#boku no ie

[supermacaquecool]

Need to learn jpn so I can write more about Aoi

[hatsumishinogu]

Boku no Ie ni Oide Wedding Vol.14

[genkinahito]

The Escape, CARPET BOMBING of Tokyo, Kazetachi no Gakkou, Boku to dagashi no ie, Perfect Shared House, Soshite Ainu, Japanese Film Trailers

Welcome to the third and final trailer post for this week. You can find part one here and part two here. Last week I posted a preview of Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025 (OAFF 2025) and review of Tattoo Ari (1982), an award-winning work from Banmei Takahashi whose latest film, I Am Kirishima closes OAFF 2025. This week I posted a preview article for Junk World and I will soon post a review of the…

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[yuurei20]

Do you have a compiled list of all the personal pronouns (ie. watashi, boku, ore, etc) the main boys tend to use?

Hello hello! ^^ I did not, so one has been made!

A compiled chart, including screenshots from the game for reference, below!

[kkoct-ik]

milgram analysis: the orekoto (オレ) of Neoplasm is not the orekoto (俺) of John Doe

analysing both orekotos and then some, how mikoto's dissociation misdirects us, and how mikoto's DID operates to help him function, to express what he needs but cannot tolerate, and to cope with shame.

will be referring both to milgram-en's (John Doe, Neoplasm) and Maristelina's (timeline) translations. thank you for your work!

note on names: for the purposes of this post:

mikoto refers to the person/system, all parts included

'mikoto' refers to any normative mikoto, ie. not either ore. i'm not going to assume the normative mikoto from John Doe is the same alter as the normative mikoto in Neoplasm, because i don't think they are, but that's for another time. for now, I am grouping them together, because, functionally, mikoto's normal parts serve the same purpose and role for this discussion.

ore (俺) and mikoto (俺) refer to the mikoto that appears in the John Doe (Trial 1) voice drama and attacks es.

ore (オレ) and mikoto (オレ) refer to the mikoto that appears in the Neoplasm (Trial 2) voice drama and claims to be the alter who commit murder.

if you can't read japanese, just remember that any name with one japanese character (俺) refers to the ore of trial 1, and any name with two characters (オレ) refers to the ore of trial 2. these are how both ores' personal pronouns are spelled according to the official scriptbooks, respectively.

i also use the word 'unacceptable' 'intolerable' etc. a lot in this analysis. please note i don't use this word in a judgemental way. i will always mean it in the sense that whatever i am referring to 'cannot be accepted/tolerated by mikoto/the world he comes from'.

i'm working with translations and mikoto is a complicated character, so please forgive any slip ups!

thank you for reading.

introduction: there's two orekotos?

mikoto's case, as i've criticised in my last major essay, is often reduced to a conflict between how one votes a system of one 'innocent' personality and one 'guilty'.

as part of the reducing of his character to a split personality trope, it is popular and easy to assume that mikoto only has two major alters: 'mikoto' (who appears normative, uses the boku personal pronoun, and has a confused, sociable demeanour) and 'the other one' (who appears more aggressive, uses the ore personal pronoun, and noticeably switches in at some point during both VDs).

i'm also guilty of this assumption. despite having a sense that things were not that simple, i have assumed, for convenience, that both ores were the same alter, mostly because the ore (オレ) of Neoplasm expresses familiarity with ore's (俺) actions in John Doe (in that he references the event immediately after switching in, amongst other things), and i had no major reason to question that continuity.

at the end of the day, mikoto is mikoto, and since i had (and still have) no interest in attributing guilt to any specific alter, i didn't have a major reason to deduce which alter 'did what'.

(it's also more important to me to dissect what alters think they did and identify with than literally did, because its in how alters psychologically divide up their life and actions once they've happened that their purposes for existing and dissociative functions shine. my last essay was also almost entirely focused on Neoplasm in isolation, so i stand by most of what i said — just replace any assumptions that ore (オレ) is ore (俺) with their new relationship that i'm about to identify.)

all this said, despite surface-level similarities (seeming to use the same personal pronoun, both speaking roughly, existing as a protective force, and identifying as/presenting themselves as the archetypal 'monster'), the way these two alters — ore (俺) and ore (オレ) — function and think are also very distinct from one another. despite the intentional misdirection that would have you assume they are the same part, both ores display very different approaches to responding to and coping with mikoto's life and traumas, and we have seen them emerge respectively based on mikoto's different, changing circumstances within Milgram and the triggers he encounters.

after the extent of this fully dawned on me the other day, it also occured to me that distinguishing them could be very clarifying for how mikoto has grown to function and cope with his life and actions, and also, maybe, finally shatter the illusory binary that surface-level fanon is so attached to.

so. enjoy.

main body 1: psychoanalysing the ore (俺) of John Doe

the ore (俺) that appears in John Doe switches in after mikoto begins to have a panic attack at es' ceaseless prodding.

we can analyse what seems to have triggered mikoto (俺) forward as a starting point for deducing this part's purpose and understanding where mikoto's headspace was at to contextualise his behaviour, so let's assess the situation.

normative 'mikoto', who is present for the majority of John Doe, presumably exists as an alter to allow mikoto to function and engage with people. he seems to do this by having no awareness (or at least, identification) with anything shameful and intolerable, including his murders, and identity as a killer.

therefore, es' insistence to 'mikoto' that he has killed pushes mikoto into a situation that this normative alter is fundamentally unable to handle. es' suggestion of dissociative amnesia also directly attacks the plausible deniability and dissociation normative 'mikoto' clings to to cope. in order to protect himself and preserve his dissociative defense mechanisms, mikoto finds himself required to switch into an alter more suited to this situation, and disengage normative 'mikoto' from this psychological attack.

it is also worth pointing out that es is an authority, and an abusive one at that; considering that mikoto has suffered workplace abuse (as seen in the relentless texts from his chief outside of work hours in Double) it is almost certain that mikoto has been belittled, scapegoated, and pushed to his limits by higher-ups at work before. this situation that es is subjecting mikoto to is not only psychologically overwhelming to his normative alter, but also emulates a source of trauma for mikoto, and thus will absolutely trigger his fight/flight/etc.

lingo: fight/flight/freeze/fawn are words used for different areas of common stress and trauma responses. the principle is, when faced with an overwhelming threat, you may become aggressive and combative (fight), may become restless and want to escape (flight), may shut down (freeze), or may try to appease the threat (fawn).

mikoto is currently in an interrogation room, within Milgram: he cannot run. simply shutting down will not stop es from provoking him. and he has tried to appease es, to be friendly, and seem pathetic, and es has not wavered. the only real option left for mikoto's completely fried nervous system is to remove normative mikoto from the scene, and then force/intimidate/beat the threat into submission.

whew, what an adrenaline rush.

mikoto's (俺) initial demeanour is mostly an expression of his fight response that has been triggered and rage at this situation that 'mikoto' could not handle. mikoto (俺) lashes out at es, yells, curses, and loudly expresses that es' prodding has been far too much for him. he's pissed, and honestly, i don't think he's overreacting. he's far from the first prisoner to attempt to attack es, and he only does it when pushed to his absolute emotional limit, on multiple accounts.

as the scene progresses, mikoto's (俺) rhetoric becomes reminiscent of abusive people of power. a friend i have has pointed out that these lines in particular sound a lot like what a shitty, ageist boss would yell at a young new recruit to verbally abuse them into submission and impose their authority. it's likely ore (俺) is emulating the kinds of things people have said to mikoto, that have forced him into submission, to protect himself, in the hopes that he can turn the tables on es and reap the benefits of becoming the abuser, so to speak. he refuses to engage with whatever es is saying, and focuses on establishing his power through force and verbal abuse.

this bit is speculation, but i do think the fact that es is on the smaller side definitely helps mikoto, triggered into fight response, feel like he should be able to hold power over him. mikoto may see himself in es and feel incredibly angry that es, while small, is in a position of power that he himself never had, with mikoto therefore wanting to put them in their place.

ore (俺) also projects a demeanour of being somewhat sadistic, likely because of just how fucking angry he is at this moment, and especially because es is not easily slipping into the fawning role that mikoto would in his position. he also may be enjoying the high of not being the victim for once, and now that he's in this position, wants to make the most of it, and really prove his point.

essentially, mikoto's (俺) demeanour communicates, don't mess with me, i'm bigger than you. i won't lie down and take this shit, and you have no business hurting or challenging me.

i know this is from neoplasm and is ore (オレ) speaking. i'm using it to illustrate what 'mikoto' does not not do (ie. not cry himself to sleep, not suffer in silence, fight back).

when applying ore (俺)'s demeanour back to how mikoto typically presents and conceptualises himself, it becomes very obvious that everything about mikoto (俺) is intolerable and unacceptable to mikoto as a whole.

being angry, to mikoto, is not acceptable. expressing anger and fighting back against injustice is not acceptable. challenging your place in the social hierarchy and acting outside of socially acceptable behaviour is not acceptable, because all of these are expressions that would lead to dire consequences in his life and within his culture, despite being natural human emotions and expressions.

if these rudimentary and necessary human emotions and rights are unacceptable to mikoto, it can help, psychologically, for the part that handles/contains/expresses them to present themselves as a different sort of person. by wholly dissociating himself from this side of himself — such as this episode, or any other instances of standing up for himself or feeling unacceptable feelings — mikoto can protect himself, and have these unacceptable parts, without compromising his self image; 'mikoto' remains unchanged, unrelated, untainted, because it was absolutely 'not mikoto' that did or felt those things.

what a lovely dissociative contradiction.

the further mikoto (俺) is from how mikoto typically presents, the easier it may be for mikoto to reassure himself that anything they do was 'not him' or 'not real' and entirely cut himself off from identifying with or processing that memory or act. therefore, appearing sadistic when expressing his anger at injustice is not only practical for successfully intimidating es, but may also be part of ore's (俺) (and many of mikoto's parts') presentation as the archetypal 'monster', and clearly 'not mikoto', that helps to reassure mikoto of their estrangement.

this estrangement also helps ore (俺) to protect himself from everything 'mikoto' is associated with (namely, having to be friendly and conscious of his social position, and being a person who tolerates abuse). while the change in accent, personal pronoun, sense of status, the abusive rhetoric he regurgitates, and overall departure from mikoto's typical presenting personality all add to the prior point and to 'mikoto's benefit, it also helps ore (俺) feel like a different person, who is not constrained by having to tolerate things and acting according to his social position. this helps ore (俺) emotionally remove himself from the fact 'mikoto' was trapped and overwhelmed, and allows him to express the intolerable things he does.

unfortunately, emulating the tactics of his abusers and portraying himself as a rough-speaking tough guy who is sadistic and cruel did not go over well with the audience. you might say that this mask was a little too convincing.

we can be almost certain ore (俺) did not fully grasp the position he was in, and the extent of the scrutiny that would go into his behaviour. we can also be certain ore (俺) had no idea he would be unique in being able to attack es, and the ramifications of such.

despite not being uniquely violent as a prisoner, because mikoto was successful in the attack due to the alters loophole, mikoto seems more violent than the others. it also doesn't help mikoto was put under severe psychological pressure, by es being incredibly careless with his dissociative barriers, leading to a sudden and extreme trauma-triggered switch.

it also doesn't help that there is a lot of social stigma in the real world around the mentally ill being unpredictable, violent, and senselessly volatile, and mikoto seemed to align with that, and thus the audience came to conclusions about what this outburst 'meant' about mikoto and the circumstances of his crime.

the audience at large did not like his vibe, and mikoto was deemed unforgiven.

in summary, John Doe ore (俺):

emerges when mikoto is overwhelmed and has his fight response triggered, exhausted of all other options to combatting an overwhelming psychological attack.

presents himself as the archetypal 'monster' (using rough speak, threats, and becoming violent) to intimidate es, stop their prodding at his dissociative barriers that keep him functional and stable, and hopefully prevent further abuse.

main body 2: defining the ore (オレ) of Neoplasm (quick section)

before i dig into Neoplasm, ore (オレ), and ore's (オレ) relationship to ore (俺), i have actually already written an essay and a half analysing ore's (オレ) presentation and motivations in Neoplasm here.

i'm not going to repeat all of my analysis, but i'll summarise the relevant bits, so we are on the same page going forward:

essentially, in Neoplasm, ore (オレ):

emerges coming into trial 2 to be interrogated by es, makes a point to identify 'himself' and only 'himself' as the killer, and spends almost all of his time negotiating mikoto's innocence accordingly.

claims his purpose is to "take it all - bear it all (...) [and] be rid of it."

presents himself as the archetypal 'monster' (using rough speak, threats, dehumanising himself, and making no effort to provide motive or explanation for his murders) to make himself appear unsympathetic and mikoto, in contrast, purely a victim.

you'll see already that the way the two ores function are pretty distinct. despite both having rough demeanours, functioning to protect himself, and evoking the archetypal 'monster', the circumstances in which they come forward and their specific goals in the moment and with their presentations are very different.

despite this distinction, ore (オレ) does intentionally seem to imply that he and ore (俺) are the same, and definitely does not correct this assumption on es' part. so what gives?

main body 3: psychoanalysing the ore (オレ) of Neoplasm

well, let's analyse the circumstances of ore's (オレ) appearance and callbacks, consider ore's (オレ) self-proclaimed purpose and role, and deduce the practical advantages of misleading es and the audience in this specific way.

very importantly, coming into trial 2 and the opening of Neoplasm, the situation for mikoto has changed, a lot.

firstly, mikoto has been voted guilty once. that is to say, whatever mikoto did in John Doe, did not work in his favour. he's also familiarised himself with Milgram by now, and is more aware of his position. so, he's not going to try what he did in John Doe again.

secondly, despite his 'odd case' meaning he has been free to roam the prison, he is chained and restrained for the events of Neoplasm. this also essentially eliminates the chance of any fight or flight response should he be triggered again, doubly.

differently to what brings ore (俺) out, the ore (オレ) of Neoplasm switches in with little fanfare, after a short period of a very dissociated mikoto expressing that he doesn't understand what's going on.

the specific note that he switches in on is on the note of being accused of things — mid sentence, he goes from passively laughing about his hopeless situation, to expressing irritation at it. before the switch, this 'mikoto' expresses that laughing things off comes naturally to him; it's likely this 'mikoto' is unable to feel or identify with frustration as 'himself', hence, the switch.

i also think, due to ore's (オレ) role (as the scapegoat alter who identifies with acts, takes blame and singular responsibility, and may already be planing to lean into his disconnect from 'mikoto' to absolve him), it was very necessary for him to come forward and negotiate with es at some point. hence, the situation of being interrogated by es (and specifically, the topic of blame) brings ore (オレ) forward.

after es immediately verbally takes note of the switch, ore (オレ) makes himself known; he does not pretend nothing has happened or continue with his train of thought. he immediately calls back to ore's (俺) actions in John Doe, implying that this is the same alter that perpetrated them, and generally associates himself with these parts of mikoto that are typically intolerable to him.

(note that while in the original text no specific personal pronoun is used, the obvious implication of bringing up the attack on es immediately after switching in is to create a connection between 'that' ore and 'this' ore. also, assuming the audience has a rudimentary understanding of DID, this alter not having amnesia for the event would also imply that it must be the same alter that perpetrated it.)

in my opinion, and the reason i was typically reluctant to interrogate which of mikoto's alters 'did what', the only reason for calling back to an alter's continuity like this is to establish blame. this goes double when the continuity involves associating yourself with typically intolerable (and socially unacceptable) acts, and triple when, as we have seen as Neoplasm progresses, this alter is generally entirely concerned with taking blame for 'mikoto' to relieve him of culpability and negotiate his physical and psychological freedom.

assuming ore (オレ) is associating and aligning himself with ore's (俺) actions as a way to take the blame for them, there are a few ways we can make sense of this decision.

1: in light of what we know about ore (オレ) as a scapegoat alter who clearly hates himself, who has taken responsibility for their murders to protect 'mikoto's self-image, one likely answer as to why he takes responsibility for ore's (俺) outburst is because he is an alter that handles shame.

even towards the beginning of Neoplasm, ore (オレ) expresses a desire to be dehumanised, and implies that typically, he is not considered human, likely because that would make matters of shame simpler: he is irredeemable, he is a monster, he is everything wrong, this is simply who he is.

this makes it likely to me that whenever mikoto expresses intolerable things or feels shame/is shamed for acting inappropriately, it would be the job of this alter to internalise the emotional fallout, reinforcing this self-image, all slightly away from normative 'mikoto', to protect 'mikoto's self esteem and ability to function. this existence would require ore (オレ) to be aware of any shameful things mikoto has done, including any standing up for himself as mikoto (俺).

mikoto essentially disowns and vilifies anything he does or expresses he considers socially unacceptable through having mikoto (オレ), who sees himself as a 'monster', take responsibility for all his shameful acts. ore (オレ) also handles and makes sense of the overwhelming shame mikoto feels for these acts, expressions, and abuse he has suffered through this way of seeing himself.

this implied long-term vilification of and 'inherent badness' to ore (オレ) could also tie in to a possibility of ore (オレ) existing before the events of milgram, as a part of mikoto that handled shame in his daily life and due to his everyday traumas.

it is also very common for other alters to reinforce introjected abusive rhetoric and lash out at parts that contain and handle shame.

when the person, as a whole, has been made shameful, but most alters cannot handle that level of shame, a typical response is for most alters to dissociate from it, and instead emulate the abuse they have suffered and inner critic they have developed onto only a part of them. this dissociative scapegoating protects the majority of the system from the feeling and experience of being shamed and belittled by themselves, and contains the overwhelming shame in one extreme, but often repressed part.

the fact the majority of mikoto's alters' seem psychologically unable to handle being or acting shamefully, instead blaming and verbally abusing a part who takes responsibility and is scapegoated for everything, and feels shame for everything, is textbook.

i find it likely that to protect himself from abuse at work, mikoto subconsciously separated himself from the 'him' that felt shame, and this alter grew to develop the belief that he must be, and may deserve to be made, responsible for everything.

2: in light of what we know about ore (オレ) as a scapegoat alter who intends to sacrifice himself while bearing all mikoto's sins, one likely answer as to why he takes responsibility for ore's (俺) outburst is also because mikoto's (俺) acts have put him into deep trouble.

towards the beginning of Neoplasm, ore (オレ) comments that one reason he feels he has been out a lot, as opposed to normative 'mikoto', is because of their guilty verdict. i find this makes sense. because 'mikoto' was labelled as culpable for his actions and the audience did not buy the alter excuse, mikoto has been forced from normalcy and forced to reside in a shame part more suited to this reality, where 'mikoto' is unforgiven, socially unacceptable, and labelled as 'dangerous' and otherwise ostracised.

mikoto, in general, does not seem very happy about this. after all, it's in his best interest to remain normative and functional and socially accepted. therefore, mikoto needs to work out how to be forgiven, and overcome the social predicament he has found himself in (both in terms of being a murderer, and being considered a 'volatile' mentally ill man due to his outburst).

the strategy mikoto lands on in Neoplasm comes in the form of ore (オレ) scapegoating himself for the murders, claiming to es that he perpetrated them without mikoto's consent or control, yada yada, as explored in my last essay.

considering the predicament mikoto is in is not only about being a murderer however, and ore (オレ) considers his role to "take it all - bear it all (…) [and] be rid of it," it would also make sense that for his attempted crucifixion, ore (オレ) would take on the responsibility of everything that has rubbed the audience the wrong way, before promising to vanish.

this includes his murders, but it also includes mikoto's (俺) intolerable and socially unacceptable outburst in John Doe, and mikoto's general being considered 'a man with alters, that make him dangerous'.

ore (オレ) wants the audience (and also, probably, himself) to think that after he has 'disappeared', everything unacceptable about mikoto will be gone; the 'alter that murdered', is ore (オレ), and will be gone, the 'alter that lashed out in John Doe', is ore (オレ), and will be gone, and perhaps even 'mikoto's alters in their entirety, that frighten people', are only ore (オレ), and will be gone.

hence, ore (オレ) takes responsibility for everything, before promising to vanquish it, accumulating every symbol and act and demeanour that may have made mikoto unforgiven, and promising to be rid of it, in the desperate attempt to return normalcy and forgiveness to themselves.

(in fact, he even may have implied he and ore (俺) are one and the same, and thus leaned into the presumption that there are only two alters, to make his (オレ) decision to vanish seem like a 'cure' for mikoto's DID (in leaving only the 'normative alter' in existence), and therefore free mikoto from the socially unacceptable status of being an 'othered' mentally ill man with alters, a status that has become apparent as Milgram has progressed and mikoto has been scrutinised. i hope i don't have to explain that you don't 'cure' DID by lobotomising yourself, and mikoto is currently learning this the hard way, based on his T3 lines, but as long as the audience is swayed to this way of thinking, and it is possible ore (オレ) genuinely believed removing all trace of mikoto's mental illness in 'vanishing' 'his alter, who is responsible for everything unacceptable' could help, is all that matters.)

this, actually, brings me into the third element, that i'm going to make a nice little title for, despite being a continuation of the ore (オレ) psychoanalysis, and another possible reason for why he gives us the impression he and ore (俺) are the same.

main body 4: mikoto's convenient false binary

as i said when i opened this essay, mikoto's case is often reduced to a conflict between how one votes a system of one 'innocent' personality and one 'guilty'.

when it comes to approaching and attempting to understand mikoto's crime, many people abstract him, and reduce him to a stock, hollywood, split-personality stereotype. this model, while simplistic and reductive, is easy for a lot of people to understand.

compared to real DID, in which a person is so conflicted on themselves and their actions that it sometimes feels as if they are possessed, and may not understand what they do or who they are, with a lot of muddy middle ground between self-states, identity and memory discontinuation, and blurring, split personality trope provides clearly defined boundaries.

clearly defined boundaries are an illusion in DID. they are also something a person with DID may attempt to reinforce when something a part of them handles or represents is intolerable to them. drawing a firm boundary in their mind helps them feel that they are separate from this part of themselves, and may help to explain the feeling of separatedness: 'if i feel it, it must be true'.

often, it is easiest for a person with DID to make sense of themselves to see themselves as multiple distinct entities, reflecting the different parts of self they have and the barriers between them. and yet, even so, most people with DID struggle with blurriness and existing beyond the confines they've drawn in the sand to make sense of themselves. at the end of the day, a model for understanding one's self is only a model.

that is to say, DID is messy, contradictory, and muddy.

mikoto, with no real coping mechanisms to overcome his symptoms, at the end of his psychological rope, and on the chopping block in Milgram, with already one guilty verdict under his belt, is not in a position to be messy, contradictory, and muddy.

he needs to be easy to understand. he needs to have clearly defined boundaries.

not only is it personally important for ore (オレ) to take the blame alone for all of his shameful actions, and then disappear, but if ore (オレ) can sell to the audience that there are only two alters, clearly defined, one innocent and one guilty, and play along with how the audience stereotypes and abstracts him into a conventional split-personality trope, ore (オレ) can sway the vote to his favour, and attain a forgiven vote, providing (relative) normalcy and social acceptance within Milgram for 'mikoto'.

by leaning into the false binary, creating false continuation between different normative mikotos and between different scapegoated and unacceptable mikotos, and make it seem as if there is no middle ground between them, mikoto creates a 'good' and an 'evil', a 'guilty' and an 'innocent'. he can compartmentalise everything in him that he feels has caused him abuse, blame all his outbursts and crimes on it, and then promise to vanquish it.

and if, 'without' his unacceptable, parts (who are clearly 'monsters', killers, and act out without reason) he is only his normative selves, who have 'done nothing wrong' and were 'helpless to their other side', and will never cause any issues again, the question of what Milgram's audience should do with mikoto becomes simple.

you vote to forgive mikoto.

and wow, it really worked. well done, mikoto. well done, ore (オレ). well done leaning into your own complex dissociation, the illusion of defined boundaries, and the audience's own pop-culture understanding of DID.

conclusion / tl;dr:

the ore (俺) that appears in John Doe and ore (オレ) that appears in Neoplasm are two separate alters. despite appearing on a surface level to have similar demeanours, and both portraying themselves as 'different kinds of people' to mikoto to help mikoto reassure himself they are 'not him, their triggers, actions, reasons, and motivations are distinct.

while ore's (俺) demeanour, aggression, and rhetoric serves to intimidate and challenge an overwhelming threat and escape from the confines of 'mikoto's identity to allow him to protect himself, ore (オレ) emulates a similar demeanour to portray himself as a shameful 'monster' who does not conform to socially acceptable behaviour and represents everything unacceptable about mikoto, to serve as a scapegoat.

despite the fact they are different, ore (オレ) intentionally leads the audience to believe that he is responsible for mikoto's outburst in John Doe, likely due to his role as an alter who handles mikoto's shame and takes the blame for everything mikoto deems unacceptable about himself, as well this claim being convenient for his ultimate plan to be crucified while bearing every unacceptable part of mikoto, in the pursuit of mikoto's forgiveness.

ore (オレ)'s misdirection also ties into the illusion of alter separatedness and mikoto's false binary, that he both utilises to cope, and to navigate the Milgram audience's expectations, as a strategy for securing his forgiveness, as well.

epilogue / reflection

i accidentally strayed into another essay i'm working on towards the end there. i am fascinated by how mikoto responds to the label of DID and conforms to the audience's stigmas and models they apply to him. a full essay on that train of thought is in the works. hang in there. that end bit was just a taste, i guess.

as always, please let me know if any of this is incomprehensible. i can be wordy, and i may accidentally use inaccessible DID jargon. if i have, please let me know and i will correct it. it is very important to me that my analysis can be understood and discussed (and even challenged!) by a wide audience.

anyway, pat yourself on the back, because, even not including text in images, you've officially read 5k words of nonstop mikoto analysis. this is longer than my 'john didn't do it' essay. holy fuck.

i hope you enjoyed. & thank you for sticking with me

no funny meme this time. go mikoto dance.

[imustbenuts]

nuts reading trigun in japanese 3 - "weirdo" and vash's pronoun switching

disclaimer: my jp reading posts are all for triangulation purposes and nothing else. scanlating mangas is tough work. @-@ i know this.

"Weirdo"

the word 'weirdo' in 2024 english carries connotations of neutral-bad or positive depending on the context of the speaker. depending on how one curates their internet space, weirdo often leans more positively with the same meaning as eccentric, but not always.

however, but in JP, "weird" is more specific and often negative. there's the well known, hentai 変態 (ie. deviant, pervert, freak, extremely negative in tone), and in this case, kimochi warui 気持ち悪い (gross, off-putting, bad vibes). eccentrics are more as 変人 henjin and carries a more neutral tone.

in this panel here papa nebreska uses 気持ち悪い in katakana キモチワルイ in reaction to vash busting his ass saving people and putting out of harms' way. vash's vibes are so off putting to this wanted man he's actually creeped out.

this is particularly interesting to me bc the english translation didn't end up portraying how utterly weird vash's mindset is fully. it wasnt until wolfwood points out how flawed vash's pacifist mindset do i get a proper frame of reference of norms in this world, but i might be having skill issues in english comprehension. ;w;

Pronoun switching

quick. 俺 Ore! 僕 Boku! 私 Watashi! they all mean "I", and there's 2 spectrum of expressions going on here thats commonly believed. 1st being Masculinity to Femininity. what's the 2nd?

the answer is... Rudeness/Assertiveness to Politeness. and gosh does vash switch a lot between Boku and Ore in the first 4 chapters of this manga lmao.

(to be clear, while i am aware of trans hc thats very popular in the fandom, im not at all diminishing or talking about gender expression specifically. im talking about what vash is presenting himself as in context.)

so to perhaps oversimplify this, in JP the idea of politeness and hierarchy is so super duper important, its very built into the language itself. and Japanese is a very high context language. if someone of a higher or equal standing uses "Ore", its totally fine. but if someone of a lower standing uses "Ore", they've committed a social faux pas.

as an obvious example, if a fresh new employee approaches his Boss with "Ore", he's potentially getting dressing down in the company. maybe in front of his coworkers. if this employee forgoes polite speech (keigo) and uses a too Assertive and Casual speech, they've Really Fucked Up and are one foot out the door.

this is also tied up in gender to some extent, hence why girls using Ore is incredibly uncommon, but guys would use Watashi in certain contexts such as talking to their Boss. (woo woo the forces of hierarchy/patriarchy... or something.)

so. vash switches his pronouns for the same effect. when he uses Ore, he's making himself sound more assertive and confident. when he uses Boku, he's often making himself sound less threatening, smaller, open, and trying to avoid conflict.

sound familiar?

bc if you translated all of that into a character design instead of relying on just jp pronouns, we'd get TriStamp Vash.

slight spoilers, but this is even true in one of the tensest moments between vash and wolfwood, where the latter provokes vash and tears into his pacifism ideology. vash sticks with boku in this scene as he says his piece.

if he ever uses watashi, it's bc he wants to be polite straight out of the gate with an air of formality. (this is japanese manners and the proper approach to talking to strangers. mainly to get a feel for each others standing without offense until context changes.)

i also wanna point out maybe something obvious here but.

real life pronoun switching in japanese is a COMMON thing. no one ever really sticks to 1 pronoun bc of Good Manners and the aforementioned hierarchical systems in place. it is only mostly in anime/manga and video games where characters overly prefer 1 due to this being a good shorthand for characterization. this being how rude or polite they are, and in some cases, Gender.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 418 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1-2 みんな嫌いだ みんなきらいだ minna kirai da "I hate everyone."

tagline 1 デクが見つけたものそれはーー… デクがみつけたものそれはーー… DEKU ga mitsuketa mono sore wa--... As for what Deku found--...

tagline 2 No.418　小さな心　堀越耕平 ナンバー418　ちいさなこころ　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 418  chiisana kokoro  Horikoshi Kouhei No. 418 A Small Heart Kouhei Horikoshi

3 群訝で感じたのと同じーーーーー… ぐんがでかんじたのとおなじーーーーー… gunga de kanjita no to onaji-----... It's the same as what I felt at Gunga-----...

tagline 3 コミック40巻4月4日（木）発売‼︎GETしてね！ コミック40かん4がつ4か（木）はつばい‼︎ゲットしてね！ KOMIKKU 40kan 4gatsu 4ka (moku) hatsubai!! GETTO shite ne! Comic volume 40 release on Thursday, April 4th!! Get it!

4 しがっ Shiga "Shiga-"

1 モンちゃん？ MON-chan? "Mon-chan?"

2-3 ここで初めて「崩壊」が発現したんだ ここではじめて「ほうかい」がはつげんしたんだ koko de hajimete 「houkai」 ga hatsugen shitanda This is where the first Decay manifested.

4 転弧ー てんこー Tenko- "Tenko-"

5 あのね…… ano ne...... "You know what......"

6 あのね…… ano ne...... "You know what......"

7 そんな……そういう事か…！ そんな……そういうことか…！ sonna......sou iu koto ka...! No way......So it was something like that...!

8 この後起きる事… このあとおきること… kono ato okiru koto... What happens after this...

9 ハッ HA "Hah" (Note: This is the sound of Tenko hyperventilating, which repeats all through the rest of the page.)

10 ここが核心 ここがかくしん koko ga kakushin This place is the core [of it all].

11 やああ yaaa "YAAA!!"

1 ここで決着をつける！ ここでけっちゃくをつける！ koko de kecchaku wo tsukeru! I'll settle this here!

2 記憶が具象化する世界…！ きおくがぐしょうかするせかい…！ kioku ga gushouka suru sekai...! [In this] world materialized by memories...!

3 イメージしろ！ IMEEJI shiro! Visualize!

4 離すな‼︎ はなすな‼︎ hanasuna!! Don't let go!!

5 思い出し続けろ"手"を‼︎ おもいだしつづけろ"て"を‼︎ omoidashi tsudzukero "te" wo!! Keep recalling* [my] hands!! (Note: This word for "recall" also means "remember." I used "recall" because I thought it made for a good pun.)

6 & 8-9 OFAは全部ぶつけた！ ワン・フォー・オールはぜんぶぶつけた！ WAN FOO OORU wa zenbu butsuketa! I struck with all of One For All!

7 なんで…！ nande...! "Why...!"

1 僕自身をぶつけろ！ ぼくじしんをぶつけろ！ boku jishin wo butsukero! Strike with myself! (Note: I think Izuku is saying that he used all of the OFA vestiges to strike at Tenko, so now he's using himself to strike at Tenko too.)

2 だって datte "Because"

3 泣いてる ないてる naiteru "you're crying."

4 違うよ… ちがうよ… chigau yo... "You're wrong..."

5 僕は… ぼくは… boku wa... "I..."

6 僕が… ぼくが… boku ga... "[It was] I [who]..."

7 選んだんだ えらんだんだ erandanda "chose [this]."

8 転弧の感情が…なだれ込んでくる！ てんこのかんじょうが…なだれこんでくる！ Tenko no kanjou ga...nadarekonde kuru! Tenko's emotions...are surging [at me]!

9 僕の意志で…この家を…家族を壊したんだ… ぼくのいしで…このいえを…かぞくをこわしたんだ… boku no ishi de...kono ie wo...kazoku wo kowashitanda... "By my will...I destroyed this house...my family..."

10 じゃなきゃ ja nakya "Otherwise,"

11 この手はなんなんだ このてはなんなんだ kono te wa nannanda "what are these hands for?"

1 僕がこうして生まれた事を ぼくがこうしてうまれたことを boku ga koushite umareta koto wo "That I was born like this,"

2 誰が肯定できる⁉︎ だれがこうていできる⁉︎ dare ga koutei dekiru!? "who can confirm it!?"

3 最も繊細で柔らかいところ もっともせんさいでやわらかいところ motto mo sensai de yawarakai tokoro It is the most delicate, soft place.

4 弾かれる…‼︎だめだ離すなーーーー！ はじかれる…‼︎だめだはなすなーーーー！ hajikareru...!! dame da hansuna----! [He's] repelling [me]...!! No, don't let go----!

5 強い憎しみとカタルシス…… つよいにくしみとカタルシス…… tsuyoi nikushimi to KATARUSHISU...... Powerful hatred and catharsis......

6 そして同時に そしてどうじに soshite douji ni and at the same time,

7 悲しみと困惑…！ かなしみとこんわく…！ kanashimi to konwaku...! sadness and confusion...!

8 この時まだ転弧は揺れていた…！ このときまだてんこはゆれていた…！ kono toki mada Tenko wa yurete ita...! At this time, Tenko was still oscillating...!

1-2 手を離せ…！ てをはなせ…！ te wo hanase...! "Let go of my hands...!"

3 殺して��める以外方法がないかもしれない ころしてとめるいがいほうほうがないかもしれない koroshite tomeru igai houhou ga nai kamoshirenai There may be no other way than to kill and stop him.

4 具体的にどうすればいいのかもわからないけれどーーーー… ぐたいてきにどうすればいいのかもわからないけれどーーーー… gutaiteki ni dou sureba ii no kamo wakaranai keredo----... I don't know exactly what I should do, but----...

5 僕は手を ぼくはてを boku wa te wo "For me, [my] hand..."

6 流れ込んでくる ながれこんでくる nagarekonde kuru It's flowing [into me].

7 憎しみが……！ にくしみが……！ nikushimi ga......! His hatred......!

8 壊れる…！こんな…！ こわれる…！こんな…！ kowareru...! konna...! I'll break...! Like this...!

9 手を掴んでもらって てをつかんでもらって te wo tsukande moratte "when someone held my hand"

10 安心したから あんしんしたから anshin shita kara "I felt relieved, that's why."

1 だから……来たっ だから……きたっ dakara......kita "That's why......I am here*." (*Note: Literally this means "I came/arrived," but it's the same word All Might uses that always gets translated as "I am here.")

1 みっくん Mikkun Mikkun.

2 ともちゃん… Tomo-chan... Tomo-chan...

3 じゃあ転ちゃんがオールマイトね！ じゃあてんちゃんがオールマイトね！ jaa Ten-chan ga OORU MAITO ne! "So then, Ten-chan is All Might!"

4 ううん uun "No."

1 僕は敵だ ぼくはヴィランだ boku wa VIRAN da "I am a villain."

2 悪意を持って あくいをもって akui wo motte "I carry malice,"

3 壊す こわす kowasu "and I destroy."

4 たとえ憎しみを…打ち砕かれようと たとえにくしみを…うちくだかれようと tatoe nikushimi wo...uchikudakareyou to "Even if my hatred...is smashed,"

5 からっぽになろうと karappo ni narou to "even if I become empty,"

1-2 敵のヒーローにならなきゃ あいつらのヒーローにならなきゃ aitsura (kanji: VIRAN) no HIIROO ni naranakya "I have to become their (read as: the villains') hero."

3 …やっちまえ ...yacchimae "...Just do it."

4 こんな世の中 こんなよのなか konna yo no naka "A world like this,"

5 ブッ潰せ ブッつぶせ BUttsubuse "crush it."

6 壊してくれよ こわしてくれよ kowashite kure yo "Destroy it [for me]."

7 トムラシガラキ TOMURA SHIGARAKI "Tomura Shigaraki." (Note: This is spoken as though in a language like English where one's given name comes before their family name.)

8 指が崩れていくぞ…‼︎ ゆびがくずれていくぞ…‼︎ yubi ga kuzurete iku zo...!! "The fingers are going to collapse...!!"

9 中は…緑谷は一体ーー なかは…みどりやはいったいーー naka wa...Midoriya wa ittai-- "Inside...Midoriya, just what is--"

1 志村さん しむらさん Shimura-san "Mr. Shimura."

2 ああ！ aa! "Ah!"

3 甲賀建設の！ こうがけんせつの！ kouga kensetsu no! "[You're the one] from Kouga Construction!"

4 腰痛ですか ようつうですか youtsuu desu ka "Lower back pain, is it?"

5 なんだ？ nanda? What's this?

6 年々酷くなって参りますよ ねんねんひどくなってまいりますよ nennen hidoku natte mairimasu yo "Every year it's getting worse."

7 良い医者紹介しましょうか？ いいいしゃしょうかいしましょうか？ ii isha shoukai shimashou ka? "Shall I introduce you to a good doctor?"

8 いやあそこまでしてもらうXでは iyaa soko made shite morau X de wa "Oh no, for you to go that far for me..." (Note: The last kanji/furigana in this speech bubble is illegible, but I think the gist of this line is pretty clear.)

1 なんだこの記憶 なんだこのきおく nanda kono kioku What is this memory?

2 そうですね手は掛かりますが… そうですねてはかかりますが… sou desu ne te wa kakarimasu ga... "That's right, he's a bit of a handful, but..."

3 "個性"はもう？ "こせい"はもう？ "kosei" wa mou? "Still no quirk?"

4 それがまだ… sore ga mada... "Not yet..."

5 知らない しらない shiranai I don't know it.

6 …転弧のじゃない… …てんこのじゃない… ...Tenko no ja nai... ...This isn't Tenko's...

7 なんだ nanda Who

8 こいつは koitsu wa is this guy?

1 ああ…愚かな器…！ ああ…おろかなうつわ…！ aa...orokana utsuwa...! "Ahh...foolish vessel...!"

2 何者でも無い少年に心をねじ伏せられるとは なにものでもないしょうねんにこころをねじふせられるとは nanimono demo nai shounen ni kokoro wo nejifuserareru to wa "To have your heart made to yield by some nobody boy."

3 弱いまま強くあろうなどああ愚かな志村転弧 よわいままつよくあろうなどああおろかなしむらてんこ yowai mama tsuyoku arou nado aa orokana Shimura Tenko "Though you've become strong, you remain weak. Ahh, foolish Tenko Shimura."

4 おまえは今まで おまえはいままで omae wa ima made "Even though until now, you"

5 何一つ選んでなどいないのに なにひとつえらんでなどいないのに nani hitotsu erande nado inai noni "haven't chosen a single thing."

tagline 出づるAFO！死柄木、デクはーー… いづるオール・フォー・ワン！しがらき、デクはーー… idzuru OORU FOO WAN! Shigaraki, DEKU wa--... All For One emerges! As for Shigaraki and Deku--...

[jojossillywalk]

wow. SO. here are some language distinctions that can be a little mixed in translation!

disclaimer that actual talking is very very different from the vocal performance that shows up in anime.

first and foremost, english (the dub more than sub) can sometimes miss the fact that there is a very distinct difference in how avdol and polnareff speak!

it's no joke when i say that polnareff has a "bro-y" way of speaking. he uses "俺" (ore) which is very informal, can be considered rude, and is conventionally considered to be masculine. he speaks a lot more casually/informally in general, he and jotaro are sort of even (polnareff just talks more).

also polnareff's speech is generally just much more rude than either the dub or sub really convey. this man is crass.

avdol uses "私" (watashi), which is used in formal settings, it's also like a polite default- that said, he's distinct in using that pronoun among the crusaders! among close friends (for guys), it's like. got a stiff/stuffy vibe. casually, it's got feminine connotations, but by and large it's formal (kakyoin uses "僕" (boku), which is just a Younger Guy way to identify yourself)

when jotaro is talking about how avdol seems like he "thinks highly of himself" (the phrase jotaro uses is straightforward telling someone that they come off as arrogant), avdol's speech lends to the image of him seeming smugly intelligent.

the one time that we hear him use "ore," he adds "kono" before it- there's really no good way to translate that in english, it's like "i, myself, etc etc."

this is not the only time avdol puts "kono." this actually lends more weight to jotaro saying that avdol comes off as self important. "kono [insert personal pronoun/name]" has an implication of distinction- "me (and explicitly only me)." so "a stand i, avdol, have not heard of."

when avdol says "i've heard of [this stand]," he often uses "噂" (uwasa). however, he uses "見かけた" to describe his experiences with the illness- ie, he's seen people with the stand sickness, but more often than not, he's heard of the assassins (devo being an exception).

when he's stopping polnareff, the sub says something like "you're getting wool to come back shorn"/"tough talk for a man digging his own grave," both are localizations! his direct phrasing is more like "this one's going to steal mummies when he'll become one."

another note is that avdol uses formal pronouns to refer to himself, but the pronouns he uses to refer to others are less formal (joseph being an exception). he speaks formally, but like someone with seniority!

this is because, in this situation, he's literally someone with seniority.

that said, polnareff is a) very vocally independent, b) has an ego taking up 5/6 of the known universe, but more importantly, the comment that makes avdol try to punch him isn't "holier than thou," it's "go keep pretending to be more of an adult/above it all like always."

there's already jotaro's comment about avdol coming off as arrogant, but polnareff is accusing avdol of putting up a front/acting like someone he's not (the verb is "otonabutte").

there are more but here's some for now

[fairystar111]

Puppy Love

Chapter 1 By: fairystar111

Rating: Gen

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia

Summary:

Quirk: {Puppy love}: The user emits a pink ray from his hands. Once a target is hit they become the type of dog most suited to them. The quirk can only be undone by true love's kiss ie. platonic, friendship, or romantic. If the target manages to get a kiss from someone who truly loves them then they will transform back to human form. [Warning!]: If the quirk is not undone within a month, permanent canine characteristics will begin to accumulate on the target’s real body. If the quirk is not reversed within three months the target will lose their humanity, permanently becoming a dog. Or Shigaraki brings home a new pet

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko

Tags: Animal Transformation, Dog Midoriya Izuku, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Unintentional Kidnapping, Yandere, Yandere Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Platonic Yandere, Platonic Kissing, Fluff, Body Horror, Protective Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Possessive Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko

The day had started off pretty normal for Izuku. He had woken up early Saturday morning to clean his dorm before going home for the weekend. He made it to his mother’s apartment uneventfully and they spent the morning together eating pancakes and watching cheesy soap operas. Then his mom had asked him to run an errand for her. All he had to do was pick up the ingredients for katsudon at their local market down a couple of blocks from their home. That was it. Now here he is stuck as a dog in a dirty alleyway.

He didn’t mean to get into trouble and be hit with the thief’s quirk, okay! But he wasn’t just going to stand there and let him get away! He’s a hero student; he can’t not help those in need. When he heard the kind old shop lady screaming out she was being robbed, he couldn’t help himself. His body moved on its own, and before he knew it, he was bolting out the door after the masked man. He managed to corner the man in an alleyway and was going to call the authorities. He didn’t expect to be hit with a strange sparkling pink ray of light and fall flat on his face.

Izuku screamed in agony as he felt his body shifting. Bones twisting and breaking, transforming into something much smaller. His face, nose, and mouth being crushed down and reformed until he couldn’t scream, only release high-pitched little whimpers. The last thing he felt was something popping out of him near his lower back, or what used to be his back. Then a voice from above spoke.

“Oh well, aren't you a cute one? I don’t doubt you’ll be able to charm anyone that comes across you.” The thief tapped the pup on the nose when he noticed him dozing off, tired from the strain of the transformation. “Hey, listen up! I’ll give you some advice since you seem like a promising young kid. The cure is love. Well, I gotta get out of here. Good luck with that!” with one last pet he left, leaving Izuku all alone. 

The boy managed to drag his new foreign body into a dirty ramen case near a dumpster. When he heard a distant voice call out, “Oh, and make sure you're out of that form within a month!” before passing out. 

===

It was dark and cold when he awoke. He tried to stand up, but his body felt odd, he was unbalanced and even his vision was off. It was the middle of the night, but he could still see clearly, albeit the colors around him looked muddy and dull. He looked down and yipped when he found paws in place of feet. W-what happened?

Then he remembered the thief from earlier had hit him with his quirk. What had the man said?

Something about love being able to undo it. What was that supposed to mean? Is he supposed to get someone to fall in love with him? But how? He’s a dog. And what then, is the person who loves him just supposed to make contact with him? Maybe pet him or...oh...oh no…this quirk can’t be so cliché that the cure is a kiss, could it? He’s lucky his face is covered in fur, or else he is certain he would be blushing a tomato red. 

Well, love doesn’t have to be romantic; it comes in many forms. He could just find his mom and ask her for a kiss on the forehead. Wait, he can't talk. He’ll just head back to UA and find Koda and then tell him to ask the teachers for help. But what would happen to him after a month? Why was that important enough for the thief to mention? Is the transformation going to be permanent if it's not reversed within a month's time?! 

The boy didn't notice, but his usual muttering was spilling out of him the whole time, but in dog form it sounded like the weak whimpering cries of a puppy. He had unknowingly attracted the attention of a certain white-haired villain who just so happened to be walking down the same alleyway.

Izuku felt the box being shifted upright, and he was knocked off his feet. He peered up to see what had moved his temporary home only to see Tomura Shigaraki peering down at him. He tried to scream, but what came out was more like a terrified yelp. He scrambled into the corner of the box, narrowly avoiding the deadly hands reaching for him.

“It's okay, little one; you don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” He hears a gentle, scratchy voice coo. Is Shigaraki talking to him?! The same Tomura Shigaraki that held him hostage at the mall and spoke like a crazed lunatic. Why is he looking at him so softly? Oh right, he's a dog now. And judging by the height of the box around him, a very small one, likely a puppy.

 Huh, I guess even villains are weak to puppies. 

The box is lifted into the man’s arms, and suddenly Izuku is being carried somewhere. Izuku tries to growl or bark at the man to show his displeasure, but all that comes out are weak little cries. It seems his new body is quite underdeveloped. “Shh, shh, I know it's scary being all alone in such a big world when you are so so small. I'm going to take you somewhere safe.”

He feels the man walking for a bit before pausing. Izuku hears a brief whoosh sound, and then he is inside the League’s base. Or at least he thinks it is; all he can see is the ceiling. The walls of his box are too high for him to look over. He heard what must have been other League members greet Shigaraki. 

“Whaddya got there, boss?” He hears a deep, gravelly voice ask. 

“Uh…soup. I'm going to my room now; don't bother me.” The man said abruptly before hastily retreating with the rustling box in tow. 

“Aww man, I wanted some.” A feminine voice whined.

“That was clearly not ramen,” responded the first voice. 

“Yeah, no,” He heard another strange voice say before the door was shut and locked behind him. 

Shigaraki took him out of the box, grabbing him with all ten fingers. Izuku tensed, bracing for disintegration, yet nothing happened. Shigaraki simply placed him on his bed while he fiddled with his phone for a moment. 

Meanwhile Izuku took the chance to take in his new surroundings. Shigaraki’s bedroom was huge, with massive floor-length windows and a large balcony. The bed he was currently sitting on was unnecessarily large, piled high with plush pillows and blankets. An enormous TV hung on the wall with multiple gaming consoles connected to it, and he had an expensive-looking computer setup in the corner of the room. While the shelves on the walls were a little cluttered with manga and figurines, the room itself was fairly clean aside from a few empty energy drink cans and chip bags littering the desk. Nothing at all like he was expecting. 

Where had the League acquired the funds for this type of luxury? Their last hideout in Kamino had been a desolate ruin compared to this place. How did they gain this much power in such a short amount of time? This is a cause for concern; when he returns back to normal, he’ll report this change in status right away. If they were gaining followers powerful enough to sponsor this type of lifestyle. It could be detrimental to the hero's side if an all-out war were to—eep! His mumbling is cut short as he is picked up.

“Shh, shh, don’t cry little one, it’s alright, your food will be here soon. You must be so hungry.” He tried to struggle out of the villain's lap, but his pudgy little limbs were not strong enough to push him away. His body seems to be quite young; he can't move the same way he’d seen dogs running around in his neighborhood. 

There was a knock at the door, and he was put down as Shigaraki gathered what seemed to be multiple bags of pet supplies. He heard a faint, "You know, you could say thank you, asshole!” from the other side of the door as it was shut abruptly. The villain busied himself on the other side of the bed sorting through the bags and pulling out a can of formula and a tiny bottle. He read the instructions on the can and scooped a tiny bit of powder into the bottle before crossing the room and opening the door to what seemed to be a bathroom. 

He heard the faucet running and wondered for a moment why Shigaraki was making a bottle. It was only when the nipple was put up to his face that he realized it was supposed to be for him. “C’mon, what was all that crying earlier for? Go on, eat.” 

Well, he was hungry; Izuku hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so he hesitantly latched on to the tip of the bottle and sucked. He expected the formula to be gross, but the liquid was lukewarm and thick, tasting like sweet, creamy milk. Once he started drinking, he couldn't stop, his new instincts urging him to eat as fast as he could until he was full. 

“Good puppy.” Izuku felt his face flush as the villain praised him for simply eating, gently petting him as he encouraged him to drink more. 

“You're so small, you look like you've barely opened your eyes. Did your family abandon you? Were you all alone on the streets, crying for help and being ignored by every passerby? The world can be so cruel to those who do not fit the mold in society. If you have nothing to offer the world of heroes, they're happy to leave you alone to die on the streets…” The man trailed off into silence, eyes glazed, staring into nothing, petting him absentmindedly. There was something off in the man's tone, like what he was saying was sort of personal. He contemplated what could have made the man the villain he is today for a moment but found himself nodding off to the rhythmic petting and tummy full of warm milk. 

===

Izuku woke up to the sound of running water. He found himself lying on a towel on the side of a large sink. He straightened his paws in front of him and used all his strength to push himself up into a sitting position. He stared straight into the large mirror. To the left of him he saw Shigaraki running a bath in the large sink, and to the right he saw himself for the first time. He knew he had been changed into a dog. The thief had said so after all, but to see it with his own eyes was shocking. 

He was so small; from what he could tell, his body was about two months old. He had his same soft, curly hair and big green eyes. Though his fur was dark, almost black, it shone green in direct light. He had a white fluffy belly with a pink freckled nose and soft rosy paw pads. He was, to put it simply, adorable. He could see why even a villain like Shigaraki would want to ‘rescue’ him. 

Izuku watched the dangerous set of hands reaching for him in the mirror but didn't bother to dodge this time. Shigaraki has shown he has no hostility for Izuku in this form and that he has far better control of his quirk than he did in the USJ. He no longer needed five-point activation to access his quirk. Which is another change he’ll make sure to report to the heroes. 

“Sorry puppy, but you need a bath; you smell.” The villain muttered as he dipped him into the warm water. Soaking his fur before squirting a dollop of shampoo onto his back and slowly massaging it in. 

A poke to his stomach then, “What a chubby little belly, so full of milk.” Okay, rude. It's unfortunately true, though, with the water crushing down the curls, his body looks like a potato with four toothpicks poking out of it for legs. 

The villain continues on with his bath, gently rinsing the soap suds out of his fur before draining the sink and placing him back onto his towel, gently rubbing him dry. 

“They're all done. You've been a very good–wait, what even are you?” He hears Shigaraki ask before he’s being flipped onto his back and stared down.

“Oh, definitely a boy.” Izuku growled when he realized what he was looking at. Biting the finger closest to his face and shaking his head, aiming to tear skin. The man, however, just chuckled as if his attack meant nothing. 

“Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Guess you don’t like being flipped on your back like that.” No, I just don’t like an S-Tier villain who can crumble things to dust staring at my weewee, thank you very much! 

The man carried him out of the bathroom, turning off the light behind him and setting him back on the bed, all while Izuku continued to nip and growl at him. Shigaraki went back to the bags, pulling out several more items and moving them to an unoccupied corner of the room. He laid down several puppy pads onto the floor along with a fluffy dog bed that resembled a cozy cave and some stuffed toys. Izuku was placed into the bed which he hated to admit was very comfortable and left to his own devices.

“Alright, I’m tired. Goodnight puppy.” The man slumped forward onto his bed and was out within seconds. That doesn't really seem healthy, but it's none of Izuku’s business, so he puts it out of mind.

Izuku waited until he was absolutely certain the villain was asleep and made his way out of his bed. He looked around the room for any exits or useful information surrounding the League but found nothing. The room was locked tight, and the floor was free of any debris. 

He made his way toward the windows hoping to see a familiar cityscape and start formulating a plan to escape, but the view held nothing but miles and miles of forest; there weren't even any lights indicating homes nearby. The moon glowed, and the stars shined brighter than he’d ever seen before; the lack of light pollution indicated the absence of inhabitants in the area. 

Meaning Izuku was completely and utterly alone at the mercy of these villains. Even if he manages to make it out of the mansion, his young body won't be able to make the journey back to civilization. He would likely die from starvation, exhaustion, or a predator preying on him. There’s no way he can make it back to UA like this.

Alright, this is not the time to panic; he just needs to think rationally and analyze his options. He can’t access his quirk in this form. He can’t speak, nor does he have the stamina to move large distances. So that means the most probable way he’ll be able to escape is through their mode of transportation. 

If the villain's base is in the middle of nowhere, they have to be getting all their supplies transported in somehow. Judging by this room alone, the base was most likely huge. 

The mist villain certainly couldn't be doing everything by himself. No, there have to be vehicles to help bring things in and out. If he can manage to sneak into someone's bag or hide in a load of cargo meant to be sent out, maybe he can find a way back to–yelp!

Izuku screamed as he was suddenly picked up, derailing his train of thought. He hadn’t even heard the villain wake up, let alone walk over to him. His heart was hammering in his chest, wondering what the villain would do to him for waking him. So far he has been nothing but kind to him, but he doesn’t know if a sleep-deprived Shigaraki will extend the same courtesy.

“It’s okay, puppy. You can sleep with me; stop crying.” Shigaraki sleepily muttered, getting back into bed. This time actually slipping underneath the blankets and resting him on his chest, one hand cupping Izuku’s back, securing him in place. 

‘It's just for now,’ Izuku thinks. He’ll lay in wait until he finds an opening to escape. For the meantime he’ll just have to play the role of pet dog. He can do this! 

===

Izuku’s abruptly awoken by the man gasping awake, lurching forward and sending him tumbling off his chest. Izuku growled up at the man to show his displeasure. 

The villain groggily grumbling out, “Huh? Oh right, sorry puppy,” and petting him in apology. It seems the man had forgotten he brought him home last night. 

Tomura got up, stretching out his limbs, chuckling when he turned to see Izuku doing the same. He dropped him off in the makeshift bathroom in the corner before he went to the real bathroom.

‘I can't do this!’ Izuku’s mind screams. The man had left him in his corner with firm instructions to ‘go potty’ while he went to get ready for the day. Izuku has been sitting, staring out into nothing for the past fifteen minutes. He failed to realize just how helpless he is as a puppy. He can’t even use the normal restroom or chew food on his own. How is he supposed to escape in these conditions?

Izuku startled as the door creaked open. The man walked out in a black suit with a long red cape. The cape had fur lining the collar and gold embellishments keeping it closed. It made him look regal, frighteningly like…a king. 

The facade broke, though, as he stared down at him in concern. “Maybe you need to eat some more first?”

He got a new bottle prepared in a dash and was feeding Izuku in his lap when he told him. “I’ll be away most of today. Someone else will come by to feed you lunch later. I should be back by dinner. Remember to be a good boy and go potty, okay?” He left soon after, leaving Izuku alone.

Izuku had been planning on eavesdropping by the door while Shigaraki was away, but as soon as he was plopped into his bed, he knew he was a goner. He was so full of warm milk, and his bed was so dark and cozy. He fell asleep after spinning around in circles and fluffing his bed way too many times. Only waking a couple of hours later due to the eerie feeling of someone staring at him. He opened his eyes and saw a red reptilian eye peeking at him through the opening of his den. 

He let out a scream-like bark, diving into the furthest end of his cave. Something inside of him was telling him to hide because there was a large predator out there. Logically he knows it's just Spinner, the villain with a heteromorphic quirk, but his instincts are telling him he is going to be eaten. 

The villain loudly exclaiming, “Oh shit!” and flinching backwards in response to him didn’t help either. 

“Sorry, little buddy, I didn't mean to scare you!” The gecko man slowly sank down on his knees, patting them and cooing. “Come on, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you.” 

Izuku hesitantly walked out of his home. The faster he eats his meal, the faster the new villain will leave. 

“Good job, little guy.” The gecko villain held his arm outstretched, leaving his palm open towards him, waiting. Izuku guesses he wants him to sniff it before he lets him pet him. That’s what a normal dog would do, so he does it. He bumps his nose into his palm and allows the man to pet him. 

He does so for a while before switching his hoodie on backwards and slipping Izuku into the hood. He walked towards the desk where Shigaraki kept his supplies and rummaged through the drawers until he found his formula and a clean bottle. 

“Alright, let's get you fed. Shiggy said you needed two ounces of water per one scoop of dry milk powder.” Spinner said as he measured out the formula and water, carefully shaking the bottle and testing if it was the right temperature on the back of his hand. The man made the bottle with a familiar sort of ease; Izuku wondered if he had any siblings before he decided to become a villain. 

He’s fed once again, then put back into his bed. The man excused himself to go to ‘work,’ whatever that means. Izuku refused to use the ‘potty’ despite how much his bladder is starting to ache and goes back to sleep. 

He wakes up to a concerned Shigaraki. The man takes him out of his bed and places him back onto the pads, encouraging him to use them. Izuku refuses; he shuts his eyes and ignores him. He refuses to let go of his dignity. He is not an animal, and he will not act like one.

He lasts three days refusing to use the puppy pads. After he overheard Tomura mention taking him to the vet to Spinner, he caved, bearing the humiliation of having to go to the bathroom like a dog. Seeing Shigaraki visibly sigh in relief when he saw the soiled pads was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He's trying his best to stay sane, but he is beginning to crack. Each day feels more degrading and dehumanizing than the next. He wants nothing more than to go home. 

===

He meets the rest of the League a few days later because apparently Tomura thought he needed to be socialized with the rest of the villains after hearing how badly he reacted to Spinner.

He’s brought out to the living area and set down in the middle of the room. For a minute he is just stared at incredulously by the group of lounging villains. Before Toga breaks the silence, squealing,

“Hi soup!” The girl made a dash for him, picking up Izuku before he could even try to run away. 

“That's not his name, idiot!” Shigaraki growled. 

“So it's a boy? No, it's a girl!” Twice asked, petting the puppy in Toga’s lap.

“What is his name?” Spinner asked. 

“…”

“He doesn't have a name yet, does he?” Dabi snarks from the kitchen nearby. 

“Of course he does!” He really doesn't. Tomura’s just been calling him puppy this whole time. 

“Oh yeah, what is it then?” Dabi taunts, walking in with a steaming cup of coffee.

“Uhhh…it's Sprout!” Tomura shouts. ‘Well, that's news to me.’ Izuku huffs. He was hoping Shigaraki would get bored of him and not bother to ‘name’ him. His mother always told him, ‘Don’t name things you're not planning to get attached to; it will just be harder to let go when the time comes.’ He hopes that won’t be true for the villain because Izuku is leaving him whether he likes it or not.

“Sprout?” The group collectively tilted their heads.

“Yeah, because he may be nothing but a tiny bud now, but eventually he’ll sprout into a ferocious beast that will tear you apart on my command!” Yeah, no. No, Izuku absolutely will not.

“Sure, boss…” Dabi said in a tone that sounded like he didn't quite believe him. 

“He has a very strange coat coloration. I've never seen a dog in such a fascinating shade of emerald before. Are you sure he’s not a quirked animal?” Mr. Compress asked, gently taking Izuku from Himiko, holding him from his armpits and staring at him. 

“Not sure; I found him in an alleyway dumped in the trash on the way back from a meeting with Giran.” Huh, so that's what he was doing when he found Izuku. 

Dabi raised a brow. “A street dog, huh?”

“He’s just like us! Abandoned and unwanted before joining the League.” Toga grinned up at the white-haired villain.

“Yeah…yeah, he really is. Welcome to the League of Villain Sprout.” Shigaraki cooed so softly he doubted the others could hear it. Izuku didn’t know what to do with the soft smile being directed straight at him. It was so genuine and filled with warmth; Izuku felt bad being the one on the receiving end, knowing he’s not actually a puppy and doesn't intend on becoming Shigaraki’s new pet. He’s distracted from his guilty thoughts when Kurogiri walks in, his yellow eyes widening in shock as he stares at Izuku before narrowing at the white-haired villain.

“TOMURA SHIGARAKI! WHAT IS THAT!” 

“Oh shit-” Seeing Shigaraki try to run away only to be instantly portaled back into the room by Kurogiri was hysterical. The other villains sent him amused glances and taunts that Papagiri was going to get him, which only made Tomura try to get away faster. Seeing the villain look like a kicked puppy as his caregiver scolded him for bringing a dog home without permission while pouting back that ‘he was the supreme leader now and could do whatever he wanted,’ only to whine when the mist villain threatened to take away his video games, was so surreal. 

Seeing the soft sides of villains that he would have never been able to see as a hero was odd. They were just so human; they liked to bicker and play, had hobbies and interests, they behaved nothing like they did on the battlefield. Living with the villains so far has been strange, and he had a feeling things were only going to get stranger.

===

Over the weeks he’s spent with the man, he’s learned quite a few things. Shigaraki is no longer the tantruming man-child he had been at the USJ or the edgy, immature, teen-like villain he had been at the mall. He’s much more mature in a sense; he no longer loses his temper at the drop of a hat or seems quite so irrational. From the bits and pieces of stories he’s overheard from the other villains, the man is a terrifyingly efficient leader now. 

Though he still has some flaws, like despite being the leader of an army and being surrounded by hundreds of followers. Tomura was so very alone. There was a clear boundary between him and the League that neither party wanted to cross. Maybe it had to do with his quirk or the position of power he held over them. Izuku doesn’t know. 

The man had horrible mental health issues and insomnia. Some days the only reason he would get up at all was to feed him. He barely slept, and anytime he was able to get some sleep, he would be awoken by nightmares and often silently cry until it was time to start the day. Izuku can't just ignore someone crying out for help, so he often starts whining next to the bed, begging to be picked up. It’s only when he’s cuddled up next to Shigaraki that the man is able to sleep peacefully. Izuku got so used to doing it that Shigaraki ordered him a little ramp so he can get on the bed all by himself. 

Despite everything, Tomura was kind and gentle in private. He played Animal Crossing and made cute little areas for his villagers to play in and got genuinely upset when one asked to leave. He said things like ‘big stretch’ when Izuku would stretch out his little limbs after his naps. He got so excited whenever Sprout would ‘learn’ a new trick for him, smiling so proudly down at him it made his head feel all fluffy and warm. Listen, Izuku didn't want to play or follow the man's orders, but whenever he did, it helped push away the man's perpetual cloud of sadness. Being ‘Sprout’ helps him relieve his sorrow and stress and allows him to be happy even if just for a moment. 

Shigaraki speaks to him a lot. Izuku often wonders if he knows he can understand him or if he had a pet in the past he treated the same way. Or maybe he just wants someone to talk to who won’t judge him. He can understand being lonely with no one to turn to. He learns that the man was left abandoned on the street as a child and that is why he took him in. Shigaraki hadn’t finished that line of thought, but Izuku can only assume it was All for One who found him.

Izuku felt a deep pity for the man. Who knew what he could have been if All for One had not found him and groomed him into villainy. Would he be happy and carefree? Maybe a hero? He could have been anything if not for that monster. The point is he wants to help him! He can’t change the past, but if being ‘Sprout’ for a little bit helps, then so be it. 

The only problem is the longer he stays in this form, the more instinctual his behavior becomes. The other day he growled and snapped at Toga for playfully pointing her knife at Tomura. Izuku hadn’t even meant to, but something inside him told him to protect his master, and before he knew it, he was sinking his teeth into the girl's hand. 

It was becoming worrying; the thief said he had to be out of this form in one month, and if Izuku’s calculations are correct, it has been a little over four weeks since he arrived. He was becoming more like a real dog as time passed. He needed to get out of here. 

===

The next weeks turn into a vicious cycle of him failing to escape and falling deeper into his canine instincts. 

Izuku used to hate the feeling of being pet. He thought it was degrading, but now he practically throws himself into any hand willing to do it, especially Shigaraki’s. Same with being called a good boy; at first it was embarrassing, but now it was like an instant shot of dopamine to his brain. It made him all fluffy and happy and made his tail wag vigorously. 

He tried his best to leave while the man was away but always found himself too anxious to actually do anything. His instincts were telling him Shigaraki is the leader of his pack, and being near him made Izuku feel safe and secure. The more days passed, the more anxious he felt without the villain, and the harder it was to run away. 

It didn’t help that he was starting to get attached to the rest of the League too. They are a part of Shigaraki’s pack, so that makes them his pack too. Most of them are just broken young adults who were forced into this life. Their pasts are full of quirk discrimination, mental disorders, and physical and mental abuse. They didn’t ask for this; they didn’t choose this life.

I mean Toga, despite her bloodlust and penchant for stabbing, is just a kid. She still gets excited over puppies and stickers, pouts over having to finish paperwork, and cries out for parents who will never answer her when overwhelmed. She treats the league like they’re her own family. It makes him so sad to think what she could have gone through, that villains were the only ones who didn’t make her feel bad for a quirk she was born with. He wants to help them all, but he can’t do it in this form. 

===

Exactly two months since arriving at the League’s base, he finds his opening for escape. He’s spent his time carefully building up trust and bonding with Shigaraki, never once running from him and doing whatever he wants. Now the man allows him to roam around the upper level of the mansion as he pleases. He usually goes out to the living room to hang out or visits whichever League members have their doors open for him. Dabi and Toga usually have biscuits in their rooms that they're happy to feed him if he does a trick. 

His body has grown older; he has far more mobility than he did before and can eat solid food now. He thinks his body is around four months old now. He can run and jump and has much more energy, perfect to use for his plan.

Earlier in the day he had overheard Toga saying she was planning to set up a picnic in the garden when he was playing with Dabi in the living room. The girl had rushed down with a big wicker basket and announced to the League they were going to eat lunch outside. Most of them groaned a bit but indulged her in the end, promising to meet her outside when it's ready. The girl had squealed and rushed into the kitchen to begin preparing the food with Kurogiri. 

When they finished preparing the food, Toga had set the basket onto the floor while she went to gather a blanket for them to sit on and other supplies. He snuck away from the eyes of the League and made his way to the large basket. It took him three tries, but eventually his jump was successful, and he tumbled down into the basket, landing on a sandwich. 

His heart raced when he heard someone ask, “Where’s Sprout?”

“He probably followed Toga to her room for treats.” Dabi answered.

“Ugh, I keep telling her to stop spoiling him so much; she’s going to make him fat.” Tomura complained.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that, boss.” Dabi whistled, avoiding eye contact, while Shigarakki stared at him unimpressed.

Eventually the girl came back, grabbing the basket and snapping the flaps closed, then asked Kurogiri to warp her outside. “Come out in ten minutes, okay!” she said. Receiving dull okays in response except for Twice, who answered back excitedly. 

Izuku shivers as he feels the girl walking through the portal. He feels the girl set down the basket with a thump and hears her begin to set up. Izuku only needs her to step away for a moment to make a run for it. The basket is moved again; Izuku shudders as one of the flaps creaks open, letting in a ray of sunlight. He thinks he's about to be discovered when–Ring! Ring!  The girl’s phone goes off. He hears the girl turn to answer her phone, and the basket is closed shut.

“Hello? Oh, did I! Whoops, can you open up a portal so I can go get them? No, it's okay, I can do it!” He can only hear Toga's side of the conversation, but from what he gathers, he thinks she may have forgotten something for the picnic. This may be his chance; if she leaves, he can run.

His heart stops racing when he hears the whooshing of the portal opening and Toga’s steps fade away.

He waits a moment before peeking his head out. He sees it’s all clear and jumps out of the basket, tumbling onto the grass. He doesn’t waste any time in running forward into the tree line. The forest floor was rough on his little paws. He could feel sticks and rocks digging into his feet, but he kept running. He couldn’t stop no matter the pain; he had to keep going.

He’s been running for a while, darting in and out of sight as he tries not to be caught. He doesn't know how far he’s gotten since, from his height, everything looks the same, but he knows he’s made no progress in finding a road. He was beginning to get tired, and everything in the forest looked similar. No matter how far he goes, there is no change.

Eventually Izuku finds an empty burrow at the root of a large tree. He enters intending to only rest his legs for a moment but ends up falling asleep. When he awakes, it’s dark outside; he can only hear the hooting of owls and the chittering of critters outside the burrow. 

He debates going out and gaining more distance between him and the League. On one hand, the smart thing would be to stay put and wait till sunrise to move. His body is small and won’t be able to fight off a predator if needed to. On the other hand, the League most likely already knows he is missing, and the more time he wastes, the bigger the chance he’ll get recaptured. 

His time is running out; it's already been over a month. He has to take this chance. Despite his better judgment, he steps out of the burrow. His dog body has far better night vision and hearing than his human body, so he should be okay as long as he stays out of sight.

He creeps on the forest floor, slowly making his way through the darkness, trying his best to keep his footsteps silent. He doesn’t notice the owl swooping down on him until it’s too late. He screams when long talons sink into his soft belly, piercing through him. He tries his best to fight back and wiggle out of the bird's claws to dislodge them, but it only causes them to sink in deeper.

He did his best to scream as loud as he could, but he was bleeding so heavily, and he was beginning to get tired. ‘Is this how I die? Poor All Might, he should have never wasted his legacy on someone so useless…’ he thinks as the world begins to fade. 

The bird brings down its beak and bites a chunk out of his leg. He feels his flesh and muscle being ripped out of him and swallowed. His vision blacks out; the last thing he hears are rapid footsteps and then water? He didn’t know what it was, but his whole body felt wet. Something was shaking him and screaming in his ear. He thinks it's a human?

“Sprout! Sprout, wake up!” Izuku opens his bleary eyes and sees Shigaraki. The man had tears running down his face and looked so hurt. He was crying, screaming out, “Please, God! Please don’t take him too! Haven’t you taken away enough!” Izuku wished he could help comfort him, but he felt so tired, his body felt so cold, and he just wanted to sleep. He’s spent his whole life fighting; maybe now it was time to rest…

“Tomura Shigaraki, he is gone.” 

“No! Don't say that! He's not dead, he can't be!" The villain sobs in agony, kneeling to rest the cold puppy onto the forest floor. He hangs his head over the body and whispers, “Everything I touch I destroy. I'm sorry it had to happen to you too. I loved you so much. Goodbye Sprout." Tomura presses a kiss onto the puppy's head. 

The moment his lips made contact with Izuku–Poof! A cloud of pink smoke exploded from Sprout's body. When the smoke cleared, there lay the naked, bleeding body of Izuku Midoriya. 

“I-i–what?” Shigaraki stared in shock. This boy, Izuku Midoriya, is Sprout. Sprout is Izuku Midoriya. His baby, his Sprout, has been the green-haired brat he’s been trying to murder for months. They are one in the same. They have been the entire time. 

Upon closer inspection he noticed some irregularities. Nestled in his fluffy green hair were a pair of pointed ears and a tail sticking out of him. He never had those before; maybe this wasn't a planned infiltration. Maybe it had truly been an accident that caused their paths to cross and intertwine in a way that will change the both of them forever.

Well, it doesn't matter how it happened; the boy is irrevocably his now, and nothing can ever change that.

“He’s still breathing; take him to the doctor now!” Tomura barks the order at the nomu, who was standing in a sort of hesitant manner. 

“Tomura Shigaraki, I would highly advise against-”

“I don’t care! He’s still my dog. He’s staying with us no matter what.” Shigaraki picks up the boy and walks through the portal. He sinks his face into the boy's curls and whispers, “Don't worry, Sprout; I’ll make sure you get better. Everything will be okay, I promise.”

[shun-ie]

— ! HUB ★ ″

⌕ ❨🎥❩ ⚘ welcome ! call me shun.

⌕ ❨🎟️❩ ⚘ my works are under the tag #shun-ie.

⌕ ❨🎬❩ ⚘ we need to set some law and order.

─ anime ── novels ── k-pop ── games ── original characters─

⌒ boku no hero academia

➥ todoroki shoto : misconceptions [10-01-24]

➥ suna rintarou : documented inspiration [10-02-24]

⌒ haikyuu!

➥ kageyama tobio : shh . . . [04-11-25]

⌒ given

➥ sato mafuyu : look of jealousy [10-25-24]

⌒ shingeki ni kyojin

➥ levi ackerman : the irony [02-04-25]

[hatsumishinogu]

Boku no Ie ni Oide Wedding Vol.13

[arcs-and-blah]

The night just could not get worse. Why was it whenever things seemed to be going well for Midoriya, or if he had the motivation to stand tall, the world would immediately remind him ‘No, you’re still Midoriya Izuku; your life’s not supposed to be easy’? Here he was, trying to turn things around with a new friend by his side. Now, he was being stared down by personified anarchy.

.....i'm here bc of that bonus chap 431 and got very upset..... but i mean i've been meaning to come back to this!! never put this was dropped!! just, real sorry it's been almost 3 years XAX;;;;; i have no excuse....

but!! i've been reminded of how fun it is writing fanfics again, so hopefully i can kick myself into writing and posting again QwQ)9 we shall see XwX;;;

and now that i'm posting here, i just noticed i never posted links since chap 10.... meh, doubt many are following via tumblr anywho ehhehe ^w^;;;

thank you @/robogill for editing!!

[First Chapter]

refresher down below if needed!

- deku is a nerd who works at GameStop while kacchan is a big name supermodel who's also a big nerd - deku is a mess so kacchan understandingly lets him take the lead in their relationship, going out at his pace - all their dates and hangouts p much been nerd related ie All Might movie and SSBU tourney at deku's uni - deku is just now getting a glimpse into kacchan's model life and the fashion world, and is getting in way over his head - they are currently at a red-carpet gala; deku is doing his best but just ran into the LoV

oki that should be about the gist of things hopefully? if not, ¯\_(o.o)_/¯ looool jkjk

[yuurei20]

hello! i was kinda curious- wich pronouns do each character usually address other people? exp: kimi, omae, anata, teme, etc. I haven't paid attention to that but ive been curious for some time now!

Hello hello! Thank you for this question!

This account is hoarding many language-related things about the game, with personal pronouns and the different forms of "you" included!

Each character's preferences when saying "you" have been compiled above, with explanations here: ・Kimi (君 / キミ) : a casual form of “you” that isn’t overtly rude, but can sound condescending in certain contexts and isn’t appropriate to use in formal settings or when talking to superiors.

・Anata (貴方 / あなた): more polite than 君 / キミ (kimi) but still not as polite as using a person’s name with an honorific.

・Anta (あんた / アンタ): a casual form of “you” that is less polite than あなた (anata).

・Omae (お前 / おまえ): very casual and blunt, less polite than both 君 (kimi) and 貴方 (anata), and can often be seen as rude or confrontational.

・Teme ( テメェ / てめえ): an informal and rather aggressive-sounding version of “you,” generally used in confrontational situations in order to intimidate or insult, though it can be used between close friends, too.

・Kisama (貴様): very rude, confrontational, and rarely used outside of fiction.

・Ome (おめー) / Kiden (貴殿) / Onushi (お主): three other forms of "you" that appear in Twst

Each character's personal pronouns have been compiled above, with explanations here:

・Ore: Used by Trey, Cater, Floyd, Ace, Kalim, Deuce (sometimes), Jamil, General Lilia, Leona, Silver, Ruggie, Jack, Epel (sometimes).

・Boku: Used by Riddle, Azul (sometimes), Idia (sometimes), Jade, Ortho, Malleus, Deuce (sometimes), Sebek (usually but not always) and Epel (sometimes).

・Sessha, Watashi, Atashi, Washi, Wa

Each characters use of honorifics ("-chan," "-kun," "-sama," etc.) have been compiled above.

And some bonus information!

Honorifics as they are used in the official Twst novels -> compiled here.

Jade repeats the word "oya" at least 114 times throughout the main story/vignettes/events -> King of Oya ranking, here

A compilation of the French-language words that Rook uses in the original game -> compiled here.

A ranking of who uses what inappropriate language most often -> compiled here, with additional details here: Twisted Wonderland Curse Word Compilation: Main Story

Plus:

・Who uses ♡ in their dialogue, how often

・Friends List: Who has canonically referred to whom as a friend?

(The posts above are being kept up-to-date as new information is revealed in the game! I do not always repost so as not to bother everyone's dashboards with little language notes, but they are being kept updated both here and on twstnote.com! ^^)

[yuuta-no-yuu-yuu-nihongo]

2025.04.11・This towel is nostalgic.

(lit. "It's a nostalgic" towel"; as before, frequently repeated words will be omitted; please see previous posts)

懐かしい (natsukashii) nostalgic, fondly remembered; when used as a lone expression, translates well to "That takes me back!"

タオル (taoru) towel

スタッフ (sutaffu) staff; staff member(s)

機材 (kizai) equipment (of machinery, mechanical; in this case, likely stage lighting and rigging)

保管 (hokan) safekeeping, storage

ために (tame ni) for (the sake of)

包む用 (tsutsumu you) used to wrap, used as wrapping

びっくり (bikkuri) surprise, small shock

なんと (nanto) What...!, How...! (expresses amazement)

製 (sei) make, manufacture

若手 (wakate) young person

話す (hanasu) to speak, to utter, to mention

このことを話したら (kono koto wo hanashitara) "when (I) mentioned this,..." (〜たら ended implies next clause is surprising to the speaker)

ぼく (boku) I, me (masculine, casual, soft)

生まれる (umareru) to be born

ぼく生まれてません (boku umaremasen) "I wasn't born"

とても大きい (totemo ookii) very big

大きさ (ookisa) size (lit. bigness)

わかってもらおう (wakatte moraou) to help (someone) understand (lit. the speaker "will give" an understanding)

自分 (jibun) oneself, myself

持ってきる (mottekiru) to bring (something; lit. "to hold/possess and come")

並べる (naraberu) to line up

家にも (ie ni mo) also in (my/the) house/home

何か (nanika, nanka) something

懐いもの (natsukashii mono) nostalgic thing(s)

探索 (tansaku) seach, research

してみたい (shite-mitai) want to try to do

ついに (tsuini) "Finally,..."

明日から (ashita kara) from tomorrow

幕開け (makuake) opening (of a curtain, stage)

貯める (tameru) to save up (money, energy, etc.)

パワー (pawaa) power, energy

全力 (zenryoku) all one's power, all one's ability

[amodernpersephone]

兄には秘密 / Ani ni wa Himitsu (A Secret for My Older Brother)

by Someya Koichiro (Honeyworks feat. Shunichi Toki)

Listen here!

IMPORTANT NOTES: They need to get Shunichi Toki to sing this IM BEGGING them. this was really fun to translate, i liked seeing Koichiro's side of things. fun fun fun. yk the usual, not a 1:1 tl, language isn't real, etc. enjoy!

hana wa karenai kimi wa makenai boku no aniki wa boku igai ni makenai Like a flower that never withers You can't lose to someone else My older brother Can never lose to anyone but me

kyoudai na no ni kuchi mo kikanai kimi wa boku ni nanimo katenai deki no warui aniki wo motta boku no ashi wo hipparu na yo Even though we're brothers We rarely speak to each other You could never beat me at anything What a terrible older brother Don't drag me down with you onaji ie ni ite onaji gohan tabete onaji kazoku ga ite chigau yume wo mita nanka mukatsuita nigenna yo... Living in the same house Eating the same meals Being in the same family Still, we had different dreams It's kind of annoying Don't you dare run away... taisetsu dakedo shinpai dakedo kuchi ni wa shinai kyoudai dakara hana wa karenai kimi wa makenai boku no aniki wa boku igai ni makenai I know it's important but— It's worrying me but— I won't say a word We're brothers, after all Like a flower that never withers You can't lose to someone else My older brother Can never lose to anyone but me kyoudai dakara niteiru tokoro kao ga yokute seikaku warui kore wo iu to okorareru kedo makezu kirai soko made issho Because we're brothers We have similarities Like good-looking faces and bad personalities* It pisses me off to admit I hate losing just as much as you do tama ni kaiwa shite tama ni sanpo shite tama ni kenka shite itsumo orete kurete sou iu toko da yo mitometeru... Chatting from time to time Walking together sometimes Fighting every once in a while Always the first to back down That's all there is to it I have to admit... otagai himitsu shitteru keredo kuchi ni wa shinai kyoudai dakara mune ni sasatta “yume wa nigenai” boku no aniki wa ima kagayaite mieru We have secrets of our own though we both know I won't say a word We're brothers, after all It never left my thoughts "Your dreams won't run away"** My brother is Shining so brightly now kizuiteru? egao ga fueta koto kizuiteru? aniki wo suki na koto Have you noticed that? You're smiling more than before Have you noticed that? My brother is well-loved taisetsu dakedo shinpai dakedo kuchi ni wa shinai kyoudai dakara hana wa karenai kimi wa makenai boku no aniki wa dare ni mo makenai I know it's important but— It's worrying me but— I won't say a word We're brothers, after all Like a flower that never withers You can't lose to someone else My older brother... You can only ever lose to me otagai himitsu shitteru keredo kuchi ni wa shinai kyoudai dakara mune ni sasatta “yume wa nigenai” boku no aniki wa ima kagayaite mieru We have secrets of our own though we both know I won't say a word We're brothers, after all It never left my thoughts "Your dreams won't run away" My older brother... You're shining so brightly now

* gotta love the self-awareness LMAO

** reference to Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata