Veil: Raised between the two, so fine that they can't see it, but it tickles them
In the first few volumes, we see so much of a couple epitomising the many subtle ways of showing intimacy. As the volume progresses, we can also see the clarity of the veil that is within Emma and Aleksander's relationship- that is, the love that is continually blossoming yet still somehow confined by this veil. Thereās sooo much love embedded in Emma & Aleksanderās subtlest, tiniest gestures that scream āI love the nearnesss of you.ā
I always say how much I love Kotteri drawing gestures esp the sequences of their hand movementsā hands with so much tenderness & warmth reaching out til their fingertips touch & fall down into the skin of another.
Volume 4 looks to me like an emphasis on Aleksanderās gaze to Emma; how Emmaās grasps allow him to surrender to her touch, leaving him to stare at her āto his heartās contentā. His eyes emanating with admiration over her beauty, wandering around as he starts to unravel her habits. Frustration of wanting to touch her & this āveilā comes in between.
Kotteri said there are scenes we feel the veil tremble slightly & I think scene 39 highlights that the most. Veil that is used to describe their relationship, intimacy & closeness & familiarity & sometimes the restraints.
One of my favourite parts in Volume 5 is Aleksander & Emma verbosely addressing their relationship that is still fringed by a thin veil yet both, so outwardly, holding onto the same fondness for each other that keeps growing. I really think that is the allure of their special connection.
Aleksander talking abt Emma, grasping the glass as he thinks of how she sees & familiarises by her touch. How Emma relishes at the mere presence of Aleksander & his ornate ways of describing her. They are just so so magnetically intimate with each other Iām so in love with them.
In Volume 6, we see what is, indeed, the first compendious dive on Emmaās inner introspection about not being able to see. We have always known that Emma sees best through the touch that come from her gentle hands, & this chapter has reiterated that more than ever.
What I love the most is reverting to this very fact; Emma was starting to see her world with dull colours, then we see Aleksander extending his hands & painting Emma with warmth, the way she has always viewed the world. Really stunning how essentially the colours were used here.
This is all just so, so beautiful! We see so much of their shared vulnerabilities to their own worries, & each time they see through another & show their admiration in their own language: which I think are all a testament to their blossoming relationship. I love them so much.
A while ago, I tumbled down the Natsyuu rabbit hole (again) and promised to pull all the best fics I was reading into a rec list. And then I completely forgot to hit publish. Very sorry for the long wait, but here it finally it is, in no particular order.
put your empty hands in mine by taizi
Kitamoto and Nishimura are soulmates, to absolutely no one's surprise.
But they're also soulmates with a very shy boy who lives somewhere far away, who writes to them in tiny, careful letters right before bed, who apologizes when the mimicry of bruises pop up on their arms and backs because of him.
And that's a surprise to a lot of people.
scrapbook by adventureboots
[image: A boy, maybe fourteen, stands on the porch of the Fujiwara household in a brand new school uniform. Slung over one shoulder is an old but well-loved leather messenger bag. In his hand is a brightly wrapped bento. The boy, although smiling, looks nervous.]
(or: Natsume learns to use a cell phone, text people back, call people first, and take pictures of his friends)
for a moment i was warm by taizi
Itās a cold day in Yatsuhara. Nyanko-sensei scoffs when Natsume says as much.
āYouāre too human if the weather still bothers you.ā
Natsume frowns. Thatās a strange thing to joke about.
So few come and don't go by taizi
Natsume is happy. Tanuma doesn't know why he doesn't feel satisfied with that.
jars and jars of jam by adventureboots
āYour parents do realize I am a grown man and not, in fact, a college bachelor in need of feeding, right?ā Shuuichi asks, cradling the rice like itās a child and politely ignoring the strange emotional acrobatics Natsumeās face performs on the word parents. āI can and do feed myself. On a daily basis, even.ā
Natsume stares at him, unreadable. Natsumeās monster cat peeks over his shoulder, ears flat and judgmental. Even Hiiragi, lurking in the kitchen, levels him with her unblinking one-eyed stare.
Never Lag Behind by Sarashina_Nikki
Natsume napping on his desk was a common sight, one that everyone in class C had long since grown used to. (Although the teachers seemed to find it less and less amusing as time wore on.)
So the castle that we built won't cave by taizi
The last time he remembers feeling this protective was probably back on the day he and Kitamoto taught Natsume how to ride a bicycle, those pleasant hours of late afternoon that swept by so fast. He had been unprepared for how thin Natsumeās shoulders would be, how fragile his back would feel under Nishimuraās hands.
The Perfect Team by Badwolf36
Touko Fujiwara is not a woman who gets easily flustered.
But she has to admit that she gets a bit nervous when Nyankichi streaks down the stairs into the living room where sheās sitting with Shigeru, the golden bell on his red collar jangling wildly.
the smallest things by taizi
In which Takashi comes into the Fujiwaras' lives much earlier on.
Only the monsters we make by taizi
Kitamoto thinks Natsumeās cat is probably a much better judge of character than Natsume is ā the cat will take a vicious swipe at anyone who tries to hurt it, after all, while Natsume will close his eyes and forgive.
The Four Noble Truths by versaphile
After Takashi opens up to his family and friends, life for him and Kaname has never been better. But as graduation looms, their futures are uncertain. They visit nearby Kumamoto to see the universities and Natori-san, but following in Reikoās footsteps reveals old pain and new peril.
A post-Reveal adventure featuring Natsume and Tanuma, the Fujiwaras being the best, the Horrible Exorcists being only sometimes the worst, the impending end of the Book of Friends, the dangers of feeling bad things for too long, and Nyanko-sensei having to do all the work around here.
Little By Little by versaphile
When the Fujiwaras planned to ask Takashi to live with them, they didnāt expect to do it from a hospital bed. When Takashiās previous guardians abandon him, Touko and Shigeru do their best to pick up the pieces, and learn how to care for a damaged boy who isnāt even sure if theyāre real.
The first month of Takashiās life with the Fujiwaras, from Toukoās perspective.
Deserving by kuragay
Takashi skips meals. It's not on purpose, but it becomes a habit nonetheless.
The first time it happens, Takashiās eight, and heās too afraid to go out of his room for dinner because that would mean having to interact with the family whoās just taken him in, and theyāre scary.
Then and Now by riventhorn
Things are different now that Natsume lives with Touko and Shigeru.
October 22-28 is Ace Week 2023, so Iād like to give a spotlight to some manga I have enjoyed that have also touched on asexuality.
I Want To Be A Wall by Honami Shirono
A 3 volume Josei manga about the lavender marriage between Gakurouta, a closeted gay man who pines for his childhood friend, and Yuriko, an aromantic, asexual BL fangirl.
She Loves To Cook, and She Loves To Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki
An ongoing yuri Josei manga with a TV adaptation about two women who bond over food. The series recently introduced Yako, an asexual lesbian, and itās possible that protagonist Nomoto may be on the ace spectrum as well.
Is Love The Answer? by Uta Isaki
A single volume josei manga about Chika, a young college student who has always considered herself an āalienā because she has no desire for romance or physical intimacy, but finds community with people like herself.
Our Dreams At Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani
A 4 volume Seinen manga about a closeted gay boy who gets to know the patrons of a drop-in center who all turn out to be part of the LGBTQ community. Someone-san might be considered a deuteragonist of the story.
Iād also like to mention two yuri manga I havenāt finished yet- I have only read the first volume of both- but because of what others have said I know they feature asexual characters!
gummygunk
izzy806
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
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