued why I believe Buggy didn't tell Shanks about his true dream/decision to give up on said dream, why is it so important?

Well, this leads to my second point.

2. Buggy is a character primarily motivated by greed.

This statement does not need to be argued; it's as explicit as can be, because it has been well-established by Oda. In fact, it's very likely to be what people remember best about Buggy's character, in the midst of the massive narrative that One Piece has become. (I will touch upon this later, because this is exactly why I view Buggy's sacrifice as so impactful to the reader.)

Now, my last point:

3. Buggy is terrible at hiding his true intentions.

Buggy usually makes it quite obvious what he's hiding through blatant lies which hint to the truth, or even a direct slip of the tongue, like in Impel Down. This is partially for the sake of comedy/divulging necessary information to readers, but it's also a genuine aspect of his character which reinforces the comedy. Buggy's intentions are comically apparent to readers, so it's ridiculous to see his followers fall for his schemes.

These three points, in tandem, are exactly what makes 1082's reveal so impactful. Oda uproots everything we thought we knew about Buggy's character in order to give us the missing puzzle piece -- the reason why he is the way he is. This exact decision.

Buggy is a character motivated by greed, but he gave up on his dream, a pillar of freedom and existence in the One Piece world. He is self-absorbed, and yet he de-centered himself from the narrative. And for who, of all people? Shanks, the very man he claimed to despise in his first introduction. Are you starting to see the groundwork Oda's laying down here?

Buggy is notoriously bad at hiding the truth when he lies, and yet readers are blindsided by this reveal, over a thousand chapters after his first appearance. He kept it a secret, not just from Shanks, but from us. 1082 subverted our expectations and further developed Buggy's character in the process. It's a great display of what I love most about Oda's writing.

Before 1082, it would be difficult to claim where Buggy lies in One Piece's themes of sacrifice or dreams. But post-1082, it's a lot clearer. Oda has shown us that Shanks is just as important to Buggy as Buggy is to Shanks, and he's done it in the most effective way for a greedy character: by showing us that even Buggy is capable of sacrifice, when it's for someone he cares about. And what did he give up? His dream -- one of the most important things people have in One Piece.

Sure, it's possible to dismiss Buggy's decision as selfish, but remember: he didn't tell Shanks. He didn't expect anything in return. In a way, he has actually spared Shanks from feeling burdened; Shanks doesn't know the truth, and so he has no opportunity to feel guilt or responsibility for Buggy's decision. For a character like Shanks, who is defined by responsibility, this is also massively significant. Buggy's choice is not Shanks' fault, and by deflecting to trivial matters like the map, Buggy has -- intentionally or not -- lifted a possible weight from Shanks' shoulders. Shanks still feels the loss of their relationship, but instead of potential guilt, there is confusion and miscommunication.

So, no, I don't view Buggy's sacrifice as selfish. He did what he did because he truly believed in Shanks. He was willing to let Shanks become king and live out his dream, all without burdening Shanks with the truth. It's the antithesis of everything we've known about Buggy up until this point -- a decision without his greed, egomania, and overt schemes at the forefront. And if that's not a selfless act from Buggy, then I don't know what is.

[yomigaere]

Regarding Touga's age in flashbacks

Touga appears as a child in two significant flashbacks in the series: in episode 9 where he and Saionji find Utena hiding in a coffin after she just lost her parents, and in episode 10 where Nanami gives him a kitten for his birthday, with all that that ended up tragically entailing. (It may be worth noting at this early point that neither of these flashbacks are from Touga's own point of view; ep 9's is Saionji's memory of the event, and ep 10's is of course Nanami's memories.)

The assumption I've seen throughout the entire fandom is that Touga is younger in Nanami's flashback, in which he has short hair, and a bit older in the coffin flashback, in which he has long hair. It's a perfectly reasonable and logical assumption, and one that I wouldn't question either -- if not for two things.

The first of those two things is head writer Enokido's notes on Touga; to sum them up very briefly for those who don't already know, they say his unpleasant backstory as depicted in the movie was also intended to have been his series self's backstory, with some additional details included to account for Nanami and Saionji. A specific point from both these notes and the movie itself is that Touga was ordered by his original parents to grow his hair out, as that was what Mr Kiryuu wanted. If we take Enokido's comments on Touga's backstory as applicable to the series canon -- as I personally do, as it heavily informs my entire reading of Touga as a character -- then they need to be reconciled with what's depicted in the series itself in one way or another.

The second thing is simply that I noticed some curiosities in the series character design sheets, which I'll go into past the readmore. Before that, I just want to pose the question I'm exploring here in the first place:

Could Touga have actually been younger in the coffin flashback than in Nanami's flashback?

Please note that this is more of a thought experiment than anything; I'm not trying to push this as The Actual Canon Truth, even if this does inform my personal headcanons regarding Touga's (and Nanami's and Saionji's) history. I just want to put forward some bits of evidence with my own thoughts and speculation on them. Without further ado...

First up, here's one of the design sheets for Touga and Nanami as kids from ep 10's flashback:

It says that Touga was 12 and Nanami was still 7 (keeping in mind that her birthday is a couple of months after his). I personally think they both look a bit younger than those stated ages, but I digress.

It could possibly be said that whoever added the notes on these design sheets might be pulling the characters' childhood ages out of thin air, but evidence that Touga is intended to be 12 here did make it into the episode itself:

Twelve candles on a cake for a kid's 12th birthday would make a lot of sense.

Meanwhile, here's the full-body design sheet for Touga and Saionji as kids from ep 9's flashback:

This one doesn't give any ages for the boys; I'm mainly posting it here for the sake of comparison. Your mileage may vary on which version of child Touga looks older or younger, and I'm a little back-and-forth on the matter myself; that said, it does strike me how dainty he looks in the design sheet for the coffin flashback, though I wonder if it might just be because of his clothes.

What had me questioning Touga's (and Saionji's) age in the coffin flashback in the first place is that, in the manga, it's stated that Utena was 6 years old when her parents died. That would've made the boys about 9 at the time, as they're three years older than her. Having said that, though, the manga and anime are different continuities with different takes on a lot of things, so just because the manga says one thing doesn't mean it definitely applies to the anime version as well. So how old was child Utena in the anime, then?

As with the boys, the design sheet for Utena's appearance in the coffin flashback doesn't specify an age for her, either. This would ostensibly make their ages at the time ambiguous -- but I'm not giving up here. There's another character who was a similarly-aged child at the time.

Anthy appears as a child in flashbacks in episode 34, one of which takes place very shortly after ep 9's coffin flashback. According to the design sheet, she was 7 years old at the time, and she's noted to be the same height as child Utena. Therefore, I find it reasonable to conclude that Utena was also about 7 years old when she lost her parents, which would've made Touga and Saionji around 10 at the time.

That's the evidence I'm putting forward to support the possibility of Touga being younger in the coffin flashback than in Nanami's flashbacks, with the admitted underlying assumption that the design sheets can be used as reliable sources for characters' ages as children. I think it would address discrepencies in his hair length with regards to his backstory as given by Enokido, but there's still a couple of other things that ought to get a closer look in that case.

All of Nanami's childhood photos of herself and Touga that we see in episode 31 show him with short hair. What's with that?

My speculation on this is that Touga deliberately curated the photo album so that it would only show him with short hair as a kid, in order to hide the reality of his and Nanami's situation as "adopted" kids sold to a paedophile from her. It probably helps that in all these photos, he and Nanami look roughly the same as they did in her flashback in ep 10, suggesting that they could all be from around that time. I've also considered the possibility that there could be some Mamiya-esque shenanigans surrounding the photos (in that they're showing a falsehood, like the photo of the fake Mamiya that turns into one showing his real self during Mikage's duel), but that feels like too much of a stretch to me.

It's also possible that Nanami might be misremembering Touga's hair length in her flashbacks in the first place; the Kaoru twins offer precedent for this, as their "Sunlit Garden" flashbacks in episode 5 show Kozue with a completely different hairstyle depending on whether it's Miki or her remembering that time. Personally, though, I find it more likely that Touga really did have short hair at the time, especially if we assume from everything I gave further up in this post that he'd just turned 12. Apologies for the horrible following thought, but I wonder if, by the time Touga had reached that age, he was getting a bit too old for Mr Kiryuu's sick tastes...

Putting that nastiness aside, there's one more flashback involving Touga I want to talk about, and it's one I wouldn't even have thought to include if I hadn't rewatched the episode it appears in recently: Tsuwabuki's flashback from episode 6! (Always leave it to the comedy episodes to surprise you!)

Tsuwabuki is presumably in preschool here based on his clothes, Nanami is in the girls' elementary school uniform, and Touga is in the standard boys' uniform as worn by middleschoolers and highschoolers. For all this to line up, I think their most likely ages here are 5-6 for Tsuwabuki, 8-9 for Nanami (putting her in third grade) and 12-13 for Touga (putting him in seventh grade, or his first year of middle school as per the Japanese school system).

Yet Touga has long hair here! If he had short hair when he'd just turned 12, how could it have grown out so much in only a year or so? (To say nothing of the growth spurt he seems to have had in that time...) I could chalk things up to Tsuwabuki idealising him as a big strong older brother in his memory -- middle school Touga apparently fought off a great big rampaging bull, after all -- which would explain why he looks basically the same here as he does as a highschooler. That said, Touga doesn't necessarily need to have had long hair in order for Tsuwabuki to idealise him the way he does; I doubt his hair length matters too much either way for that, so I don't see any reason for Tsuwabuki to misremember his hair in particular. This could lend some credence to the idea that Nanami misremembers Touga's hair length in her own flashback, but I question that for the reasons I already gave further up.

(As an aside: it might just be a matter of the lighting in that specific shot, but had Touga already dyed his trademark lighter streak in his hair in Tsuwabuki's flashback? He noticably doesn't have his highlight in either of the flashbacks with him as a child, which the design sheets for both of them make a specific point of noting. I might talk about the possible significance of his highlight in a different post.)

I think that's about it for my rambling and speculation on this, at least for now. What do you think? Is any of this plausible? Not plausible? Is it at least an interesting thought experiment to read about either way, or is it just a load of codswallop? Are there any blind spots I might've missed that I ought to address? Any other questions or comments? I'm curious to know.

[xjulixred45x]

Continuing with the series of Platonic Yandere Kenjaku, the user @thecuriousquest give me the idea for this Drabble(thank You again sweetie!)

And kind of the Manga itself

What would happen to (Child Reader) when/if Kenjaku get them Back?

Spoiler, NOTHING GOOD

First of all, when will this happen? probably in the Culling Game arc, when Choso and Yuki have to take care of Tengen so that Kenjaku doesn't go after him.

(Child Reader) in order not to be kidnapped again they would have to stay with Itadori and Megumi (and in this case the twins), but let's say that is not the case, they decide that it would be better for them to stay with Tengen, Yuki and Choso (since They know the latter very well and are confident that Yuki could against Kenjaku).

but it's not like that.

Kenjaku manages to defeat--kill Yuki and Choso is too wasted by the fight to do anything as he absorbs Tengen and takes (Child Reader).

The child cries, kicks, screams for someone to help them, to save them, they curse Kenjaku with everything they have, but far from seeming upset, he seems amused. They still have spirit, he loves it.

He wonders, will they still have that spirit when he's done with them? He'll find out soon!

Now, although Kenjaku's first punishment was "physical" he goes more with the Psychological side when it comes to (Child Reader), more because now he has a lot of ammunition to shoot. (Child Reader) is completely alone, and he makes them get that into their heads, that no one will come for them now that he has Tengen by his side, that they have abandoned them.

all this while giving him a hug so tight that it nearly suffocates them. Yes, it sounds weird, but he really miss them, maybe that's why he don't want to apply physical punishment in the first place.

but if (Child Reader) keeps pressing the wrong buttons, I can see him doing something like putting them into his inventory (yep, the same inventory full of monsters and first-grade curses that could perfectly leave them limbless), he'd be waiting a couple of minutes (maybe 15) and then would pull them out like they were a rabbit from a magic trick (the poor thing would be ten times worse than the first time he used curses against them, with blood, bruises and tears in their face) and ask them if they are ready to behave.

but (child Reader) pouts and just....shuts up. They don't make a noise. Oh? the law of ice? It's okay, Kenjaku can make them talk in other ways.

He proceeds to put them in the inventory a couple more times, alternating the time from a few minutes to longer, each time the child is worse, but they continue doing nothing to talk to him. Kenjaku is very surprised by the child's durability and stubbornness, even amused, but a part of him is worried about accidentally killing (child Reader), so after a while, when the child is barely conscious, he asks them what they want in exchange for talking.

and surprisingly (Child Reader) responds.

they want Kenjakj to be completely honest with them. nothing else. and he wants it to be a deal (that is, one that he is obliged to comply with).

Kenjaku is surprised that the boy is so smart, but accepts. He also takes advantage of several opportunities to not tell him certain information (they never said that he couldn't stay silent instead of answering).

This ends up being a double-edged sword for (child reader).

because on the one hand Kenjaku doesn't lie to them about what he's doing or what's on his mind, which helps them be prepared. but it also scares them away on several occasions.

What I mean by this? that Kenjaku can either say very Wholesome things when Child Reader asks him or very, very shady, creepy things.

For example, once Kenjaku said that he couldn't wait to introduce (Child Reader) into his future plans, when the child asked him what he meant, he gave him a very...creepy answer.

"...it's different depending on the day...sometimes I imagine what you'll look like when you grow up, yes, into a big, strong adult......and other times I just think about how I'll turn you into a Cursed object! That way you would stay cute, small and with me forever! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

This, along with the horrible inventory experience, only makes the child fear him even more.

He will use the indirect threat of the Inventory every time (Child Reader) is doing something even remotely suspicious. but it's not even the worst, The worst thing is that when Kenjaku decides that the Culling Games have to end with everyone dying, he brings (Child Reader) with him. EVEN WHEN HE KILLS THE PARTICIPANTS.

He says that this way he is preventing (Child Reader) from escaping again, but he also wants to scare them even more from him so that they understand that there is no WAY for them to escape. the BASTARD is so sinic that he even says that it could be considered father and child time while the poor child cries because oh my god he blew that woman's head off--

If the child wants to look away, he might give them his cell phone, although - well, it's not much better (those who saw chapter 239 know what I mean).

BUT THEN A RAY OF HOPE APPEARS--something like that--TAKABA.

To be honest, after several days/weeks of being with Kenjaku and with all the recent trauma, (Child Reader) does not want to see another participant die, he begs Takaba to leave quickly, to run! because Kenjaku is going to kill him! The kid is already crying thinking about everything that SINGLE DAY has had to do with him.

Then Kenjaku launches an attack, one that hits him STRAIGHT, and the kid falls apart as Kenjaku carries them around like a soccer ball, telling them that if they stop crying they can have some candy--

AND THEN TAKABA COMES OUT UNHARM!! and insulting Kenjaku saying that he could have killed him and that he will put him in jail 🤣

THIS

THIS IS BEAUTIFULL

Takaba would be also scold him for make cry the poor (child Reader) "YOU EVEN MAKE THE CHILD CRY! HOW DARE YOU, YOU'RE SO MEAN!"

(child Reader) is as shocked as Kenjaku, but for the first time in a long time they feel like they have a slim chance, if Takaba can give them enough time, maybe, just maybe they can escape and find help.

maybe even use the beam up their sleeve they've been saving.

but Kenjaku will not lose easily and they know it, it will remain to be seen who plays their cards better...

Any ask or suggestion for this Series is welcome!

[unpopularwriter25]

Hi hi hiiii!! I have ANOTHER FLUFFY REQUEST! this time is Tanjiro x Reincarnated! Reader!

Ok so Reader is reincarnated as one of the Kocho sibling, same age as Tanjiro. However Reader has a soft heart and wouldn't pick up a sword for her life. So she's ended up working as a doctor/nurse in the butterfly estate.

And since she's reincarnated, she definitely knows EVERYTHING about demon slayer (one of her favorite manga in past life), so she tries her best to heal and find away to boost the Slater's immune/power up through MEDECINE 💊.

I'll leave it to you the way Reader & Tanjiro meets up, but the concept that I want is: Reader falls first for Tanjiro, but Tanjiro falls harder for her. Either due to her kind-heart or her uniqueness due her past life.

Thank youuu 💌💌 <333

AHHH~ I LOVE THIS IDEA!!

Okay..so..I had a lot of ideas that came in while I was typing so..Its a lot. Sorry in advance lol. Tanjiro doesn't get enough love. Anyway! I hope this is what you wanted! Enjoy!

A Healer's Heart: Rebirth in the Butterfly Estate (A Tanjiro Kamado Love Story)

Summary: Y/N, reincarnated into the world of Demon Slayer after an accident, serves as a healer at the Butterfly Estate, where she meets Tanjiro Kamado after he sustains injuries. As she tends to him, her admiration for his resilience and compassion grows into love. Tanjiro, deeply moved by Y/N's care and understanding, realizes he has fallen for her as well. Their bond strengthens amidst the chaos of demon-slaying missions, their love a beacon of hope in a world plagued by darkness.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2,631

Y/N's past life had been one of quiet normalcy. She was an avid manga reader, and her favorite series was "Demon Slayer." The story of Tanjiro and his relentless quest to save his sister Nezuko captured her heart, filling her with both admiration and a deep sense of empathy for the characters. She often daydreamed about what it would be like to be part of that world, to help the characters she had come to love.

One fateful evening, after a long day at work, Y/N found herself walking home under a sky heavy with rain clouds. She pulled her coat tighter around herself, trying to shield against the chill. As she crossed the street, her thoughts were lost in the latest chapter of "Demon Slayer" she had read, replaying the scenes in her mind.

She didn't see the speeding car until it was too late.

The impact was sudden and brutal. She felt a moment of blinding pain, then darkness engulfed her. Her last thoughts were of Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the others, wishing she could have somehow been a part of their world, to make a difference.

When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer on the cold, wet pavement. Instead, she found herself in a serene, beautiful place bathed in soft, warm light. She was in the Butterfly Estate, surrounded by the soothing scents of flowers and the gentle hum of butterflies.

It took time for her to understand what had happened. She had been reincarnated into the world of "Demon Slayer," a world she knew so well from her past life. As one of the Kocho siblings, she was given a new chance at life, a chance to make a difference in the lives of the Demon Slayers.

Despite the initial shock and confusion, Y/N embraced her new life. She found herself under the care of Shinobu and Kanao, who quickly became her beloved sisters. From a young age, she showed a natural talent for healing, a talent that only grew as she dedicated herself to the medical arts. Her unique knowledge from her past life about the world and the struggles of the Demon Slayers gave her an edge, allowing her to develop new medicines and treatments that could enhance their strength and resilience.

Y/N chose not to share the full truth of her past life with anyone, not even her sisters. It was a secret she kept close to her heart, a silent motivator that drove her to work tirelessly in her role as a healer. She knew the challenges the Demon Slayers would face, and she wanted to be there to support them in any way she could.

Her new life was filled with purpose. Though she couldn't wield a sword, she found her own way to fight against the demons. Through her knowledge, compassion, and dedication, she became a beacon of hope for those who came to the Butterfly Estate seeking healing and solace.

The day Tanjiro Kamado arrived at the Butterfly Estate was a day Y/N would never forget. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs as she moved through the halls, her arms laden with supplies. The dim evening light cast long shadows across the wooden floors, and the sound of her footsteps echoed softly in the tranquil space. She was in the middle of preparing a new batch of healing salve, carefully measuring out herbs and mixing them with a practiced hand, when she heard the commotion outside.

Voices, urgent and filled with concern, disrupted the usual calm of the estate. Curious, she put down her work and stepped out into the courtyard. The late afternoon sun bathed the gardens in a warm, golden glow, casting a serene ambiance over the scene. Butterflies flitted lazily among the flowers, oblivious to the urgency unfolding below.

A group of Demon Slayers, their faces grim and clothes stained with blood and dirt, were carrying a young boy on a stretcher. His face was etched with pain, his clothes torn and bloodied. But despite his injuries, his eyes burned with a fierce determination that struck Y/N deeply. She recognized him instantly from her past life’s memories—Tanjiro Kamado, the young demon slayer with a heart as pure as his resolve.

Her heart ached at the sight of him. "Bring him to the infirmary," she instructed, her voice calm and steady despite the worry gnawing at her insides. She turned on her heel, leading the way with a purposeful stride. As they carried Tanjiro inside, Y/N followed closely, her mind already planning the treatments he would need.

The infirmary was a spacious room, filled with rows of neatly made beds and shelves lined with jars of herbs and potions. Sunlight streamed in through the large windows, casting a soft glow over the clean, white linens. The air was cool and smelled faintly of lavender and antiseptic.

"Lay him here," Y/N directed, indicating an empty bed near the window. The slayers gently placed Tanjiro down, and Y/N immediately set to work. Her hands moved with practiced precision, assessing his wounds and noting the severity of his injuries.

"He's in good hands now," one of the Demon Slayers said, his voice filled with relief. "Thank you, Y/N."

Y/N nodded, her focus entirely on Tanjiro. "I'll take care of him," she promised, her voice soft but firm. She turned to a small table nearby, gathering the necessary supplies. Bandages, healing salves, and a bowl of clean water were quickly arranged within reach.

As she gently cleaned the dirt and blood from Tanjiro's wounds, she spoke to him in a soothing tone. "You're safe now, Tanjiro. Just relax, and let me take care of you."

Tanjiro's eyes fluttered open, his gaze meeting hers. There was a moment of silence as they regarded each other. Y/N felt a warmth spread through her chest, a connection that went beyond the surface. She had always admired Tanjiro's character in the manga, but seeing him here, in the flesh, made her admiration deepen into something more.

"Thank you," Tanjiro whispered, his voice weak but filled with gratitude. "I... I need to get back to Nezuko."

Y/N placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, her touch reassuring. "Don't worry about that right now. Rest and heal. Nezuko is safe, and you need to focus on getting better."

Tanjiro nodded slightly, his eyes closing again as exhaustion overtook him. Y/N continued to work, applying the healing salve to his wounds with careful precision. As she did, she couldn't help but marvel at his resilience. Even in his weakened state, there was a strength in him that was unmistakable.

Over the next few days Y/N tended to Tanjiros Injuries. She used her knowledge of different medicines to make him special tonics to boost his immune system and make his injuries heal faster. During the time he was in the infirmary with him, Tanjiro spoke of his family, his love for his sister Nezuko, and his unwavering determination to turn her back into a human. Y/N listened intently, her heart breaking for the hardships he had endured. In turn, she shared bits of her own story, careful not to reveal her reincarnated nature but offering enough to create a bond of trust between them.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, Tanjiro turned to Y/N. "You know so much about medicine," he said, his voice filled with admiration. "It's incredible how you've dedicated yourself to helping others."

Y/N felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "I just want to do my part," she replied. "I may not be able to fight like you, but I can help in other ways.

Initially, Y/N's feelings were rooted in admiration for Tanjiro's strength of character and determination. She admired his unwavering resolve to protect his sister and his comrades. Each day she spent with him, witnessing his struggles and his courage, deepened her respect for him.

As they talked during Tanjiro's recovery, they shared moments of vulnerability and honesty. Tanjiro opened up about his fears and hopes, creating a bond of trust between them. Y/N found herself sharing her own thoughts and feelings more freely than she ever had with anyone else.

Y/N's heart went out to Tanjiro as she learned more about his past and his quest. She felt a deep empathy for his struggles, wanting nothing more than to ease his burdens and support him however she could. Her compassion for him extended beyond mere admiration, evolving into a profound emotional connection.

There were moments in their interactions that stirred something deeper within Y/N. Perhaps it was the gentle way Tanjiro would thank her, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude. Or the way he would smile faintly when she entered the room, a gesture that made her heart skip a beat. These small, tender moments began to weave themselves into her thoughts.

The realization that she had fallen in love with Tanjiro came gradually, like the unfolding of petals in a flower. It wasn't until one quiet evening, as she watched him sleep peacefully in his bed, that she acknowledged the depth of her feelings. She traced the contours of his face with her eyes, her heart swelling with a mixture of tenderness and longing.

t was during a moment of quiet reflection that Y/N finally admitted to herself the truth. She realized that her feelings for Tanjiro went beyond admiration or friendship—they were rooted in love. The realization brought with it a sense of clarity and warmth, as if a missing piece of her soul had finally found its place.

Initially, Tanjiro was grateful to Y/N for her skilled medical care and compassionate nature. He admired her selflessness and unwavering commitment to helping others, which mirrored his own values of protecting and supporting those in need.

During their conversations, Y/N opened up about her thoughts and feelings, albeit without revealing her reincarnated past. Tanjiro appreciated her honesty and the trust she placed in him, allowing him to confide in her about his fears, hopes, and the weight of his responsibilities as a Demon Slayer.

Y/N's presence became a source of comfort and reassurance for Tanjiro during his recovery. Her soothing words and gentle encouragement helped him through moments of physical pain and emotional turmoil, fostering a deep sense of trust and reliance on her.

Beyond her medical expertise, Tanjiro witnessed Y/N's unwavering support in other ways. She was always there to listen, to offer words of encouragement, and to provide a steady hand when he needed it most. Her belief in him, even when he doubted himself, strengthened his resolve.

Although Tanjiro couldn't fully comprehend the depth of Y/N's knowledge about their world from her past life, he sensed a unique understanding in her. Her insights into the challenges faced by Demon Slayers and her innovative approach to medicine impressed him deeply, showcasing her intelligence and resourcefulness.

As Tanjiro spent more time with Y/N, he began to notice the small gestures and subtle ways she cared for him. Whether it was adjusting his bandages with gentle precision or simply sitting by his bedside in quiet companionship, her actions spoke volumes about her feelings for him.

There were moments when Tanjiro caught Y/N looking at him with a softness in her eyes, a warmth that touched his heart. Her concern for his well-being, even beyond his physical wounds, made him feel valued and cherished in a way he had never experienced before.

Much like Y/N, Tanjiro's realization of his feelings came gradually, like the slow unfurling of a flower. He found himself thinking about her during quiet moments, wondering how she was and longing to see her smile. The thought of Y/N filled him with a sense of happiness and contentment that he couldn't quite explain.

It was during one poignant conversation, as they discussed their dreams for the future and the challenges they faced, that Tanjiro felt a shift within himself. He realized that Y/N had become not just a healer or a friend, but someone he deeply cared for—a person whose presence brightened his darkest moments and gave him hope.

"Y/N," he said, stepping into the room. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Y/N felt her heart skip a beat. "You don't need to repay me," she replied. "Seeing you get better is all the thanks I need."

Tanjiro took a step closer, his eyes locked onto hers. "But it's more than that," he said, his voice earnest. "You've been a constant source of support and comfort. Your kindness and dedication... it means more to me than words can express."

Y/N felt a warmth spread through her chest, her heart swelling with emotion. "Tanjiro," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I..."

Before she could finish, Tanjiro reached out and took her hand in his. "Y/N, I need to tell you something," he said, his eyes shining with sincerity. "I... I've realized that I care about you deeply. Your presence, your kindness, it gives me strength. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Y/N felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Tanjiro," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I feel the same way. Your determination, your kindness... it inspires me every day. I want to be there for you, always."

When Y/N finally confessed her feelings to him, Tanjiro's heart swelled with overwhelming emotion. Her courage in sharing her vulnerability touched him deeply, and he realized with a clarity that stunned him how much she meant to him. He couldn't deny the depth of his own feelings anymore.

Tanjiro's grip on her hand tightened, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and joy. "Y/N," he said softly, "I promise I'll protect you and everyone here at the Butterfly Estate. I may be a Demon Slayer, but I'll always make sure to come back to you."

From that moment on, Tanjiro found himself falling harder for Y/N with each passing day. He admired her strength, her kindness, and her unwavering dedication to her beliefs. He wanted to be the person she could rely on, just as she had been for him.

They worked together tirelessly, combining their strengths to support the Demon Slayers in their fight against the demons. Y/N's medical expertise became invaluable, her remedies and treatments boosting the Slayers' strength and resilience.

Tanjiro, in turn, fought with renewed vigor, his love for Y/N giving him an added strength and determination. He knew that no matter how tough the battles got, he had someone to come back to, someone who cared for him deeply and believed in him wholeheartedly.

Their love became a beacon of hope for everyone at the Butterfly Estate. The other Demon Slayers admired their dedication to each other, drawing strength from their example. Even Shinobu, with her often stern demeanor, couldn't help but smile at the sight of her sister and Tanjiro together.

One evening, as the sun set over the Butterfly Estate, casting a golden glow over the gardens, Tanjiro took Y/N's hand in his. "Y/N," he said softly, "I don't know what the future holds, but I know that as long as we're together, we can face anything."

Y/N smiled, her heart swelling with love. "Yes," she agreed. "Together, we can do anything."

As they stood there, hand in hand, they knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. Their love was a beacon of hope in a world filled with darkness, a light that would guide them through even the toughest battles.

And with that, they turned and walked back into the Butterfly Estate, ready to face whatever the future held, together.

[spyxfamilyanalysis]

Do you think donovan has something to do w project apple? The one that makes Anya can read minds, and if he does do you think he experimented w his children? Or Demetrius is born that weird

Well, I think there might be misunderstanding about the name of the Project. Project Apple is experimented on animals like Bond Forger, to make them useful with special abilities, for Bond's case is predicting the near future. But of course, there are still some limitations: the future can be altered, it is not fixed, as can be seen in Spy x Family episode 13-16, when Anya reading Bond's future predictions and changed it before Twilight was in danger.

And if you are asking what project Anya is experimented, is actually "nameless". Throughout the series and manga, the name of the project is currently unknown, and I, myself, am not sure if the Tatsuya-san will reveal it... Yet somehow, the Internet "said?" that there are the same name? That confused me???

Anyway, this hypothesis about Anya and Donovan has gone wild ever since, so let me explain.

We haven't known much about Demetrius, the only time he appeared was when Damian called him to meet their Father, which can be found in this scene (Chapter 37)

To know more about chapter 37 -> link (it's not that I'm lazy, this post already analyze full so idk what to add...)

About the scars, here are my predictions:

Maybe he really is related to the Project, since the mark of the stiches are pretty close to Anya's. And some are suspected that the ornaments on Anya's head could be a way to hide her scars from the experiments, or I think they are literally just accessories for her hair, like when she was small.

About the scientists, some said that after Anya escaped, the only "laboratory rat" managed to survive, they may be working on animals, like Bond, after that, as "hope" for science to save "world peace". And Donovan could be either an experiment like Anya, testing some sort of weird stuff on himself, or someone like the scientists who just got injured from, like idk, being attacked by his "laboratory animals". And I think that the chances of him being injured from war is very low, because he is the one to start war between Ostania and Westalis.

Are there any chances of Demetrius inherit the intelligence from Donovan? I think no. It's definitely not from the crazy ideas of his own father thinking of war, Ostania and Westalis are currently in the period of the Cold war, where there are no need for weapons, yet politicians are in a tense period, with the risk of war breaking out. True that his intelligence might be genetically inherited, but I can assure that both Damian and Demetrius may know nothing about what he was planning. So, uh, yeah, Demetrius is just that weird, and he is an introvert. You can tell how short his lines are when he was on the phone.

Off-and-bonus topic: I am very suspicious about their mother, Melinda. She first appeared officially in chapter 65, and the bus hijack incident of the Red Circus Arc. When Damian spoke about Donovan, her expression changed completely, as if she hated him deeply and want him gone from her sight. This could mean that she might know about what he was hiding, and probably she has an obsession to Damian, her sweet son~(?)

Look, she is so sus for hell sure. >:( But I'm not sure whether or not she is evil? Even Loid is aware of her now...

Also, take a very close look at the dialogue after the hijack (Chap 75):

She truly loves Damian, yet what we didn't realize that, his brother, Demetrius was not even mentioned in her interior monologue(?)/ mind. We also know that she calls Damian as a curse...: "I never should have come here... If only he'd died in the hijacking...", "If only I weren't burdened with this child...", "How he disgusts me...". At first when this chapter was out, I read this part and thought "he" that she mentioned was Donovan, and now, re-reading this, she was mentioning Damian. And I have no idea if she cares Demetrius more than Damian, or is it the opposite?

And finally, I bet she is hiding something from Damian... I mean, when Anya was mind-reading her, she was a bit scared. A scary obsession to Damian terrifyingly... maybe something about Donovan and the war between the 2 nations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message from the author (me): This is a very interesting topic! After I received your question, it took me several days to give you my answer which I think is most suitable and accurate, I do hope it is the answer you are looking for. Truly sorry for the long-time response, I was working with my final exams, so I can't answer you immediately.

Anyway, thank you for waiting and taking your time reading!🥰🥰🥰

[xiefuyu]

A fool

-- Sano Manjiro x sister reader

🖤 — Tokyo Revengers

📝 — angst, hurt/no comfort, mcd, not proofread, manga spoilers

:a/n — it's been a while, i know, but here have some angst hehe. college is keeping me busy, i apologize for not updating the bonten series grr

Mikey thinks the world is playing with him as he stood in front of yet another funeral of one of his loved ones.

First Shinichiro, then Baji, and now Emma and Izana?

What did he do in his past life to attend too many funerals in such a short lifespan? He thinks it’s such a cruel world for his burning desire to achieve happiness and success alongside his family. He’s tired, lost, confused, and yet, he still felt your hand squeezing his.

Right. You're still there. Another sister, three months younger than Emma. You were still there like a last petal holding onto a single centre of a flower that is him. Will he lose you, too?

And God, if there is still a God out there, he’s starting to see a pattern.

Or maybe a fact.

Everyone around him ended up dying in a certain future according to Takemichi. He ended up killing everyone because of the darkness in him, engulfing them in misery in another future. He’s afraid that he’ll drag you with him.

So slowly, he detaches his hand from you but you didn’t even let him get away an inch or two. He looks at you and sees your tired eyes looking back at him. He wants to think that he’s seeing his own eyes as he does so but he’s mistaken because there’s still some light in your eyes while looking at him.

Why? Why are you looking at him as if he’s the light and not the darkness that caused all of these anger, grief, and losses?

Why are you smiling tiredly at him with those eyes turning a little into crescent moons as you squeeze his hand once more?

“Mikey-nii.” you call out, sounding like a fresh and soft breeze of wind. “Yeah?” he hums.

There, he sees it. Sees the way your lips are wobbling, sees the way your eyes are holding back the tears, and feels the way you're trembling in his hand. He sees and feels it all and it’s suffocating him because why are you trying to keep a strong facade around him?

You also lost people as much as him. You lost Shinichiro, your eldest brother who became your father figure with how he’s not even hiding the fact that you’re his favourite. 

You lost Baji, a rowdy boy with his loudmouth who was like another brother to you, letting you style his hair as much as you want even though you’re pulling out some strands sometimes. 

You lost Emma, God, you lost your older sister who you looked up to, confided in, cried with, and shared almost everything with. 

You lost Izana, another older brother who you met when you were younger, someone you always looked forward to seeing on the weekends, someone you wanted to take home with you and just shower him with affection everyday like you do to your other siblings.

You lost them all and yet here you are, smiling at your Mikey-nii.

“Manjiro-nii.” you called out again and he hums in return once more. “Please…” you whispered, lost in the wind but it reached Mikey’s ear. “What?” he pries. The first roll of teardrops drops on both of your hands that are intertwined. 

“Y/N-”

“Please don’t leave me, too.” you sobbed out, gripping his hand tightly. “You-you’re all I have now, Mikey-nii, so please…please don’t leave me, I’m scared.” you pleaded and Mikey wondered. He wondered if you somehow read his mind earlier when he decided to slowly let go of your hand. Wondered if you could hear how lost his heart was.

You further sobbed when he didn’t answer. Just empty eyes looking away. They were so empty yet full. 

Longing, anger, grief, sadness, and all other things that were overwhelming.

Were you not enough of a sibling to make him stay? Was…was something wrong with you that you’re currently failing to make him at least a bit happy?

Should you have died instead of Emma?

Granted, you came to their household a tad bit later than Emma and it took Manjiro a while to warm up to you but you like to think that he loved you all the same. 

You feel the same panic as earlier when you feel him pull away because he’s doing it again. He’s slowly detaching himself from you and this time, you were also late to grab him back. “Mikey-n–”

“Y/N.” he cuts you off. The both of you stare at each other before he pats your head, standing up.

Leaving.

“Take care of gramps.”

Ah…there is indeed something wrong with you, isn’t there? Just like how you came into their household, just like how you failed to grab his hand back, this time, you were late once more in keeping him besides you, watching his back disappearing from your sight.

It was the best way to do it, Mikey thinks.

Everyone is in danger around him because he’s the cause of the harm. He was right to abandon you, to leave you alone because he knows Draken will take care of you. The founding members of Toman will take care of you.

What a fool. That was his job, wasn’t it?

He stood in his office, Kokonoi with him. He frowns, the thing called heart in his chest aching all of a sudden. “Boss, is something wrong?” Kokonoi asked. 

“It’s raining.” he mumbles. You have been afraid of thunder ever since you were a kid. Are you curling into yourself right now because of fear? Is someone with you to tell you that everything will be okay? To tell you that you are safe?

“I have a bad feeling,” he says, turning around to get his KMG coat. There’s something wrong. There’s a hand scratching at the back of his brain as if calling for help. There’s something in his darkness that’s wavering, letting in some bit of light.

There’s the phantom feeling of your hand squeezing his as he walks down the hallway.

Then there’s your voice; pleading to him not to leave you alone because you’re scared, because he’s all you have. Without a second thought, he hops on his motorcycle and drives off, letting his instinct take over to take him somewhere. Somewhere where you are.

“There’s this future where you…you ended up killing everyone, Mikey-kun.” Takemichi informs him, sobbing.

Mikey frowns because it was such a random memory passing through his mind. Why would he even remember that? Didn’t he already distance himself for everyone’s safety? Didn’t he already push everyone, even you, his little sister, away just so you could become happy?

So why?

Why was Draken’s fist connecting with his face at the moment and he’s letting him? 

“Why, Mikey?! WHY DID YOU LEFT HER?! You are all she had! Even though we told her we’re here, she only wanted you! Her brother!” Every word was ringing in his ear, every punch felt like a brick in his gut.

Why?

It was such a simple question, wasn’t it?

“Because it was for the best.” he thinks. It was supposed to be for the best. So why is he watching your body getting taken away in an ambulance? Why is he watching Takemichi apologising over and over again as he holds Draken back from beating him up more?

“She…” Draken starts, voice cracking. “She only wanted to stay beside her brother, Mikey, why couldn’t you give your sister that?” 

In a drowning state, he hears Sanzu informing him of what happened. Sanzu. Right, Haruchiyo, who’s holding his tears back because you were his little sister, too. You were also all sunshine and flowers for him. The path of carnage wasn’t supposed, wasn't meant, to be opened by your cold and dead body, he thinks. It was all wrong.

Wrong at how they targeted you. You, who’s Mikey’s sole light. You, who’s the last bit of your brother’s sanity.

Three gun wounds. That’s all Mikey heard amongst the clashing of Sanzu’s words.

Take care of Mikey-nii and yourself, okay? Tell him…tell him that it’s okay. That was you and your last words to Takemichi as you took your last breath with a small smile.

It’s okay.

What was? He wants to ask. What was okay? Nothing was okay. He wants to say.

“Everyone was killed…by you.” He didn’t think everyone included you. As a matter of fact, you weren’t included. Why?

What a fool. Him pushing you away was what triggered that future.

It was supposed to be for the best. You were safe from him. You had Toman to take care of you.

What a fool. That was his job, wasn’t it?

You were supposed to be happy.

“You-you’re all I have now, Mikey-nii, so please…please don’t leave me, I’m scared.” 

What a fool. You were also all he had left so why didn’t he stay?

A/N; we love angst don't we

@bontensbabygirl

[erithel]

Hello...Do you mind if I ask your top 5 (or top 10) favorite moments from any media that you love (books, anime/manga, tv series, movies, games, etc)? Thanks if you want to answer. Sorry if I ask too much....

That's such a fun question!

And definitely one that's difficult to answer... But let me see what I can come up with.

*These are not in order of favorite, just in the order I thought of them.*

1- Agni Kai ("Avatar the Last Airbender") This one is just a literal masterpiece. The visuals, the action, the music, the lack of dialogue, the show of character in their fighting... Literally mesmerizing.

2- Eri smiling ("My Hero Academia") She is the sweetest little girl and watching her smile as the darkness washes away from her after everything she was put through...it makes me cry.

3- Nadiya winning "The Great British Baking Show" I love Nadiya, and it was such an emotional moment to see her talk about how she would never doubt herself again, you could see how hard she was on herself and how much she didn't believe she could do something like this - and it was just so encouraging to see all her hard work pay off.

4- Kars for Kids ("The Good Place") We had to pause the episode to let me finish laughing because this caught me so off guard. Especially because it feels like an inside joke, almost. Like either you don't know what they're talking about with that song, or you are like YES THAT IS THE THEME SONG OF HELL.

5- I Want it That Way ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") It's just brilliant. It's so funny, and no matter how many times I watch it, it always makes me laugh.

6- Rooftop scene between Daredevil and Punisher ("Daredevil") This scene always stood out to me because it didn't resolve with either character caving into the other's beliefs. I was so used to scenes always having a resolution, so this one was captivating because it was some of the best and most realistic dialogue I remember watching at the time.

7- Poison ("Hazbin Hotel") All I will say is that this was so hard to watch, and that was the point. Whoever worked on this did such an amazing job in conveying the situation from a place of understanding and not just for shock value.

8- Bad Wolf Rose ("Doctor Who") This moment always stuck with me because it showed what humans were capable of. And the fact that all her lines were spoken in a very soft, gentle tone made it all the more powerful.

9- Dracarys ("Game of Thrones") This moment I liked because it was just sheer comeuppance and satisfaction. I also was working retail at the time, and this had such "I AM the manager" vibes lol.

10- Riza Hawkeye shooting ("Full Metal Alchemist") She's such a good character, and she was usually so stoic and in control of any situation - until she thought the man she (at least in my mind) loved was dead, and she just absolutely lost it.

There are some shows/movies where I liked too many moments that it's safer to say I just like the thing as a whole, and no one moment stuck out too much. And I left books off the list so I could add a gif/video to this post.

I know that the minute I post this, I will think of many more moments, but I'm trying not to overthink this or I'll be here forever lol

I generally like moments of big emotion. Or at least moments that make me feel things - good or bad.

Thanks for this question! It was fun to think about. :)

[innerchorus]

Someone on Reddit mentioned how they think Kharlan's head could be in one of the jars, and when I say I haven't stopped thinking about it since... because imagine if Zandeh sees that. Imagine if we get an undead Kharlan. If it prompts some Hilmes guilt I'm all for it but I really don't want my sweet puppy boy to see that!

Anyway, let's talk head jars. If you remember back when I first had the horrible realisation that the two jars whose contents we can see into contained the heads of Shapur and Vahriz, you may remember that my working theory was that the six jars contain the heads of the Marzbans and Eran who died or went missing during/shortly after the Battle of Atropatene. But Kharlan's head could certainly have been gathered by Team Zahhak at a later date (the sorcerer labelled as Ghundi was watching from a tree when Kharlan died).

It also crossed my mind recently that maybe not all the jars are full yet. Perhaps they'll take Andragoras's soon. Maybe that's why a mage is appearing in front of Isfan and Kubard right now.

My hope is that I can get a firmer grasp on Team Zahhak's magical abilities before the series ends. As we get closer and closer to the conclusion, it seems like we'll be seeing more of them as they get more directly involved with the plot. I will extrapolate whatever I can from the manga because the novels really didn't go into it much. I'm currently wondering whether they need the dead body of a person in order to take their form. Previously, I wondered whether they can mimic someone who is alive and just need to touch them to acquire their form (we see Ghundi, the one who impersonates Husrab, locating Husrab as Ecbatana falls, but it's worth noting that he also knows of Husrab's fate... did he collect Husrab's head at that time?).

I'm not convinced that what we're seeing with Shapur is a simple impersonation rather than something more sinister (undead/came-back-wrong Shapur puppeted by sorcery) but who knows. Maybe this is the beginning of the tranformation and Arakawa's drawn it like this to make clear that it's the result of sorcery. The upcoming chapter should make that clear.

[zombie-bait]

Omg i just realized I have something tiny to add to the whole James Somerton debacle. I'm currently watching the hbombguy vid (as you do when procrastinating assignments) and I remembered something that stood out to me in James' old videos.

So I used to be a fan of his stuff. I am also a fan of Hannibal and IWTV. He made a video covering both so naturally I was very hyped. It was called 'The Gay Appeal of Toxic Love.' The vid itself was fine (I don't remember having any super strong opinions of it besides being excited to hear ppl mention Interview cuz I had recently become obsessed) but one thing did stand out to me. In the IWTV section he mentions Nicki and, naturally, his death:

"After becoming a vampire, Nicky becomes nearly catatonic, and eventually slips away from Lestat entirely. And after centuries of dealing with depression and severe mental illness, Nicky kills himself."

(sourced from this transcript: https://github.com/TerraJRiley/James_Somerton_Transcripts/blob/main/Transcripts/The%20Gay%20Appeal%20of%20Toxic%20Love.txt)

To anyone who's read TVL, I don't think I need to explain that Nicki had not, in fact, been around for centuries. "Nicki had lived to be 30" has been rattling around in my head since I first read it.

And like, obviously I don't expect every youtube essayist to read several long-ish novels to have a full grasp of the series' deep lore, especially when the focus was largely on IWTV and Loustat rather than the entire Vampire Chronicles. Still, it makes you wonder a bit about the quality of the research being done here. You can find the proper info in like, 5 seconds by just going on the fan wiki so I'm not sure what his sources were. And that's the issue at hand, isn't it?

At the time I felt a tiny bit smug recognizing the error but in light of everything that's been revealed, it's kind of telling. I'm not saying this part was plagiarized (I haven't found anything but others on reddit have found issues with different sections of the same video) but rereading the transcript it comes off as someone who clearly doesn't know much about Interview.... It feels like he's reading through a loose summary of plot points rather than analyzing a piece of media that actually means anything to him. It's very much Interview for people who don't know Interview which, one could argue is fair. Especially beyond book one, VC is a niche series and a lot of elements that are important to certain characters or plot lines cannot be summarized quickly for an audience unfamiliar with it. A good writer, who's done a lot of research about the specific topic they have chosen to make a video on, would be able to balance this. There is a LOT to analyze about queerness in VC and its a shame to see one of the more popular queer media channels half-assing it just to churn out videos heavily made up of other people's work. In retrospect he had several videos like that, where he would discuss things like manga/manhua communities while clearly having little knowledge on the nuance of those subjects. He was an outsider who presented himself with a strange amount of authority.

This was content created with the sole intention of propping up queer stories and history, yet it's built off stolen work from queer authors and doesn't actually care that much about exploring the communities it features. Vids like the IWTV one weren't really fact checked because it's only people like me who would might give a shit or even notice anything is off in the first place. There's a bit of a similar vibe in some of his other vids where he undermines the experiences of queer women because he clearly has not taken the time to learn about the nuances of representing queer women in media. These are things that irritated me when I first started to notice them but I put those concerns in the back of my mind because I cared about the topics he was covering and was excited to see these discussions becoming more mainstream.

The revelations of this evening have been disappointing to say the least.

(also for the record I know he made other more recent vids about IWTV but I haven't seen those and even if his account was still up I don't think I would lol

BUT

I did look at the transcript for his 'Vampires and the Gays Who Love Them' video (found from the same link I included above) and this quote about the IWTV AMC show is sending me: "Daniel has never grappled with the complexities of being gay"

Shoutout to straight, uncomplicated icon Daniel Molloy. Devil's Minion was a mass hallucination, spread the word)

[randomlonelymusician]

Queer manga I'd like to see adapted

So there's definitely a lack of queer anime out there, so I wanted to talk about three that I think would make good anime. (Note: I realized all these are mainly centered around mlm relationships, so... take that as you will!)

Blue Flag

Blue Flag is one of my favorite romance manga that hasn't been adapted into an anime, and I think it seriously deserves one. It's honestly a love triangle, but one of the only series I've seen that actually does a triangle instead of an angle and does it well. It follows Taichi, a high school third year who is growing apart from his childhood best friend, Touma. Things sort of change when Futaba approaches Taichi due to her crush on Touma. The two become closer, and unbeknownst to them, Touma is gay and in love with Taichi. And as a bonus, Futaba's (female) best friend Masumi is in love with her, too!

Blue Flag is ultimately about navigating those confusing feelings of love in that weird transition between childhood and adulthood. While it's not a complicated premise, it's a beautiful, full tale of romance and friendship that would make an incredible anime if adapted fully. This is one I truly hope will get an adaptation someday.

Go For It, Nakamura!

I know this is kind of a weird one to think would fare well as an anime, but with the success of Komi Can't Communicate and anime with similar structure, I think this one would do well! Go For It, Nakamura! follows Nakamura, a shy high school boy who is completely in love with his classmate, Hirose. It's an episodic comedy with many elements that parody BL, all while celebrating other elements of it.

Nakamura is such a lighthearted read, and if it were a bit longer (another volume, maybe?) it would make a great episodic comedy anime. I honestly think it may even open up the BL genre to people who would've never considered it before. (Such as my brother. He would like this one!)

I Hear the Sunspot

Okay, I know this one got a live-action movie adaptation, but when I read it I just kept thinking of how pretty it could be animated. It follows Taichi (I know), a cheerful college student, and Kohei, who struggles with hearing loss. Taichi is able to break through Kohei's shell, and the two of them start this more than friends less than lovers relationship.

Besides the fact that it's a great manga and it's always nice to have more disability representation in anime, I think it would just look so pretty as an anime. I kept imagining a softer color palate with lighter animation, similar to something like Sweet Blue Flowers. I just think it would be so pretty.

Bonus: They should adapt Harukaze no Etranger (continuation of Umibe no Etranger), especially since the best character doesn't get introduced in what was in the movie, and I want to see him.

So that's all I had on the top of my head. Please give any titles that come to mind that would make great anime! (I will use these as recommendations...)

[yggdraseed]

An Incomplete Analysis of the Sukunadome

I stress the point that this is an inherently incomplete analysis. It's getting late, I'm tired and unhappy, and… well, the fight isn't over yet, so there's no way this analysis could be complete even if I felt like it. However, it's on my mind, and I feel the need to start exerting myself more on these things. Sometimes sweat is the better medicine. I know this is a long one and doesn’t have any pictures, but if we all support each other, we’ll get through it together.

Full disclosure, I wish more people had gotten filtered by this fight and just stopped talking about Jujutsu Kaisen by now. Like yeah, I think it's great different people see things in different ways, but let's all be honest with ourselves here, most of the people criticizing this fight are not doing so with any sort of literary or artistic perspective or good faith. Most of it is Gojo fans who are still crying, seething, vomiting, pissing, and shitting over the fact that the character they attached their ego to didn't win Jujutsu Kaisen like they wanted. If this describes you, well, this post will probably do you some good, but I'm confident nobody who takes the stance that Gojo should have won would have the space in their mind for what I'm about to say about Sukunadome.

Because that's what I'm calling it. "The Sukuna Cycle" was maybe a little funny for a week or two, but like most memes about this series, it wasn't really based on the story so much as it was on an agenda. Kusakabe was part of the fight since Yuji and Higuruma entered, and up until Miguel, we knew all the combatants who would be tagging in were there. We knew Yuta was off dealing with Kenjaku and would return, we knew Maki was in play, and there really weren't a lot of switches. Just Choso leaving and coming back, Ui Ui retrieving Higuruma's and Gojo's corpses, and… you know, actually, I think that's it. Sure isn't as much as the "Sukuna Cycle" memes made it out to be, huh?

Okay, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm a big JJK fan and a big JJK fandom hater. I think JJK has the worst Western internet fanbase I've seen in a long time, with only a few oases scattered across the internet where you can find intelligent life. Like it's insane what kind of bullshit a person can convince themselves of.

However, I'm not analyzing JJK's fanbase, I'm analyzing JJK. Someday we'll litigate whether or not Lobotomy Kaisen was really funny enough to justify how badly it ruined this fanbase's ability to objectively, productively engage with with one of the most competently written and culturally impactful manga to come out this century. Today is not that day.

So Sukuna's got four arms and knows how to use them. He's got four eyes and so much sass one mouth wasn't enough for the amount of trash he's got to talk to the youths of today. Just on a basic level, having four arms would be such an insignificant power in any other Shonen as to almost be a joke. Yet with how jujutsu sorcery functions as a power system and how adept Sukuna is at using every possible advantage at his disposal - even going so far as to take what probably should be disadvantages and twist them to work for him - having the ability to make hand seals while fighting hand-to-hand, and being able to chant without interrupting his breathing, are inseparable from Sukuna's godlike fighting ability. I love how something seemingly so mundane is such a huge x factor for Sukuna.

We continually see how Sukuna is a complex, but fundamentally vile antagonist. He has a very rich, detailed view of the world, but one that fundamentally reduces every other human being to be his playthings and food. It's just that Sukuna says, "Don't like it? Then get stronger." It's a very Social Darwinist, late stage capitalist view to be coming from the Heian Era, and I think that maybe it's intentional. Shitty people are shitty in mostly the same ways, it's just they find new things to be shitty about or to use to be shitty with.

Like if that were all it is, it'd make Sukuna so effective as a villain to hate and would slot so nicely into Jujutsu Kaisen's overarching social and political commentary. Cruelty within suffering, selfishness as a strength and a weakness, the unfairness of how the strength to pursue one's agency is unevenly distributed and how the haves don’t realize how easily they could have instead been have-nots, it's all there.

But there’s this inherent charisma to Sukuna that I think is intentional. He has this noblesse oblige where he’s so inherently aware of his greatness that he doesn’t have a problem with giving credit where credit is due. Like he talks all the trash when he’s fighting Jogo, but where Gojo’s insults come across as puerile and blunt, Sukuna’s always displaying this wit to him. And when the battle’s over, he acknowledges that even though Jogo wasn’t as strong as him, he was stronger than most and could have gone even further if he hadn’t held himself back. He starts off belittling Gojo in their fight, but by the end, he expresses a profound respect and gratitude towards Gojo. Like it’s a very warped form of those sentiments, but I think it’s sincere. Even with Ishigori, when Sukuna fails to cut him the first time, he just acknowledges it was disrespectful to hold back and that he’ll give it full force the next strike.

Something to keep in mind is that everything Megumi warned Yuji about when it comes to ancient sorcerers applies to Sukuna as well. They’re not treated as uniformly, unambiguously evil anymore than anyone else in JJK is, and are acknowledged as having fundamentally different world views about violence and the value of human life. Kashimo, for instance, seems to value his life only because he’s able to risk his life and lay it on the line. They’re people from an era where children died so young that parents often gave them numbered names so as to not get too attached until they’d see if their kids actually were going to make it or not. If you didn’t give your whole life over to a goal, you probably wouldn’t achieve it. Whereas modern sorcerers, modern people, have all these complex and sometimes contradictory views and needs, ancient sorcerers show a tendency to shave everything away except their one singular conviction because that was what you had to do in an era of much shorter life expectancies and peril on all sides. You’d be very lucky to accomplish one life goal, let alone as many as people of today set out to achieve: graduating high school, graduating college, getting a job, starting a family, and hopefully having one or two passions on the side. Fundamentally different worldviews from fundamentally different periods of history.

And Sukuna is no different. His goal is simple: partake in the many colors and flavors of humanity through mortal combat in the arena of sorcery. Sukuna’s love for sorcery runs deep. He’s always curious about different cursed techniques, even ones that are pedestrian to a sorcerer of his level, like Nanako’s smartphone-based technique. He reminds me of a quote from Baki: “Someone who works hard can never beat someone who enjoys himself.” Sukuna has clearly put forth great effort to master sorcery, but clearly doesn’t see it as work. He sees it as just doing what he enjoys and is good at.

Unfortunately for everyone else, he enjoys killing and is extremely good at it. Sukuna is the ultimate ethical heat death of the “live for yourself, cherish your own agency, don’t let yourself be controlled” mindset that is the ideological starting point of JJK. It’s a very dark, extreme interpretation of Buddhist non-attachment, where even compassion is an attachment to ultimately shed. Sukuna lives perfectly freely, including being free from guilt or compassion.

Naturally, there’s an exception. All things seem to have exceptions. In Sukuna’s case, that would be Uraume. I’ve been fascinated by their dynamic since we first learned of Uraume’s allegiance to Sukuna during Shibuya and I still can’t wait to know more. Suffice to say, Sukuna dotes on Uraume, forgiving their mistakes and seeming to enjoy their company not just because of their service to him, but because their existence makes him happy. I’m reminded of Power in Chainsaw Man, how she was seemingly incapable of empathy or mercy until she met Meowy.

Honestly, Sukuna reminds me a lot of a lot of characters in Chainsaw Man. People who are trying to climb from this state of misery, of struggling just to meet basic desires, and learning to be human. Yet Sukuna is so strong he never needed to learn to be human. He never needed to cooperate with others to survive — or at least, doesn’t seem to believe he did — and so he never saw the value in it. And so he’s basically brute forced his way around having to undergo an arc like Denji’s, and has instead ended up a hedonistic black hole devising all these complicated philosophical arguments to justify what is, really, a very simplistic, predatory desire to only satisfy his basic material wants and creative interests and nothing else for anyone else.

But like, it’s not that simple. If you give to others, you get something immaterial in return. I can’t quantity it or define it, but I’m sure most of you know what I mean. The happiness that comes from taking care of others’ needs, and the deeper levels beyond that happiness. Like I do believe that’s the subtext behind Binding Vows as metaphor: that you almost never give without getting in return. You might not get the same thing back, in the same form, but being changed by the act of putting the needs and wants of others before your own even temporarily still is part of the exchange. It’s part of becoming complete as a human being.

Sukuna has defied that exchange and broken the cycle, and I don’t think it’s inherently for his own benefit. There are some thing about being human that you don’t just get to opt out of, no matter how much you claim you’re more than or less than human. Even if Sukuna doesn’t think he’s lost something of value, he has. And that something of value is inherent to the whole point of this final battle.

Jujutsu Kaisen is basically working on two big problems. There are lots of ideas at play in the series, but there are two fundamental problems for which every fiight, every character arc, every turn of the gears consitutes part of the calculus to solve one or both of those problems.

The first problem, a thematic and philosophical one: “How do you love and fight for something when you know you’re going to die?”

The second problem, a metatextual one: “Is there any artistic and social value left in the Shonen formula as it stands in the modern day?”

And this fight is, ultimately, where GeGe is showing their work. It’s where Yuji has to defeat Sukuna, if not in terms of out-boxing him, then in terms of prevailing over his beliefs about humanity and the world as a whole.

GeGe has stripped Yuji of everything that is supposed to determine the worth of a Shonen protagonist’s victory. He’s not fighting alone, he didn’t go off and train all by himself, he trained with a lot of powerful, smart people who helped him. And Yuji is arguably not even the most important participant in the fight. So why should we care if Yuji wins?

The answer is so simple it’s easy to lose track of it. Yuji is risking his life to rescue someone, his friend, from being exploited, and to save the people of Japan from being exploited. Even after everything that’s happened, Yuji plants his fucking feet and takes a stance that no, shithead, there is such a thing as the right thing. Maybe it isn’t obvious all the time, and it sure as hell isn’t always easy to know what it is, but he knows now with certainty what it isn’t: to exploit others or to destroy yourself. We can find our answers somewhere in-between.

Sometimes we can’t resolve our problems with a tidy solution that makes everyone happy and sometimes we have to carve a piece of ourselves out and give to something we won’t be sure to see the fruition of, but that’s just life. It doesn’t mean we have to throw away all hope for things to get better. Even if the world won’t become utopian, it can still become better, no matter how many nihilists hide their own inequities behind assertions that there is no point.

Nihilism is not a solution to the problems of life, it is the choice to run away and hide. To give into nihilism is to give up the fight even while other people are still fighting all around you.

So that’s the fucking point of the Sukunadome. Nobara already said it better than anyone else has before she made Mahito look like the bitch he was and always will be: “Sometimes you need to fight even when you know you can’t win.” Because you won’t always win and you won’t escape death, nor will you know what lies beyond death. However, you can still live according to your principles and fight for the things you see as meaningful even if other people don’t.

That is why so many characters have come and gone from the fight. All gave some, some gave all. Nobody is truly useless — even if Miwa self-deprecatingly jokes about being useless, she still was the one thing standing between Maki and Malevolent Shrine’s eviscerating hellscape. Even Amai’s sweets-conjuring joke technique saved Hana from a would-be fatal fall and helped to supply sugar to the brains of people using reverse cursed technique in Shoko’s triage. Larue couldn’t do much, but they caught Sukuna’s eye at the perfect time for Yuji to land a Black Flash, and that means something. It all means something.

Given how deeply GeGe clearly respects Hunter X Hunter, I want to end off by citing one of the quotes in Hunter X Hunter that has been the most impactful for me and I suspect has been about as impactful on GeGe: “It seems small things… infinitesimally small things… are needed to build the entire universe. The size of a thing has nothing to do with its power.” We always seem to direct our senses to the superlatives. The largest, the oldest, the loudest, the things that hit the hardest. But while it would be wrong to throw those out, we often lose sight of how many little, important things there are in the midst of those huge, important things.

Seeing someone’s smile when you remembered something they said that showed you were listening to them. The feeling of a warm breeze on a summer morning. The smell of honeysuckle on your walk home. Waking up to rain on a Sunday. The taste of watermelon. Getting married. Having your heart broken. Songs that make you smile, songs that make you cry — songs that do both, and songs that make you feel things you can’t describe. When you’re always looking to those immense, monolithic things, always comparing your seemingly small, seemingley meaningless life to them, you lose sight of just how meaningful all of it is.

Just because it doesn’t have cosmic, absolute meaning doesn’t make it meaningless. Every little thing that means something to you is worthy of being cherished. The people around you, the things that bring you happiness, even if that happiness is going to ebb and flow. It’s all worth fighting for and living for. It just takes bravery and conviction to keep fighting and keep living with authenticity and love. And if there’s an artistic value, a greater meaning to Shonen, now and always, it’s the unerring, unabashed belief that there’s a reason to aim high and not give up.

Because sometimes, life hurts. But if it’s just pain, Yuji Itadori will never stop. We’ll see what I have to amend, reconsider, or elaborate on when the fight is finished. I hope this gave some of you a new way to look at it.