#this past year i decided to get into some of the manga i hear people really rave about

[somnimagus]

out of the frying pan and into the fire and into another frying pan that's also on fire

[id in alt text]

[absolutebl]

BL recs (from any country) that don't have any s*x scenes? I'm too ace to enjoy them at all. Happy ending preferred, angst v welcome:)

BLs Without Sex Scenes

Oof, this is a hard one. Is a dead fish kiss okay? I do have a heat sorting on the spreadsheet of doom, and there are some with no kissing at all, but a dead fish kiss is in most of the HEA ones.

BLs with No Kisses

21 Days Theory (Thailand, YouTube) - the only thing I didn't like about this pulp was the fact that they don't kiss, so... yeah, this is my first pick for you. Very YA first love angsty, fantastic queer rep and side characters. RECOMMENDED

My Esports Genius Brother (China, Gaga?) - it's hella odd censored bromance but enjoyable. No real angst tho.

HIStory My Hero (Taiwan, Viki) - basically a BL with no sex or kissing, but also body-swap so is it BL? I can't remember the end but I think it's happy?

Silhouette of Your Voice AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan, ????) - this 2017 yaoi adaptation is a full on BL just no kissing at all. The source manga (I Hear the Sunspot) is a favorite of mine and the casting was decent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for you (but not in general). Grey only.

Love of Siam (Thailand, ????) ALL THE ANGST, I'm pretty sure the most they do is hug, I could be v wrong though because too sad for me to ever rewatch. Very formative to the Thai BL industry.

The Lover (BL cut) (Korea ????) sometimes you can find the BL cut on YT, it has slapstick comedic sexualized moments that are maybe a little homophobic (or something), no actual sex or kissing, but no angst at all. (Korea's working some shizz out with this early offering.)

Kabe Koji AKA Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru (Japan, Viki) - I watched this and I was excited about it before it aired, but I seem to have expunged it from my memory and kept no screen caps in annoyance, so that's all I got.

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush (Korea, ????) - a crossdressing historical that flew utterly under the radar. I decided it just wasn't really BL, but it has BL aspects and it's kinda a little queer... or something. Grey only.

Evening Cafe (Thai pulp, YouTube) - No heat and no kisses, but a decent lead pair, about a boy who works in a cafe and the new employee who has a crush on him. That’s it, that's the whole story.

A Shoulder to Cry On (Korea, Viki) - Has no kissing and many people found it really good as @isisanna-blog reminded me, thank you). It certainly has ALL THE ANGST. (I did not like it at all, but I'm a terrible judge of this kind of BL.)

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Japan ???) - this is such a lovely show, very warm and comforting and slice of life. There is very little angst, they too old for that shit, but little to no sexual content either. It's very warm and loving. A safe extremely yet queer show - and oh boy do we not get many of those. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Censored Bromances

So No Kisses (TM) for the gays but the hets might do stuff I didn't pay attention to. All these from China. Some happy, most not.

The Untamed

Word of Honor

Guardian

SCI Mysteries

Stay With Me AKA Addicted 2.0 (I never watched this so there may be rough play)

Mr CEO Falling in Love With Me

The Fairy Fox

Youth in the Breeze

Precise Shot

Advance Bravely

His Cat AKA His Cat Boyfriend

The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao

The "Ghost Boyfriend" series

Past Youth

I Go To School Not By Bus (Hong Kong short)

Recommended Shorts with no kisses, but cute & fun

The 8.2 Second Rule (Japan YouTube)

One Last Order (Korea, Gaga)

Love Advisor (Thailand, YouTube)

BLs with Dead Fish Kisses (maybe? only one, if any)

His the series: I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love (Japan ????) - (NOT His the movie) this one has all the angst you could want in your whole life. ALL OF IT. Japan wins at emo, it's their THING.

Cherry Magic AKA 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii AKA Cheri Maho (Japan ????) - there's sort of some bed tussling and implied sex but you could imagine them just being snuggles for the mains, the sides have dead fish kiss. In general there's some angst but not much. It's fluffy and great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bonus: overt ace representation for one of the side characters.

Meow Ears Up (Thailand Viki) - sides may kiss? I enjoyed this pulp especially at the start, the premise is fun. I think my biggest complaint was lack of kissing.

My Love Mix Up AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan Viki), a case could be made for a demi seme in this BL. So much frenetic angst around bisexual identity crisis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My Ride (Thailand Gaga) - my favorite Thai BL pulp the sides have a good kiss and the mains do kiss but it's v dead fish, not at all sexual, and it comes at the very end. Otherwise extremely chaste, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this BL, queer and complex and engaging.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (Japan ????) - This is a beautiful piece of cinema well acted, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. The only kiss is the one pictured above, v dead fish. Full review here.

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding (Korea WeTV) - 12th Night goes BL in this cross dressing historical that ended up feeling like a Cinderfella fairy tale, lightly dramatic and utterly charming. Full review. There is one dead fishy kiss at the end but it's otherwise aggressively pure.

If you like this last style of KBL (with a kiss at the end being okay, I have quite a few more to recommend). Until 2022, most KBLs only had one dead fish kiss in them, so you are pretty safe with pre 2022 KBLs. They tend to be quite chaste and de-sexualized. Other good examples: Wish You, Light on Me.

That's all folx.

Some of the above I may be misremembering (since I don't rewatch this kind of BL and my memory is shit). And I may have forgotten some too, so I hope comments with jump in.

Others to consider:

(source)

[cocogum]

The theory behind Evangelyne’s father explained.

‼️SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4‼️

LEAVE AT THE WARNING IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FIRST TWO EPISODES.

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After waiting seven years for season 4, we have finally got the newest season of Wakfu, with two episodes coming every Friday on the Okoo app.

Given the fact that it takes a full week to wait for each pair of episodes from the newest season, this leaves us with enough time to theorize and create suspicions about new characters that have revealed themselves in the available episodes we have at the moment.

And it just so happens that we do already have a character that emits a strange atmosphere around them, besides the eliatrope goddess.

And the character I’m mentioning is none other than this man right here:

We first see him in the second episode of Season 4 and we initially get no context as to why he’s there until the end of the episode.

And after watching the last two minutes of the episode, we received some information about him that made us ask even more questions.

What we know:

1- He is a blind Cra.

2- He’s labelled as a monster by the guards and chief of his prison.

3- He’s also labelled as an assassin by the prison guards, implying that he had killed a very important person in the past.

4- He has excellent aim despite not having his sight (he was seen throwing a rock at a very precise angle which then hit one of the soldiers’ swords just as he was about to leave his prison).

5- He can wield and fight with a bow from what we’ve seen in one of the trailers.

6- According to the credits, this man’s name is “Madagaskan” (weird name but okay).

So given what we now have about this character, Madagaskan, people have suspected that he may have some kind of link to Evangelyne and could even be somehow related to her as a father.

Why the father theory could work:

1- He is a Cra. Since he has pointed ears and was seen fighting with a bow in one of the trailers, this confirms that he is a cra since cras are primarily known to fight with arrows and have distinctly pointed ears.

2- His precise aim is just as excellent as Eva’s.

3- While meditating, he heard Flopin’s voice of all people and then made a face when he heard Pin’s voice right after it.

4- Since he was meditating and listening to the Percedal’s family, he could have been overhearing them to keep watch on Evangelyne for whatever reason. So when he hears Pin’s voice, his face scrunches up a bit, almost like he was not pleased in the least to hear a new Iop in the family (it could be because he can sense that this specific baby isn’t a normal one like how Oropo has also felt how unusual he is).

5- Pin’s unusual atmosphere (that or the fact that Rasha is in him now) may have been the reason why Madagaskan had decided to leave his prison after all these years to finally face Evangelyne and her family.

On a personal note, I initially had speculated that this man could have been Evangelyne’s grandfather since he looks way too old to be her father in my opinion. But when I finally remembered that his name (again weird name cuz who the hell is named “Madagaskan”?) was not Flopin, I had given up on the possible theory that he was Eva’s grandfather due to the fact that in the Wakfu manga, Evangelyne’s grandfather is canonically named Flopin which is why Dally and Eva named their cra son after him.

Overall, I do believe that this theory can work but I do not think Madagaskan is in actuality Evangelyne’s father but rather someone related to her.

After all, it can’t be a coincidence if a cra was overhearing another very specific cra’s family and decided to intervene once he heard that same cra’s newest baby.

(EDIT: after taking a moment to think, I believe this man could also end up being Flopin’s mentor since, well, Elely and Pin have Goultard as a mentor while Flopin has his mom so that wouldn’t be a good balance. Which is why I think Madagaskan should be Flopin’s mentor! Flopin really needs some screentime and a moment to shine!)

[spider-jaysart]

Character headcanons

Damian Wayne

@camo-wolf

1. He's Ambidextrous, meaning he can write and draw with both of his hands without any problem. He usually perfers using his right one though

2. Unlike canon, Damian actually loves rock music instead of fancy classical ones. He just thought that he actually liked classical ones more since that's the genere he would usually always hear around himself more while growing up, but once he started listening to rock ones, he fell in love. Jason is the one who actually loves classical

3. He dyes his hair temporarily green sometimes on the tips or just a streak of it and sometimes wears small black earrings in different shapes (round, square, diamond, etc.). He also paints his nails in the color black sometimes too (Jon was the one who got him to like doing this after offering to paint his nails for him before a few times during some of their past sleepovers together)

4. He's actually pretty short next to a lot of kids around his age. It's just that Jon is the one who really makes him feel like a shorty with how much taller he is than others, especially since he's supposed to be younger and teases him so much about it

5. He got Jon into manga (I imagine that Jon was the type to only stick to just the anime's before this). Now they trade mangas with eachother all the time if they already read all of their own and want to get into new ones. They both also always get so invested into the stories when talking about it to eachother too

6. His favorite Spidey is Gwen Stacy, since he likes her style and the fact that she can do ballet like him in the movies and uses some of those moves during combat too. He also really likes Miles too since they both love drawing and also because of the determination he has to choose his own path in the second movie, which he can relate to a lot as well since he has such big expectations from everyone else for his future, which is becoming the next future leader of the League of assassins or becoming the next Batman for Gotham City, instead of just letting him decide to do his own thing

7. He does NOT be calling Talia by her real name like how some writers make him do in canon. He actually has respect for her and always calls her Mother

8. He's a sneaky food thief when eating with his siblings. Whenever he sees something on their plate that he likes, he'll take it when they're not looking and is always quick and successful about it. He does it more to Tim though since he's usually the one in the family who's always eating goodies. It happens to him so much that Tim is the only one who's starting to catch up on it being him who's always stealing from him and everyone else

9. When he was way more younger (4-6 years old), he was the type of kid that loved making a bunch of many weird, goofy and scary faces at people all the time on purpose. Talia always thought it was so adorable

10. He always draws on top of all of his sketchbook covers, creating his own special, unique covers on each book

Thanks for the ask, camo!!!

[titekuboisgross]

My theory on why IR didn’t happen…

I used to be an active IchiRuki fan. I no longer am. I did have a dream about tumblr the other day tho and when I was on here that’s 90% of what I posted about. After the manga ended I ended up deleting my account. I was not only done with Bleach but anime in general. I have not watched or read Bleach since it ended. Which is nearly a decade. So my arguments won’t be as solid as they used to be when I could literally recite that series like a souther Baptist preacher can recite the Bible lol. But while I’m here (as I just made a temporary account to look at things for nostalgia’s sake) I have decided I want to post my ultimate theory as why IchiRuki didn’t happen.

So, first and foremost I want to mention I am not liberal, why do I mention my politics? Because I am about to say some things that I’m sure I’ll get attacked for by people claiming I’m just a crazy liberal. But I am actually a moderate that leans conservative, a rare thing for tumblr I know. I don’t make accusations of sexism lightly. I don’t just willy nilly call people sexist because I don’t like them. But I do think some people are sexist. Sexism is real and it’s a prevalent problem in Japan. And I think Kubo may be a misogynist.

And before you start rage typing at your keyboards please hear me out. This isn’t my theory, it’s actually my brothers who is even more on the conservative spectrum than I am. He REALLY doesn’t make claims like this lightly, but I really think he’s onto something. He said basically he believes if Kubo is telling the truth that he never intended on IchiRuki and always planned Ichihime that it’s likely because he’s sexist. Rukia is Ichigos equal, she’s smart, strong, and she stands up to Ichigo and tells him off when he needs to be told off. Orihime is I’m sorry Orihime fans, but she’s dumb, ditsy, airheaded, and most importantly submissive.

In Japan traditionally submissive women were looked upon as ideal. Obviously I know that things have changed with modern times and it’s gotten a lot better. But echos of Japans former sexist past still is present within their modern society. As are echos of our former sexist past. As a student of anthropology I can tell you women are just f**ked in most societies. While the “tiger mom” stereotype is very real do not let that fool you. The ideal TRADITIONAL wife in Japan is still very much one who is submissive to her husband. This is why Rukia could never be Ichigos lover. She was not submissive enough.

Anyway, this is my brothers theory and I think he may be onto something. I used to think, we ALL used to think Kubo was foreshadowing IchiRuki, but maybe he wasn’t? Maybe he really is just that much of a talentless hack. I mean was any of Bleach even any good besides the first two arcs? After the Soul Society arc that entire franchise became a shitshow. And IchiRuki wasn’t the only thing he foreshadowed that never amounted to anything. See this is what I mean where my arguments won’t be as strong because I haven’t read the series in years, but I know y’all know what I mean. There’s a tone of shit in Bleach that he introduced that never got brought up again. So much lore that was never developed and in the rare cases when it was it never made any sense. So maybe he is just talentless.

I used to think he intentionally gave Bleach a shit ending because he was fired. If you remember Naruto ended a year prior and Shonen Jump used the popular Naruto pairings kids to make a sequel series to milk the franchise. I always wondered if Kubo knew no one gave a shit about IchiHime and that it would be impossible to make a sequel with IchiHime kids. So he sacrificed his series so his enemies couldn’t prosper off it. That’s what I used to think he did. But I’ve since changed my mind. I was giving that man FAR too much credit. I don’t think he’s that clever to think to do that. I think he’s kinda stupid tbh. Sorry but I do. Anyway. This is all I’m posting. I again just made this account because I wanted to say hi to an old mutual I was shocked to see was still around. You can reply but I’m not gonna debate y’all like I used to. I’m over that shit now. My opinion stands and you can’t change it. Like it or hate it it’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it. If you’ve gotten this far and read all my post I hope you have a lovely day!

Edit: I forgot to add that before you say “well Kubo can’t be sexist because he creates strong female characters” THINK AGAIN! I love Quintin Tarantino but the man has said very misogynistic things in the past including that he thought a minor girl could consent. And he literally created the most badass female characters of all time. Some of my favorite female characters. Beatrix Kiddo and O-Ren-Ishi. Yes men who create strong female characters can be sexist. Never underestimate a man’s ability to demean a woman smfh

Anyway I am serious this is just a throwaway account I made so this is my only post so it’s also my goodbye post so,

[herrsherofsorrow]

Both stories will take place in season 2 (also call Gojo’s Past Arc) but I won’t be following out the anime as it currently been make or the manga incase people who haven’t read the manga don’t get too much spoilers. (I can’t guaranteed that I won’t mention some things about the manga/anime)

Seer of Cursed: This story isn’t gonna be anything serious other than imagine Gojo, Getou, and Shoko being task with capturing and taking care of a 11-13 year old boy who has no cursed energy yet Cursed Spirits seem to be afraid on him? The three are to observe the boy until The Higher-ups decided what to do with him. Will the boy be killed off or used a tool? Doesn’t matter because Gojo isn’t going to let either one happen anyways.

Preview: It was late in the night as Gojo, Getou, and Shoko were being driven to their destinations. Shoko sat in the front seat as Getou and Gojo sat in the back, between Shoko and the driver rest a computer displacing a picture of a huge building. Shoko flipped through the pictures as the driver was giving a briefing of their mission, “Apparently, this built was a psychiatric hospital a place where people could go and stay to be treated. Over the years, family and friends of patients expressed concerns and complaints when noticing they were getting worse and on top of it patients were going missing or found dead, it closed down do to many health violations. The building was to be demolished but locals fought against that, it server be a reminder of the horrors that took place. Local rumors claimed the place to be haunted by those who died in the building. Others theorized that the building workers were performing inhuman experiments on unwilling patients so local school kids, college students from outside the prefecture, and others would visit it in hopes to communicate with the dead and subsequently go missing. As of recently, it was fenced off to the public but even that didn’t stop the distance when people in the area of the building go missing.” The last picture showed the entrance of building and a towering chain fence blocking any point of entry. 

“I thought they already sent someone to deal with it?” Getou questioned whether he reminded Yaga of mentioning the building to him before he was assigned a different task. 

“Please select the next file,” the driver asked Shoko who did so, a picture of a young boy ranging from the age of eleven and thirteen appeared. “Two sorcerers that were sent, returned heavily wounded, one of them barely conscious. The building had attracted multiple Cursed Spirits on the outside merely lower grades but when entering the building they were ambushed by many seemingly controlled by a Cursed Spirit, potentially a special grade, and wouldn’t survive if that boy hadn’t appeared.” Gojo let out a snicker when hearing two sorcerers were saved by a child. The driver ignored him and continued, “The picture you see here is {Name} {Last Name}, he was reported missing recently by many neighbors who claimed to not have seen the boy in weeks but their claims were dismissed until the boy’s school called in claiming the same thing. The police were given a warrant and searched the house to no avail, both of his parents were investigated, their stories never match on the boy’s disappearance and they are facing five years in prison for child neglect, although they might face murder charges despite there being no concrete evidence for such a thing.” 

“And… we should know this because…?” This time Shoko asked.

The driver sighed, “The one sorcerer claimed to see the Cursed Spirits cowered away from the boy yet they didn’t sense any cursed energy from him. Yet, the boy placed his hand on said Special Grade causing it to wither away or simply exercising it immediately while the others ran away with the boy following after them. Your job is to deal with the remaining cursed spirits and to capture the boy. You will then keep an eye on him until further notice.” This caught the trio’s attention, someone so young has a powerful cursed technique.  

A Mother’s Woes: Haibara Yu struggles to keep Jujustu a secret from his Mother, who is beginning to question his school. All seems to fail as his mother decided to get some answers for herself discovering not only the truth but a shocking revelation that her beloved husband had been at her side even after death. What will Yu do when he figures out his mother own discoveries? What will {Name} Haibara do now knowing the truth?

Preview: They stood on a concrete path that led to the front door of a house neither taking a step. Nanami was waiting for Yu to make a move but noticed how his friend was nervous and decided to place his hand on Yu’s shoulder giving it a squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. As for Yu to say he is nervous is an understatement, do get it wrong he wants to see his mother and sister after all it has been months since his last visit, that’s just not what he’s worried about and he has still yet to warn Nanami of it. 

Yu took a deep breath at the contact and looked to his friend, “Kento, before we go in I have to warn you about-“

”YOOOO!” A familiar voice yells followed by someone else calling out their names, ”Nanami! Yu!” The two stiffened upon their names and slowly turned their heads to look behind them. Gojo with both of his arms up in the air waving them around wearing a grin on his face, Getou only had one arm in the air and waved it around, and Shoko simply waved at the two. 

“What are you guys doing here? How?!” Yu demanded the trio as they made their way over to him and Nanami. 

“Aww, we can’t join you on your family visit?” Gojo pouts, placing his arms around Yu and Nanami and behind them closer to him.

”You talk a lot about your mother and sister, we got curious.” Getou said.

”They bothered Yaga until he blurted out that you were taking time off to visit family and took Nanami with you,” Shoko informed but Gojo intervened, “Blah Blah Blah, what are we waiting for!” And began dragging the two towards the door with Getou and Shoko following behind. 

“No- Wait!” Yu begged while trying to break free from Gojo’s grip but to no avail. ‘Shit Shit Shit’ Yu thought, this wasn’t going as planned. “Can-I have to tell you guys something-.” Just as they all reach the door, it opens to reveal a woman. But, that not what caught their attention behind the woman was a Special Grade Cursed. The air was tense, Yu hoped his mother couldn’t feel it as Gojo’s grip got slightly tighter.

“Yu, welcome home.” The voice of his mother rang out breaking the tension and he couldn’t help but let out a breath ‘she didn’t notice thank goodness’ he thought. Oh, how wrong he is. 

[jessenigma]

My Favorite New Manga Reads of 2023

For the past few years on twitter, I've made threads of some of my favorite manga and light novel reads from the past year. This year, I decided I would move it over to two tumblr posts.

After the cut are some of my favorite titles that I picked up for the first time in 2023.

Talk to My Back, Yamada Murasaki

I like to pick up something a little more unusual at least once a year and so at the beginning of this year, I picked up this 1980s alt-manga title about the life of a Tokyo housewife played out in short vignettes. It's a frustrating read because of how real it feels and how much it feels like things haven't changed as much in the last 40 years as I'd like, but it's all the more fascinating for it. The essay at the end discussing Yamada Murasaki's work and placing it in context was a nice bonus too.

When a Cat Faces West, Yuki Urushibara

I love Yuki Urushibara's Mushishi (slow though I have been to actually finish it), so when Kodansha announced a license for Urushibara's much shorter series, I was there for it. It has a cool concept - there are areas of "flow" that will pop up out of nowhere and shift people and places out of time and space and one guy has tasked himself with helping people fix issues caused by it - but mostly it feels like Mushishi but set in the present day. I love a series that's just vibes all the way down.

Skip and Loafer, Misaki Takamatsu

I was absolutely smitten with the Skip and Loafer anime, so when it ended with what felt like a pretty definitive "we are not making a second season of this" final episode, I started the manga. A high school slice of life series lives by its characters and Mitsumi is the more adorable dork ever. The other characters are equally delightful, even when I don't necessarily like them, and I'm so eager to dive deeper into their lives.

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture (light novel), Mikage Sawamura

This series feels a bit like what you'd get if you crossed The Case Files of Jeweler Richard and The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window: a college student with a supernatural ability to hear lies that alienates him from everyone meets a folklore professor with a mysterious past fascinated by mysteries, and together they investigate possibly-supernatural events. It's a bit silly, but the relationship between the leads is interesting and there's a lot of fun urban legends in the mix. There's also a manga adaptation that I haven't yet picked up, but maybe one day...

March Comes in Like a Lion, Chica Umino

I was curious about this one from the second Denpa announced the license just because of how much I'd heard about the series for years now, and it did not disappoint. I love a good story about a depressed and lonely teenage boy sublimating his feelings into an obsession with a uniquely Japanese pastime, especially when there's so many people around him wanting to help him stop being alone. Now I just wish that the release wasn't quite as slow as it has been, even if I know the many reasons why...though at least I still have the anime to rewatch while I wait.

Don't Call It Mystery, Yumi Tamura

After reading Basara and Wild Com, I was eager to get my hands on a newer series by Yumi Tamura, and the fact that it's a modern-day non-fantasy series made it all the more interesting. Totonou's incessant observations about the things going on around him are delightful, especially when they lead him straight into all kinds of dangers or even just leave everyone around him wishing he'd stop talking for about five seconds. I just want to pat him on the head and ask him to make me some curry.

After the Rain, Jun Mayuzuki

I got a card for the Japan Foundation's ebook library not too long ago, which has been great for picking up a lot of books that aren't available in my local library's collection, including this series. I had heard about it but was a bit hesitant because it's about a teenage girl who gets a crush on her much older boss...but hey, why not give it a try from the library? I'm glad I did because there was such a sweet relationship between them that ultimately helped them both out of the ruts they were in with their personal lives and dreams.

River's Edge, Kyoko Okazaki

I still can't decide if I actually enjoy Kyoko Okazaki's work or not, but I got a little closer to it with River's Edge. It's a harsh story about disaffected teenagers who find a dead body, but somehow it feels less depressing than the other works of hers I've read because they're teenagers and there's still the possibility that they can escape the lives that are dragging them down. I will say this - Okazaki's stories are never boring, whether I enjoy them or not.

Her, Tomoko Yamashita

I got a little overambitious this year and ordered the Italian release of a Tomoko Yamashita title I've been wanting to read for years. Can I read Italian? No. Did I think maybe I could figure it out kinda okay because I've studied French and Spanish? Yes. Did I end up reading everything through a translation app? Also yes. But this collection of interconnected stories about women and relationships was excellent despite the language barrier. I was thrilled to finally see the context for the kiss between a younger woman and an elderly woman that I so admired in Yamashita's 15th anniversary artbook, and its story was a touching exploration of what "normal" means. I would love to see this in English, but unfortunately I can't see it getting picked up.

Glitch, Shima Shinya

I was thrilled that Yen Press decided to pick up another title from Shima Shinya after Lost Lad London, and Glitch has been well worth my time. While it is a fantasy story about a town full of glitches in reality that I'm excited to see play out fully, what really caught my eye is the sheer amount of diversity in the characters - one of the leads is nonbinary, there are mixed race characters, there's a lesbian couple, etc. It's all part of the story but not in a didactic way, which I appreciate immensely. Shinya's art also makes me so happy, and I hope Yen continues to get more of their work.

Lilies and Voices Born Upon the Wind, Renmei

Speaking of diversity in characters, I enjoyed this series not only because it was a nice yuri with a motorcycle lesbian (always a bonus in my book, the motorcycle) but because it had some really thoughtful discussion of asexuality in multiple forms. I wish I could've gotten one of the printed copies that were available for purchase at one con, but alas.

Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, Hiromi Sato & Kamome Shirahama

Did we really need a cooking series spinoff of Witch Hat Atelier? Probably not. Am I glad we got it in English anyway? Absolutely. This is basically an Olruggio/Qifrey slowburn domestic au fanfic and I adore it. And I love that they keep up the conceit about magical ingredients in each chapter's recipe, even though they are legit recipes you can actually make with the real ingredients recommended as substitutions. What Did You Eat Yesterday? but with witches, clearly an ideal combination.

Scribbles, Kaoru Mori

I am not actually a diehard fan of Kaoru Mori's work - I drifted away from A Bride's Story when I ran out of volumes at the library - but I do unabashedly adore her art. Scribbles is just perfect for me with its pages from her sketchbooks and her commentary about things like the ideal skirt tightness. I bought this in hardcover and all and will continue to get the other volumes in hardcover even though I almost always get Yen Press titles digitally because it's so much cheaper that way, that's how much I like it.

Innocent, Shin'ichi Sakamoto

I've had my eye on Shin'ichi Sakamoto's work for a while because I saw a bunch of panels from Innocent on here and fell in love with the art. What I did not expect was that the violently erotic story about a French executioner would actually get an English license. It's gorgeous and violent and weird and I am so here for it. Now, if I could just be sure that Dark Horse actually plans on releasing the whole thing...

Barbarities, Tsuta Suzuki

Much like with Innocent, I saw panels from Barbarities on here ages ago and wished I could read it without much hope, given the lack of other licenses for Tsuta Suzuki's bl since SuBLime's relicense of A Strange & Mystifying Story ages ago. But thankfully I am getting to read this nebulously historical drama with all of its social machinations and pretty men getting flustered by other flirtatious pretty men. And such nice clothes!

A Home Far Away, Teki Yatsuda

Kuma really gets some stellar licenses and A Home Far Away was especially good. Set in 1990s America, it reminded me of nothing so much as My Own Private Idaho crossed with Banana Fish and made me weep absolute buckets in the end. I don't think it's for everyone, but if you were ever an aficionado of depressing 90s queer cinema like I once was, this might be one for you.

À vos cotés [Tonari ni], Basso

I was shocked when the announcement for the French release of this title crossed my twitter timeline earlier this year - France has even less by Natsume Ono than the US does, but one of their publishers managed to get one of her actual bl titles published under her bl penname? So naturally, I had to get it. It's super sweet, about a young man who likes to take photos of horses at a racetrack who meets a much older man, and I swear reading it was just like reading her non-bl work only this time the two characters actually got to say their feelings out loud. This would be a perfect addition to several mainstream US publishers' bl lineup, and I would be the first in line to buy it if they did license it in English.

Dear, My God, Nemui Asada

More by Nemui Asada in English! I love Asada's work for its unique storylines and this one didn't disappoint, with a story about a priest having sex with a cult member to help save him and another story about a guy who ends up with a talking plant. It's a bit disappointing that it's only available on futekiya - when will we get some of these titles in print already?

Ikigami & Donor, Hiko Yamanaka

Hiko Yamanaka is another one whose work is always a bit outside the mold, and Ikigami & Donor is an interesting sci-fi bl about powerful "living gods" who have tremendous abilities but can't heal from injuries without blood, bodily fluids, or tissues from one specific donor. It's a fascinating concept and the way the relationship between one ikigami and his donor played out made for an interesting story. I hope to see more from Yamanaka one day.

[tsukidrama]

hi!

i came across your blog the other day and i wanted to tell you that you have a really incredible writing gift. your cottagecore has me hooked and i can't wait to find out what comes next.

would you be ok sharing any ideas you might have?

- 🪻

oh? interest in TRNT and a new anon? yes please! 🥺 i would be happy to share some ideas

y'know, i actually have almost the entire fic planned out. i haven't intentionally abandoned the story... about once or twice a month the document gets opened and i'll write a few paragraphs, though i know that's not much. i feel like i've been going through something weird for the past year or so. i don't really know how to explain it properly. i haven't written a damn thing in so long.

between low engagement, me being sick all the time, and life being stressful (mostly this), this fic just hasn't come together the way i hoped it would. The Road Not Taken is still massively important to me and somewhat of a personal magnum opus so, i'll finish it... but i do not know when.

ideas below. i wrote more than i thought, and it's gotten me really excited about the fic again! please let me know if there's anything specific you'd like me to go into detail about

alright firstly:

the next big thing is what i've been calling the intervention arc. obviously we have to address some of the heavier emotional issues that both Annie and the reader have. nothing can move forward until our main characters are communicating again! both with each other and with their support system.

vacation arc! i want to write more about what's left of the world post-Rumbling on a global scale. i also need a reason to get them away from the cottage for a decent chunk of time so i thought i'd have them explore a bit.

there will be a subplot about the cats who live around the cottage, just for funsies. i have a chapter title planned for it and everything lmao

there will be a pretty major division amongst the eldians later on about some of them wanting to go back and live on Paradis. to be completely honest, i haven't decided how i want that to resolve and who, if anyone, is going to leave. but we have definitely not heard the last about Paradis. some assorted thoughts elaborating on that, and how the ending could potentially play out either way:

i don't know i should give EVERYONE a happy ending or not. my initial plan was to write what i think the characters would actually do in this post-Rumbling scenario i've imagined (let's call this Ending 1), but over time i've started to change my mind and be like: i'm not the mangaka and that ain't my job, so i should write my story the way i want. aka FUCK isayama, everybody gets a steven universe-esque happy ending (we'll call this one Ending 2) even though it might not be totally consistent with the way characters are written in aot.

i'd love to hear people's opinions about either ending btw

the largest difference that giving everyone a happy ending would have, is whether or not i decide to include Historia. i really adore her and in theory i want to give her a better ending considering how tragic she is, but where she's left in the end of the manga puts her in direct opposition with the narrative and the "not my monkeys, not my circus" attitude that the narrator feels so strongly about 😖 it would make me too sad to include Hisu at all if she's on the wrong side of things.

I want everyone to move away from all the politicking. they really don't have any business doing all o' that in my opinion... they're all early 20s AND child soldiers so like. please rest guys, you can be done with the whole saving the world thing...

after all, the idea of stepping away from the alliance and NOT continuing to involve themselves in global affairs IS the metaphorical road not taken

i do know how i want the fic to end in terms of Annie and reader, and it will be good. i don't wanna oversell it or hype it too much and then have it be underwhelming... but i'm hoping that their love story plays out in a way that people will call beautiful.

if i decide to go with Ending 1 then it will very much be a bittersweet narrative about how people naturally grow apart over time but everywhere you look there will be new sources of happiness and fulfillment etc.

Ending 2 would be much more idealistic. probably a bit unrealistic but it will give the characters ending that would make them happy and make us happy. true fix it fic style.

i think either would be cathartic for me to write in different ways so i really don't know where i want this to go yet. probably gonna wing it and see what feels right chapter by chapter.

I JUST HAVE TO ACTUALLY FUCKING WRITE IT

anyway like i said above the cut, i wrote a lot more than i thought i would. i got really into it pls send me more asks 🥺 it will light a fire under my ass and i'll finally finish chapter 10

[j-ellyfish]

on the topic of hetalia outside of the actual show/manga, can you attest to feeling ostracized for liking it? i’ve liked it for well over a decade, and any attempts to bring it up with friends and i just get laughed at or told it’s problematic. i have actually never known anyone who has liked it either, and i really wish i did because i feel like it’d be so much more fun with others. but now it’s just this super cringe/shameful/problematic thing. well, it’s kind of always been thought of that way, and i’m not forgetting how some of the very early content was a bit tasteless, but the vast majority of hetalia is pretty tame.

i’m so glad for the fandom but i feel like i never hear about it outside of that. sorry this turned into a bit of a vent, but i feel so weird that i have to hide my interest in it so i’m not ridiculed for a lighthearted comic. i think a lot of other early 2010s fandoms get the same treatment ofc, it reminds people of their embarassing teen years. but i am too old to want to give a shit anymore lol.

are we just hiding in plain sight everywhere? kinda funny to think about

Yes, definitely. As a premise, I think I am in a bit of a weird position where I don't feel super at ease in manga/anime communities in the first place because it's actually very, very rare for me to like one. So I feel kinda like an imposter, haha. As a kid, I loved the anime they would air on TV and I especially loved the art styles, which is why I started to try and imitate them when I drew (I have drawings I made at 5-6 where some rudimental anime features were already visible, most notably inspired by the Pokémon anime). I am very easy to drop any anime or manga I try, so it really requires for all the stars and planets to align for me to actually stick to one and obsess over it :'D

For this reason, I don't really have any friend irl who shares this interest with me, and my 'nerd online presence' only rarely breaks out of the 'fandom enclosures' I live in. Though, especially in the past, I did venture more often out of my circles and had confrontations with, well, the average anime/manga fan.

I remember back when I first got into Hetalia, I saw this video some jerk took at a Con where he'd go around asking cosplayers/fans questions related to the anime/manga they liked to see if they were 'good fans' or not. I felt like the Hetalia cosplayers they found were treated the worst. First of all, they were asked history questions which is a bit tricky and unfair in the first place, because it's like going up to a Dragonball fan and ask him about Wu Cheng'en's Journey To The West rather than about Dragonball's actual content. The interviewers also had this lowkey sexist aura to them like those girls, being girls, had to prove themselves smart enough despite being basically 'hopeless fujoshis' (you know, in the original offensive and sexist meaning of 'rotten girls'). Even in the comments, those poor girls were definitely made fun of and criticized more than anyone else in the video, and it was clear as the sun that the reason was the underlying sexism that permeates the mind of many cishet male anime/manga fans when it comes to shows that have an important chunk of female audience, treating us as shallow and stupid for shipping characters or thirsting over a male character (yet they do at least twice as bad with the average big tittied dere). This was, I think 2011 or 2012, and sure those Hetalia cosplayers not answering correctly a very easy history question didn't make them look good but fuck, they were there to have a good time with their friends, they weren't at school and I can only imagine the anxiety they felt at being questioned about their history knowledge simply for deciding to go around at a con with a fake curl on their wig and wearing a cheap mockup military uniform.

The saddest thing, though, is that way too many girls also used to (probably still do) shit on it based on the fact that it has a predominantly male cast and homoerotic undertones (this kind of girl also tends to shit on BL as a genre and stuff a-la-Free! simply for being aimed at a female audience, and on the other hand they seem to only engage in series full of objectified girls. I don't understand them, it feels like internalized mysogyny or pick-me-girl mentality to me). I will show here (translated) some lines from a couple Italian negative reviews Hetalia got. These are all likely from 2009~2012 because I have looked at that page a lot since the beginning and those reviews were already there:

[Male User] [...] What's the point of making yaoi-worthy protagonists if the audience of this show will clearly be male? It's about world wars metaphors and nationalism, come on! I highly doubt the female audience for this thing is wide. [Female User] [...] You'll wonder: how come such a thing got so many fans? The answer is easy: fanservice! The sole goal of Hetalia is to create thousands of cheapish bishounen ready to be piled up and bred in the perverted fantasies of yaoi-thirsty fangirlies! That's the point. It's 50-something male characters with endless fanfiction-worthy distasteful ships, created merely to make money. [...] Do you get it, the reason behind this success is the minds of thousands mentally ill little girls who love YAOI and fantasize about it. [...]

When I initially switched fandom from Pokémon to Hetalia, I remember trying to talk about it to some online friends I had but some of them started treating me with a bit of a raised eyebrow and prejudice because I liked it. I think I also had some stranger invalidate my opinion a couple times because they recognized my Hetalia pfp and treated me like a shallow stupid fangirl whose opinon is garbage. Aaand I also remember there being some ant*-Hetalia circles where they made fun of or even actively harassed Hetalia fans online. And the reason was almost always linked to 'rotten girl' mentality, not for stuff anywhere close to what purity police and "new-gen ant*s" do today.

I absolutely get your feelings, I feel the same, I too wish I didn't feel so anxious and scared at the idea of saying that I like Hetalia, but even when I cross path irl with an anime/manga fan, I am too scared of them turning out to be one of those people to feel safe saying that Hetalia is basically the only anime/manga I love. If I ever found a Hetalia fan out in the wild I would surely reach out to them first though, haha :') (no I'm joking I still have social anxiety but I would definitely try).

Truth is, the world is still full of Hetalia fans but as you said, we tend to hide in plain sight because we're worried of crossing path with some jerk who will shame us for it for whether the classic mysogynistic reasons or the new reasons ant*s came up with.

[trash-monkey]

Dead Man Walking

Beep

Beep

Beep

Bbbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

My vision return to me first to show I'm sitting in a filled dinner with people chatting away and when looking out the window on my left to see that the dinner sits in a busy city but I can't tell which city I'm in, looking at my hands that's lay in the table the memory of death appears in mind.

"Hey." Suddenly a male voice filled my ears before being able to hear the people around us and it take a moment for me to recognize the teen sitting a cross from me, long blonde hair sits in a braid on the back of his head as the sides are shaved to show one is tattooed with a dragon which he speaks at my confusion.

"The names Ryuguji Ken but others call me Draken, I don't want to sound too harsh but we're both dead and the reason you're here in 'this' after life is me as I'm stuck sitting here since I've regretted the way I have left things." He give a glance out the window with longing which I guess is the after life as the dinner we're sitting in is the gateway to it.

"Ok but what's this got to do with me?" He sigh.

"For me to move on it was decided that you'll take possession of my former body as it'll be yours to do whatever you want with and to look after my friends for me in exchange you'll get to live again." This confuses me more as the manga as already finished.

"But don't Mikey and Takemitchy save the future?" He nods.

"Yes but that's a different timeline and not the one you'll be in, Mikey will be stuck in a coma and Takemitchy will be dead though it hasn't happened yet which is a timeline I don't to live on in." I give a nod in understanding and agreement in doing this for him as I know I don't really have a choose in it but at least I'm giving some information instead of being dumped with nothing.

"How do I explain that 'you're' alive if I meet anyone you knew?" I lean forward as he chuckled and look at the door of the dinner, following his eyes to see Emma, Shin, and Baji waiting for him.

"You can figure that out on your own and thank you." With that he leaves through the door after the two gives him a hug while Baji gives him a fist bump, once they're out of view my vision goes dark again.

Blinking a few times to clear up my vision to see a unfamiliar ceiling hanging over me and with a moan of soreness I groggily sit up in the bed I'm laying in only to wince when my chest pulses after taking a deep breath which I moved the white tank top aside to see bandages covering my chest causing me to remember what happened, carefully I make my way over to the bathroom outside the bedroom to see a nineteen year old Draken standing in the mirror.

'A deal is a deal'

I sighed as I slid both hands down my face with my new reality setting in before taking a look around my new home that is a small apartment, quickly I figure out the date and why I'm here from a pile of envelopes sitting on the small table which one of them is a letter from the brothel owner.

'As you have loss your memory from the incident I had taken it upon myself to rent and pay for this apartment along with bills until you can get onto your feet comfortably in hope of getting you away from the past that caused the incident and memory loss.

~Masawei'

I shake my head at the straight forwardness but he had to care for Draken a little for him to do this, that or the ladies pushed him to but either way I'm great full for it.

'The memory lose will explain the personality shift as that I haven't really meet them personally before and I also have six days before the Battle of the Three Deities as today is July 1st of 2008 which I have plenty of time to get use to this body and plane what to do.'

I set the letter down back on the table and make my way back into the bathroom to take a look under the bandages which shows three gun shots holes has been stitched and still healing, before bandaging them again I do a workout to keep the healthy body Draken worked so hard for though I'm careful not to pull a stitch and take a nice warm shower after.

'I can pump some iron now'

I flex in the bathroom mirror with a laugh as the AI generated muscular Harry Potter parodies pop into mind causing me to double over before drying myself off , dress, and fix my now long blond hair into the usual braid that Draken has it in until I decide something else. Slipping the black boots by the front door on and a loss fitting hoodie as I put the hood on before slipping up the sleeves to the elbow as I head out to the door to get a feeling of the area I now live in. The street is busy and full of people so it's slightly hard for me to walk but because of my new height and the bitch resting face scared most out of the way, I use the days before the battle to get any map I can get my hands on and learn what this new body can do. Soon I figure out that I'm still in the same city as in the anime just farther out to the city limit then Takemitchys place and with ease I found the location of the rail yard where the battle takes place as I've decided to stay hidden to watch from a distance.

Although I worry about the effects of me being in the timeline will cause as I try my best to busy myself with learning and my usual morning workouts but it only worked a little, when the day finally appears I put on all black clothing and make the journey to the rail yard where I had picked a spot to watch from days prior but everything played through like it's supposed to though watching the katana go through Takemitchy makes my heart ache, but with the knowledge that the two are in a better place is enough to dull it.

'Now it's into the unknown'

Runs through my mind as I see Mikey falls to the gravel unconscious as the dead Takemitchy stays in his sitting position, hearing disbelief and tears fill the air but they quickly fade as someone call the ambulance which the sounds of it approaching fast cause the two broken gangs to scatter to the winds but I stay out of sight to watch to two be wheeled away.

_______________________________________________

[lady-of-endless]

hiii! hope you’re doing well!! i was wondering if i could get a match up? preferably w a guy pls

appearance wise: i’m 5’7, so taller for a girl, a little chubby, super pale, i have big freckles all over my face and shoulders, i also have dark circles (that paired with pale skin makes me look a little dead), kind of droopy hazel eyes, black hair, i have both nostrils pierced plus a few different ear piercings, some tattoos, a lot of scars (from surgeries and different things), and i really love alternative fashion so i tend to wear mostly black, but i’m still pretty hyperfeminine when it comes to clothes and makeup and stuff.

other stuff abt me: i’m pretty shy until i get to know someone, i have really bad social anxiety, but then i’m usually pretty goofy. i love making ppl laugh it’s my favorite. i have the sense of humor of a 16 year old boy though (i think fart jokes are so funny). i tend to anger quickly and am generally kind of angsty. i really love horror in any kind of form, but especially movies. i also really love vampires. i’m neurodivergent x3 lol. been through a lot of trauma. i also really love making art and seeing other people’s art. i really love music, specifically alternative rock. i’m kind of a stoner. i’m also a nerd, i like collecting things (coins, antiques, figurines, comic books and manga). i love all animals but especially cats and bats. i’m a crybaby. i tend to show love by teasing ppl but i love being sweet too. i thinks that’s it???

sorry if that’s all over the place! and thank you for doing this <3 i appreciate it so much!

Author's Note: Thank you for your request, dear! You seem so cool omg 😍 Hope you'll enjoy it!

I ship you with...Eustass Kid!

(lovely gif is not mine, please show appreciation to the OP)

- I feel like you two will bond over your sense of humor. You'll get bonus points from him if you joke about Law with him.

- Your relationship will probably go from allies to friends and then lovers. Going from allies to friends will take a lot for him as he's used to trusting only a few people. But the last two stages are extremely close because once he considers you a close friend, he will feel more comfortable around you and understood. And so, he will realize that he feels something more for you.

- Look, I'm going to say it, Kid might check you out on multiple occasions because he thinks you're so neat with the tattoos and piercings and overall aesthetic. Plus, the hyperfeminine vibe is a contrast to his liking.

- The fact that you're a bit shy at times and because you have social anxiety, he will be both your lover and your guard in the sense that he'll absolutely wreck anyone who might put you in a nasty situation. No one messes with you without consequences.

- Kid noticed some hints about your traumas and wants to help. However, he's so damn frustrated that he does not know how. He won't tell you anything, not wanting to make you feel uncomfortable. He's just going to let you know that he will always be there for you if you decide to share your past with him. He has been through a lot as well so he knows how that burden feels.

- Please, playfully tease him for enjoying your sweet kind of affection. You'll get to see such a pretty blush on this man's face.

- You both tend to anger quickly and because of this you can either calm one another down or make a sum out of that anger. He won't get angry at you, knowing about your anxious tendency. However, if you ever decide to put yourself in danger, that's when he'll get angry with you.

- I feel like Kid will not admit that he also collects things and that won't stop him from teasing you about it, playfully of course. Jokes aside, I can see him getting really curious about what you're collecting.

-He also enjoys alternative rock from time to time. The moment he enjoys it the most is when he's fixing something in his workshop and your favorite tunes are playing and he can also hear you humming that song.

- Talking about stuff to do in his workshop, he'll love it to have you close by making art as he, again, is fixing something.

- Horror movies? Count him in. He would propose a marathon with you and his whole crew.

[fruiteggsaladit]

Brain going brrr a yyh fan may speak at length on how Keiko and Kuwabara are parallels of a close and romantically coded bond with Yusuke and from there speak on how the two may mirror each other with Yusuke as the plane of glass and metal, but who will speak on how Yusuke and Yukina are parallels of a romantically coded bond with Kuwabara?? And could therefore be parallels too!

Something something about needing to take care of yourself when you're at your most vulnerable and need to forgive yourself for having vulnerabilities with Yusuke needing to accept Puu, only for Toguro to pull Yusuke two steps back from that huge leap in self-acceptance because he doesn't want Yusuke at his personal best, he wants an executioner that mirrors his own past self, overlaid over the scene of Yukina's birds being crushed* before her own eyes when she had decided she wasn't going to "allow" Tarukane to benefit from her pain anymore and then she was forced into doing so anyway. And Toguro tells her to train herself to cry**

Something something Yusuke speaking with Kuroko the first SD and when she expresses that humans are inherently good, Yusuke thinks out loud that he thinks some humans are fine to kill and Kuroko interprets that in the most bad faith way possible, and Yukina telling Hiei she thinks that if a society is made up of cold-hearted people then those people should die only to seemingly give up when he tells her that she shouldn't rely on her brother when it might be more likely that she was exaggerating for the sake of hearing his opinion (you think a character can lie in a narrative without the narrator stating that they are lying? No, not possible, surely...)

Something something Yukina apparently leaving Hyouga to seek her brother for greater understanding and/or assistance of power... when this was a story initially told by Koenma, who we know by the end of canon has lied and omitted significant information from Yusuke and the others before, why wouldn't he now? And it's some time before we see Yukina again, having apparently returned to Hyouga after the rescue, surely enough time for Yukina to potentially have heard what "the official story" from the Spirit Office is and adjusting her story from there when she tells it to Shizuru, Botan, and Keiko. ... And Yusuke, who is forced to leave Earth because of his new status as a Mazoku distantly related to one of the Demon Kings, and chooses to leave before he strictly needs to be escorted from there in the hope that he'll return sooner if he does.

* Yukina's birds being crushed: Interesting, because Toguro comes across as someone who knows how to torture someone? He has a whole company of individual people who want him dead because he seeks someone "who will give him a worthy fight" (fucking liar if he meant that he would have settled for forcing Genkai to fight him or if it had to be Yusuke, he could have issued an invitation when Yusuke was an adult and not fourteen years old! This man pisses me off! I digress!); at many points he's fought a person and then left them alive so they'll return to him in the hope of revenge, even inviting them into this silly company so he can keep easier track of them and they of him.

I said I digress and then I lost my tangent!! My point was that if this man seems well-versed in torture and using a person's loved ones against them for a goal he has in mind, why kill all the available birds at once? The anime sticks to two birds, the manga has three and may be implied to be more than that, but I feel like he could have said "kill one" or "leave the other/rest alive" to use them again. By murdering the birds all at once, this was just one instance of getting Yukina to cry, when Tarukane has asked for a way to make her cry again, implicitly not just once.

** And Toguro tells her to train herself to cry: Where are the yyh-fans w daddy issues on this topic, one would think they'd eat this part up! An initial first-time reading of this could be that he's telling her to harden her heart because he feels for her and the only advice he knows is to turn oneself into a killing machine as a response to grief. This is annoying to me bc that's far more sympathy for Toguro than I feel he deserves (I hate this man! He's an effective antagonist in that way). Also, it just makes Yukina yet again into a reactive subject?

Idk, all I know is that I had the thought the other day that Toguro hadn't seen or fought Yusuke yet at that point, and had the following thought of "What if Toguro intended to have Yukina join his stupid evil lackey company bc he saw something in her that reminded him of himself" (namely: the determination not to let herself be harmed; the inability to protect her loved ones in spite of that determination; finally, the despair that washed over her following it). Also notable, is that Tarukane stole Yukina from Sakyo. One can wonder what would have happened if Yusuke and the others hadn't arrived when they did: I think the original plan in-narrative by Sakyo was to re-capture Yukina from Tarukane. And I think Toguro considered Yukina for being an executioner candidate. Aaah this might not be a very radical theory out there but I see so few speculations about canon that isn't "who would win" or "whats the best ship" or "kurama: demon and human but mostly demon" or "hiei my comfort gremlin".

[crescentmoonrider]

give me your important toji and yuta and megumi headcanons :3c

you mean, in general ? or like how they'd all interact together ? or are we talking Boy Who Leapt Through Time AU specifically ?

well i guess i can do all three

.

let’s start with individual hcs !

Toji

he’s bisexual and demiromantic. the only person he’s ever been in love with has been his first wife, Megumi’s mom, in part because she was the only person at the time to treat him like a normal guy

the reason he married Tsumiki’s mom is more complicated. on the one hand, Megumi and Tsumiki got along well, and Toji thought it would be good for Megumi to spend time with like, someone his age. on the other, Toji didn’t trust himself to take care of Megumi, and thought marrying again would be a sort of insurance in case he died... or decided not to go home

the reason he never made the Zen’in clan pay for the way they treated him, and the reason he sort of trusted them with Megumi is that he has completely internalized the abuse he went through as something that was justified

his self-esteem is at rock bottom. he’s just really good at hiding it by behaving like a fucking asshole

might just have a breakdown if someone pays him a genuine compliment

he fucks around a lot for a few reasons : easy money, easy way to get a roof on his head, he likes it and likes making his partner(s) feel good, he tries to compensate his need for emotional intimacy with physical intimacy (it doesn’t work)

Yuuta

bisexual and aromantic. he tells people Rika’s the only one for him because for some reason, people are more eager to believe he can’t get over a childhood crush than to understand he just. doesn’t get romantic love

he’s build like a stick, and no matter how much he tries, cannot manage to build any muscle mass. he wishes at least had some more pecs.....

i refuse to believe the whole point of vol. 0 (overcoming grief, moving on from past mistakes, letting Rika-chan fucking rest in peace) would be undercut so stupidly by Gege, so the current “Rika” is not in fact cursed energy left behind by Rika-chan and uh, the power of love ? it’s just a copy Yuuta made with his technique. i will not be taking criticism

because of how socially isolated he used to be, his only idea of what real teens his age do comes from like, dramas and manga, and the random bits of conversation he would hear in the classroom

the first time he went out to a café with the other 2nd years, he cried for a good 20 minutes

Megumi

demi without a strong preference for any gender. has trouble understanding other people’s conceptions of romance and sexuality, especially people who date/fuck without strong ties to each other

the type to idealize the people he likes (who aren’t Gojo), only to be disappointed when they turn out to be, you know, people. with good sides and bad sides and sides that just don’t sit well with specific people

Tsumiki taught him how to cook. he doesn’t do it often these days, but he finds it relaxing

depending on my mood, i sometimes go with the idea that he has a puppy crush on Yuuta. he’s taking that secret to his grave, though

.

now for interactions not related to the above-mentioned AU !

obviously we know Megumi admires and respects Yuuta a great deal, and i like to think Yuuta’s the kind of guy who really wants to make his kouhais proud. so we have “Okkotsu-senpai can do nothing wrong” on one side, and on the other we have Yuuta trying to show off and keep up with Megumi’s expectations. it’s a whole mess, but it’s a funny one to watch for the other 2nd years

they have betting pools on what they can convince Yuuta to do to show off to Megumi, and also on what will finally make Megumi realize Yuuta is just as stupid as the rest of them, just in a different way

now, if we were to put Toji in there, as Megumi’s very much alive deadbeat dad....

i mean. it would be a disaster. a very entertaining one, but a disaster nonetheless. Megumi would do his best to keep Toji away from Yuuta so #1 Shitty Dad can’t embarrass him in front of his cool senpai. Toji would do his best to do just that, in whichever way is funniest to him (so either by flirting with Yuuta or by revealing Megumi’s baby photos. maybe even both)

meanwhile Yuuta would just be like “huh i wonder who the hot guy Fushiguro-kun just shoved out the window was”. and then Toji would open his mouth and Yuuta would go “oh he’s an asshole ok”. he Would take Megumi’s defense if Toji’s being too shitty, though. senpai instincts

unfortunately for everyone though, Yuuta is also a very genuinely kind soul, which is exactly what can break through the walls and layers of dysfunctional coping mechanism Toji built after the death of his first wife (and also after the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Zen’in clan)

what i’m saying is that Yuuta just stands there obliviously as Megumi tries to murder Toji, who is now seriously trying to get closer to Yuuta and just like, become friends ? maybe ??

oh yeah also Toji calls himself a monkey one time in front of Yuuta, and Yuuta just straight up goes “you will treat yourself (and others like you, such as Maki) with respect or i will punt you into the sun” and Toji’s just like. “oh.”

.

and now for The Boy Who Leapt Through Time AU !!

obviously Yuuta has latched onto the kids and sworn to protect them. on the one hand, of course, it’s painful to look at them and remember the people he knew and lost, and the time he spends with them keeps on twisting the knife of his trauma. on the other, he refuses to make his own issues something other people have to worry about, and part of what protecting the kids means to him, is hiding his pain from them

he will do anything for their sake. anything

Toji’s relationship with Megumi at that time is pretty complex. Toji’s at his lowest point by then, and while he does love Megumi and wants the best for him, he’s also very aware that like. he fucking sucks as a parent. and there’s probably a part of him that resents having a kid, because life would be easier if Megumi wasn’t around. if Tsumiki hadn’t called him, there’s honestly a good chance he wouldn’t have gone home at all that day

and of course, he doesn’t believe a “monkey” such as him could ever be the right person to raise a sorcerer

anyway it’s complicated. the way Tsumiki talked to him on the phone, it made Toji believe he was needed, and that’s why he came back (also because his wife bailed). but then the small fight over juice made Megumi spill out all of his grievances to Toji, because he’s a child and he needs his dad and Toji has been pretty awful at being there for him up until now, and now Toji thinks he was wrong and actually Megumi would be better off without him

they both suffer from “i will die if i tell my loved ones i care about them” disease, and it sucks. but also one of them is fucking 4 years old and deserves some slack on that front

on the Toji and Yuuta front... Yuuta’s first thoughts about Toji were that he is dangerous, and also a jackass. but also Yuuta is thankful to Toji for picking him up and more or less saving his life (because seriously, who knows what the College would do with a Special Grade who says he comes from the future and has fucking unreal levels of cursed energy)

anyway he has now realized that Toji has some Fucken Issues, some of which he recognizes from personal experience. like, the low self-esteem, the isolation, the disbelief at anyone being nice to him ? yeah Yuuta, who was haunted by Rika-chan for 6 years, and was also bullied, is familiar with that

so of course he wants to help, as a way to thank Toji, and for the kids’ sake. especially Megumi’s, since he’s seen what abandonment issues have done to the Megumi he knew. he doesn’t really know how to go about it, though

Toji doesn’t really know what to make of Yuuta. he’s a sorcerer, and stupidly strong at that, but he acts... weak. right up until he doesn’t. he’s also scary good at lying and smiling in front of the kids, right up until he can be on his own to have a breakdown. he also thanked Toji for something Toji did mostly for his own sake, and it’s... Toji doesn’t know what to make of that either

well, they only really met like today, so. they’re gonna figure each other out and what to do about their situation eventually, for better or worse

[achairwithapandaonit]

For the time travel fix it ask: I'd love to hear your headcanons for Natsuo! (and Tokoyami and maybe also Thirteen, if you're up to it?)

Natsuo headcanons:

natsuo knows he's the last person anyone would expect to end up in the past with the responsibility as the only person with knowledge of the future to save everyone. he's just some med student with a weak ice quirk and messy family

the worst thing about this for natsuo is probably that endeavor has had none of his character development. he's an absolute ass again, and i feel like natsuo would prioritise his family over what's going to happen. what the POINT of any of it if the people he cares about are all suffering in their own ways because of endeavor. what follows is so many arguments and also shouto and natsuo bonding because of it

pretty much straight up ripping this off of an ask i answered months and months and months ago but shouto and natsuo bonding pays of and shouto's like yeah. sure. i'll help you kidnap some random villain when he attacks the USJ. catch me recycling an old idea like YEAH i want shigaraki tomura to be tied up in natsuo todoroki's dorm room like an angry cat. this is the best thing that could happen

only problem is. now that natsuo has acquired shigaraki tomura, the guy that caused the world so much trouble and has also been being puppeteered by afo he has no idea what he's supposed to do with him. add on the fact that shigaraki absolutely wants to murder him and is attempting it at every possible moment. boy is it not a great time to be natsuo todoroki

fuyumi just stumbles across some GUY tied up in natsuo's dorm room and apparently shouto is involved in this too and wtf guys wtf is wrong with you. she'll help of course but wtf and this isn't great for her anxiety

natsuo has no idea about the connection between all might and midoriya but they need help with the whole afo thing so the three siblings just sorta manage to get a hold of all might through shouto being his student and are like HEY. we need some help maybe

-

i don't know enough about thirteen to try them i think but i can do tokoyami:

okay i haven't read the manga and don't plan to (i'm also not sure if i'll ever watch the rest of the seasons when i come out tbh) but spoilers said tokoyami and jirou team up recently right? against afo?? maybe tokoyami saw both jirou and hawks die before he ended up back in time. i don't exactly know what would happen with that but i feel like it'd definitely impact their relationships in the new timeline. also i want brotp jirou and tokoyami now

tokoyami has witnessed midoriya going off the rails and breaking apart from all the pressure put on him and he's also now aware that aoyama was suffering for the entire year. this impacts both of these relationships just like with his and jirou's and his and hawks' (when they eventually meet). maybe tokoyami gets more involved in the dekusquad this time because of his concern for midoriya

i feel like tokoyami would definitely talk to the UA faculty about this as soon as he could. he's responsible and he knows that what's going to happen isn't something he can tackle on his own. because of this, they have inside knowledge now.

maybe the faculty decide that they won't inform aoyama of what they know now, though. maybe they decide to let him play the spy while being fully aware of it WITHOUT TELLING HIM. because they need those events to happen as they did so they can put whatever plan they make in place. i feel like it's a thing that a lot of people wouldn't approve of but thinks is necessary. afo figuring aoyama out isn't a risk anyone wants to take. it's really messed up and everyone in the know is probably wracked with guilt. tokoyami tries to support aoyama more because of this but aoyama is very committed to being a background character for his own emotional sake

uhh i'm not actually sure what i'll put here. i think when the truth comes out there'll be some kind of emotional fallout. i don't think aoyama would be angry at what's been purposefully done to him. i think he'd think he deserves it. but other people would be angry for his sake. a lot of this story would hinge on tokoyami's individual relationships with the others based on what happened in the previous timeline and what is happening currently that he can't tell them. the plot is just the plot. it pushes the events forward and causes tension to rise. but the real thing that makes this story what it is is the way relationships are affected by this. so there'd be a big focus on 1-A at this point

[psychewritesbs]

hi!! i really love your blog, i love reading your posts, your analysis... after the most recent chapters, couldn't help but wonder how you would be feeling about megumi's fate. his character has also intrigued me so much, i find the implications of his paths and of his world view so interesting - even though i strongly disagree with most of it today, i really identify my past self with him, and sometimes also my present self - he makes me think and feel so much about life, my life, my relationships, identity, choices, traumas etc.... it's been rough with the last chapters.. anyway, i know the possibilities are not exactly on our side, regarding his fate/ending, but i can't help but wonder how fulfilling it would feel like to see more development from him. yes, a lot of development was made, but he has repeated some fateful mistakes, and i think, if he didn't die, that we would be yet to see him build for himself a new philosophy, a new fundamental understanding of the world and his place in all of it, making different choices and taking different paths. i also know a lot of characters don't get this chance (or don't take this chance) before ......dying, but this time, i would really like to see him changing and growing, learning even more from his mistakes.. what do you think about this? is there anything in particular you would like to see about his character development? if you have the time, i would love to hear your thoughts about it! really sorry for making this ask so long though!!! xx

HOLA!

So... first, thank you for sending Megumi love ♥, I love it when people share with me why they love the characters they love, ESPECIALLY if it's about Megumi.

Second, your ask gives me life in so many ways. Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to reach out.

So let's see... "how are you feeling about Megumi's fate?" you ask.

This is what I'll say above the cut.

I really hope there will be a moment of "poetic justice" that underscores and gives meaning to what happened to Megumi. I don't know that, of course, but I feel like it's consistent with how Gege writes... even if he flops the ending.

More word vomit under the cut...

After all... there's meaning in everything but if only we choose to create it in the face of the existential dread that is the chaos of the human experience.

After keeping up with this manga for the better part of nearly three years, I've fallen in love with Gege's writing style for several reasons.

The main reason is that JJK is very dark and gritty but not for the sake of dark and gritty per se. Rather, JJK is dark and gritty for the sake of characters exploring and giving meaning to the existential dread that comes from the circumstances of the world Gege has created.

So... to me... this alone tells me that even if Megumi were to die and even if the execution is lackluster (think chapter 208), it won't feel like an inconclusive ending once it's all been said and done.

Megumi isn't Aki after all, and Gege isn't Fujimoto.

As you say, "i know the possibilities are not exactly on our side, regarding his fate/ending" and what I'll say is that it's not that I don't trust that Megumi can do amazing #things like getting back control of his body. It's the cursed cat that I don't trust because he will kill any character off if the themes he is trying to depict call for it in the plot.

There IS good reason to think that, thematically, Megumi is getting out alive (for the sake of meaning-making) AND I STILL DON'T TRUST THE CAT AFTER WHAT HE DID IN CHAPTER 212!

Also...

Oops, I did it again, I typed a whole response to your ask, and then the chapter 214 leaks started dropping and I had to go back and delete what I had written.

So if you haven't seen the leaks/spoilers for chapter 214 you might want to wait until Sunday to read the rest of my response.

The thing is... I also wasn't sure how Jungian I wanted to get in my response to you.

So after much debate I decided to get Jungian af... After all, you bared your own soul to me. Why shouldn't I do the same? So... there will be personal rambling lol.

BASICALLY this is how I'm excusing myself for always taking forever to answer asks lol. In the end, I just want to give thoughtful and insight provoking answers if at all possible.

So thanks for your patience. You were never for a moment forgotten.

Anyways... as I like to say: without further ado...

You see, I have this condition...

You see, I have this condition... and I feel like you can relate.

But this condition--I call it character myopia, its main symptom is that when I love a character with my entire sense of self, I can't tell where a character begins and where I end.

his character has also intrigued me so much, i find the implications of his paths and of his world view so interesting - even though i strongly disagree with most of it today, i really identify my past self with him, and sometimes also my present self - he makes me think and feel so much about life, my life, my relationships, identity, choices, traumas etc

Everything you've said about how you relate to him, from his life, to his relationships, identity choices and traumas... yes. Thank you for sharing your Megumi love with me.

Honestly, since we're having this convo. idk about you, but it's not often that I love a character to the point of seeing myself in them.

I don't know that there is a whole lot more that I can add to this. I just love what you said so much.

This has got to be one of my favorite parts about experiencing works of fiction and deeply resonating with certain characters.

Fiction can be such a transformative experience and Megumi has been just that for me and it seems for you as well. I love that in Megumi, Gege has created a character that is a container for exploring ourselves creatively.

I agree with the sentiment of identifying with him.

I think for me, right now... I am going through a phase in my life where, like Megumi, I keep bumping my head up against my own self-inflicted limitations.

In addition, in Megumi I have found a reflection of my own darker instincts.

I don't know how to explain what Megumi has done to my psyche. Literally... it's like he's working behind the scenes in transforming how I see the world.

I've literally had dreams with Megumi in them that also include black and white dog symbolism. In retrospect, the dreams have felt archetypal, like a reflection of psychic processes I am unaware of that are working underneath the surface and transforming my consciousness.

With Megumi getting possessed came a new dream with clear satanic symbolism that I thought was really interesting. More specifically because I wasn't scared to face what I saw in myself.

i can't help but wonder how fulfilling it would feel like to see more development from him. yes, a lot of development was made, but he has repeated some fateful mistakes, and i think, if he didn't die, that we would be yet to see him build for himself a new philosophy, a new fundamental understanding of the world and his place in all of it, making different choices and taking different paths

Yes 🥺🙏🏼! This. All of this.

You made me realize I want to see him believe in himself again. When Megumi believes in himself, literal magic happens.

And going back to what is happening at the end of chapter 214, I cannot wait to see Megumi wreck Sukuna from the inside.

There's so much happening for Megumi right now, and he's told the audience before that he will do whatever it takes to protect the people he holds in high esteem.

That's my boy!!!!!!!!!!

So to your point... I love that he will not go down without putting up a fight as he re-negotiates this new philosophy about himself.

YES!

Again, it's not that I don't trust that Megumi has what it takes, it's the cat I don't trust!!!!

i would really like to see him changing and growing, learning even more from his mistakes.. what do you think about this? is there anything in particular you would like to see about his character development?

Yeah, for sure. This is a bit of a loaded question because there's so much about Megumi that still needs to unfold in terms of how he relates to the world around him.

I personally love how Gege has gone out of his way to show how immature Megumi is compared to other characters who share the same trope. Megumi is a flawed human after all.

And aren't we all?

In the end, Megumi has to grow in many different aspects like...

How he relates to his own power.

The limits of his own sense of self and how he uses his imagination to overcome how his sense of self can become unnecessarily bound by reason.

The much needed growth he needs to achieve in how he relates to others (more specifically Tsumiki and how that is a metaphor for how he relates to his own emotional world).

Bridging opposites together (good and evil).

Taking responsibility for himself and his actions...

I mean there's just so much!

If Megumi dies at this point... ok, yes, and "what meaning will Gege give his death?" is what I would like to know to feel like it was a satisfying end to his arc.

Honestly. I just want to see Megumi work his magic. I want to see him get pissed off, like really pissed off and fed up with his fate, and I want to see how that changes him and what he makes of it.

I want to see him say "fuck this fate, I still have things I need to do."

And then maybe perhaps come to realize, once again, that he can't manipulate others because they too have a free will of their own.

I may be projecting here but... Megumi's manipulative tendencies and the way he relates to others, it feels like it comes from a place in which his inner-child has not learned that it does not need to do anything to fulfill his need to be loved.

Megumi is beloved, and its a real tragedy that he hasn't figured that out about himself.

And... if that is not relatable, then I don't know what is.

AH but thank you so much again for reaching out! Thank you for your patience too.

I hope to hear from you again especially as we get to see what our Megumi does!

[dropintomanga]

Fan Stranger, Not Danger

It’s about time for fan convention season and that means fans going out to events once more to celebrate their fandom. Even though COVID still lingers, the convention experience is worth it. That’s mostly because you get a good chance of talking to strangers that can become new friends. I want to talk about that because I want everyone to see that there’s good people out there.

I was reading a 2021 Atlantic article called “Why We Should Talk to Strangers More.” It detailed various anecdotes of people’s experiences of talking to strangers and the joy they got when talking to them. They greatly underestimated the reception they will get from the stranger and vice versa. It turns out most conversations end up being pleasant. Many things are in-play as to why people don’t talk to strangers, but talking to strangers is a beautiful thing. It’s argued that we don’t know how to talk to them due to social messaging saying that strangers in general are bad.

I recall one moment where I talked to a stranger on the way to Crunchyroll Expo 2017. I ran into a woman who was wondering which rail train to take to the convention center. So she talked to me as I was in total cosplay and I guided her to the same train I was taking. We talked for a bit and then she revealed that she worked at VIZ Media. We then talked about what was hot at the time (Haikyuu!! and Tokyo Ghoul). After we reached the convention, we parted ways and told each other to have a great time. While we didn’t become friends, I enjoyed the conversation. It got me more hyped for the convention. 

About a couple of months ago, a new user joined a mahjong Discord server I was a part of and asked about what to do at anime conventions as they were going to one for the 1st time. I chimed in and said.

“Regarding conventions, just hang around people with similar interests. Go to panels that interest you. Talk to people when you can. Take photos. Artists’ alley has some fun stuff to buy at times. I hope you get to make friends there because they make convention experiences worthwhile.“

I did check in with them later and they told me that while they may not be adept in social skills, they managed to make a friend. I considered that a success. 

What I want to say is that meeting strangers is arguably the best solution to some of life’s problems. Many popular anime/manga stories are about meeting strangers that change heroes’ lives. I think about Gintama’s introduction where Shinpachi meets Gintoki at his job and decides to join him after seeing how cool he was standing up to the Amanto. There’s many scenes in anime/manga where a disgruntled youth finds a lone badass to be inspiring and their heart tells them to go with them. There’s also the opposite where the lone badass finds peace with strangers that turn out to be the best friends they needed. The best example is Guts from Berserk as his supporting cast helped him ease the burden of helping Casca and providing him a companionship that he missed since his old Band of the Hawk days.

There’s so much conditioning in media and outside influences saying the world isn’t safe. Here’s the thing - the ones who often hurt us the most are those closest to us. When I hear stories about abuse of any kind, it is usually from someone who knows the victim well. Trauma can be caused by people who are supposed to protect/support us. I notice a lot of anime/manga characters are usually hurt because someone close to them treated them like crap.

Given how much has happened in the past 3 years, definitely reach out to someone who looks like they could be nice to talk to. You deserve a manga-esque story that can make life a bit more worthwhile and less lonely. You deserve a chance to see that people are still beautiful and trying to live the best they can despite the mercilessness of it all.