Kuranosuke My Beloved

"No you don't understandd Yakumo is my man fr!!!" I scream while they drag me into the asylum.

But on a serious note Yakumo's entire character scratches an itch in my brain I didn't even know I had.

And he's hot imo but I digress-

I feel like he's a very unique take on the trope of 'starving artist'.

When we're first introduced to him, he's passed out on the floor buck naked scratching his balls and cradling a bottle of alcohol. Unsurprisingly, this instills the idea of him being trashy aand, due to the cultural connotation of balls=funny (which I have a number of opinions about but again I digress) the reader begins to assume that he'll be a rowdy comedy relief type character.

This assumption is blown out of the water at least to an extent by the reveal of his painting during class introductions. The piece portrayed was melancholy and soulful, not to mention the incredible amount of skill present. Even though the manga is in black and white, we can still tell that the colors are rich. This kind of piece is in direct contradiction with his presented personality which is loud, straightforward, and friendly. This lets the reader know that there's more to this character than there may seem.

This is only compounded when he gives Yatora a mini history lesson during the Tokyo project mini arc. The juxtaposition of his smoking the money out of his wallet till he needs to fish to eat and deep knowledge of Japanese theatre history (which, is something that might usually be associated with more wealthy persons) add to the mystery of him. Now, he has evolved from a strange and rowdy broke guy to someone who has the ability to understand and appreciate the finer things in life, despite staying in his comfort zone of poverty, be it on purpose or by accident.

I'd also like to touch on the philosophy behind his work; to make the strongest art. It sounds like something straight out of a typical shounen piece, some broke boy striving to be the strongest. This perception is compounded when we see him associate larger paintings with stronger paintings. It seems childish at first. Just because a painting is large doesn't mean it's strong. Paintings can't even be strong in the first place. This view, however, discounts one important thing, the strength of the artist making the work. Speaking from experience, it's hard as hell to make large works, I've never even made an f100, let alone the gargantuan sizes of paintings that Yakumo churns out for every project or assignment. It takes an obscene level of endurance, focus, and drive to complete a piece of that size, and for him to do that every time without fail takes strength. I saw somewhere online that art isn't the piece, but what happens inside the artist while it's made. If the artist requires immense strength to make the piece, then the subsequent work is strong.

This takes us to the central question of Yakumo's person. What is strength? What does it mean to be strong? As with most things in this series, it's complicated.

Yakumo represents strength. Be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual strength, there are times in the story where he exhibits all aspects of it. When learning of his backstory and how he discovered art, we see that Yakumo was victimized throughout his formative years. Whether it was his so called parents, or the woman he lived with, it seemed like he was constantly subjugated to abuse. I don't know if it was middle or high school when he moved in with the mystery woman (my brain wants to think that it was middle school, but I'm not sure). Either way, he was a child who was living with an adult. We don't get it directly told to us, but it is STRONGLY implied that this lady raped and/or physically hit him multiple times throughout his stay there. He described it as hurting each other, but clearly the child being violated by a full grown adult would be hurt more than the woman victimizkng a child. Despite the hurt this caused him, when recounting his experience, Yakumo focuses more on the few good things that happened, see, his discovery of art. He doesn't act like it was all sunshine and rainbows, but he doesn't emphasize how hard things were for him. To me, the story of his past shows the extent of his mental strength. He not only persevered through his hardships, but he used it as a catalyst for his future. It takes a great amount of strength to do that.

He leaves that house, we know, and enrolls in a cram school. He works in construction at night and studies art during the day. He goes without food and spends hours learning new techniques. It takes physical strength to do that. To endure harsh conditions for that long and not crumble under the pressure requires an incredible level of endurance and, for lack of a better word (or the presence of an opportunity to use the right word) strength. Assuming that he's still working in construction (albeit with less hours assuming he's selling his works too) and going to college and chugging out competition pieces of massive size, he undoubtedly has physical strength.

On the topic of emotional strength, I cite the entire story of Sarada and her death. I spoke on the situation in my first bp post as well as the one about Yotasuke so the story of the thing is already established, but I'd like to elaborate on Yakumo's grieving process. He still used her brush. He still saved her empty canvas. He saved small reminders of her everywhere. It certainly gives an air of guilt, though nothing completely concrete. Something to consider is that he's going to school right after her death. From my knowledge of the timeline, the start of his first year in university is almost immediately after Sarada's death. To be able to not only attend university, but begin to make new friends and carry on despite still being in the throws of grief requires emotional (and mental to an extent, but I already talked about that) strength. This also adds a new context to his introductory scene. Maybe the reason he was drinking till he blacked out on his friend's floor was because his other friend died almost a month prior.

I think that spirit is somewhere in between mental and emotional. As such, I feel the culmination of strength in attitude and behavior results in strength of spirit, as well as vice versa.

Jade and Dirk fishing

John seems too excited to be a slut lol

"(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)👓"

drawing of the beta kids as a Shit post I saw not long ago

Including with/ without their symbols, (I've had this drawing done for awhile but just now remembered to post it now).

(reference image for context)

Enjoy!

playing with colors!

Today, after 15 months of torment, displacement, and living in constant fear, my family and I find ourselves in an unbearably difficult situation. Life has become a daily struggle, and everything we once knew has turned to darkness. The impact of the genocidal war against Gaza has torn us apart, leaving us facing hunger, disease, and a deep sense of loss. Most devastating of all, my sister and I have been unable to attend school, robbing us of our dreams for a better future.

Now, as we prepare to return to northern Gaza, where our home once stood, we carry with us the immense weight of loss. Our home is destroyed, and the emotional and physical scars are deep. The pain is unbearable for my family and me, but despite it all, we have not lost hope. We still dare to dream of a brighter tomorrow—a future where we can rebuild what was taken from us. My personal dream is to continue my education and achieve the goals that have always been within my reach, but now it seems so far away.

However, the road to recovery is long and steep. The cost of rebuilding our lives is overwhelming. Everything we once relied on is either gone or too expensive to restore. The price of basic necessities—food, medicine, shelter—has skyrocketed. The infrastructure is shattered, and even getting the most basic supplies has become a daily challenge. The war has left us with nothing, and with the added financial strain, continuing our education feels impossible without help.

This is why I am reaching out. My family and I need your support now more than ever. We ask not for pity, but for your compassion, your prayers, and your belief in a brighter future for us. We need your help to lift us out of the darkness and give us a chance to rebuild. My sister and I can’t continue our studies without your assistance, and my family cannot start over without your support.

I am Ahmed, and I am asking for your help with the certainty that there are still people like you in this world who believe in second chances.

Please, help us rise again.

gofundme.com

Donate to Help Gaza Families Secure Essential Needs, organized by Ahmad W

Dear Esteemed Donors, My name is Ahmad , and I am a 14-year-old resident of Khan Yo… Ahmad W needs your support for Help Gaza Families Secu

@sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @thatdiabolicalfeminist @sayruq @tortiefrancis @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @vivisectionmoth @belleandsaintsebastian @kordeliiius @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @ot3 @the-bastard-king @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @a-shade-of-blue @skatehan @awetistic-things @variantsofblue @thedigitalbard @socalgal @paper-mario-wiki @nabulsi @lesbianmaxevans @buttercupagere @malcriada @3000s @paparoach @newporters @virovac @postanagramgenerator @alivehouse @meshugenist @mangocheesecakes @wizardarchetypes @gaza-evacuation-funds @rununcal @vampiricvenus @necronatural @sealsdaily @ringneckedpheasant @cantsayidont @sabertoothwalrus @ankle-beez @who-do-i-know-this-man-s4 @omegaversereloaded @fournolee444

Heathers characters doing the 'suspect on the run' thing that's trending on tiktok rn:

*Heather McNamara running*

Veronica: suspect thinks that there's a language called 'African'

Heather M: (stops running) So what do people in that country speak?

Veronica: Africa is a continent

Heather M: ... really?

-

*Veronica running*

JD: suspect talks to herself and her diary but growls at people

Veronica: that's not true; I'm not a furry

-

*JD running*

Kurt: suspect doesn't think 'yo mama' jokes are funny

JD: (pulls out a firearm)

-

*Kurt running*

Heather Duke: (struggling to keep up, gasping for breath) suspect... has a... repressed crush on... Bo Diddley

Kurt: reporter didn't wanna do this trend because it involves running and she runs funny

Heather Duke: :(

-

*Heather Duke running*

Heather Chandler: suspect has been constipated for four weeks and hasn't digested anything since then

Heather Duke: (panting) No... it's... only been... three weeks, ...don't worry

*everyone stops running*

Veronica: only??

Heather McNamara: three weeks???

Heather Chandler: ... eh, I was close enough

-

*Heather Chandler running*

Ram: suspect has an ego larger than life

Heather Chandler: look who's talking

-

*Ram running*

Martha: suspect is very handsome :)

Veronica: no, Martha, you were supposed to be mean

Martha: why :(

Veronica: cause it's supposed to be funny

Martha: but being mean is not funny :(

Veronica: you were supposed to expose him for something embarrassing. It's fine, it's how the trend works. He won't feel bad.

Martha: oh, okay :) Suspect gave me his scab and I wore it in my locket for a year :)

Veronica: Martha, you were supposed to expose Ram, not yourself

Martha: :(

Ram: (runs into the next country because this took too many takes)

-

*Martha running*

Heather McNamara: suspect regularly quotes things from My Little Pony

Martha:

Heather Chandler:

Heather Duke:

Veronica: and you recognise the quotes?

Heather McNamara: ... it's a nice show :(

Tsuritama being basically lost media sucks SO MUCH

It's literally one of my favorite animes of all time. Maybe The favorite anime of all time. And I can't recommend it to people because it's nowhere to be found online.

Crunchyroll lost the license literally in the middle of me watching it (for millionth time) in 2020. I'm lucky I scored a bluray on ebay, and I bought that before I even had a machine that could play blurays.

It's so weird bc tumblr was just celebrating its 10th anniversary 2 years ago. And like 3 years before that I participated in a charity zine with a ton of amazingly talented artists. I don't expect a weird little stand alone anime to stay relevant forever, but now it doesn't even have a chance at gaining new fans.

Anyway I fucking love this show. The second half of it makes me bounce off the walls. If I don't watch it at least once a year (usually in april) I will lose it. I will wither. It's only 12 episodes so I'm able to feel the full spectrum of human emotion in a single sitting if I want to.

I love Sangria

Watched Princess Jellyfish recently and really enjoyed it!

Study of Daniel Craig for Belvedere Vodka