Frieren Art Nouveau Style

Some old generation loss art!

I've been wanting to redraw some genloss screenshots recently...

Rick’s Garage.

Last bit of art for now bc I worked hard.

first date

no thoughts, head empty, just mysterious small town au

grian is a journalist who got into some trouble after digging too deep into a missing persons’ case; pearl invites him over to stay in her small town since he needs the peace and quiet. he thinks itll just be a simple vacation, but finds the town and its inhabitants to be far more than they seem.

More Mabel

I just gotta say, Denji really is just built different than other horny anime protagonists. No matter how many times he assures himself (and the audience) that he wants sex and pleasure, he pretty much never asks for those things outright from anyone.

Power finds out about his goal and makes the bargain of her own free will, and ultimately Denji learns that transactional intimacy is an unfulfilling trap.

Himeno offers the tongue kiss as a reward, which Denji accepts, but doesn’t ask for. She then sexually assaults him, and Denji ultimately rebukes her advances, where other protagonists might not have.

Reze is also the one seducing and pressuring Denji into taking things farther, but Denji is NEVER the one pushing her forward, simply happily following her lead.

Even with Makima post Gun Devil arc, Denji doesn’t even ask for his original wish (having sex with her). This time it might be more due to the recent trauma he’s feeling and his wish to be numb and happy, rather than fulfilled in his own goals, but either way he DOESN’T ask!

And now, with Asa, he could have asked for a kiss or a grope, but he didn’t. He asked for a second date. A chance to grow closer and learn more about this person.

Regardless of Makima’s generally untrustworthiness and manipulative nature, I think one of the biggest lessons for Denji (and the teenagers reading this story) is her first lesson on intimacy. Everything sexual feels better when there is trust, desire, and understanding from both sides. This is ultimately why Denji’s “relationships” keep failing - there is little to no honesty from his partners, so no trust or understanding can really come from them.

Also, as exemplified in his relationship with Power, Denji discovers that there can be intimacy that is distinct from lust. He can be naked in the bath with her, but not feel turned on at all, because he isn’t just a horny stereotype, he recognizes the humanity of women and how to be close with them without just lusting after their bodies.

Idk, I feel like this is a little all over the place but damn, I love the care with which Denji has been crafted - idiosyncrasies and all. It’s what makes him so human, and so compelling.

erm, meow?

sunshiney characters who adore the mean grumpy character, platonically or romantically, but not DESPITE them being mean as if that isn’t who the other “really” is deep down. they love it. they think the other is the funniest cleverest most delightful person alive

Can’t stop thinking about how clever this is:

How Fujimoto is illustrating the emotional distance between Asa and Denji physically, by putting space between them, then heightening that with the speech bubble?!

Asa’s posturing is creating a wall. She's more concerned with spitting out these facts rather than getting to know Denji, or showing any vulnerability herself. She’s leaving no space for them to say anything else or to understand each other.

Even the facts themselves reinforce this distance, serving as an allegory for the situation. Indirectly, they reference Asa and Denji’s traits and secrets.

How anemones can go a long time without food or proper care? Denji grew up hungry, without anyone to look out for him.

How anemones actually house anemonefish? How they survive alongside each other in a symbiotic relationship? Couldn’t be that both Asa and Denji also have symbiotic relationships with the devils living inside of them!

How there are lots of types of starfish but not all of them are star-shaped? There are lots of devils/fiends and they don’t all look like what we might expect. Asa and Denji similarly don’t know that the other is a fiend by appearance.

How starfish can eat practically anything? Uhhh. Denji. No further explanation.

How they’ll rip off their own arm to survive a predator? Asa is currently sacrificing her own morals to turn Denji into a weapon and escape Yoru. (This could also be possible foreshadowing where Asa will sacrifice herself/her physical body to save her morals instead — idk only time will tell). And let’s not forget how Denji sold his body parts to pay off his dad’s debt. Also the ripping out of his heart.

How they strip starfish down to eat them in the Kumamoto prefecture? Asa has to get to know Denji beyond surface level to create a good weapon out of him (which she’s currently avoiding doing now). Also also, to put it mildly, Denji's stripping down of the Control devil.

Alternatively, we could also say that the speech bubble is bridging the space, but with nothing but pretense.

Anyway. More than excited to see where this all goes. I can’t freaking handle it 😭!!