#accept yourself to be accepted by others (kanji)

[cyziel]

i'm thinking about yosuke again and it makes me so annoyed because of how hard atlus dropped the ball with him. it's very obvious that they made his character arc with the intention of him being a closeted high schooler in the year 2011 that struggles with internalized homophobia who learns to finally accept himself, but then randomly decided to cut out the payoff to all of the setup so it just makes him extremely homophobic. the whole game is about accepting the part of yourself that you hate, and yosuke coming to terms with his bisexuality throughout the course of the story fits into that theme perfectly.

it's small stuff like this and so many other moments that make much more sense with the context of him originally being planned on having a romance route. he projects his idea of "manliness" and what's "right" onto both others and himself to make up for the social stigma placed onto him by society; he's trying to convince himself that he's "normal" so he can fit in. him feeling ostracized because he's the manager of junes' son is a blatant parallel to this, and the two of them could've easily been intertwined.

"i like you" in japanese is "ore, omae ga suki da" 《俺、 お前 が 好き だ》 -> known as the most common form of a love confession in japan and is almost always used romantically, especially given the context

this is an obviously repressed queer kid who has been struggling to grasp his sexuality and growing feelings for yu; there is so much subtext throughout the game that has all culminated to this moment—or at least, should've culminated to this moment. but it didn't.

funnily enough, i don't think it was atlus projecting their bigotry onto him at first until p4g, but making a genuine attempt at a good character arc that, much like the rest of persona 4, misses the mark in the worst way possible despite being so close to saying something meaningful (cough kanji and naoto). it's like they chickened out at the last second, but "forgot" to take out the parts that just make him a homophobic asshole with the context removed—and then even doubled down on it in p4g lmao. the thing i'm confused about is that hoshino (the former director of the persona series who is extremely disgusting and bigoted) was... already in the company when the lines were recorded??? so i'm baffled as to why they were allowed to come up with it in the first place before deciding against it.

this could've been really great and realistic representation that could've helped other queer people who were going through the same thing yosuke was—especially in the year 2008—and i'm super disappointed that they decided to cut it. persona 4 is about confronting the problematic elements about yourself, and i cannot think of a greater example of this than yosuke and his internalized homophobia.

(bonus: the closet is made out of glass)

[yatsurinamikaze]

Wager (first) - (second) - (third) - (fourth) - (fifth) - (sixth) - (seventh) - (eight) - (ninth)

tw// shit show, cringe, word vomit, objectification, shitty writing, grammatical errors, curse words.

Oikawa Tooru x Reader, Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

Summary: They strike a bet. The Wager? You.

Days blur into weeks, and the routine you’ve built with Ushijima becomes a comforting rhythm in your life. Despite the initial awkwardness, you’ve grown close in a way that surprises you both.

You help him plan his diet meals, carefully balancing his protein intake with the right amount of carbs and nutrients. In return, he patiently assists you with your Japanese writing, his calm and methodical approach guiding you through the intricacies of kanji and grammar.

You spend evenings together watching volleyball matches on TV, analyzing plays and strategies. Sometimes, you share the poems you’ve written, reading them aloud while he listens intently, his quiet presence reassuring you in a way you hadn’t expected. It’s a steady rhythm, and you find yourself liking it—liking him.

One day, when you visit Ushijima’s school, Semi catches you in the hallway, his expression sheepish as he approaches.

“Hey, Y/N,” he begins, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh… I wanted to apologize for the whole texting thing. It was a stupid joke, and I didn’t think about how it would affect you. I’m really sorry.”

You grin after accepting Semi's apology and say, "Alright, Semi, I forgive you… on one condition. You have to serenade the team with a song of my choice during the next practice."

Semi, looking a bit nervous but curious, asks, "What song?"

You pulls out your phone, scroll for a moment, and then show him the screen with a mischievous smile. "I think you’d do a great job with ‘Barbie Girl’ by Aqua. Full performance, choreography included. And no backing out!" You point a finger at him.

Semi’s eyes widen, but he knows he has to go through with it.

The next practice has everyone cracking on the floor as Semi belts out the lyrics, much to the amusement of everyone around. Even though it’s embarrassing, he takes it in stride, and you can’t help but laugh the entire time.

He smiles in relief looking at you, and just like that you become a part of their pack.

Meanwhile, your interactions with Tooru have shifted into a delicate, unspoken dance. When you pass each other in the hallways, there’s a moment, in slow-motion—a fleeting exchange of smiles, eyes lingering on each others for just a heartbeat longer than necessary—before one of you looks away.

True to his promise, Tooru took care of the bullies, and they’ve since apologized, leaving you in peace. But the distance between you and Tooru remains, and it’s a chasm you’re not sure you want to bridge.

One afternoon, you’re leaving the chemistry lab, distracted by the constant pings on your phone, when you hear a familiar voice coming from an empty classroom nearby. You pause, your heart suddenly pounding in your chest.

“You’ve got no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?” Tooru’s voice is low, almost a growl, dripping with flirtatious intent.

A girl’s laugh follows, breathy and playful. “Maybe you should show me, Oikawa.”

Your heart skips a beat, and you feel a sick twist in your stomach. You can’t help but imagine the scene unfolding behind the door, Tooru’s hands on her, his lips close to hers. The thought makes your blood run cold.

“You really want that?” he says smugly, his voice dangerously smooth. “Because once I start, I’m not going to stop until you’re begging for more.”

The words hit you like a punch to the gut. Your heart races, your hands trembling as you try to steady yourself. You told yourself you were over him, that you’d moved on, but hearing him like this—hearing him with someone else—makes you realize just how wrong you were.

Your breath catches, and before you can stop yourself, your phone slips from your hand, clattering loudly against the tiled floor. Tooru's eyes snap towards you. Panic surges through you, and without thinking, you turn and run, your footsteps echoing through the hallway as you flee towards the parking lot.

“Y/N!” Tooru’s voice calls after you, sharp with concern, but you don’t stop. You can’t stop. The air feels too thick, too suffocating, and all you want is to get away, to escape the reality that’s crashing down around you.

By the time you reach the parking lot, Tooru catches up to you, grabbing your arm and spinning you around to face him. His eyes are wide, searching yours for an explanation.

“Hey?” he demands, his voice tinged with frustration.

You wrench your arm free, the anger and confusion bubbling up inside you until it spills out in a rush of words. “What?”

Tooru comes to a halt in front of you, his expression filled with worry and confusion. “Are you… are you okay? What happened?”

The concern in his voice, the genuine worry in his eyes, only serves to fuel the fire burning inside you. How can he ask that? How can he pretend like he doesn’t know what’s wrong?

“What happened?” you repeat, your voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. “You were all over her!"

He looks taken aback, his brows furrowing as he tries to make sense of your outburst. “I thought that’s what you wanted! You’re the one who said we should move on, and now you’re getting upset because… what? Because I’m trying to do what you asked?”

The raw emotion in his voice cuts through your defenses, and you realize, with a sinking feeling, that he’s right. You did want to move on. You told yourself that you had. But the truth is, your heart never really let go.

“I don’t know what I want!” you shout, the words spilling out before you can stop them.

"We..we are broken up yn." Tooru says with sincerity.

The tears threatening to spill out earlier, find its way streaming down your cheeks. You whisper, "So what Tooru? It obviously hurt."

Tooru’s face softens, and for a moment, he looks as if he’s about to reach out to you, to pull you into his arms like he used to. But instead, he steps back, his expression torn between anger and something softer, more painful.

“You need to make up your mind, Y/N,” he says quietly, his voice strained. “Because I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep waiting around, hoping you’ll choose me again. "

"I..Im not asking you to wait." You look down.

"I’m leaving for Argentina after the year ends. I got an offer to play volleyball there, and I’m not going to pass it up. " Your head snaps up to look at him. This is all too soon and sudden for you.

He repeats, "I’m not going to pass it up", he takes a brief pause, "Not unless I have a reason to stay.”

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, leaving you breathless and reeling. “Argentina?” you whisper, your voice barely audible.

He nods, his eyes locked onto yours. “Yeah. This is my dream, Y/N. But you were always a part of that dream too. I need to know if you still want to be a part of my life, or if it’s time for us both to move on.. for good.”

You’re speechless, the weight of his ultimatum pressing down on you like a suffocating blanket. You don’t know what to say, what to think. The confusion and hurt are too overwhelming, and all you can do is stand there, frozen in place.

Tooru’s shoulders sag, and he looks away, the resignation in his expression breaking your heart all over again. “Just… make up your mind, before it's too late. ” he says, his voice so soft it almost gets lost in the evening breeze. Then, without another word, he turns and walks away, leaving you standing in the parking lot, alone and shattered.

Masterlist

[symphonic-scream]

Okay.

New Arcana Swap

(tag for now is Transboy Haru I need a new name for this I know)

Anyways. It's been like 2 hours here's everything I have so far

So it's a Fool Haru au, but as a trans guy. He's been transitioning since the year before he started high school, and he's had top surgery. Now he's in his final year, and he's being shipped out to Tokyo after a summer in Juvi, all for something he didn't do

Toranosuke Yoshida as the Hierophant with Goro as the Hermit too it's. This ex politician who has been adopting these kids who's rich and important parents abandon them

Emperor Makoto. And then with Makoto, she's been "staying" with Kobayakawa as a pupil and StuCo Prez, and once he's confessed, she reaches out to her sister and returns home to live with Hanged Man Sae. She's sorta non-binary genderfluid? She doesn't have a term coined yet. But pronouns vary each day

Makoto: thanks, so much. For saving me, for helping me find my sister again, for accepting who I am, and- and for loving me,

Haru: oh, Mako dearest,

Makoto, crying: d-dont look at me like that, Loverboy. Just- let's hurry, the others are waiting

(in case you couldn't tell yet, this is Okujima)

Haru: hey why are you so close with that pharmacist?

Yoshida: oh, cause. I take pills?

It's cause Goro's on anti-psychotics lmao

It's how he so easily got Haru in with the counsellor Death Maruki

Maruki: yep, I see your files are completely true. So, I'll get you set up with your old regime of hormones

Haru: just like that?

Maruki: yep, but I also have to give you anger management sessions. Your parole demands it

Haru: ...I understand. Just, thank you. For understanding who I am

Chariot Shiho and Lovers Futaba, and the Temperance is Kanji-

Cause his husband is the Judgement and their wife is Fortune-

Moon Joker, Magician Ryuji (he's a lil lizard), Star Ann, Empress, uh, Yusuke?

Shiho a recovering amputee. She got in an accident that ended her volleyball career, but she's trying to not get too depressed about it

She cost them the national title. She ends up starting her training again to aim for the Paralympics, and manages the school team

Shiho: hey, why was Shit Head calling you a girl?

Haru: I, I'm trans,

Shiho: THAT BASTARD! Urgh, I'm so sorry, I know a teacher who'll help report that bullshit. I'm Shiho Suzui, school cripple. Nice to meet you, transfer boy

Haru: thanks, I'm Haru Yoshida. Thanks for not, freaking out on ke

Ryuji's a little bearded dragon in the real world

And MORGANA! He's like, Shinya's age? Human

He's playing the hero, trying to take down the Yakuza that ruined his family and left him alone, but he's young and scared, and the group saves him and he moves in with Yoshida too and he's like Haru's little brother

Goro: you're getting soft, old man.

Yoshida: maybe I am. Or maybe, I'm finally doing what I was meant to all along

He runs a homey beef bowl shop and Haru helps out, and Morgana sits at the counter slurping his noodles and Goro studies away in the back booth. Little family of three brothers

Goro: thanks for changing my heart, I guess

Futaba: no problem, man

Goro: ...I, feel like I need to tell you all. My mom was schizophrenic, and I've been being treated for it since Yoshida took me in. I, I'm gonna get myeds adjusted too. So I can be reliable for you all as navigator

Shiho: whatever you need to be yourself, and to be healthy

Haru: and if you end up like that again, we'll race back in and save you

It's shown in how his palace would change every other day. Like if you wait too long the infiltration route changes

Once he's doing better again, he gets back into school, and ends up in the other third year class with Makoto

Goro: your partner is a pain in my ass. They're making it hard to get that #1 spot

Haru: isn't my love so smart?

Goro: fucking gross. Bleh. I'm going to go watch a documentary on serial killers.

Toranosuke and his three sons, such a proud dad

Haru doesn't leave Tokyo at the end of the year. He gets formally adopted, and moves from the attic to the proper Yoshida house

Naoto: so. You're the leader of the Phantom Thieves?

Haru: ...what's it matter how I answer? They got their signed confession.

Naoto: I knew it, there was no way they'd have gotten a genuine one so quickly... Those bastards... Well, hopefully our chat can clear things up. Tell me, why'd you do it? How? The more I know, the better I can help you out

Naoto recognizes the boy from his husband's class roster, from his chats about the transfer boy that seemed to affect everyone around him

Naoto: so. Your dad kicked you out?

Haru: yes. Not for being a boy, he accepted that part of me. No, I caught on about some of his shadier business deals. So, he framed me for assault, disowned me. I got lucky, that Mr Yoshida agreed to house me, otherwise I would have probably ended up back in Juvi,

Okay this is getting too long so MORE UNDER THE CUT BUT WHAT DO YALL THINK LEMME KNOW

Okay. More

Shiho with her slight hobble cause of her prosthetic, and when she just *can't* wear it, she's on crutches, Like at the beach

She wears her leg to the beach, but takes it off when Makoto and Morgana egg her into running out to the water with them. Makoto loads her onto their back until they reach the water and then it's just. Splashing and fun

Goro's reading a book while Ryuji lies on a towel in the sun, soaking in the heat. Haru and Futaba are munching on popsicles and watching the others

Two Jokers

Moon is Akira, and Ren was in Shiho's role

They're Futaba's foster brothers. So that's why Futaba really wants to join up. To avenge Ren. And it's why Akira helps out

Futaba: hey, so Ren's awake. He's going to need physical therapy, but he's keeping all his parts. He's, also going to testify. He won't be returning to Shujin,

Akira: he's going to finish at Kosei. It'll be a better fit for him

Makoto, fluid, having more they or he days but still having she days. Masc she days, but still

Coloured bandanas around their upper arm for their different days. Now embracing their baby punk side

And smiling so much more, back home with their sister and able to be themselves with support, and having friends and a sweet boyfriend

Hifumi for the Faith and. Justice Kasumi and Sumire TRSUT ME

Haru: hey!

Makoto, wearing a dark red bandana: hey Loverboy, can I get a kiss?

Haru: course, love. How's my girl today?

Makoto: feeling great, Sis and I are going out tonight. She said you're welcome to join if you want? And then maybe come over after later to "study"?

Haru: how can I say no to you?

[daily-hanamura]

I kind of wished that the persona 4 cast wasn’t stuck in a narrative where the main theme is ‘always accept the role thrust upon you and if you don’t like it, just force yourself to like it’. Yukiko actively wants to leave Inaba and create her own life, but is portrayed negatively when doing so, with her character arc involving her accepting the role thrust upon her. Don’t get me started on Naoto. I know you’re the Yosuke guy, and was wondering what are your thoughts on this when applied to Yosuke?

I want you to know that being called "the Yosuke guy" is now my greatest achievement you've made my day everyday for the last week

I do agree with you, and I think it was one of my initial issues with P4 where, for a game whose entire narrative is about being true to yourself, it sure falls back into that tired sense of social conformation a lot. It's grating, right, because it feels like what they really mean to say is "be yourself! but not too much and not in a way that makes other people unhappy and make sure you're still living up to other peoples expectations because that's the real reason why you're unhappy with yourself, you haven't accepted who we want you to be (which is the real you that we've decided) etcetc" and it just undercuts the emotional impact of their self-acceptance (see also kanji and rise). (dw I know P5 also kind of has the same problem, and I can go into a whole thing about the limits of transformative narratives written by capitalist corporations but i wont. today-)

I think with Yosuke though, it's really interesting because his character arc is more so tied to his relationship with Inaba as a place, rather than his fundamental self-perceptions. It's established early on that Yosuke hated the town for various reasons; he's a city boy who wants excitement and connection, but most of the town hates him so he's shit out of luck and it gives him little reason to like the town back. As the game progresses, he starts to like the town -- "it's not about where you are, but who you're with", so it's his friendships (and having people who accept him for who he is) that makes the place meaningful for him. And, at the end of the day, Yosuke did get what he wanted - excitement and connection.

But he's not tied to Inaba.

In P4AU, it's revealed that Yosuke's struggling to figure out what he wants to do in life, but by the end of it he tells Yu that he wants to leave the town and go to college with Yu in the city, and that he wants to see the world and experience more things for himself. It fascinates me because it very strongly implies that Yosuke's arc isn't complete as we're very expressly told that he's still developing. It stands in contrast to the other characters who have effectively been fixed into some role or position (Yukiko as an inn manager, Rise as an idol), and unlike them, Yosuke hasn't been permanently relegated to the things that he starts off hating. He hasn't been written to stay in Inaba or even to continue working at Junes after graduation, instead he gets the opportunity to try things. imo this makes his arc more situational (and therefore layered) - Yosuke's perspective on his circumstance matures, but who he is as a person doesn't have to change, and he's not forced to make a trade-off with the wishes he had at the start.

This might be because Yosuke is Atlus' favourite character of the contrast between Yosuke's city background and the rest of the Inaba folk. There's a guy in the school who talks about how most people who finish high school in Inaba just go on to get jobs, and very few actually leave for college and beyond. It's something deeply realistic and reflective of human geography IRL, because that's very common in small communities. A fear of the outside world because of how isolated they are (and Inaba kind of is - remember how Yosuke said they barely had cell connectivity up until recently) means they tend to look inwards instead of out, so there isn't as strong an awareness of what else there is out there and a belief that your options are basically just that (it also makes it all the more impressive that they have surprisingly well-traveled teachers). Yosuke, on the other hand, is very much connected to the internet and the outside world, and he also tends to think about the things that he's missing out on more tangibly.

It makes for a very interesting parallel with Yukiko, who had grown up in Inaba all her life and also expresses that same interest in wanting to go out and see the world. Yukiko's idea about the kind of options that she has is weirdly limited for someone who is supposed to be at the top of her class. When you meet her at the bookstore, she talks about getting a job license so she could leave town, and her first thought was interior decorator (do you even need a license for that? it's not a chartered profession unlike an architect or interior designer, but things might work differently in japan). And maybe she does have a genuine interest in it so I'm talking shit, but it also feels like it's a job that she's aware of only because of the ryokan. As far as I could tell, we don't actually see her express any interest in, say, furniture themes or colour swatches and fabric textures in the way Kanji very clearly does. Her world view, like everyone else, is bounded by the reach of her experience, but because Inaba is so small and cloistered it impedes her ability to imagine beyond that. Even when she's thinking of leaving, her options are still limited to her experiences at the inn. I'm still really salty about how she decided to stay at the ryokan in the end, because something much more satisfying in my opinion would have been for her to get the opportunity to try different things elsewhere in the world, and if she decided that the ryokan was the right thing for her, then, well, fine, I guess? Or some cliche like exploring other inns elsewhere so she could bring that knowledge home. Especially since she had the support of her family and the inn staff, it makes her narrative feel more like an acceptance of her lot in life, rather than a genuine realisation that yeah, this was what she wanted, which was what the game wanted us to think, except it's not convincing. Instead, it just feels like a weird stagnation because her initial wish of wanting to see the world beyond the ryokan was not satisfied.

But hey, guess who does!

Yosuke gets to learn how to make the best of a situation, but ultimately, he's not beholden to it. He - and his writers - understand that he's not done growing, so he doesn't fix himself to a role that he doesn't like. AND IT'S GOOD. I just wish everyone else got that opportunity.

[notayamichan]

🌟 Learning Japanese 🇯🇵

🔔　あたしのガイドは、人が英語を話す向けー　(⁠◔⁠‿⁠◔⁠)

The following guide is based on my personal experience. I am not an authority on the matter and I am still barely a beginner regarding Japanese.

What am I doing?

Learning languages seems non-lienar and that's partly true (at an intermediate level). But, when you're first starting out, there's generally clear goals to work toward.

Your Beginner Goals

Study and master kana

Japanese employs hiragana and katakana in conjunction with kanji. Together, hiragana and katakana make up kana.

Learn the kana (hiragana and katakana)

Learn the difference between kunyomi and onyomi (kanji)

Delve into grammar and establish some foundational vocab

Immerse yourself with input content (movies, shows, etc)

Study and practice a basic form of "pitch accent"

Continue developing your vocab and particle knowledge

Learn about polite versus casual talk and social culture

Use the language (letters, blog, diary, etc)

Seek conversations to apply the language properly

Find and study tests like JLPT to gauge your progress

What can I use?

Duolingo

If this was your first pick, you're naive but not foolish. It'll teach you enough to get help if you're lost in Japan. But it won't be enough to hold a conversation. Give it a try and see if it works for you. Duolingo is free.

I recommend using Duolingo as a supplementary learning tool rather than your primary learning tool

Textbooks and Guides

Many learners and even classes praise numerous textbooks. I for one received a recommendation for Tae Kim's Japanese Guide. So, I'll recommend it to you. Don't be afraid to see out other guides or attempt some textbooks. However, one should always remember that the textbook is NOT demonstrative of naturalistic Japanese.

For example, 「私は猫が好きです」 is what a textbook correctly teaches, though 「猫好きだよ」 is acceptable and more natural in casual Japanese

Building vocabulary

If you want to develop your vocabulary, you can use JLPT anki decks. Anki is a flashcard program for desktop and mobile. You can also use anki in conjunction with a dictionary like Jisho to create new flashcards decks (suited to the words you'd like to learn). You may also pick up vocab from Japanese media (i.e, anime, manga, books, content creators, music, etc).

If you're using Jisho and want to find a word you only know in English, search for it using quotation marks. For example, "school" or, if you want a verb "to learn" ~ it should help. You can spell out Japanese words normally by just typing... i.e, watashi.

Good input versus Bad input

Immersing yourself in Japanese media and culture is good but you need to be mindful of the content you're consuming— take note of the context behind events, interactions, or the relationship of speakers. Be especially mindful of anime and manga— both are known to use hyperbolic language or phrases that aren't commonly used in day to day conversation. Fortunately, some anime and manga do use everyday language, and you can usually find lists.

I recommend using the Tofugu blog to learn about both Japanese language and culture. But if you don't like reading, there are many YT channels like Kaname Naito and NihongoDekita with Sayaka. For general immersion though, here's a sweet vlog channel, a JP Warframe creator, and a natural born otaku.

[thebearme]

Thinking about Yu having a shadow + a palace is interesting because of the possibilities.

But here one idea for it:

Yu's shadow is a malformation of everyone's shadow.

Let's think about it!

Yosuke: The feeling of covering your feelings with surrounding yourself with people; to not be alone. Yu contently surrounding their self's with bonds to not be alone.

Chie: The feeling of surrounding yourself with people that NEED you. To make yourself feel superior and cover your inferiority. Yu is constantly surrounded by people who are willing to traumadump on to them, He is constantly surrounded by people who have "worster" problems then him. Which can easily turn into a "[Blank] has it worse then me" "compared to everyone else I have no issues".

Yukiko: Waiting and longingly wanting someone to SAVE you from your own helplessness. Yu's feeling of the town, their situation, the feeling of wanting to run away from there and go back home. OR! Yu hoping that somebody anybody would love him to get rid of this feeling of inadequates, to help him run away from the the expectations of everything.

Kanji: Hiding Your feelings (and sexuality) with machoness (or being a chad in this case) to protect yourself from denial of acceptance. Yu becoming a chad and is conveniently perfect at everything didn't come out of no where. It's a front that keeps people around, something that gives a machoman leader that no one question.

Rise: Willing change yourself to satisfy others in such big extent and losing yourself in the making. This can be it's own post but heres a summary. In every social link Yu has to say what the person want him to say, do what they want him to do instead of being their self or just being a regular friend. Yu has to be the PERFECT friend, the PERFECT leader, the PERFECT student, the PERFECT big bro, the PERFECT partner.

Naoto: Making yourself more MATURE to fit with the adult of society so you can be USEFUL and not just thrown away. If it wasn't a issue enough that Yu feels like that have the responsibility on fixing their friends problems then Yu fixing the adults problems as well is. Yu makes themselves more mature for their age to be relied on not just their friends but grownups as well.

Namatame: Helping people to the point where your superiority complex turns into a savior complex. In every social link Yu fixes the problems in that person's life.

Adachi: Interestingly enough Adachi motif is what I imagine Yu's original feelings about being in Inaba. Yu knows he's only going to be here for a year, they're not going to be here long. So what's the point of making friends and getting cozy with people if it's not going to matter in the end. Just get good grades, keep your head low and everything will be fine.

!BONUS! Mitsuo: This was explored in the anime but let me still cover this. The feeling that no matter how much effort Yu does to people please, to be useful, mature, manly and ect. It all didn't matter, all his friendships and bonds were just superficial, no matter what Yu will always be a empty human-being and no one would want to stay with a lying manipulative savior complex. So why try fighting it? just accept it, You'll always be alone.

All of this leads to my idea that Shadow Yu will hold much more respect for the IT then Yu but still babys everyone. Thinking that he's the ONLY one that can fix you by becoming what you want. Shadow Yu would constantly traps you, making sure you don't LEAVE the palace so you don't LEAVE HIM.

[fiie]

♡ Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade Guide! ♡

Hello, im fie !! 🩷 welcome to my guide on how to download the jujutsu kaisen mobile game. *UPDATED*

♡---♡---♡---♡---♡

* I have an android phone btw, so that's what this guide is written for :) I don't know much about apple devices. initially, i was planning to figure it out for both types of devices, but i dont currently have an apple device i can use to test things on (im sorry apple users ;-;)

*UPDATE*: Some changes with what vpn options work

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

-> Acquiring a VPN *UPDATED*

Ovpnspider is an app you can download in the google play store. All you have to do is download it and then set your location to japan.

The publisher of the game, sumzap, has made it difficult to access their game even with a vpn. As such, most well known vpns will not work. I've done some research and one that still does seem to work (and is free) is ovpnspider.

✅️ VPN acquired!

tbh this app can be hit or miss. Sometimes it works perfectly fine and I have 0 issues, while other times it continuously struggles to properly connect. If you have trouble connecting try choosing a different connection in the app or even restarting your phone.

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-> Making a jp google play store account

Before we do anything else, open up your phone settings > apps > google play store > storage > clear data and cache.

Make sure your vpn is on and set to japan.

Next, open the Google play store and let's make our jp account! You don't even have to sign out of your current account. Just click your account icon > then the drop down arrow > add new account > create a new account

✅️ 🎉 now we have a jp google play store account!!

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

-> download the phantom parade app!

Make sure you switch over to your newly made jp account. After doing so you should find yourself in the jp google playstore.

Next, simply search up jujutsu kaisen phantom parade. Even though we are in the jp store you should still be able to type it in English and find it.

Once its finished downloading open up the app....

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 aaaaaand we're in 😎

Tap to start!! It will probably prompt you to check off the terms and conditions and then ask for you to type in a name you wish to use for your in game account.

Next, it will ask to download the rest of the game resources. (this might take awhile)

Tip for navigation: the red button is usually the ok/next/confirm/accept button

✅️ Game installed and ready to play! yay~

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

And that's pretty much it!

Keep in mind whenever you want to play phantom parade you will need to turn your vpn on and have it set to a japanese location otherwise you won't be able to get into the game and will run into a communication error (picture below)

-> * Communication Error

The game can be really picky at times. If you're having issues and keep getting the error message try restarting your phone, reconnecting to your vpn, and then opening the app again. I found when using ovpnspider that sometimes choosing a different japanese location would fix it too.

Update: Turning notifications for phantom parade off also seems to lessen the frequency of error messages.

-> Translation overlay

Having difficulty navigating the menus or understanding what's going on? Consider downloading a translation overlay app!

Using this will allow you to translate all the text on the screen with the press of a single button. Unfortunately, the translation isn't very good, but it's decent enough to gain a basic understanding of things. It often has trouble properly translating character names just because of how kanji works. In the example above, you can see it often will translate yuji's name to yuhito lol.

The app i often use for this is called bubble translate and can be found in the google play store. It's super simple to set up and use!

-> Free SSR ticket

Just a small note, but after you finish the tutorial for the game you will be gifted with a ticket for an SSR character of your choice. When you first use it, it will pull a random SSR character. If it's not the character you wanted, don't worry you will be given the option to re roll or accept. Just keep re rolling until it pulls the character you want.

The SSR characters that can be pulled are:

Satoru Gojo

Yuji Itadori

Megumi Fushiguro

Nobara Kugisaki

Panda

Toge Inumaki

Maki Zenin

Kento Nanami

Aoi Todo

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

And that's everything! I hope you have fun with the game and good luck with your gacha pulls! I hope you all get your faves!!

I might make a more in depth guide on how to actually play the game detailing the gameplay and the different characters/abilities/events/ect. if enough ppl are interested (???)

If you have any questions feel free to send me a message via ask or dm and I'll do my best to respond. 🩷🩷🩷

♡---♡---♡---♡---♡

-> Extra

My friend convinced me to add the shitty rundown of the main menu I made for her to this guide💀 so here

customize home screen: pick who u want on the home screen/ change background/ ect.

Characters + equips: where you can look through all your characters and equips as well as upgrade them and setup your party.

Gallery: rewatch cutscenes from the main story, events, and extra unlocked scenes

Home: the screen we are currently on.

Gacha hell: gacha hell. (where u roll for new characters and equips. There are 2 forms of currency paid & free. Some banners can only be pulled on with paid)

Character profiles/ranks: everytime you upgrade, level up, use a character they get points. idk think of it like your friendship level with them maybe ?? You get rewards from getting characters ranks up.

Quests/missions: where you go to actually play the game. Main story, events, expeditions, ect

Event popup: shows the limited events currently taking place & how many days are left (in this picture theres 4 days left for the even displayed)

Mail: in game mail where the devs sometimes send us nice things

Tasks: ongoing tasks like dailies and stuff that you complete by playing and get rewards from

Footprints icon/ I didn't know what to label this but they are dudes that gather materials for you: ap, money, character and equips level up mats. They are always gathering stuff for you so even if you haven't played the game for a bit they'll have stuff for you.

Exchange shop: bunch of different shops to exchange materials/items/ect

More options: has settings/inventory/friend list/ user profile and more

Okay, done for real this time! Byeeee and thanks for reading my guide!! I hope it wasn't that bad and i was able to help :,)

[kamsspice]

i'm playing P4G and i just got to the part where the gang are in the camp and yosuke tells kanji to prove to him that he's straight and can i say, the conversation i've seen surrounding this topic is so frustrating.

people insist that "it's how a teenager was in that time" as if it excuses the fact that he said what he did. people focus the narrative on the status quo and as such, we shouldn't criticise the writing because that's how things are. but none of the conversation considers the impact of the supposed status quo on the individual - kanji in this instance - and how it makes them feel. because to excuse yosuke's words and discredit the homophobia is to say he was justified in the words that he said. that he is right to feel uncomfortable about the possibility of kanji being gay because of his Shadow Self. but nobody ever questions Yosuke's assumptions are wrong. It's up for Kanji to prove to Yosuke he isn't like that.

and it's just really annoying because it implies that for Kanji to not feel made other, he shouldn't behave in a certain way. it's never questioning whether yosuke's line of thinking is wrong. and it's just annoying watch it all play out without being able to push back properly.

and it pisses me off even more when people genuinely give a pass to team atlus for being for the gays because of the options to joke that you are gay because the reality that being gay in their stories is a joke.

this game really is a glimpse into what it was like to be queer in the 2000s and for a game whose thesis is to accept the other part of yourself that you hide, it doesn't seem to give that same grace for its queercoded character.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Hi!!!! I'm a big big big Kanji Mochizuki Lover.

And If you don't mind, I've been wanting to write a smut that revolves around him neglecting his arrange wife and her trying to go out on date but he realized that he has fallen for her after all these years.

Thank you so so so so much!

OF COURSE! I love this idea.

The First: Kanji Mochizuki x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.5k

tw: smut

masterlist

"Kanji?" Mochi looks up from the papers on his desk, his eyes focusing not on words - but on his wife. You're standing in the doorway of his office, wearing the nightgown he'd gotten you for your birthday.

"Hmm?" You shift nervously, looking down at your manicured fingernails before glancing up at him. "What's going on?"

You open your mouth a few times before finally coming out with the information. Your request comes out softly and timidly. "Our anniversary is coming up soon and..." You pause. Mochi pushes back from his desk and leans back in his chair, frowning. "I was wondering if we could... I'd like to go out and spend some time with you."

Mochi isn't sure why he didn't measure his words more carefully. Maybe he could have avoided the consequences if he had. "I'm swamped with work this week," he begins, rubbing his face. Your face drops as soon as he speaks, and your eyes glaze over with tears. "Maybe we could figure something out when I'm not so busy."

"It's fine," you rush out. "We don't have to do anything..." Mochi watches you turn around and close his door, then listens to your retreating footsteps. And then he's left to think about the past, present, and even the future.

The arrangement had been swift, somewhat unexpected, but altogether acceptable. You were beautiful, kind, quiet... A year ago, though, Mochi didn't have a marriage as a top priority in his life. He'd been knee-deep in Bonten and unfocused on things of a domestic nature. Mochi's father and mother thought it high time he married, though, and that's how you waltzed into his life.

You don't know the real him - he pays good money to ensure all of his shady business stays away from his home, including the pesky Haitani crew - and Mochi would like things to stay that way for your benefit and protection. He gave you enough money to live comfortably; what you did with that money didn't concern him. Mochi even had sex with you semi-regularly, and he thought it was satisfying enough...

"Oh, god." He leans back in his seat and realizes the truth that's been staring him in his face. Mochi jolts up from his office chair and rushes toward your shared bedroom. Before Mochi can reach the door, he hears you murmuring to yourself in shaky tones.

"It's okay," you chant to yourself, and Mochi peers at you through the crack in the door. "It's fine. I'll just... try harder." You turn from your perch at the dressing table, and Mochi sees the phone against your ear. You pause, listening, then nod slowly. "I know, mom." Mochi's heart stops. "I'll do better. I can be a good wife, don't worry about it. Bye."

A sick feeling settles in Mochi's stomach. You toss your phone onto the bed and wrap your arms around yourself before biting your lip. Tears track down your face, and you cry silently, wiping your tears away with trembling hands. Part of Mochi wants to let you have your moment alone - this wasn't meant for him to see. But the other part of him wants to comfort you - this was a problem he caused.

He presses the door open, and remorse floods into his veins as you look at him and hurriedly wipe your tears away. "Hey," you breathe, wiping your hands on your dress. "Sorry, I was just--"

Mochi shakes his head and cups your cheeks, rubbing at the tear marks and your swollen eyes. "I haven't been a decent husband, have I?" You don't reply, but a fresh set of tears is enough of an answer for him. "We should talk about it."

"That's the most comforting thing you've ever said," you reply sadly.

"We should discuss it over dinner. I'll order whatever you want."

"I'm not hungry." The admission makes Mochi even more remorseful, but you sit on the bed and pat the space next to you. "We can talk right here." Mochi does as you say and sits beside you, taking your hands in his and inhaling deeply. Finally, he lets the breath go through his nose and nods.

"Ask me anything."

"Do you care about me?" The question comes out quicker than anticipated, and Mochi tilts his head.

"I do. Deeply." If only you knew how much.

"Why aren't you intimate with me?"

"We have sex," Mochi begins slowly. "I'm not sure--"

"You don't hold me afterward. Often, I feel that you'd rather be somewhere else once things are done. Like it's a chore for you."

"I--" Your face changes. Brows furrow, eyes narrow, and suddenly, you're pissed.

"And you're always so busy." Mochi flinches, looking away from your displeased face.

"Bonten is..." Before he can retract his words, the one thing he'd kept from you comes to light. Your face morphs into shock, and you tug your hands away from his.

"Bonten."

You know what that is. Who they are. What they do. Mochi gets to his feet, placing his hands in his pockets before pacing the room. He can hear your angry admonitions already, each bringing him shame and regret. But when your mouth doesn't open at all, he turns to look at you.

And you're there, hands in your lap and eyes watching him for any sign of danger. But there he is, just pacing around the cage of a house he's trapped you in like a big cat, surrounding you with lies and half-truths. You have every right to be angry and scream at him... but you're silent.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," he rushes out, running his hands through his hair. "You're innocent in all of this, I know. I should have told you when we were engaged. But I just thought if I could keep this one part of my life out of that mess, I could--" He breaks off, his words choked up in his tightening throat. "But it turns out that I can't do any of this right."

"Oh." His mind stops working overtime when your voice pipes up, just as soft as ever. "I suppose I don't really know you, do I?"

"And I don't really know you," Mochi replies sadly. "You have every right to divorce me." It's his final gift, his final way of making things right for you. "I'll sign if you want to leave; give you the house, whatever you want."

"What if I just want to get to know the real you?" Mochi stops pacing. You get up from the bed, walking over to him in that flimsy little thing he got you to appease the requirement of a birthday gift. He supposes he got lucky because you wear it often. "Hi," you begin, sticking out your hand for a handshake. "I'm y/n. It's nice to meet you..."

"Kanji Mochizuki," Mochi replies, shaking your hand firmly and smiling a bit. And it's silly - the show of reintroducing yourself to your wife of a year - but somehow, it works.

It works so well, in fact...

"Mochi!" Ran shouts from across the street, waving his hand at the giant. "Thanks for bringing your wife this time!"

"It was her idea," Mochi asserts. "Watch your step, sweetheart," he murmurs, and you hop lightly over the puddle before smiling back at Ran.

"Bye, Ran! It was nice to get to know you!" Mochi can hear Ran laugh from the other side of the street, but he only waves to the purple-haired man and opens your car door. "I can't wait to get home," you breathe, and Mochi chuckles.

"Eager to get warm?" You peer up at him with a sultry look, and Mochi feels his pants restrict a little.

"You'll see."

When Mochi gets you in the door, you practically drag him to the bedroom and strip him out of his clothing. "Baby," Mochi hurries out, trying his best to hold on to some semblance of decorum. "Maybe we should slow down and take it easy?"

"I can't," you breathe, getting to your knees and pulling on his belt. "I need you right now."

"Hey," Mochi pants as his slacks fall to the ground. "Love, don't you--" But when his dick finds a warm, wet home in your mouth Mochi groans long and hard. "I'll shut up now." You hum, and instinctively, he knows it means "thank you." Mochi laces his fingers around your head, and his eyes flutter closed, allowing himself to relax and let you do as you please.

"Listen, big boy," you murmur, licking up the side of his cock. "I want you to fuck me tonight."

"I won't last long if you keep sucking me like that," he groans, toes curling painfully. "So, come 'ere." Mochi doesn't even want to take off your clothes when you settle into his lap. His fingers slide your g-string to the side and cradle your hips as you fist his cock hard enough for him to wince.

When you slide your plush cunt over his cockhead, he knows he's done for. Every shred of Mochi's sanity goes out the window, but before he shuts the latch on it, he whispers huskily, "I'm so in love with you, babe."

"I know," you practically sing in his ear as you bottom out on his cock. "Funny how that works when you really get to know someone."

[giuliadesu]

you were 22 when you wore his name between your collarbones.

... & THEN?

two more years had passed. the red string kept sitting snugly in front of your apple watch (another gift from atsumu on a previous birthday), not fading nor giving signs of wear. you took the habit of fidgeting with it whenever you felt stressed or when you were lost deep in focus. sometimes you’d bring the bracelet to your lips and give it a little kiss, as if he could feel it despite the distance — this would usually happen when you were watching msby matches or when you knew the setter had an exam.

it came a little bit as a shock when you realised that you loved him. and not in the way two friends love and care for eachother, but in the “i’d take the first plane to you and drop my life here if only you so much asked” kinda way. yet, it made so much sense: the fluttering in your chest whenever you spoke with him; how you cherished every text message, every silly little picture, every gift — despite telling him you didn’t want to be spoiled and that he didn’t have to waste (spend, atsumu would correct) money on you. he made you feel safe, accepted, loved in a way that felt magical. you’d never experienced such affection directed at you, so thinking and knowing someone would go out of their way just to be with you and spend time together was unreal.

at some point, you felt confident enough to reveal to him the full extent of the bad blood in between your family and you. starting from how they never supported any of the things you were interested in or you applied yourself to, going as far as making fun of it in front of friends and acquaintances alike. finally, when the acceptance letter from the university reached your inbox, it felt as if breaking free from heavy chains that constantly and painfully held you down. you moved, got a part-time job to support yourself and be completely independent from your family; despite that, they paid the university fees simply because you lied when telling them what was the major of your choice. that greatly helped in saving money and actually build your freedom.

when atsumu heard of all that, he became furious. he took it upon himself to never let you feel alone, unwanted or unsupported. you were his first thought in the morning and the last one before he went to bed; your pretty face was constantly on his mind. 

he quickly realised he was deeply, madly in love with you. there was no other possible explanation for the warmth he felt when he was with you — albeit virtually. the setter decided to show you every aspect of his life and personality. you were the first person he would call right after a match; showing you his famous pr smile when they won, or the dark shade of his eyes when they lost. your voice always managed to soothe him and bring him back from the post-loss frustration that made him see red.

considering how important you were to him, atsumu was determined to keep you in his life for the longest.

ŌSAKA, 10:00

atsumu had been thinking for a long time if the object in front of him was something appropriate to gift you. his profession as a pro athlete allowed him not to worry about the price of many things, so it was safe to assume the problem didn’t lay in the actual cost of it. there was a black, open box sitting on his bed; inside, his jersey and shirt sat neatly folded, and on thom of them a small velvet box, black as well. the real treasure was guarded in the smaller box: an only-platinum necklace consisting of the kanji making his surname (宮), completely studded in small diamonds. the chain was almost invisible, and he knew the length would have been perfect for it to rest precisely in the soft spot between your collarbones. 

glancing at the clock on the wall, he realised he had to cut his contemplations short: the express and private courier he hired to deliver the present would arrive by his apartment soon. sighing, atsumu closed the box and sealed it properly so it wouldn’t break (and to shield it from prying eyes). after the courier assured him the package would have top priority and be delivered within ten hours, the setter decided to make use of his day off and go to onigiri miya.

“i need you to teach me how to make a very specific kind of ramen.”

“you do realize i make onigiri, yes?”

“oh for fuck’s sake, osamu! we both know you are capable of preparing way more than onigiri!”

two hours later, a steaming cup of ramen sat on the wooden counter of the shop. it had a creamy color, being made with coconut milk as a base for the soup; the udon swam contently together with fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, lotus roots, an egg and scallion.

osamu leaned on the countertop, white rag hanging from his shoulder. he had never seen his twin so focused on something that wasn’t volleyball. he was certainly impressed.

“is it for her?”

“... yeah. she once told me it was her favorite dish. man, i sound like an idiot, learning to make what she loves the most when i don’t even know if i’ll ever see her.”

osamu  was about to reply, when he felt his phone vibrate in the backpocket of his trousers. fishing out the device, he read the message.

“hey ‘samu, can you teach me how to make fatty tuna?”

YOUR LOCATION, 12:00

it was a surprisingly chill day. you went for a walk at a park near your house, got a new plant for your apartment, and finally managed to get a present for atsumu’s graduation. while you couldn’t be there in person the msby family (plus suna and osamu) made sure you were there: they kept a constant facetime call, so you could witness the setter getting his degree — and you could also see the look of pure happiness in his eyse when he noticed that somehow you managed to be part of such an important day.

when you reached your doorstep, you noticed a medium size box waiting for you. a smile made its way over your face: it had happened enough times to know that neatly placed and packaged boxes with a small japanese stamp meant atsumu had sent you something.

bringing the box inside, you went over to your bedroom, resting the present gently on the fluffy blanket you kept over the duvet and grabbing your macbook. you quickly shot the pierced guy a message, asking if he was available for a facetime and an unboxing.

“hey cutie! i get you received a little something?”

a pair of silver snakebites appeared on the screen, together with a happy smile and two dimples.

“you wouldn’t happen to know why there was this waiting for me, don’t you?”

you smiled back at him, taking in the fact that he just got out of the shower — a msby towel was around his neck and wet blond hair framing his features.

“me? i don’t know what you’re talking about.” the wink atsumu sent you made a swarm of butterflies take flight in the pit of your stomach. was it really that effortless for him?

you spent the few minutes it took you to open the heavily sealed box chatting a bit and keeping atsumu company as he finished his dinner.

when the lid came off, you weren’t expecting to see another small package. setting it aside (as the setter instructed you), your fingers came in contact with soft, black fabric; pulling it out, you realised it was his jersey and his uniform. the fresh smell of clean sheets was mixed with something more musky and cold, similar to mint.

“you can’t imagine how much i had to beg in order to have a new set! i had to pretend i lost part of my uniform.”

your eyes darted to the screen in bewilderment. this was his uniform. with his smell.

“atsumu, i don’t even know what to say… is it really okay for me to have this? you don’t have to get in trouble for me.”

chocolate eyes softened immediately, the smirk replaced by a sweet smile, and a little blush spreading to his ears.

“i remember you told me that sometimes you hate the fact that you can’t hug me, so i thought this would be a cool alternative, albeit not being the same thing.”

atsumu swore his heart stopped beating when he saw you hug the clothes tightly to your chest and bury your face in the fabric. maybe for your next call he could hope to see you wearing them (and that’s exactly what you did).

“now you can open the smaller box, bubs.”

the nickname made you giggle like a child. you kept the clothes on your thighs while reaching for the black velvety box. your mind brought you back to when he gifted you the red string that still adorned both of your wrists.

“atsumu, i swear to the kami i’m going to kill you. how much did this cost?!”

“do you like it?”

“of course i do! but that’s not the point-”

“it is; if you like it then the cost doesn’t matter.”

the kanji shone brightly, a stark contrast to its dark hiding place. 

“wait. it’s the kanji for your surname.”

to say you were confused was an understatement. in japan one’s surname was an incredibly important part of their identity; you couldn’t wrap your head around why he was giving it to you. your lovesick brain made the obvious connection that you would take his surname, like a married couple. you hoped your room was dark enough to prevent the bright red to show on the screen.

 “i want you to be part of my family. if your own family isn’t capable of understanding the beautiful, smart and perfect person you are… well, that’s on them. mom loves you, ‘samu treats you like a little sister, you are already a part of this family.”

warm tears started streaming down your reddened cheeks. a few drops fell on the necklace, making it shine even brighter. you took a deep breath. you weren’t ready to confess, but there were still things you wanted him to know.

“miya… it means shrine or constellation. you are my safe place, atsumu; the brightest star in any sky, the sun that warms me up on the coldest days.”

atsumu noticed how you didn’t mention his mother or his twin (despite knowing how deeply you cared for them). he watched you with a proud and love-filled gaze as you brought the necklace up to fasten it around your neck. the setter mentally high-fived himself when the pendant sat exactly where he wanted it to. 

and then he decided he could be even bolder. bringing his left wrist into view, his lips went to rest on the small string.

“i will always be your safe place. you are not alone anymore — i won’t let you go that easily, cutie.”

a smirk appeared on your face, between the tears, as you mimicked his actions.

“i wouldn't even dream of it.”

previous | masterlist | next

honorable mentions

@arquitecturadelanada | @cup-of-fluff | @kyopmi | @melancholicautumnfever | @ohtokki

taglist

@alienvarmint | @cloud-lyy | @mommyourcall420 | @opalloveworld | @voidshoutsback

© giuliadesu. please do not copy, translate, use in videos or reupload on other platforms and sites. it is strictly forbidden to feed any part of my content to ai.

[alpydk]

22 and 24 :)

22. say 3 things about someone you love.

So going to go with my kid.

Love how curious they can be at times, just off the wall weird, how they listen to the dumb shit I say and add on to it with their own.

"Mummy, what is a ship?" "Like a boat?" "Nooooo, like in games. When people say they want to ship them," "Oh... *me thinking over the smut* um, when people say they want to people to be in a relationSHIP." "Like Naoto and Kanji in Persona 4." "Exactly like that." *Long pause.* "TRIAL OF THE DRAGOOONNNN!"

(A repeat of a conversation last night.)

I like how they love animals and are so great with them. They have autism, so people and friends are more tricky, but they're the most accepting person ever of anyone, really. But when with animals, they're a whole new person entirely, patient, caring, like the animals just get it all. It's amazing to see.

Lastly... That they simply exist. We went through a lot of hell for them. They're a miracle.

24.what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

I was thinking about this the other day and I'm going to go with the art portion of my degree. We had to do this entire display of our work and explain the theme and how we would go about teaching it to a class and I chose "World within worlds."

Now, as you have all seen, I'm not good at art. I was in a class with people who'd been drawing for years and I took this module simply so I didn't have to write huge essays whilst writing my final paper. I fought with the professor over pop art and I fought with her over collages, and I fought over...well everything, but every time I'd go home and think over what we were doing and I'd twist it so I understood it, and she let me. Honestly, an amazing, AMAZING person!

I ended up getting my final paper written earlier and throwing more energy into the art project than anyone expected. After a module of arguing over art processes, art analysis and everything else with my professor, I showed up with this representative of me, basically. I got a very high grade for it and the feedback I got was, "You took everything from the class and made it your own in some way. You've earned this grade and I'm proud of you." I cried, not over my final exam, not over all the stress or pressure or anything else I'd been going through. No, I cried because she saw me and was proud of me. How pathetic is that???

Now, anyway, because I am proud, here is some stuff I did for it.

A stop motion video was one aspect I put a lot of energy into. Featuring my 30+ year old bear Nelson.

Black out poetry, including a large book I made where I took one of the very long academic texts we read, made it into a fantasy novel using blackout, and explained that papers like that were destroying creativity.

And the dinosaur... We'd been given an assignment to take a piece of real art and make it into our own. The professor did not approve of me adding Godzilla and a volcano to a Tate Modern piece, so I went away and made a dinosaur out of Tate Modern... You can see how difficult a student I was.

Right! Enough sappy stuff now! Destroying my angst vibes!

[mixelation]

What do you think is watsonian reason for existence of latin alphabet in elemental countries of naruto world. Are they just closes "translation" for a quirk in a writing system or are they product of some other twist?

My go-to explanation for why Naruto characters speak modern Japanese with all its loan words and borrowed alphabets when there’s no evidence of other languages existing BESIDES the loan words/etc is that it’s “in translation.” So they’re not ACTUALLY speaking modern Japanese, it’s just been “translated” for a modern Japanese audience. They might not even be really using kanji.

That being said I would also accept a hand-wavy “it’s imported from abroad.” Although my personal opinion on this approach is that if you go deeper than a hand wave, you WILL end up screwing yourself over unless you’re like. Tolkien. So I think the best solution is to simply not think about it too much lol

[ballistabeats]

[song translation] 1 - MOB CHOIR

i keep saying i'm going to post my song tls to this blog so i might as well start with a brand new one! i translated the lyrics to the full version of "1", the mob psycho 100 season 3 OP, which goes so hard not only musically but lyrically also.

still working on finishing up tls for "cobalt" and "Exist" but for now..."1" :)

english translation under the cut, followed by the lyrics in romaji & kanji; to see them all side-by-side click here!

1 - MOB CHOIR

I realized my youth was gray This restlessness is an unknown quantity Emotion train running parallel to my brain Adolescence in struggle

Don’t disturb my deep psyche Whose is the face lurking behind it? The distortion of opposing thoughts Now cleanse yourself of your distress See what you can do now? My life Let me break it down

(Want) Desire (Young) And sincerity (Burn) Are both budding (One) In my chest (Trance) I’m not awake (Chance) I want to wake up (Stance) Take both sides (One) And put them back-to-back Accept me as I am (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) I’m counting on you every day in this relationship (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) If we could just become one (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) That smile would be our one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

No regrets in life, it’s showtime The details of our future are still TBD And your trick, you’re the sidekick I’m going with Your rhythm

Don’t seek the questions, taking them as you find them The era of competing delusions The distortion of separating emotions Double-edged instincts I don’t care to be bad I said, she started making me proud

(Want) From ruin (Young) To indestructibility (Burn) This power (One) Resonates within me (Trance) I can’t set it free (Chance) I want to set it free (Stance) The past and the future (One) Pile up into history Today is the day we were left dissatisfied Our day of happiness is coming The world you cried your eyes out in Is our one and only one

(Want) Whether it’s 100 (Young) Whether it’s 0 (Burn) I’ll make a door (One) Into infinity (Trance) I haven’t acknowledged it (Chance) I want to acknowledge it (Stance) Checking all my answers (One) Against myself

(Want) Desire (Young) And sincerity (Burn) Are both budding (One) In my chest (Trance) I’m not awake (Chance) I want to wake up (Stance) Take both sides (One) And put them back-to-back Accept me as I am (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) A relationship where we’re free to argue with each other If we could just become one That smile would be our one and only one

One (Mob, Mob, Wow) (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one (Mob, Mob, Wow) One (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one

-

I realized seishun wa gurei shousou no shoutai wa fumei kanjou train heisou suru brain agaku adolescence

Don’t disturb shinsou shinri ushiro no shoumen wa dare? taiji suru sounen distortion arae urei wo See what you can do now? My life Let me break it down

(Want) yokubou mo (Young) seijitsu mo (Burn) kono mune de (One) mebaete kuru (Trance) mezamenai (Chance) mezametai (Stance) uraomote (One) senaka awase ari no mama wo ukete irete (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) tsune ni yoroshiku Relation (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) hitotsu ni nareta nara (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) sono egao wa one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

No regrets jinsei show time shourai no shousai wa mitei And your trick meyasu saidokikku sadame Your rizumu

Don’t seek, find mondai taking kyousou de bousou no sedai kairi suru shinjou distortion moroha no honnou I don’t care to be bad I said, she started making me proud

(Want) hametsu kara (Young) fumetsu e to (Burn) kono chikara (One) kyoumei suru (Trance) hanatenai (Chance) hanachitai (Stance) kako mirai (One) tsumu hisutorii saenakatta kyou to iu da (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) shiawase to yobu hi ga kuru (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) nakiharasu me de ita (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) sono sekai ga one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

(Want) hyaku datte (Young) zero datte (Burn) mugen e no (One) tobira ni suru (Trance) mitomenai (Chance) mitometai (Stance) jibun to no (One) kotae awase

(Want) yokubou mo (Young) seijitsu mo (Burn) kono mune de (One) mebaete kuru (Trance) mezamenai (Chance) mezametai (Stance) uraomote (One) senaka awase ari no mama wo ukete irete (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) semegiau jiyuu Relation (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) hitotsu ni nareta nara (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) sono egao wa one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)

One (Mob, Mob, Wow) (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one (Mob, Mob, Wow) One (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one

-

​​I realized 青春はグレイ 焦燥の正体は不明 感情train 並走するbrain 足掻くadolescence

Don't disturb 深層心理 後ろの正面はだれ？ 対峙する想念distortion 洗え憂いを See what you can do now? My life Let me break it down

Want 欲望も Young 誠実も Burn この胸で One 芽生えてくる Trance 目覚めない Chance 目覚めたい Stance 裏表 One 背中合わせ ありのままを受け入れて (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 常によろしく Relation (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 1つになれたなら (Hey! Hey! Hey!) その笑顔は one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey!)

No regrets 人生 show time 将来の詳細は未定 And your trick 目安サイドキック定め Your リズム

Don't seek, find 問題 taking 競争で妄想の世代 乖離する心情distortion 諸刃の本能 I don't care to be bad I said, she started making me proud

Want 破滅から Young 不滅へと Burn この力 One 共鳴する Trance 放てない Chance 放ちたい Stance 過去未來 One 積むヒストリー 冴えなかった今日という日だ (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 幸せと呼ぶ日が来る (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 泣きはらす目でいた (Hey! Hey! Hey!) その世界が one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey!)

Want 百だって Young ゼロだって Burn 無限への One 扉にする Trance 認めない Chance 認めたい Stance 自己との One 答え合わせ

Want 欲望も Young 誠実も Burn この胸で One 芽生えてくる Trance 目覚めない Chance 目覚めたい Stance 裏表 One 背中合わせ ありのままを受け入れて (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 鬩ぎ合う自由 Relation (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) 1つになれたなら (Hey! Hey! Hey!) その笑顔は one and only one (Hey! Hey! Hey!)

One (Mob, Mob, Wow) (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one (Mob, Mob, Wow) One (Mob, Mob, Wow) One and only one

[demoonlady]

Chapter 208: Stars and Oil, Part 4

// SPOILER WARNING!!! DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE CHAPTER YET.

Opening words: “A direct hit from a Mini Uzumaki!!”

》 Yuki: "Aren't you a necessary part of Yuuji Itadori's future?"

I personally feel that "a necessary part" sounds much better.

》 Yuki: "Exactly what I said. Even if you sacrifice yourself for your little brother, isn't it meaningless if you aren't in that future?"

In my opinion, the emphasis is on "is there any point/meaning" if Choso weren't in Yuuji's future.

》 Choso: "When my little brothers were incarnated, I thought... 「humans」 would never accept them due to their abnormal appearances."

While the kanji used was 受肉 (juniku – 受 means accept/take/get while 肉 means meat/flesh/body; but 受肉 itself means incarnation), "took flesh" just sounds weird in this context. "Incarnated" is the most accurate term and every JJK reader understands it, so I don't quite get why officials opted to go with "took flesh".

》 Choso: "(Back then) if I had chosen to live as a 「human」.. my little brothers wouldn't have had to kill each other."

Officials chose to change the entire second-half of the statement, lol.

》 Choso: "And then.. Almost like a punishment.. Yuuji, who was suffering from living as a 「human」, appeared."

I personally think that it's important for the "almost like a punishment" sentence to be included, considering that was how Choso felt about it.

》 Choso: "I'm certain that the four of us were destined to fight together. But just because I wanted an easy life.. Yuuji was left alone."

》 Tengen: "What's so funny?" 

》 Kenjaku: "What's with that face? Is that what you wished.. [to look like]? Almost like.."

》 Narration (?): "Black holes possess extreme density and immense gravity that not even light, much less matter, can escape. It is said that one can be created by compressing the entire Earth to a diameter of 2 cm."

》 Yuki: "You control gravity, but isn't your deduction pretty unsatisfactory?! Gravity, mass, time. It all comes down to..."

Here, Tengen said "術式反転か" (jutsushiki hanten ka), which translates to "Cursed Technique Reversal?" FYI, Akutami-sensei once addressed this stuff in an extra page, where he stated that 術式反転 (jutsushiki hanten) = Cursed Technique Reversal, while 反転術式 (hanten jutsushiki) = Reverse Cursed Technique. The order of the words are nothing but reversed and yes, it's confusing – Gege even admitted that, lol.

》 Kenjaku: "Nope. The 「Gravity」 until now was actually the technique reversal. The cursed technique engraved on Kaori Itadori was 「Anti-Gravity System」. Using my body as a domain, I raised the technique lapse's limit on the unstable output and activation time. It was a gamble, but at least it worked. Really, my liver chilled."

Kanji used for Kaori's CT is 反重力機構. The term 機構 (kikou) means mechanism, but the furigana reads システム (system). And as explained by Kenjaku, "Gravity" is the technique reversal of Kaori's CT; as such, it is an Extension technique.

Kenjaku’s last statement in the raws includes an idiom in Japanese: 肝を冷やした (kimo o hiyashita). It translates to “my liver chilled” and it means "I was scared to death” or “I was terrified”.

Closing words: “Tengen falls into the hands of Kenjaku, once a friend.”

Extra preview for ch.209: “What will happen to the fate of the world?!”

—

My thoughts:

I know many fans are on edge about Yuki's death and they're still in denial and coping hard, theorizing that she'll return in the next chapter. But I'm gonna take my stand with the minority of readers; RIP, Yuki onee-san. You did spectacular fighting a 1000 year-old sorcerer who's inhabiting one of the strong, present-era sorcerers. You did everything you could, you gave it your 1000% but this is as far as things go, you died a hero. Badass heroine! It was an honorable death. A moment of silence for Yuki Tsukumo, everyone.

If she suddenly makes her return in the next chapter or in the near future, that would be cool. I personally don't mind it either way; whatever that rocks Gege's boat.

Moving on! Last few days, the hate comments against Gege was immense. The uproar began on Wednesday on Twitter first - after some leaks dropped - then it spiraled out of control, and eventually reached Reddit. A day later, I discovered that even on Instagram, people were slandering Gege. I was utterly disgusted by the fandom's reactions, I hated what I saw. Calling whatever you dislike about the chapter "bad writing" is one thing, but labelling Gege a "misogynist" and spreading the claim "Gege hates women" (even if it was a sarcastic joke) is overboard and disrespectful af. Even until today, a meme about Gege's disrespect towards "his JJK women" was still making its rounds on Twitter. Seeing how the fandom is becoming increasingly toxic, I decided it's best not to engage in any discussions from here on out. A fair few of my Instagram followers are really chill people and I enjoy talking to them, so I guess they'll be my go-tos if I'd like to vomit out some theories or opinions. So a heads-up, my weekly chapter post will now be comprised of the usual opening and closing words, any mistranslations/misinterpretations in the official Viz translations, unexpected mistakes from Gege or his crew, or if there's anything very important to address within the chapter. That's all.

As of last Thursday, I've made the decision to remove myself from the fandom and I no longer term myself as one of the "JJK fans", lol. I am just a fan of Gege Akutami and his works.

To Gege Akutami or his associates, if you guys ever read this, do know that I will always support your work and whatever decisions that you make for your manga. If you have to end the series within a year because that's what you feel is the best for you, go ahead and do so. A true fan will always have your back and will never hold you down just to keep you from moving forward. We will understand. Thank you for working very hard each week just so we can get another chapter and reason to enjoy the series. I wish you the best of health and continued success in the future and may you end Jujutsu Kaisen in the way you envision it. Cheers to the coming new year 2023!

[megaderping]

Dojima was gone the next morning. Of course he was. Last night's events replayed in Akechi's head. Mrs. Tatsumi's tears, the tension as Dojima recorded the events on a clipboard and Adachi just had to make an idiot of himself. None of the adults knew. Nanako certainly didn't know. It was cruel to put them through so much, but a necessary evil. Akechi had to keep reminding himself that as he scrubbed his dishes from breakfast with perhaps a bit too much ferocity.

For the first time in a long, long time, Kanji would not join them on the walk to school.

Perhaps sensing his distress, Yu dared to place a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get him today, all right?"

"We as in just you and the others, I presume…" Akechi had no Persona. It was the logical conclusion to make.

"Nah."

The denial seized Akechi's in a stranglehold. He stared at Yu for several seconds before responding. "You're joking."

"No joke." A resigned sort of smile formed as Yu wiped his own plate with a washcloth. "We can't stop you. Even if I said no, you'd probably go behind our backs, and… Well, wouldn't that just justify all the feelings you've been burying inside?"

It took several more seconds for Akechi to respond. He truly expected Yu would draw the line due to his lack of Persona. "...It'd feel like you were backsliding and that you had no faith in me after all."

"Exactly. Which isn't fair. Even Chie tagged along before she awakened her Persona." He turned to the table and passed Akechi a small list. "As long as you're packing some of these, you'll have the means to protect yourself."

Akechi skimmed the list carefully. Value Medicine, Goho-M, and various odds and ends, like… Tesla Coils? Dry Ice? Pinwheels… "Aren't these ordinary items from the Shiroku Store?"

"Yep. TV world sure is something, huh?" Rather than elaborate, he passed Akechi a surprisingly generous stack of yen. "Here, I'll even cover the tab."

Akechi accepted the money, leaning in close, as if this was all some sort of joke with a pending punchline. "Where did you even get all this?" He paused. "Wait, don't tell me. It's the hands, isn't it?"

"Okay, I won't tell you." Yu grabbed his school bag from one of the chairs at the table. "I know your Shadow's a lot to face, but I hope you know you don't have to do this alone. We all know how much Kanji means to you, so if there's anything we can do…" Previous Chapter | Full Chapter | Read from the Beginning

New chapter drops in about an hour! This time I will try to remember to crosspost on time.

[akihabara-division03]

Makina Setsukura

"Lost is a lovely place to find yourself."

Etymology

Makina means "real, genuine" (真) (ma) and "valuable" (貴) (ki) and (奈) (na), which is a phonetic character

Setsukura means "section, period, verse, melody" (節) (setsu) and "storehouse" (倉) (kura)

Character Information

Kanji: (節倉 真貴奈)

Romaji: Setsukura Makina

MC Name: Screen Shot

Gender: female

Pronouns: she/her

Age: 17

Birthday: Sept. 1

Star sign: Virgo

Blood type: O

Occupation: streamer

Division: Akihabara

Team: Pixel Syndicate

Height: 147 cm (4’10) / 153 cm with heels (5’0)

Weight: 41 kg (90 lb.)

Hair color: lilac

Eye color: apricot

V/A: Manami Numakura

Rap voice: 페리 (on YouTube)

Stage actor: Dayeon Kim (Kep1er)

Appearance

Makina is a slender girl of below-average height with porcelain skin and apricot-colored puppy-like eyes. Her wild and unkempt lilac hair is loosely styled into half pigtails and pinned in place with her indigo and silver puzzle piece-shaped barrettes.

Her attire usually consists of a black fitted sleeveless crop top paired with bubblegum-pink lace-up shorts, held with white overalls and a chain belt. She sports an oversized white and ruby-pink cropped hooded jacket where the sleeves extend far past her hands, covering her pastel purple and clear painted nails littering with holographic flakes. Her only piercings consist of her lobes: one side being a black rose-shaped stud attached to a silver skull joined with a black coffin, the other being a longer earring with a black coffin attached to a dangling silver chain with a silver skull on the end. She finishes her look with white thigh high socks and black lace-up platform boots to make up for her lack of height.

When away from the camera, she wears a ridiculously oversized sweatshirt that reaches the middle of her thighs, the colors split down the middle— one side being baby blue, the other being bubblegum pink. The bottom portions of her sleeves alternate between the cotton material and a sheer cloth in a stripe pattern.

Personality

She often presents relatively soft and mild mannerisms and promotes a comfortable and cozy aura. Which, offline, can sometimes come across as unenthusiastic and uninterested in whatever is going on around her. She feels no shame in running off to avoid any trouble and refuses to make decisions, since she doesn't want anything to be her fault, and doesn't want to disappoint anyone. She does tend to be sharp-tongued and often banters with her viewers, though all in good fun.

The game world, however, is where her intense competitiveness shows. She has a strong drive to place 1st or complete every game she plays and tends to throw a fit when things don’t go her way.

In spite of her usually sarcastic nature, she is kind-hearted and loyal to her viewers. She feels that they make her feel accepted and she no longer feels alone. She often expresses her gratitude to them.

However, she struggles to exhibit the same level of care to her friends in real life as she does to her viewers online. She cares a great deal for her friends and is easy to upset when someone wrongs them, but she finds it difficult to showcase her appreciation for them.

Ability

Her rap ability, Rage Quit, allows her to cancel or shut down an enemy attack for the rest of the match, but she won't be able to attack either.

Trivia

Makina is right-handed.

She likes ice cream, video games, arcades, and nail art while she dislikes outdoor activities and thunder.

Her favorite food is pizza while her least favorite food is fried fish.

She refers to herself as "ore,” which is a casual way to say ‘I,’ generally used by men.

She struggles quite a bit, but she is trying to learn sign language to better communicate with Anika.

Despite mainly playing video games for her viewers, she labels herself as a “variety streamer” and prefers to be known as an entertainer rather than a professional gamer.