#pointed hat coco

[madi-sue005]

Welcome to the ramblings of a madwoman about the differences between Pointed Hat Coco and Brimmed Hat Coco. There are just a few things I’d like to cover before getting into the actual post.

1. What you’re about to read is my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

2. I’m not caught up with the digital releases. Reason being because ebooks don’t do it for me, so I have to stick to the print releases, putting me at Chapter 68. I’m counting down the days until volume 13’s release. (January 14. Yes, I do know that by heart.)

3. There will be a cut after this to prevent spoilers. You have been warned.

This is the title page of Chapter 28. Notice how Pointed Hat Coco has a spark in her eyes that Brimmed Coco does not.

The wonder, the hope, is gone from Brimmed Coco’s eyes. Brimmed Coco looks dead inside.

(Side note: this has nothing to do with my theories, but this is the picture that I noticed that Brimmed Coco has little Brimmed hats in her collar like the one on the cover of the picture book.)

Next up we have a screenshot from when Utowin and Olruggio are talking after he finishes giving his report to the Knights in volume 6. Again, Coco looks dead inside, but here she also looks much more menacing. Sinister, evil, even. Definitely not the sweet little Coco we have now.

This one is from when Qifrey saves Coco from the monsters that guard The Tower of Tomes while she’s hiding in the cliffs.

What I’d like to draw your attention to is the last panel. “I worry that when my hands fail to find hope—when they end up grasping at thin air that I just might begin reaching for things I shouldn’t.”

“When my hands fail to find hope…” she says. What I think she means is “if I can’t find a way to save my mother.” Remember, there’s no guarantee that any witch—Pointed Hat or Brimmed—can reverse the spell on Coco’s mother. Largely because much of the knowledge surrounding forbidden spells—even the helpful ones like curse reversals and healingcraft and the twinned bottle—was lost after the Pact was enacted.

For better and for worse, the forbidden spells are being lost to time. In some cases, such as transformation spells and war spells, that’s good. Why would you need to be able to transform someone? Just for shits and grins? Tell that to Euini.

However, in this case, the case of Coco’s mother, it means she could remain as stone for forever. Because no one would know how to undo the spell permanently. Counterclock can’t be used, because, uh… well… Dagda. Just Dagda. Being stuck in an endless loop of life and death, never able to advance. The trauma both Coco and her mother would go through on a daily basis if she chose to go that route… she would never go down that route. Not after she saw what happens to Dagda when his time is reversed.

It seems to me, that Coco equates reaching for the forbidden spells as giving into despair.

Yes, that is my finger in the far left of the image. I couldn’t crop it out without the image ending up looking weird, okay?

Anyway, I would like to point out a few things about this two-page spread. Look at the difference between the body language of Pointed Hat Coco and Brimmed Coco.

One’s much more joyful, hopeful, happily bounding along to the future. Thanks to her lack of a brim, we can see that Pointed Hat Coco is smiling. The other is much more subdued, resigned to her fate, almost, as she walks along. Brimmed Coco seems to be much more downcast than her other self.

Hope and despair. One of the tags of this post, and for good reason. This two-page spread is the essence of that.

“I felt that way because he told me there’s hope. ‘Cause if he’d said there are things magic can’t do that there isn’t any hope I would have no other choice but to wander on, led only by despair.”

Also notice how Coco leaves her pointy hat behind in the last panel, the one where she says she’d be led only by despair.

She views the path of the brims as one of despair, not hope. Of desperation for something she knows is impossible.

Brimmed Coco is Pointed Hat Coco’s antithesis in every way, it seems.

This is an official illustration that I yoinked from online, but you can see the differences in their body language here, too. Pointed Hat Coco is looked up at the viewer, curious. Brimmed Coco has her eyes closed, downtrodden.

Shifting gears a bit, what do you think Iguin means here when he says he wishes Coco could be a “true witch”? Keep in mind, that throughout history, folklore, and pop culture, witches tend to be evil.

Out of all the words she could have chosen for her magic users, why witch? Shirahama could have named her magic users anything, so why are they called witches?

Mage, magician, sorcerer, wizard, warlock, magus, magi, alchemist, sage. All such words describe someone who can use magic in one form or another. Out of all of them, why choose witch?

Even in Japanese, Shirahama’s native language and the language the story is originally written in, “witch” is not a word free from this negative connotation. It’s spelled like this: 「魔女」 and pronounced “majou”. The first character comes from the last syllable in the word for devil (akuma) 「悪魔」, while the second one is the character for woman 「女」.

Put another way: devil woman.

As I haven’t read the Japanese version, I don’t know if this is the word she uses, but it still seems like an odd word choice to me, y’know? Why witch?

Could the “true witch” Iguin is talking about be more in line with the evil witches seen in pop culture and folklore? All across the world, witches are seen as evil in many tales. Ones that immediately come to mind for me are Lechuza and Skinwalkers of Mexican and Native American folklore, respectively.

Notice how, when Coco’s saying “true witch” in the last panel, we can’t see her face clearly.

[schneckenfilk]

Fairy Coco!! Had this idea in my mind since I read the chapters with this form ☆

[coccoart]

coco themed earrings!!

[gaygirldoodles]

Should i make a "your stupid face" animatic for arkco

[definitelynotrhi]

coco for day 1 of faith_schaffer's swordtember !! day 1 was witch and i thought coco would fit since "the pen is mightier than the sword" and all that. and also witch hat atelier is one of my favorite mangas so fanart had to happen eventually. i'm definitely not going to be able to do all the days and prompts bc of school but i'll do my best to do at least a few 💪 prompt is below the cut :)

[koipalm]

im literally already shaking. kids you need to start killing people

[piasargeant]

OSCAR PIASTRI (81) 🐨🇦🇺

⭐️ = my favs

SOME CONTAIN 18+ CONTENT! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

Chasing Cars (ft. Logan Sargeant) - kissedsuns

Bridgerton - coco-loco-nut

Totally Us - driverlando

Breaking Fingers - uglyducklingofthe2000s

Nails - lizlovestofangirl

Worse than mum - harrysfolklore

Loving on my girls - cutielando

Be mean to me - kissedsuns

Sunset swim - sof1shticated

Pissed - themultifanshipper

Fortune in misfortune - pastryfication

Stick around - scuderiahoney

Aphrodisiac Chocolates - mickyschumacher 

Simple Misunderstanding - snailpebbles

In motion - scuderiahoney ⭐️⭐️⭐️😫😻⭐️ (I seriously recommend this one its SO FUCKING GOOD just plz read it 🙏)

Ache - scuderiahoney 

Tangerine - scuderiahoney ⭐️

Sunburnt, sunkissed - sof1shticated

Ticklish - pastryfication

Shaking for you - pierregazly

Welcome home - fastandcarlos 

Beach day precautions - pastryfication 

Enemies - themultifanshipper 

Needy - kissedsuns 

No more mr. shy guy - jamminvroomvroom

Take it - kissedsuns

Who cried more - 5sospenguinqueen 

Cat scratch - kissedsuns

Debuts and podiums - no-144444

Scandalous - propertyofwicked

Fainting father - be4chywritez

Wrong hat - pastryfication 

Mcdonalds and make up - sl1pstream 

Biker girl - d0llfaac3

Little spoon - fastandcarlos 

Meddle about - verstarppen

Chuck a uey - norrizzandphia ⭐️

Lets have a baby, baby - norrizzandphia

British vs. American - norrizzandphia

Soulmate - imaginaryf1shots

(Not so) invisible string - scuderiahoney 

Stupid appendix - thewispsings 

Locked in a closet - thewispsings ⭐️

But I love him - 5sospenguinqueen 

A helping hand - pastryfication 

Nap time - fallingforyouforeverr

My girl - no-144444

Your brothers Oscar Piastri? - gguk-n

Can I tempt you? - uglyducklingofthe2000s

Spiderman - vivwritesfics 

Pointe shoes and racecars - no-144444 ⭐️

Shh - spiderbeam

Who told him to get "jack"ed - httpsserene 

Sargeant twins - vivwritesfics 

Stoic much? - no-144444

Secrets out, i guess - skjbri

Talks like an angel - spiderbeam ⭐️

Smiley - spiderbeam

Maiden win and secret meet ups  - katsu28 - ( pt. 2 )

Gobble Gobble - natlovesls2

Just a prank - p1asr81

Such a klutz! - priniya

Swerved - wildflowerhuggy

Baby piastri - p1astr81

Bite the dust - spiderbeam 

Mishaps online - no-144444

Operation mistletoe - katsu28

Papaya rules - 5sospenguinqueen 

Army - themultifanshipper 

Come over, baby! - giuseppe-yuki ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spidey-Osc! - p1astr81 ⭐️⭐️

Water - httpsserene 

Call me your fool - userlando

Maple leaves - housepartyprotocol

Oh come on - dreamauri

The cove - p1astr81

Teenagers - p1astr81

Matchmaker - be4chywritez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Miss who? - italiangirlcoresblog

Teen Oscar - p1astr81

You're the one that I want - p1astr81

All roads lead home - no-144444

15 years in the making - lvrclerc

You are here - rex-rambles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I hope this finds you well - tsunodarado ⭐️

[quinnlarrabee]

Macron's fiery Sorbonne speech targets summering American Millennials

It’s no coincidence that Emmanuel Macron gave a fiery speech about the threats facing Europe the same week that American Millennials in New York, LA, and Miami began talking about booking their one-way flights to the continent. "There is a risk our Europe could die - we are not equipped to face the risks," Macron said, referring to the dietary allergies, alternative milk needs, and tedious conversations of trust-funded, unemployed young adults who will begin their summer in Paris to attend a museum benefit that spills into a large dinner party with several professional photographers before traveling to Puglia, Comporta, or Ibiza where they will subsist on ‘beautiful tomatoes,’ flat whites, and MDMA. 

Europe has struggled with illegal immigration for decades, and there is no more pressing illegal immigration threat than American Millennials who have decided that being unemployed in Europe is less distressing for their parents than being unemployed in Williamsburg. Google searches for ‘how long can I stay in EU without passport’ spiked in late-April among Americans who have not yet bought a Portuguese passport from a guy who used to run a turnkey Burning Man camp who is now running a Golden Visa scheme in Lisbon. “Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” the choices being whether or not to search and detain for ketamine at customs and how to clearly define tipping protocol in restaurants. 

“It used to be enough to spend a couple weeks in Italy in July,” observes Coco, a 34-year-old retired gallery founder who is on the board of several art-related non-profits that she instructed her unpaid interns to start. “But now it gets so hot in Europe in July that everyone is going in June and even like, May.” Coco has several weddings and dinner parties in various coastal destinations in Europe in June, but she has not yet RSVP’d nor has she booked any travel. “I know I’m going to go, but I’ve just been too busy to look at the dates or book anything,” she says, absently picking some kind of beige matter from the left eye of her toy goldendoodle. Macron at one point asserts in his speech that Europe is “too slow and lacks ambition,” referring directly to Coco’s ambivalent European travel plans. 

Uncertainty permeates the vibe in Europe right now, not because of a military threat posed by a giant, angry country with cocked nukes driven by a weak-minded Cold War relic, but because every Millennial in New York, Miami and Los Angeles has expressed their intention to occupy Europe without declaring the targets. 

“Is very stressful,” says Aldo Melpignano, the proprietor of Borgo Egnazia, a trendy boutique hotel in Puglia that for Europeans costs €120 a night and charges 30something Americans visiting from coastal zipcodes $970. “I see the hashtags on the Instagram, like, I’m coming for your @borgoegnazia,” he says. “Va bene, Allison, when you gonna come for us, and are you gonna come with that stupid capello?” says Aldo while making a pinched-fingers emoji with one hand and pointing to his head with the other. Hotel, coffee shop, organic market, and narcotics purveyors all over Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal have echoed this desire for more resolute planning and fewer hats from the demographic that funds the less productive but more desirable EU countries.  

"We must produce more, we must produce faster, and we must produce as Europeans," Macron said, a rallying cry to European DJs to sample only vocals that were recorded in native European languages.  

“Europe must show that it is never a vassal of the United States and that it also knows how to talk to all the other regions of the world," Macron said, refuting the irrefutable fact that Europe has become a summer camp for unproductive younger Americans and suggesting that they be immediately deported to Bodrum or Izmir upon landing at CDG, MXP, and LIS. 

“This is a betrayal of our values that ultimately leads us to dependency on other counties,” Macron said, making an observation about Europe’s frustration with having to work between May and August in order to show American Millennials how to correctly tap their credit card on puzzling European payment terminals.

“Europe must become capable of defending its interests, with its allies by our side whenever they are willing, and alone if necessary,” said Macron, in defense of French baristas who do not like working with oat milk. Taking a hands-on approach to ensuring the EU’s “ability to ensure our security” Macron and his wife will begin their Summer at a wedding in the Aeolian Islands in early June, float around Sicily or Puglia the following week, head to Bonjuk Bay for an appearance of prominent LA-based DJ, RICHE, and then couch-surf in Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera the rest of the summer.

[rancidslime]

Magic as Metaphor: Witch Hat Atelier

I've seen a few people describer the magic of Witch Hat Atelier as being "like coding", which irritates me. One, I confess to a personal dislike of "coding" magic systems. I think they're overplayed and they strip the emotional component from magic in favor of making something easily wikiable. It's the kind of fictional magic that I think most appeals to what I will unfairly and derisively refer to as Reddit fantasy fans, the kind of people who seriously engage in powerscaling arguments at length. It also just exhausts me by virtue of its adjacency to Silicon Valley mythmaking about the unique genius of programmers and how they're the visionaries building us a better future. But, you know, that's an unfair emotional response.

The BIGGER reason for my dislike, of course, is I think that's an incredibly shallow interpretation that barely engages with what the text is very obviously communicating. Magic in Witch Hat Atelier is art.

The language surrounding magic in Witch Hat is consistently the language of artwork, specifically illustration. Magic is considered "beyond the reach" of people with vision and motor issues. The word most consistently used to refer to the act of casting magic is "drawing". Magic in this series is a very obvious analogue to making illustrations. (Imagine! A mangaka might be doing what a bunch of former programmer novelists did using her OWN area of expertise and internal conflicts with art as inspiration! I'm sorry, I know I'm being snide and that's not helpful, I'm just so exasperated by this interpretation, because it feels to me like such a demonstration of how people routinely devalue and diminish the skills of artists even when they don't mean to.)

Being a good witch requires being to retain knowledge on a wide variety of symbols, consistently make the correct marks, and have the whimsy and ingenuity to come up with new, helpful, or beautiful magic. In other words, having an expansive visual library, being a good draftsman, and having a unique artistic voice.

Coco and her friends are quite young and lack the finer technical skills of their superiors, but their inventiveness and youth are consistently pointed at as strengths. When they impress Beldaruit, it's not through an act of extreme technical proficiency, it's by making something simple and beautiful with the skills they have. One of Agott's biggest triumphs in the series right now is her knowing the curtain leech sigil off the top of her head, because she loves decorative magic and obscure magical minutiae! Even though it's not "useful" for "marketable" in ways other magic is!

Witch Hat isn't just about art by any means - it's also about academia, power, privilege, responsibility, and more. It's a rich text. But I confess to feeling frustrated by just how many people just skim over or outright miss what is, to me, a very core part of the series' identity!

[heysoundsgood]

A few more (genuine) thoughts and theories about chapter 85!

I love narratives that invite a close reading, and Witch Hat's foreshadowing is so on point and the worldbuilding so detailed that it's kinda hard not to.

Working through the new details from chapter 85, this may not age well, but I one thousand percent think Qifrey is going to turn into a silverwood tree at some point. Like, he's toast on that front, no? Everything about his visual design and story so far is all gravitationally drawn around the idea. He's a chekhov's gun and you can't not fire those.

But if that's the case, what's the inciting incident that causes him to be, even momentarily, chilled out enough to germinate, and god what a sentence to type. You know what I mean, what's something so good that could happen to him that the curse/spell/experiment would fulfill itself?

No idea, but we know what (and where) he cares about more than anything because he's said as much. And good god the notion that Qifrey collects apprentices as a way to protect them from being planted/experimented on...

I love this stuff to pieces.

I'm also not really sweating possible treefrey* because the entire story is, in some part, about what happens when people turn into things because of magic. Into rock, or solid gold, or wolf boys or cat hybrids or big ol blood trees. Not just what happens though, also, 'how do you undo this transformation' and 'can you'?

The counterclock spell un-leeching a man. Coco's idea about canceling Euini's wolf curse with a negative version. Accessing the library to undo Coco's mom's petrification. A lot of story beats about reversing or mitigating spells cast on people.

My very first thought on seeing the Naakiwan Downs was also, 'huh this is an interesting choice for a cozy atelier, it's so barren of vegetation.' It was a genuinely interesting artistic choice for a setting, and maybe a reason she chose to put there was because a giant tree would contrast real nice with the surroundingsssssjustsaying.

Anyway, this was fun, correct me if I misread some of the details. I don't think it's inconsequential that there's more than one piece of concept art of future(?) melancholy Olruggio, or the one with older/adult Coco wearing lil Qifrey glasses.

*delicious angst

[toasttt11]

frozen four

April 10, 2024

Ryan opened the door of Allison and his hotel room in Minnesota for the Frozen Four.

Will and Gabe were already in the room sitting on one of the beds.

James, Cole, Hutson and Zeev were all at the door, all four of them had also got into Minnesota today.

Cole was immediately bothering Ryan as James walked in first and hugged Gabe and Will before sitting down next to Allison who was leaning on the headboard and gave her a side hug.

Hutson walked in giving them all hugs before sitting down next to Gabe and Zeev walked in flopping onto the bed and patting Allison’s leg.

Allison watched fondly glad to be back with all of her best friends, it was almost summer and than she would get a good amount of time with all of them.

James noticed Allison shifting a little bit here and there and got a bit concerned seeing her grimace to herself, “You okay Coco?” James whispered to her, quiet enough so only she heard it.

Allison looked at him giving him a small smirk, “All good.” She lied a bit feeling a sharp pain in her right side that started last night and it was getting a bit worse but not at the point she wanted to take any pain medication for it, not yet.

James looked at her narrowing his eyes a bit not really believing that but letting her get away with it for now, “Okay.” James whispered seeing her face flash for a second looking relieved before she flashed him another smirk.

She didn’t know what was wrong but it didn’t matter because in three days her season will be done and she can worry about the odd pain on the right side of her stomach then but for now her focus is purely on hockey and her last game or hopefully games for BC at least for this season.

April 11, 2024

Allison ignored the more consistent sharp pains coming from the right side of her stomach as she stood on the ice before the game against Umich.

She was definitely glad right now that Luke was no longer playing at Umich because she didn’t want to play against him ever but especially not in the Frozen Four.

If BC won this game they would be playing Denver in the final game.

Allison had a small smile seeing her Dad in the stands as he had just got into Minnesota right before the game and was staying with her as long as she would be here.

Allison shared a fist bump with Will as they stayed on the ice together as the game was about to begin.

Will passed to Allison a minute into their first shift and she backhanded the puck into the net getting the first goal.

Will shook her helmet as they crashed into each other after her goal.

BC was leading 1-0 heading into the second.

Allison was out with Will and Cutter when Gabe hopped on for Cutter and broke up a pass quickly passing to Will who flicked the puck right to Allison and Allison passed the puck right into the top left corner.

Allison smiled hiding her wince from the sharp stabbing pains as Gabe and Will crashed into her and Eamon a few moments after.

Allison was out on her next shift and Cutter passed the puck to her right in front of the net and she flicked the puck between her own legs to go into the net and she got her third goal, a hat trick.

Allison did her celly spin before crashing into Cutter and Gabe grinning excitedly.

BC was up 3-0 heading into the third.

Allison had a breakaway on the penalty kill and got the puck into the back of the net for the fourth time that game.

BC won 4-0 and were heading to the championship.

Allison ignored the pain cheering with her team on the ice, she has for sure one more game with BC and one more game with this team.

April 12, 2024

Allison took a very slow breath in holding her breath for a few seconds before slowly releasing her breath.

Allison grunted her hand holding the right side of her lower stomach. The pain was getting a lot worse and quicker too, she tossed and turned most of the night feeling the pain getting worse and worse.

She quickly unscrew the Tylenol and quickly took a few before setting her hands on the bathroom counter gripping tightly letting out a slow breath.

Allison was supposed to be already inside the banquet room for the award ceremony but she had to head into the bathroom needing a few moments of alone from how bad the pain of.

“Alls?” Jim knocked on the bathroom door concerned for how long she had been inside.

“Coming.” Allison cleared her throat and wiped under her eyes and wiped her hands down her all black dress, her dress was a simple all black and went to her ankles and she had red heels.

Allison took one more deep breath before opening the door and Jim frowned looking at her noticing her forehead a little shiny and she looked pale, he set his hand on her forehead, “Are you not feeling well?”

Allison gave him a weak smile, “Probably a small cold or something i’ll worry once the game is over.”

Jim frowned but nodded understanding, he would just keep a better eye on her.

Allison looped her arm with her Dad as they walked into the banquet room and Jim kissed her cheek giving her a reassuring look and she quickly rushed to her spot sliding in next to Cutter.

James who was sitting with all of his friends watched Allison quickly sneak in and sit down, something was off with her but he couldn’t figure out what.

“You’re late.” Cutter teased as he looked ahead at the stage.

“Just on time.” Allison sassed back her hand clenching trying to not react to the pain.

Allison headed onto the stage with Cutter and Macklin and she sat down in between them.

She was focusing on the back of the room trying to make sure no camera picked up her being in pain.

Allison felt a small nudge from Macklin right before her name was called for the Hobey Baker.

Allison gave Macklin a small smile as she stood up and shook his hand, he didn’t realize that he really helped her with that nudge.

Allison got a soft hug form Cutter before she headed to the podium getting her trophy, she had no idea what she said in her speech focusing more on not reacting to the sharp pains she was getting constantly.

Allison headed off the stage and she met up with her Dad, she smiled as he gave her a proud smile kissing her cheek before hugging her.

She took some photos with her Dad and all of her friends that came to the award show for her.

Allison called with her Mom and her siblings for a bit after the ceremony and she managed to get out of dinner saying she wanted to rest before tomorrow’s game.

April 13, 2024

Allison was sitting in her stall her jaw clenched extremely tightly. Her head was hanging and her fingernails dug into her palms.

She has never felt so many pain in her life than the last few days but especially today, it was horrible and it wasn’t only the right side of her stomach anymore, her whole abdomen hurt now.

Allison managed to get a little sleep last night and woke up to rush to the bathroom to throw up and managed to not wake Ryan up. She hasn’t been able to eat anything today as she just threw anything up.

All she cared about is this game. If this is her final game as an Eagle she wanted to end this right.

“Ready?” Gabe gave her a soft nudge, If this was the last time sharing a locker room with Gabe then she would fully admit he is her favorite stall mate she has ever had.

“Ready.” Allison nodded squeezing her eyes and shaking her head before standing up with her gloves.

Allison did her warm up tradition with Will, Ryan and Gabe before the puck drop.

Zeev gave his four best friends a nod from across the ice, looking a bit more serious than usually becuase of this game.

Allison got the puck stolen from her as she had a harsh wave of pain hit her and she got distracted and she quickly spun around ignoring the pain and she got the puck back.

The first period ended 0-0.

Allison had barely gotten down the tunnel before she hurried off to another room and once she found a room empty she grabbed a trash can throwing up.

Allison winced letting out heavy breaths as her eyes filled with tears. Her fingers clenched the trash can so tightly.

Ryan walked into the room and froze seeing Allison bent over a trash can, he rushed over and kneeled down next to her setting a hand on her back as he pulled back her braid, “Woah what’s wrong?”

“Just a little sick i’m fine to play.” Allison mumbled her voice raspy as the back of hand wiped her face.

Ryan gave her a look but knew it didn’t matter because if he was in her position he would be playing and no one could stop him, “Alright. Come on let’s get you some fluids.” Ryan helped her stand up and watched her hand rest on her stomach as she winced her eyebrows harshly furrowing.

Ryan walked with her to the locker room guiding her and once they got to the door he let her go knowing she won’t want anyone else to know.

Ryan kept an eye on her made sure she was drinking some fluids during the intermission.

Allison was slower than usually in the second but still playing decent enough hockey but none of her shots were going in.

Denver was leading 2-0 heading into the third period.

Allison felt a few minutes of less pain in the third period and tried even harder to score a goal not wanting to loose this game.

But the pain didn’t stay that way, she had the puck near the boards when suddenly it came back even worse and she gasped feeling how bad it was.

Allison was distracted for a millisecond and had hunched slightly because of the pain and she did her not realize the hit a Denver play was laying on her until she felt it, she was crushed into the boards but her collar bone took the entire hit.

There was a harsh snap and she crumbled to the ice immediately as she wheezed out a painful sound.

Allison had no idea how long she was stuck on the ice in the most excruciating pain in her life.

Zeev, Gabe, Will and Ryan all were right there for her but didn’t know how to help her and they an backed up as the trainers rushed over.

It felt like forever before the trainers rushed over and they saw Allison hands holding her stomach and shared a look with the other trainer, “Allison is your right side of stomach hurting?”

Allison nodded stiffly biting on her lip to stop herself from crying out as the trainer pushed on her abdomen.

The other trainer shook her head as she peeked down at Allison’s collar bone, it was not good.

“Alright you’re gonna need to head to the hospital and we will get the stretcher.” The trainer went to get up.

“Absolutely not.” Allison hissed groaning as she spoke, “Help me up.” Allison grunted biting her lip till she could taste blood as Zeev and Ryan helped her up and Will and Gabe stood there just in case.

It was a slow and even more painful skate to the bench but she would not get off the ice on a stretcher.

Allison was brought down the tunnels and a stretcher was waiting for her, they took her skates off just as Jim reached them looking so worried.

“I’m here.” Jim set a soft hand on top of her head speaking softly to her and he started walking with the stretcher as they heeded the ambulance getting in as they lifted Allison up. He has never seen her in this much pain before.

Allison squeezed her eyes tightly shut feeling a few stray tears come down her face, this was not how she wanted her last game at BC go, she didn’t even get to finish the game but instead getting emergency surgery.

[seookki]

Hi!! would you be interested in writing some ushijima fluff? :)

of course! Thanks for requesting!

𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬

Ushijima x Reader

1.0k words

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Winter festivals were never Ushijima Wakatoshi's thing, but ever since he met you, he had made some exceptions. You were so excited about the upcoming winter festival as you loved the holiday spirit and celebrating with people while cozying under scarves and drinking hot cocoa.

Your winter break just started and Ushijima was walking you home. You couldn't contain your excitement about the upcoming festival and kept talking about it as Ushijima listened. The corner of his eyes crinkles slightly at your rosy cheeks and how your eyes were glittering in excitement. He takes your hand in his and puts it in his pocket to keep warm as you continue to talk about it while smiling a little wider.

The night of Christmas Eve has finally come and Ushijima was waiting outside your door. He exhaled to see the cloud of vapor that came from his warmth and you suddenly came out frantic with your hat barely on your head and your jacket in one arm.

"Ushi! I'm sorry I kept you waiting in the cold, I was taking too long getting ready" You exclaim as you catch your breath and put your shoes on all the way.

He couldn't help but find your frantic appearance adorable and he adjusted your hat and helped you put your jacket in the other arm. "It's alright. I didn't wait long." You smile at him as he helps you and it immediately warms him up, extinguishing the cold that once enveloped him. "Let's go now, it should be starting soon." He says as he extends his hand which has you quickly take it in excitement.

You both start walking and you couldn't help but to smile into your scarf at the fact that your stoic boyfriend who never attends anything festive would go to a festival for you. You look up at him while walking and he notices and stops to look down at you. "Is there something wrong?" he asks. You shake your head lightly as you grin at him. "I'm just glad you're coming with me. I know you probably didn't want to." His face unchanged, he shakes his head and lightly tucks a strand of your hair away from your face. "I like whatever makes you happy." This gets you to smile wider as you continue to walk while lightly swinging your arms.

You arrive at the festival and your eyes widen in immediate happiness. The Christmas lights twinkle luminously with various colors and patterns and the streets are crowded with people laughing and singing with joy. A giant Christmas tree sits at the center decorated with ornate objects and paper wishes and your heart couldn't feel any warmer from the sight.

"Ushi, let's get hot coco first!" You say brightly as you point towards a hot cocoa stand. Ushijima nods as he takes your lead and offers to pay for your hot cocoa. The warmth from the cup brings comfort into your hand and you sigh at the richness of the chocolate. Ushijima takes a sip and closes his eyes, savoring the heat of the drink and letting it envelop his body.

You continue walking around with both your hands warmed up with your coco and Ushijima's hand and you couldn't feel happier. You both check out the petting zoo with a pony and tiny goats and the little shops that are selling aromatic candles that smell like holly, cinnamon, and clove. You buy some small things from these little shops as presents and souvenirs as Ushijima quietly follows you around.

Finally, you walk up to the tree while finishing your last drop of hot cocoa. "Ushi, let's write a wish together!" You turn to the olive haired volleyball player as he also finishes his drink. He nods and lets go of your hand to retrieve the paper ornaments and pencils. He comes back and you two are writing on the ornament and you slightly shield yours by turning away so he doesn't see what you're writing. You both finish writing and he puts his up and he helps you put yours up next to his.

You lean against his shoulder and wrap your arms around his bicep as you look up to see your ornaments hang. "Look at what I wrote," You say while pointing to it.

'I wish that Ushi and I can go to the winter festival together every year' is what it read and Ushijima had a small soft smile spread on his face. "I wrote a similar thing." he says and you look up to read his. 'I wish to come back again with Y/N every year.' You turn your head to look up at him and you open your mouth into a wide smile. "Really? You liked coming here with me?" He nods as he turns and faces you as his olive eyes warmly locked with yours. "I want to be wherever you are Y/N," Your face flushes and you look down at your hands fiddling with your scarf as you mumble into it "Why're you suddenly so mushy Ushi," You say still smiling. He takes his hand and lifts your chin gently and his face seems significantly closer to yours. "Am I not allowed to?" he responds back.

You stare at each other's eyes and then the clock bell rings and the area suddenly gets louder as people around start wishing 'Merry Christmas' to one another. You look back into his eyes and he suddenly leans in, pressing his lips gently against yours. Your eyes widen in surprise but you quickly respond back and close them.

The rich cocoa flavor mixed between you both as it still lingered in your mouths. The kiss warmed your faces and you both stayed there for a while with Ushijima's hand on your cheek and your hands holding onto his jacket. You both slowly pulled back and you couldn't contain your smile in which he reciprocated back with a rare one.

"Merry Christmas Ushi." You say with an eye-closing grin.

"Merry Christmas Y/N." He says with a thin smile as he leans back down for another kiss.

[littlehornedoak]

loopbug + wha/isat crossover idea thoughts (below) 1) i want to take full advantage of Shirahama's throughline of Coco and Brimhat Coco to mirror that with siffrin because it works so deliciously well. literally mirror. because of the smiling key mirror. hell yeah.

2) Bonnie I'm toying with the idea of being a very normal child who gets caught up in terrible madness and is saved by the Gang. cue Siffrin losing their eye, and Isabeau making Bonnie's apprentice hat (is this okay? is the world in shambles making it whatever okay? who knows) Bonnie has a gaggle of mentors. Odile ends up taking point but that's only because the others are all baby witches

3) Mira and Odile talk a lot of theory together, Mira because she has breadth and Odile because she has depth.

4) i don't know what's up with loopbug YET but there's something going on there.

[moonpie2405]

You know what? The implications of these glyphs fascinate me, mostly because we literally never see pretty much any of these sigils, like, ever again! (Also, while irrelevant, take a moment to admire the sheer amount of spells Coco's amassed in the 3rd image, because goddamn the girl is a powerhouse! No wonder Iguin took one look at her and went, 'Child of hope'. I would too!)

Is it because they're simply more complex magic Coco (and by proxy, us as the audience) has yet to be introduced to, with her position as a beginner among witches? Or are they forbidden spells whose knowledge is lost to the pointed hat witches entirely? Or have they simply fallen out of style, replaced by the more convenient standard sigils we have been seeing?

The fire spell especially is the most fascinating one, the one that highlights all these possibilities, because it's so different from the fire sigil we've come to know! Why is it so? Is there anything different about the two fires, or is it fire all the same? If yes, then why is it never seen again? Was the sigil erased or merely forgotten about? Or will we see it again when Coco advances further in her journey?

The spread really sheds light on the fact that the art of magic as it currently is is mostly a lost art to whose 'acceptable' dregs the witch society clings.

[failedmyturingtest]

Kamome Shirahama Leipziger Buchmesse Interview and Live Drawing Session Summary

After being slated to attend in 2020 (and then not being able to for obvious reasons) Kamome Shirahama has finally come to the Leipziger Buchmesse as a guest of honour!

She did a number of signing sessions as well as a live-drawing/interview last weekend that I was lucky enough to attend :) here’s the promised protocol/summary from the notes I took!

Keep in mind that this is all translated from German and that the order of the last couple of questions may have gotten switched because I couldn’t take anymore notes. Sorry! Her drawing process is the same as for all her previous shikishi, so I’ll omit it here and only mention it if explicit questions were asked about it. (brackets include my own observations)

Interview under the cut!

29.03.2025 14:00

The crew of Egmont Manga, Witch Hat’s german publisher sets up the stage, a Brushbug is brought out and placed on the table! The crowd cheers. Little party hats printed with the apprentice's hat design were handed out and roughly 70% of the crowd is wearing them. Some of the cosplayers in attendance stacked them on top of the witch hat's they're already wearing.

Shirahama-Sensei arrives with a second Brushbug. She’s wearing her usual Iguin hat! She says the hat makes it difficult to see. It was made for her by a friend and she loves wearing it. Upon being asked if she also wears it at home she laughs and says that no, it would break the magic.

Why education as a theme? Does she have a background in Pedagogy? No, but she liked the idea of small atelier groups where teachers can cater individually to their students’ needs.

What was her Inspiration? She has a lot of Mangaka friends whom she exchanges ideas and shares issues with. Many of her ideas come from these exchanges. Many of them, like Olruggio have issues with deadlines (the crowd laughs)

Does she have issues with deadlines? Sometimes it feels like the deadlines are rivals to be battled!

Biggest inspiration for her art? Her travels! For example to Germany. This is her second time here. The first time she was in Germany to attend the Kaltenberger Ritterturnier (world’s largest renfaire) during 2018, which was around the beginning of WHA! She gave the photos she took there to the anime team for inspiration and reference of what she wanted certain things to look like. (I’ve attached a trailer of the 2018 event to the bottom of this post)

Can she reveal anything about the anime? (She makes a “shush” motion and shakes her head. The crowd goes “aww”.) She can’t reveal anything about the anime but she can say that she cried while watching the first impressions.

The spells are so complex! Do they ever give her difficulty? She has to check previous volumes for reference. Sometimes she feels exactly like coco learning sigils for the first time.

What Marker is she using? Marker of the Japanese Brand Mar—(I couldn’t hear this part properly, It’s the same thick, black marker she always uses!) “It can do everything! ;)”

Upon being asked if her ink is magical As long as you don’t draw sigils, nothing happens- so who knows, maybe it is ;) (of course you couldn't see her wink, but it was very heavily implied, haha)

Favourite character to draw and write? Brushbug!!! (She picks up Brushbug to shake him around under the camera) Coco and qifrey take longer, and she loves drawing them, but she thinks she can draw Brushbug blind at this point.

What does she do in her spare time? She reads books, manga, and watches anime and movies! If not that then she’s spending time with her Dogs! If they want her attention the older will subtly drape his toys around her and the younger will nudge her drawing arm.

Favourite outfits she’s designed? she likes all the Long cloaks

What are her dogs called? (Sneeze) porter and Bellman! (“Not Gesundheit”)

Her favourite thing to draw? The details! Sometimes they’re easier to draw once she’s had a beer so she’ll save them for when she’s had some alcohol. When she’s done with most of the drawing and it’s time for the details she gets really happy that it’s almost complete and might even start singing and dancing (she demonstrates a cute little shimmy after being asked if it isn’t difficult to draw while dancing)

Does she hoard stationery? She loves buying stationery on vacation and has a lot of it. She really appreciates German cosmetics and stationery so she already had a connection to Germany. (The MC (employee of witch hat’s German publisher) says that they went to a stationery store with her earlier and she already bought a bunch of faber Castel and Steadtler supplies)

How long does it take her to finish a chapter? 7-10 days for the drawing (this one rightfully gets a lot of “whoas” from the crowd). Plotting takes the most time.

Does she ever forget the details of her own character designs? Yes, sometimes she makes mistakes (Olruggio cosplayers will know the Tassel Dilemma lol)

Does she have everything planned out already? She knows how the story will end, but getting there sometimes feels like a video game where you have to make a choice between path A and B. The ending is fixed, but the path there might diverge a little.

Describe Qifrey and Olruggio's relationship in one word? Impossible. It’s very difficult because they’re best friends, but Qifrey also has these secrets. So something might happen between them later on (ominous) (Upon the MC saying that it sounds like it would take many volumes to explore this) Yes it would take many more volumes to explore their relationship

What inspired her to depict so many disabled characters? She doesn’t set out specifically to write a character that has x disability or "diverse trait" (the translator struggled a bit here). She thinks that diversity should be part of every day life and considered normal, so she weaves characters that happen to be and disabled into her story so that this may one day be the case. (This got a lot of applause and cheering :))

How does she decide what to draw for Shikishi? She gets a lot of chances to draw shikishi, so she has a bunch of ideas ready to go that she can choose from on a whim. She says she decided to draw two characters today because so many German fans showed up.

Favourite manga? She has a lot of manga she loves. Currently, she is really enjoying Medalist.

And that was the End of the Interview! Shirahama-Sensei drew Coco and Qifrey with Brushbug with an elaborate frame. I haven't been able to find a photo of the finished piece, but if I do, I'll reblog it with this post!

The official trailer for the 2018 Kaltenberger Ritterturnier:

[madi-sue005]

So I’m in the midst of yet another Witch Hat Atelier reread and I got to this panel in Chapter 13.

What exactly was Iguin planning when he gave her that ink? We know from the two seals we’ve seen drawn with it (a wall breaker and a light seal) that this stuff is stupidly powerful, even if the effect doesn’t last forever.

Why give that to someone who’s still learning about magic? At this point, Coco’s still trying to find her footing when it comes to casting. She doesn’t know a lot of spells, and balancing them is likely still a bit difficult for her. So why give her something so dangerous? She’s lucky she cast what she did with that ink, otherwise she could have hurt or killed herself and others around her, too.

This is something that’s always bothered me, and I can’t be the only one, right? It makes no sense to me to give something like this to Coco so soon. Perhaps if she were a little older and had a better grasp of magic, sure. I can see that. But as someone who can likely measure the length of her apprenticeship in weeks? Nope, not a chance.