Scales and Tales

This might be my favourite volume thus far! Despite a rocky start - including a false Muraki Again alarm - it's full of really adorable moments between Hisoka and Tsuzuki and some general insights into Hisoka's character, some funny Tsuzuki-Tatsumi exchanges, and ends with a sweetly charming mystery.

( Hisoka. )

( So much Hisoka/Tsuzuki teasing! )

( Tatsumi and Tsuzuki )

( Other stuff. )

( Non-story chitchat )

But other than that, I really did enjoy this book pretty much all the way through, with very minor hiccups, and I hope that's a hopeful sign for my experience with future volumes!

The bonus story featuring de-aged!Tsuzuki and Watari was short and cute as well, though in a slightly-too-twee/Not My Kink kind of way. I'm sure some fans were made very happy back in the day, though. :D

This one's a change in pace - several short stories, instead of one long narrative.

( Thoughts on the first short story. )

( Second story, which may be my favourite thus far. )

( The third story, with a completely different tone. )

In summary: THIS MANGA, YOU GUYS!

In an effort to keep myself on track with various things, including posting, here's a round-up of where my current fannish efforts are focused.

Rewatching Nirvana in Fire
I've just started this, so if anyone wants to join in - either rewatching, or as a first-time viewing - I'd love to have company. :D At the moment I'm just four episodes in. If other people are interested in watching along, we can come up with a specific schedule and I'll make regular posts designated for discussion! If it ends up being just me, I'll probably be quieter about it; I feel like I've flooded everyone with NiF reactions lately, and you've all been very patient about it and deserve a break in return. :D

Reading Yami no Matsuei
I started this a while ago but got sidetracked, so I plan to start over at the beginning. I'll try to post after each volume completed, to avoid being sidetracked again. No specific schedule in mind, but I should manage at absolute minimum a volume a week.

Watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Believe it or not, I've never watched FMA:B before! I didn't want to watch it before finishing the manga, and when I'd finished the manga it wasn't readily available, so it's taken me all this time to get round to it. :D The first anime will probably always be my true love, but for completion's sake I do want to get through Brotherhood as well. There may not be much to post about, though, given that this is the third incarnation of FMA for me.

Reading new SF/F from my To-Be-Read Pile
Most of my reading thus far this year has been rereading, but this pile needs to shrink, and this year is as good as any. :D No idea what will call to me first when I start going through it, but as long as I pick something, it's progress! (Reminder to self: take a picture of the pile and post it!)

Rec Some Fics
The lack of fic recs in this journal is just sad. Gotta get back in that rec habit, even if it means stumbling through different ideas on how to approach it till I hit on one that works. (By fandom, by trope, by length?) DW friends, if you have suggestions for recs you'd like to see, now is the time to toss them out here! I had fun posting about Identity Porn, and I've made at least one other post about a beloved trope before, so maybe that's a good approach. Or maybe it should be under a separate heading like "Write Some Meta" that would include stuff like characterisation notes and thoughts on archive warnings.