#yeah i rereading manga again

[shoujo-neko]

Kashino in 14

Meanwhile 10 years later

[suckishima]

thinking about what an insane opportunity this is for the first years at this camp. the full extent of it only hit me this time around but like, yeah ushijima is a super cool player that they all know and revere as almost a celebrity (and deservedly so ofc, he's nationally ranked and is on THE youth national team), but more than that, by this point in time he's done playing high school volleyball. if their schools didn't play him during prefecture qualifiers, they never had a chance to play against him and never would (other than goshiki and the shiratorizawa ball boys), and now because they were invited to this camp they get to play against him, watch his nuances in real time, feel the sting of his serves on his arms, and ask him questions, learn from him, learn what it truly takes to be on his level

and now i'm thinking about how every single character (except kunimi) from a previously named school who is at this camp eventually goes on to play professional volleyball 😭😭😭 like wow how much of that had to be from ushijima's impact and the opportunity that washijo let them have here. it really is about connecting on and off the court. insane INSANE

[kyouka-supremacy]

( •_• )

[meownotgood]

nothing in chainsaw man will ever hit me harder than this quote right here

[soldier-poet-king]

Fran's Autumn Reads

October

Dr. Greta Helsing #1&2: Strange Practice & Dreadful Company - Vivian Shaw

Mo Dao Zu Shi: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vol. 3&4 - Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Faithful and Virtuous Night - Louise Glück

The Cemeteries of Amalo #2: The Grief of Stones - Katherine Addison [reread]

Naruto vol. 40-42 - Masashi Kishimoto

Let Us Compare Mythologies - Leonard Cohen

The Game of Courts (Lays of the Hearth-Fire Novella) - Victoria Goddard

November

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

Mo Dao Zu Shi: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vol. 5 - Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Lays of the Hearth-Fire #1: The Hands of the Emperor - Victoria Goddard [reread]

Féonie and the Islander Regalia & Traditional Culture Days at Uni (Lays of the Hearth-Fire Short Stories) - Victoria Goddard

The Queen's Thief #2&3: The Queen of Attolia & The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner [reread via audiobook]

Trigun Maximum vol. 4 - Yasuhiro Nightow

Thornhedge - T Kingfisher

The Doomsday Books #2: A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel - KJ Charles

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Discworld: Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett

December

Murderbot Diaries #7: System Collapse - Martha Wells

Simon Snow #1: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America - Matt Kracht

The Tarot Sequence #1-2: The Last Sun, The Hanged Man - KD Edwards

The Tarot Sequence Novella & Bonus Short Stories: The Sunken Mall, Tales from Quarantine, The Separation, Amnesia - KD Edwards

The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle

Saint of Steel #4: Paladin's Faith - T Kingfisher

The Masquerade #3: The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

Color, Taste, Texture - Matthew Broberg-Moffitt

[ladsofsorrow24]

i really should further the "go reread chainsaw man" agenda because some people read it in one go then come out with Very Wild conclusion

[jacksintention]

I really can't stand Gil

[righteousdelusions]

funny that yoshida is actually the one who will be in trouble with his shady organization, not denji. denji asks what's gonna happen and yoshida deflects with his "i won't let you eat this cake" flirting.

yoshida, denji doesn't even know your name why would he care if you're in trouble, someone needs some manipulation lessons

[onepiexe]

i love how so many tuals are into one piece and liveblog it / talk abt it. god bless.

[kuramirocket]

Me: I like how the first thing I saw when I opened tumblr is this book

*shows mom a book with an Ice Dragon on the cover* (I will consume any media with dragons. No questions asked).

Me: Speaking of books, I'm waiting for a package to arrive tomorrow.

Mom: What did you buy?

Me: Like I said, 'speaking of books.' Books.

Mom: More books?!!

Me: ..Yes.

Me: I know I still have a bunch of unread books to read and I will get to them, but I wanted to buy these books first!

[foxwarren-art]

Been thinking abt black butler again,, I should re-read it

[monstertidbits]

i don't know why it took me so long to pinpoint the exact problem izutsumi had with laios specifically; yeah she was nasty towards everyone at first but she was much worse when it came to laios and he's the one she took the longest to warm up to. then i reread the series and got to ch43 and just.

it's clear why she can't stand laios at all: he's the leader. he's the one who calls the shots, he's the one everyone follows and as it seems, they obey even if what he suggests makes them uncomfortable. and she hates that, because she just managed to run away from the nakamoto clan, she's finally free. even laios simply being caring and concerned for her makes her mad, because she feels this is him being condenscending just like how her old party was.

at first, he seemed like some weirdo who likes to indulge himself and doesn't take into consideration everyone else's opinion. that's why he's the one she struggles to understand and accept as a friend the most in her new party, keeping up this attitude of hers for quite a while. but a lot has happened after she joined the party and she saw this man helping his friends, putting them before him and saving them time and time again, and taking matters into his own hands instead of passively waiting for a miracle, just like her; especially when he took responsibility for his sister's current state and killed her on his own. albeit wary at first, she came to respect him and his choices. so when he asked her to do this one thing, she didn't even protest:

she simply asked him about his promise to reunite with everyone, with his friends. and then she followed his lead, even though he didn't answer her, because he didn't need to; izutsumi already decided to put her trust in him, whatever the outcome may be. their relationship is another example of laios's struggle with leadership in the manga and being considered a rather unusual leader, and that makes their interaction in chapter 95 so much more sweet and meaningful:

this is her giving back for all that he has done for them in this journey. she comes back to him, to give him advice and encouragement and tell him that everyone cares enough about him to want to struggle for him, too, just like he did for them. she's the one to help him clear his head when he needed it most. and this chapter purposely starts with her being surprised at being called laios's "comrade", because it's about her not only accepting him as the leader, but as her friend too.

[winterlogysblog]

Nasiens and Kiane Parallels

So... there's this post that made me want to reread 7ds and 4kota solely for the purpose of finding parallels between Nasiens and Kiane and I found some.

Popped Collars

This may just be a coincidence since there are multiple characters that has popped collars in their outfit designs but there is something I found interesting here.

There have been four Nasiens drips so far. We have his initial drip, the one that Anne gave them, the one that the crew got from Liones, and his time-skip drip. Out of those four, there are two that have popped collars. His initial design and his time-skip outfit.

We saw him wear this specific design motif in his home and homeland.

Looking back in 7ds, after King got his full wings and his outfit design changed, he has a popped collar. Even in the two different designs Nakaba gave him in 4kota he kept that popped collar

When Diane had her outfit change in Season 3 she wore something with a popped collar and her current outfit has a popped collar as well.

Oh and guess who also has popped collars

The Rock Throwing

Pretty self-explanatory. I don't need to explain

The length of Nasiens' pants

Again... maybe this is just a coincidence.

In a sense, King's pants make sense design-wise. His Sin tattoo is just right above his ankle so in order to show it his pants need to look the way it does.

In total, there have been three instances where Nasiens's pants stops right below his knee, just like King's.

Condensed Power

This is the part where I may just be looking too hard into things but like... the way Nasiens does this just has the same vibes as Condensed Power. You know that thing that King did that one time that essentially thought Meliodas Trillion Dark, yeah that.

Nasiens and King are first introduced with an antagonist-type energy

The first time King shows up is when Gilthunder is talking to him about the other Sin's movements, there's an implication that they are working together and since at the time Gilthunder is already established as an antagonist the idea of King possibly being an antagonist too is placed.

These two panels are the only ones actually shown in the anime. A post-credit scene too and in the manga there's more to it. King seems independent, and he has his own motives and doesn't want anyone getting in his way. If anything this shows King as a potential threat to both the Holy Knights and the Sins.

Then, the first thing King did was try to kill Ban so yeah.

In Nasiens' case, the fairies of the Gorge hyped him up to be a bad guy and his appearance and actions matched this.

We first met Nasiens and Diane in some type of Foresty place

Forest of White Dreams and Echo Gorge

[maoam]

sorry if youve already talked about this, but i wanted to get your thoughts on sasuke in these panels..maybe im looking too much into it and its not that deep, but i was rereading gaiden recently and i just feel like theres something here im missing. sakura even looks a little confused/worried in the bg. the way he talks is kinda cryptic, especially with how they put quotation marks around "cooperation". like?? am i crazy or is there something going on here. its like hes vaguely referring to something that only he and naruto know about. not to mention how sullen he seems...what do you think?

No you're not imagining it, Sasuke is clearly a bit sad and snidey here. Naruto looks taken aback by his words too, sweating nervously. Naruto didn't hesitate wanting to go with Sasuke and leaving his own family in the process, but Sasuke declined his offer.

It seems Kishi left it up in the air what's going on here, but clearly it's to show not everything is okay between these characters. Sakura is like a third wheel here, also very nervous.

Sasuke knows Naruto loves him, and Naruto knows Sasuke loves him. But Sasuke also knows Naruto felt hesitant and conflicted, with all the expectations and burdens on his shoulders. They both had even bigger responsibilities now after the war.

And while it's obvious Kishi wrote them to be in love, he can't say it too obviously, so he leaves these clues for us to patch together, to make some sense of why the hell are they married to Hinata/Sakura. He will leave implications that Sasuke never kissed Sakura, that Naruto doesn't want to go home even if Shikamaru could take over his mundane duties like counting on headbands. He will write some bimbo fangirls fawn over Naruto and Hinata walking in the park, talking about how they make a perfect couple because Naruto is the war hero/Hokage candidate and Hinata is the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Very shallow reasons, and we know how Kishi isn't too fond of fangirls. But those reasons make sense, considering NH marriage is appearance only, without the kind of deep love Naruto feels for Sasuke. Naruto settled for her, because that's what everyone expects from him.

And Sasuke isn't happy. But he loves Naruto, so he will stand by his side regardless. And in Boruto manga, there was the scene where Sasuke gave his headband to Boruto, and Boruto asked if it's okay, isn't this the symbol of the bond between you and my dad (which shows Kishi definitely didn't forgot, which some people might otherwise claim)? If you remember, at the end of chapter 699 Sasuke said he will keep holding onto it until him and Naruto finally settle things between the two of them. The chapter where Sasuke gave Boruto the headband and talked with him also had Sarada and Mitsuki at the same time talk about one's true, inner romantic feelings and being honest about them. Mitsuki suggested Sarada likes Boruto like that, and Sarada suggested the same about Mitsuki liking Boruto as well. Like? And Sarada also reminds us once again that Sasuke spends more time with Boruto than with her. Lol.

So yeah, that moment is just yet another clue to show Naruto and Sasuke aren't happy with their lives, but they are doing their best for the sake of the future. But since Sasuke gave away the headband, it feels like something is gonna happen...

[doumadono]

Ahh, I hope I'm not late for Sinful Sunday,

cuz I love your writing sm and I was rereading the kny manga and just couldn't stop thinking about Douma with a size kink, LIKE WHY IS HE SO TALL AND BIG ACTUALLY, I just want him to manhandle me so bad🫣😭

A/N: thank you for your kind words about my writing. Yes, Douma is so tall and handsome, and I'm certain he would have a massive size kink, being so turned on just by looking at your small, fragile body ♥

SINFUL SUNDAY

“Fuck, Douma!" You can’t breathe from the stretch; you thought two of his fingers would be enough, thought one orgasm would make you slick enough to take him. “Douma, ah!"

He grins, pecking your lips before he sits up, pulls his fingers out slowly. “You’re too small," Douma jokes, “At least I know that pussy’s gonna feel like a vice when I finally fit.”

“Any pussy’s gonna feel like a vice around your dick, Douma-sama,” you smile.

“Yeah, but I only want yours, lotus." He grins, leaning down to kiss you again. “You know,” Douma props himself up over you, pinning your hips to the bed with his tummy, your legs splayed either side of him, “I don’t have to be inside you to get us both off.”

You nod, “I do know. What are you thinking about?”

He kisses you, then ducks his head to kiss your neck, moving down your body with a trail of nips and licks and kisses and faint scrapes of teeth. He stops just below your bellybutton, eyes dancing with mischief as he looks up at you. “My dick might not fit, but my tongue will.” He laughs, hands moving to the underside of your thighs, holding you open for him. “So pretty and small, so sexy.”

You clench around nothing, drawing his gaze to your waiting hole.

With no more preamble, he ducks down, licking a long stripe up your slit and seals his lips around your clit, groaning at the taste of your wet heat, eyes locked on your face.

It’s like being devoured, like he’s a starving man, and you’re an all-you-can-eat buffet, like you’re giving him the best thing on earth just by letting him eat you.

He can’t keep his rainbow eyes on you for long, giving in to your taste, groaning again as his mouth moves down, licking at your pussy, thrusting his tongue inside you as his nose bumps your clit, all his senses full of you. He could stay here for the rest of his life and never get bored.

“F-Fuck, Douma!" Your hands move to his silver hair, tugging the strands as he somehow moves closer, trying to suffocate himself in your cunt. “So good, Douma, so good, right there!” You grind your hips into his face, and his grip tightens on your thighs, thumbs digging into your soft flesh, hard enough to leave bruises over the recently healed ones he’d already left, fitting his hands in the same spot as though there’s a permanent imprint of him on your skin.

Your body seizes and spasms, relaxes and tenses all at once, your neck bared and strained as your cries fill the air.

The noises he makes as he laps at you, works you through your orgasm, brings you down slowly, are downright obscene; wet slurps, rough groans as you gush over his tongue. Douma could live between your legs if you let him.

"Douma," you gasp.

He positions himself at your slick entrance and easily pushes in.

You let out a loud growl, your head rolling back as his length stretches your pussy out. "Oh, yes, Douma-sama, yes!"

His hips snap as he thrusts hard into your pussy, his pace relentless. Douma lifts both of your legs and rests them against his shoulders, his balls slapping against your ass with every thrust he makes. His pace quickens, and soon the chamber is filled with nothing but your moans and his guttural grunts until he reaches his climax, spilling his seed into your pulsating cunt.

"Mmm, that's it, my lotus. My little, beautiful flower."

[kurisus]

Noragami: Final Chapter thoughts

For the last time :') I've been making these for roughly half the manga's runtime, both in chapter count and years. Which is wild to think, but anyway, spoilers under the cut. One final time.

I really spent the first half of this chapter with bated breath alternating between being relieved that Hiyori is okay and grew up to be a doctor and everything, and stressed about where Yato was and where her memories were. Then Yato showed up, and I think I burst into tears out of hysterics. They really got me, I thought he was gone.

That aside, it was an excellent chapter. I was right when I said that this would just be an epilogue and the true suffering was over, but god. god. I'm relieved they gave me that open ending and the chapter was mostly good old-fashioned Noragami silliness. With the expected gut punches.

It's probably a good thing that Yuka never got to reunite with her brother, but at least knows that he's resting in peace. That he was given a proper burial by someone who, at the time, barely knew him but wanted to make things right anyway. Great now I'm crying again.

Hiyori's pocket with the little capyper keychain she bought forever ago. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Yato's CPR being so intense it cracked Hiyori's ribs. god he was so desperate to save her. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

HER TOUCHING HER LIPS WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Fujisaki getting nostalgic seeing tall grass (as we know from the omake is called kaya) was weirdly touching. Though Father has faded, Kaya is the one that is still remembered. We never got to learn his real name, and while I am still curious about it, I can see the purpose--by not knowing his name, we the readers don't give him a lifeline.

That's not the only fourth wall lean in the final chapter. There was also Yato being able to save himself by becoming a meme, much like how the fandom and Adachitoka have memed on him for years as well.

Back to the chapter, it looks like Father's consciousness had always been lurking alongside Fujisaki's, maybe making him do things from time to time, which is really weird and creepy. Maybe he was dormant until the Yomi arc, but either way he's been doing this to a dozen other guys over the centuries. I'm glad the cycle was broken.

It's hilarious that Fujisaki tries to ask Hiyori out and she's just like haha not interested coo phone be upon ye.

I'm so glad the cherry blossom party has become an annual tradition with even more gods invited to the party. I'm also so glad that Yato refuses to release Kazuma and Bishamon apparently makes it a point to bully him about this whenever she sees him. But also, Kazuma doesn't seem to want to be released. He's just like yeah whatever man I'm glad you saved us. Cheers.

Side note, Kazuma's new glasses look a lot like the ones he was wearing in that 100 years ago flashback of him and Bishamon, around chapter 68 or 69 I think?

So we also get to see the aftermath of what happened to Yukine--he still transforms into a wolf every now and then, because much like how Nora transforms into a snakelike creature whenever she loses control of her emotions, his form is a wolf, and unlike Nora he's always been very emotional. So the nightmares come out and Yato's left with a giant wolf thrashing around in their shared living space lol, but at least his dad is there to hug him :')

WAIT STOP PAUSE EVERYTHING IT LOOKS LIKE THEY SHARE A BED NOW. I JUST COLLAPSED INTO A BALL.

AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH

The panel of Yato hugging him made me lose it again. THEY'RE SOOOOOOOO.

So we never did get to find out what happened to Yukine's father--but as I pointed out in the reread I did during December, I don't think it matters. Yukine wasn't going to exact revenge on him anyway because he's not the kind of person to do so.

The page of Nora reading Hiyori's diary also made me so sad. Hiyori's right--she probably did have parents who loved her, but she never got to meet them. One thing I noticed throughout this manga is shinki habitually chasing something relating to their pasts. Yukine craves a good relationship with a father figure, Kazuma is obsessed with Bishamon because he missed out on marrying a girl he loved, Daikoku acts like a dad to every child he meets because he died before having his own kids, and like Yukine, Hiiro craves the parental love she never had. And as Hiyori pointed out, being given a name by Father was like being given life.

Since we didn't get to see what became of her name situation, but Yukine still bears the Hagusa name, she must still have Mizuchi. If her master is gone, can she still draw borderlines? Does she hang around with Yato and Yukine still? Adachitoka didn't say Kofuku DIDN'T name her, so...

The way Hiyori remembered Yato because of his scent had me SOBBING, yall. She didn't forget, but she did solve her problem and it was solved by people, just like they've been saying throughout the manga. But now, they can be together again. Yato was away from her for some years, and maybe he'll leave for several more (it's been a repeated thing in the manga that he'll insist he has to stay away for her own good), but the point is that even if it's been years and years, she'll always remember him. It's open-ended, but that just means it can be my preferred ending of Hiyori not forgetting but choosing to distance herself. She'll meet up with Yato and Yukine every once in a while living her own, separate, fulfilling life. They've been watching over her all these years anyway.

And so, that brings us to the close. It's as happy an ending as we could have possibly gotten, and above all else, I'm relieved. I've been saying for...years, probably, that I want an open ending, but I really thought it was off the table with recent events.

Final hangups are the same as they were in my final reread (tagged under #Noragami reread on my blog), so I won't repeat them, but the bottom line is that I got everything I wanted out of this ending--except maybe a trio hug? But that interior illustration of the four of them, all smiling and happy, Yato's arm around his sister, made up for that. I kind of wish there was a Yatori kiss for real, but the panel of her touching her lips also assuaged that.

Anyway, I'm not sure what other manga would/will make me unhinged enough to type up monthly thoughts posts for years, but I'll be tuned in to whatever new Adachitoka has coming up. Whether it's a full series, a short series, or just a oneshot, I'll be reading every word. I'm also looking forward to getting the final volume once it releases here, and praying for an artbook announcement.

Thank you for reading! I have some posts to make, some projects to plan, and I'll be diving into the tag once more for old times' sake. This won't be the last of me!