#*talking in broken Japanese to such kind people*

[ropasart]

[yusiyomogi]

I wanted to ask you if there were any notable differences with Mithrun's dialogue in a few specific scenes, or anything of note when he says "Free yourself" to Thistle, the scene with Marcille where he says, "Do you have any idea how empty that will leave you", generally speaking, when he's trying to show care and compassion and empathy, like the therapy scene, and what he says to Marcille there about love, too. I guess I'm wondering if there's any difference with how they're displayed, because, for instance, I've seen people say that he's cruel to Thistle, and I see the ruthlessness easy, but I can also read the autistic sense of justice, which, although people laud this as a "good" thing, it can be really single-minded and actually pretty unconcerned with "right" or "wrong".

It sort of has a way, to me, as an autistic person, of mirroring Laios wanting Senshi to eat the griffin—to know and be free because that's the only way forward, just. Harsher.

Also, um. His interaction with Kabru, too! When he goes on to ask him what he wants to do, or really just that panel. Their interaction. And... um? When he says about Falin, "If she wants to, she will."

Anyway, besides that, it also screams "meltdown", on a further look. He's very restless and distressed and that seems clear. I think he's kind of trying to rush out the conclusion he wants, maybe mistakenly believing he's more cool-headed than he is, and people trust him, I think, because he seems capable, I see a lot of, "he just doesn't care", but he's not very tuned into his emotions, and I think not really caring about the consequences if he can get what he really wants. Some people see malice, but I think his care is genuine, though I sort of believe he's also wanting his conclusion to happen as fast as possible—trying to force it out, and really not as stable as he may seem.

People will say "He doesn't care at all", but then I feel like...? Why try, if you don't care? And I was wondering about that, I guess.

Sorry if this is a big ask. I have Thoughts™️.

if you're asking me about japanese version, i'm sorry to tell you that i'm not that good at it :D. the only noticeable difference i see from his usual way of talking is that mithrun puts a lot of emphasis in his speech when he's trying to persuade other dungeon lords (he ends almost every sentence with [だ], which is usually a sign on emotional speech). but it's already pretty obvious from the meaning of what he says. the one that looks interesting to me is this panel, his pleading face and the way he says [お前になわからないか] "don't you understand?" works so well, it feels like he's truly empathetic here.

when people say that he acted cruel and violent, i say: yeah, and that's the point! mithrun, while being in many ways a unique character, is also an example of very old and very very common character archetype: he's a desperate and angry broken person who wants revenge and literally destroys himself in the process. it's almost impossible to write a character like that without them being cruel or cold or uncaring to other people, would any kind of redemption and healing even be interesting to see if they were perfectly nice, well-adjusted person?

the only reason to even talk about this is to analyze the cycle of cruelty traumatized people often find themselves in. to see how horrible the impact truly is, because kui does a great job portraying this. mithrun didn't even start as a good person, he was already at a pretty bad place mentally before his trauma. and guess what, any form of mental illness and trauma doesn't usually make you a better person, even if it changes you. when you have no desires, it's already kinda difficult to have any love, patience or care for people. what kind of person anyone would be when they don't wanna have friends, to love, to be loved, to live, to do literally anything? while also being constantly dehumanized by everyone, even people who technically care about them? actually, we know, because it happens in real life all the time.

but here's a thing. surprisingly, mithrun tries to care. he tries to care about civilians, he doesn't even kill people who wanted to kill him (kabru did, for example. don't know why people forget about this, pretty easy comparison to make). he tries to care about his squad: he always does the most dangerous job himself. he tries to care about other dungeon lords, because he feels compassion towards them, so he always gives them a choice.

but i love that kui makes him stay true to his character: he's an asshole, he doesn't have desires anymore, he's depressed, but he tries to care... and he fails and gives up. all the time. and he ends up hurting people because he gave up. idk, i find it incredibly relatable. and i think it's kinda weird to "criticize" mithrun for that, he's just a character that we're clearly supposed to empathize with, and we all one day or another find ourselves in similarly dark place in life. and there's something hopeful in his story, he didn't ask to be loved, but people loved him anyway – and he learned to accept this love. doesn’t happen as often in real life, unfortunately.

[popopretty]

BSD Chapter 107

"In the Narrow Room" - Part 3.1

We got a rather long chapter this month and the plot is progressing! Asagiri is always so unpredictable and I love it so much.

Please note that I don't speak English nor Japanese as a native language and I am also super excited about the chapter so I may make mistakes here and there. Please have mercy on me ;_;

SPOILERS AHEAD

After hearing Teruko talk about the true purpose of The Decays of Angel, Atsushi's head becomes confused with all the thoughts of what is right or wrong. He wishes someone could answer all of his questions. He remembers how Dazai used to show up in his thought when he struggles, and wonder why this time he cannot hear Dazai's voice anymore.

He stops at the foot of the tower and notices Aya and Bram there. He tries to go and rescue them, but it turns out to be a trap, with Akutaga jumps out to attack him.

Sigma is finding his way in the prison after escaping from the elevator. He thinks about what happened. He remembers Dazai checking the elevator before getting on it, and realizes that Dazai already knew the elevator was dangerous from the beginning, and he probably just got on it because it is what needs to be done to save the Agency. Sigma also recalls Dazai's expression underwater, he wonders if its the face when Dazai realized that the elevator was going to fall, and that's why Dazai acted the way he did. Sigma wants to run away by himself because he thinks an ordinary person like him cannot do anything. He then found a paper on the floor. It is written in Russian, that says "Save me" (Notes: The original text is just "Please save", it is not clear who it is telling him to save)

Back to Atsushi and Akutagawa. Atsushi still doesn't understand what is happening. He tries to fight back and realizes that Akutagawa is not using his ability to guard himself. Akutagawa instead sucks the blood from his own hand to heal his wound. He doesn't try to cover himself because he can regenerate like that, and it means unless Atsushi kills him, there will be no way to stop him. Atsushi tries to tell him to stop, hoping his consciousness is still there, and that he still wants to ask Akutagawa why he saved his life that time.

In Mersault, Dazai is seen dragging himself and leaning against the wall, covered in blood with his legs broken. He looks up to the surveillance camera and tells Fyodor to put an end to his pain cuz it hurts so bad. Fyodor gladly accepts and sends Chuuya to finish him. Suddenly Sigma enters the room and shoots Fyodor in the shoulder, telling him to stop attacking Dazai. Sigma says he is there cuz he has promised Dazai to touch Fyodor to read his scheme in the airport. Fyodor asks why Sigma has to keep the promise with Dazai, which surprises Sigma himself. Fyodor then proceeds to say that Dazai has manipulated Sigma the whole time, and that normally Sigma is not that kind of a reckless person. He explains that at first, Sigma only wanted a "home" so he would not get used by anyone. But after watching Dazai, Sigma has come to realize that a lonely "home" is not enough. He has started to want not a place, but trust, a relationship where people rely on others without borrowing or trading anything. In other words, he has started to want to become a member of the ADA. Yet, Fyodor adds, it is not Sigma's own thought, but the trick Dazai uses to tamper with his heart.

Sigma thinks back of what Dazai has told him, and still decides to point the gun at Fyodor. Because even if it is a trick, Dazai has paid a big price for it, and accepting a customer's bet is the casino's way. He says he knows Fyodor is trying to manipulate him too, to cause distrust towards Dazai and makes him drop the gun. Sigma then adds that Dazai has won this manipulating competition.

According to the fact that Fyodor has to try to talk him into lower the gun, Sigma concludes that he has no other backup. He tells Fyodor he is going to touch him and read his information, but before that he wants Fyodor to tell him what his ability is, cuz its dangerous to touch someone whose ability might be activated by contact. In the last frame, Sigma changes the question from "What is your ability" to "What the hell are you?"

The chapter ends here. Next chapter will be out on June 2, 2023 (Japan time). Thank you for reading till the end!

[cacti-are-like-flamingos]

Beginnings...

Gojo Satoru x Reader x Geto Suguru

The Cursed Trio | Shared Moments

...

Your arrival to the academy came as a surprise to many, apparently you were some transfer from overseas. You'd show a shit ton of promise that they transferred you to Jujutsu in order to more efficiently reach your true potential. Rumor was it, you'd one day make it as a Special Grade. Even so, for now you remained a Grade One.

Your Japanese was decent at best and your adaptation to their customs was a work-in-progress but you held this certain charm that just drew people in. And no, I'm not talking about the kind of charm where everyone falls in love. No, it's the type of charm that makes people relax around you, makes them want to put their faith in you no matter how much to try to prevent that.

You could be a fresh of spring just as you could be a fresh of icy air, the kind that freezes up your lungs.

The first time you saw them, you were being shown around by your mentor --- a stoic expression written on your scarred face as you nodded at them. Briefly acknowledging them as you continued on your way.

Geto had figured your eyes as beautiful --- like an eternal flame hidden behind layers of stone wettened under a stream of a freshwater. Whilst Gojo had figured you a possible new victim for his pranks and teases. In fact, Gojo even had the nerve to interrupt your tour. Demanding to know your name. Shoko, who had been hanging about, was glad another girl had joined the academy. Afterall, it was getting rather stuffy with all the testosterone.

They knew you'd get well with the duo when the first thing you did was insult Gojo, although both him and Geto didn't really understand your insult. Actually, they didn't even know you insulted him until Shoko just started laughing out loud.

You called him a phospholipid??? The actual fuck is that

At that, you gave them a deadpanned stare, speaking in broken japanese that at the very least he should get educated because he was obviously missing a few brain cells

Now at this, both Shoko and Geto bent over laughing while Gojo stood there momentarily stunned before a sinister smirk adorned his lips. He went to insult you back but was quite literally by the sight of your hand in his face, "No time for idiot. Bye."

The absolute nerve on you!

Geto absolutely loved you since that day. On the other hand, it was a enemies to whatever with Gojo, which is ironic considering that he sought you out every moment of the day.

You and Shoko became the best of girl-friends. To be honest, the two of you were incredibly similar. The both of you were lazy as hell, smart as hell, and blunt as hell. Although, you seemed to have mastered the trick of honeying your harsh words so much so that people didn't even fight you on it.

To put their friendship into perspective, Shoko brought the cigarettes and you brought the lighter (despite you being a non-smoker. Once you tried to smoke but you didn't like the taste of it so you left it at that)

Although there was a time Gojo was being a nuisance so you grabbed a cigarette from Shoko's carton, lit it, and blew the smoke straight into his face when he wasn't expecting it

Watching him double-over choking was a grand sight indeed

You managed to make quite the number of friends while there, although many noticed how you kept a distance. I say this literally. You never let anyone come physically close to you, as though a simple graze from them would kill you or something. No-one dare question it consider that they also had their traumas that prevented them from certain indulgences. But sometimes, you'd make small exceptions. I think it's mainly of a "dont touch me but I'll touch you" situation.

Like you don't mind swiping dust off of Nanami's shoulder, or neatening Shoko's hair when it's gotten all frizzy due to the wind, or picking off lint off of Yaga's clothes.

But if you didn't initiate it, you'd go silently rigid.

During class, you like hanging around this one guy name Yu. Mainly because he knew a bit of your native language (surprising I know) and so, you felt safe enough to speak with him considering that you both spoke brokenly in either tongue. The only other person you felt safe enough to speak was Geto. He was actually the one that took it upon himself to teach you Japanese.

He'd recommend shows to watch and he'd watch with you so that he could explains certain customs and what-not of his culture. He found great amusement when a scene he knew you wouldn't understand played and you'd instantly pause the show to look at him with a questioning expression. It made you look rather cute in his eyes.

Gojo would often times crash during these hang-outs. Pestering you to learn his language quicker so that he can properly cuss you out (he says this while having an arm over you shoulder and leaning his full weight into your side. Surprisingly, you never said anything despite your reservations to touching.)

You chalked it up to wanting warmth.

Then came that point in your language-education where Geto wanted you to try speaking in a public setting and you just about cried right in front of him and Gojo. You gripped your fist so tight your nails drew blood, an action to prevent you from clinging onto Geto's clothes as he scolded Gojo for worsening your nerves. Gojo didn't stop laughing until he saw actual tears in your eyes.

With silent chuckles, Gojo took you by the shoulders and guided you over to some random corner store. You never once told him what your favorite snack was but somehow he knew to choose it before placing it in your hand. He told you exactly what you needed to say to the cashier with the exact amount of yen needed.

The both of them watched as you walked up to the cashier, briefly glancing over your shoulder to Gojo (still very much teary-eyed and rigid-body), who silently mouth the words again, before doing as he instructed.

After the whole ordeal, you surprised Gojo with an incredibly rare hug. I think at that moment, you truly managed to snake your way into his soul.

Geto stood to the side, a knowing smile on his lips as he watched you quickly let go. Shouting at Gojo that he owes you a sweet because of how brave you were, which should've annoyed him but only made you look endearing.

...

(A/N): Have yet to see Season 2 but those fucking beta fish tiktoks are murdering me right now with their symbolism.

Say, why don't you like being touched? What happened to you?

Where'd you get the scar?

And what's up with Geto's eternal flame comparison? So weird.

Drop a comment

Feel free to buy me a 🦩

Hope you enjoyed!

Edited: 7/25/2023

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part thirteen

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve

-

Sephiroth has a really good body! So fast and strong! The force he can put into the simplest attacks is amazing!

It really is like he's suddenly possessing Liu Qingge - with decades of training and bodybuilding and power at his fingertips. He's almost jealous, and a little bit offended! If this is anything like what Liu-shidi is working with, ah - where was he coming from, asking his scholar shixiong for spars, huh?! As if Shen Qingqiu could match this!

Shen Qingqiu was a spiritual cultivator - his sword seals were stronger than his actual combat abilities, so that's what he mostly stuck to, letting his very capable sword do the talking. Especially with Without a Cure sapping his strength. Liu Qingge had tried to teach him, and he'd really tried to learn too, he'd thought he'd need all the advantages he could get when Luo Binghe came back, but, ah, he just didn't have it in him to train like that. It was so much work!

It's so effortless now, pulling off moves he'd learned as Shen Qingqiu but never quite had the physical strength to pull off properly. He feels weightless and without barriers, like there's nothing, no gravity, no physical limitations, nothing that could get in his way!

Not even Genesis.

"What the hell was that?!" the man demands, sprawled on the floor, staring up at him in deep offence.

Sephiroth is a villain, so smiling smugly is alright. "Your form is off," and swings his ridiculous beautiful Japanese blade down, until it almost touches the floor. "You need to work on your footing."

The sword is his biggest hindrance, honestly - followed closely by the too tight coat. It's not just the length of the blade, but the design. He's used to Shen Qingqiu's Xiu Ya, which is a two-edged straight jian sword, never mind the fact that it's a spiritual weapon. Masamune can't even be compared to a dao sword - which Shen Qingqiu had occasionally helped his disciples with, but which he'd never been particularly comfortable with. 

The blade is much thinner and more flexible than he's used to, and he really has to wonder how it hasn't been broken or at least chipped against Genesis' straighter, heftier sword. Those were some heavy blows!

Actually… 

Genesis jumps to his feet and swings his sword. "Again," he demands.

"Hang on a moment," Sephiroth says, considering his sword at length. Running a bare hand along the blade finds no dents, and the edge is as sharp as it was in the beginning. No chips. That's… impossible, right? It's just a katana blade. It's not a spiritual sword, it can't even heal itself.

Although it does have three marbles of Materia in its hilt. And there is something… it's not Qi, but there's something. The sword isn't exactly lifeless.

Lifting Masamune up, he sends a small fraction of Sephiroth massive, sluggish spiritual power into the blade, and - ah. It lights up with something similar to a sword glare. How interesting! That makes sense, since weapons like these are how people channel magic here. And he does recall a lot of sword beam types of attacks from the games!

"Do not throw that my way," Genesis says, holding his sword in front of him in a guard. "I will answer in kind, Sephiroth, I swear to Goddess."

"I wasn't about to," he answers with a snort and draws his energy back. Now that he's looking for it, he can still sense it.

So, Masamune is subtly drawing on his energy. It's not exactly how a spiritual weapon would do it, but it's… similar. Passive and constant. Hm. Maybe something to do with the metal itself? Fascinating - are all Materia-imbued weapons like this?

"Is Masamune alright?" Angeal asks worriedly, coming forward. "Did something happen?"

"It's fine," Sephiroth answers and lowers the sword. He nods to Genesis. "And yours?"

"The Rapier is just fine," Genesis says, swinging it as though shaking dirt if it. "No need to worry."

The… Rapier? "That is not a rapier."

"No, it's a broadsword, and I thought it was funny," Genesis sniffs and holds it straight up. "Rapier sounds more elegant. Mine is a weapon of finesse."

That's… surprisingly lighthearted for someone so dramatic. Well, he'd seen worse names for swords. And people.

"Now, again?" Genesis asks, swinging the sword challengingly down. "Or do you want to jump in, Angeal?"

"I think I'll watch a little bit more," Angeal says, stepping back again. "Remember, no magic."

"Yes, yes," Genesis says and holds his… Rapier in a guard. "Ready when you are, Sephiroth."

Taking in the man's posture with Shen Qingqiu's expert eye, he hums. "If you say so, Genesis," he says and shifts to a stance.

Now that he has some sense of his own energy running through Masamune, he has a much better grasp of the length and the curve. With it he dares to go a little faster, not having to worry about overreacting and hurting his opponent. He can also almost sense Genesis' sword now, and predict its movements.

It makes for a very short spar indeed.

"What the hell -" Genesis grumbles, again on the floor, and glares up at him. "Are you toying with me right now?!"

Heh. Kind of! "Your footing," he answers in his best villainous drawl, "Is weak."

"My footing is fine!"

"Then why are you on the floor?" 

Genesis mutters a curse and stands up, gripping Rapier's handle tightly. "Smug son of a bitch - I am going to end your legend here and now!"

The man attacks without warning, and it's such bad etiquette that Shen Qingqiu comes fully to the forefront. He ducks past Genesis' attack and whacks him on the butt with the flat of his sword in admonishment - and then, for a good measure, kicks his feet from under him.

"Footing," he says lazily while Genesis sputters at him in outraged offence - once more on the floor. "You let your sword's weight lead you too much. I know the blade is heavy and willful and wants to get its way - but you are the one guiding the blade, it's not supposed to be leading you."

Genesis gapes at him. "What the hell are you talking about?!" 

They're not spiritual swords, not exactly, so… "May I?" he motions at Rapier.

Genesis glares at him warily and stands up. He shares a confused, incredulous look with Angeal and then flips Rapier over, holding it out handle first.

Shifting Masamune to his off hand and holding it out of the way behind his back, Sephiroth takes Rapier, tests the weight, and then assumes the posture Genesis led with.

"You might have the strength to swing this thing around however you will, but the laws of leverage are still in effect," he explains. "This is a very heavy sword, and unless you weigh considerably more than you look, it will mess with your balance if you don't counteract it. When you swing," he demonstrates, "right now you are stepping up to follow the swing and so you're taking out your base of balance. And so you trip."

Genesis just stares at him, face completely blank. 

"Now, from the beginning, properly this time," Shen Qingqiu continues and demonstrates. "Plant your feet. Bend your knees. The movement begins from your hips, not your hand. From your hip, up the torso, to your arm. Your knees follow and support the movement. Feet stay on the ground. And… swing."

He swings the Rapier, a sweeping attack fit to take someone's head off. "Now, if you have to adjust to an opponent's block or attack, you can, because your wrist is still neutral - see? Like this I can easily adjust the angle of my swing without losing my footing, or the power of the attack."

Angeal slowly joins them while Genesis is still just staring blankly. They're both staring.

Feeling suddenly like he'd overstepped, Sephiroth hands the Rapier back and clears his throat. "So, as I said, footing. It's the same with your thrust," he mutters, looking away. "Don't just throw your whole body behind it like an idiot."

Genesis accepts the broadsword back dully and looks at Angeal. There's a moment of tense silence, and Sephiroth kinda wants to sink into the floor.

Awkward.

-

Shizun mode, activated.

(also I know fuck all about swordsmanship, so don't look too deeply into that)

[thesensteawitch]

What Does Akashic Records Have To Say About Your Life Path? 👁️🪻

Pick A Pile Reading

Is your life path aligned with your soul's DNA?

Just grab a chocolate bar as this is going to be a slightly long reading.🪻

🥀Take a deep breath...and choose!🥀

(Left to Right---Pile1, Pile2, Pile3)

Hello, Senstea Souls! Though this is a collective reading I have tried my best to be as specific as possible. If you want a specific career/life path related reading then just slide into my DMs and ask away.

I have a separate spread with a blend of the Japanese concept of Ikigai. It will narrow down your options by clarifying your passion, profession and vocation in life.

For more information just message me!🌼

Now, feel free to begin the reading.

Pile 1

Hello, my dear pile 1. The reading is divided into three parts. If you find this helpful then do come back and drop a tip in my jar. They are always appreciated!🍁

Your life path according to your Akashic record

4 of swords, 6 of wands, 5 of wands

It seems that your Akashic record is taking me back in time. Your true life path has a strong connection to the past. I see that you fought battles. The energy is of the competition. Sudden changes, in fact, some kind of shock. There were disputes within your community, whatever you were a part of. You were the star of the group and others wanted to probably take that shine. I don't know why but I see a leg injury. Something deeply bothered you. The pain was so profound that it found its solace deep in your subconscious. Something made you fall sick or bedridden but you got back on your feet again. But the joy did not last long. You had to face more competition. You probably didn't get enough time to contemplate and understand what was really going on around you and among your people. It created a deep wound. Something that you need to deal with in this lifetime. If you ask some very important questions to yourself, especially regarding the relationships with people in your life you may find the answer to the blockage on your life path. I feel some people did not have the best interest for you they just wanted to be with you to be a part of your light. And that created a wound. You thought they truly loved you but perhaps it wasn't true. Your illusions of people had to die. Yes, exactly! What illusions are you living in? The idea of people you have is keeping you in the dark and unless you find the truth the light will not enter your life.

The path that you are currently on

Ace of wands, The Hierophant

I see that people come to you for advice. You have that spark. I have been saying spark, light and even I can see a lion. The king of the jungle. You definitely had an important position in the past and you still do. You may not believe it but your aura still carries that energy and that's why people are so attracted to you and come to you for advice. I also see that you doubt your capabilities. You doubt that you can ever guide yourself. I see two pillars, two polarities. On one side you know that you are a good listener but on the other hand, you still don't feel very convinced about your capabilities. Somewhere you are carrying the lesson of your past life, which is good, but it has broken your confidence in people and that's why it may be difficult for you to trust them. Others know that they can rely on you but you can't rely on them completely. That hurts. It also lowers your self-esteem. It may give rise to people people-pleasing attitude. Basically, no strong boundaries. I also see that great ideas come to you. You can be an advisor or a counselor. But you need to have strong boundaries and allow yourself to be somebody out of your community. You are your own person. You need to move out of your comfort zone and talk to people out of your circle too. People will let you down, expect that from them. But you also need to know that some people won't. Some may surprise you with their generosity. I also see that someone admires you. Isn't that beautiful? And you may have no idea about it. You're not wishing hard enough to finally let the physical manifestation of your dreams come to you. You have a significant purpose in this lifetime which is linked to guiding others.

How can you align your path with your soul's DNA?

5 of pentacles, 9 of wands

Trust. That's what I hear. Whatever personal matter you have dealt with in the past (in this lifetime or the other) will soon come to an end. But first, you need to let yourself truly feel and see where are they arising from. Please don't drown in your tears. But honor them. They help you release the hurt. Hope is in your cards. Don't be afraid. You're afraid of something you have no idea about. But the feeling of fear is definitely there. I do see that you have been putting in a lot of physical and mental effort but things did not turn out to be as you thought they would. You're afraid that your dreams will never come true. But the authority and love you aim for has already happened to you. So why not again? The answer is that first, you need to heal some relationship dynamics along with your own heart. Value your heart. I feel the weather in your heart has either been too cold or burning like fire. Give yourself time. Virtue lies in the middle. Find balance. Allow yourself to visualize that you can live a normal and happy life without the crazy extremes. I see that in your life it has been a matter of work, money, and words. Whenever a challenge comes to you say thank you to the divine. It helps you clear your karma so that you can live a stable and peaceful life. Everything is happening for your soul. Please take care of your health and keep moving forward. If something isn't working please release it. You do not need to cling to an idea so much. You can channel another from the divine. It's simple, just ask. Also, don't ask, “What were you made for?” Ask, “What were you made of?” I am sure the answer will come from the stars and they will tell you that you were the brightest among all. It's time that you remember who you were. It's not about what you can do, it's about who you are.

Pile 2

Hello, my dear pile 2. The reading is divided into three parts. If you find this helpful then do come back and drop a tip in my jar. They are always appreciated!🍁

Your life path according to your Akashic record

The Chariot, 6 of pentacles

Your life's purpose in the Akashic record has something to do with the yin-yang concept. I hear that this may sound absurd to some of you but what I am about to say is the truth. Your true life path is leading you to break some attachments and start this new journey of serving others with a heart full of love and generosity. I also see that the more you become self-aware the easier it will be for you to understand others and do something of value for them. It's about balancing the scales. Now if you are wondering what if you won't get successful after doing what I said then know that success is written in your stars and will chase you once you align with your life's path. You will be victorious. In life, you will be carrying the sweet and bitter moments with you. The path that you are on is all about YOU. What I mean by that is understanding your feelings. Why you do what you do and how can you change it. Face the truth of life head-on. You have to be a fair rider on your life path. The life path in your Akashic records is pretty rare. By rare I mean the portal that opens once in a while. You need to prepare yourself for that day when the veil is thinner and you can finally enter the new phase of your life.

The path that you are currently on

2 of wands, 7 of cups, 7 of swords

Okay, so what I see on the path that you have chosen or are currently on are options, instability, confusion, indecision, deceiving oneself, and trying to take the shortcut. Currently, I see that the desires and so many wishes that you have seem impossible for you to achieve. You start a plan but you aren't able to execute it and dilemma always hangs around with you. It's an everyday struggle in your life but it is impacting the bigger purpose you have for yourself in your Akashic record. You are supposed to make a choice here. Unless you choose nothing in your life will move. Life may seem stagnant. And to add some movement in your day-to-day life you may fool yourself by finding more and more interests and adding them to your list. Just so you can make another plan and then another and then another. Then one day you see the list of your desires in which some are still exciting to you and some feel like they have lost their spark. And you don't even get the time to question what is it exactly you want to do and what is stopping you from doing it. It's like you want to travel the world but you just waste all your time in adding cities to your bucket list and making the itinerary for each one of them and end up getting overwhelmed. Gosh! That's exhausting. The Universe is trying to send you signs but because of your confused mind, you are not sure of the signs. Please take this reading as a sign at least and take action. Also, before taking action you need to heal yourself. Make sure you have a PLAN for that. I see you're very good at planning. Make a task table where you can add the exercises that suit you, hobbies that relax your mind, and food that you must eat to keep your mind and body healthy. It's not that difficult. Don't try to just keep adding to the list. Start small. But do take the action in whichever area of your life it is required.

How can you align your path with your soul's DNA?

4 of cups, 10 of swords

Your advice is very clear, pile 2. The Akashic records are asking you to surrender to the divine. Which means to have faith. Please stop worrying. Stop being in your head so much. Look around, there's a once-in-blue-moon opportunity coming your way. Do not miss it. You're ignoring the signs of the divine. Some of you may or already be exhausted. You have been SO MUCH in your head. The only good thing here for you to know is that it's all in your head. I am so sorry I also feel that some of you really do feel trapped. You may have lost hope and wondering if there's even any path carved for you. Believe me, there is. I CAN SEE THAT. And it's honorable and beautiful. It's heartwarming. Whatever you have been going through may be very difficult but soon it will come to an end. All you need to do is turn one stone at a time and take it slow. You don't need to rush. You just need to move in the right direction with faith in your heart. You were not sent here only to suffer. There is purpose in pain and you are serving it. But it's still in your hands to show strength and come out of it.

Pile 3

Hello, my dear pile 3. The reading is divided into three parts. If you find this helpful then do come back and drop a tip in my jar. They are always appreciated!🍁

Your life path according to your Akashic record

8 of cups, 2 of swords

In your Akashic record, I see that there's a big hurdle on your life path. And that is related to something you do not want to see because you're so afraid of either commitment or detachment. What you need to know here is that this situation won't change until you make the move. I see that emotions are involved in certain situations. Though they break your heart you are trying to protect it by giving excuses for others. But I think these are the excuses you are giving yourself for not loving yourself enough. You have balanced things pretty well but still, something feels incomplete. I think it's about detachment. Yes, it is. You need to break a toxic cycle but unfortunately, you are not ready to accept it. Until you open your eyes to the truth you won't be able to see what's really going on in the background. You're blindly following someone or something. Blind faith is no better than having no faith. I feel that you have strong Cancer or Libra placements. God this has to do with relationships in your life. Hmm...I feel there's a pattern that you have been repeating only because you are refusing to open your eyes. You want to believe that the sun hasn't risen yet by keeping your eyes closed. But that doesn't change the fact. This repeating pattern in your life is a blockage in your life to finally widen your horizons. You need to claim your space in the society. That's your purpose. That's your life path. TAKE YOUR SPACE! AND DON'T BE SORRY ABOUT IT.

The path that you are currently on

10 of pentacles, 6 of swords

Ahhh, my dear pile 3. I feel you're not who others in your community, friend circle or family think you are. You are playing a role for them. You are just trying to fit in when you were born to stand out. You are afraid to express who you truly are. It seems that everything is balanced in your life but it isn't. The issue is not financial here. The issue has something to do with self-worth. Some of you may be asked to move out of your home or change cities. You may need to leave some loved ones behind which is breaking your heart into pieces. You can't give up on the change. I mean let it happen. You have become too dependent on your surroundings which is fading your shine. You may think that you are not dependent on them but you are because when the thought of letting go comes it breaks your heart. But here is a message for you, that your guiding angels and the people who truly love you will always be with you. Someone close to you may be moving with you too. If you suffer they suffer too. If you're happy they are happy too. When you take the leap of faith you will find yourself in a much more abundant state. It's your mind which can't foresee that you are moving towards happy days. Believe me, you're going to be so blessed if you just move out of your comfort zone and take the first step towards your success/happy days.

How can you align your path with your soul's DNA?

3 of pentacles, The Fool, 3 of wands

Okay, pile 3. I feel there is someone involved here. It may be a business partner or a life partner. I see that you two are working on something but there's some help you need to move on with your project. You can't do it alone. The good news is that you're not even alone. Someone is guiding you here. And I see travel for you guys. I would highly recommend you take the help or advice of a specialist and not a random friend or just anybody who has no idea about the subject. Because as soon as you take the guidance you will be able to move one step ahead in your planning and finally you'll be moving for work or something else with hope and a detailed plan. This will be the beginning of your life path. You are still writing your journey. Please take help from an expert and begin this journey guys. I see so much hope and optimism for you in the future. You are being guided and will be guided every step of the way. Just ask for it in your time of need. You can't look back and let yourself settle in the old environment. For you, the growth lies ahead. Your true path is just about to begin as soon as you let the change happen with the right guidance and confidence in yourself. The goal may be unconventional but it's yours. Claim it. Be in love with it.

Thank you everyone for reading this blog and also for reblogging!🥀🩷

[akutasoda]

Hii ^^ Hope ur doing well. Can I Please Request Jouno With A Fem or Gn Reader From Eastern Europe Who doesn’t Really Speak much In Japanese (But can speak English Pretty Well)?

lovers from afar

synopsis - jouno with an eastern european s/o

includes - jouno

warnings - gn!reader, eastern european reader, fluff, wc - 302

a/n: hii! im doing well! how are you?

↪jouno definitely isn't the kind of guy to be picky about any characteristics of his lover. no matter who you were he had deemed you a perfect match and that's all he cared about. he'd love you for exactly who you were.

↪so if his lover was from a different country? that didn't matter to him, why should it?

↪he could tell right away from how broken and rather inconsistent your japanese was but he could tell you were trying. however he would gladly spare you and asked you if you knew english as that way it might be easier to talk.

↪but if you were his lover you most likely would be living with him in japan, mainly due to his job being very important to him and it wasn't like he could just leave it, and so he would take it upon himself to help teach you more fluent japanese if you wanted.

↪and this way, maybe you'd feel more confident speaking with more people that were local residents and not really relying on him as a translator.

↪and in turn, he'd be rather eager to learn how to speak your native language if you were up to it. this way if you felt more comfortable and prefered to speak your native language he could atleast understand you and have limited responses until he fully learned it.

↪ additionally he would be very open to learning about your home country and everything it had to offer.

[alpaca-clouds]

"That's not how you play Shadowrun!"

You know what? I am gonna talk Cyberpunk this week. Specifically I am gonna talk about my issues with the genre. And I could not think of a better place to start but Shadowrun.

You see: I always loved Cyberpunk, because I grew up on Japanese Cyberpunk. And both the atmosphere, the aesthetic and heck, the rebelliousness of the genre were always my thing. As such it is not much of a surprise that I, who also loves to play TTRPGs, was instantly drawn to Shadowrun once I learned about it.

But... While I was playing Shadowrun I got to hear one thing from several players: "That is not how you play Shadowrun!"

Now, what about my playstyle was it, that irked them like that? Did I min-max too much? Or exploited something in the game? (Okay, admittedly I found one broken mechanic in SR5E.) Did I endanger the group? Or what was it, that I did?

Well, simple. I... played a character, who is not an asshole. In fact, I played characters, who were... at times self-less and did things for other people. Which included both the NPCs and other player characters. Because, you know... Again: I just did not play total assholes.

And apparently that is not "how you play Shadowrun". Apparently Shadowrun requires you to play asshole characters. Apparently there are rules against trying to positively influence the game world. Sure, the rules are not there in the rulebook, but I apparently... was supposed to just asume this. Because... Being self-less is actually stupid, you see?

So, uhm... Yeah. I haven't played Shadowrun in a while because of that. Because of the three groups I played in two of them had one or two of the dudes, who would decry my characters doing the "right" thing. Something that I just do because... TTRPGs are in the end a power fantasy. And my power fantasy is it to help people. Even in a cutthroat world.

But it is this kinda thinking that kinda irks me with Cyberpunk so much. The entire cutthroat "everyone needs to be an asshole" kind of thinking. Because... It is tiring.

[milktei]

When you write angst/fluff one shots, I love how you indulge more with your character's feelings and not just straight up jumping to the good part where everything's alright. Specifically during "Again" and "Fine". Would you mind writing the same stuff but with a bit of hostile management of actions whilst in a disagreement with the reader? Will writing for Kuroo or Ushijima okay? ( I think you've taken a liking to Sakusa so I'm not sure if you want the first two captains.) Anyhow, I'm frankly talking about a bit of viol3nce. In this view, how would they speak up their mind and resolve the matter maturely?

Of course when you're available, thank you for your time:3

Love Sealed in Gold

Ushijima Wakatoshi x gn!Reader

Genre: Angst, tiny bit of hurt/comfort

Warnings: Violence (not towards reader), Possible oocness again. Not edited :P

The pace that i managed to get this out is surprising even to me :o But i had an idea the moment i read the ask!! Isn’t that crazy???

the fact that it’s obvious that sakusa is my fav is kinda embarrassing ngl HAHA BUT i just enjoy writing for haikyuu so don’t worry about requesting people i haven’t written on!

hope you enjoyed this anon! i couldn’t in good conscious add anymore “violence” than i did. what i wrote is really tiptoeing the line for me.

That being said anyone who reads this please don’t take this as me saying to forgive everyone who acts like Ushijima does in this, of course every situation is different but i don’t want it to seem like this is acceptable behaviour and something a person should have to deal with and accept. Violence is a scary and serious thing especially in a relationship so stay safe!

Anyways the idea of using Kintsugi as a metaphor in writing isn’t exactly new but i hope you guys enjoy my take on it and how i wrote it :)

The Japanese art of Kintsugi is a method of fixing broken pottery that has been popularized all over the world, romanticized even. Something about using the precious material that gold is (among other materials), to put something back together seems to tear into the hearts of people all over the world. So much so that companies even sell their own Kintsugi kits where you can break the provided pottery and put it back together yourself.

How ironic, to buy something only to break it and go through the tedious task of connecting all the broken pieces back together again.

Many hold the belief that kintsugi hold its own deeper meanings. Some say it shows that something breaking and being repaired shouldn’t be covered up, but instead embraced, as it is a part of that objects history.

A more pessimistic view on the subject could be the fact that no matter how beautiful the broken pottery looks, it will never be the same again.

As you stand looking at your boyfriend with only horror filling your body, you could only think about the same could be said for your relationship.

You knew from the get go that getting into a relationship with the Ushijima Wakatoshi was going to be a tough mountain to climb. Anyone from family, friends, colleagues, and even complete strangers had warned you of that fact.

From his personality, to his schedule and the demands that came with being a professional athlete; it seemed that everything was put against the two of you.

But he was the one to ask you out, to court you, the one who crossed the line from friends to potential lovers. That was something that no one could deny being surprised about.

Yes your boyfriend was intimidating, seemingly expressionless and emotionally constipated. But you loved him, and he loved you.

You could work around schedules, you understood why he works as hard as he does, and learning who he really was something that came with time.

As your relationship progressed you could really begin to see what kind of person he was, and how the most subtle changes in his demeanour could signal a change in mood.

But this behaviour was not subtle, it was pronounced, loud, it filled the entire room and made it difficult to breathe properly.

You could barely remember what you two were arguing about this time. Perhaps how you acted during a charity event? How he was running late to a date and didn’t text or call to let you know? it seemed to be a trend for you two in the last couple of weeks. Pick at every little thing one found less than pleasing and then getting mad when the other tried to defend themselves.

This cycle had been going on for far too long and both of you were tired of it, but at the same time too stubborn, too proud to admit defeat.

It was late, far too late for the both of you to be awake, it was far from an appropriate time for you two to be arguing at the volume you were, but whatever exhaustion either of you felt was smothered by a whirlwind of emotions and stubbornness.

Ushijima wiped a hand down his face in frustration from where he sat at the dinner table. Across the room you paced, ranting about your point in the argument that had only been going in circles at this point.

“I-it’s like you can’t even bring yourself to care anymore!” you exclaimed frantically.

A piercing glare was sent your way and it took everything in you to not shrink away from it.

He stood up, with his size, the action in itself felt extremely intimidating, but you felt the way he talked down on you much more severely.

To further articulate his words, a palm would slam down on the surface of the table, so hard that you could feel the vibration in the floor. Each slam was louder and each time you flinched.

His words grew harsher, louder, and more pointed with each sentence. The look of pure, searing anger and hatred on his face kept you frozen in your place.

The man in front of you was unrecognizable, the man in front of you was not the gentle giant you loved. If anything, he was exactly like how many people would describe him upon meeting him. If not worse.

His words, which had now become shouts swirled in your mind, your eyes began to sting as tears began to well in your eyes. All you could think about was how you wanted this to stop, how if only your body would listen to you and move so that you could begin to ask for forgiveness. How you would give anything right in that moment for him to stop yelling and to stop looking at you like you were dirt on his shoe.

Your prayers were soon answered by the sound of shattering ceramic.

The gasp you let out was visceral, uncontrollable, you couldn’t hold it back if you tried.

The fire in his eyes seemed to die out all at once, his gaze moved to his outstretched arm and he look at it as if it had a mind of its own.

His arms were his prized possession even if he never said it out loud, some would go as far to say that they were something to be celebrated. His arms that can hit a volleyball with the utmost precision, arms that brought him to victory and through loss. Strong arms that held you at night and provided you with a great amount of comfort some could only dream of.

Arms that now only served to fill your body with dread.

A vase, along with all its contents was shattered on the hardwood floor.

It had chipped the paint on the wall beside him where the impact initially happened, water that splattered the surface had begun dripping to the ground.

You both recognized the vase, how could you not?You had gone out together to buy it when he had brought you flowers for the first time and you had realized you had nothing to put them in. After moving in together, you used it as a center piece for your dining table.

How sad that an item so fragile and small could hold so much meaning, and that it now lay broken, it was almost as if it were mocking you.

The room was silent as the both of you stared at the scene before you. Minds reeling as you both tried to process the events that had just unfolded.

Ushijima had thrown the vase at the wall in a fit of anger.

“y/n-“

“Don’t”

You looked up at him and wondered if the conflicted emotions that flickered across his face mirrored your own.

You looked away and took a shaky breath. “An apology won’t fix it. You can’t throw and break something, especially not that, and just expect me to be able to hear and accept an apology, not now, not for this.”

His mouth snapped shut and the tension that filled the room was suffocating. Every time you glanced at the broken ceramic the urge to cry grew and grew.

You wrapped your arms around yourself and took a step back, “I’m…” You swallowed roughly as your voice cracked, “I’m going to the bedroom, you need to clean that up and it’s obvious that we need time to cool down.”

With one last glance at the scene, you turned on your heel and made your way towards your shared room, not seeing the look of anguish that Ushijima held on his face as the watched you leave his sight.

You softly closed the door behind you and as it clicked shut, the realization of what had just transpired fell upon you like waves during a storm.

Despite popular belief, Ushijima had never been an intentionally violent man. The only harm he had caused was on the court, where it wasn’t uncommon for athletes to get injured no matter how good or bad they played.

But tonight, he had no reason to do what he did, there was no excuse even if it was the nth argument of the week. The Ushijima you knew was emotionally intelligent enough to know that he did not have to go through the actions of picking up the vase and throwing it at the wall in order to let his anger be known. He did not need to do that to show you how angry you made him.

His anger had been shown all throughout the night. It was practically palpable.

Your legs shook underneath you as you tried to make it to your bed but your efforts were in vain, you crumpled to the cold hard floor, feeling like you were in pieces, much like the ceramic on the floor of your dining room.

You desperately tried to hold yourself together as you replayed the what had just unfolded again and again in your mind. Not understanding why you felt so conflicted.

Fear. You realized.

Fear is what you felt, refused to believe. How could you fear the one you loved?

And yet every part of your body rejected the idea of your boyfriend and urged you to be afraid of him. Afraid of the only man who could make you as happy as he did.

The man who was supposed to make you feel loved, protected, and safe was the same man that made you feel the complete opposite.

Your chest ached and you breathing quickened, now fully aware of the situation you found yourself in. You were afraid of your boyfriend and didn’t know what that meant for the future of you relationship.

He was- is all you ever want, you couldn’t imagine spending your life with anyone but him, but how were you supposed to move on from this? You now knew how he could react in times of great anger, what if it only got worse from here?

It was then that you finally allowed yourself to cry. After all that had happened you didn’t know where your relationship stood.

It was only after a couple minutes that the door to the bedroom began to open ever so slightly, at a pace so slow you couldn’t even see or hear it through your sobs.

“y/n?” His voice managed to spit out. He was quiet, uncertain, he feared for what your reaction may be at him being there at that moment.

You didn’t respond to him but he knew that you knew he was there, even as sobs racked your body and you pressed a hand to your mouth in a feeble attempt to quiet them.

Slowly, as if not to startle a deer in the forest, Ushijima sank to the floor from where he stood. Keeping an eye on you as he sat down, angling himself so that he was looking at the far wall and you wouldn’t be forced to make eye contact if you could find it in yourself yourself to look up at him.

This was far from ideal to him. He wanted nothing more than to scoop you into his arms and bring you to bed, quiet your cries as he held you tight and told you that it would pass and by the morning it would be a thing of the past.

But he knew better. He knew that he was the reason for your tears and the last thing that you needed was for him to wrap his arms around you.

He was aware of your fear before you were. The horrified look you gave him would be something that would stay engrained in his mind for years to come.

He was only used to you looking at him with love and happiness in your eyes and he had managed to ruin that in one night.

“I know that you don’t want an apology right now.” Ushijima started, he looked down at his hands and clenched them together to prevent them from trembling. “But I just wanted to let you know that… I am fully aware of how unacceptable my actions were tonight, that was no way to take out my anger and I should know better than to display my anger in the way that I did.”

Your cries had stopped at this point but you still trembled, still it brought him the smallest amount of comfort knowing that you were likely listening to him now.

“You deserve better than my misplaced anger, and you have every right to be angry with me, to not want to even be in this room, in this house with me right now. If you wanted to leave-“

His breath hitched and he found himself looking down at the hands in his lap with disgust and sadness.

“If you wanted to leave right now I would understand, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on us, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust again.”

Your head lifted ever so slightly and it gave him the confidence to keep going,

“I’ll get help, I’ll find other ways to channel my emotions. Along with that I’ll ask you for your feedback on how you think I’m doing, if what I’m doing makes me worthy of being with someone like you. It won’t start more fights I promise.”

He smiled at himself sadly “You seem to know me better than I know myself at times and that’s one of the reasons I fell in love you. I don’t think I could forgive myself for losing you if I didn’t put as much effort into trying as I could.”

The room was filled with silence once again as Ushijima finished talking. He sighed to himself. He hated this, he hated what he had done to you two, he hated that he was the reason for your tears and he hated that he was feeling completely helpless at the moment, and that you were well within your right to end everything, and there would be nothing he could do.

Your hand grazes his shoulder and he has to do a double take to ensure that you were there. Right at his side like you always had been for the years you had been dating.

Your smiled was coupled with sadness and exhaustion, and he couldn’t hold back the sound of surprise that left him as you wrapped your arms around him and let yourself press your weight into him.

He let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding and allowed his arms to finally reach for you, the next thing you knew, you were being pulled into his lap and he held your head close to his chest, you could hear his heart pounding and could feel his entire body tremble. He kissed the top of your head and let his head rest on top of yours. When he realized how instinctively he was acting, he froze.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to act so suddenly I-“

You shushed the man and ran your stroked his arm soothingly in an attempt to calm him.

“I understand.”

Quiet filled the bedroom and for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel oppressive, or hot with anger. It felt comfortable as it always should have.

Ushijima was the first to break the silence. “We’ll be okay y/n, right?”

The question was almost childish, naive, and ignorant of how many more questions would be raised answering it.

But it was purely Ushijima. Something that only Ushijima would ask in a time like this, he knew about the complexities, knew it would be hard to answer, but he asks anyways.

You ponder for a moment, knowing that no matter how you answered, there was still always the chance that everything could still turn out very differently that whatever you two could imagine.

“We’ll have to work towards it Toshi, and it might be a slow process, but from the bottom of my heart. I believe in us.”

Strong arms hug you tighter, filling you with that familiar warmth

“Thank you.”

Kintsugi is the art of repairing what was once broken by adding something precious to the mix. When used as a philosophy it encourages the acceptance of fragility, coming back from hardship stronger than before, and being proud of something imperfect.

Something that is repaired using this method will never look the same, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it still holds a unique beauty to it and will continue to function, as long as it is done properly and handled with care.

[knightyoomyoui]

TWICE: Anthology of Horror One-Shots | STORY 3: "Sneaky Watcher" ft. MOMO

NOTE: This is my first ever original and own-made horror one-shot for this series featuring two legendary mysterious creatures from the tales of Japan. i just thought that the story possessing a concept / element from Japan fits for Momo since... well she's Japanese. Also, a quick trigger warning: the ending is depressing and tragic. Some of the parts might also bring disturbing imagery to the imaginations from some readers.

During the promotions for their new released extended play album titled “With YOU-th”, there was a changes applied on their current line-up of all the staffs working under TWICE’s management in Division 3. They had to unfortunately lose one beloved worker and a friend in their team when Momo’s manager Haseul had to file a permanent leave to the company. The reason is because the man is already married and he had fully decided to set his priorities now on the family he’s going to build with his wife.

Everybody respected his choice and they give him a beautiful goodbye despite being emotional, including Momo herself who already considered Haseul as one of her closest friends in the management. After they officially declared Haseul’s departure from the team, they have no choice but to do the next phase when a spot goes vacant. They have to look for a new replacement for Haseul. The search spent 5 days until the ones that were assigned to do it finally had somebody to offer. It was kind of an easy grab because they introduced this new person which actually has an experience already of managing idols. Momo then met her new manager named Sachiko Yamamoto, a woman in her 30’s and also was a former employee in JYPE’s headquarters in Japan. Momo was glad that her new manager does have some similarities as her, particularly due to the fact that both of them are pure Japanese who can speak fluent Korean too. That would be comfortable for Momo to communicate with her since they can somehow relate on other things regarding on their nationality and bilingual skills.Because of that, Momo felt so enthusiastic and anticipating to get to know her new manager. However, her first few days with Sachiko told a different narrative from her perspective. Everything she was expecting has rather went down spiral into failure. Her performance as a manager was way apart from her first impression she showed off when she introduced herself to Momo and to other staffs. One primary reason she could think of when she’s observing Sachiko is her demeanor that gives her quite uneasiness whenever she’ll come to approach her. She’ll act very sweet but when she sets herself distance from Sachiko, she usually catches her staring down at her with completely seriousness masked in her face. She smiles a lot but that;s only when it comes for her unlike the rest of the staffs, she just barely talks.

Although the odd speculations she have gotten from Sachiko’s antics, she just gave a guess of it that probably the young Japanese woman is just letting herself get used to her surroundings because its her first time here in South Korea, and it would make sense since the rest of the managers and most of her co-members are Koreans. Yet another one crossed her mind that if that’s the case, why she also acts different towards Mina and Sana who are also Japanese as her? People can be weird in their own ways, Momo concluded. She has so many things to pay more attention first, so she just sweep it off and let her manager do whatever she wants as long as it won’t bother her further.

That is until one day, her hopes went broken when Momo who just finished her beauty care after removing her makeup that she wore from visiting their pop-up museum for With YOU-th. She fixed her bed and set her alarm to 6AM in the morning because they still had somewhere to go for another schedule tomorrow. Momo immediately slept right after her body went contact with the softness and comfy texture of her bed’s cushion. Two hours while she’s deep in her slumber, she stirred in her position and the stretch it required for her body to do made her eyes to barely open, but was enough for her to notice something peculiar coming from her window.

Momo narrowed the slit of her eyes to obtain more focus on her sight to see. There was something disturbing lurking outside her window and it was a round shape until Momo got to visualize it when she opened her eyes and slowly sat up from her bed. Her eyes widened when just as she made a movement, the floating thing disappeared by going sideways that was blocked by the wall for her to follow. That one last glimpse had Momo scream in terror, especially when she speculated that the round thing that was floating in the window can be compared to like a head of a person. Momo pulled her sheet to the level of her chest and she gripped it tight while she sat on her bed, her back leaning on the wall as she breathe rapidly at what the hell did she just observed. That figure was bothering Momo’s mind even during their schedule which caused a bit of a trouble during the progress of their shooting. She was mostly out of her trance, still thinking about what she has caught last night. When she has something going on in her head, her former manager Haseul would be the one to volunteer to have Momo let it all out by listening to whatever story she has in store inside, but sadly her current manager has no qualities of that.

Instead, she wasn’t causing any help at all. She just adds to Momo’s creepy feeling she’s been having after not getting over still from what she seen that night.

While on their break, Momo who is still spacing out after looking at her phone, was confronted by her fellow member Jeongyeon who sat beside her. “You don’t look like you have a grip of yourself at the moment, Momoring.”, she said.  On many occasions, Jeongyeon would be the sole responsible for making fun of her but right now, she is acting as a true friend and a sister to her with her tone being so caring and serious.

“Care to share it with me?” “Are you guys angry at me for making us film many takes because of what i’m doing?” Momo asked with guilt. “I’m sorry if I’m being like this, I-” “We know, that’s why we can’t be mad at you.” Jeongyeon cuts off her words to share her understanding personality. “Everybody has something they had to fight on their own, but there’s nothing wrong with seeking help from others, right?”

“Yeah.” “Then what is it, what is something that is preventing you to act right today?” Jeongyeon patiently asked. Momo went silent for a second and Jeongyeon thought it must be tough for the latter to share. “You can’t force yourself if you can’t Momoring, okay?”

“N-no, I can it’s just that…” Momo lets out a deep breathe. “I don’t know if you would believe me when I say this.”

“Let me hear it first before I judge.” “O-okay…” Momo nodded. “I saw something on my room last night.”

“What is it? Something scary?” “Yeah… there was like… somebody’s watching me from the window, but what’s weird is because it doesn’t have any body, yet the head… is there.”

Jeongyeon furrowed her brows and looked at Momo in disbelief. “Wait are you trying to tell me that there’s probably a stalker in your room that is not headless but rather… only composed of head? Like literally a floating head?” “Exactly.” Momo agreed. “I still don’t know if what I saw was true but… it’s so scary that it ruined my sleep just imagining about it.” Jeongyeon saw how Momo look completely nervous and uncomfortable recalling that scenario, but she lowered her head apologetically. “I’m not actually into ghosts but Momoring… I may not know what exactly you seen out there but maybe it’s because you’re just tired these days. You are considered to be one of our most hardworking people here in our Division, so it’s not gonna be a problem if you… know, try atleast slowing it down and rest when needed?” Momo sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I was in the middle of my sleep when I woke up and saw that, maybe I was just dreaming still when it happened.” Jeongyeon shook her head and wrapped her arm around Momo as she rocked the dancer’s toned body. “You know what, I’ll just take you out for some iced coffee to keep your senses awake. Okay?”

“Sure, why not.” They both grinned at each other after. The chills may have left Momo but her curiosity isn’t done yet. It pushed her to plan something later that night to prove if that thing actually exists like what she encountered days ago. Before she slept, she placed her go-pro camera on her nightstand and sets it on record. While she’s sleeping, the floating head made its appearance once again, floating and swaying back and forth slowly through the window. It tried to open to window using its teeth by biting it and gently opened it as it slides off the pane. Just as when it opened, Momo who is actually pretending to sleep when she heard some strange noises that signifies its presence, Momo immediately sprung up from her bed and tried to charge at the creepy thing but it got away when Momo almost fell to the bottom of the building out to the window as she got pulled by the strength of the creature while she’s pulling it’s long hair to prevent from escaping.

Momo cried in fear as she has proven that it is indeed real. She even touched it by her own hands. Before that, there is one more thing to confirm such existence of this suspiciously dark creature she’s trying to chase for. Grabbing the go-pro camera, she stopped its recording and revisit every timestamps until it led her to this one clip that made her feel intense goosebumps. The creature was indeed a floating head, highly resembling a classic yokai creature based from the tales in her home country Japan, which had Momo in shock as she discovers that this thing called “nukekobi” actually exists in life. But that wasn’t the only part that terrified her a lot, because when she zoomed the paused video to identify its face, Momo almost dropped the camera in pure suspense. The next day, Momo hurriedly arranged a meet up with two of the lead managers in TWICE’s management team, named Sadness and Tendo to report such a frightening evidence. “Look, it’s literally Sachiko and she’s not normal as we all seems to believe about her! Have you guys seen somebody who can detach its head from its body?!” Momo complained while Sadness and Tendo were staring at the paused clip.

“Are you sure you didn’t edit this or something, because seriously what the fuck is this thing?” Tendo said while rubbing his arm, feeling the creeps thats making her hair all stand up. “This is so… I don’t know, my mind can’t process properly what we’re seeing right now, but whether Sachiko who is actually like… what did you say about her again earlier?” “A nukekobi.”

“Yeah that. Whatever she is, we are now certainly sure that she is unsafe and she causes uncomfortable atmosphere for everybody working hard just to assist TWICE in their schedule. This is getting concerning so… what do you say, Tendo? Would you want to do something about this?” “Yeah, definitely. I couldn’t let myself stand across near that woman again after seeing this. I don’t even like her that much, she’s naturally weird, I suppose.” “Okay, I’ll have the rest to investigate the effects of her behavior and once we come up with a decision, we’ll include her for the meeting. Is that good, Momo?” “Yes, thank you so much unnie and oppa.” Momo nodded and bowed gratefully at the two kind leaders.

With the help of Tendo and Sadness’ instant actions regarding of Momo’s complain about Sachiko’s true nature, they have come up with a unanimous decision to kick out Sachiko from the team after the rest also shared their approval and own criticism about the strange woman. After learning about her contract’s unfortunate demise just weeks after getting assigned to JYPE in Korea, Sachiko was upset and disappointed at their decision, and before she left, she expresses those summed up emotions towards one person, and that is the idol she thought she would idolize for her inspiring personality but instead ended up being one of her haters.

Although Momo was regretting it a bit after feeling bad for Sachiko’s removal, she remained focus at the important matter that she’ll be free and safe again from that creature lurking and stalking her as deeper as her sleep she takes every night. It also somehow relief for the managers and the members who learned about the nature of Sachiko, hoping that it would be the last time they’ll get to experience that.

Not long enough, as 3 days later, the police informed Sadness, Tendo, and other TWICE members that they have found Momo’s lifeless body on the backseat of their car that crashed at the side of a road outside Seoul along with her driver who was also pronounced dead in arrival. The two both had their necks broken as their cause of deaths.

It wasn’t because of the impact of the crash though, as they have found out from the investigation that Momo’s neck has huge red marks that presumably came from something very thick and was applied enough force to tighten around Momo’s neck for it to snap in pieces. That resulted for the doctors to finalize that Momo’s cause of death was actually due to strangling, and the only suspect they can have is none other than the driver itself.

They were right, as the whole story they didn’t know behind this gruesome incident was because the driver is actually another Japanese yokai disguised as normal human called “rokurokubi” , a counterpart of Sachiko’s kind. If Sachiko can detach its head completely, the driver whose named is Hiroshi Yamamoto can extend its neck very long to detach itself to its body, and unknown to the police’s reports… it was the strategy he used to kill Momo to avenge his friend Sachiko who committed suicide after having her job in which he was the one who suggested his friend to the agents of Division 3 for the vacant manager spot, got stripped away from her. -----------------------------------END----------------------------------

[strangeauthor]

author im dissapointed in you for reblogging that callout post, the one about k/ckasstorrents. no, its not because i want to defend Any of that behavior at all (i blocked a lot of people in there myself) but because these callouts are fucking useless and incite harrassment for the person, and this trans woman is very obviously mentally ill. if these ppl havent broken any laws, then what is the point of the call out? who have they physically hurt? what does this Do or prevent? you can say its to raise awareness or have people block them, but then what? why did this stupid google doc call out start with her inane pedophilia posts and not the actual problems of her reblogging nazis and saying racist shit which was halfway through it? it shouldve started and ended with this trans woman is racist, rbs from nazis and talks about white and japanese supremacy nonsense so block her.

think about it this way. callout posts Can be useful when a real life person has been hurt and wants to raise awareness so other people dont go through the same thing, like when an artist is scamming people and not giving refunds, someone reveals another user abused them physically/mentally, or someone speaks about how this person was racist and hurt them and others. That is the only scenario id bother sharing a post about that, because its Real, Material harm. posts online, no matter how disgusting we personally feel them to be, are not crimes (and yes obviously hate crimes and racism arent included there). Please think about why you feel the need to reblog these kinds of posts if there is no human victim, thats all.

You literally just acknowledged she reblogged from nazis and had pedophilic posts on here but I’m the bad girl in this scenario?? No human victims??? After acknowledging the nazism? And you threw mentally ill people under the bus?

[afrogmentioned]

The Invitation

Itadori Yuuji, a young Japanese-American man, finds himself without a family after his grandfather's death. Despite his strong bond with his friends Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara, he reconnects with his long-lost family through a DNA test. Unfortunately, they see an opportunity where he sees a family.

wc: 1,024

ship: sukuita

characters: Yuuji, Megumi, Nobara, (Choso, Sukuna, Uraume -> not here yet)

notes: creating my JJK tumblr and balancing my fics (1) here before posting again (fingers crossed)

PART ONE: SALVATION

CHAPTER ONE: ALONE NO MORE

The tag of his white shirt was rubbing against Yuuji's nape, he should have cut it before leaving his flat he thought for a while. The little piece of fabric was slowly getting on his nerves, and the fundraiser kept on going as if it would never stop. He almost sighed as he went past a woman in what was probably a month's worth of his salary. Yuuji smiled and showed the tray he was holding: 

“Beef carpaccio?” He offered the woman. She looked him up and down and ignored him.

Yuuji kept walking through the crowd. One man got close enough to smell him and recognizing the sweet honeyed scent of an omega, he winked at him. Yuuji almost barfed in his mouth. He looked back at the bar where Nobara was filling the champagne glass, looking as if she wanted to open her wrists with a broken flute. Yuuji chuckled and kept asking around him if people wanted to eat beef carpaccio. One woman didn’t even turn and shushed him as she watched whatever CEO talking about his company's annual growth. He couldn’t wait until this was over.

Megumi was already in the kitchen putting food in plastic containers for them to take home. Yuuji almost begged him to leave the beef carpaccio out of his, he couldn’t even handle the smell of it now that he had carried a tray of raw meat the entire evening. Megumi’s tips were on the table waiting for Yuuji’s and Nobara’s, they would slip the total amount into three, and sometimes, depending on their finances, one of them would get a bigger cut to be able to pay their rent.

Nobara opened the doors to the kitchen and sighed loudly before trashing her heels. She fetched the tips from her pockets and slammed the money on the countertop. Yuuji started counting when a small bag dropped in front of him and another in front of Megumi:

“I managed to snatch three of them,” Nobara grinned. “I think there is wine in it.”

“Drunkard,” Yuuji teased still counting the bills.

“Ass, You’re letting me sleep at yours as an apology.”

Megumi snorted before he closed the last plastic container and handed it to Nobara. He pocketed his share of the tips and turned to face Nobara: 

“I got one ass grazing,” he said matter-of-factly. Nobara whistled.

“Boobs ogling, I’m not mad I’m pretty sure I got bigger tips because of it.”

“One ass squeeze and a couple of rude sniffs,” Yuuji smiled from where he stood.

“Fucking alphas,” Nobara sighed.

In the end, Megumi and Nobara slept at Yuuji’s, they knew it was his birthday. Even if he didn’t say anything, Yuuji felt relieved to spend the evening with them. It was only his second birthday since his grandfather had passed, and last year had been miserable, Yuuji was determined to spend a better one this year.

Toothbrush between her teeth, Nobara opened his bathroom door and poked her head into the living room:

“Whot wash it about twuday?”

“Some kind of genealogy tree with DNA,” Megumi answered speaking fluently mouthful Nobara.

“I shink there is a free techt in the bags.”

Yuuji looked in his gift bag and found a small bottle of white wine, chocolates and plastic wrapping which would change his life forever. A house kit DNA test. Megumi was staring at him from his side of the couch: 

“You wanna try?” Yuuji asked.

“Nah, got enough disappointing family members with my dad, I don’t need more. You?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuji hesitated. “It’s just, it’s always been my grandad and me. And now I feel kind of alone, I know I have you guys but sometimes I just want to know where I came from and stuff, what was the deal with my family,” Megumi didn’t answer for a while.

“It’s your decision Yuuji, you’re more my family than my dad, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Yuuji answered slowly eaten by guilt. Megumi was his family too, and Nobara too. But sometimes, in the loneliness of his flat, he couldn’t be sure of his place in the world.

“Dude, do the test, maybe you’re an heir to a big family or something. It doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a test,” Megumi added. “I don’t know how it feels to be alone, to have no one to call family. I got my mom’s side and Tsumiki. What I want to say is: do it if you want to.”

“Thanks,” Yuuji mumbled. Megumi wasn’t always the most articulate, it probably took a lot from him to say all of that. It felt like a lot to Yuuji. “You’re like a brother to me, you know that?”

Megumi didn’t answer but he smiled at him and dropped his head against Yuuji’s shoulder. Nobara went to sit on the other side of Yuuji and dropped herself over him, she had probably been listening to them. She smelled of mint toothpaste and Megumi of the caramel candies he had been eating. Yuuji sighed, slowly he felt his shoulders relax and the nagging headache he had had for a while receded. It felt like a home. Like a family. He enjoyed it, tomorrow his flat would be cold and empty.

Yuuji dropped the DNA test in the mail. It was just a stupid test like Megumi said. It didn’t mean anything and it would probably not show any result. For all he knew he was a simple Japanese-American man whose family had immigrated in the late nineteenth century. He probably had estranged cousins or no one at all. Determined to forget all about it Yuuji went back to his normal life as a waiter and artist. He focused even more on his tasks in order to have his brain focus on something else than refreshing his ancestry page. He didn’t talk about it with Megumi or Nobara too happy to spend time with them when they could meet up. Until one evening, when he was cutting the cucumbers to make tzatziki his phone beeped. 

Congratulations

You have one (1) DNA match!

Masterpost

Next Chapter

Chapter List

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Things to read while Can You Hear My Heartbeat is on vacation #4

Beneath the Shine of a Thousand Spotlights

Summary:

Viktor had forgotten when he had last felt the rush of adrenaline giving way to drunken euphoria. As the photographers raised their cameras, he hid the emptiness in his heart behind a dazzling smile, sculptured to perfection in two decades of competitive figure skating. Flashlights ripped through the arena like sheet lightning on a murky summer night. Viktor swept back his hair and lifted the golden disk that hung heavy around his neck to his lips. A collective sigh rippled through the crowd as he performed the ritualistic kiss of his medal. Viktor flashed the press another star-smile. Then he hopped off the podium. Twenty years of being Russia’s poster athlete have drained Viktor Nikiforov off the passion he once had held for his sport, but caught up in duty and habit he cannot escape the icon he has become. Thoughts of retirement cross his mind when a drunken Japanese Cinderella dances into his life, stirring a dream of life and love beyond scores and medals. But that which sets his heart on fire also holds the power to throw Viktor into an even darker state of mind. This canon story covers the four months between the GPF and Viktor deciding to become Yuuri’s coach.

Tags: Depressed Viktor, light angst, character study, Viktor lives in his own world, the making of Eros and Agape, lonely Viktor, creative burnout, past Nikimetti, Yakov and Lilia are still married (but for how long?), this story made my beta cry

Excerpt:

“How do you feel having broken your world record in the free programme for the third time?”

“Where will you compete next?”

“Now that you’ve won the Grand Prix Final more often than every other skater in history, what is your next goal?”

“You kept surprising the audience season after season. Do you ever run out of ideas?”

“There have been rumours circulating about you wanting to retire. What are your thoughts about your future career? How will you reassure your fans?”

Viktor tucked his black necktie into the waistcoat of his dark-grey three-piece suit and regarded himself in the mirror. As so often, his silver-blonde bangs exhibited an irritating life on their own. He returned to the bathroom.

I wish I had known my hair would do this before I had it cut, he thought as he fixed the stubborn cowlick with hair wax. Now, it’s too thin to let it grow long again. What late-adolescent fit made me think short hair would give me a more mature image?

One last time, he checked his mirror image before he returned to the bedroom. The day had been crammed with gala practice, interviews, gala, and more interviews he had braved with non-committal answers and his star-smile. Now, one last social function loomed ahead and he would survive this one with more star-smiles and non-committal answers.

What people took for the beautiful and mysterious ice prince was a carefully crafted façade. Never give the press what they’re lusting for. Information was power, and Viktor preferred to stay in control of what he wanted to reveal.

They’ve been talking about my retirement as if I’ve already announced it.

Suddenly, he was choking on the sadness that had been lurking at the edge of his mind during the competition. He had thought it was gone. Why was it back? After three days of competition, he had no energy left to deal with this. And all because some overzealous fan had interpreted his expression during his recent performances as a growing contempt for his craft. As if Viktor’s presentation stood in contrast to his season’s theme.

Just two more hours. I don’t need to stay until the end. There will be champagne and music, and small talk. It’s just a different kind of performance. I have scripts for that.

But he was deluding himself. Unlike a programme that relied on muscle memory and an intense, innate focus, social functions demanded constant attention. Just the thing to look forward to after competing had drained Viktor of the energy he had scraped together to get through the event in the first place. And the Russian Hero was expected to attend even more than any other skater, and Viktor hated to disappoint.

There was a knock on his door.

Taking a deep breath, Viktor composed himself. I kept myself together for a long weekend. I can manage another couple of hours.

He picked up his blazer from the comforter. “I’m coming!”

He opened the door and stared right into a red-cheeked face framed by short blonde curls.

“Chris!”

His friend grinned. “Curious. Your hair doesn’t look like that, dear.”

*end of excerpt*

Reblog appreciated 💙💜

[katyspersonal]

Another SOTE progress post!

1) Okay so like I said earlier in another post the highlight of today was finally defeating Rellana x) It felt REALLY rewarding to finally win after having to try so many things, Miyazaki forced me to use my brain AGAIN

2) After that I went to talk with the NPCs around the crosses by an advice by @val-of-the-north since not being able to summon Leda apparently meant that I've got the rune of Miquella broken. And hoooo boy.... At last I got to that part where Ansbach revealed the uncancelled Mohg's lore.

"Once, in an attempt to free Lord Mohg from his enchantment, I challenged Tender Miquella, only to have my own heart rather artfully stolen. I knew not how weak I was. I believed that with sufficient mastery, even and Empyrean would be within reach of my blade. I could not have been more mistaken... Miquella the Kind...is a monster. Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying."

"Righteous Tarnished. Miquella the Kind makes my blood run cold. I am loath to admit it, but even at this very instant I wish to run very far away indeed."

Soooo, yeah.. Apparently the bit I was spoiled is later game dialogue, this is a different one and I see it for the first time! Damn, trailer quote tho x)

3) What I did NOT know is that all these characters were under the spell of Bewitching Branch too ;-; Guess Leda is going after the hornsent guy's throat now gfhgjg Wild to see how everyone now does what they actually want, SPEAKING OF:

4) Thiollier now wants to go seek the part of Miquella he earlier had sealed away with the spell wall branded with his Haligtree symbol! There is now outright confirmation that Trina IS Miquella:

"Would Kindly Miquella chasten me? For falling for St. Trina, while knowing that she was the discarded half? The problem is... I simply cannot help it. I would sacrifice everything, just to gaze upon her, one last time."

Damn... either 1) Looks like both alters of Miquella have the capacity of compelling affection? Not just his Bewitching Branch, but whatever sleepy scent powers Trina is using or 2) Thiollier is Just Like This. Tea?

"I see you've thrown away... Something you should not have. Under any circumstances. How will you salvation offer... to those who cannot be saved? When you could not even save your other self? Kindly Miquella..."

5) The cross strangely has the message from Miquella, "I abandon here my love". All things considered it is not supposed to refer to his feelings, and recalling dialogue by Ansbach I'd say it maybe refers to his ability to wield love as weapon? Because look at how NOW Trina's power entices people into coma. Speaking OF:

6) Turned out my previous guess was wrong, and "bastardisation" of Trina's otherwise pacifist powers was not work of followers, but result of Miquella severing her from his being!

7) (or rather 6.1 lol) This is actually a good additional timeline clue! Earlier Freija mentioned that she received her Scarlet Rot wound in Caelid, so, as Malenia and Radanh fought, and Miquella was the one to heal it! So he was around that time yet. Then, change in Trina's powers happened as Miquella went to abandon his Empyrean entity, when Dolores has been using the powers as they were and she was in the Roundtable Hold! This I think will be useful for later to recover when could he have started with the plan! I already have a working suggestion for explaining events, just need more info!

8) Damn, not the area from the trailer ;-; Thiollier is so dead lol

By the way the boss in this area is RIDICULOUSLY difficult hghghg I gave up on him and kinda went to have adventures elsewhere just for the heck of it!

9) Discovered an actual dialogue by an old lady in Belurat, AND:

EMPYREAN?? I actually yelled at Val about it since I needed to know whether it is legit the same term or perhaps a loss in translation! And he researched Japanese script and confirmed that yes, indeed, this woman IS an Empyrean like GEQ, Marika, Ranni, Miquella and Malenia! @val-of-the-north be a dear and add the evidence you've found today in a reblog or another pose! Because HECK, WHAT????

10) So I went to look around in random places since that boss was too hard. Found a small piece of some ruins by Val's advice, using one of those blue Keyswords. Then I wanted to go down in a village down near Moorth Ruins but for the heck of it could not figure how to get down there. While waiting for Val's slow ass to instruct me, I started to run wherever, really. And ironically, found the exact cave leading me to the FULL version of those Ruins! Felt surprised to find the golden tree inside!

11) Went through second poisonous swamp in the game yet, truly Miyazaki xD

12) Stumbled into Kindred of Rot, but they are RED in color!!!

This was so bizarre?? Damn, still, what ARE they doing here? First turned out that Formless Mothers and rituals for her that Mohg is using originated in Shadow Realm, now this.. Makes me wonder whether all Outer Gods come from this place originally, so God of Rot too, so, Twinbird too?

13) Hey @heraldofcrow how did you lose your clothes?? Put them back on slut gdghvgbvbbh

14) I decided to explore later and instead went to bully Horned Knights and Ascetics for their sets and weapon in Belurat. Belurat has places very close to Site of Grace for both! Horned Knight farming went pretty fast and easy! Ascetic... not so much. :/ He did drop his weapon and arm piece, but past this point he's been only dropping leg piece over and over! Reminds me of that 'Seebass? No, it's at least C+!' meme vffhhhh I think I will return for his mask later :/

15) This type of posts becomes a bit too structured, I need to post more random items descs

16) However I got a note from Val that we surprisingly got lore on Fingercrawlers (lol at my recent theory post aging like milk xd) and @jarognieva said something about a couple of spots on the map looking like giant fingerprints + having many fingers within 👀 No idea what is going on yet, but I can see it now!

Okay that's it for now.. until the tomorrow's work shift ends xD

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 17 review

OH GOD OKAY here we go...

Once again, I am a broken record: good episode!

My two major complaints: The bit where Laios and Kabru stand around talking next to an off-screen, roaring, screaming monster seemed kind of silly in animation. In a comic it works, but they really should have animated them walking or stumbling away while delivering those lines, having them just stand there until the monster attacks them again is really goofy.

ALSO, something Trigger keeps doing that I am NOT a fan of, is throwing animated speed-line backgrounds behind characters when they're reacting to something. Sometimes these were in the original manga, other times they are NOT... and they break the immersion of the anime completely IMO.

The coloring in DM is so moody and wonderful, the aesthetic is generally grounded, so when suddenly the background is bright blue or lime green or pink and strobing, it's VERY jarring... and the joke DOES NOT NEED these effects in order to be funny! In fact I think it leeches some of the humor out of the jokes. Imagine if every time someone had a strong emotion in a classic Disney movie you'd get this:

This type of sudden background color change, strobing and speed lines are artifacts of older, cheaper anime, tricks that used to be done to hide the lack of budget, as a way to make a quick joke. It's now used as a shorthand to tell people a joke is happening.

But Trigger doesn't NEED to use these tricks, they're using them because "that's how you make sure the audience knows a joke is happening", but the jokes in Dungeon Meshi are so well written, you don't need to cue us with a visual laugh-track, Trigger!!!! ESPECIALLY when Kui didn't do it in the manga!!!

They've done it in other episodes, but I felt like they were particularly noticeable and bad in this one. Makes me sad because I feel it's dragging the anime down from the genuine peak of artistry that it's otherwise achieving.

As always, animation is fantastic. The stuff with chimera falin is obviously top notch, brutal and fast and amazing... But I also have to say that the Toshiro and Laios argument was animated INCREDIBLY well, with a lot of loving detail given to what is, ostensibly, just talking, something Trigger normally hates to animate.... But they put movie-quality work into that argument and it really paid off.

Honestly can't think of much to complain about. It's a solid adaptation of this part of the story, one of the biggest, coolest action sequences that we've all been waiting for.

Vocal performances were all great in both English and Japanese. Kabru's English voice actor did a great job, despite my misgivings about him in previous episodes. I hope he continues to improve.

A dub script change had Kabru think "He's excited" about Laios instead of "his pupils are dilated"... This isn't a terrible change, but a bit baffling. Saying his pupils are dilated tells viewers HOW Kabru knows Laios is excited, and indicates that he is using some kind of scientific criteria to measure it, it makes him sound smarter and more detached from what he's doing. Just saying "he's excited" doesn't tell us how Kabru knows... and it's a thought, not dialog, so it's weird for them to change it in the script, since there's no need to match mouth-flaps.

The sequence where Kabru strips off all his armor and does a surprise attack on Falin is still fantastic in this, though I am a little bit sad that they didn't find any ways to add any extra emphasis for it - in the manga it's drawn out a bit, to the point where you might miss what was happening on your first read... I think the amount of shots we got in the anime was the same as in the manga, but somehow it felt less impactful to me. Maybe pacing?

At any rate, it was an incredibly solid episode.

I already liked Toshiro, but seeing this part of the manga animated really made me like him more, I hadn't realized in the past just how damn romantic the twin bells thing was, but damn. Toshiro really has forgiven Laios by the time they part ways here, it's easy to forget that since Toshiro very much takes a back seat after this.

[antispopausandstuff]

debated on talking about this, but i figured why not, so

.

it's been on the shelf for a while, but i have another SPOP universe titled "She-Ra: The New Era" that's set approximately 150 years in the future after the war, with a new She-Ra named Seren, Adora's granddaughter and 2nd descendant.

i will admit, "The New Era" follows the same basic plotline of the original story ( OG show and reboot ), where invaders take over Etheria and bring corruption and domination to the homeland, but i want to handle it and make it my own in execution.

as to who the invaders are, they don't have anything to do with the Horde and are instead of a species i made myself, but are currently unnamed ( i'm looking through demon lore and whatnot for inspiration on name and lore ), so they're simply called 'invaders' for right now.

the plotline . . .

"The New Era" follows Seren through the path of redefining She-Ra's legacy and making a name for herself, fighting evil, discovering secrets of the past, and mending bridges long broken.

inspired by ATLA and LOK, especially in their parallel theming, Arcane, The Dragon Prince, and several other media relating to war, coming of age, past vs. present, etc.

.

the main protagonists . . .

Serenity ( Seren ) - Adora's Granddaughter, 2nd Descendant, She-Ra, 18 years old ( beginning ), She // He ( Trans Bigender ).

she is very matter-of-fact, having a tendency to come off as blunt and brusque to strangers, often unintentionally. but when people come to understand her, Seren shows she is compassionate, friendly, and protective for the innocent.

raised in a community that trained and prepared her for any future hardships, Seren is a highly-skilled fighter, seen as a prodigy of her time for how quickly she adapted to and developed her abilities, and is knowledgeable in a variety of weapons and magic. a lot of people tend not to think about it, but she is, in fact, a bookworm.

Voice Claim - Nakia ( Black Panther )

Trivia . . .

Main Color - Blue

Best Friend - Valkya ( dragon )

Favorite Pastime - Art

Favorite Food - Sweet-Spicy Glazed Ribs ( inspired by soul food )

Quirk - Nail Biter ( usually when busy or nervous )

Has a stepdad ( relationship is awkward )

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Amlok - Hordak's Son(?), King of the Light Zone, 19 years old ( beginning ), He // They ( Trans Non-Binary ).

forever haunted by the past, Amlok strives to be better than his predecessor and remain kind, even in the face of those who heavily mistreat and abuse him. because of this, he's considered foolish and pathetic by many, even his people.

he doesn't know how to fight, at all, typically relying on words, taking the hits, or running away when in confrontations, but Amlok is determined and hardly knows when to quit, which helped him with finding his own ways to apply spells ( due to being a Horde clone // experiment, he cannot naturally have magic ).

Voice Claim - Rin Okumura ( Blue Exorcist ) ( Japanese )

Trivia . . .

Main Color - Black

Best Friend - Khaspian ( Prince of Salineas )

Favorite Pastime - Harp Playing

Favorite Food - Homemade Fruit Bread ( inspired by soul food )

Quirk - Levitates 24/7 ( very rarely on feet )

Animals are his family ( Disney Princess type beat )

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Khaspian - Mermista's Grandchild, Prince of Salineas, 18 years old, They // He // She ( Trans Genderqueer )

they're a handful, to put it bluntly. with only one friend ( Amlok ), Khaspian drives most people away due to their patronizing attitude and constant need to be the best. but, despite the rumors, they did not form a connection with Amlok out of pity or other ambiguous reasons.

beneath all of their bravado of superiority is someone who is aimless in life and doesn't know how to be more than their title. Khaspian has no hobbies ( that they know of ) and has their life entirely centered around being future King and trying to gain magical ability, which is a very sore spot for them. needless to say, they're not a people person.

Voice Claim - Amir ( The Two Princes )

Trivia . . .

Main Color - Gold

Best Friend - Amlok ( King of the Light Zone )

Favorite Pastime - Technological Science ( they have no idea )

Favorite Food - Suki ( inspired by Thai cuisine )

Quirk - Hair-Fidgeter ( dead giveaway to nerves )

Has a twin sister ( Cora ) ( they hate each other )

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Lunar - Glimmer's Daughter, Princess of Brightmoon, 18 years old, She // They ( Non-Binary )

adventurous, bright-eyed, and keen, Lunar desires exploring Etheria and beyond over becoming Queen, which puts her at odds with her mother quite often. like Seren, she is a prodigy, particularly in magic, but this leads her to be impulsive, a little insensitive, and seeking independence above all else.

in spite of her confident, daredevil attitude, Lunar is easily spooked and can be seen napping and // or sleeping for hours after her anxieties finally crash down on her. she's rivals with Khaspian, partially because they love to scare her.

Voice Claim - Nobara ( Jujustu Kaisen ) ( Japanese ) ( i do not support JJK )

Trivia . . .

Main Color - Pink

Best Friend - Kowl ( owlcat-looking thing )

Favorite Pastime - Sports

Favorite Food - Ma's Glazed Dango ( inspired by Japanese cuisine )

Quirk - Hummer ( struggles with quiet )

Has a little brother ( Starlight ) ( the siblings ever )

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the main antagonists are still going through conceptual writing progress ( so are the main protagonists, but less so ), and i'm working on the lore for the invader species, so this project will take time.

important to note! i referenced cultural irl foods, but i'm most confident in referencing African American dishes, as that is half of my ethnicity and soul food is very common. another part of the reason why this project may take a lot of time is because i want to figure out how to incorporate inspirations into my work without potentially offending others or generalizing too many details.

this is a high fantasy story at the end of the day, so i don't want to put too much pressure on myself to represent 100% accurately, but i want everything to feel authentic and inspired, not like throwing the diversity sticker on the cover for views.

unlike "To Be Loved", "The New Era" will take a much longer time to be produced and online, if it even gets to that point, but i will try my best to share the process, including concepts ( writing and art ), character designs, lore, etc.

thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy all future content of my kiddos and their journeys!