and then I essayed about Izumi

[blackballed]

I don't know if this counts as spoilers, since he's been dead in canon for at least 100 chapters and like... 2 arcs. But anyone wanting to read Gantz and not know what happens in the middle can turn back now.

Okay. Izumi has been in Thusia about 2 IC weeks now, give or take. So far he has been incredibly anti-social, assholish and sometimes just plain mean. All of these things are normal for Izumi. We are talking about a man who didn't just kill an innocent girl in canon, but killed her knowing she was Kurono's girlfriend. And he kind of enjoyed it too, but I think that was mostly because he enjoys fucking up Kurono's life. The last thing he remembers is dying stupid after killing a lot of vampires. He did it in full view of the public, and without any regard to the safety of innocents. In fact, I think he killed a whole bunch of people when he cut the train car in half. I cannot emphasize enough that he gives no shits.

Which brings me to the more interesting thing that's been happening lately. Izumi is actively being nice to and helping certain people. There are already a hand full of people who are generally acceptable to Izumi and who he gets along with in as well as he gets along with anyone. But Rebecca and Syaoran he is making a distinct effort to be kind to. Rebecca because she cooks for him, and he doesn't want to go back to trying to cook for himself. But Syaoran is a more interesting case.

Izumi found Syaoran looking lost and innocent and tiny and while this would normally turn him away, he made an effort to help and be nice. He's even protecting Syaoran out in nature, which is something he would never do for anyone who isn't HoiHoi. And before someone draws me Syaoran in a panda suit (which I kind of want to see now), it's because he needs some allies. Izumi's fear from the start was that his normal actions and tendencies would get him into trouble in the sense that the other people in Thusia would kill or kick him out when they saw him being a sociopath. If he gets some sweet innocent types to like him and trust him he thinks he will be safer and less likely get in trouble. Which is good because he's threatened to kill at least half a dozen people so far, and he meant it every time. Woe be unto the first actual vampire that comes to Thusia, Izumi won't handle that well.

Oh, and a small note to people confused by Izumi's random panda icons. In canon, on his first mission back with Gantz after being released once there is a panda along with the rest of the people that normally get pulled in. The panda (who they find out later is named HoiHoi) immediately attaches itself to Izumi and follows him into the museum while everyone else stays outside. The only strange part is that Izumi actually looks out for HoiHoi and carries him outside when things go badly. HoiHoi stays with him on later missions, and Izumi protects him without ever bringing up why. Izumi even puts him in a panda sized Gantz suit for some of them. So it's honestly just as confusing to everyone who reads Gantz that Izumi looks out for HoiHoi since he doesn't do it for ANYONE ELSE EVER. I still maintain that the only reason HoiHoi scored any points in Osaka was out of grief at losing Izumi and if he had made it to 100 he would have brought Izumi back.

I generally do not mean anything specific by using icons with HoiHoi in them, it's just an expression I want when I use one that happens to involve him carrying a panda around. Unless it's the one where he's actually rolling on the panda... then it's probably just an OOC icon.

I think I've probably said this a bunch of times before, but if Izumi is being a creeper and it's not okay with you, PLEASE let me know. I won't take it personally, I've played a lot of sociopaths and I know they aren't always people's first choice to thread with. But if you let me know I will leave you alone, I promise.






Also, question meme for Izumi and Blaze because WHY NOT?