#Omae Wa Mou/Already Dead | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

missjoemarch · 2 years ago

Text

━━━━━ monday mood.

Hello~! Today I thought of starting a journal <3 because I was bored ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

Honestly, idk wat to write abt (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠) but I hav so many notebooks around. Mama gives me one every Christmas even tho I don't ask for one 💀

AnYwayS it's late alr (it's literally 2am) I hav class tomorrow. Crossing my fingers I don't wake up late–

... I jinxed myself (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠), Emma thinks grimly while looking around the room for an empty chair. To be fair, I usually wake up late so did I really jinx myself?

She visibly brightens when a hand shoots up to wave at her frantically, and rushes to the empty seat beside her best best friend.

"Machan!" "Kocchan!" The girls beam at seeing each other.

"Why are you late?" Kumiko asks the other unpacking her books.

Emma shrugs, "I found some notebooks yesterday while I was cleaning. I was thinking maybe I should start journaling again... Hehe I got distracted and slept late."

Her friend looks unimpressed by this. "Knowing you, you probably didn't even write much OR finish cleaning..." Kumiko crosses her arms to stare Emma down like their homeroom teacher would if he found out she entered class late. "Emerson Brown, you stayed up reading mangas again didn't you?"

Emma smiles sheepishly, guilty as charged. She didn't expect less from her best friend. That girl knows her from her OTP to the many shōjo mangas hidden all around her dorm, especially between and behind the folded clothes in her closet.

"Hahh... Maybe I should tell Haida-kun he can sit next to me next time so you'll be pressured to come to class earlier." Kumiko looks away, sighing.

Emma gasps, "You wouldn't! You said you love me 😞-"

"You're right I won't lol. My heart belongs to Gallahan only 😩-" They talk at the same time.

"Bruh."

"I-I mean- Why would I do that to my bfff? I love you 🥺 🫶"

Emma looks down, a shadow casting over her features, "No. I get it..." She looks up with stars in her eyes. "Gallahan is the best!"

"I know right!!!" The two fangirls giggle over their best boi from the most recent manhwa they were reading.

The door opens and everyone stands up to greet their teacher, "Good morning, Sensei!"

As they sit back down, Emma grins mischievously. "Hehe~ I know another reason why you don't let Haida-kun sit next to you: You can't fangirl over our sensei with anyone else!" Emma nudges a flustered Kumiko playfully.

"H-hey! You're so loud!" She nudges her back harder, making Emma laugh.

• • •

"I can't believe it's only Monday and we have what? 4 presentations due on Friday already?? ... Can you believe it?" Kumiko rants while they wait for their takoyaki.

Emma lets out a long sigh. "Is the takoyaki done? (⁠●⁠´⁠⌓⁠`⁠●⁠)"

Kumiko shoots her now zombie-looking friend a sympathetic look.

"Here are your orders, miss."

She hurriedly thanks the seller for the takoyaki and hands Emma her bowl. She watches her friend's face color with life at the smell of food, and exhales in relief at seeing her friend back to normal.

Emma immediately eats one, whole. While eating her own share, Kumiko watches as sparkles and flowers appear around a happy Emma. She always has this aura whenever she eats food. Seeing her enjoy eating just makes you wanna enjoy food as much as she does.

"Ohh I have an idea!"

"Yeah? Tell me." Kumiko's reply is muffled by the food in her mouth.

Emma smiles even wider, "Café study date! You and me."

"OM to the G. Yes!" The two continue to make plans while walking to the main yard.

"We can take turns with the bill."

Emma hums in agreement. "Yeah sure! Do you wanna go to the cat café we went to last Christmas?"

"I don't think we can handle those cute distractions... Oh!! Maybe we can go to the café near my house!"

"Kocchan, what did you just say about distractions?"

"Just because the waiter is cute doesn't mean I'll get distracted 😌"

"kocCHANN 💀"

"Okok fineee." Kumiko stops at the sight of the main gate. "We're here. Let's just continue later."

Emma nods, "Kk! I'll walk you there. I need to throw this too."

"You're done already?"

"And you're not?"

Kumiko pauses and blinks at her friend. She laughs and the two hug. "Bye, Machan! See you tomorrow!" "See you, Kocchan! Get home safe."

Emma continues to wave until Kumiko turned the corner and disappeared from her view.

She turns around and heads to the dormitories. As she enters the third dormitory building, her phone rings.

𝘖𝘮𝘢𝘦 𝘸𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘶. (っ◔◡◔)っ 𝒰𝓉𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓊𝒾𝓉𝒶 𝓀💍𝓃🌸 ♥𝒹𝑒𝓀❁ 𝓉🌞𝓃𝓉💗𝓃 𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒶 𝓃💗 𝓌𝒶 🎀 🍓⋆

She gets excited when she sees the caller's name. Ma!

"Hi Ma!" Emma greets. "How are you?"

"I'm not your mA."

She pauses for a second then brightens at the familiar voice. "Lia-neesan!!"

"Hey Machan. How's your day?"

"Meh. The usual hell 😮‍💨 We have 4 presentations due on Friday already! And guess what?"

"Hm?" Her sister hums.

"I'm groupmates with annoying freeloaders ://"

"Bruh. Again?"

"I know right!"

"Good luck."

Emma laughs at her sister's tone. "Anyway, why are you calling from Ma's phone? Where is she? Can I talk to her?"

There is a pause from the other side. Worried that the signal became shit, Emma calls her sister. "Neesan? Can you hear me?"

On the other side of the call, Dahlia bites her lip. Hearing her sister call her makes her sigh. "Mama... She wanted to call you but Nico and Mikey drew on Drea's face so she had to go check that out. That's why I called instead to ask how you're doing... but she did want to call you! It's just..."

Emma doesn't hear anything after her sister told her about Ma checking on what happened to Andrea. What was I expecting?

Mama and Papa are always too busy for me. Always too busy with work and taking care of the four monsters I call my younger siblings, that they don't have time for me anymore.

Sometimes I feel like they don't even remember I exist.

I bet Lia-neesan was the one who reminded Ma to call me because she knows that I'm lonely here.

If it wasn't for her or Kocchan, I don't know if anyone would even remember me. In a lot of people's lives, I'm just some background character. Even my classmates or teachers don't notice me that much. I'm not that "special" or "important." Not even to my family...

"... Machan..." Dahlia's gentle tone snaps Emma from her self-deprecating trance.

"Yeah? I'm here." Emma tries to smile, forgetting her sister can't see her. She starts to rummage through her bag for the dorm keys. A distraction.

"Wednesday is my day off. Movie night?"

Emma sighs, "Lia-neesan... I have class on Thursday..."

"So? We can do it earlier and finish around 10. Or are you turning down the traditional cheese ramen I make for our movie nights?"

"Wait! I didn't say you couldn't come-"

"Too bad~ I have been perfecting my recipe in my free time. Oh well, maybe you can just eat Dahlia's Grand Ultimate Cheese Ramen of Yum some other time~ like maybe next week because I'll be busy with work~ or maybe even next, nEXt week~!" Emma could hear her sister smirking as she spoke.

Sighing, she gives in. "Okayyy fine. Only until 10!"

"Mhm. But I bet you'll be the one to ask to watch another movie." Dahlia chuckles and Emma couldn't help smiling at her sister's efforts to cheer her up.

"Thank you..."

"Anytime Machann~"

"Dahlia!" Emma freezes at the faint sound of her mom's voice.

"Ma, I'm talking to-"

"Dahlia!!"

Dahlia exhales at their mom's persistence. "Ma's calling me. Probably to help sort the quarrel out. Bye! See you on Wednesday."

The happiness Emma felt left as quickly as it came. "Ah... Bye."

Click!

She opens the door, only to be greeted by a dark, messy dorm. Kocchan was right when she said she didn't finish cleaning. Emma meant to, but she got distracted with the journal, which was still open and in the middle of a scatter of bujo materials, then the mangas she uncovered from their hiding places.

She drops her bag and flops on the Totoro bean bag, sighing.

Spotting the open notebook makes Emma wonder if she'd be able to write something... worth writing about. An adventure of a lifetime or even just a simple but nice memory with her family or friends (if ever she makes any more, which she probably won't). Other than Dahlia, it's been a while since she really bonded with the rest of her family.

She couldn't go home last weekend because she had to finish researching for a paper. Actually, she hasn't come home for the weekend for a while, but it seems like no one noticed anyway.

Even during most of the breaks, she wouldn't come home—not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't. Just last sem break, there was a problem so she had to stay with Kumiko and her family. They made her feel at home and she very much enjoyed her stay there... but she also wished she could enjoy being with her own family again too.

She curls into a fetal position and hugs her legs tightly. Even with all the stuffed toys, mangas and other room decors, her dorm still feels empty.

A squeak interrupts her thoughts, erasing that numbing feeling of loneliness crawling all over her again. Emma turns to see her dorm mate peering at her intently from behind the cage bars. She smiles at her furry friend, "At least I have you, Ham-Sam."

Ham-Sammy continues to stare into her soul, reminding her of her promise to him this morning. She was in a rush, having no time to even heat food, so she just stuffed cold bread in her mouth and placed some on his food bowl too.

Emma pouts, Damn, I can't even be sentimental with the only living creature who lives with me ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

Sticking her tongue out at her hamster, she grabs her bag and digs through the contents for the container she brought from the cafeteria. It's filled with greens, and Hammy's favorite: celery!

Taking one from the container, she waves it in front of him. She giggles as she observes Ham-Sammy go crazy at the sight of food.

He seems to squeak indignantly at her teasing and she snorts, unable to keep her laughter in. "Okay, okay! Here you go~"

Emma lifts the latch and opens the door. As she reaches to place the celery in his bowl, the little thing jumps on her hand and practically flies out.

"H-hey! Ham!!" She drops the celery and immediately chases after that sneaky rat.

"Come back here!"

"Hey! Don't you wanna eat?? I have celery!!"

"Ham-Sam you little-"

No matter what she says, the critter doesn't listen, enjoying his freedom (and giving his owner a hard time).

After scrambling here and there, Ham-Sammy finds the celery Emma dropped and stops to eat it.

Seizing the opportunity to catch him, Emma starts to tiptoe nearer. She opens her arms, forming an "o" to trap him. She starts to kneel slowly... then swoop! He squeaks in surprise as she catches him. "HA!"

A black hole suddenly appears right underneath her and she falls, screaming all the way down.

1 note · View note

tokiro07 · 2 months ago

Text

Undead Unluck ch.227 thoughts

[Gina Really Said "I Like Either-Or" Like We Didn't Already Know]

[CHANGE!!! YA GOT CHANGE?!?!]

(Topics: speculation - Juiz and Julia/story progression, character analysis - Gina/Change, thematic analysis - change)

Okay, so...no L001 flashback this week, and Unjustice did not manifest from the injustice of Apocalypse's death. No worries, I'm used to being wrong about these things, and with how this week's chapter played out, I'm glad I was!

Like I've said before, Unjustice's activation carries with it the implication that all of the Master Rule fights will come to an end, either with a total party kill or mass recruitment initiative, so the fact that Julia didn't instantly gain Unjustice means that the game ending move is still yet to come. Not only does this mean that we still get to see more of the individual Master Rule fights, it also means that Julia's character arc still has further room to develop

Specifically, it looks like we're going to be revisiting one of our favorite questions: is Julia still Juiz?

Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru

Soul's statement that "you're already dead" to Julia doesn't so much seem like a threat that she doesn't stand a chance, but rather an observation of the state of her soul. He's addressing Unjustice, which is to say the wielder of Unjustice that he's fought about a hundred times already; if he, the authority on souls, says that that Unjustice, Juiz, is dead, then there can be no doubt that there is at least some truth to his words

We discussed it some last week, and will likely discuss it again in the near future, but by Julia's own admission, she isn't Juiz. She has different experiences, different opinions, different dreams; the Juiz of L100 has changed, but instead of becoming the Juiz of L101, she's become Julia, who has echoes of Juiz within her, but cannot be said to be Juiz

The way Soul sees it, Julia is such a departure from Juiz, her soul a Ship of Theseus constructed by her new life, that the two cannot be said to be the same. If that's the case, then even with Juiz's memories from Apocalypse or from Remember, Julia cannot become Juiz anymore than Andy can become Victor; rather than integrating with her past self like Nico, the existence of one identity supersedes the other, and the presence of the now erases the traces of the then

Except, while that may well be the truth, is it the whole truth? As Change says, if Juiz's incarnation into Julia is truly such a drastic change, then it should be fine to leave her be. Even with Juiz's memories, if Julia is such a different person, then she should have no way to awaken Unjustice at all, and should be safe for Soul to ignore

Therefore, for Soul to still consider her a threat, to still go out of his way to impede her both indirectly and directly, he must tacitly acknowledge that the part of Juiz that most strongly defines her is still alive in Julia's soul, even if they're separate entities

I still don't know if Juiz has a way to manifest back into the world, but I am so sure that we haven't seen the last of her; just like Gina was able to speak to her L100 self, Julia has to get to talk to Juiz. I can't possibly envision a better way for Julia to awaken and master Unjustice than to give Juiz the opportunity to see and appreciate the gift that Victor gave her

But since Juiz and Julia's co-development is being set up as the coup de grace, it has to wait just a bit longer and give everyone else their time to shine

The Wisdom to Know the Difference

And first in line to get their capstone moment is Gina "I Go Both Ways" Chamber! A little earlier than I projected, but to be fair I was generically putting them in Master Rule order rather than thinking of what order would carry the most weight, so Gina taking the lead is actually a great start!

Gina's been the spearhead of the cast practically since the beginning, being the first real challenge that Andy and Fuuko faced, the first Negator added to Fuuko's Roundtable, the first one to use their soul to meet a previous user of their Rule, and now the first one to use their growth to force a Master Rule into Phase 3. As the Vessel of Change, of course Gina is the one to start the domino chain of changing to overcome and negate the Rules that tie them down

Along the same lines, Webmantis suggests on twitter that since she already met her past self through Autumn, Gina would be the least affected by Remember. I wholeheartedly agree, as Gina puts on her past self's jacket to demonstrate her understanding, acceptance and integration of L100 Gina's perspective into her own, the same process we can assume that everyone else will go through once Remember is used

Instead of refuting her past self's perspective and coming to believe in the opposite, Gina now sees the beauty of both things that do and do not change: she still values the freedom of the unchanging to always be exactly what they want to be, not being swayed by the whims or will of anyone else but themselves, but she also has come to value the freedom of the changing, not being stuck in their own ways and therefore capable of adapting of their own will

Just as the tree that does not bend in the wind breaks in it, the previous Gina refused to allow anyone or anything to sway her, even time itself, and became so entrenched in remaining the same that she failed to affect any meaningful change in the world around her. However, her way of life was not wrong, just incomplete, and she was able to teach the current Gina the conviction she needed to stand firm for the sake of what she believes in

This leads us to today, where Gina is both resolute and flexible based on her own desires; if she's told she has to change, she won't, and if she's told she can't change, she will. No one gets to decide how Gina lives but her, and that's truly the one thing that won't change

Unfortunately, it seems that the same can't be said for Change herself

Out of Control

Tozuka has always shown tremendous skill at creating foils, but I think that Change kinda takes the cake on this one. Not only are Gina and Change both afraid of their opposing forces, they're afraid of those two sides of the same coin for the exact same reason

Gina is afraid of change because it means that external forces can come to take away the familiar without warning, that everything she knows can be upended and she won't be able to do anything about it

Change, on the other hand, is afraid of things that can't change because she can't affect them. Anything that defies her Rule, the Rule that everything changes, is a threat to her specifically because she has no control over it

Both Gina and Change have a strong desire for personal autonomy, and exercise that autonomy through control of their surroundings, either being able to make things immutable or malleable respectively. It's ironic, then, that Gina was able to become better at making things immutable by allowing herself to become more malleable while Change failed to properly make Gina's Unchanging constructs malleable because of her own rigid and immutable view of the Rules

Since Unchange negates change, Change believes Unchange to be completely incapable of changing itself, and that its status as an external-targeting ability is, by definition, set-in-stone. However, by assuming Unchange is unchangeable, Change hypocritically ignores that this would make Unchange the very exception to her Rule that she so vehemently claims doesn't exist. Indeed, it is because everything including Unchange is changeable, that Gina is able to bypass the external limitation and meaningfully harm Change

Change claimed that nothing was immune to her Rule while paradoxically insisting that Unchange couldn't change, yet another example of the way that the Rules change themselves based on perceived need. They always have to be right, nothing is allowed to be an exception, except when they say so because it doesn't fit in their rigidly defined worldview and therefore doesn't count. There's nothing that "I" can't change, but "you" can't change yourself. That is how Change's dialogue comes off, completely lacking any self-awareness of her own abject hypocrisy

The most telling instance of this hypocrisy is when Gina starts to soliloquize, to explain how her previous self, after a life of stagnation, finally changed - and Change silences her. Gina admits that she's capable of change, that she no longer fears it and embraces the Rule, and the Rule itself rejects her. Change should be overjoyed to hear that her Negator is acknowledging her, any other UMA would be so smug to hear their Vessel acquiescing to them, but Change becomes incensed. She's so sure that Gina is incapable of changing that when she finally does, it means that Change herself has to change her perspective and interpretation; an external factor, something outside of her control, has told her to change and she cannot accept that

So she tells Gina that she can't change. She rejects her own Rule and insists that Gina is the exception. Her interpretation, immutable and unchanging, sets Gina in stone as the one thing she can't change

So Gina changes. She rejects Change's Rule and finds the exception to her external targeting limit. Her interpretation, that her feelings and resolve are unchanging, allows her the flexibility to target her soul

With Gina's soul now targeted by Unchange, it becomes a fist. With Change designating Gina as unchangeable, she cannot negate Unchange, and the fist makes contact. The fist harms Change, changing her. Change cannot change Gina, but Gina can change Change

The fight continues, but given everything we've seen, I don't think we'll see the conclusion just yet

What Comes Next

This was Gina's defining moment, and the proof that her way is correct and superior to Change's; while Change is on the back foot, now is the perfect time to cut away to someone else's story and give them the opportunity to do the same. Once everyone has gotten their time, that is when the Master Rules will regain the upper hand, including Change

Only then, once everyone has proven themselves complete people but been pushed to their most desperate moment, will Julia do the same and gain Unjustice, turning the tides back in their favor

After this chapter, seeing Change's ironic insistence on not changing, I am more convinced than ever that Unjustice will not, in fact, kill her or the other Master Rules. If Change's justice is blindly clinging to her own need for control, I think it would only be just for her to let go. For her, and the other Master Rules, to change

Even if I'm wrong, though, and Unjustice simply puts the Master Rules out of their eons-long misery, I still have faith that Tozuka will make it just as compelling and satisfying a conclusion as he always has

And that's one thing that will never change

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews

8 notes · View notes