#I heard something about ‘’special interest’’ (which might be the case)

[beartitled]

why did you choose polar bear? 🐻‍❄️🐻‍❄️🐻‍❄️

you look much cuter:³🩵🤍🩵🤍🩵

Oh hey that’s the question™️

(don’t get the second one tho)

Anyway

Um

Basically I watched one cartoon as a child (I was about 3 years old) and I kinda got a life long brainrot 🤷

[thepersonperson]

Sukuna's Loneliness Part 2 (Sukuna is a fraud and it's funny.)

Part 1 Part 3

Before we start...

1) I will be mainly using the TCB scans because of their accessibility. 

2) This was written as of JJK 262.

(Click pictures for captions/citations.)

Fraudkuna

You’ve probably heard JJK dudebros call The King of Curses a fraud. Fraudkuna to be exact. I want to say that they’re 100% right, but that doesn’t make Sukuna a bad fighter. Sukuna is a fraud in the way Saul Goodman is a fraud. He’s so good at being fraudulent that it’s his very way of life.

This person puts it succinctly. 

And remember Reggie’s Star’s words of wisdom.

The best sorcerers are masters of deception.

Mimicry

Sukuna constantly steals from people—he takes something that isn’t his, and then morphs it into something for his purposes whether it’s bodies, Cursed Techniques (CTs), or strategies. This guy barely has original ideas of his own, using someone else’s work as the base and then building himself on top of that. This is fraud behavior. 

Puppeting Megumi

In a 2 for 1 special, Sukuna steals Kenjaku’s original idea to turn body parts into cursed objects and Megumi’s 10 Shadows along with his body.

Naturally he steals the hand signs for Megumi's CT too.

What’s interesting about this copying is that the hand signs are inversed for every Shikigami except Mahoraga.

I think the inversion for Sukuna is an act of disrespect or a form of acknowledgement for a lesser since the hand sign for Mahoraga, who Sukuna respects greatly, is identical to the original form. Sukuna’s Mahoraga is virtually unchanged in design as well. It might be slightly bigger, unlike the other Shikigami whose forms are distorted compared to Megumi’s.

I lean towards distortion being an act of disrespect since Sukuna despises Choso almost as much as Yuji and steals his Piercing Blood while tweaking the hand sign.

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. And just about everyone has picked up on Sukuna’s Megumi obsession. However, what most don’t realize is that this obsession wasn’t for Megumi the person, but his potential. Mahoraga to be exact.

And though Sukuna adores Mahoraga, his obsession with this Shikigami is in service to someone else…

Professional Gojo Satoru Simp

When I was writing this section, I was greatly surprised. I went back and scanned through everything post-Gojo Death (JJK 236-262) to see how often Sukuna copies Gojo as evidence of fraud. What I found fundamentally changed the direction of this analysis. I will tie it all into how Sukuna is a fraud don't get me wrong, but there's something else at play here...

Post-Gojo's demise, Sukuna thinks of Gojo whether directly from himself or implied by the narrator. 15 TIMES.

Sukuna, for no discernable reason, keeps copying everything Gojo did. It's not a one-off thing like Megumi for a long-term goal, it's a consistent non-stop mimicry after their fight. Here's all of them so far:

1. Using Reverse Cursed Energy (RCE) to heal a burnt-out CT.

2. The hand sign for Unlimited Void. (Aside: Yuta inverts the hand sign as Yujo, but in his case I think it's an act of respect since he doesn't see himself as Gojo's equal.)

3. The hand sign for Red.

4. Shrine based Infinity barrier.

5. Using Blue's gravity to fast travel.

6. Black flashing to restore Cursed Energy (CE) output.

7. The chanting and Honored One Pose at the same time. (And there’s even more layers to the chants themselves check out this post.)

8. Detonating his own technique on himself.

9. Even the way in which he smiles as he beats teenagers up.

By the way this face punch he did to Yugo is a replica Gojo's very first punch he landed on Sukuna.

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery but got dang. This is a bit obsessive to put it lightly.

But it didn’t start here. Sukuna’s Gojo obsession started from this panel. As Sukuna himself confirms.

No. Let’s go back further. This is when it began. Chapter 2 of the manga and Episode 1 of the anime in early June of 2018.

This motherfudger has been planning on how to slaughter Gojo for 200+ chapters. In canon time that is about 6 months.

I want to point out that his promise to kill Gojo first wound up being a lie on multiple fronts (more fraudulent behavior). He admits that it's the wrong brat's body while leaving out the fact that Gojo wasn't his first kill.

Technically Sukuna made Yuji's body his temporarily in Shibuya and killed thousands, but that wasn't deliberate. Sukuna didn't target those civilians specifically, they just got caught up as collateral in his fights with Jogo and Mahoraga. The first person Sukuna went out of his way to kill was Yorozu/Tsumiki (killing Ryu along the way). And he didn't tell Gojo that for a reason.

Much like Gojo, Sukuna is a 2 birds and 1 stone person as in he has multiple reasons for doing a single action. This can make his motives appear dubious or have plausible deniability. Sukuna on the surface went after Yorozu/Tsumiki to subjugate Megumi's soul. But that too was still in service of killing Gojo. Yorozu’s Perfect Sphere, if you remember, acts just like Infinity. And Sukuna trained Mahoraga on it deliberately to get past it.

This also means that retroactively, his Megumi and Mahoraga obsession is a part of his Gojo obsession. He saw his personally trained student’s potential, found out about Mahoraga’s adaptation, and used it specifically to upgrade his CT for the sole purpose of killing Gojo. Sukuna admits to this himself.

Not with his own technique by itself, but with Megumi’s because deep down he realized Gojo’s CT was better than his and he’d lose to him in a fair fight. A fraudulent way to victory.

By the way, when Mahoraga finally adapts to Infinity in a way Sukuna can copy, he's observing the adaptation from the shadows, fully bumming the fight, as Gojo 1v2s Agito and Mahoraga.

What’s so fascinating about this planning is that it was made up on the fly. Sukuna has been obsessing over how to kill Gojo Satoru since their first 10 seconds interaction. (Toji behavior much?) Megumi and Mahoraga being a part of his plans occurred by chance. There’s a certain level of adaptability and skill needed to think on the fly like this. It truly makes Sukuna the Best Fraud in verse.

Lies and Hypocrisy

Simply copying those you admire is base level fraudulent behavior. What makes Sukuna the King of Frauds are the contradictions in his words and actions. This isn’t like Gojo Satoru who is actively hiding his true feelings as a trauma response. Sukuna betrays his own inner logic on convenience. Uraume even notes this as his “capricious nature”.

These are excuses made by a Professional Sukuna Understander who also acknowledges just how much he was into Gojo despite Sukuna actively denying it himself. (He’s just a fish? What kind of fish engages in 6 months of psychological mind games and preparation to catch outside of Moby Dick? Yes I know he’s a whale but the obsessiveness bordering something else is there.)

We'll get back to this eventually. For now we will focus on how Sukuna picks on children.

Hating Ideals and Roles

Sukuna hates ideals. Everyone knows this because he tells Yuji constantly how much he hates them. He spits on Yuji for having ideals and goals. And then turns around and gets hyped when he finally has his own goal to chase. The hypocrisy speaks for itself.

But that’s not the end of it. He also berates Yuji for seeking a role in life, outwardly teasing him when he finds one besides cog. And then gets this excited when Maki “forces” one on him.

He’s not just being a hypocrite here. I think it’s envy. Yuji gets all the things he was denied—a society that does not exclude him for the circumstances of his birth, clear cut goals and purposes alongside others, and fulfilling connections with equals. In the worst case of Sour Grapes I’ve ever seen, he derides the things he believes he’s incapable of having. But the second he gets a taste, he starts salivating.

Hating Love

Sukuna's hatred of ideals and roles in society is but a microcosm of his one true hate—love and connections. Anything soft like bonds makes people weak. Sukuna seeks only strength so he believes the following:

Not only does Sukuna admit here that connections with other people are a weakness, he believes Gojo to be the modern pinnacle of casting them away to obtain strength. In a very roundabout way this is him praising Gojo for being a monster like himself.

And that's where the next contradiction lies. Despite Sukuna preaching the benefits of isolation, he still craves that monster to monster connection. He adores anyone just like him. Monsters who throw all their humanity away just like him. He wants that connection so badly. Look at how often Sukuna gets excited when he thinks others might be like him. (Notice the half-assed Brat is Sukuna calling Yuji out for not committing to monsterhood.)

Uraume of all people should fulfill a bit of that social want Sukuna has, but they put him on a pedestal. They are his servant and he is their master. Even though they can intuit his needs, they can’t fulfill all his emotional ones since their relationship is one with inherent distance between them. That being said, Uraume still understands exactly what Sukuna is looking for—other monsters.

Professional Sukuna Understander once again gives insight onto how this fraud thinks. Sukuna is strong enough to endure solitude. He is fearless and alone by embracing power.

And yet Sukuna cannot abide by his own principles against love.

December 24th is the most romantic day in Japan. This information is in part how we infer Gojo Satoru is in love Geto Suguru time and time again. Kenjaku calls Gojo out for this. Setting a battle date to December 24th is romantic in nature. And Sukuna, of his own volition starts seeing Gojo as the one who will teach him love.

No. That's not right either...

Gojo has never been the one trying to teach Sukuna love. He never heard those words from Yorozu. Not once. It's the other way around. Sukuna is the one trying to teach Gojo about love. Every single time "The one who will teach you about love is..." appears, Sukuna is in the final frame. It's never Gojo. It's always Sukuna.

The loneliness that comes with unrivaled strength. The one who will teach you about love is...Sukuna.

Kashimo takes Sukuna up on the offer. He has Sukuna teach him about love. When Sukuna first starts his speech about love, he speaks of Yorozu as someone who could've taught Gojo of love—as in Gojo was the one who needed teaching. He also spells out for Kashimo that the strong love with their violence. Sukuna himself admits that he loves by slaughtering. All while saying it's worthless in the end, because the only thing that matters to him is strength.

Wanting love and strength is greedy. You can't have both. Sukuna killing Gojo was not only an act of love, but an act of denial in pursuit of self-preservation. Sukuna found someone he could possibly love and he did everything in his power to kill him for the sake of maintaining his strength.

This could be proof he's not a fraud when it comes to hating love. But he still engaged with it and became stronger as a result of it—contradicting the very principles on which he decries love as weakness.

In retrospect, this makes this particular Gojo glazing Sukuna sequence from the infamous JJK 236 ironically hilarious.

Gojo never realized that Sukuna obsessed over him for 6 months nonstop after meeting him for 10 seconds. He never realized that Sukuna's cruelty and cuts were trying to reach him. The most Gojo knew was that Sukuna bagged Mahoraga to kill him. He didn't know about the planning that went into it or the heart behind it all. Gojo has always been iffy about understanding other people's feelings towards him mind you, but...

In the same way Geto did not understand Gojo's love for him until both of them were dead, Gojo did not understand Sukuna's love for him even in death. Because Gojo and Sukuna are the same person.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When the Seagulls Cry) is a visual novel about a person who is fundamentally misunderstood by those around them. They desperately want to be loved without being perceived, believing themself to be unworthy due to trauma and immutable characteristics given to them at birth. Instead of telling anyone these feelings directly, they play games akin to torture. They torment the ones they love over and over in hopes they'll see through their actions and understand them.

The Consequences of Fraudulent Behavior

The tragedy of Sukuna is his inability to fully realize his desires. He wants an equal in strength to play with or be killed by, but he crushes anyone with the potential to do that. Gojo was the closest thing Sukuna ever got to realizing that desire. Hence the “You cleared my skies. I shall remember you for as long as I live.” and subsequent "Where's Gojo Satoru?" ad nauseum.

Instead of allowing these potential companions to realize their abilities fully, he kills them and then gets upset about it. There's honestly no difference between him and a dog impulsively tearing his favorite chewtoys to pieces and getting confused by the outcome. (And in the case of Gojo Satoru, that's the dog catching the car but if the dog had spent half a year studying the exact speed and timing down to the stud before ripping the bumper off.)

I genuinely cannot tell if Sukuna is aware of this problem himself. Seriously, I don’t think anyone has told him that if he wants a matured fighter, he needs to let them…mature in the first place. I know he was treated like animal since birth, but he’s smart enough to know better. 

He’ll never reach satisfaction like this and it’s as funny as it is pathetic. Even Megumi, the first person he saw with the potential to entertain him, was chewed up with ease. Not just him, but the very reason he took interest—Mahoraga. Instead of having a Shikigami that will always evolve with him and therefore always be a source of everchanging entertainment, he tamed it and added it to his arsenal.

Sure all of that was to kill Gojo via masterclass frauding, but that too cucks him in the long run. Gojo is still the only person in Sukuna’s entire existence to keep up with him and nearly kill him on his own. If Sukuna were smarter, he could’ve developed a lifelong rivalry that fueled both of their growths. But Gojo beats him fair and square, so he binding vow frauds his way out in a way that permanently destroys this source of fun.

And on top of that, his killing of Gojo may have also been Sukuna trying to trick himself into believing he doesn't need anyone to satisfy him ever. He probably believes this from the bottom of his heart. Kashimo calls him out for it. "Then why mince your soul into cursed objects and watch all those years go by?" Why get so excited when Uraume shows up too?

I'm not saying that Sukuna has been secretly craving romantic or sexual love for the past 1,000 years. He has had plenty of opportunities to engage with this kind of love and has chosen not to. (Though I do think Sukuna saw his fight with Gojo as a some warped version of a date at this point.) The kind of love Sukuna seems to crave is one between friends, peers, and equals. What I'm saying is that Gojo shattered his world view in the same way Gojo also shattered Toji's world view. But unlike Toji who was able to admit his way of thinking was flawed, Sukuna is actively in denial.

He denies his own feelings and desires for companionship while running around looking for another Gojo Satoru that will never exist. All that Sukuna is left with are disappointments and ghosts to chase. The only person who keeps getting up stronger every time he knocks them down is Yuji. And he hates Yuji. 

I’m not sure what this all means in the grand scheme of this story, but I am fascinated by how this absolute menace sabotages his own chances at happiness because his power and fraudulent behavior has stripped him of his ability to socialize.

[octuscle]

Browth Spurt

Martin, Michael and Christian were interns at promaxx, one of the fastest growing venture capitalists. promaxx specialized in biotech, and the board's dream was to find the first unicorn capable of bionically optimizing humans.

"If they were able to do that, they hadn't done a good job on themselves," Martin whispered to Michael. He had to stifle a laugh. There were indeed a couple of rather ridiculous-looking nerds in the "growth spurt" presentation. They were talking about a combination of pills and autogenic training, which was supposed to unleash undreamt-of powers in men. There was actually a pile of CDs and a few packets of pills on the table in front of them. Images of men screaming "Alpha" from every pore flickered across the projector.

The promaxx product manager had either heard Martin or read his mind. In any case, he asked why the young men didn't look like the ones whose images had just been projected onto the wall. One of the start-up nerds, who weighed a maximum of 70 kilograms at around 200 cm tall, began to stammer that they weren't quite sure yet what the side effects on the psyche would be and that their minds were, after all, the company's greatest asset. Christian, who has always been a bit cheeky, laughed and said that this might not be a good starting point for entering the market. The product manager gave him a high five and added that he was not interested in hearing more, he was sure that everyone present could do better with their time, the meeting was over.

The start-up entrepreneurs from "growth spurt" stood there with their mouths open. They had expected everything, but not such an early termination. The product manager left the room without saying goodbye. Martin and Christian followed in his footsteps. Only Michael stayed for a moment, tried some comforting small talk and then left. The nerds packed up their things in disappointment and left the meeting room.

"Why were you still talking to the losers? "Christian asked Michael. Christian opened his jacket and took out a pack of tablets and three CDs. "That's why," he said with a grin. "We'll see what this stuff is worth now. And if it can become a unicorn, we can say we've discovered it."

That evening, the three boys lay in their beds. The tablets with a glass of water on the bedside table. The CD inserted in a player. They had all had to search a little to find something that could play this ancient media. The three of them chatted on their chatroom.

Michael: Have you already Martin: Nope Christian: Nope Michael: I've put the CD in, but I can't hear a thing. Christian: Same here. Martin: I've swallowed the pill! Michael: Okay, me too now Christian All for one, one for all! …

Christian fell into a deep sleep relatively quickly. His boner built an impressive tent in his bed. At some point during the night, he had a wet dream and blew an incredible load. And then once again. And then once more. And then he woke up.

Christian: Shit, are you awake? Christian: Shit, shit, shit! Michael: Bro, it's 05:00. A bit early for the gym. Martin: You say, weakling! I've been up for half an hour doing push-ups and squats.

Christian sits up. He burped. Must be from the pills. Like the puddle he had slept in. And that body that had torn his pyjamas to shreds. Martin sent a photo of a monstrous bicep with the comment "Then I'll see how I can get it to burn." Something was different. But Christian didn't know what…

Christian: Bros, I must have overdone it a bit, I don't fit into my clothes anymore. Michael: Same here, bros, had to train naked. Shit, my cock rubs against the floor during the push-ups and doesn't get limp at all. Martin: I was just at my brother's. His clothes fit me reasonably well. I'll pick you up and bring you something.

Christian went into the shower. His three-day beard went perfectly with his dark complexion. No need to shave today. His parents were still closing up when Michael and Martin pulled up outside the house. Christian opened the door, naked as God had made him. "You're a fucking statue, bro," Martin said as he handed him a pile of clothes. Christian posed. The light from the hall lamp cast his shadow on the early morning street. The milkman gawked. And almost had an accident.

"So, bro! We think you should think again about the nerds from yesterday," Michael said to the promaxx product manager. He just looked at them. He didn't notice any change. The three junior managers looked impressive as always. The fact that they called him "bro" flattered him. "Sorry, big boys, but the rejection is already out."

Christian looked at his bros and asked, "Do you think what I think?" "Shit, when I see you, I always think the same thing, stud!" said Martin. He obviously wasn't wearing any underpants. And he was leaking plenty of precum. "Michael grabbed his crotch and said "Let's fuck the guys from "growth spurt". Christian grinned. "At least there's one here who hasn't fucked his brains out or swapped them for brawn."

The three of them had quite a problem getting into the Uber. The driver said that with three guys that big, he would definitely need a gas surcharge for being overweight. The three boys laughed uproariously as if it was a good joke. They liked it when people admired them. And they were indeed admirable. "Stop, Taxi-Bro," yelled Mike. They had just passed a store selling gym gear. "We need to get in there quickly," he added. "Dude, you're a lifesaver," said Chris and gave him a fist bump. Martin's brother's suits were just too tight. And you couldn't show them off. And the sun was shining. Sun's out, guns out. Their motto is college days. Hehehe, they didn't do much other than hang out in the sun on campus. They were living proof that you could build a career on good looks alone.

"Damn, don't you think you should at least cover your nipples?" asked the Uber driver. "And what the hell is so smelly here?" Martin let his pecs dance in the back seat. "Bro, don't talk, drive! In tank tops, my monster pecs are like prison!" And in the passenger seat, Mike crossed his arms behind his head in such a way that the driver almost fell into the bush in his armpit. "Stink? All I smell is man musk". Christian farted a huge protein fart. "Not only musk, bro." The three bros laughed. The driver stepped on the gas, hoping the tip would compensate for at least some of the pain this ride was causing him.

The CEO and CFO of "growth spurt" looked helplessly at the three men, who could barely get anything past their lips apart from "dude", "bro" and "sick big muscles". The guinea pigs they had experimented with so far had also developed a powerful sex drive and tyrannized all the other reference animals. But at least they hadn't been tattooed and had smelled like a gym locker. Mike, Chris and Martin would make great advertising characters after all. Maybe they'd be able to collect equity that way. And they would need it. At least now they had three extra mouths to feed with a massive appetite for cum and protein.

Pics made @ki-kink

[faithfulren]

field trip bonding

hey guyss! sorry i haven't been posting lately, i haven't had the motivation :((

during a school field trip to a hero agency, you and izuku midoriya get separated from the group. as you explore the agency together, you share your dreams and aspirations, forging a bond that brings you closer than ever.

----

the excitement in the air was palpable as your class arrived at the hero agency. this wasn't just any agency; it was the renowned agency of pro hero endeavor. you could feel your heart race with anticipation, and you knew you weren't the only one. your classmate, izuku midoriya, was practically vibrating with enthusiasm beside you.

"midoriya, this must be like a dream come true for you," you said, smiling at the green-haired boy.

izuku blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "y-yeah, it really is. i can't believe we're actually here!"

as your teacher began to lead the class through the agency, you found yourself lagging behind, mesmerized by the various hero memorabilia displayed in glass cases. izuku noticed and slowed his pace to match yours.

"look at this!" you exclaimed, pointing to a framed photograph of endeavor in action. "isn't it amazing?"

izuku nodded vigorously. "absolutely! endeavor's techniques are incredible. he's known for his relentless pursuit of justice and his intense training regimen."

you admired izuku's passion for heroes, which mirrored your own. the two of you continued to explore, occasionally stopping to marvel at the displays. it wasn't long before you realized the rest of the class had moved on without you.

"uh, midoriya?" you said, glancing around. "i think we might have lost the group."

izuku's eyes widened. "oh no! we should try to catch up."

you both quickened your pace, but the hallways of the agency were like a maze. despite your best efforts, you couldn't find your classmates. Instead of panicking, you decided to make the most of the situation.

"hey, why don't we explore a bit more?" you suggested. "we might find something interesting."

izuku hesitated but then nodded. "sure, let's do it."

as you wandered through the agency, you found yourselves in a training room filled with various exercise equipment and holographic simulation machines. izuku's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"wow, this is where the heroes train!" he exclaimed. "imagine how many heroes have honed their skills right here."

you smiled at his enthusiasm. "it's inspiring, isn't it? seeing all this makes me want to work even harder to achieve my dream."

izuku turned to you, curiosity evident in his gaze. "what's your dream?"

you took a deep breath, feeling a bit vulnerable but deciding to share anyway. "i want to be a hero who can make a difference in people's lives. someone who can bring hope to those who need it most."

izuku's expression softened. "that's a wonderful dream. i know you'll achieve it."

"thanks, midoriya. what about you? what's your dream?"

izuku's face lit up. "i want to be a hero like all might. someone who saves people with a smile, no matter the odds."

you felt a surge of admiration for him. "i believe you can do it. you have the heart of a hero."

izuku blushed at your words. "t-thank you. that means a lot."

just then, you heard footsteps approaching. your teacher appeared, looking relieved.

"there you two are! i've been looking everywhere for you. come on, let's get back to the group."

as you rejoined your classmates, you couldn't help but feel that something special had happened during your time alone with izuku. you had seen a side of him that few others had, and it made you appreciate him even more.

back on the bus, you sat next to izuku, and the two of you continued to chat about heroes, training, and your shared dreams. by the time you arrived back at school, you felt a deep connection with him that you knew would only grow stronger with time.

as you stepped off the bus, izuku turned to you with a shy smile. "thanks for today, y/n. i had a great time."

you smiled back, feeling your heart flutter. "me too, midoriya. maybe we can do something like this again, just the two of us."

izuku's eyes widened slightly before a soft blush spread across his cheeks. "i'd really like that."

you took a deep breath and gathered your courage. "so, how about this weekend? we could go to the new hero exhibit at the museum."

izuku's smile grew brighter. "it's a date."

your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you nodded, feeling a warmth spread through you. "it's a date."

as you walked home together, you couldn't help but feel that this was the start of something truly special, a bond that would only grow stronger with time and shared dreams.

[depression-napping]

FFVII Ever Crisis has a Japanese-only dub right now, so just in case anyone wants to know what Vincent says during battles, I did a quick translation below. This is by no means complete or perfect, but you can get a sense for what he might say in the next installment of FFVIIR :)

Before battle

これも私の罰か

Kore mo watashi no batsu ka?

Is this also my punishment?

(OK SO I could not make out “batsu” for the longest time because he has kind of a lisp (so cute) and it sounds like he’s saying “bashhu” instead (which makes zero sense) so when I looked up the possible phonetics, “batsu” came up and I was like OF COURSE HE WOULD SAY THAT 😭)

さあ、やるか

Saa, yaru ka?

Well, shall we (do it)? (“It” being battle haha)

お出ましか

O-demashi ka?

Are you coming?

(This is likely is addressed to his teammates as in, are you going (to fight)? I’m still trying to think of a better translation…)

(Edit: He drops the last vowel in demashi so I was wondering if he maybe said o-demashou which would change the meaning to something like “shall we begin?” Still not 100% sure on this one)

フ… 面白い　Hm… interesting

Hu… Omoshiroi

(Omoshiroi can also mean “how amusing”.)

During battle

呼んだか？

Yonda ka?

You called?

(When switching to his character in battle)

こうたいだ - Fall back!

Koutai da

(Edit: 7/21: I keep going back and forth about what this means specifically, whether he is saying 後退“Fall back/retreat” or something more like 交代 “My turn”. Both sound the same in Japanese but I don’t have kanji to help here lol. Usually “my turn” is translated as 私の出番 “watashi no deban” which is what Aeris says incidentally, but deban is kind of a childish word, so this sounds like Vincent’s more formal way of saying the same thing.)

Special attack:

動くな　Ugoku na - Don’t move.

さらば　Saraba - Farewell.

受け取れ　Uketore - Take this!

じゃ、な　Jya na - Goodbye.

After Battle - Victory:

終わったな　

Owatta na

It’s over.

こんなものだ。

Konna mono da.

It’s something like that.

(I’d translate this as something punchier... Like he’s saying“No sweat” but cooler ✨)

Defeat

フ… 似合いの結末だ

Hu… Niai no ketsumatsu da

Hmph… A fitting ending.

ついに終わりか？

Tsui ni owari ka?

At last, is this the end?

(7/21: Here’s the one I was missing. This is like identical to one of his Dirge defeat lines ❤️)

If he falls in battle:

闇が近い

Yami ga chikai…

Darkness is near…

(Edit 7/21: I misheard this line the first couple of times due to battle sound effects, but I finally heard him clearly this time and it’s so perfect ❤️ haha)

If you retire from battle:

今度こそ、永遠の眠りを…

Kondo koso, eien no nemuri wo…

This time, forever will I sleep…

—-

Kinda standard stuff, but anything he says sounds so good in Suzuki-san’s voice ❤️

[analysisn3rd]

Sherlock Holmes is autistic. I will tell you why.

Although I feel like this is something that’s talked about a lot in the Sherlock Holmes fandom, I wanted to write about it just because I like talking about it; Sherlock Holmes is autistic. There’s a lot of things, clues, pieces of evidence, whatever you want to call it, present in the ACD canon to prove this and I will present it to you.

Autistic stereotypes and how Holmes fits into them and doesn’t simultaneously

There are many autistic traits that are considered stereotypical, but the one I mean here is the “cold, emotionless, non-empathetic, calculating machine” autistic stereotype, which Holmes does fit into, but he also doesn’t. Despite the use of this very description in several of the short stories, Holmes doesn’t fit this description quite well. It may be what people see on the surface, it may be what people are first faced with when they meet Holmes, but it’s not the truth, or, more accurately, it’s not the complete truth.

As I’ve written before in one of my analyses about Holmes, he doesn’t lack empathy. He’s quite empathetic, and he cares a lot about people (specifically Watson, Mrs Hudson and his clients), but he shows it in a different manner than others normally would. He shows it by listening to people and believing their stories and caring about them, not just for the thrill of the case or the mystery behind it. There have been several cases where everything was mostly resolved, he didn’t need to dig deeper than he had and the answer was not as unclear as it normally is, but Holmes didn’t leave it be until his client got the closure they needed. There have been other cases where he didn’t think that it was going to be an important affair, but, because he understands what his client might be feeling, he heard them out and helped them to the best of his ability. With Watson, there have been several examples of him showing that he cares about him and that he truly values him, and the same goes to Mrs Hudson.

Holmes also isn’t emotionless; he tends to express emotions in different ways than “normal” people would, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t possess them. He also reacts differently from “normal” in some situations, like how, during one of the more grim cases, he was able to take his mind completely off of it and talk, rather animatedly, about one of the topics that he was researching (which is probably to do with his research subjects being his special interests, something that’ll be talked about below)

Saying that Holmes is a “calculating deduction machine” isn’t necessarily incorrect, but I think that it takes away from his humanity quite a lot. The reason why he’s so good at deduction (well. It’s not really deduction, it’s induction, but that’s a discussion for another day) is because of his pattern-recognition ability and high attention to detail, both of which are things that are quite common within autistic people due to the way that their brains process information; something that’s called ‘bottom-up’ processing, where the details are processed before the big picture.

I will now talk about certain autistic traits and aspects of being autistic and how this is found within the Holmes canon.

Special Interests

A great portion of autistic people have specific, sometimes called rigid, interests that are also called special interests. Holmes has several of these and they’re mentioned quite a lot within the series.

The most evident one is deduction in of itself and mysteries. As we’ve seen several times within the series, when Holmes doesn’t have a case, or anything that he finds engaging like another special interest of his, he feels awful, to put it in simpler terms, and he experiences what Watson calls his “black moods”. 

Some of his other special interests are chemistry, especially when it involves forensics, which is something that he’s seen doing quite a lot and spending hours upon hours carrying out experiments to see if his hypothesis was correct or not, much like what he was doing when he initially met Watson in ‘Study in Scarlet’. 

Music is another one, which is something that he’s quite knowledgeable about, and he likes to engage with this particular interest by attending concerts with Watson and by playing the violin, where he either plays melodies to reflect his thoughts and feelings or composed symphonies that he and/or Watson enjoy.

Another is bees (and nature to an extent), which is something that he’s very interested in, considering how he took up bee-keeping during his retirement and how he’s written several monographs about it.

Aside from his special interests, he’s also had various hyperfixations throughout the stories, which he’d write monographs about as well.

Social differences

It’s very obvious how Holmes interacts with people differently compared to other characters, and the ways in which his social interactions differ is very similar to that of autistic people. 

One of the ways in which this presents is how blunt Holmes is. He’s very truthful and he doesn’t realise that what he’s saying, which he mostly means in a very literal, very genuine way, could be taken in another way. An example of this is this quote, which is from ‘The Hound of Baskerville’: “It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it”. This, amongst several other compliments from Holmes, tend to sound backhanded and they’re mostly read as him being snarky or simply mean to whoever he was saying them to, but I think that he just meant it in a very literal way.

Another way that his social differences present is how he doesn’t quite understand other people, especially women, where he tells Watson quite often that he’s the one who understands and appeals to the “fairer sex” from the both of them. His not really understanding people also shows up in how he’s never really having a friend before Watson or Victor Trevor; he’s never really understood anyone aside from them and I don’t think that anyone, aside from them, tried to understand Holmes back. I also think it’s evident that he doesn’t understand social norms by how he chooses not to comply with them. Holmes is a very logical person and if something doesn’t make sense to him, he simply wouldn’t do it and would probably deem it stupid.

Another thing that I don’t think is a social difference as much as it’s a difference in how Holmes sees the world is how he has a really strong sense of justice. His sense of morality is interesting, to say the least and I’ve discussed it before in one of my analyses of him, and his sense of justice kind of ties into it. Regardless of what he views as “right” and “wrong”, he will strongly defend what he believes and he wouldn’t let anything that he thinks is “wrong” slide. As I’ve written earlier, some cases had a fairly clear resolution and he could’ve just let them go, but it’s because he cares about his client and because he absolutely cannot let injustices simply pass without the persecutor getting punished, he solves the case until it’s completely resolved.

Masking

Generally speaking, Holmes doesn’t mask, and I think it’s mainly because he doesn’t really see a point in doing so; he doesn’t do it often, and the only instance of him masking is the beginning of ‘A Study in Scarlet’, when he and Watson hadn’t known one another quite well yet. He would hide parts of himself, he wouldn’t try to talk about any of his interests at all (to the point that Watson didn’t even know what he did for work until months after knowing him) and he made sure to be very neat and organised with everything, which is something that he most likely struggles with. However, once Watson found out about everything, he didn’t really bother masking again. 

Holmes’ struggles in relation to his autism

There are several things that autistic people struggle with (including communication, which I already discussed above) that Holmes also struggles with.

One of which is how he struggles with eating. I think that’s mainly because he doesn’t exactly feel hunger cues as most people would; he doesn’t exactly realise that he’s hungry until his stomach is cramping from the lack of food or he’s on the verge of passing out, which I think is a very believable conclusion considering how often he forgets to eat and Watson has to coax and/or remind him to do so. Another thing that Watson really helped him with is his injuries. I think it’s very likely that he doesn’t feel pain normally, which is something that happens to some autistic people, where they either feel it too much or too little; the latter is what Holmes struggles with. He doesn’t really notice injuries that he gets on cases because he doesn’t really feel the pain. This is most likely why he has several scars and acid burns on his hands when Watson first met him.

Another thing that I think he struggles with is executive dysfunction, especially when it comes to chores like cleaning his space and laundry, which is something that I recall Watson complaining about Holmes not doing in the beginning of one of the short stories. It’s possible that he has his own system when it comes to his organisation, but it was said in ‘Study in Scarlet’ that he was a very neat man, so I think it’s more reasonable to think that it’s just something that he always wants to start but could never really get to doing it due to executive dysfunction.

It’s also possible that Holmes struggles with sensory issues regarding his hair touching his face, which is why he always has it gelled back, and that he has them regarding facial hair, which is why he’s always described as clean-shaven (though I know that both of these could be due to other reasons as well).

I think that cocaine was Holmes’ way of self-medication. He needed something to help him through feelings of overwhelm and under-stimulation from the lack of cases, so he used it. It served as a distraction to him from his overwhelm and scarcity of mental stimulation that’s enough to keep him satisfied.

Similarly, I think that his habit of smoking was a way to keep his hands busy instead of stimming.

Due to all of the aforementioned reasons, I think that Sherlock Holmes is autistic.

[comicaurora]

Hey red, what's your opinion on some modern writing that's very lamp shady? And do you have any advice on how to avoid "Well that just happened" dialogue?

It's an interesting question!

The thing is, lampshading exists for a reason, but it's not the reason it gets used a lot of the time. Writers might lampshade a narrative choice they're insecure about, while characters lampshade because the things they go through in a typical story are kind of bonkers, and we might expect them to notice. If a character signs on for a simple mercenary expedition and ends up discovering they're the long-lost prince of a kingdom they've never heard of, that's weird and they probably feel weird about it. If an ally is determined to 1v1 their super overpowered nemesis with no help from their friends, those friends might have opinions about how dumb that is.

This is a form of lampshading that doesn't break immersion because it's entirely in-character and doesn't lean on the fourth wall. There's a difference between a character noticing how weird their life is and a character pointing out how cliched a recent experience was. In the latter case, the character is treating their life like a story, and while it IS a story, they shouldn't know that.

There's a spectrum here, with "complete sincerity and taking every turn of the plot at face value" defining the 0-point and "complete self-aware uninvestment" at the far end, but healthy levels of lampshading live somewhere in the middle. Characters at the 0-point accepting everything that happens without question can feel just as weird as characters that won't stop pointing out the TVTropes entry they're currently living. It's about what it makes sense for the character to find disruptive or noteworthy. A hardened badass probably won't see the need to point out how bonkers a recent fight scene was, but a newcomer to the Cool Bombastic Adventure scene might be really excited when they pull off a cool special move and want to point it out.

I think this is why the recent D&D movie worked for a lot of people, because while the main characters all lampshade their lives to varying degrees, the way they do so makes sense for all of them. Edgin is a bard and storyteller so he has a slightly meta perspective on a lot of things, purposefully avoids playing along with certain narrative conventions and sometimes responds to other people's dialogue by critiquing their dialogue instead of just responding normally; Holga doesn't really care to understand how the world works and so keeps pointing out that they should just use magic to solve their problems, which is probably the most popular lampshade in the whole genre; Doric and Simon don't get a ton of time to shine character-wise, but they'll both occasionally poke holes in the pretense of the story they're in. The thing that makes this all work is Xenk, who plays absolutely every moment completely 100% straight and is entirely immersed in the objectively ridiculous setting of D&D. Same goes for most of the villains, except for Forge, who's probably the wackiest and most self-aware character in the entire movie, but in a way that makes him feel callous and disregarding of the people around him, like he's uninvested in the world not because he knows he's a fictional character but because he has too much money and power to care about anything. The ways each character does or does not lampshade their surroundings make sense for who they are as people and reinforce their characterization and place in the world instead of undermining it.

I recently watched a couple episodes of Stargate Atlantis and noticed something similar - the main character and, to a lesser extent, the rest of his associates from Earth have a tendency to make wry observations about his objectively bizarre life and the eccentricities of the people around him, which helps contrast against the extremely serious and businesslike Cool Space Warriors they keep accumulating, which helps make them feel (a) distinct from each other and (b) relatable considering all the weird stuff that happens. And the protagonist switches off the quips as soon as things start looking perilous for his team, so you never get the impression that they aren't invested in the story they're living, and as a result the various quips and lampshades come across more as a habit or a coping mechanism than a disruption to the narrative itself.

So basically I think you can get away with a lot of lampshades as long as the character doesn't feel like they know they're in a story.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Raven, hope your doing well. I was rewatching book 5 and something struck me. Crowly stills does his thing to get yuu/mc to host the NRC tribe at Ramshackle. But compare to previous chapters hes seems a little nicer, i guess? He offering renovations and upgrades ( a positive), instead of just threatening to cut yuu's food budget or something (a negative).

Where im going with this is, do you think Crowley may have felt a tiny tinge for his (in) action in book 4? Or atleast, realized he actually screwed up. He did give Yuu in case of an emergency.... and promptly ignored it (or just turned it off) when he went on break. He likely had to have heard what happened over the break...an likely saw his missed calls and put 2 and 2 together. Sure he may not feel bad enough to apologize (at least openly), but he does seem to make himself scarce early in b5. That could just be him being, well, the headmage. Maybe he's just not sure how to deal with MC or how they'd react to seeing him? So instead of threatening Yuu, he offers them something instead? Idk, maybe im reaching. Crowley relationship with Yuu is complicated. I do like to believe he has some empathy or regret (or maybe he just has more respect for yuu by b5?) After everything up to that point

Like i said, i may be reaching here. Wanted to get your input. Sorry for the long ask. Have a good one :)

In many fandom depictions of Crowley, he often serves as Yuu's guardian who is incompetent but well-meaning. I'm also guilty of doing this, Crowley is considered my OC's father figure (even if my OC isn't a Yuu). That's how we choose to engage with the characters and the world that we love! However, I don't believe that Crowley has that sort of tenderness for Yuu in canon, whether at the start or as their relationship develops over the course of the main story. Now, that's not to say that I think Crowley is cold or hateful towards Yuu. Far from it! He does care for them, but in the same way that a teacher might care about nurturing their students and preparing them for the world beyond graduation. Crowley demonstrates a similar attitude towards other NRC students, with one very clear example being in his Raven Jacket vignettes. In those stories, he likens his students to apple trees that he raises and nurtures, hoping that one day they might bear fruit. He does not particularly grant Yuu special treatment unless it's a scenario where he wants them to do a favor for him. (Though here I would also argue he does the same for other students when he wants them to resolve an issue in his place, which happens frequently in event stories; in Fairy Gala, he warns the boys they'll be held back if classes cannot proceed due to the wacky weather. In Ghost Marriage, Crowley shames the boys for not expressing interest in rescuing Idia, etc.)

I also want to set the record straight regarding how exactly Crowley gets Yuu to comply with his requests. Reviewing all avaliable books in the main story, Crowley rarely outright threatens Yuu if they refuse to help him:

Prologue — Crowley does not initially ask anything of Yuu, but he does provide them a temporary home and food until they can sort something out. During Yuu's stay, they are meant to do handiwork to earn their keep. However, Crowley tries to expel them after their involvement in breaking what is considered a precious chandelier. In this case, his anger is somewhat justified but it's still the one major example of Crowley leveraging something to force Yuu to act in a way that he desires. The thing is, it's revealed in chapter 19 that Crowley did not believe Yuu could acquire the magestone he asked for and was all set to finalize the expulsion papers. So really, he wasn't serious at all in giving Yuu a chance to redeem themselves and was going to expel Yuu anyway (until they happened to prove their "usefulness"). Whether this counts as an example of Crowley "threatening" Yuu, then, is up to individual interpretation.

Book 1 — Crowley makes no specific request to Yuu. He shows up late in the book and suggests to the frustrated Adeuce that they fight Riddle to claim his seat as dorm leader, but does not tell Yuu to do anything in this situation. Recall that it was Ace that marched up to Ramshackle's front door and demanded that he be allowed to stay overnight; Crowley had no part in that.

Book 2 — In 2-7, Crowley asks Yuu to investigate the strange string of accidents that has befallen the students set to play in the upcoming inter-dorm magift/spelldrive tournament. There is a part where Crowley says he "never promised to cover living expenses". You, as Yuu, have the option to ask him "Is that a threat...?" to which Crowley never properly responds. Interpret that how you wish. He then offers Grim and Yuu a chance to participate in said tournament if they succeed, seeing as they lacked the 7 players needed to form a team. Crowley even says he will find 5 other players to fill in their missing team seats for them.

Book 3 — Here in 3-6, Crowley never actually threatens to cut off food. Instead, he is trying to earn pity from Yuu by guilt tripping them and emphasizing that he, the headmaster, is so busy with his tasks (like finding Yuu a way home) and will provide them with the funds they need regardless because he is so very kind. He's trying to tug at their heartstrings by pointing out the things he selflessly does for them, so they feel obligated to do something for him in return. Once Yuu agrees to help, he lavishes them with praise and says it is "expected" of someone he personally chose.

But!! I want to add that in the Episode of Octavinelle manga, this same scene is depicted as Crowley threatening to cut their food budget. I'm not sure if this is just a different interpretation (since Yuuta seems to prepare more food than is usually implied in the game; this would explain why their food costs go up significantly) or if Crowley truly was also threatening to cut the budget in the game.

Book 4 — Crowley makes a reasonable request in 4-2; he asks Yuu and Grim to tend to the fire fairies over winter break since it's a task no one else will be present to handle. In exchange, he says he will give them a banquet of tasty foods (which is not an empty promise; in 4-39, the Ramshackle Ghosts tell Yuu and Grim that the headmaster has left them with a ton of food as thanks.

Book 5 — Crowley appears in 5-21 asking that Yuu allow the NRC Tribe to stay at Ramshackle for their month-long training camp. He explains that Vil and Rook are willing to give up their share of the prize money if Yuu agrees to these terms. It is then that Crowley adds that he will help with renovation too, most likely to sweeten the deal with his word.

Book 6 — Crowley does not ask anything of Yuu. He does, however, call in STYX in 6-2 because he becomes concerned about the threat that Grim poses after consuming multiple crystallized blots. After Grim is taken, Crowley instructs Yuu in 6-4 to wait until Grim has recovered and been evaluated by a third party to speak with him again.

Book 7 — Crowley makes no specific requests to Yuu.

You can see in almost all instances that Crowley uses a variety of tactics to get his students to do what he wants them to. He bribes, shames/guilts them, points out very real consequences if the problem at hand is not resolved, and, yes, occasionally makes what can be interpreted as a vague threat. Despite this, the fact remains that he was always nice, not just post-book 4 (in fact, Crowley was also nice during book 4). I don't see the circumstances as "anything before or during book 4 is him being negative and threatening to punish Yuu and anything after book 4 is him being kind and positive to Yuu". In most cases with Yuu, he is offering them something they would want. His go-to strategy isn't threats, it tends to be the promise of a reward.

I wouldn't tie any of Crowley's actions to feeling a sense of remorse or guilt on his own part. While it's true we don't really get to see inside of his head, from what we see of him... this man is utterly shameless. He's willing to resort to emotional manipulation to convince literal children to solve problems that he, the powerful mage and adult, should be dealing with. What's more, he praises himself for Yuu's competence and willingness to step up. That's him placing a lot of faith in his students, and I don't think he feels any guilt in doing this. Why else would he send them into dangerous situations over and over again? He must, to some extent, believe they can already handle themselves just fine, otherwise he's creating tons of legal liabilities for himself by purposefully throwing children of tons of affluent families into the line of fire. Besides, he's a highly skilled mage himself--if any true, TRUE danger were to befall them, surely he could save the day himself. My thought is that he has sort of a "tough love" approach where he tosses his students into the fires and sees how they get out of it in one piece, but it's just presented in a "devil-may-care" way because of his lackadaisical attitude.

Regarding book 4, I personally see Crowley giving his cell phone number as just a means to provide reassurance to Grim and Yuu, since they (especially Grim) are protesting about him seemingly leaving on vacation. It's an empty gesture so he can have his getaway without much of a fuss; I totally believe that Crowley did not ever intend to answer his phone. When he returns in book 5, he's already asking another favor of Yuu, so I get the sense he isn't really bothered by what happened. I would even say that Crowley still has several major appearances in book 5, not that he has made himself scarcer. He appears to ask the favor, appears again to evaluate their performance, and then a third time at the cultural festival to speak with the headmaster of RSA. Crowley gets plenty of screen time here, much more then in books 6 and 7. If he truly felt bad or actively wanted to avoid Yuu, he could easily just tell other students (ie Vil) or even school staff (ghosts, teachers, etc.) to relay the deal for him.

Again, I want to be clear: THIS IS NOT CROWLEY BASHING. The only thing I am expressing in this post is that while I do love this bird-brained goober and think he cares for his students, I don't believe it's done in the conventional sense you're thinking of. Crowley can be selfish and callous and throw his students into danger, and that's okay! Sometimes we want to love a useless man who's trying his best, even if his best is pretty lousy/j

Whew, that was a lot of brain dumping! I hope I properly responded to all your thoughts and that you found this read semi-entertaining~

[slowlypalefire]

Event Story

Ebert Vs Ellis

Part 1

*The translation are not guaranteed to be entirely accurate, so expected some errors.

On Valentine's Day, the kitchen at Crown Castle was filled with the scent of sweet chocolate.

Kate: "It's baked!"

I looked at the steaming chocolate cake and looked at the maids.

I decided to make sweets to convey my daily gratitude and love to each person I care about.

It was just yesterday.

Everyone seemed to be having fun talking in sign language while wrapping, and I couldn't help but relax.

(Hehe, everyone looks like they're having fun. It's like this after all.Every event is fun)

Maid Chloe: "The men might start fighting over my sweets!''

Maid Marie: "That's just too much of a dream! I understand, though."

"Kate-san, don't you want to see your chocolate be compete for once? "

Imagine that you have a chocolate and multiple people ask for it.

(I feel lonely when no one wants me)

(In that case, it would be better if they competed for it...maybe you might be happy)

Kate: "Sure, I might be happy."

I communicate this in sign language, which I have just begun to learn.and,

the chocolates made by the maids themselves ,they took it with them and quickly left.

Leaving behind only a “meaningful” smile.

Kate: "Oh, what? Let's make tea while eating the leftover cake..."

Elbert and Ellis: "Kate"

When I turned around, there was Elbert-sama with a wistful expression on his face and Ellis-kun smiling.

Ellis: "I heard a happy voice, so I was curious and came to take a look."

Elbert: "… Me too. Because I heard your voice."

"…The smell of chocolate.Were you making sweets?"

Kate: "Yes. We all worked together. We did a good job, look."

Ellis: "It's true. It's so cute in the shape of a heart. As expected of you, Kate-san."

Kate: "Ellis-kun is always good at complimenting. Thank you."

Elbert: "...I want it."

Kate: "eh?"

Elbert: "... I want your handiwork."

Ellis: "I want some handmade work from you too."

Mr. Elbert is standing on the left and Ellis is standing on the right. When they told me they e wanted it, I couldn't help but feel happy.

(Hehe, both of you are so kind as always)

Kate: "Of course, I have prepared it. I have prepared it for all the Crown members as a token of my daily gratitude."

Elbert: "Kate,this is?"

Ellis: "It's about two sizes bigger than the others. It seems a little special."

Kate: "Ah, that’s a present is for my favorite."

Elbert & Ellis: "...favourite?"

Kate: "The maids told me and I ended up making it..."

The maids told me that, unsexy Valentine's Day is not Valentine's Day.

(Besides, I'm also thinking the same)

Elbert: "...I see. ....Who does this belong to?"

Ellis: "I’m also curious about who Kate will give something special to."

Kate: "Um..."

When I was struggling to answer as I received stares from both of them, my left arm was grabbed tightly.

If you look to the left, you will see long hair with a fringe.His beautiful blue eyes were fixed on me.

Elbert: "...I want this"

Then, I was tapped on the right shoulder.

When I turned my gaze to my right, I saw twilight eyes that seemed to capture the changing time.

Ellis: "I want this too."

Kate: "But there's only one, is this okay?"

Elbert & Ellis: "Yeah"

(L-let me see…)

Kate: "Ah, that’s right! I’m going to make the same thing now. Shall I make another one?"

"There are still some ingredients left, and it looks like it would be fun for the three of us to make together."

Elbert: "...That sounds like fun too."

"I want 'this one', if it's not this, it has no meaning"

Ellis: "Then I'd like 'this one' too. Give it to me, Kate-san."

I can't help but notice that Elbert-sama and Ellis-kun might have had a rift, but...

That doesn't seem to be the case.

Rather than trying to keep each other in check, it seems like the two just want their favorite chocolate cake.

Elbert: "Kate?"

Ellis: "Kate-san"

(What to do...)

Liam: "Wow, I was drawn in by the delicious smell of chocolate..."

"Well, this seems like an interesting thing?"

Kate: "...Liam"

Liam: "Lord El and Ellis both want Kate’s favourite chocolate cake, right?"

"That's sounds fun. I was getting so excited. Can I join in the fight?"

Kate: "Mo,Please don't tease me anymore."

Liam: "Hehe, I'm sorry. I don't want to cause Kate-chan any more trouble, so I'll step down."

"Hey, El-sama, Ellis. Isn't it okay to just share eating this special chocolate cake?"/

"Hey, El-sama, Ellis. How about we just cut this special chocolate cake into half? Is it okay?"

Elbert: "Ah. ...I won't even gave away one of the pieces.I want them all."

Ellis: "I'm the same as El. I think I want them all."

Liam: "Bothering the princess, what a troublesome prince you guys are"

Kate: "Prince?"

Liam: "That's what the play we're rehearsing for is about. Ah,that's right!"

"The two princes fell in love with the princess at a ball party, and they prove their love by devoting themselves to the princess."

Liam takes my fragile hand in a light gesture. And, kiss on the spot.

Liam: "My sin was that I loved you at the same time. In that case, let me prove my love to you by devoting myself to you."

"-like that"

"Isn’t it okay for El-sama and Ellis to prove their love and compete for it? Just like a prince."

Ellis: "Kate's favourite,if i do my best and prove my love to you will i get the special chocolate?"

Liam: "That's right. The one who serves Kate-chan for a day and steals her heart the most wins."

Elbert: "Who decides the winner?"

Liam: "Of course, it will be Kate-chan."

Kate: "Eh, why does it have to be me?"

Liam: "So, don't hold a grudge and fight fair and square."

Elbert: "...I understand. ...I’ll do my best."

Ellis: "Hehe, it’s getting a little fun."

Liam pressed his lips to my ear.

Liam: "While you're at it, enjoy it, Happy Valentine."

[oshiawaseni]

A post about the time Hawks made Kacchan really, really jealous.

When I watched this scene in the anime I found it amusing as hell. Kacchan’s behaviour felt kind of strange/off though, but after I saw the panelling of the scene in the manga recently, it only seems even more funny and bkdk driven. His behaviour also made more sense. I’ll breakdown the scene and go into some of Kacchan’s deeper issues after.

They meet with Hawks after he helps them bring down villains. Izuku is star struck from the get-go and nervously greets the rank #2, who likewise recognises him from the sports festival.

Hawks tells Izuku he's heard about him from Tokoyami... then backtracks and says, "No, actually... (even without that) I would have liked to have worked with you, too, but..."

However, before he can finish explaining himself... he feels a "sakki", meaning bad feeling or literally "killing intent." (But the anime didn't show this part of their interaction! or how noticing the sakki interrupted Hawks' speech. So this is another one of those little flavourful nuances anime watchers(me) missed out on)

sakki (殺気  The individual kanji are pronounced satsu and ki, respectively, but due to Japanese grammar rules, the -tsu in the former is dropped and the consonant in ki is geminated, turning it into sa- + -kki.), which is primarily used by practitioners of Ninjutsu; "Killing Intent" is the most literal translation, with "Bloodlust" as a close second. The Chinese equivalent is sha qi - x

Which is kind of funny, considering Katsuki's soon to be revealed hero name which also had “Satsu” in it. Dai Baku Sasshin Dynamight. (Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight)

Hawks turns to the source of the "sakki"... and it's Kacchan staring bloody murder at him, challenging him! After the stuff Hawks said, it feels like Kacchan is even more annoyed at Hawks for taking a special interest in Izuku, by saying he wanted to work with him (despite being so busy he left Tokoyami in the care of his sidekicks). I think in Kacchan's mind this means a scenario where Izuku would have been with Hawks at his hero nest instead of with Kacchan at Endeavour's agency... 👀 How territorial! I think Hawks also noticed something was off and taunts him, just for fun. 🤭

Also, this is only a funny coincidence, but after Hawks says something that feels like he's wanting to 'take Izuku away,' Kacchan just happens to say “About before, I got in faster than you." It could mean absolutely nothing, or it could be the slightest nuance for "I was here first. Deku's already been mine since childhood, so back off.” Like an inside joke Hori made for himself, knowing he was writing bkdk to become the main canon couple in the series.

I'm /hj ofc but… you never know! It's wild that Kacchan is even this hung up on what Hawks did in the first place, so I might be trying to make it make more sense! understandably, right?

When Hawks leaves, not only is Izuku swooning over him again... now Shouto is too! Kacchan can't stand it! I don't know about you, but if Kacchan's intense reaction is only that Hawks showed them up, it’s a severe case of the punishment not fitting the crime. Not to mention, it began when Hawks started chatting up Izuku about getting him to intern with him and got even worse because Izuku went full fanboy mode LOL

Later at the agency he’s still filled with rage from their meeting, making up an insulting nickname for Hawks that can loosely be translated as “smiling birdbrain” (Hawks wears a carefree smile on his face and Katsuki doesn’t like it. He thinks he’s being smug - which he was, but only just a little… so again… punishment ≠ crime which is why we can theorise there was something more to his jealousy.)

Lmaooo listen. Think of a really possessive boyfriend who can’t stand their lover checking out other people and commenting on how attractive they are. And you've literally got how Kacchan feels about being a hero in front of Izuku.

Kacchan's gotten jealous like this before, when Shouto declared war on Izuku at the start of BNHA. That's how he got involved with the Todoroki family drama, because his jealousy drove him to follow them sneaking off alone together. And again in the third movie, at the very end, when Kacchan's boyfriend stayed back to say goodbye to Rody, and he glared at them the whole way going up the escalator lmao

Jealous Katsuki "needs Izuku's attention on him always" Bakugou has three modes: “Why aren’t you looking only my way you shitty nerd.” “Forget this other bastard, what about me??? I’m ‘sugoi’ right?!!” and our fave (😂) “Just keep your eyes on me, shitty Deku!”

He responded with SO MUCH irritation at Hawks simply because Izuku’s fanboying over somebody that’s not him.

Poor Kacchan has to compete with all other heroes for Izuku’s affection because he’s an otaku that grew up worshipping all quirks. 😂

Meet Katsuki Bakugou: From the age of four, he was told by family, doctors, teachers, hero loving society and the next door neighbour's cat that his quirk is the embodiment of excellence. What a guy! He will go far in life so we should let him do whatever he wants, it’s fine! He can be my sidekick! In a world where a person's character and value are measured by the power and usefulness of their quirk, Katsuki was the king.

Then there’s Kacchan: Grew up alongside this shiny doe eyed shitnerd who was always watching him, walking behind him, telling him stuff like he's sugoi and his quirk is so cool and he is so cool and wouldn’t it be cool if he also got a quirk as strong as his... And years later, Kacchan is (unsurprisingly) triggered that his Deku is reacting to everyone else and their ‘inferior’ quirks in almost the exact same way that he does with him. He has the biggest LOVE (ONLY!) ME DAMNIT vibes with Izuku! good lordt

The main issue Katsuki encountered after entering U.A and the world of pro heroes, was suddenly not being the obvious choice for best anymore. His usual status of being society’s king was completely upended after his world opened up to people like Iida, Shoto, Enji and Hawks. Something that was so effortless to him before, now required a lot of hard work, if he was going to rise above even the outstanding.

And I think a big reason he feels insecure around other talented people is because a part of him will always want to stay the coolest and strongest in Izuku’s eyes! That’s why Izuku acknowledging others sets him off a little. He knows what Izuku’s like… but he still wants to be the coolest to him, unquestionably sugoi and stay Izuku’s #1.

And sometimes it’s almost like, unless Izuku is the one doing the praising and fanboying Katsuki and only Katsuki, there's just no meaning to any of it for him.

＊* .•° ✿ °•. ❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。 ೋღ

It was only ever Izuku.

Growing up, surrounded by admiration from people who never dared to stand up to Katsuki... ultimately, it was only ever Izuku who valued his own set of principles and stood up to him when he was wrong. Because Izuku... was always honest with him, about everything. He let Katsuki know when he didn't approve of his behaviour, which meant the times Izuku did praise him was something that could be trusted. It didn't feel like the empty praise from everyone around him who only saw him for his quirk. It didn't feel like a lie.

Katsuki eventually realised the reason Izuku faced him was because Izuku genuinely cares. He saw all of him and despite intimately knowing his weaknesses and flaws not once did Izuku stop believing in him... so before Katsuki knew it, Izuku became the only person whose attention and approval actually meant something to him.

Can you blame him, though? Izuku’s the one who has been faithfully at Katsuki's side his entire life, sharing his dreams, believing in the best of him, gently encouraging him to do better than his worst, teaching him kindness of the heart and heroic sacrifice and finally… what it means to love someone so fiercely, you could give your everything and call it by their name.

Katsuki’s forever hero who always comes running to save him, no matter what. His one and only constant. How could he not become completely intertwined with him and fall hopelessly in love?

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Questions (Since I can't use the askbox anonymously anymore)

Hi! I don’t really agree with you on everything about Miraculous Ladybug, but I thought I might ask you some questions here since I don’t want to make an account to do so and I can’t use the anonymous ask anymore without one.

1. I Assume that your Chloe vs Daruizen post will probably attempt to compare a character who may have been teased as being potentially redeemable before pulling a fakeout vs one who quite possibly wasn’t (and had the show try to pretend otherwise). I’ve seen an essay arguing that Chloe wasn’t meant to be redeemed from another fan, so I would be interested in seeing if you would respond to some of their points.

2. Honestly, I haven’t seen a lot of good things about other Zagtoon shows – I remember Ghostforce in my mind stands out because the comments on the site I found it on describe it as a terribly formulaic Danny Phantom Meets Power Rangers setup, and they also mention other shows by Zagtoon, which they see as average at best. I know Miraculous Ladybug has its flaws and I shouldn’t necessarily be listening to strangers on the internet for opinions but if it’s the best/most successful show that Zagtoon can put out then it certainly seems like they have a problem, especially overambition. I could see them being like telltale games in that they have a huge hit or two and several flops that try to repeat the success but instead gradually drag the studio down.

3. I do feel that more of the fandom would be okay (not necessarily happy, just feeling a bit better) about Gabriel winning if Adrien found out about his father being Hawkmoth (and maybe got to finally have a permanent reveal to ladybug) and we at least got to see him decide on what to think about him knowing that. The antagonist winning can be a huge gamble in writing, for better (Watchmen - where it was thematically appropriate) or worse (Re: Creators – in fact, I think if you watched this show you would compare its main villain to Gabriel in some ways). Though, maybe it might be the other way around and the fandom would have preferred Ladybug winning for good without Cat Noir’s help (and him and the rest of Paris not finding out Gabriel was Hawkmoth), if the choice came down to that or my other proposal. Hell, just to ask you, which would you have preferred?

4. Do you think they are going to reveal that the Utopian Paris happened naturally (to push their messaging) or because of Gabriel’s wish? I would prefer the latter, as it would imply that Gabriel ruined another city/country in the process, which would give a good plot hook and remind us that he was still ultimately a villain. Finding a way to undo the damage would be another good plot.

5. I heard in the interview you did that there has been a bit of resentment against Jeremy Zag. I don’t really know why – is that because he just didn’t do anything about Astruc’s bad decisions, because he was apparently (as) difficult to work with, or something else? I do give him a bit more respect than Astruc for making the movie(s), at least.

--------------------------------------------------------

1. The main idea for that post (assuming I ever wrire it) is more to compare two irredeemable villains who have a history with the main character, and why I think Dariuzen does everything Chloe was meant to do, but better.

2. The issue with ZAG is that they keep coming up with poorly marketed shows and pointless Miraculous Ladybug specials. It’s a case of overambition at its finest.

3. All we really wanted was for Adrien to get some kind of closure with his dad after all the years the show spent tackling their tense relationship. That’s what so many people liked about the movie, that Adrien was able to appeal to Gabriel’s humanity and make him give up. Hell, if you wanted to split up the two, make it so they’re both doing something. Have Ladybug lead the charge against the Miraculized while Cat Noir fights Monarch.

4. I feel like it’s unfortunately going to skew towards the latter. People keep saying that the show meant to make the ending uncomfortable, but not only did the writers’ commentary confirm that they were done with the Agreste family arc, even the marketing seems to believe that Gabriel was a good man.

5. My best guess is that it’s the same problem most writers and executives run into: creative differences.

[genshin-scenarios]

Adopt a Wanderer: Assimilation [Part 2]

Summary: After meeting Kuni, who's isekaied into your world, you both try to settle into a new normal.

Note: This is meant to be a found-family series with Scaramouche, who you address as Kuni in this AU! Mostly meant to be interpreted as platonic.

Part 1

Your first few days with Kuni were nothing short of lively. The first morning, well – no one can blame you for having to process the situation a second time, after accepting that it wasn’t a dream after all – but you also went over a conversation about him being non-human.

See, you weren’t sure if puppets had to eat to function, or if they had any special dietary requirements (as ridiculous as it sounds, you truly didn't know) - so when you bring up the question to Kuni, he freezes for a moment before sheepishly asking you how you figured it out. In light of not wanting to seem even more suspicious in his eyes (what kind of lunatic adopts a random person from the streets anyways?) you say something about how you noticed the connective markings on his elbows when you leant him your clothes - which was true enough, seeing as you gave him a t-shirt instead of something long sleeved.

You didn’t want to dishearten him any more than he already looked from the reminder, so you give him a smile and ask if he’d like to go shopping for clothes that suit his tastes better.

“Shopping?” Kuni repeats, putting on the jacket you retrieved and his sandals. “Is there a marketplace nearby?”

“Something similar to it, yes.” You lock the door and guide him downstairs, onto the street, and towards the bus station. “We need to get you clothes that fit you properly, and it’ll be easier for you to blend in and visit places that way.”

You’ve thought about this last night, when you were getting extra blankets and pillows for him to use the living room couch as a bed. Even if he was just staying here until he could find a way home, it’d be no different from being a caged bird if you just confined him to your apartment.

You wanted to give Kuni the chance to enjoy your world a little. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows here, but if his current reaction was anything to go by you’d say that the city you lived in wasn’t too bad. It’s peaceful and free of conflict, albeit busy with workers and students and business. There are some nice cafes and affordable restaurants, the public transport is fast, and Kuni is taking in his surroundings like he’s drinking in the colors on a painting. It’s overwhelming and foreign, but his eyes are full of wonder.

When the bus doors open and he hesitates to step on, you offer him your hand as you lead the way. Everyone’s at work or school so the streets are fairly sparse compared to peak hours, and Kuni treats everything you pass by with a quiet curiosity. You mention what each thing is to answer the questions written on his face, and after you exit the clothing shop with his haul, Kuni tugs on your sleeve to ask if you should head to eat next.

You don’t oppose, making a beeline to the cafe that has a promotion on weekdays like these. “Let’s see… I’m not sure what your food preferences are, but their menu has quite a lot of things. If you’re hungry, this place should do the trick!”

Kuni stays close to your side as you navigate the mall, glancing at the other half of the bags that you insisted you could help him carry. “Actually, I asked because you seemed hungry earlier. Um, your stomach sounded, I mean - but anything’s fine! I can eat anything I think, but probably not too much.” He could go without eating too, but when you reach the cafe and sit down with the menu, the images look new and interesting enough that he’s curious about trying them all.

Embarrassment burns when you realize he heard your stomach growling earlier, but you put it off by bulldozing to the next relevant question. “Oh! In that case, why don’t we order a few things to share?” A part of you wants to spoil him for some reason - you’re aware it might also have to do with his potential future once he returns to Teyvat - but another more accurate reason was simply because of how his eyes would light up when there was something he liked; most children might enjoy the moment of sweetness and move on to the next, but with Kuni the sensation seemed to linger with fascination. “That way we can try to pinpoint what kind of food you like.”

“I liked the tea from that day,” he tried to help. “It was bitter, but the aftertaste was nice.”

“Hmm… So something more savory, maybe?” You hum to yourself, ordering a set to share and a side. Remembering how Ei’s favorite food was dango from the game, you were surprised by the way Kuni froze after he tried the pudding that came with the set - the grimace he wore was enough to make you laugh, and you try to stifle your giggling for his sake as he looked away in embarrassment. “It’s alright if you don’t like it!”

“I didn’t expect it to taste so… syrupy.”

“Maybe you’ll like herbal jelly instead, if that’s the case.” You say thoughtfully as you finish the cube of custard. “It still has syrup, but that part is optional and the jelly itself is bitter.” You pause, realizing something. “Huh, the same shop should sell tea eggs too. I’ll try getting some the next time I come back from work.”

“Speaking of… how come you were able to bring me here today?” He tilted his head with the question. “The streets seem quiet, but there are so many residential buildings.”

“I have Mondays off,” You give him a wink. “So I guess you could say your timing was impeccable, for someone that didn’t know how they got here.”

Kuni huffs, a small smile gracing his lips. “I guess so.” I must’ve been really lucky to have run into you.

As the day progresses, you bring Kuni along to buy some groceries and return home. By the end of it he’s grown to walk more comfortably through crowds of people, and even asked if you could teach him to do some of the household chores.

“I don’t want to just live here without doing anything,” Kuni explained, remembering how he’s seen families in Inazuma drying the laundry outside the house. “If you teach me, I’ll be able to earn my stay and make things easier for you.”

Was that why he chatted with the clothing store’s clerk for so long? You remember bits of their conversation being about how most clothes could be washed in a machine, but others might need to be done by hand. You were paying the bill at the time though, so you didn’t hear the entire thing.

As you fold the laundry and show him how to use the washing machine, Kuni stays true to his word and continues to learn household chores from you as the days go by. The week passes by in a flash, but you surprise yourself by how normal it feels to return home and see him there, busying himself with work or reading something from your shelf.

You learn that he tends to not watch the TV unless you’re there, thinking of it as something to do with company rather than alone - not that you were complaining, of course. It was touching how he’d wait for you to come home before watching the newest show you’re binging together, but he'd also get excited about the movies you've watched before and mentioned to him were good (he agrees with some of your opinions and is open to debate about others, but at the end of the day isn't too worked up about it).

Kuni’s also started to mess around with the newspapers that you brought at his request, so that he could learn more about the type of world this was - and also do the crossword puzzles and pick out shopping vouchers for you.

You’ve thought about teaching him to use a computer, but the chance of him coming across his own information on the web held you back - that was, until you tried googling for the game, and it seems like it disappeared into thin air.

Eh?

You’d tried doing the same search on other devices not in your home, and it seems that the erasure only occurs when Kuni is nearby. It was a convenient sort of phenomenon, but it also made you start to question your entire reality; was his presence the thing that caused this? And if so, why were you the exception that’s able to remember the truth despite being by his side?

A knock on your bedroom door pulls you back to reality, and Kuni lets you know that he’d finished prepping ingredients for dinner while you were drying your hair. Despite how he doesn’t have to eat, he indulges in trying a little of everything so that he could get better at cooking - you’ve tried to tell him that the other chores he’s done were more than enough, but he insists that it’s just another skill that would be good to learn regardless.

Unable to refute that, you agree to let him make breakfast and dinner on days where you were busy, but would usually cook with him whenever you can. The speed at which he learns is a little inhuman, but then again it makes you a little proud to know that he’s a quick learner. Everyone that’s met him so far has been enamoured or at least begrudgingly accepting of Kuni, including the neighbours (who now believe he was your cousin).

Despite how you were used to being independent, you had to admit that it was nice to have someone’s company like this - even if it was a person you’d previously thought was fictional. And as for the mystery that surrounds your situation… worrying about it won’t give answers for now, so you push away the thought in favour of enjoying the new normal of your household.

“Oh, and if you don’t hurry, I might add those spices you don’t like without you seeing.”

“What?! Don’t you dare!”

>> Part 3

[theninthdoor]

Could you do how skz members deal with jealousy, which of them are overprotective and possessive ?

Bang Chan || six of swords, seven of wands: At first he tries to be pretty logical about it and maintain a good line of communication between him and the other person, yet fails every time. This gives me the same type of feeling as of a little kid who runs away, screaming, to hide their toys as soon as they see some other child looking at them - like "it's mine! you're not touching it. don't even think about it!". The though of sharing might've crossed his mind for a split second, but it's gone just as quick.

Lee Know || the hermit, six of swords: He might be the type to distance himself, so the other person is "forced" to seek his attention once again. Once that happens, he'll speak up - yet very coldly - about his jealousy, plus set some boundaries such as, "I would prefer if you didn't hang out with that person" or "I would rather get a text message from you telling me you're going out with that group of people instead of having to find out through social media", etc.

Changbin || six of swords, queen of swords: (our 3rd 6oS?? wow) Changbin is very, very straightforward. He'll speak up, no matter where or when; if something is bothering him, he'll say it, very honestly and clearly. He doesn't even need to raise his voice or make a scene - it's all about being forthright and getting his "competition" to recognize him as the winner of that little battle. If his partner doesn't collaborate, though, then I expect him to give them the cold shoulder and distance himself, for sure.

Hyunjin || the fool, four of cups: He comes off as quite immature + turbulent when it comes to these things… Playing it cool only makes matters worse for everybody, yet he never learns his lesson and just keeps pulling that card on them over and over again. What I mean is: he's definitely one to get upset/jealous easily, specially when he feels ignored or like the other person is enjoying someone else's presence over his; once that happens, he then becomes very careless with his words by mixing jokes with his true, raw feelings. This attitude here not only leads him to become more and more frustrated, but it might also annoy the other person quite a lot, causing then a big misunderstanding between the two.

Han || judgement, three of wands: Han starts seeking the other person's attention and approval immediately! He needs to feel seen and to feel heard! Although it might take a lot to make him jealous + to get him to admit his jealousy, it does happen. I think, in his case, it's much more an issue of him feeling less interesting or important than others - that's what makes him jealous… he doesn't want to be replaced.

Felix || strength, the hierophant: Felix seems to have a good level of self-control, to be honest. I see him being the type to use physical touch as means of getting the attention back to him - like holding hands, playing with his partner's/friend's hair, hugging them, etc -, instead of words. He just needs to feel like the connection hasn't been broken or damaged, that's all.

Seungmin || the hanged man, five of wands: He can go from giving the other person the silent treatment to loudly confronting them, in a split second. You never know what you're gonna get with him… One to get jealous quite easily, I feel like.

I.N || we've gone over him here > X, X and X. Our conclusion from all of that: my dude just wants attention; don't embarass him; he's an immature little one sometimes lol.

(Disclaimer: All readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only.)

[fromfiction]

(excuse the slight lengthiness of this ask pls 😭)

um hello! i’ve seen you answering questions on this blog, so i hope you can answer this one! /nf

i’m entirely new to the term and idea of “fictionkin” but ever since i found out about what fickin was and what it meant, i figured it might be me but i couldn’t be 100% sure because of a smaller thing.

for a bit more context which i feel may be important: i pretty much spent all my life mentally viewing myself as literally animated, as animated medias have always been a special interest since i was little (i’m now diagnosed w/ autism which is why i used that term btw). though i never truly viewed myself as any canon character, i always viewed myself as my self insert sonas growing up, my finest examples of this through the years would be self insert sonas of mlp and eddsworld. nowadays, as my main special interest is my own work (as a writer and artist) i mentally view myself as my persona, i always have during these current years and i believe i always will, to the point where i don’t even associate myself with my body or face physically bc i’ve always viewed myself as some sort of fictional version of myself and in my mind that’s how i look to myself. to put this in terms of an example, i once told someone that my physical body is like a car because i like to decorate it and make it look nice and i use it to get around in this world, but my persona is the driver because in my mind, that’s who i am and i’m simply using this “car” to get around (remember this is an example i don’t literally think my body is a car lmao)

but yea, the reason i’m very confused is because i always see fictionkins identifying as canonical characters from a media, or ig even self inserts as i’ve heard somewhere (correct me if i’m wrong) but i never hear about people identifying as their OWN characters if this makes sense. in my mind, a fictional character is a fictional character, which would include my persona that is very much fictional in every way (atp my persona is a developed character with fictional lore, other worldly traits (like magic), and is always a part of little scenarios or short stories i make up for comfort or outta boredom, just happens to resemble me irl in most ways but is basically how i view myself mentally down from personality to clothes that i really connect with but don’t really wear irl)

but anyway yes, i’ve tried and tried to research for anything that might be similar to my case but i don’t really find much at all.

i hope this ask was okay to send, ik it might be lengthy ik you weren’t asking for my “life story” it’s just that i’ve always wondered what was wrong with me in terms of this topic and why i viewed myself as being a fictional character, and now that i feel closer to a possible answer it’s very relieving but still confusing since i don’t know if the label really fits what i go through. i can’t help but wonder if it’s also maladaptive daydreaming or multiple things/something else but i prob can’t expect much advice or help w that on this blog which is perfectly okay lmao

again, if you read this or even answer this, thank you i’ve really needed to ask this desperate question to someone who seems to know a lot about this subject for possible help so i came here bc i saw that this blog was active for the most part! i’m also sorry if i asked things that weren’t okay to ask or have said/assumed things that weren’t okay either, again i’m very new to fictionkin as a whole.

have a great day and thank you <3

Hey friend. No worry about asking!

It sounds like you're asking if you can be fictionkin of an "original character".

The answer is absolutely. There are plenty of people who are kin of their own ocs, you just don't usually see them talking about it, mostly because their posts don't end up in fandom tags.

[paradoxcase]

Harrow the Ninth audiobook, Chapter 1-4

When talking about how Gideon's sword hates her, the narrator says that Harrow "knew it to be real, even then", which is kind of an interesting look back from the end of the book when we find out that the sword was being possessed by Wake, who obviously just hates all necromancers as a matter of course

Stele was not pronounced how I expected, but I've just never heard it pronounced before and it turns out that is the correct pronunciation. Huh

John says of the 500 resurrected people in stasis that he's sending back to the Ninth that "only a third will show necromantic aptitude". Presumably, this must then be the rate of necromantic aptitude that he observed right after the Resurrection, and I guess it increased from there (if there are supposed to be an equal number of necromancers and cavaliers, presumably the rate is now around 50%). I had thought before that necromancy might have just occurred over time as a result of people living on thanergenic planets, and that the OG Lyctors were a special case or something, but it appears that something about either John killing the solar system, or the Resurrection itself, caused necromancy to occur spontaneously in about 1/3 of the people that John resurrected

I am once again wondering why John seemingly can't resurrect anyone anymore, I think it might be that only Alecto can resurrect people, but if Alecto had resurrected the initial population, I wouldn't have thought that necromancy would be a side effect of that, since Alecto's powers, and the powers she gave John, don't seem to have been necromancy specifically, so I suspect that regular humans winding up being necromancers was just an accidental side effect of something

John's discussion of planets having souls reminded me that John also says in Nona that he killed the sun in addition to the planets, and it's been said throughout the books that the sun is also thanergenic and is now powered by John. John says here that planets have souls because they have microbial life; obviously the sun does not have microbial life. But if John killed it, does it have some kind of soul anyway? Or does he just mean that he somehow absorbed all of its power? But previously in the Nona storyline, John only got power from dead things, and presumably could have gotten power from living things as well - he didn't like, photosynthesize. So now I'm wondering what exactly happened to the sun, if it was alive by some metric, and if killing it generated a resurrection beast

I love how John starts out Chapter Two by telling Harrow that her earlier decision to come with him was a decision made when she was in an emotional state and thus wasn't truly voluntary so he's giving her another option to really consider it, and then later he tells her that it's actually false decision and she doesn't have a choice anyway because if she goes back to the Nine Houses it will draw the resurrection beasts there

Harrow says that in her hallucinations after her parent died, Alecto had black eyes, like Harrow's, and it's only starting with her hallucinations now on the Erebos that she has the gold eyes that are actually Alecto's eyes (after being consumed by John). Was she not actually being haunted back then and is only now being really haunted by Alecto starting from this point in the story? This is also where she says she can physically feel Alecto, and where Alecto speaks to her, which lends weight to the "not hallucinating" thing, but if Alecto started haunting her when she breached the Tomb, why is she only properly appearing to Harrow now? And Alecto is also here talking to her and telling her to "turn around" and remember Gideon. I don't think Alecto has any special interest in Gideon. She might just be trying to help Harrow, but like, this is very far from the first time Harrow has needed help and advice

I think Moira Quirk does a different voice for child!Harrow reciting her prayers for the great-aunts, it's very good

Harrow's altered memory of unlocking the Tomb has her having "bloodied fists" when she unlocks the door, but there's nothing in that chapter that says why she had them

Harrow's parents made two nooses for Mortus. I know Mortus was supposed to be a big guy, but I don't think that's how hanging works, where you need extra nooses for bigger people, is it?

In the backstory chapter, Harrow says that there were two "womb-bearing" people on the Ninth who were still young enough to reproduce, but she doesn't say who the second one was. I don't think it can be her mother, since supposedly Harrow was her last shot to have a child. I guess this is more of the "there was another girl who grew up alongside Harrow, but she died before Harrow was born" doublethink

The episode where she is suffocated with a pillow, or maybe it was a hallucination, wasn't ever resolved, was it? It seems like it was a dream at first, but then the nails are actually embedded in the wall, and also Harrow has dried blood under her fingernails during the Ianthe kiss scene. But who would have tried to kill her here?

Harrow's letter to herself says "You owe Ianthe Tridentarius the Favor of the Chain" and I have to wonder what piece of weird Ninth House tradition that is

Harrow also says in the letter that she has withheld information about "the Work" from Ianthe specifically so that she can't undo it. So I guess in the prologue, Ianthe must have genuinely figured it out on her own, and hasn't been specifically prevented from undoing it by Harrow, because she is not supposed to know the details. Was she actually respecting Harrow's autonomy there?

Harrow says in her letter that her choice to remove Gideon was the first choice she felt she was actually able to make freely, which I think says a lot about how damn fatalistic Harrow is

I notice when Gideon has reactions to things in the narrative it does sound a bit like how Moira Quirk was doing Gideon's voice earlier? I guess this is a benefit of Gideon's voice being quite similar to the baseline narrative voice here

[adragonsfriend]

*emerges out of the mist* I heard something about gender in Amatakka. Please, tell me everything, I want to hear your take on it (can you tell this is also my special interest?)

*falls out of a tree and floats gracefully back and forth several times before alighting on the ground like a leaf* part of this explanation is in my spreadsheet but there's so much more detail and reasoning to talk about.

ok so I started from the claim that there are four accepted genders among Amavikka people (which is a whole other conversation about how if you make a third/fourth gender accepted and normal in a culture you might eventually get a queer bitch (me) going "I need a fifth gender so i can disrupt this paradigm"), female, male, nonbinary, and genderfluid.

introductions

Fialleril said the introductions have a gender particle? word? thing? attached to them. It goes "Ek masa nu [name] [gender particle]." Which is probably best translated as, "I am named [name], [pronouns]."

Feminine: Ek masa nu Shmi ku. 3rd Gender: Ek masa nu Anakin ki. Masculine: Ek masa nu Owen Lars ka. Fluid: Ek masa nu Ekkreth kai.*

*Note: I have seen others use ke for the fluid gender, but I like kai because it's a pun on kai meaning "yes," ala, "What are your pronouns?" "Yes."

Also I said the fluid option could choose to do a "Ek masa nu [name] kai [other gender particle]," to indicate their current pronouns. More casually, maybe you could say, "Ek masa kai [other particle]." or "Ek [other particle]." (I have a thing about how you can drop any subject pronoun in a sentence except "ek," so that's about as short as it can get)

gender assumption

But anyway, the general concept of these gender particles means that it's immediately evident upon introduction what pronouns & gendered words the person you're talking to uses, which is really cool, but it still leaves the gap of people that you haven't been introduced to, if you forgot someone's pronouns, if you haven't seen someone in a long time and their pronouns could've changed, if your genderfluid friend hasn't told you what gender they're feeling today, etcetera. Basically, there are still lots of situations where you wouldn't know someone's gender.

I haven't introduced grammatical gender (ala french where nouns have gender that affects what articles you use), but since people have gender, and that affects both adjectives and verbs, that means that there has to be a choice made about what gender is assumed when you don't know someone's gender.

In English we are blessed to have singular they available to use for both unknown gender and (the majority of) nonbinary people, but I didn't want to make the assumption that this overlap was the same in Amatakka.

Instead what I landed on is that the feminine forms are assumed in the case of unknown gender, for two reasons. First, I think it presents more of a different look at gender to have the third gender not be associated with neutrality at all. Second, in the mythology we get Ar-amu, a woman, as the most foundational figure, as well as the story keepers being called Grandmothers in general despite the lack of any apparent prohibition on men or 3rd gender ppl taking on the role. Point being, Fialleril has already introduced the feminine as the assumptive gender.

translating gender

This creates an interesting little translation tidbit when translating back to english, where if you said, say,

"Zeechev masabu Mos Espa sip. Shu masabu uumanu*," -> "A stranger is in Mos Espa. They are human." --an imagined statement about Qui-Gon Jinn in the phantom menace

*i decided just now that human, and most other species, are probably cognates with other languages in Amatakka, hence uuman is the base form of the adjective "human"

you actually are translating "shu" (she) in Amatakka into singular they in English. If someone actually knew Qui-Gon and knew he was a man they would use the masculine pronoun, conjugation and agreement,

"Qui-gon masaba Mos Espa sip. Sha masaba uumana." -> "Qui-Gon is in Most Espa. He is human."

Talking about Padme being in Mos Espa, you would use the feminine form if you didn't know her gender, and then continue to use it once you found out she was a woman.

For the plural, there's just one third person pronoun for all three genders regardless of the make up of the group being talked about, which would translate as plural they in english. It's "shun," which is obviously using the feminine "shu" as a base.

So going back to the 3rd gender pronouns, it wouldn't be incorrect to translate them (the subject pronoun is "shi") as singular they/them since those cover a range of non-binary genders in English, but because I specifically don't really want the 3rd gender in Amatakka to be associated with neutrality at all, I usually translate 3rd gender pronouns as ze/zir neopronouns.

disrespectful form

There is also the disrespectful form, used to talk about slavers (depuran) and other people who actively uphold the system of slavery, and (sometimes) people who are in keekta-du or depukreta type situations, which isn't gendered at all in the pronouns, conjugation, or agreement, though of course other gendered words are still relevant to those people. The disrespectful form would be translated to English as whatever gender that person would usually use.

"Jabba Hutt reeue du. Sur masue du Amavikke." -> "Jabba the Hutt doesn't fly. He is not Amavikka."

The reason I'm actually attached to the disrespectful form as a concept is because of the "sometimes" I mentioned with depukreta people. Specifically because it means that by the end of Return of the Jedi, where another Amavikka person might say,

"Darth Vader masur depukrete," -> "Darth Vader is a chain-healer."

Luke would say,

"Shi masabi depukretu." -> "He is a chain-healer."

Ergo his decision to try and redeem Anakin would be evident even down to his word choice.

inanimate objects

Oh also there's a separate pronouns, conjugations, and agreements for inanimate objects

Anyway this has been a lecture on gender and other things that function in the same area of grammar in Amatakka, according to me. i hope it all made sense. if anyone feels like asking me more questions about this or has their own opinions about Amatakka i will include you in my will