Why ya need to shut up about "shitty fanfic"

Do you know all those posts out here about being supportive of young artists and being careful with how you talk to them about their art? Or just appreciating fanart in general and not being a total asshole?

That doesn’t exist for fanfic writers.

I am so freaking tired of seeing posts talking about “what a pain it is to rake through shitty fanfic” and memes about “shitty fanfic existing in abundance” , “shitty fanfic being the only fics that update regularly”, “popular pairings having a ton of fanfic but only a few good ones”, and all this crappy attitude towards fanfics that may not be that eloquent or fandom famous.

Don’t be an asshole. Everyone needs to start somewhere. Maybe in a few years these writers will improve and make much better fanfic. Even if they don’t, they are doing something they love and should not be freaking criticized for it. Keep your ranting and opinions about “shitty fanfic” to yourself. You’re making a majority of fanfic writers feel self-conscious, unmotivated, and even more unappreciated.

Days like ‘fanfic writer appreciation day’ are super nice, but ultimately fall short unless we fix this horrid attitude fandoms have towards fanfic. 

a drawing of my own kids as my favorite kids on the slope cover 🫂

my classic piece for @kagehinabigbang in collaboration with @confuzzledsani, @morgendaemmerung89, and @/ermdelconcrete on twitter!

you can read the fic by confuzzledsani here

and more art by morgendaemmerung89 here!

Gun Gun Yogurt 🥛

overalls

Drawing other characters: damn I always use the same angle Drawing ✨Hinata✨:

Hayakawa Aki  ★  Chainsaw Man EP7

It has been more than a decade since the last time Kageyama and Hinata talked. Yet by fate’s hand they meet again in a quiet gay bar and it is like they had never lost touch. After their reunion, they begin to date in earnest and make up for the years they had missed out on.

i.e. KageHina as two slightly clumsy 39-year-old men living their best life while in love with each other.

Rating: Mature |Pairing: KageHina |Tags: Adult Au—39 year olds, Fluff and Humor, Ex Pro Athlete Kageyama, Sports Therapist Hinata, Reunions, Slice of Life

Ch. 2: [Ao3]

Excerpt:

It was a spotless blue and painfully glimmering Monday morning. It had been just two days since Kageyama had been reunited with Hinata at a gay bar and caught up on all the years they had missed of each other’s lives. Just two days since they, at their older age of 39, had decided to try their awful luck one more time at this risky game of love. Kageyama finished wrapping up morning volleyball practice and after his last player left the gym with a ‘Later, coach’, he determinedly marched across campus in the direction of the soccer fields. Though, the moment he realized that he was marching he slowed down to a paced step—he was no longer as impatient as his younger self. Or so he’d like to believe, but the fact of the matter was that he really wanted to see Hinata. They had been texting insistently for the last two days and all those silly, mundane, yet deeply warm interactions had stirred up feelings he thought were long dead. Now in front of the beige and charmingly worn-down building known as the Sports Therapy Center, he took a few breaths to calm his nerves and fortify his will. This was just Hinata. Everything felt unfamiliar and tingly because they hadn't seen each other in years, but at his core, this was still the same Hinata. With that reassuring thought he had barely convinced himself of, he opened the creaky white doors and stepped inside. The interior was brightly lit, made up of just one wide floor filled to the brim with different workstations. There were a few beds lined up on the far wall for students to lay down to ice or do electro-therapy, there was an ice bath machine, a rolling corner, and many others. But even with all the things, the handful of students, and other sports therapists—spotting Hinata barely took a second. And it wasn't because of his vibrant orange hair that caught the gold rays of the sun as if they were destined to halo Hinata's head. It wasn't even the audacious tight pink polo Hinata was wearing, or the snug fit of his light wash jeans. It was the way the room seemed to center around him. The air lulled, growing warmer, sweeter, until all eyes found themselves searching for the source. And it always led back to Hinata—to his contagious smile and musical laugh. To the buoyant life that ran through every cell of that short, beautiful man. And it made Kageyama’s chest tighten up just like the very first time Hinata had shown him that smile, a smile that pierced into his aching lonely heart and held it dearly, telling him he’d be just fine. How had Kageyama forgotten how much that smile meant to him. “Ah, Kageyama!” Hinata called out, smile spreading wider and hand waving him over. Kageyama made his way to him, arriving there just as a student was hopping off the bed Hinata was standing by. “Hey.” “You finally made it to this part of town,” Hinata said teasingly. “What’s up?” “Uh…” Kageyama glanced around them and then took a step towards Hinata as he lowered his voice. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date sometime?” Hinata laughed through his nose, eyes fondly looking up at Kageyama. “You walked all the way here to ask me on a date? Even though you could have just asked me through text?” “Oh, that’s true,” Kageyama muttered a bit awkwardly, eyebrows furrowing. “I guess I didn’t think of that.” Hinata placed a hand on Kageyama’s upper arm and gave it a gentle squeeze before quickly dropping his hand again. “I’d love to. I’ll call you tonight and we can figure out the details?” “Yeah.” Kageyama nodded. “Sounds good.” “Did you want me to show you around the place?” “No, it’s fine,” Kageyama said, taking a step back. “I pretty much got the gist by just stepping inside.” “Yeah, it’s almost always this busy in here.” “That’s tough…” Kageyama stuffed his hands in his pocket. “Well, I should head back.” “Okay!” Hinata gave him a little wave. “Talk to you later.” Kageyama gave him one last nod before turning away and heading towards the gym. He fought a smile the whole way back, arms folding across his chest as he thought about this light, but uncomfortable

feeling. It was like Hinata had blown the dust and cobwebs from Kageyama’s stilled heart and the cogs were smoothly turning again. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt nervous in the way he had just felt with Hinata, and that left a sweet aftertaste in his mouth. True to his promise, Hinata called just as Kageyama had finished washing the dishes he had used for dinner. Kageyama sat on his couch with his head resting on the wall behind it and cellphone by his ear, eyes staring up at the ceiling as he listened to Hinata fill him in on his day. Hinata’s voice was soft and a bit muffled, probably by the pillow he must have been resting his chin on. His pitch always climbed a bit when he was talking about things he loved: students whose aches were getting better, new equipment they were ordering for the center, or his favorite team winning their last match. His voice alone could keep a house warm through the winter. It was one of the things Kageyama loved about him. “Sorry, I start rambling when I’m nervous…I feel like I haven’t talked on the phone to a person I like since my college years,” Hinata admitted sheepishly. “How was your day?” Honesty. Throughout the years Kageyama had gotten much better at it, but since they were young, Hinata had always used it freely. It added to his charm. Kageyama bit back a smile and sighed into the phone, hand covering his face. “You’re stupidly cute.” After a few minutes of him stumbling through the events of his usual day of sweaty volleyball practices, creating practice plans, and filling out paperwork, Kageyama finally arrived at the meat of the conversation: their first date. For the last few hours he had thought about what this first date would look like and what would suit the both of them. He thought easing into the new dynamic was definitely the best way to approach things, so he suggested that Hinata join him on his morning run they day after tomorrow and then they’d have breakfast together at Kageyama’s apartment. They both lived close to each other and to the university, so it’d be easy to make it to work on time. “That sounds fun” Hinata agreed happily. “It’s a very you plan.” “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult.” Hinata laughed softly. “It’s a compliment, I promise… Well, now that our date is planned, I’m going to go get ready for bed.” “Yeah, it’s late. Sleep well.” “Hm. Good night, Kageyama.” Hinata’s voice was a sweet, sleepy murmur—echoing even after he had hung up. And it was sure to make its way into Kageyama’s dreams tonight.

Inspired by (and basically fanart for) @kvhottiescribe 's very good fic

Since the original fan translation for FG #1 was taken down, I figured I’d post my own version for consistency’s sake, though it’s nowhere near as good.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Doukyuusei Merchandise Shopping Guide

Do you love the Doukyuusei series by Nakamura Asumiko and want to buy merch but don’t know where or how to buy it?!

Then this guide is for you!

Please note: I’m learning as I go and this guide is written based on personal experience and is using sites and methods I’ve used myself. If anyone out there knows any other places/methods to obtain Doukyuusei merchandise, please feel free to add to this!

Manga in English

There is currently no physical release of the manga series in English. It is currently licensed by DMG and digital copies are available through JuneManga.com. Only Doukyuusei and the two Sotsugyousei books have been released so far. Keep in mind, these editions leave out several pages of insert artwork, comments, and extra stories.

Classmates https://junemanga.com/products/classmates?variant=30884444547

Graduates - Winter https://junemanga.com/products/graduate-winter?variant=30885745603

Graduates - Spring https://junemanga.com/products/graduate-spring?variant=30887577987

Or if you have a NOOK or Kindle, you can get the first book:

Classmates for Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/classmates-asumiko-nakamura/1119375418?ean=2940149608690

Classmates for Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Classmates-Yaoi-Manga-Asumiko-Nakamura-ebook/dp/B00K1IKDF8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482616319&sr=8-2&keywords=doukyuusei

Manga in Spanish

Or for those of us that are cool and know Spanish (jk lol), there is a Spanish physical release from Tomo Domo.

The books are available through their shop:

http://www.ediciones-tomodomo.com/shop

Both Doukyuusei and the Sotsugyousei books are released under the title “En La Misma Clase” with Doukyuusei being Volume 1, Sotsugyousei - Winter being Volume 2, and Sotsugyousei - Spring being Volume 3. Sora to Hara is available under the title “Sorano y Hara” and O.B. is now published under the title “Antiguos Alumnos”

Doukyusei Movie

Official North American Release is available at RightStuf:

http://www.rightstufanime.com/Doukyusei-Classmates-Blu-ray

The blu-ray set is actually really nice. The packaging is beautiful, comes with a set of postcards and a booklet with production artwork, an interview with Nakamura-sensei, and AN EXTRA STORY. It takes place right after Sajou and Kusakabe are hiding from their teachers the day of the choir festival. It’s short and really sweet <3

Dokyusei Gacho: Animation "Dokyusei (Classmates)” Visual Book

Film production art book.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-1976994

Drama CDs

These are my favorites because listening and reading along with the manga is probably the closest we’re gonna get to a movie sequel!! ;A;

Doukyuusei http://www.yesasia.com/us/drama-cd-doukyuusei-japan-version/1049652243-0-0-0-en/info.html

Sotsugyousei http://www.yesasia.com/us/drama-cd-sotsugyousei-japan-version/1049652000-0-0-0-en/info.html

Sora to Hara http://www.yesasia.com/us/drama-cd-sora-to-hara-japan-version/1049651772-0-0-0-en/info.html

O.B. http://www.yesasia.com/us/drama-cd-o-b-japan-version/1038880585-0-0-0-en/info.html

Sotsugyou Album - Doukyuusei and Sotsugyousei Official Fanbook [revised and enlarged edition]

Artbook with extra stories. Originally published in 2011, has been revised for re-release in 2016.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-1905368

**For the following items you will have to use a forwarding service such as From Japan or Tenso if you’re not a Japanese resident. I personally recommend From Japan (http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/).

Animate Girls Festival 2016 Merchandise 

Please note: As of 4/16/17 everything is sold out on the Animate official site, however you may be able still find these items on sites such as Yahoo! Japan Auctions, OtaMart, From Japan, etc…

2017 Calendar (No Longer Available)

Sajou Keychain  (No Longer Available) Kusakabe Keychain  (No Longer Available) Hara-sensei Keychain  (No Longer Available) Sorano Keychain   (No Longer Available)

Stamp  (No Longer Available)

Clearfile Set A  (No Longer Available) Clearfile Set B  (No Longer Available) Clearfile Set C  (No Longer Available)

Eco Bag  (No Longer Available)

Postcard Set A  (No Longer Available) Postcard Set B  (No Longer Available) Postcard Set C  (No Longer Available)

Notebook  (No Longer Available)

Doukyusei Anime Exhibition 2016 Merchandise

Merchandise from the exhibitions are available for mail-order from the official Doukyusei BOOTH page:

https://dou-kyu-sei.booth.pm/

Individual Links:

Doukyusei Film Artbook Collection (Set of 3)

Smartphone Case Blue Ver. (No Longer Available) Smartphone Case Yellow Ver. (No Longer Available)

Badges (Available in “A”, “B”, and “Set”)

Clearfiles (Available in “A” and “B”)

Postcard Set

Badge Set Doukyusei Gengashuu Book Doukyusei Doukyusei Sou Sakuga Kantoku Shuuseishuu Doukyusei Bijyutsu-shuu Book

Using From Japan’s shopping service:

1.) Go to the page with the item you want to buy 2.) Copy the URL 3.) Go to From Japan’s website and paste the URL into their SEARCH BAR 4.) From there it’ll take you to a form that you fill out, the form is pretty self-explanatory so just fill it out :D

Please note: If you’re ordering different items you have to fill out a form for each item, even if they are from the same shopping site!

OtaMart

OtaMart is a shopping site and app exclusively for anime and otaku goods! As a plus, it’s really easy to order from them as they work with From Japan!!

Click here to search the “Doukyuusei” tag or enter any of the kanji listed below into the search engine!

As with anything, make sure you read the descriptions to make sure you know what you’re getting!!

Other Stuff

If you’re looking for something else not mentioned above, try searching Ebay, From Japan, OtaMart, etc. If you searching on a Japanese site, here’s some helpful kanji for your searches.

同級生 (“Doukyuusei”) 中村 明日美子 (“Nakamura Asumiko”) 卒業生 (“Sotsugyousei”)

I think that’s it! If you have questions please let me know and I’ll try to answer as best as I can!! :D

Stitched the vol.1 and vol.2 cover art together!!

for anyone who cares, blanc came 2nd in the best series category in the chil-chil 2021 BL awards, losing only to given by 798 points!

I commissioned this lovely piece from @oysterrr based on a scene from my KageHina fic, The Clothes We’ve Borrowed. They are so precious!! 

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921880

Preorders for Eternal: A Kagehina Zine are open! 

A love that spans 150 pages, multiple time periods, and many countries!

December 1st - January 15th 

Store: https://hqeternalzine.bigcartel.com

What are you?

Would I slow down to a near halt, to understand you a little longer?

—

for @meguriau-futari