pumpkinmetaphor

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my full comic for @ohshc20thzine

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the prettiest 💎

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I was curious if you had any headcanons or opinions on Nanako that you like...? I really like her character, too, and the idea of her and Hikaru sounds fun if a but messy lol. I personally see her as aromantic more so, but I also wasn't really convinced of KyoKao until I saw your blog and now I'm reading more fics of them. Ty if you share!

Hi anon! Sorry for the delay, it's been hectic. I love Nanako. Love her. Headcanons are a funny thing to me because often I don't think about it (outside of my naturally biased interpretations of canon) until I'm writing and then I'm like "huh...WOULD she drink that? What music would she like? Would she get that reference?" So I'll try solidify a few thoughts into points. -I think she's probably not so much of a bitch usually, it's just that her and Kyoya bring out the worst in each other. That said, I think she can stir shit like the rest of them. -There's definitely an inclination on my part to treat Nanako's characterisation as a "cool girl" or "rebel child" from the perspective of a European, given she's living in Spain, and view her dissent against cultural norms as dissent against European conservativism rather than dissent against Japanese conservativism, and to view that dissent as perhaps stronger than it really is. Nanako is independent, carefree, liberal yes- but from the perspective of conservative Japanese rich kids, specifically Kyoya for whom filial piety is a mouthful of a middle name. Nanako is a bit wild for them, but I think for us the audience there's a tendency to exaggerate her behaviour to make her wild to us as well- because I think for a lot of western readers, moving away from home for college and refusing to drop out of college and come home to marry a strange man just because your father demands it and, yes, flirting and drinking a little bit isn't really that rebellious. So there's definitely a tendency in my own head to amplify those traits that isn't wholly accurate to her characterisation that I have to at times stamp out. -In a similar vein, Nanako has interests and vocations and is very principled about them. She's smart, she's good at what she does, and she's dedicated. Kyoya has a tendency to undervalue what she wants and view her as undisciplined because he doesn't understand it/doesn't view it as beneficial/and thinks it's childish to put a strain on your family relationships over something he views as petty. But that's why Nanako is Kyoya's narrative foil. And also Kyoya's wrong. -Jumping off THAT, I think I've spoken before about the fact that what makes Nanako so interesting is that she is this very last minute foil to Kyoya. Nanako is, in many ways, a reflection to the audience of Kyoya's future. He to will be told to marry someone his father wants him to marry, put his life on hold, live the life his father expects him to if he ever hopes to inherit. But the point of contention between Kyoya and Nanako is that Nanako just won't do it and Kyoya sees that decision as childish- because he views the fact that he ultimately *will* do it as a testament of his own maturity. In the same way Nanako has to compromise her need for freedom with her desire to please her father, Kyoya must make that decision for himself in the future. I don't think he fully gets that at the end of that chapter, but I think it would take a lot more self introspection for him to admit even slightly that he could relate to Nanako. (side note: an important distinction to make as well is that Nanako wants to please her father because she loves him and he loves her. They once had a good relationship that has since become strained. Kyoya never had that relationship with his father to repair in the first place.)

-I don't think you'd get by on the continent for that long without a growing appreciation for Europop, but I think she probably listens mostly to lower key stuff like jazz and folk rock.

-I think she dates, casually. I can see her maybe having one long term relationship in her late teens that she bails on when it starts to turn into the exact kind of thing she's running away from (marriage, kids, etc.) and otherwise I think she treats dating like a cultural exchange. It's fun! Don't get any ideas. I think I outlined some of my feelings about NanaHika here. Ultimately my NanaHika manifesto is. Uh. I can't find it, but there was a tweet someone made once about Pete Davidson where they said that Type A women go to a guy like that after a break up because they have so many plates spinning that they want to come home to a guy who doesn't have unrequested advice, isn't egotistical enough to think he has any insight she hasn't thought of, and just hits them with a "that sucks, babe :(" and a soda

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redraw of screencap from Ouran High School Host Club (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

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watched ohshc and it was life changing

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Karou sketches because I love him

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I'm back on the ohshc bs :/

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im pretty sure its a running joke in the kyokao fandom that they actively make each other worse which i think is absolutely hilarious (because like, yeah annoying capitalist x annoying capitalist) but what are some of the ways you think they improve each other? :D /gen

Great question!

I think Kyoya makes Kaoru more ambitious. Kaoru is smart enough to skirt by most of the time without much effort or forethought. I would not hesistate to believe that he and Hikaru are only doing like half their subjects and then taking tests for each other. I also think Kaoru is immature and nebulous about the future and what he wants from it.

Someone like Kyoya, who is very goal oriented and future focused would be somewhat of a motivating factor. Hikaru and Kaoru's decision to go to Tokyo University is more triggered by Haruhi and Nanako than Kyoya's still pending decision to stay in Boston, but I think Kyoya seeing what he wants and going for it is impressive. I think Kaoru would take his work more seriously, maybe take more of an interest in the business side of things if Kyoya made it more fun.

Meanwhile, I think Kaoru would motivate Kyoya to reevaluate what he thinks freedom means. Freedom is Kaoru's family motto and something Kyoya strives for and thinks he has- but has he? I think in the same way Tamaki makes him reevaluate the box his father has put him in, Kaoru would help recontextualise that a bit more. Yes, you don't have to be trapped in the expectations of your birthright, but maybe you don't need to be beholden to anyone's expectations of you- Kyoya himself said it doesn't matter as long as the people he cares about knows who he is, so maybe he should live by that instead.

The host club in general convinces Kyoya to have a bit more fun, but I think even Kaoru's specific situation- overshadowed by his elder brother, possibly disinherited due to reasons unrelated to merit- and the fact that Kaoru would be entirely unbothered by it would allow Kyoya to maybe reevaluate his options and pick ones that allow him that freedom. After all, those who live freely are the winners, right? And Kyoya wants to win.

I think this "Kaoru makes Kyoya a freer spirit" stops slightly short of Kaoru getting him on a motorbike at any point.

Basically, I think they mellow each other out. Kaoru works harder, Kyoya becomes less of a workaholic. Kaoru becomes a little more self-possessed, Kyoya becomes a little bit freer.

I also think, as me and @pilindiel were only discussing earlier, they mesh pretty well with each other's anxieties. They're two people who believe that they can only be love for the mask they put on, and two people who quite easily see through each other's masks. As long as the people you care about know who you are, nothing else matters- is as much about Kaoru as it is about Kyoya. It's an inadvertant, egotistical admission by Kyoya that he does know who Kaoru is and Kaoru does care about him, and vice a versa. Platonically, and bewildering to Kaoru at this point, but important nonetheless. Kyoya proves his point by even saying it and articulating it as a viewpoint that Kaoru would share- because he does know who Kaoru is, and nothing else about it matters.

But yeah, Kyoya believes that it is more important for the people he cares about to know him than it is for them to love him. And Kaoru is kind of into the whole evil scheming ambition thing so that negates that concern. And Kaoru meanwhile is terrified of being made obsolete and being left behind. Which is negated somewhat by Kyoya being the kind of guy with the dedication to stick to his convictions, one of which he has decided is the perpetuity of the host club. And one would be Kaoru too, of course.

Also just tacking on at the end because I'm rambling too much. I think Kyoya would make Kaoru more independent-- something Kaoru already strives for a bit more of, but there's nothing like giving someone a reason not to share a bedroom with their sibling anymore as that final push. And I think Kaoru would encourage Kyoya to be less self-isolating, less of a lone wolf. Mainly because he likes getting into other people's business. Kaoru loves teamwork <- freak.

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seme/pitcher kao headcanons please

so there's this bit in chapter two of Okay, Cupid! where Kaoru wears this Boston Red Sox sweater he got back during the Host Club's trip to Boston. I'm not sure I'm ever going to actually have room in the story to explain the lore of it, despite two of my beloved yank friends having to explain baseball to me to reach it.

so basically, Kaoru's sweater is number #23 (unmentioned thus far), which in 2008ish I believe was Julio Lugo. that guy had a lot going on I won't get into but he was a shortstop. do I know what a shortstop is? no. but neither does Kaoru, he's not watching sport get real.

anyway, I think the twins would think it was hilarious to deliberately not get pitcher or catcher sweaters. to bait and switch anyone who might check. checkmate, weirdo! joke's on you for googling it.

but Lugo's baseball bio is apparently as follows

so basically, my understanding of this from my yank associates is that Lugo is a shortstop because he 1. can't pitch for shit and 2. can't get to first base.

which is way funnier to be accidentally implying on his sweater.

of course since Mori is the only one who understands baseball and he has absolutely no idea how to delicately broach the subject, that joke goes entirely unrealised by any party

...sorry what was the question

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*extremely drunk screaming at the rest of the dinner table* Minun is nothin withoug plusle

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jester hikaru is here

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I need to get a physical set of the ouran manga so bad for many reasons but most pressingly because there is a post (essay) I really want to make comparing the way Kyoya and Tamaki’s feelings for each other and for Haruhi are portrayed but I CAN’T because I don’t have the text in! my! hands!

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feeding the desperate (kyokao fans)

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ouran doodle and wip dump

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dump pt 2