#bcs those unlike normal japanese characters

[sinvulkt]

[vashtijoy]

probably a silly question, but i was under the impression that mental shutdowns can either kill or put someone in a coma, while psychotic breaks make the victim abandon all societal norms and whatever inhibitions they had. sort of like. it will make them act like their worst self and desires and intrusive thoughts but it won't kill them. is this wrong? :0 i guess even in my interpretation a psychotic break can make someone act in such a way that will cause them serious body harm or death. but can a psychotic break kill on its own?

You have it right, anon! Definitions again:

psychotic breakdown—more literally something like "mental rampage", this is the result of Akechi using Call of Chaos on someone's shadow. The game implies (with statements like "once the chains on [their] heart are broken") that the things people do during a breakdown are things they can't admit they want to do; the things they repress down into their shadow. These result in "accidents and scandals", and (probably?) won't kill you directly.

mental shutdown—the result of Akechi killing someone's shadow, this is haijinka, more literally "cripple-ization" or "making someone a human wreck" (thanks so much, y'all)—note that 廃人 haijin is derogatory and "should be used with caution".

Here's Japanese Wikipedia (via Google Translate bc I'm both lazy and busy this morning) on haijin:

When people are generally called "haijin", most of them refer to cases in which sociality is significantly impaired compared to healthy people . Because of the particularly strong discriminatory elements, it is used when the mind is destroyed or activity is hindered due to congenital (or acquired) mental disorders, or when normal social activities are difficult.

Note that, while these are two very different things, with very different effects, the localisation typically muddies the water by saying shutdown when it means breakdown, or vice versa. Or by turning "shutdowns and breakdowns" into one or the other. Or by describing something else entirely as a mental shutdown—the cases in that post are breakdowns, but they're a specific subset of breakdown. So when you hear these mentioned in English, think about what they're describing, and which definition it meets. The characters are often validly confused about what's going on, but the terminology is also usually muddled, one way or another.

how fatal are they tho

Using @cincosechzehn's original spreadsheet as an indicator, we see five mental shutdowns in canon, as part of the plot: Wakaba, Kayo, Kobayakawa, Okumura and the SIU Director. Out of these five, the only five we see onscreen, four of them die and one recovers.

Those are bad odds. Those are really bad odds. That's an 80% kill rate. Like, the SIU guy and Okumura may not be in good health, but by their nature mental shutdowns are going to tend to target older people in power. Wakaba and Kobayakawa may just in the wrong place at the wrong time—but that's still 40%; going brain dead in the real world is not safe.

On the upside, the only person we hear about having a mental shutdown and not dying immediately does begin to recover in the medium term. But Sae (a reliable source, unlike the TV news) tells us people "lose consciousness, never to recover"—which likely makes those odds a bit worse.

Based on this, I would be really hesitant about saying "mental shutdowns aren't fatal". 80% fatal is essentially "only not murder because I missed". Additionally, it looks like Shido and the SIU Director may sometimes send the Cleaner in to "clean up", when a shutdown victim doesn't die first time—for instance, he may have been responsible for that truck that hit Kobayakawa. Not sure about this one yet.

what about the psychotic breakdowns?

Again, a psychotic breakdown seems to make you rampage and do something you secretly want to do, but are usually restrained from by little things like morality and not hurting others. They often seem so targetted (Akechi gives X a psychotic breakdown to make them do useful thing Y) that I think there must be an interrogation element—like he talks to the shadow to see what it wants to do, and maybe has to take time to find one that will serve his purpose. For instance, if he wants a flashy subway accident, he can't CoC a random train driver who it turns out just wants to slam on the brakes and jerk off.

So the breakdowns are described as "accidents and scandals", because sometimes they're devastating, but sometimes someone just loses their mind and does something weird. Or they start swinging a knife around on a train.

And here we need to get into intent. Akechi doesn't have a death note, after all. He can't just write down "this guy smashes his train through several stations at top speed, eventually derails it with catastrophic effect, and nobody dies." He sends the driver in knowing the likelihood is that the result will be a lot of dead people.

Because that's what happens. Akechi starts the ball rolling, probably with a rough idea that it will serve the purpose he was assigned, and then he has to let it roll and see where it lands.

This is why almost the first thing that happens in the game is that we get told about a "rampage accident" that is fatal:

(I figured this list really deserved its own post.)

Here's the top item on that list again:

バス暴走死傷事故 basu bousou shishou jiko reckless bus driving accident that caused injuries and deaths

This is a really interesting choice for the top item in the list. It's a case of 暴走運転 bousou unten "reckless driving", sure. But Japanese players are going to get very used to that word bousou, very quickly, in the context of the 精神暴走事件 seishin bousou jiken—the psychotic breakdown cases.

This is an explicit link between the word bousou—Akechi's word that describes his unique signature skill and his effect on others and ultimately his combat style—and a fatal accident. And it's right up at the front of the game, when about all we know about "psychotic breakdowns" is that some girls were talking about them as a spooky occult thing, on the train into Shibuya. Like, they could have chosen almost any of the things on this list to make fatal. But it was this one, and IMO that's important. The subway train derailing may not have been fatal, but the first thing the game wants us to know about psychotic breakdowns is that a. that people are terrified by them, b. that they can be extremely dramatic, and c. that people die from them.

To address your question again, specifically: no, people (probably; see below) don't die just from having a psychotic breakdown. But nobody "just" has a psychotic breakdown. The point is to make them do something—and the thing they do may well be devastating, and cause devastating injuries, up to and including deaths. Or it may just be personally devastating.

but then there are the chats and news stories

There are a lot of in-game rumours about psychotic breakdowns, and a lot of what appears to be misinformation, mainly because the difference between psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns is not clear.

One rumour is that breakdowns lead to mental shutdowns: "those people end up going brain dead", "they become haijin during interrogation". Another is that "you suddenly pass out ... [and] die in a lot of pain". Well, rumours are rumours.

But we also hear that "the news is saying the [train] driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions". Of course, we know the news is controlled... but then we have to ask ourself what else they aren't reporting on.

doesn't akechi give himself psychotic breakdowns

The quick answer here is no. You could maybe argue that he does when the only example we had was the engine room, but in the third semester we get his Showtime, when he uses it repeatedly to put himself into a berserker rage. It looks like it gives him a bit of a headache afterwards, or makes him dizzy.

Call of Chaos just doesn't seem to work the same on Akechi (or, for that matter, on the two ordinary shadows he casts it on) as it does on people's shadows, when it goes "up the chain" and controls them in the real world. The immediate thing I'd point out is that Akechi doesn't drool blood (that I've noticed, at least) and his eyes don't roll back in his head (you can see his irises, albeit tiny and extremely crazy). Akechi can still speak, though he doesn't make much sense. He's not entirely out of control (despite being in, seemingly, a blind killing rage, he never attacks Joker in the Showtime—and there's a plot bunny for anyone who wants to pick it up and run with it.)

He is not experiencing exactly what his victims do—though he's experiencing something very similar: a lifting of his "chains", his inhibitions. It really seems like a true psychotic breakdown may be something that lingers with you, that lasts a long time, that probably leaves you in ruins. I'm not sure we ever hear of anyone who had one and was fine afterwards, though I can't swear to this.

[reaperkaneki]

ok here are my Thoughts on gin noto

under cut bc it got long lol

first off, he is very strong representation. as in, i think this might be the platonic ideal of a transmasc character. which has its good points and bad.

sweet-p’s arc was rooted in some obviously transphobic jokes/points/etc but at its core, her arc felt well-intentioned and overall she was definitely portrayed as one of the most sympathetic of the musicians (who are antagonists but certainly not outright villains, which the musician route makes abundantly clear). she also is not, like, described as trans per se, mostly as a crossdresser who loves cute things and wishes she were a cute girl (so like, she’s trans) and honestly her arc is about self-image and body dysmorphia in general (weight and age and outside perception are all major factors). and that’s what sets her apart from gin, gin is very much about Gender Dysphoria And Conforming To Societal Gender Roles first and foremost.

unlike sweet-p’s writing, gin’s doesn’t have any overt flaws to point to, which is why i had to mull it over for a while to figure out what was missing, and i think it’s because it is very much aimed at a cis audience. the narrative itself is perfectly fine, it’s the meta-narrative that bothers me.

when gin confesses that irl, he was assigned female at birth and presents as female in his day-to-day life, and asks the player, does this change anything, there is a right answer and a wrong answer. the wrong answer is to tell him that you don’t care what gender he is, it doesn’t change anything at all; gin perceives this as a half-assed, dismissive response said without thinking and becomes upset and it locks you out of the rest of his character episodes. the correct answer is to tell him that you don’t know, you’re not sure. maybe it does change things between the two of you. gin feels that this is a understandable position to take, like, of course it might be a big deal, it certainly feels like a big deal to him!

and yes, to someone who hasn’t encountered a trans person before, that’s probably a reasonable response. to me, specifically, a fellow transmasc person, i think i sorta laughed at this part because, like, the only thing that would change if a coworker or friend or whatever told me that they were actually stealth trans this whole time (and that’s being generous bc gin is Not Slick lmfao the foreshadowing for him being trans is super obvious to anyone who knows) i’d be like cool! love that for you. etc etc. bc transgenderism is Normal to me.

but the game assumes You Are A Cis Person Who Isn’t Sure How To React To Trans People. the game doesn’t let you be trans. there’s not a nonbinary option, despite having a cyborg for an antagonist and, more egregiously, a canonically nonbinary character in your party. (i’d say pronouns, but that’s not quite the same in japanese.) not that i was expecting that to be possible, but it is a clear separation of gameplay and story that hinders roleplay (in an rpg where your character’s backstory is almost completely undefined)!

this is not to say that gin is poorly written. like i said, he’s like the platonic ideal of representation. he’s easy to clock specifically because his experiences ring true; he’s always, always, always overcompensating and posturing “as a man”, he’s trying to conform to his own personal image of “what men do”, “how guy friendships work”, “what guys are interested in”. when asked why he gets along with women so well, he lies and says it’s because he has an, uh, older sister! so he’s spent a lot of time around women! he dresses trendy, but not too fashionably (because that’s feminine, he’s function over form allegedly), and the cut of his clothes is soooo. well. the silhouette is masculinizing, or at least androgynous, let’s say. he even wishes he were taller.

i’m pretty sure i’ve done most of those things. this is writing that either speaks from experience or understands the prompt and has done the goddamn research.

it is, however, very, VERY cool that he actually turns out to Not Be A Man, at least in the sense he’s always wanted to be. REALLY good nonbinary arc that i wish wasn’t constrained to, like, the last two character episodes. it’s the one interesting ‘twist’, and i love that it explains a lot of things about him! when he talks about working as a woman irl and busting his ass in heels, he sounds proud, even as he admits that presenting female always made him uncomfortable. and lo and behold, his catharsis effect sports a pair of gold heels! if he was just a hypermasculine trans man, that would be super uncomfortable, as if it were some sort of transphobic indicator of his ‘true self’ being feminine. but no, it’s because he’s hiding that aspect of himself. he repressed his masculine tendencies to conform to social norms, and then inadvertently did the same to his feminine side, but both are important. he likes the heels.

i also like that he’s bi and acknowledges that his relationships never worked out bc he hadn’t figured out his shit yet. it do be like that sometimes.

unfortunately, i think he’s also kind of boring? like, besides her wanting to be a cute girl, sweet-p had other stuff going on, she had that boke/tsukkomi routine with stork, she had a genuine love for yume-kawaii (whereas while gin has many interests, a not-insignificant part of those interests is male posturing), she was even a musician! i understand that gin’s blandness is On Purpose because he dislikes rocking the boat (but he hates posers, which was a genuinely interesting reaction from him that didn’t feature as strongly in his arc as i wanted. even kiriko comments on it), but doesn’t change the fact that he ain’t weird enough! can’t even be an only sane man bc he goes along with everyone’s bs lol

anyway gin is cool and well-written as a trans character but missing a bit otherwise. i’d still definitely love to hang out and get beef bowls and boba with him :)

[eruverse]

Redrawing ocs from my resurrected original story

2020? - 2023

I rly used to have a shoujo drawing style up until a few years ago

Anyway I have been an active weeb since I was born p much, who actually learned Japanese (on my own, I could understand some of N3 level Japanese but it’s all evaporated off now) and loved kanji esp and I actually learned the strokes and to write lol. Apparently I can still write with my own hands Japanese characters (technically Chinese also but yeh, the strokes are sometimes different).

How far I’ve gone tbh

A pretty boy with a kinda nasty heart.

Child of a broken home, but he doesn’t care much about it. Since his mother works outside town a lot, usually it’s him and his sister at home. His sister is such a bad cook so usually he takes over.

He inherited a certain blood disorder from his mom’s side of family that his sister also has, but Shusaku’s is a bit more severe. Due to his condition he is pale and can’t be under the sun for too long (convenient! He often uses his sickness as an excuse to miss PE). Since he and his family have moved back to the town where his grandparents used to live, he and his sister are being taken care of by a family friends who have been family doctors for generations.

Anyway, Shusaku is a pretty normal dude at least appearance-wise. He goes to school, he reads manga (and occasionally gravure magazines), he doesn’t go to any club, he does house chores. He is pretty smart but it’s balanced out by his laziness. He might be kinda nasty at heart but he doesn’t go out of his way to hurt ppl, only that he ultimately looks out for his own interests first. He is aware of many things and not abt the others but he refuses to have those concerns dictate his life. He appears pretty stoic and nonchalant.

His maternal family is the typical rich family of a small town. The Kokujou family made their riches by being landowners. They were not very rich these days but they are still influential enough in the town. Shusaku doesn’t have a lot of relatives bc many of them died at young age due to the blood disorder, but his great grandmother and one grandparent are still alive.

Shusaku’s sister, Hinako who is only 11 months older

Unlike the lazy Shusaku, Hinako is a model student who is esp ambitious and stubborn. With her beautiful face, kind personality and good grades, she is a star at school.

Receives love confession from schoolmates all the time, but there is only one person who exists in her heart.

Both siblings are insanely good looking like models, and they can pass off as twins. Tbh the whole family is known to be really good looking.

Their father will be absent the whole story I guess, haven’t really decided. Anw the divorce was prompted by many problems found in the Kokujou side of family, enough that Dad felt like he didn’t want to deal with whole lot of them anymore.

Shusaku in time would find out what kind of issues exist in his family, if he isn’t aware of some of them already.

[just-jammin]

aight i’ll bite. what even. is. the vtuber meta? afaik theyre just anime mcyt

(disclaimer: this is just me trying to ramble abt vtubers; if this appears in the search tab, pls ignore it or don't harass me abt some inaccuracies)

well, it's... not that simple ig??

even i don't know too much abt the vtuber stuff bc i'm jus a newbie fan

buuut i can give ya the gist of everything in here first, then the most prominent groups in the second part! under the cut bc it MIGHT get long!

(also this is the FIRST time i've heard of that term... ik it's kinda like the world of vtubers or smth, but i tried searching it up and i either got a magazine or news of the meta being bad so i don't rly wanna dive deeper into that vtuber news shit—)

sooo vtubers are basically rl ppl streaming, but with the added façade of basically being some of sort animated character on top of that. they usually range from the usual anime character to something a LOT more bonkers, like a capybara or even, idk, an object?? though that's limited to like, lesser-known indie vtubers, so yeh :p

along with the drawn, animated, and rigged characters that they control using their body movements, the characters themselves have lore attached to them, kinda like the characters that mcyt ppl have when playing in smp's. the lore can range from just being a normal person/idol to an ABSOLUTELY nigh-powerful god or legendary creature, not unlike the fan interpretations of smp character lore. however, it only gets slightly alluded to most of the time in streams, as a lot of them still reference their personal lives quite a bit, sometimes even combining the two in a clever way.

speaking of personal lives, if they have any other ooc Youtube or Twitch channels to be noted about, they're usually treated as separate to the current character they have at the moment. this is mostly done as respect to the current character, but sometimes talking about those channels, or 'previous lives' as the fans call it, in the presence of the vtuber in question could get them doxxed.

also, you might notice that a LOT of vtubers are also prone to saying a bunch of Japanese terms. it's mostly bc afaik, they first became popular in Japan. they then spread internationally with the help of community captions, and later on, clipping channels that post snippets of their videos with subtitles helped with the popularity.

however, vtuber culture is kinda based off of Asian idol culture, with some aspects of it being carried over to vtubers as well. one such aspect is calling retirements 'graduations', which to fans is a catch-all term for 'leaving the character and pretty much blocking said character's social media & its contents away from the masses', leading to a usually MASSIVE wave of panic in the chat. terminations of contract are also there, but are mostly prominent in corporate vtuber groups as opposed to independent/indie vtuber groups.

so yeah, that's the gist of vtubers. i'll discuss abt the main competitors in the nxt ask—

[yue-muffin]

well, cherry magic was absolutely devastating and yet another example of why i love jdramas: when they set out to do so, they are full of so much heart and understanding of what it means to be human. i have had so many emotional rollercoasters over the years, but the angst is not usually angst for its own sake; there’s a purpose: to paint a tragedy and make you think ah, if only..., or testing the bonds of friends and family to show that what makes us human can just as easily tear us apart as be the cause for us to overcome obstacles in life.

i usually don’t like romances. i avoid them. which is also why i like jdramas. romance-centric ones are clearly marked and indicated in the summary, if a romance appears in a non romantic drama, it doesn’t often take anything away from the plot or characters. in fact, aside from old bl movies, i’ve never watched a single romance jdrama, no matter how highly recommended.

this got LONG so.

two things: 1) im really glad i gave cherry magic a chance. 2) my mind was blown by how far the japanese romance genre has come in terms of depicting same sex relationships. all you have to do is look to the old bl movies i used to watch- even if the characters are respected within their medium, they all end in tragedy.

so, cherry magic along with several other jdramas coming out or that have come out recently, really impressed me. i stepped away from the jdrama world for a while, and im glad that i slipped back in.

so about the whole drama since ive really been talking about the overall genre - it’s so damn good and relatable, to a painful degree. to me, particularly, who has lived a privileged life and moves through the world without too much fuss, it’s that self-sabotage of adachi’s that really hit me hard. you’re your own worst enemy sometimes. and, indeed, his anxiety is also really relatable. how many times do i always think the worst of my performance, when the grades, the instructors’ assessments, my friends and family, all say i didn’t do as bad as i think in my head? or thinking whatever you do, it’s never going to be enough to match so-and-so’s expectations, and if you fail their expectations you fail them and yourself. man, that spiral of his thoughts in the last two episodes was painful but the resolution of which was so cathartic.

(also, i guess i just have to own up to the fact that i do have some sort of anxiety. i never really talk about myself to others, and to my family who i do, they don’t believe anxiety is even a thing beyond a funny feeling in your gut which is like “wow, really”, but a thing i’ve learned to ignore, except this ongoing pandemic situation has really made it rear its ugly head, which i can normally keep in check ok)

but the drama as a whole...it’s so realistic, and positive. it’s a perfect balance. it handles the “typical” bl tropes well, giving a bit of its original manga flair but taking it to a realistic level. like all the classic kabedons! the mind reading bit is actually really helpful here to break those tropes apart a bit by being able to know kurosawa’s thoughts even tho on the outside he’s mostly as suave as ever

and another thing! it’s so...life-affirming. that it’s ok to not know where you’re going even at age 30, to set little goals for yourself, to pursue happiness in your relationships. the way society is these days, there’s so much pressure to be the best and succeed - even to the point, it’s not just good to be happy with what you’re doing, you must be successful by society’s standard (the minato storyline particularly addressed this)

and i, at least, really need that reminder. i love the career im working towards now, but when i was only 21, i was just about having a breakdown every other week bc i was coming to the end of my undergrad studies and didn’t know where i wanted to go next. it felt like ‘if i don’t make the right choice in these 3 months, it’ll ruin the rest of my life or i’ll just never be happy’. that’s so crazy, thinking back.

and another thing: the characters are all so different, but i found a bit of myself in each of them nonetheless. unlike fujisaki, i do want to be in a relationship someday, but i don’t want one now and i would greatly appreciate people in my life to stop pressuring me into one with their well-intentioned comments. i thought at first that kurosawa wasn’t going to be super deep, just a really nice guy in love, but actually his mask of perfection and need to meet others’ expectations as his self-perceived redeeming qualities really hit hard. and adachi, who is like my spirit animal, his anxiety and worries over whether he’s worth a love that seems so good and perfect, running away rather than face the possibility of getting hurt from that interaction. even rokkaku, who acted all energetic and excited at the drinking party but really just wanted to get the heck out of there

the actors were all just. so good. i mentioned this last time, but they got the perfect balance of comedy moments + realistic reactions/nuanced acting that isn’t exaggerated, for the non-comedy moments. they all did a stellar job of selling this drama!

so, the bad thing is that this has set the bar high on modern romance dramas for me, and considering i don’t give them much of a chance in the first place, lol.

[kannra21]

This time I watched Fugou Keiji Balance: Unlimited for real, meaning that all this knowledge I gained about that series from the previous time was just facts coming from different posts on Tumblr. And I got to know a lot about it thanks to you. You guys were a big help in figuring out some of the series' most important aspects, I appreciate your input on it.

Now that I’ve watched both episodes. I’m going to comment on some things I haven’t seen people talking much about, I’ll try giving it some highlight so I hope you enjoy.

1) The millionaire detective *or smtng more than that*-

Many expect the main character of the series to present himself in a way that he says his name and what he does for life, to give us an insight into who he is and to give us a better idea of what to expect of the series. But instead, the first episode opens with "I had a father and I had a mother", the series opens with a tragic story and tells us about the rich person's unfortunate life. Why's that? It's very important for Daisuke's character. Because, as we go through the series, the author probably predicted that audience would start judging him according to the way he treats people and work, just like Kato always does. The author tries to warn us not to judge a book by its covers. That's why it is so important that the beginning of the series opens this way.

2) Daisuke's and Kato's teamwork-

Daisuke, being a highly classified detective, knows his rights and what he can and can not do, which he exploits a great deal. He can damage people's vehicles and traffic control but he doesn't care, bc he's a detective and bc the law is on his side. He's using this same knowledge to reach his goal faster without wasting time on things that aren't that important, which means, morally or ethically important. Emotions like insecurity, guilt and regret aren't welcomed in this job. Sensitivity to other people's needs before yours are also irrelevant. Traumatizing a mother and a child from almost getting ran over isn't something that he'd preoccupy his mind with too much. He cares about the sufficiency of the mission and working in the favor of the government, as Ryo himself said.

Kato, on the other hand, is different. People come to him in the first place and the most important thing for him is to bring them peace and security, things that all police officers should actually have in mind. He is everything that Daisuke is not.

And when he told him "You're making quite the show here. How are you going to take responsibility for this?", we can notice that something clicked in Daisuke, that he told himself "ugh I went too far I should do something about it". And then he called HEUSC and told him to send reimbursements for DOUBLE the damage costs he caused for certain people. He also gave the Abura Emirate's seventh prince a billion yen when the car didn't even cost that much. So it’s evident that Daisuke does possess feelings like guilt, he just needs to be reminded of it.

The same goes for that scene when he tried to drop the vehicle into the river, Kato reached for the girl and told her to jump out. Daisuke doesn't care if she's a kid or if she's going to explode together with the van. It is important to him to save the rest + the kids are also considered criminals, he will take it upon himself to judge them as they actually deserved it. Kato, unlike him, can't let himself do that, he just can't. That's why he saved her and let her be with Hiroshi again. I love Kato for that.

Maybe Daisuke is a sufficient detective but Kato is there to remind him that the things he's doing aren't ok. He's giving him a sense of morality and ethics and that's why I think they're put together bc they make a great team. And they truly do, the problem is, Kato can't stand him. 😅

3) This funny moment-

I love how Kamei in the second episode found out ab the tragic death of some woman by going through one of his inappropriate sites and he's like: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Kato *annoyed bc he's as well judging him for his perverted ways and lack of devotion towards work*: "Shut up Kamei."

Kamei *big sad*: "It says she died from a drug overdose. That centerfold model Akiko Hoshida..."

Kato: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA??!! SERIOUSLY?"

Which leads me to the conclusion that:

Kato isn't that much different from Kamei.

Kato prefers only a specific type of women while Kamei drolls over every woman who looks even remotely pretty.

Kato has a type because the deceased centerfold model Akiko Hoshida and Suzue look very alike. Kato is also into "innocent" women bc he himself is innocent, as Akira stated. + He knows how to cook, refuses to drink alcoholic beverages during work hours and is actually pretty soft. Kato is more lovable than Daisuke in those aspects.

4) Kato's cluelessness-

Because of being so innocent, Kato doesn't have the ability to criticize others or judge "the way they breathe". He's too good, too considerate, too emphatic. That's why Daisuke's here to break his pretty picture of the world they're living in.

Kato was so easily deceived by the street performers and it was actually funny. Why would they do it otherwise than for money? No one wants to make an idiot out of themselves without a certain price.

He also thought of Suzue as one of them, the drug dealers I mean, acting as liaison. And it made me laugh so much bc he didn't know what's going to hit him. 😂

5) HEUSC-

I love HEUSC so much, this technology stuff is so lit, I wish I had it. It can detect lies, analize time, deduce certain information just from the help of a person's credit card, how much income they have, how much they lost over a couple of days, when and where, what were they buying. It can detect a person, personal information ab where they're from, age and date of birth. It also shows the person's heart rate. It can even work as a magnifier and control the traffic lights, isn't it crazy??

Daisuke's heart rate is always 60 during the whole interrogation. He's so freaking calm.

You also need to understand that Daisuke's session lasted longer than Cho-san's who used weak points such as family members and sense of right and wrong. Daisuke needed some time until their negotiation was done, he gave money to a drug addict in exchange for an information while Cho-san didn't lose anything, he could as well just deceive his suspect and get away with it.

Take into account that Daisuke went through a special training in England so his protocols are different from the normal Japanese ones.

6) Daisuke's jealousy-

Lmao Daisuke is stealing friends. He invited Akira to his own ramen during their Isezaki case.

He said "I can risk my life for Kato" and omg let me tell you, Daisuke became jealous so he made a move and even paid him to get into a costume to lure Kato and the rest of the hooligans to the top.

7) The elevator scene-

Kato standing in the middle of the elevator and Daisuke standing close to the corner as pinned as possible is what made my day. 😂

8) On the rooftop-

Daisuke's heart rate is 72 when shooting from a bazooka in the helicopter. Still too calm but I'd say that he's in a good physical condition considering that he's into boxing.

BTW he accidentally shoot towards Kato bc his target wasn't detected, it only wrote "primary target", he didn't do it on purpose.

But the sole thought of "stank needs to be eliminated" gets me every time. 😂

9) Daisuke joining the MCI-

Daisuke circled around the topic and refused to give the answer about why he decided to become a detective by redirecting the conversation towards Kato.

Let me tell you something, I watched too many crime series to know why he did that.

The reason is very personal.

And at the beginning of the whole anime he introduced himself to us with “I had a father and I had a mother”. I think he's trying to find the culprit for his parent's murder.

10) His lack of sleep-

Although he has lots of money, people like Daisuke tend to afford themselves a nice and cozy sleep. Despite that, Daisuke has as much under eyes as Kato. Which makes me wonder what keeps him awake at night, what's he thinking ab. Is he traumatized in a way? I can't wait for the next episodes to arrive!

Btw while watching the anime I fell in love with Kato even more, such a great character.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2020 Anime Overview: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

Ok, so let’s get this out of the way first, 1. I adore this story so much and 2. Toilet Bound Hanako-kun has a horrible, horrible English title that is not actually at all representative of the story’s content and I have no idea what happened when it came to the team choosing that name. To the average English-speaking viewer/reader, this name 100% implies gross stuff and bathroom humor, and there is none in this show. 

A Japanese reader on the other hand, would be more likely to recognize the name Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun as a spin on the classic ghost story “Hanako-san of the Toilet” only A BOY THIS TIME WHHHHA?” Basically, the story goes that a girl named Hanako in a red skirt haunts girls’ bathrooms in Japanese schools and if you knock on the third stall and call “Hanako-san” three times, she’ll appear. She might grant you a wish or pull you into Hell or something else, it varies.

(Her Wikipedia image, aww.)

Anyway, I dunno why the English title didn’t at least go with “Toilet Ghost Hanako-kun” or something that would have gotten the premise across even a  little better (HE NOT TECHNICALLY BOUND BY THE TOILET EVEN, HE CAN GO ANYWHERE IN THE SCHOOL GROUNDS THE BATHROOM IS JUST HIS HOME BASE), but our boy Hanako haunting the girl’s bathroom only leads to broad jokes about our heroine being tasked with cleaning the bathroom and “dude you really shouldn’t be in here” comments, it’s pretty incidental. 

Now that THAT’S out of the way, let’s talk about my LOVE FOR THIS STORY

Hanako-kun tells the story of a “regular” high school girl named Nene Yashiro, the mischievous and mysterious school ghost she befriends, and all the other weird monsters, exorcists, spirits and curses they encounter. It’s got a gorgeous, colorful bold aesthetic and art style that combines gothic and cute! It has a great mix of humor, intrigue, angst and fantasy action. basically if you love ghosts, monsters, Japanese mythology and legends, supernatural-human relationships, supernaturally fueled angst and drama, stories about trying to fix an unfair system the world has set up, wistful romance, a good shoujo manga with a Lot of Feelings (yes this is a shonen technically I’ll explain that later), weirdo dorks becoming friends AND MUCH MORE...this story will have something that will resonate with you. It’s got a lot going on, and it’s a ton of fun.

Hanako-kun is really one of those surprising stories that fits right into a hole in my story-loving heart I didn’t realize was still there, or that I’d actually been carrying since childhood. I love ghosts, see, and have since I was a kid!!! I knew this, but I kinda forgot how intensely I love them until this show reminded me again??? That’s because regular ghost stories/mysteries/whatever- I like them, but they don’t quite do it for me in the way more character-driven ones exploring the nature of being a ghost and humans and ghosts trying understand each other etc do. Stuff that really gets into the tragedy AND the fun fantasy aspect of ghosts, and plays the long game with it- and Hanako-kun scratches that itch perfectly.

Getting a little bit deeper into the premise of Hanako-kun, Nene is a very brave and sweet but not-all-that-bright girl (or, to put it more bluntly, she’s an idiot in the best way) who has a lot of romantic fantasies and insecurities and is VERY focused on them. After hearing a rumor at school that “Hanako-san of the bathroom” will grant wishes, she wishes to be able to confess to her crush and finds out its actually a weird ghost boy her age named Hanako haunting the bathroom! A lot of things happen, and she ends up cursed and bound to Hanako-kun, but also ends up slowly forming a friendship. 

Turns out Hanako is the ghost in charge of the “seven mysteries/wonders” aka seven powerful supernatural entities that haunt this school (he’s number seven). These apparitions only supposed to terrorize students a LITTLE, because apparitions need to have rumors spread about them to remain in the human world.

(‘HAVE YOU HEARD?’ Oh hey shadow girls from Utena see you’ve moved to a new school.)

The rumors also generally dictate how powerful and dangerous the apparitions actually are- but SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS is changing the rumors around the school and making the apparitions go berserk and actually harm humans. So Hanako needs a human assistant to change the rumors and help him calm and seal the apparitions! That’s where Nene comes in.

Hanako himself is a very fun character- he’s very chaotic and revels in his whole “ gremlin ghost” persona, and is upfront about being a bit of an asshole. BUT he also makes his kindness, often good intentions and the fact he’ll have his friends back when it counts obvious from the beginning. B U T! He’s also got darkness and hidden depths to explore, and a lot of his persona is affected and masks deeper issues! 

Our ghost boy is genuinely A TAD unstable deep down (as in he straight up has several untreated PTSD symptoms and that’s as disastrous as you’d expect) and packing some serious tragic backstory, as you might expect from a kid who died young and carries around a butcher’s knife, and it’s gonna come back to bite him and and all who care about him hard. 

 Especially when an overly enthusiastic exorcist named Kou Minamoto shows up! Kou is another one who’s very dumb and very good, a wannabe-shonen-protag with a heart of gold and strong sensitive, domestic side. He rounds out our main trio. Also he gets a tragic, emotionally intense relationship with yet another ghost boy that sings to my heart.

(Yes Hanako’s helping Nene to do the thing)

You may be able to tell, this story has INTENSE good-shoujo vibes despite technically being a shonen in a way that I love- it’s story very driven by big emotions, a variety of fucked up and tragically complex relationships, teen hormones running wild, etc, and it’s just delicious. 

Nene is the normal-person-audience-surrogate-girl in a way that is more common for a shoujo protag, and the way her emotional connections to everyone, her sweeping romantic fantasies and her interiority are consistently in focus when she’s there- yeah, she’s definitely a plucky shoujo protag, 100%. And I’m all about that!!!

 One thing I especially appreciate (though this comes across more strongly in the manga than the anime thanks to the anime rearranging things) is when Nene finds out about Hanako’s Heavy Baggage, she actually takes some time to herself to consider whether she can handle dealing with someone with these intense issues as a kid who’s never encountered stuff like this before- it’s not assumed by the story that the Sweet Girl is Obligated to help the Tragic Boy. I go into more detail about this part in this part here, but it’s that kind of attention to Nene’s needs that makes her role in the story work. Hanako and Nene and everyone’s struggles to get the hang of and properly navigate honest communication and mutual support in relationships are often really great and real-feeling

The story has a lot more things I love packed in to it- a dorky-but-still-deeply-unsettling villain gang who’s screwed up interactions are just as fun as our protagonists, yokai, A CURSED LIBRARY, some great ladies in addition to Nene, meditations on the nature of life, death, themes about fighting nihilism, and so on...I could seriously go on forever. It’s good stuff, and there’s lots of good weird supernaturals to meet.

The story’s also got tons of intrigue! The overarching plot and Hanako’s Mysterious Past is still in the process of unfolding, but it’s been great drama every step of the way! As mentioned before, the story also really relies on funny character dynamics, interaction and development to carry the whole thing and balance the drama.

The anime itself does have some pacing issues bc they crammed a lot into the first season and rearranged some stuff- an entire two chapter arc was skipped and was unlikely to be covered in the anime and some parts are noticeably rushed. I still really like the anime and it’s a solid adaptation. I love how much of the manga’s detailed aesthetic it managed to keep as well as the amazing voice acting and it made a few small but important additions. But there are some notable bumps- of course this just led me to go binge the manga (up to volume 12 is legally available digitally) and BOY DO I NOW LOVE THIS STORY EVEN MORE. 

Now obviously, just because it is Exactly My Shit in a lot of ways doesn’t mean Hanako-kun is the much quested for ��unproblematic fave”, there’s several caveats you should probs be aware of- its shoujo vibes also mean some classic shoujo ~Problematic tropes~ and a couple shounen ones. 

THE LIST:

-Just as a general content overview thing: if this wasn’t clear the show deals heavily with death, body horror and other horror aspects. There’s heavily implied suicide and abuse and so on- as mentioned, the main character is traumatized and shows a lot of symptoms of PTSD, and Nene has to struggle to navigate her relationship with him because of this, as does Kou.

-Hanako himself has the whole ~loveable pervert~ and ~slightly possessive shoujo bad boy~ schtick going as part of his mischevious persona. In the anime so far, he never actually gropes or comments on not-in-his-naughty-mags-people’s breasts or anything of that level thankfully, but he’s very flirty, clingy, will loudly bring up porn, fond of the ol’ *says something that purposefully sounds sexually possessive* HAHAHA U THOUGHT I MEANT SOMETHING DIRTY RIGHT LOL ACTUALLY I DIDN’T.”

(My unnecessary ‘this part is kinda interesting!’ ramble: Nene always lists “sexual harassment” among Hanako’s flaws (she loves listing them), but doesn’t get visibly uncomfortable with his flirtiness or seem to mind it most times, which at least makes the whole thing more tolerable for me.

(since she doesn’t seem to mind that part and its clear he does it bc of actual affection for her, it’s actually p. cute how huggy he is.)

 The one time it does cross the line and genuinely upset her, it’s treated seriously, Hanako is genuinely regretful and apologizes. That’s one of my fave moments in the story and the way it’s handled is well done.

 This incident that he’s honestly pretty socially clueless as kid who died young and a lot of his bravado is to cover that up and keep people at a distance- this is a trope into itself that can use unpacking but I do at least appreciate that this is a considered character trait that’s part of his whole messed up package rather than something that thrown in there Just to Be a Fanservice Trope. (Especially since the manga confirms he never acted particularly pervy while alive, further cementing this is an affected persona). 

-There’s a running gag around Nene’s insecurity over her thick ‘daikon shaped’ ankles and boys treating her badly for it. 

One one hand, her body image issues are relatable, on the other, it feels cruel and annoying just how much the show finds ways to bring it up and humiliate her over and over again.

(My unnecessary “this is part is kinda interesting” ramble:The one thing i did realize that despite bringing it up constantly, we at least have no “i’m going to do this to lose weight” or “go on a diet” rhetoric,like this is just part of Nene’s body type and she knows she can’t change it? Which is kinda interesting. And I’ve spotted what might be foreshadowing something plot relevant’s going to happen with her ankles (I DON’T KNOW HOW, BUT GOD I PUT NOTHING PAST THIS STORY) so uh yeah??? either way it’s not good tho)

-”Obsessive and twisted love” is a running theme in this story, and while it’s generally acknowledged as unhealthy, it can be played for comedy in a way that could make viewers/readers uncomfortable. There’s a couple characters who’s entire thing so far is “obsessively in love with this one person” (and the one only focused on in the manga so far is one of the least interesting characters tbh ugh)

-The antagonist of the show is a member of a main character’s family, and the manner he acts towards pretty much everyone, including (and really especially) his family member,  verges on seductive. This is presented as deliberately unsettling and treated as a marker of how unstable and scary he is- and though the backstory between them hasn’t been fully delved into, it’s pretty much all but confirmed he abused this family member physically and emotionally.

-The story has like, A LOT of queer subtext and pretty-heavy queer coding for one character especially, but the few times queerness blatantly comes up in the story, it’s played as a joke in the “haha that’d be kinda weird” way (aside from the rando boys who have a crush on Teru, handled pretty neutrally). It’s not as malicious as a lot of animanga can get (ONE MANGA INCIDENT ASIDE), but it’s something to Be Aware Of, and it makes it clear we’re unlikely to see subtext rise to text and makes some moments feel baity.

-And probably more I might have missed! The manga also has Some Shit in addition all the Good Shit that hasn’t been adapted yet, an early arc has Hanako crossing a serious line etc. 

BUT despite how messy it is, I think it’s clear I have a lot of love for this story. In fact, I wouldn’t trade away a good chunk of its messiness (DEFINITELY SOME JUST NOT ALL), it kinda works for the characters and works in the “this story really feed my inner teen” way. Some of the trashy parts are exactly My Trash, basically. 

So, I knew I’d ramble on for a while when I talked about his show, but if you’ve read this far, thanks, and I hope that means you’re gonna check out and maybe enjoy this story, bc i need more people to join me in Hanako Hell.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

Irl, when people express dreams, they often frame them as passive hopes or unlikely wishes; pipe-dreams. In One Piece, dreams are typically more active -- characters will bruteforce reality per their will, no matter the cost; that's the nature of the series. I assume that comes across in the Japanese. So, my question: do you ever see evidence of more "passive" dreams in OP? And if so, how does the language used for them differ from that of an "active" dream? How does the vocab of desire vary?

Oooh, this is such an interesting question!

Hmm… I’d say the distinction here in the actual Japanese lies between ‘will be’ and ‘want to be.’ These are fully separate verb forms in Japanese (dictionary form vs -tai form). 

-tai form is how you express something that you want to do, and I’d say that’s how idle/passive dreams, or hopes for the future, would normally be expressed. Whenever I have conversations with people about what future careers they want, we talk with -tai form. I cannot think of a single One Piece character who uses this to describe their dream.

Dictionary form is the base form of a Japanese verb. It is used for both present and future tense, for statements of fact. Something that is happening/being done or will happen/be done. And this is the one that One Piece characters use to discuss their dreams.

To look at my favorite scene for dreams in One Piece so far: the East Blue crew crossing into the Grand Line-

All of the Strawhats state their dreams with dictionary form. Nami says 世界地図を描くため/sekai chizu wo kaku tame- “Because I will draw a map of the world.” Even Usopp, who generally seems to have less confidence in his dream than everyone else (esp at this point) does this- “Because I will become a brave warrior of the sea.”

Or for another character who’s even MORE sheepish about their dream, the light of my life, Coby:

Even Coby, who turns into a mortified mess after even speaking his dream aloud, uses this kind of definitive statement when he’s expressing his dream to be an admiral (its a little different bc he uses the polite form, but the meaning is the same).

And of course, Luffy is always saying おれは海賊王になる男だ/ore wa kaizoku-ou ni naru otoko da- I am the man who will become the Pirate King!

One Piece is a story all about people who have dreams choosing to follow them, no matter how insane those dreams may be, so I think it makes a lot of sense that most if not all of its characters are active dreamers and discuss their dreams with this kind of certainty. I can’t even really think of examples off the top of my head of characters who have dreams but don’t pursue them.

[alicemitch09writes]

JJK ASK | what are your thoughts on the jjk girlies maki, mai, nobara, miwa hehe

my girls!!!!!!!

a’ight *cracks knuckles* here we go:

let’s start with sweet Kasumi Miwa

She’s such a sweet girl, honestly. I like the fact that though she does her duties, she still has her morals and gets conflicted when tasked to kill my bby son, Itadori Yuuji.

I also respect the fact that she’s off as a jujutsu sorcerer to help her family - that’s something really admirable, for me at least. She’s not doing it for herself, she’s doing it for the people she loves.

Her skill as a sorcerer is quite impressive, enough to hold off against my wife, Maki. She was also trained by a First-Grade sorcerer. I really can’t wait to see more of her. *glares at Akutami Gege*

And just like me, we’re both Gojo fans (ꈍ ᴗ ꈍ✿)

next up, Zenin Mai

First of all, I think she’s really pretty and refined and thought she was up there in the Zenin. LOL boy was I wrong because the Zenin clan (save for her and Maki, which I’ll talk more later) are, in Nanami’s words and tone, “FULL OF SHIT” Honestly, good for Toji for leaving. But anyway, back to Mai, she can come off as a bitch, but with good reason: she was forced into something she never wanted.

She just wants to live a normal life, free from the dangers and horrors brought by being a sorcerer and born as a fcking Zenin. I understand that she really hated Maki for leaving, but I think she was also hating herself because she got the better half of the stick rather unwillingly, wanting only to be with her sister.

Also, I found a really interesting twitter thread that discusses on the Zenin twins’ relationship. Do give it a read! It really changes your perspective on not only Maki and Mai, but on their bond as a whole.

I’ll talk more about her when I get to my wife, please hold.

Next up, Kugisaki Nobara!

I’ll be honest with you all, I thought her design was average. Then again, that was the point of it. Akutami Gege is said to be a woman, some say they’re a man, but point is: they don’t want to oversexualize their characters. It’s because their mom reads their works (how supportive! huhu) but maybe also because they’ve had enough of women being sexualized. In Japan, they have this disgusting sense of humor, especially with sexualization tropes (big boobs, nosebleeds, etc). Nobara’s design feels like a breath of fresh air because she looks like a typical Japanese teen - dyed hair, make-up, and all.

One of my favorite reactors also adores her character, supporting her in the episode she fought against Nishimiya, dismantling the idea of how men and women should be in the jujutsu society. It doesn’t matter who you are and where you stand, if you love yourself - flaws and all, then you’re enough. Nobara’s a prime example of that. He said: “Look cute, be strong, go crazy, Nobara!” And I support that. Time and time again, she continues to dismantle that very idea, sanity slipping off to unsettle her foes, getting her hands dirty, yet staying true to herself in the end.

In a way, she reminds me of Haruno Sakura. Then again, maybe she’s this generation’s Haruno Sakura, and I hate to make comparisons, but there needs to be more strong female protagonists like her to stand alongside the male protagonists.

Saving the best for last is my *wipes a tear* MY WIFE, Zenin Maki!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this woman.

This wonderful, amazing, strong-willed, and mesmerizing woman. I could go on.

I love a strong female character, Maki’s just that. Unlike her sister though, she wasn’t born with amazing jujutsu techniques or inherited their signature, powerful technique, blessing her with inhuman strength like her cousin, Toji. This would make her seem like a second-rate or sad excuse of a human, at least in the eyes of her shitty family. Yet, Maki rose to the occasion and decided to prove everyone wrong. Even at a young age, she fully understood that because of that absence of power, they would never see her, so she had to make them see and recognize her in another way.

I’ve always had a weakness for people who are weapon masters (bc i grew up watching far too many martial art films), add that with Maki’s unshakable determination and strong will.

Plus, she’s a bit of a tsundere (ᅌᴗᅌ✿) Like not wanting to lose face to Yuta, when they first met. Super sensitive to people’s feelings, unaware that the freshmen were still mourning. And wise for her age, encouraging her juniors time to time. Loving, too, incredibly loving, because her goal to be the next Zenin leader was not only to pay respect to those who weren’t able to achieve power like that of her sister and Megumi, but to also build a better place for Mai. Everything she does is for Mai. I’m soft. Maki, I love you so much.

With the recent chapters, I’m scared-nervous for my wife, especially because she has to deal with the shittiness of her family, the misogyny of it all, and their disgusting obsession with perfection, tradition, and power that’ll corrupt and hopefully destroy them. Mwahahaha I SAID WHAT I SAID 

Again, props to Akutami Gege for not oversexualizing their female characters. It’s really a fresh of breath air to have these amazing woman who are fleshed out so well, recognized for their grit and not because of their physique fuck you Naoya Zenin.

[jjuzoir]

So your requests are open, huh? ❤️ 😏.. I'M KIDDING I'M A SHY BEAN ACTUALLY PLEASE IM BEGGING FOR KAZUNARI DATING HEADCANONS BC I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MAN 😭😭😭❤️❤️ I loved your previous hcs and just couldn't resist asking for one!

Request:

A/N: oh my ;; you’re so sweet please 😳😳 Honety, at the very beginning i had a hard time but the more i wrote the more i enjoyed kazunari so thank you for helping me learn to enjoy a new character!

————🌷————

To Date Kazunari Miyoshi:

- So you want to date the local Instablammer huh?

- I don’t blame you, he makes me all gooey inside too.

- You two probably met at Uni or because you went to his school’s festival bcs one of your friends invited you.

- Let’s go with the latter, you probably saw one of his pieces and were in awe at how beautifully he managed to capture the old Japanese painting style.

- So when this mullet-hat-wearing man-child came out speaking in ridiculous amount of slang you didn’t believe him.

- Until your friend confirmed it much to your amazement; this walking stereotype of social media addicted millennial made such a beautiful piece?

- Kazu thought your surprised reaction was cute so… he asked to draw you over a coffee date.

- And man were you embarrassed, like;; control yourself Miyoshi you just met them don’t try anything weird.

- Your friend accepts for you and helped you exchange numbers since you were too shocked he asked you out, after you went back home you kinda realized he was really damn cute.

- And after getting to know each other on that date you set up another one, and another one, and another-

- And suddenly you two are dating! It wasn’t like you actually had to ask each other out- it was a mutual understanding after your twelfth date that you kind of liked each other… a lot.

- He’s such a darling, he’s always trying his best to make you happy and he’s always so shocked when you go out of your way to make him happy.

- He just really enjoys seeing you smile and not worry about anything.

- The whole dorm was surprised when they found out Kazunari was dating you, they honestly thought he was just seeing many people in a row.

- So when he presented you as his s/o everyone’s jaws just dropped.

- “I can’t believe Kazunari got a s/o before me…”

- “Kind of thought he was just juggling many blind dates or somethin’.”

- After the initial shock (and jealousy of some) you’re part of the Mankai family.

- Miyoshi really enjoys having you around, even if you’re not actively in the practice room- wait for him in his bedroom and he’s gonna be smiling non-stop.

- Seeing you support him gives him such an adrenaline rush and fills him up with so much love and appreciation that not even his Instablam likes could compare to it.

- You’re basically his number one cheerleader and supporter.

- Loves showing you off so much, his feed is basically him gushing about you now.

- “My s/o’s really cute!!! I’m so lucky 😖😖”

- You’re now Insta famous so if I were you I’d set your account private.

- He also really likes showing off his art to you, so get ready for him to wake you up at 2am with a picture of Muku sleeping and drooling.

- Is really self-critical though, there are times he really hates what he’s producing; it’s something all artists (writers, painters, sculptors, etc) go through sometimes.

- That and his fear of being rejected have days where they really hit too hard for him, so please comfort him when those days inevitably come.

- Fighting is a normal part of a relationship, so get ready for arguments with Kazu.

- They come very rarely but when they do, he has a lot of pent up frustration he lets out.

- He’ll rarely ever insult you or threaten you, and neither should you and I trust you won’t, but he will be harsh and rather hurtful sometimes.

- Fights can last up to a week until you both settle down, probably forgetting why you fought in the first place.

- Unlike some he doesn’t really expect you to constantly be present during practices.

- Because you spend a lot of time waiting in his room, you become an older sister to Muku!

- And Yuki kind of adopts you as another older sister.

- Yuki often comes to Miyoshi’s room to spend time with you and Muku.

- And Muku loves reading manga with you.

- Kazunari’s favorite part of the day is coming inside his room to see you three huddled together watching the anime adaptation of one of Muku’s manga.

- Overall? A relationship with Kazunari is as easy as breathing.

- He really enjoys being around you and holding you tight and having you around as his personal cheerleader.

- And that’s what any healthy relationship should be, a place for two people to help each other grow and learn and be in love.

- So keep on cheering for each other, alright?

[not-a-feron]

Buckle up here are my thoughts on Deltarune

I’ve been seeing a lot of ppl here and videos on YouTube talking abt theories and stuff so I thought I’d make my own megapost to surmise my thoughts and my own theory on wtf is going on in this game Part of this was @brigadeinvader​ and me talking over discord and discussing the game, I don’t think either of us would’ve come up with this on our own

Timeline Placement & Stuff

As Toby stated, Deltarune is neither a sequel nor a prequel because it’s not the same world as Undertale, and this is important. You can call it an AU if you want, it’s not far from what I believe it is. However, somethig doesn’t have to be a prequel or sequel to happen before or after something else. Lemme explain.

I personaly stand for the idea that Deltarune is an alternative wolrd to Undertale, hence why the same characters are there, only different. It being an alternative world means it’s still somehow connected to Undertale. If you know anything about the multiple worlds hypothesis, then you should know Undertale and Deltarune’s timelines would run parallel to each other without interfering (they might’ve been one and the same at some point, but not anymore. And timelines cannot merge back). This still means the events of one can take place after or before the other, just in different worlds.

Not necessarily in that order, but like so. We have two dates to go by, and those are the begining narration of Undertale and Ralsei’s cut manual for Deltarune. Undertale’s is 201X, while Deltarune’s is 202X. This would normally mean Deltarune goes around a decade after. However, the date at the beginning of Undertale is not the date the events of the game take place on, but the date the Fallen Human (I’ll refer to them as Chara) ends up in the underground. The game asks us to name the human from the beginning narration, which isn’t Frisk, so we don’t know exactly how much time passed between Chara’s arrival and Frisk’s. It has to be a lot of time, though, seeing as six other humans fell down in that time and most of the monsters underground don’t remember/flat out haven’t seen the surface or the humans by the time Frisk arrives. And if we take Asriel’s transformation at face value, then enough time has passed for a Dreemurr to age from a kid to a... young man, I guess. Which is certainly more than a decade.

Arsiel being in university in Deltarune doesn’t put it after Undertale, because I’m pretty sure Asriel would also be around that age, if not older, by the time Frisk comes around if he hadn’t died.

If you don’t want to take Toby’s declaration too seriously, since he doesn’t outright say anything but Deltarune being a different world from Undertale with different characters that lived different lives; then Chapter 1 still has some evidence that points towards this. None of the characters you meet that were also in Undertale are exactly the same. Not even their sprites. Everyone has at least something different in their designs when compared to the ones seein at the ending credits of the Pacifist run in Undertale. Asgore doesn’t have a crown, Undyne doesn’t wear an eyepatch, Alphys doesn’t have her labcoat and was probably never a scientist, Mettaton never became a star, Toriel has a darker shirt underneath her purple sweater (check it, I’m serious), Bratty and Catty hate each other, and so on. Sadly we don’t get to see Papyrus, The only one who’s exactly the same is Sans.

Sans

There’s a post by @napstamuse (idk about putting links bc of tumblr’s recent algorithm, sorry) comparing all the main sprites of the characters in both Undertale and Deltarune, and Sans’ jacket is has the same color, even down to the hex value of the blue. Not only that, but his personality remains untouched. He still has some sort of attraction (I don’t mean romantic necessarily) to Toriel, still fond of puns, etc. He’s the only one of those we see that’s exactly the same in Deltarune as in Undertale.

He’s more than probably even the exact same Sans from Undertale. As in, he somehow moved from one timeline to the other, unlike the rest who aren’t the same characters per se. We all know by now Sans wasn’t from Undertale, not really. His Genocide fight convo states “I gave up trying to go back a long time ago.” and “getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore, either”. This means 1) he’s not from there, from Undertale’s world/timeline and 2) whatever place he’s from isn’t the surface. That’s important. Because a lot of details point towards Sans being originally from Deltarune’s world, then for some reason moving to Undertale’s sometime before Frisk arrives. But when we find him in Deltarune, what does he say?

And when you ask about “Friends”.

Meaning he also came from somewhere else. Considering Deltarune’s town is in, apparently, the surface; then it makes sense why Sans didn’t originate from there, since he didn’t come from the surface. And he knows the surface, as evidenced by him telling Papyrus what the Sun is (though that could also be bc of Alphys’ anime).

But if he doesn’t come from Deltarune’s town, and he also deosn’t come from Undertale’s world; then where does he come from?

I propose Sans is a Darkner. I don’t know if someone has already made this point in a video or post, but hear me out.

Unless Sans is from a different world altogether, then the only place in Deltarune that isn’t the surface (that we know of) is the Dark World. Not only that, but we know thanks to this infamous scene:

... that Darkners bleed.  Monsters do not bleed. Susie right there more than probably doesn’t bleed either, and yet Lancer assumes everyone in the Fun Gang does. That can only be because his species, the Darkners, all bleed. You know who else bleeds?

Sans does. And yes, I’m aware there have been ppl saying the red thing coming from him is actually ketchup from a bottle inside his jacket (which, knowing sans, wouldn’t surprise me tbh), but that wouldn’t explain why it comes out of his mouth as well. Hence it must be blood. Monsters from the underground all turn to dust upon defeat, yet Sans is the only one in the game who doesn’t. It doesn’t help the fact that we never see him die on screen and the sound effect that plays when the battle ends isn’t the one of a moster being defeated, but of one being spared. We also never really see Darkners bleed, that’s true, since they all flee from battle and you can’t kill anyone in Chapter 1; but Lancer’s bucket scene tells us that yes, blood is a thing in the Dark World that does come out of bodies when they are beaten.

There’s also another thing that might be minor, but all Darkners get tired after enough time in a battle. It’s the way you defeat the Chaos King and it’s the easiest way to spare enemies in Chapter 1. They all fall asleep. After enough time in a battle, Sans also falls asleep. It’s also the only way to defeat him in Genocide.

So Sans might be a Darkner. Why he left the Dark World (what is the Dark World) and why he then left the world of Deltarune to arrive at Undertale... we don’t know. It could have something to do with Undertale’s Gaster (or maybe Deltarune’s), but again, we don’t know. We’ll have to wait for the rest of Deltarune to come out to have more material to go on, I suppose.

Also the stuff about the “don’t forget” picture with the three smiling people on it. The song at the end credits states “don’t forget, I’m with you in the dark”, and the Fun Gang is comprised of three people. But we have no definitive evidence on that either.

More on the Timeline Placement

I personally believe Deltarune takes place before Undertale, though I suppose a better term would be “earlier” than Undertale in the split worlds. By no means whatever happens in Deltarune affects Undertale, we know that thanks to Toby’s tweet. But Sans being there means something happened that made him leave and enter Undertale, so in some ways it is before that game.

I also know there are some things that make this difficult. I still believe Deltarune comes before, but untill we see Asriel or have any definitive dates we cannot be sure as to which one is earlier in the timeline. Gerson being dead complicates things even more, unless you want to tell me monsters age slower in the underground.

Jevil & Seam

Seam’s line if you speak to him after defeating Jevil, the “darker, yet darker one”, is too specific not to be deliberate. We know Jevil spoke to someone that broke him, and we also know said someone was not the Knight. Not only that, but Jevil uses sprites way too similar to the Everyman to also be a coincidense, when using his carousel attack. We also see the Everyman in the wall of the alley Alphys is at the end of Chapter 1. So something is going on there.

Gaster

I think by now we’ve all somewhat accepted the idea that Gaster is more present in Deltarune than he is in Undertale. The same sound that plays during Entry 17 can be heard if you try to use your phone in the Dark World, and it’s also the noise that sounds near the red doors in the woods of town, only slowed down by a crap ton. The tweets before Deltarune was launched are also more than probably written by Gaster, considering the name of the account was changed to black bars and every tweet was in his text style.  During the survey part of Chapter 1 it’s also very probable the one conducting the survey is him, judging by the text style and all the weird choices (like blood types C and D, or the PAIN flavor). That is, of course, until someone else interrupts them. The text stopps being all in uppercase and the speech pattern changes, which is even more evident in the Japanese version as it starts using the correct form of speech (kanji + hiragana) instead of the weird one from before (katakana + hiragana). Coincidentally enough, the only character we know of that speaks in a textbook example of correct speech (thanks to the Japanese version of Undertale), is Chara.

And before anyone starts saying Gaster isn’t there; he is.  We just don’t know where. He has to be there, with no Core to build and no accident to happen that means the Gaster of Deltarune is 1) untouched, probably the same he was before everything went down in Undertale and 2) not a scientist, by that matter. Alphys is a teacher, so Gaster has to be around somewhere (more than probably behind the red doors south of the church, but who knows). We can say, though, that there might be more than one Gaster there. Since Undertale’s was “shattered across time and space” because of the accident, and Deltarune’s never had said accident, then both could be around during Chapter 1.

Also the game continues to crash/restart if you try to name either creator or vessel after him.

Dark World

It exists, lets get that out of the way. I highly doubt it was a dream or an hallucination or something, and there’s some evidence pointing to that. 

It is very probable, though, that it doesn just... exist. How do I even began to explain this.

It might have been created by some otherworldly power influenced by what was present in the abandoned classroom when Kris and Susie return to town. There was a chess board, chess pieces, a deck of cards, a stuffed toy that looked like Seam, etc.  But it did certainly happen. They entered the supply closet. If everything had been a dream or a game, then 1) Susie wouldn’t be surprised and confused (in the case of a game) and 2) they would still be in the supply closet by the time they return. But they were not.

Also, the pencil Kris carries changes if you defeat Jevil before coming back. Not only that, but there’s an item that carries over into your inventory from the Dark World. The egg.

If you are given the egg behind that tree by... whoever that was, it will still be in your inventory when you return to town. You can leave it in Asgore’s fridge and it will multiply, much like the Dog Residue of Undertale. What is up with the egg, we don’t know. Who even gave Kris the egg is also unknown, but for every character we don’t know we could simply answer “Gaster” so we don’t have any clues either.

Kris

Some random thoughts before I close this off.

So Kris. Great adittion to our sweater wearing protagonists, now we can call them the kfc gang.

Seriously, though, Kris. I don’t even know where to begin here.

You can still move their soul when they trap you in the cage.  I think this points to the idea that we control Kris by their soul. It’s what appears on the map when we avoid attacks and what, just like in Undertale, we take control of during battles.

It’s also Kris’ file the one we overwrite at the beginning of the Dark World. It’s pretty obvious that we are taking control over them by taking control over their soul. It might just be a bad case of silent protagonist, but Kris never reacts to anything, even when those around them are shocked. He never tries to do anything on their own, except for that one time they chose to protect either Susie or Ralsei (I don’t remember). Also the “your choices don’t matter” theme going on in Chapter 1.

Us being in control instead of them is even more evident when you try to drop the Ball of Junk once you return to town. Kris doesn’t want to, and is upset when we force them to, but they still throw it away; because they have no control over their body. They’re even relieved if you decide not to after the first question.

We can also suppose this control we haver over them isn’t a first time thing, though maybe not necessarily our control. The only objects they posses are the Ball of Junk and the cage over the red... wagon? (I forget what that is called). The rest of their side of the room is empty, as if they were afraid of having anything the ones controlling could simply toss away.

That explains perfectly why they rip their soul out at the ending of Chapter 1, though not the knife and the smile. Though that’s the most speculation in this rant. 

Anyway, congrats if you read through all that lol Feel free to add your theories/thoughts and help me correct stuff if there’s anythign contradictory in either games that could debunk anything here.

[armsdealing]

* COURNEUVE’S INNER CIRCLE.

The Inner Circle comprises Renaud’s most trusted, reliable, and committed members. They’re his main vessels, and they oversee everything that happens in Courneuve, both the place and the organization. Over the decades they’ve seen members come and go, including losing some prior IC-level members as well, but as of the last twenty years the line-up has stayed solid. 

These people come from all sorts of backgrounds, from all sorts of time periods, but they’ve got two things in common -- their skillset is appealing to Renaud, and they’re willing to go the extra mile. They also all happen to be quite susceptible to Renaud’s possession, with the rare quality of being able to meld their minds with him. As a result, Renaud influences their personalities, but they also influence Renaud’s.

Warnings underneath the cut for: talk of drugs, crime, violence, alcohol, etc.

CASSANDER LANE.

He was originally an immigrant in France in the early twentieth century. When he met Renaud he was on deathrow for murder. After accepting his deal, Renaud worked his influence to make the charges on him disappear and forge him a new identity: Cassander Lane, born in Saint-Malo.

He doesn't disclose much on his past pre-Renaud and he is in fact largely a mystery to most of the inner circle, even those that have known him for decades. Besides the deathrow thing, the other thing they do know is that he was involved in the manufacturing of heroin in Corsica, and the trafficking from Corsica to other parts of the world. This would explain his deep knowledge of opium-based products. 

Not known to anyone but Adrienne is that he was also partook frequently in his own product as well as alcohol. He’s developed a distaste for it, though he’ll still dabble.

He’s closest to Adrienne because of the time they’ve been together in this. He’s also on good terms with Marcos.

He’s an extremely good safecracker and designs plans and strategies with clockwork precision. He runs the building efficiently, acting as the landlord and the most visible member of the circle inside the building. People are actually convinced he’s Renaud himself.

A quiet, mild-mannered guy. He always seems to be thinking of something. 

ADRIENNE SAO.

Out of them all she's the one that can use Renaud's illusory powers the best. even better than Cassander, though she's not been around as much as he has. She can make people hallucinate even while they are awake and sometimes tap people out of their senses... which is great for espionage because she can just make people not hear or see shit. She could be right in front of you and you wouldn't be able to notice up until she touched you, which is when the illusion breaks down.

She's got as much a mysterious background as Cassander, perhaps even more so since she reveals nothing. As far as everyone else knows she was born and grew up in Paris and she has no living family and that's about it. 

There’s more than passing reason, however, to believe she comes from a couple of early-Cold War spooks that worked for French intelligence.

Her fighting style is greatly based on both Karate and Hapkido, both disciplines which she's mastered.

The right-hand. She’s closest to Cass for obvious reasons, and Dahlia bc she's cute.

Blunt, callous, cruel, assertive. Sees the world as one big playground. Though Cassander designs the plans, it is Adrienne who executes and leads them to completion. 

MARCOS TORRALBA.

His childhood was spent in Juarez, Mexico until he was on his teens, then he moved to the capital to live with his grandmother after his parents’ passing. 

From the start he showed a talent for languages and entrepreneurship. He was good at talking his way in and out of places. He had an impressive grasp of English at mere 10 years old and often acted as translator, messenger or spy for a few unsavory characters in his hometown. 

On his teens he took a different approach and started learning languages from a professional perspective, which was something that his grandmother stressed for him. He perfected his English and enrolled in French classes. He studied tourism in college. 

Of the circle he probably has the cleanest background, second perhaps to Dahlia and no one else. He's had brushes with the illicit side of things but he's kept things legitimate. He worked as a translator for businesses at the same time as he started to learn other key languages like German and Japanese. 

His "recruiting" process was likely.... simpler or less flashy than others maybe. He was lured by the idea of wealth and "wrongness" of the whole thing. He became more committed as he went along. 

Renaud got him the job at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, or at least put the right things on the table to make it happen and let Marcos do the rest. He wanted to turn Marcos into his asset, which was a familiar (but not unwelcome) feeling. He was great for the job of concierge — charisma, sociability, creativity, a natural helpful air, a trustworthiness to him. Marco's role, given by Renaud is basically information gathering by any means necessary for blackmail/recruitment purposes. 

He's pretty seductive and uses that as a weapon as well. The horror aspect of Renaud is downplayed, and instead it's the lustful/enticing side of his "magic" that's played up. He’s a freak.

DAHLIA BOUHOUCHE.

Dahlia had the most normal background of the whole inner circle. She wasn't prone to criminal activity before her recruitment and she led a fairly ordinary lifestyle previous to it. 

She wasn't so much lured by riches or power as she was lured by Renaud himself. Her relationship with Renaud is.... How can I say this.......... More emotional? Like if I had to say which one actually had feelings for Reanud, it would be her. That isn't to say she is legitimately in love but that she might be more devout from that angle. And in the other hand we have the fact that Renaud could be considered protective of her. He’s fond of Dahlia.

Not unlike Marcos she has a more welcoming air to her. She seduces and manipulates people. She has a great persuasive ability, definitely enhanced by Renaud. She seems the “weak link”, and this serves a purpose -- it makes people underestimate her, when she’s also pretty formidable in her own right (in no small part thanks to Adrienne’s involvement).

She's closest to Adrienne and Marcos. Adrienne has a dominant, leader personality that she responds to well and Marcos is just likable and friendly in general. She gets along with Cass and respects him for being the main vessel, but they're not close. And Matthew's vulgar demeanor is kinda off putting so she doesn't go out of his way to talk to him.

On her own she's pretty sweet and quiet, she might give off a shy air when she isn't on a "mission". She seems the most humane of them all. She doesn’t live in the building, but in a more strategic flat in the heart of Paris with Marcos. Both of them frequent Courneuve, though. 

MATTHEW SPECTOR.

Rough, mob-riddled background. He enlisted in the French Foreign Legion to leave that behind. 

After a few years of active duty he suffered a life threatening injury in combat, which finished his military career. He was given French citizenship due to Français par le sang versé, French by spilled blood. 

In reality, Matthew would've most certainly died if it weren't for Renaud. Renaud essentially saved Matthew's life in exchange for his services - he's got elite military training, and is probably the most skilled fighter bar Adrienne, where she has a bit of an edge. 

He's skilled with long ranged killing techniques and clean murders but specializes, by own admission, in torture and butchery. 

He's sadistic, cruel and ruthless beyond compare. He is likened to an attack dog. He doesn't care about material goods as much as the others and is instead there for the possibility to freely enact violence. 

He was the last one to join the inner circle and doesn't have as strong a relationship with the others as they have amongst themselves. He has a bit of a rivalry/antagonistic relationship with Adrienne but since she's higher in the hierarchy he does as she says and considers the banter entertaining. He gets along well enough with Marcos (Marcos has the ability to get along with anyone, for which he sometimes acts a mediator/voice of reason in this group), and thinks Dahlia is alright but he doubts they'll ever be best friends. Cass intrigues him, but Cass intrigues everyone tbqh he's weird.

Although he most often takes an offensive stance, he leads the crew that protects the complex from aggressive outsiders, and they make a point to keep tenants safe from any threats looking to ‘take down’ Renaud. 

[rayofspades]

Interesting (?) things from comparing the sub of Cardcaptor Sakura to the dub PART 2

And yes when I’m finished the show I will make a comprehensive list regarding the stuff on gender/sexuality.

CURRENTLY DONE EPISODE 53!

-Okay there’s that little patch of episodes where everyone’s making those stuffed bears and giving them to the people they like, and i thought it was so fucking weird bc in the sub, Chiharu gives Yamazaki her bear and it’s implied that she wants him to name it after her bc she has a crush on him and it’s some kind of tradition. OKAY REMEMBER HOW WHEN I LAST DID ONE OF THESE I SAID THAT THERE WAS LITERALLY NO REASON FOR THE DUB TO MAKE THESE 2 COUSINS? Well what happens instead in the dub is that she gives him the bear and he does name it after her and she gets mad at him for that because...? IT’S REALLY WEIRD like i get that the dub is allergic to having these kids have innocent crushes on each other but this was a very odd way to mask this scene.

-Okay, in that same episode Li makes a bear with the intention to give it to Yukito, but then stops bc hang on he might actually have a crush on Sakura. Buuuuut since Li’s not allowed to have a crush on either of them, the dub does this really really weird thing where it introduces some bullshit conflict about how he feels useless and idk it’s literally the most forced thing in the whole dub, and that’s saying something.

-I love the episode with the puzzle hunt thing where Yukito just fuckin aces everything because in the dub they had to just outright say “yeah this symbol means star in japanese.” aHA, YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR TRUE SELF.

-As far as my english speaking ears can tell, in the episode where Li and Kero switch bodies, they actually keep the same voice actors in the sub and people can just tell them apart due to their different accents/ways of speaking. I love this! And wish more cartoons would do it this way! Unfortunately, they both just have normal American accents in the dub, so they went the easier/more common route of switching the actors. I can’t blame them, but the other way was so great. Also, how did I completely forget this episode? Even when watching it it wasn’t jogging any memories. And it’s my favourite kids tv trope ever with the two best characters it could possibly happen with.

-Speaking of that episode, the dub sometimes just takes out jokes???? At the end of that episode, Li has a dream where everyone switches bodies, it freaks him out, and the punchline is him waking up. Completely cut. There’s a part at the start of that episode where Kero tells Li that they’ll have to hug it out to reverse the spell and there’s a build up that it’s gonna be something worse and that’s the joke. Completely cut. Another episode where the girls ask Li’s opinion on the romance movie they’re watching and he super awkwardly/hilariously walks out of the theatre. Completely cut. Why.

-Tbh I feel like the makers of the dub either hated Li or wanted to force him in to some weird archetype because they do not do him any favours. In the episode where Meilin tells the story of how he helped rescue her bird, they go out of their way to make him more unlikable? In the original episode, he acts kind of indifferently to her leaving Japan, she accuses him of thinking that she’s in the way, then she tells a story about how he was always super quiet and weird when they were kids but went to find her lost bird like a champ. Then at the end of the episode he says “I never thought you were in the way” and they fight the twin card by ripping off NGE with the in sync choreography. In the dub, Li does accuse Meilin of always being in the way, and in her story he wasn’t just quiet as a kid, but actively rude towards her. EVEN WHEN HE FINDS HER BIRD IN THE DUB HE’S LIKE “this better be the right bird!” BITCH I WATCHED THE SUB YOU DID THAT OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF YOUR TINY HEART SFJKGDLSKDJDJFH. Then after the story Meilin’s like “of course, he didn’t talk to me for another month after that.” PFFT FUCK YOU LI ALREADY GETS ROBBED OF SO MANY CUTE MOMENTS SINCE HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A CRUSH ON ANYBODY WHY ARE YOU MAKING IT WORSE. 

-Side note: I really dislike it in anime subtitles where someone calls someone by their last name but the subs change it to the first name just because. I was watching it subbed illegally but then realized ADBLOCK WORKS ON CRUNCHYROLL!!!! But yeah it’s really distracting in the crunchyroll sub when I hear Sakura say “Li-kun” but the subtitles like “Xiaolong”. Also literally everyone uses “Syaoran” get with the times, crunchyroll. 

More on this analysis as it develops.

[gunboatbaylodge]

Things to Do in Vancouver this Weekend: October 5, 2017

Autumn is in full swing with festivals and feasts this weekend and there are many ways to toast your glass or stein to good harvests. For those of us who solidly believe that this is the most wonderful time of the year – Fright Nights begin this weekend, marking Halloween as just around the corner! There’s also music, circus performance, dance, and it’s not too late to catch some VIFF flicks!

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

Friday October 6

The Goblin Market

The Goblin Market Where: The Cultch What: A contemporary circus re-telling of Christina Rossetti’s poem, following two sisters, their temptation, sacrifice and eventual salvation. Lively circus is precariously balanced with gritty performances and candid story telling. Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Harvest Haus

Harvest Haus Where: 88 Pacific Blvd What: Combining modern fare with authentic European harvest traditions, gather your closest mates for what may be the most gluttonous and gratifying Oktoberfest in the city. Runs until: Saturday Oktober 14, 2017

Terra and Beyond with Chris Hadfield and Danny Michel

Terra and Beyond with Chris Hadfield and Danny Michel (show 1 of 2) Where: The Orpheum What: Share Colonel Chris Hadfield’s viewpoint “Beyond the Terra,” with music and inspiring images from the International Space Station.

Thanks For Giving Where: Arts Club Theatre What: While Nan bastes the turkey and prepares the stuffing, her husband hides a freshly hunted bear in the garage and her troublesome daughter is raiding her purse again. To top it all off, her grandchildren have chosen this Thanksgiving to disclose some unexpected personal truths to the family.  Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Fright Nights Where: Playland What: Misty, dark, dreary, and full of spooks and scares may not sound like everyone’s ideal night out, but to those of us who love Halloween, nothing could be better! Playland turns into an animated haunted carnival, including seven haunted houses and fifteen of its best rides; what better way to scream away all of your fears? Runs until: Tuesday October 31, 2017

North Shore Craft Beer Week Where: Various locations What: The North Shore has a rich history of craft brewing and was home to Canada’s first ever microbrewery – Horseshoe Bay Brewery in 1982. Download the Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Week Passport, get a stamp at each brewery as you travel around North Vancouver sampling special craft beer menus and unique casks. With your stamps, you could win prizes! Runs until:  Friday October 13, 2017

Experimental Ink Where: Museum of Anthropology What: The award-winning Assembly Dance Theatre from Taiwan will perform the newest addition to their Dancing in Ink series, choreographed specifically for MOA’s Great Hall for their Canadian debut. They will be joined by Sammy Chien, a Taipei born, Vancouver based interdisciplinary media artist, and Kimura Tsubasa, a renown calligrapher from Japan, featured in the Traces of Words exhibition.

Improv Wars: The Laugh Jedi Where: Vancouver Improv Centre What: Vancouver TheatreSports takes you to a universe that exists outside of normal time and space – where unlikely characters co-exist. Hosted by a mysterious hooded figure, the players and the audience search for an individual of unique abilities – one with the power to cloud people’s minds, to slip into any role, to make intuitive connections at lightning speed – The Laugh Jedi.  Runs until: Thursday November 2, 2017

54-40 (show 1 of 2) Where: Commodore Ballroom What: You know them from Ocean Pearl and I Go Blind, this Canadian band is on for two shows on back-to-back nights.

1 Hour Photo

1 Hour Photo Where: The Cultch What: From the creators of Empire of the Son, 1 Hour Photo is the story of Mas Yamamoto, a man whose life was swept up by the major currents of the 20th century; from growing up in a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River, to being interned as a Japanese Canadian during World War II, to guarding the Canadian arctic against Soviet bombers during the height of the Cold War. Runs until: Sunday October 15, 2017

Potter’s House of Horrors Where: Potter’s Farm & Nursery What: Gather your moteliest crew and drop into one of the area’s biggest and best-rated haunted houses, celebrating 15 years of screams! Attractions include two haunted houses (plus a “Li’l Haunters” attraction geared to kids 12 & under), a coffin ride, a haunted paintball shootout, and a photo booth. Partial proceeds go to Critter Care Wildlife Society. Runs until: Tuesday October 31, 2017

Vagabond Players presents Little Shop of Horrors Where: The Bernie Legge Theatre (New Westminster, BC) What: Meek and mild flower shop assistant Seymour Krelborn has stumbled across a peculiar new plant species, which he names after his stunning but vulnerable crush Audrey. The plant, Audrey Two, has plans that are far greater than Seymour can imagine as it grows into a bad-tempered, foul-mouthed carnivore who offers fame, fortune, the girl he loves, and an escape from skid row in exchange for feeding its growing appetite for blood. Runs until: Sunday October 29, 2017

Hyperlink

Hyperlink Where: Firehall Arts Centre What: A collaboration between The Elbow’s artistic director Itai Erdal, writer/performer TJ Dawe, and director Rachel Peake, Hyperlink delves into life online and the limits of digital empathy.  Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Oktoberfest at the Vancouver Alpen Club Where: 4875 Victoria Drive What: The Deutsches Haus boasts German favorites from Spätzle to Schnitzel and the best selection of German beers and wines in Vancouver. Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (weekends)

Jim Park: Unknown Terrain | SEPARATION, 2017, 36 × 48 inches, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas

Jim Park: Unknown Terrain Where: Kimoto Gallery What: The Northern landscape forms an important part of Jim Park’s practice. Park sees paint as a language; the memory of lived experience merges with the pictorial possibilities on the canvas. Runs until: Saturday October 28, 2017

Sarah Slean

Sarah Slean Where: The BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts What: Slean’s sound has been compared to Kate Bush, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, while her deeply personal songs draw from jazz, classical, pop and global influences. 

Lab Art Show Where: Chinese Cultural Centre What: Up to 150 artists including local galleries and artists from over 20 countries including Canadian artists Chili Thom and Natacha Trottier.

  Saturday October 7

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Harvest Dinner

Harvest Dinner Where: Sea to Sky Gondola What: A cozy harvest dinner atop a mountain! Share the entire menu with your group, family style.

BC Lions vs. Ottawa Redblacks

BC Lions vs. Ottawa Redblacks Where: BC Place Stadium, 4:00pm What: It’s football. If you like football, go see it and cheer for these fellas.

Rare book, Photograph and Paper Show Where: Heritage Hall What: A curated event featuring twenty-three exhibitors with specialized collections of books, fine maps, photographs and interesting paper items.

LA Witch

LA Witch Where: The Fox Cabaret What: Rock from Los Angeles, on tour to support their debut self-titled full-length release.

Necromantix Where: Venue What: It’s a psychobilly show, playing with Deadcats.

Wild Salmon Caravan Parade Where: Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Society What: Bring your drums, regalia, town clothes, costumes, banners, flags, streamers and any other parade wares you need. Celebrate the spirit of wild salmon.

Terra and Beyond with Chris Hadfield and Danny Michel

Terra and Beyond with Chris Hadfield and Danny Michel (show 2 of 2) Where: The Orpheum What: Share Colonel Chris Hadfield’s viewpoint “Beyond the Terra,” with music and inspiring images from the International Space Station.

Fort Langley Cranberry Festival

Fort Langley Cranberry Festival Where: Fort Langley What: Experience the popular cranberry stomp, and play a host of cranberry and farm related games.

BP20YR Where: Pacific Colloseum What: Blueprint celebrates 20 years with Diplo, Zeds Dead, Showtek and more.

Hershe National Coming Out Day Party Where: Prive Nightclub What: Celebrate National Coming Out Day at this all-inclusive dance party.

East Side Flea Where: The Ellis Building What: 50+ local vendors, makers, vintage sellers, oddity finders. Play pinball and pool. All this, with a bar! Runs until: Sunday October 8, 2017

54-40 (show 2 of 2) Where: Commodore Ballroom What: You know them from Ocean Pearl and I Go Blind, this is the second of their two Vancouver dates.

  Sunday October 8

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Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons Where: Rogers Arena What: American millennial rock from Las Vegas with hits like Believer, with guests Group Love and K. Flay.

Bass Coast Festival Showcase

Bass Coast Festival Showcase Where: The Commodore Ballroom What: Basscoast DJs The Librarian B2B Mat the Alien, Michael Red, Barisone and SHAH.

Fred Penner

Fred Penner Where: The Orpheum What: He’s a Canadian icon of entertainment and inspiration for children and families. Who’s more stoked – adult millennials and gen-Xers or their children? Come find out.

Sumac

Sumac and Boris Where: The Rickshaw What: Japanese experimental music playing with sludgy growly metal.

  Ongoing

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The Christians Where: Pacific Theatre What: After taking his church from a meager storefront to gleaming megachurch, Pastor Paul overturns one of the most sacred tenents of his congregation’s beliefs, sending them reeling towards schism. As they grapple with the mysteries of faith, certainty, and what happens after we die, they must also face the reality of loving those whose beliefs have made them into sudden strangers. Runs until: Saturday October 7, 2017

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market Where: Dude Chilling Park What: Amble over and pick up some afternoon picnic supplies, groceries for the week, and Sunday dinner fixings from 25+ farms and producers. Each week you’ll find a fresh selection of just-picked seasonal fruits & veggies, ethically-raised meats & sustainable seafood, artisanal bread & prepared foods, craft beer, wine, & spirits, handmade craft, and coffee & food trucks. Runs until: Sunday October 8, 2017

Angels in America Where: Arts Club Theatre What: Witness the soaring conclusion to the acclaimed play that asks us what we do for those we love. Perestroika is a revolution against the politics and prejudice in the 1980s as the AIDS epidemic rages on, and the characters wrestle with their ideologies and an angel looking for an answer. In the centre of it all is Prior Walter, a man in a world of peril who chooses to live in his light. Runs until: Sunday October 8, 2017

East Side Flea Where: The Ellis Building What: 50+ local vendors, makers, vintage sellers, oddity finders. Play pinball and pool. All this, with a bar! Runs until: Sunday October 8, 2017

Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy from Asia

Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy from Asia Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology What: Words and their physical manifestations are explored in this insightful exhibition, which will honour the special significance that written forms. Varied forms of expression associated with writing throughout Asia is shown over the span of different time periods: from Sumerian cuneiform inscriptions, Qu’ranic manuscripts, Southeast Asian palm leaf manuscripts and Chinese calligraphy from MOA’s Asian collection to graffiti art from Afghanistan and contemporary artworks using Japanese calligraphy, and Tibetan and Thai scripts. Runs until: Monday October 9, 2017

Richmond Night Market

Richmond Night Market Where: Richmond, BC What: There’s a dinosaur park! Anamatronic dinosaurs! Also – live performances, carnival games, over 200 retail stalls and over 500 food choices from around the world. Runs until: October 9, 2017

Vancouver International Film Festival

Vancouver International Film Festival Where: Various locations What: In addition to over 300 of the best films from around the world, VIFF expands the frame to incorporate and celebrate some of the exciting new aspects of visual story telling. This includes events such as the world’s largest showcase of elevated YouTube content by digital-first creators and the Kronos Quartet performing a live score to renowned filmmaker Guy Maddin’s latest film The Green Fog – A San Francisco Fantasia.   Runs until: Friday October 13, 2017

North Shore Craft Beer Week Where: Various locations What: The North Shore has a rich history of craft brewing and was home to Canada’s first ever microbrewery – Horseshoe Bay Brewery in 1982. Download the Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Week Passport, get a stamp at each brewery as you travel around North Vancouver sampling special craft beer menus and unique casks. With your stamps, you could win prizes! Runs until:  Friday October 13, 2017

The Goblin Market

The Goblin Market Where: The Cultch What: A contemporary circus re-telling of Christina Rossetti’s poem, following two sisters, their temptation, sacrifice and eventual salvation. Lively circus is precariously balanced with gritty performances and candid story telling. Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Aileen Bahmanipour: Technical Problem

Aileen Bahmanipour: Technical Problem Where: Grunt Gallery What: An exhibition of mixed media drawings by Vancouver-based, Iranian-born artist Aileen Bahmanipour that explores cyclical political power and cultural identity. Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Amphibia

Amphibia Where: Centre A What: Amphibia, Tromarama’s first solo exhibition in Canada, will transform Centre A into a hybrid physical and digital space using five newly commissioned works, ranging from site-specific pieces to pulse-sensing technologies that interact with our own physical, individual bodies. Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Harvest Haus

Harvest Haus Where: 88 Pacific Blvd What: Combining modern fare with authentic European harvest traditions, gather your closest mates for what may be the most gluttonous and gratifying Oktoberfest in the city. Runs until: Saturday Oktober 14, 2017

1 Hour Photo

1 Hour Photo Where: The Cultch What: From the creators of Empire of the Son, 1 Hour Photo is the story of Mas Yamamoto, a man whose life was swept up by the major currents of the 20th century; from growing up in a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River, to being interned as a Japanese Canadian during World War II, to guarding the Canadian arctic against Soviet bombers during the height of the Cold War. Runs until: Sunday October 15, 2017

Hyperlink

Hyperlink Where: Firehall Arts Centre What: A collaboration between The Elbow’s artistic director Itai Erdal, writer/performer TJ Dawe, and director Rachel Peake, Hyperlink delves into life online and the limits of digital empathy.  Runs until: Saturday October 14, 2017

Onsite / Offsite Tsang Kin-Wah

Onsite / Offsite Tsang Kin-Wah Where:  Vancouver Art Gallery What:  This large-scale composition transforms English texts to form intricate floral and animal patterns. The work draws from discriminatory language that appeared in newspapers and political campaigns in Vancouver during the 1887 anti-Chinese riots, the mid-1980s immigration influx from Hong Kong and most recently, the heated exchanges around the foreign buyers and the local housing market. Runs until: Sunday October 15, 2017

Oktoberfest at the Vancouver Alpen Club Where: 4875 Victoria Drive What: The Deutsches Haus boasts German favorites from Spätzle to Schnitzel and the best selection of German beers and wines in Vancouver. Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (weekends)

West End Farmers Market Where: 1100 Comox St What: Located in the heart of Vancouver’s busy West End, this laid-back Saturday market looks onto beautiful Nelson Park and adjacent community gardens. Each week, shop for the best in local, seasonal produce, artisanal bread & prepared foods, craft beer, wine, & spirits, ethically raised meat, eggs, & dairy, sustainable seafood, wild crafted product, and handmade craft. Hot food & coffee on-site as well. Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (Saturdays)

Trout Lake Farmers Market Where: Trout Lake What: This is where you’ll find the vendors who have been doing it since the beginning; what started as 14 farmers ‘squatting’ at the Croatian Cultural Centre back in 1995 has grown into Vancouver’s most well-known and beloved market. Visitors come from near and far to sample artisan breads & preserves, stock up on free-range and organic eggs & meats, get the freshest, hard-to-find heirloom vegetables and taste the first Okanagan cherries and peaches of the season. Runs until: Saturday October 21, 2017 (Saturdays)

Kitsilano Farmers Market

Kitsilano Farmers Market Where: Kitsilano Community Centre parking lot What:   A great selection of just-picked, seasonal fruits & vegetables, ethically raised and grass fed meat, eggs, & dairy, sustainable seafood, fresh baked bread & artisanal food, local beer, wine, & spirits, and beautiful, handmade craft. Kids and parents alike can enjoy entertainment by market musicians, a nearby playground and splash park, and coffee and food truck offerings each week. Runs until: Sunday October 22, 2017 (Sundays)

Contemporary Iranian Cinema Series Where: The Cinematheque What: Acclaimed and accomplished new films from Iran are in the spotlight in this new monthly showcase. Runs until:Thursday October 25, 2017

Jim Park: Unknown Terrain | SEPARATION, 2017, 36 × 48 inches, Oil & Acrylic on Canvas

Jim Park: Unknown Terrain Where: Kimoto Gallery What: The Northern landscape forms an important part of Jim Park’s practice. Park sees paint as a language; the memory of lived experience merges with the pictorial possibilities on the canvas. Runs until: Saturday October 28, 2017

Vagabond Players presents Little Shop of Horrors Where: The Bernie Legge Theatre (New Westminster, BC) What: Meek and mild flower shop assistant Seymour Krelborn has stumbled across a peculiar new plant species, which he names after his stunning but vulnerable crush Audrey. The plant, Audrey Two, has plans that are far greater than Seymour can imagine as it grows into a bad-tempered, foul-mouthed carnivore who offers fame, fortune, the girl he loves, and an escape from skid row in exchange for feeding its growing appetite for blood. Runs until: Sunday October 29, 2017

Fright Nights Where: Playland What: Misty, dark, dreary, and full of spooks and scares may not sound like everyone’s ideal night out, but to those of us who love Halloween, nothing could be better! Playland turns into an animated haunted carnival, including seven haunted houses and fifteen of its best rides; what better way to scream away all of your fears? Runs until: Tuesday October 31, 2017

Potter’s House of Horrors Where: Potter’s Farm & Nursery What: Gather your moteliest crew and drop into one of the area’s biggest and best-rated haunted houses, celebrating 15 years of screams! Attractions include two haunted houses (plus a “Li’l Haunters” attraction geared to kids 12 & under), a coffin ride, a haunted paintball shootout, and a photo booth. Partial proceeds go to Critter Care Wildlife Society. Runs until: Tuesday October 31, 2017

Improv Wars: The Laugh Jedi Where: Vancouver Improv Centre What: Vancouver TheatreSports takes you to a universe that exists outside of normal time and space – where unlikely characters co-exist. Hosted by a mysterious hooded figure, the players and the audience search for an individual of unique abilities – one with the power to cloud people’s minds, to slip into any role, to make intuitive connections at lightning speed – The Laugh Jedi.  Runs until: Thursday November 2, 2017

Circle Craft Christmas Market Preview Exhibit

Circle Craft Christmas Market Preview Exhibit Where: Net Loft building on Granville Island What: Circle Craft Gallery’s Fall exhibit will give Circle Craft Christmas Market lovers a sneak peek. Exhibitors in the Preview exhibition are: East Van Jam, G Ceramic & Co, Ludviks Designs, Lulu Fiedler, Market Canvas Leather, Misheo, Rosewell Woodworking, Susie Benes, and Yifat Jovani. Runs until: Thursday November 2, 2017

Thanks For Giving Where: Arts Club Theatre What: While Nan bastes the turkey and prepares the stuffing, her husband hides a freshly hunted bear in the garage and her troublesome daughter is raiding her purse again. To top it all off, her grandchildren have chosen this Thanksgiving to disclose some unexpected personal truths to the family.  Runs until: Saturday November 4, 2017

Intangible Where: Bill Reid Gallery What: Contemporary Coast Salish art is embedded within a traditional cultural framework that includes community, ceremonial life, territory, history and innovation. Six artists challenge our expectations and illustrate Coast Salish art as a thriving art tradition – a dynamic one that demonstrates both continuity with the past and exploration of new ideas and technologies. Runs until: Sunday December 10, 2017

Bill Reid Creative Journeys | Image via the Canadian Museum of History

Bill Reid Creative Journeys Where: The Bill Reid Gallery What: Celebrating the many creative journeys of acclaimed master goldsmith and sculptor Bill Reid (1920–1998), this exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to his life and work. Runs until: Sunday December 10, 2017

Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting | John Kissick burning the houses of cool man, yeah No.5 (hang the DJ), 2016 (cropped)

Entangled: Two Views on Contemporary Canadian Painting Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: An insight into two distinctly different modes of painting that have come to dominate contemporary painting in this country. The origins of both can be effectively traced back to the 1970s, to a moment when the continued existence of painting was hotly debated. Runs until: January 1, 2018

Amazonia: The Rights of Nature

Amazonia: The Rights of Nature Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology What: MOA will showcase its Amazonian collections in a significant exploration of socially and environmentally-conscious notions intrinsic to indigenous South American cultures, which have recently become innovations in International Law. These are foundational to the notions of Rights of Nature, and they have been consolidating in the nine countries that share responsibilities over the Amazonian basin. Runs until: January 28, 2018

Tin and Gold: A 10 Year Anniversary Show Where: The Fall What: Celebrate 10 years of alternative music, tattoo artistry, and multimedia events. The art show includes artists Megan Majewski, Jenn Brisson, Alison Woodward and more. Runs until: February 1, 2018

City on the Edge: A Century of Vancouver Activism Where: Museum of Vancouver What: A photo-based exhibition exploring how protest demonstrations have shaped Vancouver’s identity from the Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers’ photo collection. These photographs are exceptional historical records of intense and transformative moments in the lives of Vancouverites. Runs until: February 18, 2017

Tasting History: The Traveling Tales of Tea Where: Roedde House Museum What: Tea is one of the most consumed liquids in the world, second only to water. But the beverage that brings much pleasure and calm to our 21st century senses is steeped in a turbulent history of politics and society. The exhibit will also feature stories from Vancouver’s modern-day tea community. Runs until: March 2018

Emily Carr: Into the Forest

Emily Carr: Into the Forest Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: Far from feeling that the forests of the West Coast were a difficult subject matter, Carr exulted in the symphonies of greens and browns found in the natural world. With oil on paper as her primary medium, Carr was free to work outdoors in close proximity to the landscape. She went into the forest to paint and saw nature in ways unlike her fellow British Columbians, who perceived it as either untamed wilderness or a plentiful source of lumber. Runs until: March 4, 2018

The Lost Fleet Exhibit Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum What: On December 7, 1941 the world was shocked when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, launching the United States into the war. This action also resulted in the confiscation of nearly 1,200 Japanese-Canadian owned fishing boats by Canadian officials on the British Columbia coast, which were eventually sold off to canneries and other non-Japanese fishermen. The Lost Fleet looks at the world of the Japanese-Canadian fishermen in BC and how deep-seated racism played a major role in the seizure, and sale, of Japanese-Canadian property and the internment of an entire people. Runs until: March 25, 2018

Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist Where: North Vancouver Museum What: An exhibition exploring the life and legacy of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George (1899- 1981) and his influence as an Indigenous rights advocate and his career as an actor. The exhibition was developed in close collaboration with the George family. Runs until: April 2018

In a Different Light

In a Different Light Where: Museum of Anthropology What: More than 110 historical Indigenous artworks and marks the return of many important works to British Columbia. These objects are amazing artistic achievements. Yet they also transcend the idea of ‘art’ or ‘artifact’. Through the voices of contemporary First Nations artists and community members, this exhibition reflects on the roles historical artworks have today. Featuring immersive storytelling and innovative design, it explores what we can learn from these works and how they relate to Indigenous peoples’ relationships to their lands. Runs until: Spring 2019

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below or tweet me directly at @lextacular

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