#we need broody sadboys who are also not afraid to hug or cling to their friends

[unluckyxse7en]

So I've been rereading Dragon Knights recently. I love it, it's a terrible manga and idk that I'd necessarily recommend it even for how much I adore it, BUT. I HAVE to direct everyone's attention to this page because there's a sequence of actions happening that literally No One is talking about in or out of context of the story and it's cracking me up.

Ok so ignoring the dialogue and what's Actually happening, we're following the guy with black hair (Rath) and his proximity to the guy with the scars (Thatz). Reading left to right, top to bottom:

panel 1: Rath is leaning over Thatz's shoulders, presumably by this point it was to get a better look at what they've been scrutinizing. Excusable levels of contact.

Panel 2: Thatz has pulled away to get the stick from the kid Zoma. Rath is Nowhere to be seen in this panel.

Panel 3: Rath is once more perched against Thatz's shoulders, implied like in panel 1. However, since this has NOT been continuous contact, this suggests that either Thatz repositioned himself back in front of Rath (possible, not unlikely but awkward); or Rath followed after and closed the gap himself (possible, likely, and not as awkward a position for him to recreate); or perhaps even a mix of both actions. Either scenario means the physical closeness has been Intentionally recreated Exactly.

Panel 4: Thatz has once more pulled away, naturally, to fling the stick with all his bodily might. This was probably unnecessary given they're trying to observe it but either way Rath is once more Not Visible anywhere in the panel.

Panel 5: the stick in the abyss.

Panel 6: now Everyone is stacked on top of Thatz to get a closer look at the stick, Rath included. Obviously this is done for the sake of the gag, but this means that Once More someone intentionally closed the gap, most likely Rath, who is now Also hugging Thatz loosely in the process.

Bonus note, the following page: now, despite there being no more stick to watch, what little you can see of the adjacent page shows them Still in the same position based on the angle and placement of their faces of the visible panel.

And like. You can obviously argue that the author just wasn't paying attention to staging, I don't think that'd be entirely a first. However, both characters by this point have repeatedly demonstrated either a lack of personal space boundaries (Thatz) or a tendency to be very physically affectionate and almost clingy (Rath), on top of being close with each other in general, so you can also easily argue that this sequence of events happened Exactly As Implied and have it be just as if not more likely canon than any more sensible alternative renditions of this scene.

And that just cracks me up to consider, especially when this paints the mental image of zooming the camera out a little to see Rath toddling after Thatz like a baby chick for the entire scene.