#and also. granted this has nothing to do with the actual issue. but that teachers response really baffled me...

[mercymornsimpathizer]

.

[looking-for-wisdom]

the “ex-something” character in disco elysium is so interesting to me because what we finally learn about the true Dora from harry’s dream sequence & conversations with the 41st precinct initially undercuts the first impression you get as a player. We learn things that makes it seem like Harry should be over her leaving. Specifically, the fact that she and Harry were never actually married and that it has been six years since she left.

Everything we’re told about Dora needs to be taken with a grain of salt, since it primarily comes from Harry. He’s an unreliable narrator and, if we had her perspective on things, there would surely be more to the story. But even with that said, I feel reasonably confident that the player’s first impression — that whoever this ex is did some damage even beyond typical breakup heartbreak — isn’t completely wrong.

We know a few things for certain. Harry was a gym teacher before they met, and Dora was the reason he joined the RCM. We can also do the math to figure out that they were together for around 12 years. Married or not, that’s a serious relationship. There are implications that Dora might have been pregnant at some point.

Dora’s family was wealthier than Harry’s, but they struggled financially when they were together. They had to rely on her parents for support.

Harry is a grown ass man who is responsible for his own choices. None of this changes that. But the way he is starts to make more sense when you consider that it wasn’t just their breakup that was traumatic. Their relationship itself seems unhealthy.

Harry clearly likes working with kids. Kim actually points out how he is easily able to connect with Cuno and the other teens in Martinase. With that in mind, I imagine he probably liked being a gym teacher. But we learn that Dora encourages him to join the RCM to do more for the greater good. Again, Harry had to agree to this — she didn’t force him to quit at gunpoint. But it rubs me the wrong way that, shortly after they start dating, she implies that his work isn’t fulfilling or important (probably patently untrue in an area where kids won’t necessarily have stable home lives). And, more than that, she suggests that joining the police is the solution.

Granted, we’re told there’s a lot of crime in Jamrock. Maybe it is as simple as her thinking law enforcement helps prevent that. But given the political tones of the game, which intentionally critique cops and the moralist forces they represent? I think it’s notable.

Speaking of which. The class difference between Dora and Harry has to be thematic. So much of the game discusses the struggle between the working class and the bourgeoisie. There’s an inherent power dynamic there. It’s her parents who are consistently paying their bills and keeping them afloat. She has an out that Harry doesn’t. Money won’t be an issue for her when they split, but Harry will be left without any support. Regardless of whether she intentionally held this over his head, this game shows that even without meaning to, the capitalist system harms the poor. That strain must be felt in their relationship, and could cause a lot of damage over 12 years.

All this to say: their relationship clearly wasn’t some fling. And, if Harry is to be believed, the blame for things falling apart was largely placed on him: working to much, not bringing home enough money, not being enough. But even if Dora wasn’t actively manipulating him and he came up with all of this on his own, I think the facts still point to a dynamic where he was made to be small in the face of a woman who came from more. Their backgrounds create an imbalance where Harry was always going to feel the flaws in their relationship more acutely. He starts with little, and gives up much of what he does have to pursue something better for the both of them. But when that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, he’s the only one left with nothing. She can leave the country and start over.

It makes sense, to me, that he might not have recovered from that in six years. Especially when that rock bottom feeling seems so permanent that he isn’t trying to get better so much as numb himself enough to exist another day.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t responsible or that he’s exempt from having to get his shit together. The game very clearly illustrates that everyone will turn away from him if he doesn’t. But it does complicate his character a bit more than “got left by extremely bangable woman, proceeds to make the lives of everyone around him worse.”

[celestialholz]

The Resurrectionist (or 'Crowley's dying briefly because character-building, and here's why')

I should start off by saying, friends, that I have written exactly zero books. (Bloody lot of fanfiction, but no actual novels). And I like coffee, but not particularly with oat milk. (The poison's metaphorical, not physical), but... well, you guys can keep both of 'em, because they're just not relevant to this conversation. I am also, as you may have already guessed, not Neil Gaiman. A chick can only speculate, but she does like to back it up with actual evidence.

No, I'm simply here to ask you a question.

What's the single worst thing Heaven could ever do to Aziraphale?

What would drive our angel so far from the clutches of Heaven that he would never, ever wish to return? What would set him unequivocally free from six millenia of assumed responsibility; what would make him realise that God can never change? What would strip everything away from him?

Because of course, this is what we have to do next series. This is Aziraphale's whole arc. If he doesn't try and change things and fail, he will always wonder. Always have a 'what if.' Will never be able to truly move on, will never be free from the eternal abuse cycle.

And so the severing has to be monumental, and everlasting. Then we get our happy ending. Storytelling, loves, done flawlessly. (Again, not a novelist... just a girl who's been writing for over half of her lifetime.)

And so, I ask again:

What's the single worst thing Heaven could ever do to Aziraphale?

And, well, it's a manifold question isn't it, with lots of potential ans - no I'm just kidding. Very simple question, very simple answer.

So congratulations to the very likely hundreds of you who have just said 'murder Crowley,' because a. you're very much correct and b. we've all just predicted the end of series three.

(... I mean, probably not the very end. But the emotional crux, definitely.)

And naturally, I'm not talking discorporation. I'm talking 'wiped from the universe altogether, leaving our angel eternally alone' kinda murder. The real shit. The good shit. Never mind any of this 'editing the Book of Life leading to an ineffable paradox' kinda bullshit - this is Heaven, the natural source point of holy water. One miracled Supersoaker and our demon's ancient history, friends.

Because y'see guys, severing Aziraphale's connection isn't the only problem we face in terms of narrative romance. We've also got Crowley, who has spent six millennia being in love with a guy who just takes, takes, takes... him for granted.

And this is NOT to say that Aziraphale gives him nothing back - he so very clearly does. (I am a consummate Aziraphale apologist, Crowley's just as much of a fool post-series two as our angel is, and Aziraphale needs this, as I've mentioned.) But... Crowley is his teacher. His moral guide. His protector. It mostly goes one way, and despite all of that and him being happy to be that guy for all this time... right when it matters most, Aziraphale (to Crowley, at least) has abandoned him. He's told him he isn't good enough.

(... Which is bollocks. That's not what Aziraphale's said at all, they're both as overprotective as each other and have a desperate, painful longing to keep one another safe in their own best way. But it sure fucking looks like it to CROWLEY, which is what matters.)

And so, we have two issues in achieving our happy-ever-after.

Sundering Aziraphale from Heaven forever;

Ensuring Crowley trusts him fully and knows completely that he is Aziraphale's only choice.

(And also by GOD do they need to have a proper conversation, but that one kinda goes without saying. It'll happen.) We have to even up this relationship; we have to make it absolute narrative equilibrium, and I am absolutely sure Neil knows this probably far better than I do.

... And so, how do we achieve both these things in one hit, whilst also telling a Second Coming story and holding a celestial war?

Well, we kill Crowley. Obviously. Not until episode five or six and after an emotional, romantic reunion of mutual understanding, but... we kill Crowley.

... And then Aziraphale brings him back. Yes, from complete death.

I would like at this juncture to remind you that miracles, apparently (and this is a thing we've just learned guys, almost like it's suddenly going to be relevant ongoing) are measured in Lazarii.

(Great thanks to the Aziraphale to my Crowley, @porgthespacepenguin, for these few screenshots I'm showing off here today. You'd never leave me, not even for my own good. <3)

Lazarii is very obviously named after Jesus' apparently greatest miracle, of raising Lazarus from the dead in the book of John. They managed to achieve twenty-five times the necessary amount of energy it takes to bring someone back from death... without actually fucking trying.

Let's take a look at the book of John a sec. Or more specifically, its eleventh chapter and twenty-fifth verse.

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The person who believes in me, even though he dies, will live."

My thanks to Neil once again for murdering me like Heaven's going to murder Crowley. Cold blood, point-blank.

'Who believes in me.' Huh. Only for the past six thousand years, Aziraphale dear...

Here's a little of what the internet has to say about the number 25 in numerology, by the way.

And may I also remind you at this stage that there is a pub in this series called The Resurrectionist, and only Aziraphale goes into it.

I mean sure, Crowley's booksitting and trying to make the ladies hilariously like him and Aziraphale fall in love in the same way he himself did, but the fact remains... one relevant pub name. One guy. (We all need a narrative excuse sometimes Neil, I get you.)

Considering all this, friends, let me ask you another question. This one's a little more wordy, that's on me.

What do you think would happen when a being capable of raising someone from the dead twelve and a half times over for the sake of his beloved's protection loses said beloved beyond all doubt?

... And this will be after he gains the ultimate celestial power-up, by the way. In case we'd forgotten that that alone is also about to boost Aziraphale to the fucking stratosphere, and finally put him on an equal footing with Crowley. (Who is clearly an ex-archangel, but not Lucifer, so Neil's since said.)

... And I think we know the answer, don't we? The kind of miracle that

(You can't see me, but I'm staring into the camera like I'm one of The Office main cast right now.)

This is the kind of power that fucks with reality - the kind of power that scares Heaven and Hell to absolute death, hence Metatron being in the DMs. And crucially, this miracle was boosted because of love. Because of a desire to keep the status quo, their 'own side'. You amplify both those conditions to the nth degree by destroying one of them? It's over, lads. Resurrection is the beginning.

Resurrection evens up a playing field. It destroys Aziraphale and renews him in one hit; it proves to Crowley once and for all that Aziraphale loves him exactly as he is.

... It's a no-brainer, pals.

And what do they do after this? Well, fuck up the celestial order, naturally. I have theories, the main one of them being that they're going to be God and Satan respectively and unite Heaven and Hell in eternal marriage, but... that's just a theory. A television theory.

The resurrection thing? Not so much.

... See, this is the thing, my friends. You don't need to have written a 16k essay to predict the future.

All you need is the ability to tell a story, an observant eye for that which is already present, and a simple question. (Followed by a mildly more complex one. It's a working allegory.)

... I'm just going to leave you with this one shot of Aziraphale picking up his own destiny. Because poetic cinema.

[lilislegacy]

(This gets a little rant-y sorry!)

I just saw the post that somebody said about Annabeth and Percy dropping out of college and I totally see that.

Something that I see a lot, especially in fanfiction, is people forgetting that these 2 are neurodivergent and severely traumatized.

College is really hard. In general, for a neurotypical person, it would be difficult.

I'm writing this from an autistic, dyslexic, adhd, ptsd point of view. College is really fucking hard.

I've seen fics where people will talk about how they'll be taking 4-5 classes per semester. That's not really possible for them.

I have been taking one class a semester, and it is excruciating.

Granted, I do not go to New rome University, which is mainly demigods. So it might be tailored differently to how most demigods learn, but still, college is really difficult.

I could definitely see them trying college but taking it at a substantially lower pace than normal.

Like the original ask said, they might just drop out because it would be too much of a mental load.

Especially because of how soon the turnaround is from their severe trauma (tartarus) and them going to college. Even if they tried their best, they wouldn't do well. (This is also me speaking from experience. When I was going through stuff in high school, it made my gpa drop like a brick.)

I'm just tired of people acting like the only symptoms of their trauma is bad dreams and that their only symptoms of their adhd and dyslexia are "oh squirrel!" And not being able to read.

(Sorry for ranting. This is just kind of a sore subject for me. Especially recently, I have had to deal with some ableism from my professor, and I'm looking into transferring to a different college because of it)

thanks for the ask @invadericee!

i totally see where you’re coming from. college is really really hard on its own. being dyslexic, adhd, and traumatized does not help.

however, i really do not believe that they would drop out. the biggest reason being they are both so determined to get though it. and when those two are determined, nothing is stopping them.

you also have to remember that new rome university doesn’t just accommodate for kids like them. the university is made specially for people like them. most everyone there has adhd. most everyone there has dyslexia. and many of them have ptsd. and likely, the teachers and staff are demigods. so they are the same way, and therefore know how to teach in a way that actually works for them. also, new rome university is a very very small college, so the students would get a lot of one-on-one time with professors and counselors, etc. so i don’t believe their learning disabilities will hurt them very much there, because the entire system is built around them having those learning disabilties. you know?

but i completely agree with you that i don’t like how people downplay their trauma a lot. and rick riordan himself is the biggest suspect of this. in chalice of the gods, percy and annabeth are mainly just happy to be alive and having a good time, and percy only makes one passing remark about his mental state not being great. and i get why rick didn’t dive into it - he wanted the book to just be happy and silly and enjoyable. but still, i wish he would show how they’re coping a little bit more. in the bits i’ve seen of TSATS, sally mentions how percy and annabeth have horrible nightmares, which probably means percy wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. but like you said, ptsd isnt just nightmares. and adhd and dyslexia aren’t just cute little issues either. now, i will say, i don’t think their adhd is the same kind you and i have. theirs is more hyperactivity than anything. and while most people with adhd struggle with not being able to focus on one thing, i think with them it’s more that they are constantly focused on a million things (becasue that keeps them alive.) i don’t know why it matters, but i just felt like giving my thoughts on that lol.

i don’t even know what my point is anymore. basically i don’t think college will be as hard for them as you think, but i agree with you on everything else 😂

[small-tragedies]

001 The Simpsons!

Favorite character: Of course it’s Lisa Simpson. 🤣 When I first started watching The Simpsons, I was really intrigued by her character, and she grew to be my favorite character ever!

Least Favorite character: It would have to be Elizabeth Hoover. Lisa’s teacher at Springfield Elementary School. I just never liked the woman, at least with Edna Krabappel, who seemed like she didn’t like Bart. The thing was, she did actually care about her students and Bart, unlike Miss Hoover, who really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about any of them and has actually bullied an 8-year-old just because she felt like Lisa was a show-off. (Granted, Lisa can be a little full of herself at times, but she’s just a kid, and Miss Hoover is an adult who has personal issues and is taking them out on a little girl.) (Hehehe, I really info dump when it comes to a character I don’t like lol.)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Lisa and Jessica are my OTP forever and ever! And I could go on all day about why I love them, but then I wouldn’t be able to talk about any other ship lol. I like to ship Lisa with the twin weasels ( I affectionately call them this and like to think Lisa does too 😂), Sherri, and Terri Mackleberry in a polycule V-type relationship (no incest), with Lisa as the hinge. (It probably goes without saying that I also ship the twins’ separately with Lisa too, and it’s usually Sherri. 😆) third pairing (yes, we are counting the twins’ as just the second ship, okay? They’re a unit right now, so I can say more ships,😂) would be Lisa and Allison. I love to think that if they had stayed very close friends, it would have turned into a friends-to-lovers situation, and I just think their relationship would be very cute and sweet, and they would grow old together. And my fourth pair I fancy is Lisa Simpson and Francine Rhenquist... You all are probably noticing a pattern... And you’re right because I have a thing—a thing for shipping Lisa with bullies... I just think she can be a bully whisperer and tamer, okay?! 🤣 And now, last but not least, my final and fifth pairing is Allison Taylor and Hubert Wong. I just think these two are too cute for each other! And they are just two cute little nerds in love. (Shout out to my sister @twisting-echo for getting me into shipping these two nerds).

Character I find most attractive: Groundskeeper Willie hands down! Have you seen that man without his shirt on? Absolutely beautiful~ 

Character(s) I would marry: Kang and Kodos, two one-eyed aliens, just for little ol’ me lol. 🤣💕💕💕

Character I would be best friends with: Professor Frink. I always loved his character and his zany antics.

A random thought: I once had a random thought about making a fic where it would be an AU where everyone had animal-like features, and I had wanted the whole Simpsons’ family to be cats. 😅🤣

An unpopular opinion: Oh, boy, here it goes... My unpopular opinion is that I really haven’t liked how they have written Marge in the newer seasons of The Simpsons. Just some of the storylines they do for her feel like they’ve done it a thousand times before, and it’s gotten old. And I have never liked how they have made it so that Homer has no problems bonding with his daughters, especially Lisa, but nothing with Bart. The same goes for Marge. I never like how in some episodes she can’t bond with her daughter, but honestly, it’s the writing overall because they always make either Lisa an asshole to her own mother or Marge is the asshole. Just why can’t they have cute bonding episodes for the whole family like what I’ve seen in Bob’s Burgers? 😭

My canon OTP: I wouldn’t say OTP, but I had always thought Comic Book Guy and Kumiko’s relationship was surprisingly cute and sweet. 

Non-canon OTP: This wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say it was Lisa and Jessica, now would it? Yessss, they’re my little babies! This ship is very dear to me; it’s been my OTP for years. 🤣💕💕💕

Most badass character: Gina Vendetti. I love her and think she’s a little badass. I also love to ship her with Bart. She’s his scary Amazon girlfriend who terrifies everyone around her lol.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Milhouse and Lisa; just no, I have never thought they worked well together ever! It's just sad to see him pine for someone who does not like him at all. Seriously, it was a running joke that Lisa settled for him, and that’s just sad. Millhouse deserves someone who actually cares and will love him, and Lisa needs to be with someone she’s not settling with because it’s all she’s ever known, and she knows he won’t leave her because he loves her too much and it’s just not healthy or fair to either one of them. (I love my girl, but she has to let him go so he can move on).

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I have never liked the slow decent at which they have taken Lisa’s character in how the show writes her. Back when the show first came out, she was intelligent, kind, and passionate about the planet and all living things. Mind you, she is still very intelligent, but they have taken some parts of her personality and turned it up to an 180. She is flawed, which is why I love her, but over the years, they have made her more of a snotty brat at times who throws her intelligence in people’s faces, and it doesn’t seem like she’s that kind anymore, and most of what she rebels against feels performative and hollow now. She could always be somewhat intolerant of opinions that differed from her own, often refusing to consider alternative perspectives and showing a feeling of self-righteousness. But it feels like that’s how she is all the time now, and I just haven’t been a big fan of what her character has become.

Favourite friendship: Now I’m going to completely talk about a “fanon” friendship since The Simpsons didn’t give me it in the canon of the show. I mean, sure, I could talk about Millhouse and Bart’s friendship, but sadly, while I like it, it is not my favorite, and the truth is, sometimes they abused each other more than they were good friends with each other lol. 😂😅 No, I’m going to talk about a friendship between Lisa Simpson, Allison Taylor, and Hubert Wong. I always thought it would have been nice for Lisa to at least have someone who was her friend in the show, someone she could bond with, just like Bart with Millhouse. But no, they have always made her a loner just for the sake of writing that not a lot of people like her in Springfield (poor baby, 😭) and they wasted the potential of Lisa and Allison’s friendship. In the show, they always show Lisa as a miserable adult who’s so bitter about everything. I like to think she would have grown up a little differently if she had at least one consistent friend (not Janey; Janey was just as bad as the twins’ with the way they bullied Lisa). And honestly, it would have been nice to see her hang out with two other people who shared similar interests as she did, and it just would have been cute. I definitely have more things to say about their friendship, my sister and I have made up in fanon over the years, but that’s definitely for a different post lol.

I’m so sorry that this is soooo long. 😂 Once you get me started on the Simpsons, I can’t stop rambling like a mad woman about it. 🤣 Thank you so much for this ask. This was so much fun to write out.

[mindlessrelieve]

I've been reading people's thoughts on the latest chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen and I'm legit surprised at the amount of people who think Gojo adopted Megumi and raised him as his son, and not only that but write out entire paragraphs and analysis based on this. Not to be that person, but maybe your problem is not the writing itself but the fact that some people look more into the headcannons that the actual manga.

Gojo did not adopt Megumi, in reality the fact that he abided for him to receive financial aid in return of being a sorcerer is actually the most important part of their relationship, not some emotional attachment.

Maybe some of the issues people have with their characters steam from the fact the some believe that Gojo raised Megumi, so for Megumi, if he was raised by the strongest sorcerer why hasn't he been able to fulfil his potential? And for Gojo, why didn't this altruistic teacher and single father dedicated more time to thinking about his adopted son at the moment of his demise?

Gojo didn't approach Megumi because he wanted to be a teen father, he didn't even approach him because he felt bad he was now an orphan thanks to him, he approached him because he wanted strong allies (same with Yuji and Yuta) and what better way to accomplish this than to nurture them himself at a time where they desparately need help.

Megumi, on the other hand didn't gain a family member, he acquired a life debt, he is a sorcerer solely to pay off Gojo and the Jujutsu society simply because he valued his sister's happiness above his own and understood that the Zenin clan was going to be a terrible place for her.

Of course they value each other, Gojo wants Megumi to grow beyond his mental walls and Megumi is capable of accepting he owes Gojo his life. They go way back and have come to really know one another. But they are not family, and thinking they are may lead you stray in terms of some aspects of their characterization, like the fact that Megumi pretty much resents everything Jujutsu related because of the transactional nature of this deal.

Their characters also share some themes as they were both born with inmense talent, so much that honed to perfection it can only rival one another. But being this blessed within this universe is nothing but a curse, as you are granted only the option of refining your talents up to perfection in order to be considered valuable, it's the crushing weight they have to live and die under.

This is something that they both struggle with in different ways, as reflected in their domains. Gojo becomes an 'entity' who has achieved detachment from humanity "given everything, but unable to do anything", while Megumi can't see himself becoming stronger than the man he owes his life to, so he sinks into the darkness "you have to take on the weight of what you've stored in your shadows".

I would have also wanted to see Gege explore this a little more, mostly out of curiosity since I think it's interesting, and it would also be really good for Megumi's character, but as I said before, his pacing sometimes works against him.

[ceebit]

BOYFRIEND ( OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT .. ), TEASER ﹕ wc 800~ genre fluff content minho being a little shit™️. little shit shenanigans ensue <3

the gleam in minho’s eye is nearly childish, accepting the transaction with a terrible accent in his opinion, his sickeningly sweet thank you grating against his ears. han sighs, brows furrowed in disbelief as he sinks back into his chair. his pride is beyond wounded. his soul is crushed, his spirit beaten and battered to a hopeless pulp, and he doesn’t know when he’ll ever smile again. truly this was the absolute worst way to end a long day of grueling classes, most of it being material he’s sure he’ll never even use on a day-to-day basis. like exponents and finding x on a triangle.

“look on the bright side!” felix pipes up on his left, hair newly dyed blond falling over his face as he leans over. “now you’ve learned that betting on speed dating is a terrible idea and you now know not to do it again!” han starts to whine, especially when seungmin agrees with a muttered it kind of was an easy cash grab. hello, his dignity is still kind of present, ouch.

“let’s all agree that betting on romance isn’t ideal.” chan places his hands out to appease him, smiling apologetically on behalf of the second eldest considering what to buy with his new assets to changbin in a stage whisper. “yeah? agreed?”

a chorus of agreement rings out and han sulks into his sandwich.

it’s not like his luck was that terrible—he, too, loved to gloat when miss fortune smiled down on him and granted him a win once every full moon. it just seemed that she favored everyone else but him, and he was at his wits end with losing nearly all the time. if she wouldn’t have mercy on him, then please forgive his wallet. his heart physically aches when he checks his account, and he swears he saw a fly buzz out of his wallet once.

but because minho was, well, minho, he kept his mouth shut, gaze flitting between his food and something behind his head. once could be classified as a coincidence, but multiple times during different conversations was enough to stoke the wounded part of him.

“what are you looking at?” he huffs, mouth full of lettuce and meat. it’s not the best picture of (purposely ill-mannered) confusion, and hyunjin’s face turns up in disgust out of the corner of his eye. “i know i’m good looking, but you know staring makes me uncomfortable.

minho doesn’t react to his jab, instead choosing to look over his head again, so he grumbles and turns to look as well, half annoyed and fully disgruntled. all he sees are other students peacefully enjoying lunch or studying, essentially doing nothing worth his friend’s excessive glancing.

“two tables down to the left,” he finally speaks. poking at his rice, his gaze slides over the chan—rude—who looks mildly interested in whatever antics he’s up to despite issuing a light warning. “i think they’re new. never seen that face before.”

the whole table collectively turns to look, causing a commotion that ends with hyunjin leaning out of his chair a little too much for comfort and changbin loudly chiding him for it, but minho’s target is eventually spotted. head bent over an obscenely large textbook, brow furrowed in concentration, and altogether the perfect picture of what his high school teachers said college would look like. he starts to feel bad, because the more he looks at them, the more he starts to think his earlier impression of concentration is actually stress, and stress is not good. stress is the fucking worst.

“oh, they’re in one of my core classes! real smart and kinda quiet. not really the talking type.” chan shrugs, “as is everyone at first. but they were super helpful during group discussions after warming up to everyone.”

chan also says something else, but it quickly becomes background noise or something because he’s tunnel visioned and can only see you. suddenly there are manga-esque flower petals floating in the wind, the chatter and bustle of the lunch hall has blurred around you, and leehi’s ‘only’ plays softly in the air. han’s eyes widen, and it’s then does he remember his compromising state, quick to turn around with his mouth still full.

half eaten lettuce falls onto his plate. hyunjin audibly gags, but he’s the least of his concerns right now.

love at first sight is entirely plausible—just only in his romance animes and the romcoms his artistic friend likes to watch so much. falling in love with a stranger based on attraction was selfish and incredibly fake! but it doesn’t stop him from turning to take a peek again, which unfortunately doesn’t go unnoticed.

minho utters two words, a shit-eating grin bordering cheshire-like ever so present, and the entire table descends into chaos once more.

[cq-studios]

Questions for 15 Friends Tag Game

Tagged by @corishadowfang ^^

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 15 people.

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Not that I know of. I think my middle name was after someone but, if that's the case, I don't know who.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

This weekend watching Days. That game breaks me every time.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Nope and don't ever plan on it.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Uhhhh, none.

I tried out for the basketball team twice in elementary school but didn't make the team either time. That school, and especially the coach, had it out for me though (I am neurodivergent had behavioural issues so they didn't let me do much).

If it counts, I was on the Improv team in middle school. That was a ton of fun and I would've kept doing it into highschool if the teacher who was in charge of the competitions didn't retire (no one stepped up after that)

Other than that not really anything.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Oh definitely. I grew up in an incredibly sarcastic household lol

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Uhhh, I haven't really thought about it...

Probably hair? That's how I tend to recognise most people, which is most definitely unreliable (thanks for that brain lol).

Shout out to that one time my friend got a drastically different haircut than usual, didn't tell me, and I didn't recognise her until she spoke to me lol

WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Brown.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Definitely happy endings. I have absolutely no tolerance for scary things.

My pour soul got nightmares so easy as a kid I wasn't allowed to watch Scooby Doo because it would keep me up at night lol

ANY TALENTS?

I'd feel weird saying anything artistic, because honestly I consider those skills more than talents (since they're something I actually work towards improving and not something that I can just do for some reason lol).

So alternatively, I think my talent is simultaneously have the worlds worst and best balance. Like I can fill up a cup completely (and I mean completely, there's a meniscus and everything) and I can bring that up to my mouth without spilling a drop, but at the same time, there have been several occasions where I have fallen out of chairs while doing nothing but colouring. I can walk across a completely rounded balance beam (like curtain rod look and size) eyes closed and backwards, but walking I'm tripping every other step.

I can also quack like a duck so convincingly I've tricked hunters lol

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

I'm not entirely sure...

Somewhere around the southern Quebec-Ontario border I think?

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Drawing, animating, reading, writing, and playing video games (and doing stuff for local theatre productions if that counts).

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Yes, currently I have a dog, Neve. She's a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix and she's very strange.

My brother also has a cat, but she lives in the basement and I never see her lol

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

I couldn't tell you the last time I measured my height, but I'm only a bit taller than my mom (4"11 and a bit), so probably 5"-5"1.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

Chemistry.

I love chemistry. I love balancing formulas. I love the experiments and demonstrations (even if when I was doing them I kept burning my hands... I swear I was being careful I'm just cursed lol). I love learning about all the elements properties and stuff. The math isn't awful (like in physics). And it makes me feel smart.

DREAM JOB?

My dream job is whatever I have to do to be able to make my own show (my current plan is making an indie studio) and also being able to make a living off of doing tables at cons.

I'm actually slowly but surely working towards both right now. A lot of just saving and planning at the moment but I'm getting there.

Gonna start applying for grants soon-ish, so wish me luck lol

I don't really have 15 people to tag so, uhh, open tag I guess lol

[deusvervewrites]

Here is the thing with the Aizawa vs Kakashi comparison:

Kakashi is also a rather bad teacher and often portrayed/dragged/fixed as such in the Naruto fandom.

Yes, the circumstances around his expulsion scare are a lot less severe (Ninja work is way more deadly, they get back to the academy, he directly points out how many ninja die and that that's the reason for this rule, etc...), but that is only one aspect of Kakashi.

For example: As the protags sensei, he is supposed to take care of them & train them.

Take care? Well, Naruto and Sasuke are both heavily traumatized ostracized 12 year old Children that live completely alone at the beginning of canon. It's implied that they get some sort of allowance from the village but that's it. Nothing about this changes when Kakashi becomes their sensei. Yes, he protects them during dangerous missions, but that's very similar to how Aizawa protects the students at the USJ. Good ninja, bad teacher.

Case in Point: The first time we see Kakashi actively, intentionally train his students is several months(!) in, while they are on their first mission outside the village. This WAS supposed to be a simple mission with little to no risks, but of course this goes the way of the USJ and they end up faced with an opponent that could literally chop apart the kids in less than a second. After he is defeated, they learn that he probably survived and Kakashi FINALLY trains them in:

drum roll please...

Walking up trees by using Chakra, aka the most basic form of traversal that literally EVERY ninja can do.

Here is the thing, just like with Aizawa, all of this makes perfect sense from a writers perspective: Changing the order of arcs or interjecting training or exposition about what ninja kids can and can't do would kill the pacing really quick, especially this early in the series. This way readers slowly learn about the universe and it's rules alongside the protagonists but also get drama and action.

But from an in universe perspective it creates the weird appearance that Kakashi is lazy/doesn't care about his team, after all, despite trying to fail them to save their lives, he only does the absolute bare minimum to teach them how to actually stay alive.

It does not help either, that the only other two times he teaches his kids anything, he specifically singles out one of the two boys each. Also, one of those two cases, once again, mostly focuses on teaching something that sounds like basic shit that they should have learned in school, or immediately after. (Though this was apparently retconned into the series at that point.)

And that's without even starting to go into the personal connections he (supposedly) has to two of the three protags, but barely ever acts upon.

It is definitely an interesting comparison, and I can totally see that Aizawa is inspired by Kakashi, but I do think we should keep in mind that they both have their own sets of issues that can't be easily compared due to the differing circumstances.

I've seen some discussions of Kakashi failing as a teacher thanks to the time I spend on TV Tropes, but I have very little context for it. Gotta admit, feel like teaching people the movement ability before the mission would make the mission itself go smoother, but I will grant it was supposed to be a safe mission but still

[uenodivision]

Classified Police Record

Only authorized personnel are allowed to view this document. If you are one of the many who have not been granted access, which the writer of this document sincerely hopes you are not, then you are hereby ordered by the Commissioner General of the NPA (National Police Agency) to close this file immediately and never try to view it with your eyes again. Failure to adhere to this order will result in not only a hefty fine and incarceration but also possible expulsion of your rights and privileges as a citizen of the great and powerful country of Japan. This right has been bestowed upon those allowed by Lady Otome Tohoten, Head of the great state of Chuohku, the current leader of the Party of Words, and the current Prime Minister of Japan. You have been warned.

History

In the Beginning...

Two years ago, if you had asked anyone in Japan who exactly the Yozakura were, they'd have looked at you as if wondering if you were a foreigner from somewhere, or if you had been living under a rock all this time. To even talk about them out in the open was foolhardy. To even speak their name was to invite trouble to your doorstep. And to even think about doing anything that would attract their attention to yourself would amount to little more than suicide. ...And that's only if they were feeling generous.

Formed a few years before the H-era officially started, the Yozakura were a Bōsōzoku gang started up by Ueno City's own Aranai Norikoru, or as she likes to be called, "Ride or Die". Getting interested in bikes at a very young age, this young rebellious female, after spending a year or so working as a mechanic in one of Ueno City's auto shops, saved enough money to purchase her own motorbike, which she quickly and easily learned how to use.

Combined with personal issues at home and a thirst for a new lifestyle, the young mechanic soon quit her job, changed her appearance, and became a Sukeban, causing a great deal of grief and stress to both her teachers at school and her mother at home. Eventually, she was given an ultimatum by the authority figures: either cease her rebellious attitude or be expelled. Choosing neither option, the young teen left school of her accord, with some female students following after her, enthralled by her persona and wanting to imitate her.

Prime Time of Life...

Within a month's time, Aranai and the group of young women who had followed her had become an organized Bōsōzoku gang, so much so that the police labeled them as an actual threat to public safety and security. At first, they were nameless, either not taking the time or not really caring what they were called, so long as they were feared whenever and wherever their motorbikes would take them. However, over time, people of Ueno began calling them "Yozakura", meaning "night sakura".

As stated, at first, the group was considered to be nothing more than a bunch of ruffians or hooligans causing trouble. But as their influence spread to other cities in Japan, their reputation and infamy grew, and people started speaking of them in soft, low whispers and with more fear and trepidation in their voices. Shop and restaurant owners began laying out "tribute" in hopes that the group wouldn't do too much damage to their places of business. It seemed as if nothing could destroy this fearsome Bōsōzoku gang that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. However...

Trouble Arises...

...The group, like many, fell into the unfortunate trap of believing that they were bigger than they actually were. Though they were feared and respected by many, they were, unfortunately, nothing more than big fish in an even bigger pond. Though they were used to tough brawls and fights, it had gotten to a point where they started thinking that their reputation was enough to deter people from bothering them. This was their downfall, as they unknowingly encroached upon Yokohama's Katen family's territory. Though the group of women fought well, they were easily overpowered and beaten. Rather than finish them off, they left the group on the streets for spectators to watch and view as one of the mightiest and most fearsome Bōsōzoku gangs in the history of Japan, lay battered and beaten.

The gang, save Aranai who managed to be rescued before the police arrived, were all arrested. No tears were shed as they drove away in the back of a police cruiser. News spread about the group's loss and incarceration, making all of Japan breathe a sigh of relief. (Un)Fortunately, before a sentence could take place, the group was broken out of prison a week before their sentencing. Though the police tried to locate them, they found all criminal records on the gang scrubbed from their database. After a week of searching, the police gave up the search, having more important things to focus on.

Afterward, Aranai sadly ended the Yozakura, though she expressed that her time with each and every member of the group was the happiest of her life. Though no longer technically a group, they all were still on close terms with each other. Plus, they never said 'no' when it came to indulging in some mischief. Especially if it involved outrunning cops.

And Now...

It has been over two years since the dissolution of the Bōsōzoku gang. And life has, for the most part, continued as it normally would. ...But for some reason, the residents of Ueno seem to be in an uproar over something. Though sightings are rare and not at all to be taken seriously, a group of young women has been seen riding to and fro throughout the country of Japan, somewhat similar to the gang from two years ago. And what's more, they are even starting to call themselves after the former Bōsōzoku gang, "Yozakura".

...But surely that was just a one-time occurrence, correct? No way the group would reform and become something both "new" and "old" at the same time, right? ...Right?

Hideaways

The group known as Yozakura has its main HQ situated somewhere in Ueno City's underground. This should come as no surprise, considering that the leader, Aranai Norikoru, was born, raised, and currently lives there. However, recent investigations have shown that the group may also have temporary dwellings or hiding places all throughout Japan. This includes, but is not limited to, the following cities:

Shinagawa

Saitama

Edogawa

Taitō

Akihabara

Kyoto

Ōta

Fukuoka

Activities

Much like the former Yozakura group, the new Bōsōzoku seems to indulge in many Class-B & C crimes, including assault, theft, manslaughter, and burglary. However, with the addition of certain... individuals, their crimes have now taken a turn for the worse, with some of them being listed as Class-A felonies, most of which involve some degree of terrorism.

Assault

Bribery

Thievery

Cyberwarfare

Disturbing the Peace

Manslaughter

...It is safe to say that this "Yozakura" group has evolved from just being a mere Bōsōzoku gang...

Opposition

It should come as no surprise that the Yozakura has made quite a number of adversaries over the years. Even now, the list of their potential victims and adversaries has only increased. Strangely enough, while the police are listed on their list, their main opposition seems to consist of rival gangs or organizations that the police have had their eyes on for some time. This list includes:

The Government (Chuohku)

Local Law Enforcement

The Katen Family of Yokohama

The Church of Eden of Ginza

The Kito-gumi of Shizuoka

The Upper Class of Aoyama

Numerous Street Gangs

Aspirations/Goals

It's unknown what goals this gang made up of nefarious individuals had, if any at all. In the past, the group acted the way they did for various reasons. Some saw the gang as a way to escape from the monotony of their everyday lives. Others because they wanted to use the gang to rebel against authority and to establish total anarchy. And some just joined for the hell of it, not having a definite reason or excuse. Even now, police are scratching their heads.

With the formation of this "New" Yozakura, questions still abound as to what their end-game is, especially since the gang has started delving into more terroristic crimes. More information may become available in the future, once all of the members of this heinous group are locked up behind bars, where they belong.

[invisiblegarters]

Dangerous Romance Ep 1

It's here, it's here, it's finally here! Perth back in BL, which I never ever thought would happen. AND GMMTV coming for my throat for an entire weekend. Between this, Only Friends, and Hidden Agenda I feel like GMMTV is trying to take over my drama life.

...are you, GMMTV? If so, you're going about it the exact right way.

Alrighty so we're just gonna jump right into the social disparity and Perth's character being a huge asshat. Cool cool.

Okay liking Chimon already (yes I could go to MDL to look up the names but also no, I don't want to).

Papang! Hello! And we get a character name. Sailom. Got it. But I do like the relationsip between the brothers even if I feel like Papang's a little too, uh. Cavalier about doing things the illegal way to get up in the world.

Oh that ticket is totally getting stolen. Poor kid.

And here come the rich assholes. One of the Js (because it's a law one of them must be part of a trio in at least three of these a year), Pawin, and Perth. Good trio, nice to see all of them. Why do I feel like it's been a hot minute since I've seen Pawin even though he was in like every Our Skyy2 ep?

Aw glasses friend's mom really likes Sailom. Me too, mom.

Follow him boys. Don't just let him go! You know it's not right!

Oh yay, Perth's character is a huge asshole. Love that for him. Looking forward to hating him at first, haha.

Hey, Sailom's phone is an old model, right? Love that. So often in these dramas you have characters that are ostensibly supposed to be poor using the same stuff as the supposed rich kids.

And there goes the ticket. Dammit I knew this would happen. That poor kid.

Oh my god this teacher sucks. I am gonna have to try to take a breath here because bullying always sets me off like nothing else. I hate bullies.

Wow wow wow I hate this. Please tell me that he will face real consequences.

Delete it but send it to your friend first. Always make sure you have copies of that stuff.

Interesting that Sailom really doesn't seem frightened of this dude. I love that for him. I'm sure they'll come for him later but I do think it's great that he can't just intimidate him the way he so clearly wants to. Ass.

View is so pretty.

What a little ass. Is he seriously going to sic his goons on Sailom? Of course he is. What's the point of having toadies if you can't send them off to do your dirty work.

I like violent football friend. He and I are in perfect accord. Granted I know it will do nothing to the little bully but still.

Okay but does he not have backups? Sailom you're supposed to be smart.

Aw but his friends are absolutely adorable.

Hahahaha okay the bit with Kang's dad's name being on the table was funny. I have to admit that.

But Sailom really has the wrong idea. Bullies never ever ever give up when you ignore them. That advice just doesn't work. I say let violent friend whale on Kang. I mean, that probably won't help either but it'll be much more satisfying.

Okay this little shit better not mess with Sailom's job. I can abide many, many things but I can't abide some little shitheel messing with someone's livelihood.

Yep he's totally going to make him lose his job. Ew.

YES! Oh I love Sailom I love him. I love him I love him. I was actually starting to get hot for a second there.

I mean I still hate Kang and I'm still fairly gleeful about it, but I was genuinely mad for a moment. Good job, show.

Sorry guys can't care about rich boy's daddy issues. Damn though, the casual way he belittles Kang is pretty rough. Still doesn't excuse taking your whiny little issues out on other people, though. I just have no time for whiny rich boys.

You know, I actually like that conversation about dogs. Because my guess is that Kang is going to wind up being that dog that is trained via softness. Wanna bet? He thinks he's the alpha here but I feel like he's very very wrong. He's just a pathetic little kid waving around his dad's money. Of course, that can always go extremely wrong - see Beom Seok from Weak Hero Class 1 - I don't think Kang is quite there yet.

Aw what a good friend. They probably made him pay for that.

Auto is the sweetest.

He's gonna kiss Kang isn't he.

Yes. Yes he is. I love this guy.

Really not a fan of the homophobia though. Although my guess is there's some uh, latent feeling there from Kang already, since his punishments are a bit homoerotic.

I actually really liked this ep. I will say again, I like that they're not afraid to make Kang awful. I deeply, deeply appreciate it when dramas are okay with it having a deeply unlikeable main character - Japan does it all the time, but you don't see it as often from Thailand. Although I feel like lately we're getting a few of them. It gives them - and us - room to grow.

Sailom is lovely and totally my favorite right now. I really really like how he's portrayed - he's struggling but he's not spineless, he will let himself be pushed but only so far, and he's absolutely not afraid of Kang and his little group. I love him, your honor. And I am very worried about his financial situation and what that's going to mean.

HIs friend group is also absolutely lovely. Still on board with violence, me, but well. I have a temper. I really love how they support and stand up for each other.

I was going to watch this the entire way through regardless of how good it is for Perth and Chimon, but I thought this was a very strong first ep. As of right now I don't think I'm going to have to force myself to watch anything. I'm already ready for episode 2.

[spires-to-heaven]

I'm from Europe so my experience is slightly different but let me just add:

- getting SO SO bored because you get through many tasks way more quickly than your peers, but you're not allowed to do anything else once you're done (and -in my specific case- you have (thankfully a very mild case of) ADHD). Some of my smarter teachers used to give me extra exercises but most just didn't feel like making the effort of checking them with me afterwards. I used to bring a book to class and read when I was bored but I got told off for it so many times. I then settled for doing the previous class's homework while I waited and that actually got me punished a couple of times because I was "not focusing on the right subject" (as if doing nothing at all would help me gain a better understanding of high school chemistry through... what, meditation??). Wasn't allowed to nap, either. So I spent the last years of high school doodling. I had at least half as many doodling notebooks as I had actual-notes notebooks. AND I got told off for doodling, too.

- being rejected and / or bullied by your peers who hate you on principle for always being top of the class. Which, looking back now I kind of understand how that might be hard for a kid who tries and still gets bad or average grades to deal with, but has also left me with major trust and commitment issues I still struggle with 15 years later (:

- your friend gets a 80% on their test. The teacher praises them for doing such a good job. You also get a 80% on that test. The teacher wrote in the margin "disappointing, you can do better". Which, once again is very understandable looking back, but damn as a kid not having the same finish line as everyone else felt so unfair.

- you got a 70% (insteas of the usual 90-100) on a test. You feel terrible. You know everyone (your teacher, your parents) will ask what happened. You can't go to your friends to be sad about it, because they got like 55 and you know what they would GIVE for a 70? Shut up.

- you got a good grade? Can't be happy about it either, your friend failed, and also you ALWAYS have good grades, you don't even have to work for them half as hard as they do, nice of you to rub it in their faces, thank you, you're a terrible person.

- the tutoring one, SO MUCH. There was no official tutoring in my school or high school, anyone was free to get a private tutor at home, BUT the best students were 100% expected to tutor the rest. From explaining the lesson to the kid sat next to you in class, to actual time slots literally dedicated to tutoring other students??? Which is sometimes helpful to get you to understand better by explaining, sometimes a nice moment with your friends, SOMEtimes helpful to the one being tutored (there were so many times I had to explain a thing I DIDN'T know how I knew. I was like... it just makes sense. So frustrating for everyone.), many times just drilled The Difference into everyone's head which did NOT improve the bullying. ALSO 12 YEAR OLDS ARE NOT TEACHERS, ARE NOT QUALIFIED IN ANY WAY TO TEACH, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED TO BE.

That being said, being a gifted kid did grant me straight As throughout my entire school years, did help me get my homework done in half the time it took my peers thus allowing me lots of free time, let me get into the very selective field I wanted to study in college and do well there. But it was also very very alienating, left me with psychological scars from bullying I am STILL trying to heal years and years later, and a feeling that whatever I do is never good enough because I probably could and should do better. So, you know

I think a lot of the skepticism and derision toward the idea of "gifted kid burnout" stems from the fact that a lot of folks have no idea what the gifted track in most high schools actually looks like; they've got this mental image, possibly informed by popular media depictions, of "gifted kids" as a privileged group of students who get to go on extra field trips, monopolise the teachers' attention in class, and constantly be told how special they are, but are otherwise treated identically to all the other kids.

In practice, the gifted track in most high schools – most North American high schools at any rate – has the same problem as any other educational program: the need to adhere to published metrics. These programs exist for the benefit of students only insofar as those benefits can empirically be measured, which leads to several common outcomes:

Students on the gifted track being afforded fewer choices regarding elective classes – often to the extent of having no choices at all – in order to stream the highest-performing students into the subjects that are most valuable in terms of boosting institutional metrics.

Students on the gifted tracking receiving restricted access to educational resources such as tutoring because it's perceived as a waste of resources. In many cases, gifted students are not only denied access to tutoring, but expected to serve as volunteer tutors and teaching assistants themselves, effectively becoming a source of unpaid educational labour for the schools they attend.

Students on the gifted track being assigned considerably more homework, often literally doubling their workload in an environment where homework loads are already routinely high enough that kids have difficulty finding time to eat and sleep, simply because you get more measurable academic performance data that way.

The upshot is that the gifted track is often less about fun perks and constant praise, and more about receiving less freedom, fewer resources, and heavier workloads than one's peers, getting strong-armed into providing unpaid labour to the school on top of it, and constantly being told one should be grateful for it – and that's without touching on the fact that the unspoken secondary purpose of many gifted programs is to serve as a quarantine for all the neurodivergent kids the school couldn't find an excuse to institutionalise or expel.

Like, shit, there's a reason kids on the gifted track exhibit elevated rates of alcoholism and substance abuse compared to general student populations. That doesn't arise in a vacuum!

(To be clear, I'm not saying that people graduating from high school and immediately having an existential crisis upon realising they're not special after all isn't a thing that happens, but in my experience that's more usually something that happens to the kids who were on the football team, and reframing it as a nerd culture thing is really weird.)

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant

Starting over is never easy to do but when you have nothing left where you have lived most of your life, have raised your daughter, and the climate is no longer friendly…having a dude ranch inherited from an uncle might seem almost a safe haven to head to with your teenage daughter…maybe…?

What I liked:

* Maisey: recently divorce, mother of sixteen-year-old Juniper, has secrets, more skilled than the part she played in a handyman program she was on for six years with her ex, wants to be the best mother ever to her daughter, also seeking her own best self, not in the market for a relationship no matter how much she might be attracted to Flint

* Flint: math teacher, soccer coach, has commitment issues, had a rough childhood, good friend, giving, caring, kind, rule keeper, very attracted to Maisey, wants what is best for Juniper and her daughter

* Juniper-June-Junie: sixteen, has two years of high school left, loves soccer, wishes her father cared more than he does, wise, doing her best, misses much and not a lot of where she lived before, a good person, has a bright future

* Earl: a bear that pops up from time to time

* Gingersnap: a cow that had history with the town and belonged to Uncle Tony * Uncle Tony: black sheep of his family, a safe harbor for Maisey as a teenager, thought of Maisey and her possible future needs even though they did not see one another often, that his presence was felt even though he was never actually seen in the book

* The slow-burn and strong chemistry and almost soul-connection between Maisey and Flint

* Opal, Charlotte and others in the town who make Junie and Maisey feel at home

* Kory: Flint’s best friend, sounding board, and good person

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* That I Flint and Maisey both wanted what was best for Juniper…though they also wanted to have something for themselves, too

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to…mostly the ex-husband, Dean

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a rollicking romantic comedy about a single mom and a grumpy math teacher tackling their differences on a Wyoming ranch. I knew fixing up my life with a fresh start on the hobby ranch I inherited in Hell’s Bells, Wyoming, would come with challenges. Things like snow. Wildlife. Local gossip about why my daughter and I are here. But the biggest challenge? My surly new tenant. He’s like a bear. Fascinating from a distance, but don’t get too close, or he’ll bite. His personality should be a good thing. I have no need of a new man in my life. But he’s not only my tenant; he’s also my daughter’s math teacher and soccer coach. I keep running into him. He keeps thinking I need to be saved. Maybe I do, but here’s what I don’t expect: he’s a fixer-upper in need of saving too. And I might be the only woman for the job. Hell’s Bells, help me.

[making-dough]

So what if he has a pointed stick? (Open)

Are you stuck with glass bones and paper skin? Sick of just having pedestrian magic to your name? The professors are holding a special class for the squishiest of mages, clerics, and archers, where they may learn close-quarters self-defense if they’re ambushed by an enemy. [Grants Gauntlets +1]

♠  - It wasn’t often that Farina found herself standing in, especially on a class she wasn’t in charge of and especially not at the last minute. She usually had enough self-respect to not let herself be caught holding the hot potato, so to speak. But you know how things go with stuff like this: ‘Oh, I had an emergency that I didn’t see coming and can’t take the class’ and then one thing led to another and this time around, she was the one left holding the short straw, so to speak. 

Anyway, it’s not as if anything has actually changed for her, anyway. She’ll just waltz in and pretend she knows what she’s talking, like she always do. To be honest, her biggest complaint was that the substitution was so last-minute she hadn’t even managed to finish her lunch. Well, at least her lunch was mobile enough that it wasn’t that much of an issue but still, she should be allowed to at least finish eating before getting called in to cover someone else’s ass!

Well, nothing for it then. Ready or not, she’s got a class to teach. Striding confidently into the classroom, Farina greeted her students with a smile. “Hello, class! Your usual teacher can’t make it today so I’m standing in. The name’s Farina. You can call me...” She stopped for a moment before frowning. “Actually don’t. It still sounds weirdly old.” She might have gotten used to the ‘Professor’ title by now but damn, did it still sound wrong on her.

Mind, she wasn’t even really a fan of the intro bits. She’d much rather they got right down to the chase. Time was money, after all. There was just one little problem. The stand-in was so last-minute that she had very little idea what on earth she was meant to be teaching. So, in the end, she was basically stalling. From the sorts that were making up her students, her best guess was... some kind of magic seminar? (oh, boy, she’d be really out of her depth then), except that didn’t explain all the gym equipment lying around. 

Unless it really was that ‘self-defence for mages’ thing she’d hearing about. That would explain, well, a lot. Yeah, that might be it. Whatever, she’ll just pretend it is and wait for someone to correct her if she’s off. “Now, self-defence. Self De Fence. Serrf De fence.”, the mercenary babbled, pacing lightly on the spot. More stalling again. Hey, even if she knew the subject didn’t mean she knew the specifics. Then again, it wasn’t exactly a discipline in her line of work. Usually, it just came down to 1. Grab something. 2. Hit somebody with it. 3. ???? 4. Profit.

Supposed she could start from what she knew and figure it out. Her gaze dropped down to her half-eaten lunch, still swinging around in her hand. It could also really help if she had a prop of some kind too. “Now, I’ve got, uh, no clue what you’ve covered so far so let’s start with something you’re gonna find really handy. Improvised weaponry! Like, for example, what to do if you get attacked by an assailant armed with” Here, she paused for effect before revealing “A meat skewer!" Quickly pivoting to point into the crowd of students with her half-eaten-lunch-turned-makeshift-prop, the mercenary posed a question to the crowd. “Now, can anyone tell me what stands out most about this skewer?” Well, would you look at that? It was like she really can make a class out of this, after all.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

Death to All Might, Rebirth to Yagi Toshinori

So about All Might. I’ve been extremely wary of talking about what could happen to him because straight up saying “I don’t think he’s gonna die” is asking the universe to spite me. Plus it also feels like a room full of people turning to stare at me as if I said the Sun isn’t a star. Man has death flags everywhere, I know. 

But, okay, *Bill Nye voice* consider the following:

Mr. Yagi here, if he overheard everything, just received the final nail in the coffin on his career. His time as the symbol of peace is not only over, it was in fact partially responsible for the current state of things, since he once did so much on his own that his absence now makes heroes and civilians alike ill-prepared to cope. I think it was very apt for that one guy to be wearing an All Might shirt--he was acting as a mouthpiece for the latent societal problems embedded in All Might’s legacy. 

We know already that he’s been feeling useless. I love this scene and although I’m not gonna talk about it right this second, remember what Aizawa says about just “being here” being enough:

And we know from conversations with Inko that Toshinori is also reframed his purpose around looking after Izuku. But in the end, Izuku rejected his help, and it was his classmates instead who were able to save him. Now the very progress of humanity is rejecting him too. You may me wondering how on Earth I don’t see the logical conclusion of all this being his death. Hold on. It actually has a lot to do with the fact that we’re all expecting it. Nighteye himself saw it, and despite any contrary convictions anyone might have, the plot doesn’t seem to be veering away from that end. All Might Is Gonna Die, says absolutely everything. 

It’s occurring to me that I have previous experience with this kind of plotline that probably little to no one else in this fandom shares, being that I’ve read a certain book series in which the main character is told in no uncertain terms that he will die (no, I’m not talking about hp). The series in question is T*e Und*rland Chronicl*s (censoring so it doesn’t get put in their side of tumblr) and I’m sorry but I’m about to go on a shameless tangent about it and spoil the ending for you.

So in this series there is a prophecy in every book, each one having something to do with war and conflict, and so far all of them have been right. In the last book [mc] finds out that it’s prophesied that he will be killed. Lots of the things in the prophecies are convoluted and metaphorical, but no, this one literally says “when the [mc’s title] has been killed.” He spends the whole book coming to terms with this, and he gives into it, only to find himself waking up in the hospital instead. “Wow, plot twist. /s” you may be thinking, and yeah sure, the mc in a kids book survived, big shocker. But it doesn't end there. After the war, there are peace talks, but they escalate until the two sides are on the verge of declaring war again. And [mc], bless him, has just been caught in the middle of all of this the entire time. He’s sick as shit of fighting, of watching the suffering and death of people he cares about. He draws his sword against both of them angrily, gives a speech saying he won’t take a side, and then promptly breaks his sword across his knee: “There. [mc’s title in the prophecies] is dead. I killed him.” He’s giving a huge middle finger to everyone there, to the man who wrote the prophecies, to the entire fucked up culture of it all. And so something that was taken literally turns out to be metaphorical. That is, if you still believe in the prophecies at all.

Hopefully you’re catching my drift here. What I’m saying is, even though this other series has nothing to do with bnha, it goes to show sometimes it’s the most absolute certainties that are red herrings, and a “death” can consequently be a symbolic one. In All Might’s case, it could be the death of hero society and a rejection of his own past. In other words, character development for Toshinori himself that reflects on the way the world is changing, too. Also there’s the fact that the mc from that other series I’m trying not to name has an honorary title, and I’m imagining that role he occupied “dying” could correspond to something that amounts to, “All Might is dead. I (Yagi Toshinori) killed him.” 

And here’s another thing: we also have to ask ourselves what good a dead Toshinori is to Izuku, narratively speaking. Yes, Izuku has spent his whole life idolizing even the more toxic parts of All Might, and his idealized vision of his hero does need to “die.” But how about Toshinori as a father figure?  Izuku regretting that his last interaction with Toshinori was to reject his help may drive home the fact that he shouldn’t go off on his own, but at this point it’s kinda redundant. If anything it would negate some of the progress that was just made because it’d make him extra paranoid about losing other people too. To be honest, the whole “Uncle Ben” trope, the mentor/father figure who dies and gives the mc a reason to do better, is so tired. Experiencing the death of a loved one really doesn’t deserve to be romanticized like that. I might as well admit that I’m speaking from experience, and let me tell you, losing someone you love suddenly, when you weren’t around, and with unfinished business--it makes you paranoid as hell that it will happen again. It literally gives me nightmares. Y’all, I cannot stress enough that trauma does not equal character development. Granted, just because I know this doesn’t mean Horikoshi does, but in general he does seem to lead his characters toward healing.

Okay, back to the present. Toshinori is turning away from UA. He likely feels useless and rejected. We can infer that what happens next will involve Stain, and we have a couple of extra clues to go with it: Stain considers All Might a true hero, and has stated that he would let All Might kill him. And since Horikoshi loves his parallels, we also have this fight between Endeavor and this random villain who admires him so much that he wants to die by Endeavor’s hand:

This suggests a confrontation in which Stain challenges All Might to live up to himself as he once was, so that as a hero he can vanquish Stain and symbolically overcome society's perversion of that role. But based on what All Might has learned about the system he upheld, Stain is wrong. All Might is not a “true hero” in the sense that the societal issues Stain witnessed exist not in spite of All Might, but (in part) because of him, because he took too much of the responsibility for himself.

Stain probably had no idea about the personal cost of All Might’s lonely burden until after the fact. Maybe he’s seeing it now. So then perhaps the confrontation would be more about Stain claiming he’s just as fake as the rest. Either way, Toshinori has the opportunity to denounce himself and be rid of “All Might,”  to stop living in his own shadow. Nighteye’s vision has been defied before, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the combination of society shifting + Toshinori’s own conviction is enough to do it again and work fate in his favor.

He is not All Might. He is Yagi Toshinori: quirkless, worn down, and directionless except for his dedication to Izuku. If he survives his interaction with Stain, he can resolve his imperfect mentorship by confessing about his shortcomings and simply supporting Izuku as a part of his family, not as his teacher (as Aizawa said, just “being there”). And that’s how you really get character development, for both of them. I mean, shit, imagine Toshinori straight up telling Izuku to stop calling him All Might.

[maolong]

Then we get to Toxic Yuri. This genre is pretty much purely defined by the toxic relationships, not always as a product of issues between the people in the relationship, but sometimes factors outside of the relationship such as issues with health or from society. This section will discuss ‘Destroy It All and Love Me In Hell,’ as well as ‘The Chronojotter.’ First off though, a discussion of what Toxic Yuri actually is. At it’s core Toxic Yuri is Yuri that focuses on many of the issues with the romance, while this doesn’t make it so that all relationships are inherently unhealthy (Though by far most are) most of them will be. Often times this takes the form of an abusive relationship, and can be either physically or emotionally abusive, though the issues can also be related to issues related to society or health that result in issues with the relationship, or issues such as codependency that are a product of dealing with the relationship in an inherently unhealthy way. This focus on the issues can result in Yuri relationships that lack a focus on an actual romantic, lustful, or even friendly relationship and result in relationships that are defined entirely by the toxic nature of it and the emotions that drive it that despite the lack of any of the above mentioned drivers, are still Yuri due to the pure vitriol between one or both of the members of the relationship. This isn’t to say that Yuri with issues in the relationship is purely the realm of toxic yuri, in fact both pure and idiot yuri can have massive issues with their relationship but what separates toxic yuri from them is typically the intensity of focus that is granted to these issues. ‘Destroy It All and Love Me In Hell’ is an example of how these issues take center stage. In the story Kurumi and Naoi are both students in the same class with Kurumi being the Class Rep, and Naoi being a bit of a Delinquent who often doesn’t come to class. The teacher passes off the job of reaching out to Naoi to Kurumi in order to get her to come to class. When they meet it’s on the stairs with Kurumi whispering about how she hates this duty and the sort of student Naoi is, Naoi takes notice and ends up using various pieces of information and things she blackmails Kurumi into doing in order to control her due to her desire to break Kurumi because she hates the sort of person the class rep is. Kurumi on the other hands feels intense amounts of pressure from her mother and hates the position she’s been forced into as a result, and in many ways the control that Naoi has over her becomes a very unhealthy outlet for her stress and one that she on some level accepts. The story is not about a healthy relationship, it is not one that is initially or at it’s core one about nothing more then their own despisement of something else and how their relationship is an outlet for it. This relationship between them is still one that is still Yuri. It isn’t intrinsically romantic, but the romance of it is found in the chains that they weave around each other. Toxic Yuri’s core is often found in works such as this, where the inherent romance of the Yuri isn’t about it being actually romantic as in about the love and emotional core of a relationship but the romance of the connection created through the toxicity between the participants. The result of this is that the spirit of yuri is maintained through the toxicity of the relationship as opposed to another form of expressing the desire that exists between the two. This as opposed to ‘The Chrono Jotter’ wherein the relationship is an actual relationship, and the toxic aspects of it are a result of how the romantic relationship is handled instead of being the core of their relationship.

Yesterday I ended up spending too much time creating this diagram in order to describe yuri, and now I feel a need to actually go in and explain the description.For the purposes of this diagram, Yuri is described as some level of relationship between two girls (This will be explained why girls here is in part inaccurate) that is deeper in some form then their relationship is with others too a degree that it is an important aspect of the narrative, characters, and/or framing of the story in such a way that it can be construed as having a romantic or similar tone to it either in an overt or an implied manner. Similar tone here can be used to describe things such as rivalries, sexual attraction, pure lust, hatred, basically anything that is in some way an intense emotional relationship between the two. In this case, two characters who are friends may be excluded from being considered Yuri because they do not have an intense emotional bond in the relationship, because it is secondary to their relationship with other characters (In terms of emotional depth usually, narrative importance has never stopped yuri shipping or yuri bait from being applied), or because the friendship is largely unimportant in it's role for the story or the characters. Other reasons are possible but are often less used.

Now it's time for a definition of terms, I will try to use specific examples of relationships when discussing these, and as such it will contain spoilers. I will make an attempt to give proper warning but if Tumblr has a way of spoiler text I don't know what it is so expect spoilers to be forewarned but not hidden.

Starting off we have 'Pure Yuri,' I'll be using Sakura trick as an example later on so if you don't want to be spoiled for it (Not that I'm sure that you can really be spoiled about it). Pure Yuri is yuri that is emblematic of the common image of yuri from the mid to late 2010s online or in general culture that would be aware of such. Pure Yuri tends to be Yuri where both characters are aware that they have feelings for each other, and reciprocate them in a way that acknowledges both parties feelings, and in a way that has genuine affection involved. While it doesn't show a problem free existence, it's typically one in which issues that are a result of the relationship are quickly resolved and/or meaningless or alternatively ones in which they are primarily a result of others people not either of the people involved in said Yuri. Sakura Trick for instance, has the two main characters of it 'Yuu' and 'Haruka' engaging in a romantic relationship with each other through kissing and spending time with just the two of them as a solution to being split apart in class. The issues here are ones that are largely irrelevant, but they do serve as a framing for the focus which is on the relationship between Yuu and Haruka as well as how it's special compared to their other relationships. This focus on the relationship, and it's focus on it as something that is uniquely pure is the cornerstone of a lot of pure yuri. This applies to many forms of Yuri in which the focus is on a lewd relationship as well, and even in these cases it is often times framed as something that is more pure then other forms of lewd behaviors and even sex. Some forms of pure yuri that are focused on lewd behaviors, Virgin's Empire for example doesn't show those involved in the lewd shenanigans afoot as inherently pure (Often times quite the opposite) however, there is still a focus on it being something that all parties are aware of the emotional investment of desire and lust between the parties involved, and being more then happy to engage with those feelings. Pure Yuri ends up being something that is primarily about the relationship between the two girls in a way that is in many ways celebratory of the relationship as well, and this ends up being what defines it. This doesn't mean that the two will end up together, in fact due to some japanese cultural beliefs about the relationships young girls should hold and ideas of tragedy, it is common in a lot of works for them to explicitly not end up together. This has been changing as more and more works come out where the girls do get together in the end.