#but seriously why is japanese law like this

[lightishlilac]

Ace Attorney is a nightmare for me cause I know law but only _American_ law (and a little British, Canadian, and Mexican) so seeing how Japanese law is handled is killing me 😭 why are lawyers allowed to submit evidence in the middle of a trial why did they abolish juries why can you PROSECUTE THE WITNESS I'm going insane

[pawberri]

The key problem with "proship vs anti" discourse is that the most extreme versions of each side, the ones who actually bother to identify with these labels, accepted each others worst takes as arguments they had to debate. "Fiction =/= reality" is, in practice, an absurdly reductionist, anti-intellectual, thought-terminating-cliche that dictates we can learn nothing about a person via art and that their fiction reflects no political or moral messaging worthy of critique. In response to this, the "puriteens" who are too young to possibly hope to articulate their discomfort, to untangle their position from what is often real trauma experienced online, simply argue "yes, fiction influences and reflects reality in a 1 to 1 capacity." They, and people who want to use the groundwork they laid to make bad-faith callouts, make bad arguments about how the action of engaging in problematic fiction is on equal ground to real life abuse, or is a clear indicator of interest in real life abuse. Both of these arguments are terrible, but each side seems to radicalize the other further and further into their own brands of anti-intellectual reactionary belief. "Proshippers" become libertarian absolutists about free speech and view all transgression as righteous and alternative and therefore leftist. They gain a reactionary nostalgia for the past, desiring a time when people didn't seem to care about the implications of art. "Antis" become authoritarian and hypervigilant for signs of moral decay, at their worst, willing to align themselves with government bodies that offer carceral solutions to the debate. They are willing to use harassment as a tool of punishment, which then leads to false accusations and a fear of openness that puts people at risk of being triggered via obfuscation. (That said, proshippers also take part in plenty of harassment.)

I will say that I believe both of these movements are equally sensitive to co-opting by right-wing forces. We see the authoritarian tendencies of anti culture in harassment campaigns and even the way Republican law makers co-opt "grooming." The proship/fic crowd has such extreme nostalgia for the past that I often see people align themselves with the cultures of 4chan or other happily right-wing websites. They so heavily reject the idea that a drawn sexual depiction of a child could reflect any desire that they are disinterested in analyzing what the motivation behind the depiction is. i.e If we track the history of lolicon in Japan we do find that is, yes, countercultural, but that counter culture is right wing, very misogynistic, and defensive of patriarchial Japanese culture as it is and was including its culture around rape and abuse. Plenty of fictional content works as radicalization material, and radicalization material needs to be ambiguous. There is a valid reason to be hesitant to trust people who consume this content, even if I do not believe most of them will ever be dangerous towards children. The mere presence of sexuality is not enough to make a movement left wing. This kind of thing can again be seen in right-wing libertarian movements in the US. (And even leftist movements can be bigoted and even "pro-pedophilia" or otherwise disinterested in social reform around abuse.)

Is all content with elements of age-play this way? No. But to me, that is why kink media deserves to be treated as art and analyzed, critiqued, treated seriously. It doesn't have to do anything to anyone to be worthy of a moral critique. Said moral critique just doesn't warrant harassment and cruelty and reactionary exaggerations of the person consuming said content.

Anyway, what's my point in saying all this? I don't know. I'm just begging you to tag your God damn content with specific tags instead of random and nebulous shit like "dead dove" or "dark content", and also begging you to stop harassing people who do tag their content so I don't have to guess what "dead dove" and "dark content" mean. No one will erase incest kink fics or people who feel sickened by the idea of them off this earth because we aren't god, but we could at least all be responsible about tagging, flagging, and age-gating our stuff.

[sarasade]

One of the most generally useful things to come out of Hbomberguy's plagiarism video and Todd in the Shadows' similar video on misinformation is how they bring transparency to the internet phenomenon of "I made up a guy to get mad at".

Seriously, I've seen people make up a lot of stupid shit on the internet over the years and it's often just a manipulative attempt to paint a group of marginalized people in a bad light.

That's the TL;DR version of this post. 

ANYWAY here is the long version

Those videos are mostly about James Somerton's plagiarism of other queer people's work. However I'd like to talk about that 20-30% of Somerton's original writing- and oh boy. It's mostly about complaining about White Straight Women and misgendering well-known trans creators such as Rebecca Sugar and calling Becky Albertalli a straight woman while it's pretty common knowledge that she was forced to out herself as bi because she received so much harassment over "being a cishet woman who appropriates LGBT+ stories".

One thing that irks me especially is how in his Killing Stalking and Gay Shipping videos Somerton brings up how straight women/ teen girl shippers exploit gay men for their personal sexual fantasies. This gets brought up several times in his videos.

Being all up and arms about Somerton being a "White Cis Gay Who Hates Women and Queer People tm" is not that useful because the kind of rhetoric he's using is extremely common in fandom and LGBT+ spaces on Tumblr, TikTok and Twitter. We really don't need to bring Somerton's identity to this since he is in no way an unique example.

It's hypocritical to make this about an individual person when I've seen A TON of posts, tweets and videos where queer people talk about these Sinister Straight Women who are supposedly out there fetishizing and exploiting queer men. It's pretty clear to me that this is just an excuse to shit on women and queer people for having any sexual interests. At worst these comments are spreading misinformation about BL, a form of media that has been excessively studied by both Asian feminists and Asian queer women.

This all sounds really familiar and I think it's good that people are calling it out as what it is: misogyny and transphobia. I'd also point out the potentially racist motives behind being this hypervigilant about Asian media.

People can absolutely be misogynist regardless of gender or orientation. I really don't know why we need to create some kind of made up enemy to get mad at. I actually think it's almost sinister how "anti-fujoshi" people call Slash shippers and fujoshi misogynists or claim that they have internalised misogyny while being dismissive about women's interests and creative pursuits under Japanese obscenity laws, China's censorship, book bans in American schools and various other disadvances that are part of being a queer and/or female creator.

I think we shouldn't be naive about the bad faith actors who want to turn queer people against each other. For example Fujoshi.info mentions anti-gender (TERF, GC etc) movement using this kind of rhetoric as well.

Anyway if you want to read more:

- about the false info around BL fandom fujoshi.info

-There is the scholar Thomas Baudinette who studies gay media in Japan. Here is a podcast with him and the scholar Khursten Santos

-James Welker is a BL scholar as well. Here is a podcast interview about the new international BL article collection he edited.

-I've already talked about this Youtube channel by KrisPNatz and his great Killing Stalking video that actually engages with the themes of the manhwa

- There is also HR Coleman's thesis DO NOT FEED THE FETISHIZERS: BOYS LOVE FANS RESISTANCE AND CHALLENGE OF PERCEIVED REPUTATION where she interviews 36 BL fans and actually breaks down why fetishization has become such a huge talking point in the fandom discourse. Spoilers, it's mostly about young queer people and women being worried that they will get judged and pathologized for their interest in anything sexual.

-Great podcast about Danmei and censorship with Liang Ge

[riza-hawks-eye]

The Royai moments the anime adaptations left out bc they are COWARDS

(I believe in fma manga supremacy)

Riza's Grandpa asks Roy to marry her.

So this one needs outside material to explain, but Arakawa confirmed in the 2nd Guidebook (released only in Japanese and French) that Grumman is Riza's maternal grandfather. Not necessarily a big Royai moment but, still it's interesting how Riza's only known living family ships it, and that Roy doesn't exactly say "no" to his request.

I am forever fascinated as to why any of this exists in the first place, what did you mean by this Arakawa? why have Grumman make this suggestion in the first place? 👀👀👀👀👀👀 What were you suggesting? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Anyway, I wish we had an in-text confirmation of Riza's relation to Grumman and I wish this moment had come back to the story at some point. Even if it was just Riza glaring at Grumman being like "Grandpa why are you trying to marry me off?????"

2. Roy's "Get your hands off my wife!" moment.

He really said, "is he bothering you queen?" I wish we had more protective Roy and frankly, I don't understand how this scene didn't make it to Brotherhood? Riza was getting manhandled by a tin can and clearly not into it. The fact that a tin can serial killer developed a crush on her is concerning to begin with. It just wouldn't be in character for Roy to be cool with this. Roy is also a jealous boyfriend, what can I say?

3. The "I'm glad you're alive" moment.

For some dumb reason, Brotherhood changed this so when Riza apologises for worrying him, he just snaps "save it for the end of the mission!" Like, why Brotherhood? why would Roy ever snap at Riza like that? especially when Riza is generally the one who is laser-focused on the mission. Roy has enough faith in her, he's not going to see this brief apology as her being distracted or less competent. The manga dialogue is also meant to show how Maes's death is still a fresh wound for Roy, so of course he's on edge at the prospect of losing Riza too.

4. He literally asks her out

I feel like both anime adaptations really wanted Roy to be more of a womaniser than he actually is. But this scene lowkey confirms Roy has limited game and he only really wants Riza. It feels like dude jumped at the opportunity to ask Riza out the moment she technically stopped being his subordinate.

5. Roy's codename for Riza actually coming back

Seriously, I love how Arakawa took the time to establish "Elizabeth" as Riza's codename only to use it later to have Madame Christmas suggest that Roy regularly spends time with "Elizabeth" to the point where it's weird that he isn't with her now. And then, when Roy bemoans how "another man took Elizabeth" (an obvious reference to Riza being taken hostage by Bradley) one of Christmas's girls gets excited at the idea she might have a chance with Roy. The suggestion is that Roy isn't normally available on account of his seeing Elizabeth.

It's a strong hint to the idea that Riza and Roy might have *something* going on and are bypassing the fraternization laws through codes. At the very least it suggests that Roy isn't interested in anyone but "Elizabeth". Also look how bummed out he is that his wife is gone. Why did the anime rob us of so much pathetic whipped Roy? WHY?

6. Just a lot more touching in general

There's actually a lot of touching between these two in the manga. It's mostly during the big fights like the Promised Day or the battle with Lust and it really cements them as a true battle couple.

In the case of the Promised day they are literally fighting in each other's arms. Riza is leaning on Roy as she's on the verge of passing out from her wounds, and Roy is clinging onto her now that she has become his eyes. The way they hold each other shows how they are each other's crutch and how one always empowers the other. It also symbolises how inseparable these two are as moments ago Roy was at the Gate and before that Riza was on the brink of death, they could have lost in each other for good but they're still standing strong together in spite of everything.

The post-Lust fight is just a nice moment were Roy clings onto Riza out of sheer relief that she's okay and he hasn't lost another loved one. Even though he's on the verge of passing out from pain and blood loss, he still finds the strength to reach out to her.

Then there's the scene in the tunnels where he lowers her gun for her. The noticeable difference in the manga is that he does this after he takes off his ignition gloves.

The anime forgets to do this. It seems like a minor difference but it's kind of a big point of characterisation. Because we know that Riza has been hurt by flame alchemy, from the process of having the tattoo done to her by a trusted parental figure at a young age, to the trauma of seeing how much damage it did at ishval, to her very literally being burned by the flames so that it won't do anymore damage. Roy is the one who burned her, he's the one who used her secret to do unspeakable damage and suffering, why would he hurt her again by letting her go anywhere near flame alchemy?

My final thoughts: Manga Roy is altogether more dorky and in love with Riza than his anime counterparts and I miss his adorkable self.

I also feel like Arakawa was so good at subtly hinting at how in love these two are and how they basically *do* function like a couple even if they might not be together in the conventional het married with babies way.

[seat-safety-switch]

So much of our day is spent on time-wasting activities. You know it, and I know it. If I could have back all the time that I have used up, trying to find the tool that I just had in my hand, I would probably be able to have finished another couple of crappy cars by now. There's a whole cottage industry of variously-good-willed folks trying to tell you how to get this time back, but not a single one of them has a solution for the biggest waste of time of all: sitting in traffic.

That's right, traffic. We all hate it. Even fancy-dan city folks with functioning public transit still have to wait behind some dipshit clogging the escalator, or for the next train. It seems like we're always trying to get somewhere at the same time as everyone else, even if we've opted out of the rat race through a series of elaborate financial scams whose profits are funnelled through a Cayman Islands corporation.

I've tried a lot of solutions. Buying a four-by-four truck and just driving over curbs and through red lights when they oppose me. Buying a used firetruck, and cranking up the siren when I am getting bored of being in gridlock. Buying a little kei truck from Japan and sneaking into the gaps between lanes like Bangkok pizza deliveryfolx. Hell, I've probably even tried other ideas that don't involve a truck at all; that's how desperate things are getting around here.

For now, though, I'm learning to live with it. I realized, when I saw everyone else waiting at the stop light on their smartphones, that I could be using this time more productively. Don't take me for one of those one-eyed-touch-rectangle-fondlers, though. What I do is much simpler. My '79 Monte Carlo has a real big backseat, easily big enough for a baby bathtub or two. I pulled that seat right out, welded in a couple chunks of rebar, and I now have an engine stand ready whenever I want it. Will this light ever turn green? Don't care, because I can simply turn around in my bench seat and spend the time adjusting valves on this super-high-mileage propane Slant Six that I pulled out of the junkyard.

My cars have never been in better shape, and there's a bonus, too. Although it seriously irritates law enforcement to admit it, I am technically still "operating an automobile with my full attention" and cannot be considered to be driving distracted. Now if only I could stop dropping the inch-pound torque wrench when I'm merging onto the highway. This must be why all those fancy Japanese bullet trains have glass in their windows.

[theflashsensei]

How I manifested the Impossible.

What I manifested: Superpowers (Speed Force) Polyglot (I can speak Arabic, Korean, Japanese, and a couple others lol 6'4 Height Henry Cavill Like-Body Attracted 2 sp (1 looks like Doja cat/ 1 looks like Madison Beer) and it worked! Mike Ross Eidetic memory Big Member lol Small Fortune Valedictorian

Before I didn't believe something like this was possible. A dream life? seriously you mean to tell me that people could just randomly get the life of their dreams just by "believing". Once I read about @esotericc-angel and @gorgeouslypink. I tried everything but it still didn't work, the constant bullying and failure to pick-up women was weighing down on me. These females were making my life a living pile of degeneracy, every-day was me putting myself out there as they say. But unfortunately, I didn't get success or happiness, or anything. I even tried the 10k affirmation challenge to work on my "void concept" but again nothing happened. Madness, insanity, and desperation only fueled my insecurities even more. It was an amplifying oasis of my failures. Why was manifesting so hard? each time a post was read, motivation would bloom only to vanish as quickly as it came. But one day my friend told me to change, confused she comforted me, and we embraced for the first time. Unfortunately, after that moment she left my town never to be seen again. However, the memory of her encouragement lit a fire under me finally letting the insecurities pass away. Who I was before was the 5'2 fat bullied dwarf who failed classes due to my poor memory. Now I'm the 6'4 gigachad I used to fantasize being about. I even donated a portion of my fortune to obesity research prevention campaigns. So, people can live life without the law and have a successful future. Thank you for reading!

[l-in-the-light]

Advice for One Piece theoretists about the upcoming Strawhat crew members

I watched this vid so you all don't have to. The only thing Ohara got right is Law tbh (but the arguments he listed for him are so-so, he could have fished out so much more). I saw lately a post with big advice for One Piece theoretists to go back to their roots (early sagas), so now here's my piece of advice for all of you who want to crack the mystery of who the last Strawhats are gonna be:

crewmate (nakama) =/= friend (tomodachi). The word nakama appears in manga only when Luffy means "crewmate", it's been always consistent, because that word is clearly a big deal for Luffy. Someone who travels with Strawhats isn't automatically a crewmate. Not every friend will end up becoming a new crewmate either. Remember Water 7? Being a crewmate is a serious business, it's not just regular friends we snatched on our way. Once you're a crewmate, you're part of the family, basically. Family yakuza-style, might I add. Once you join you can't just quit because you feel like it, it's a commitment. So friends like Rebecca, Viola, Stussy, Lilith, Carrot, Bon Clay, Koby are not gonna become actual crewmates. They will always remain friends with Strawhats though!

not every crewmate will choose to take the journey with Strawhats. Take Vivi, Kin'emon or Momonosuke for example. They have their own responsibilities. That being said, if their duties ever get fullfilled, they're hopping on the crew 100%. I can see that happen with Vivi, not so much with Kin and Momo though, Wano is not gonna go anywhere, right? (or is it? :D)

Luffy made promise to Yamato. It's a promise he wants to keep in Ace's stead. This is important for him. People should start taking this seriously and I'm not sure why they don't.

plot convenience isn't enough of an argument for someone joining or not. That would be kinda bad storytelling ngl. Just because someone has "no other place to go" or "would be so useful on the crew" doesn't mean they will become a Strawhat. Being a crewmate ain't so cheap.

potential crewmate doesn't even have to be a friend at first to become a crewmate. Remember Franky's or Robin's case? Luffy was hostile towards Franky for the whole arc, not counting the very final chapters when Franky build them a new ship for free, which is The Moment when Luffy finally started liking him. At the literal end of the arc.

Luffy's final word is the most important one. Try to think of his own criteria, instead of trying to guess what's in Oda's head. Luffy is a simple boy, his criteria are also pretty simple and every Strawhat fits those. It's not about long, tragic and satisfying flashbacks (Zoro's flashback is short, for example), bonding over food, or stuff like that. You want to find Luffy's criteria, go all the way back to the beginning when Luffy meets Koby and then Zoro.

the last Strawhats do not have to be people from early sagas! Early sagas are important, but ignoring the later ones is a huge mistake. There are a few really nice theories that help you narrow it down: for example the theory of 13 Strawhats. Since as early as first OP chapters Luffy's crew is called Mugiwara Ichimi (which means Strawhat crew, but ichimi can be read as a pun: ichi means one, san means 3, Oda loves puns and number plays like that and uses them all the time, also in chapter titles). People also noticed this helpful pattern: there are always four Strawhats joining from each sea Luffy adventures in (Nami, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp from East Blue; Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook from Paradise; that leaves us with Jimbei and three others from the New World).

Yes, I'm a believer in 13 Strawhats theory, just like most Japanese fans. Oda likes giving obscure hints for that theory scattered around. But the actual answer lies in this image:

You have all 13 Strawhats here, disguised as cats. All you need to do is crack the code and figure it out. Have fun!

My hint is: start from who Luffy considers and called a nakama. You need to search through the whole story for it :D

[grassoftunnel]

Natsuhi/Kumasawa Manifesto

Yes shipping. No not even straight crack, I’m like actually serious! Though I’ll be frank this is mostly going off the wall insane and just doing what I like for fun and profit rather than serious analysis! But if you’re interested…walk with me!

I wish there had been more Natsuhi and Kumasawa interactions. Lesbionically charged ones even. I was thinking about how Kumasawa really stands apart from the rest of the servants as the lone person in Japanese clothes and who also doesn’t really gaf about the Ushiromiya’s like that (and the Ushiromiyas likewise are either really rude to her and/or dgaf). She also is always talking about the original Rokkenjima mythology. It got me thinking about what Natsuhi thinks about her, and if she took special notice of her in the sea of Western things associated with the Ushiromiya’s. Kumasawa is also a seriously minor and under-utilised character considering everything, and I think that’s a shame.

I constantly think about how Natsuhi was supposed to have an affair with Gohda, and I assume it would have gone more into her own desires as an individual outside of her really pitiful life on Rokkenjima. Since here is a guy who is her social lesser, who adores her, and has a distinctly servile nature around her. Like this is a dynamic that is going to appeal to her. I really want to push back against the whole Natsuhi as a tradwife characterisation because I think it ignores that it’s literally a mask that she’s constantly trying to convince herself she’s okay with. She’s a deeply conservative woman, but she clearly yearns for power and respect of her own. Which I think plays well into her conservatism with gender, like how she’s takes such pride in calling herself the representative to the head, and in her fantasies of a supportive Kinzo, he talks about how she would have made a wonderful son-in-law. Like she WANTS to be the one with power, the “man”, even if she’s still an extremely traditionally feminine woman. Like she wants to be of course seen as steady and reliable but also to be supported and doted on (by people beneath her i.e what I think an affair dynamic with Gohda would have been). For her knowledge and contributions to be admired and recognised and seen as valuable. It’s also interesting to contrast her to Eva who is like, outside of family conferences, living as close to her best life as is possible with a husband who respects and defers to her, even if she’s nominally taking the position of his supportive wife. Like everyone recognises her place as the matriarch of her own family. Which is NOT the case with Natsuhi. Who is taking Ls left right and center every single day of her life, emotionally and literally. However I feel like Gohda is too much of an incompetent clown to make her feel like that in an actually successfully or especially compelling manner. I also think he perhaps appeals TOO MUCH to Natsuhi on the surface level, like she’s not exactly questioning that deeply if she likes this refined and servile guy who is around her own age.

And so…enter Kumasawa. Her senior by like 30+ years, lowborn, boorish, vulgar and insubordinate, and with no (visible) special standing (unlike eg. Genji) outside of her long service. But also…BECAUSE of these things Natsuhi would feel very comfortable being, ugly, raw, needy, unreliable around her. Because why should she be ashamed to be those things around someone like Kumasawa! Natsuhi is so far above her it’s inconceivable that she would ever feel unworthy in front of her! It’s just a given! She should be happy to even be spoken to by someone so far above! But the thing is…I think Kumasawa would run rings around her. And has every reason to dislike and look down on Natsuhi, for her cruelty to the servants, her posturing, and clear failure to command the respect of the true master of the house, or even her own husband and daughter. Kumasawa is a very minor character but I like the small insubordinations that peek out, and while she’s generally sympathetic to the suffering of women, Natsuhi can be a real piece of work to the servants eg. Shannon. This can create a fun dynamic where Natsuhi can be needy and unreliable, and be outwardly cruel to Kumasawa but also have a condescending affection to her. And she’s too shortsighted and up herself to even realise Kumasawa feels the same. Or if she does it’s in a I can see you hate me, but that’s okay, because you have no choice anyway. Like a dark reflection of her own entry into the Ushiromiya family. And Kumasawa could see her as this pathetic young (hilarious to write about a 47 year old) thing who is fun to toy with, especially since Natsuhi is always throwing her weight around with the servants. The way that class and gendered dynamics intertwine would be so delicious with these two as well. Natsuhi is the social better, and the Man. Kumasawa is the woman, but not in any way to actually threaten Natsuhi in regards to conventional femininity (she’s an unrefined old biddy after all). Like it’s okay and not conflicting with her conservative values for Natsuhi to act like this because Kumasawa is so beneath her. But also…Kumasawa has 30 years on her and those 30 years are not nothing…I kind of want to see her indulge Natsuhi a bit and spoil her even if (maybe especially if…) condescendingly🙈 especially since Natsuhi’s had to grow up so fast and been forced into this wet blanket wife role. I want to see her be annoying to Kumasawa like Krauss is to her.

Also would be funny since Kumasawa’s personality and habits probably irritate her so much lmfao. Like imagine the phantom thread scene where Alma is chewing really loudly and Woodcock is going insane. Also Kumasawa is the one with real control over the servants, like it’s all Natsuhi has but it’s not even real. I want to see Natsuhi take out her pain but also try to assuage her guilt about The Child Who Would Be Sayo via her. Which is so yummy because Kumasawa’s sins are so much worse! Lol and this affair might be like literally the main outlet for Natsuhi to escape her life, but for Kumasawa who has a whole ass life and family and kids, it’s nothing. This is all not to be uncharitable to Natsuhi but I personally like to see women behaving badly and being flops in their romantic liaisons. I think there’s a fun dark version of Natsuhi where she give into her selfish desires more and kind of channels Kinzo. Like making the choice to position herself with him as a way to escape the miserable pitiful life of a housewife of an unworthy man. Usurp Krauss as Kinzo’s heir instead of trudging along the path to becoming the pitiful perpetually disrespected figure of the person who was Kinzo’s wife/ Krauss’ mother. Anyway now this is making me think a lot of a NATSUHI-Beatrice Forgery where she gets masc’d up and Kinzo-like HAHAHAHA.

[dearweirdme]

Living in South Korea would make it challenging for Taehyung to have a family as a single, non married man. Surrogacy is not legal or illegal, but the parent needs to adopt the child. The same would go, I gather, if you used a surrogate elsewhere and then brought the baby to SK. The surrogate mother is also considered the legal mother. While laws are changing, same sex couples are not able to adopt - and single men who want to adopt are seen as suspicious.

Given how filial Taehyung is, I don’t see him leaving SK and moving someplace else. His family, friends and work are in SK.

Seems like a bit of a conundrum.

Hi anon!

So even when I say this is offensive, you don’t take a moment to consider why that is and your response is to tell me about legislation? I’m aware of legislation… you however, are not taking queer people’s feelings and relationships seriously.

Let’s take this conversation away from Tae for a second, because I think it’s because of him that you find this difficult (wether it’s the need to have him be with a woman, or just that you enjoy the mystery more than his actual feelings I’m not sure).

Imagine for a bit that you’re a gay man. You’ve known since puberty that you are gay. You’ve struggled with coming out, because you know society is harsh and you will lose loved ones when you do. When you fall deeply in love though.. you do. You want to be with your partner in public and your love for each other means that you will sacrifice the relationships with loves ones who don’t accept you. That is how deeply you love each other. Life is hard, but love is strong and the two of you are happy and you want to stay together for the rest of your lives (not different from straight people at all). When the topic of marriage is prompted.. do your thoughts go to your partner, or do your thoughts go to an unknown woman even though you have been very much in love with a man for years and have built a life together?

Sk might be behind in queer legislation, but queer couples do exist. The queer community does fight for legislation to change for the very reason that they are incapable of changing who they are. They see the world change around them, they know that somewhere on the horizon there’s a strong possibility of them obtaining more rights.. because that is what’s happening in the world. When you diminish a queer couple’s feelings of love as though it is something they would consider leaving behind.. as if they would consider being with a partner of the opposite sex because it’s easier.. you do not understand the hardships they have possibly already gone through and you do not understand anything about love.

I’ll do you one better. I have recently watched The Boyfriend on Netflix. It’s a Japanese queer dating show on which we see queer men (two bisexuals and the rest gay) living in a house together for a couple of weeks while trying to find love. Two of them actually start falling in love and do you know what they talk about on one of their dates? Adopting a child. Japan doesn’t allow gay marriage and therefore doesn’t allow queer couples to adopt. Do you think these two men, while on a queer dating show…. on a date with each other… are talking about having a family with a woman?

Do better anon! Seriously, please invest in watching footage of queer couples trying to have a family. Go and watch same sex couples finally being able to marry when their country allows them.

If Tae is queer like we think, and in a relationship with Jk for years.. when prompted about marriage he would think of Jk and starting a family with him. The idea of it having to be a female comes from you and from homophobic society.. it has nothing to do with the reality and feelings of actual queer couples.

[baby-xemnas]

I'm not really a shipper, but that leaves me freedom for enjoying everyone's take/artwork on any ship. That said, I've actually never heard of LawBepo before seeing your stuff?? It's actually quite adorable? At least, what I see since it's only your stuff I see lol either way, I wanted to ask WHY Bepo? Like what drew you too the ship I guess?

Always curious how people get to ships they like haha. That and every time I practice Bepo I think of your Bepo so I figured I'd ask finally while I think of your art 😂 hope you don't mind.

Which that thing said, I need to throw in I'm positively alive for your art btw. It's so crisp and I love for the sketchy/black and white. Thank you for gracing my eyes with it.

thank you for the message!

(you never seen it because except for like a couple of artworks noone really done it at the scale that i have. at least not in the western part of the fandom)

what drew me to the ship is the hug on zou but back when i first got into op 8+ years ago but i wasnt open minded enough to take it seriously - it didnt spark ideas to make stuff in me back then yet - but i did love the hug A LOT

its adorable. its just the cutest ever and the single most affectionate that we see law. you cant argue with that if i try. idc how people interpret his other scenes, zou hug is the most obviously and openly shameless display of affection towards someone we see with law

look at this fucker smiling hes so content rubbing cheeks with his 22 year old male best friend

i came back FOR bepo because i heard of [manga spoilers] i saw it and thought yoo shit hype started looking things up and saw the STOP ACTING CUTE scene and it was all over. one more canon reason for me to ship them (that is ofc if u consider anime filler canon since both the scene i mentioned were toei expanding and improving upon odas ideas) but i do consider them canon if it suits me lol

AND THEN I SAW FILM RED CRUMBS OH MY GOD. OH YOU TOOK HIM TO THE CONCERT UNBELIEVABLE YOU LOVE HIM SO MUCH

basically we were given a ton of cute fanservice of bepo being law's favorite most precious guy and i always ship my ships in accordance to canon its just the type of person that i am

you need to give me a crumb of canon and ill justify the rest. a hook is always necessary and these two got plenty

also reading the novel and seeing bepo be such a precious little brother to law....yeah...cute

oh we cant forget that i also went to look at things on pixiv and japanese fans are geniuses so i got so inspired by the characterization of law being a protective nose bleeding weirdo and bepo being oblivious to it....incredible dynamic i got absolutely hooked. bepo is cute and good and precious and he is home and comfort to law

to summarize: why bepo? because canonically bepo is the only person in bepo's position. he gets special treatment from law, he is THE crewmember of his. he is what killer is do kid - we know most about them they are the closest to the captain. its simple math

finally thank you im glad you enjoy my style!!!!

[x0401x]

Tsurune —Tsunagari no Issha— Official Fanbook: Character Highlights #2

Masaki's Highlight

A Long and Steep Path

Masaki at first attempted to tell Minato and the others why they had lost against Tsujimine, but understanding Tommy-sensei’s intentions, he decided to firstly let them reflect on it. In order to continue doing archery for a long time, Minato and the others must think, realize and learn from their mistakes by themselves. He aims to teach them not for a short-term improvement of their skills, but so that they will keep practicing archery throughout their lives.

For the Sake of His Pupils' Growth

In the past, the only thing he thought about was improving his skills in order to change his grandfather’s opinion of him. However, Masaki’s mindset changed as he watched from up close as Minato, Seiya, Ryouhei, Nanao and Kaito overcame their challenges through trial and error. He began to rejoice in the growth of his disciples as if it were his own, saying things like, “Right now, I’m just happy that they’re getting better.”

Living Through Bonds

Masaki had a feud with his grandfather and parted ways with him without ever being able to reconcile. However, the teachings of his grandfather, 8th dan Yasaka, live on in Masaki’s shooting. This is clear even to Mutou—Kirisaki’s advisor, who knew Yasaka’s shooting. The teachings connect master and students.

Eisuke's Highlight

Proving His Strength

Nikaidou is obsessed with winning in order to prove the superiority of the uchiokoshi-style shooting, which is what connects him to his uncle. At the root of this is his hatred for Saionji, who turned down his uncle Shigeru—and by extension, for Japanese archery itself. He intended to quit archery after winning the nationals and proving to people the strength of the uchiokoshi style. That is how strong his feelings towards his uncle and uchiokoshi are.

Undoubtable Skills as an Archer

Although his goal was revenge, he took archery seriously, enough for his skills as an archer to be regarded highly by Masaki and Motomura. He also keeps a keen eye on what the other members of his club need to improve in their shooting. Although they were receiving advice from Shigeru, the fact that members with little experience were able to participate in the nationals was largely due to Nikaidou’s leadership.

A Presence that Gives Support to His Heart

Since he was a child, Nikaidou has idolized his father’s brother-in-law, Nikaidou Shigeru (VC: Endou Daichi). Due to family circumstances, Nikaidou was often left in Shigeru’s care, thus Shigeru’s presence naturally became bigger in Nikaidou’s heart. His admiration for Shigeru’s form when shooting in uchiokoshi style was also the reason why he started doing archery. The greater his affection for Shigeru is, the stronger is his anger towards the unreasonably unfortunate events that befall him.

Koushirou's Highlight

Whilst Keeping a Distance

Fuwa is intrigued by how Nikaidou, who has a deft attitude towards everyone, does not hide his hostility only when it comes to Minato and Shuu. He realizes that Nikaidou is secretly burdened with something, but does not ask about it out of consideration for Nikaidou’s pride, and instead investigates it through the people who know his circumstances.

That Guy Who Tends to Hold Back

Fuwa is the only one who notices Nikaidou had bought equipment with his part-time job earnings. He casually hands Nikaidou some mosquito coils and insect repellent spray, saying they “were on sale”. He maintains an utterly frank attitude and observes how Nikaidou responds to it, making it easy for Nikaidou, who tends to be reserved about weird things, to accept his kindness.

[dalekofchaos]

Havik NEEDS Hotaru

I think my biggest complaint about Khaos Reigns aside from the Sektor & Cyrax design change is No Hotaru.

For those who did not get around to playing Deception & Armageddon. Let me tell you about Hotaru.

Hotaru is a General from the realm of Seido, the Realm of Order, and devotes himself to preserving law and order at any cost - to the point that he can be considered a fanatical zealot. Hotaru is more of a lawful-type of neutral (equivalent to his opposite pole Havik, who spreads discord and chaos) because he preserves law and order and harshly punishes those who dare break it, but he is not above preserving it to a higher authority (such as the Dragon King Onaga).

Not to mention what a sick design he had

Plus his special move was lava arrows.

There is so much you can do with him on gear alone.

Hotaru has so many things going for him.

Tall and imposing af which is rather unique for none-Shokan characters

Has cool carapace armour

Has a Naginata, a weapon that nobody else on the roster uses

Has cool lava themed abilities, something else rather unique to him that can be incorporated into so many combo chains, specials, finishers ect along with his Naginata.

His name means firefly in Japanese and he has a special called grasshopper. Take the lava burst and exoskeleton armour on top of this and do something cool with the fire bug theme.

A general from the Orderrealm or head of the Sedio Secret Police, you could not only delve into his conflict with Havik and make Havik more relevant in the main story but you could also give him some kind of rivalry with Shao, another general of a similar stature who shares Hotaru's militaristic themes and a warped mirror image of his disciplinism. Hotaru is actually on Outworld with other refugees from Seido as Mileena let them in so this could be set up quite easily.

His potential for badass outfits is limitless

Like how CAN YOU NOT SEE THE POTENTIAL????

And let's take a look at Havik's bio from MK1

"A citizen of the realm of Seido, Havik is sworn to take down its oppressive regime and free his people. There, order is prized above all else. Lawbreaking is met with strict punishment. Its citizens live in strictly regulated castes. As a member of Seido's lowest caste, Havik had neither rights nor privileges. He seethed with anger at the injustice. When he is brutally punished for a minor crime, Havik finally decides to act. He sets out to destroy Seido's regime and replace it with an anarchist utopia. Once he breaks Seido's social order, Havik will free its citizens. Together, they will live in blessed anarchy."

And you mean to fucking tell me you couldn't put someone in charge of Seido's oppressive regime or even the leader of Seido's secret police in the game? You're seriously telling me there was NO place for Hotaru in this story? Get the fuck out of here with that shit "Notaru" shit, Ed.

Also? They kind of gave Darrius story to Havik as a revolutionary. Speaking of Darrius, again WHY are they giving two revolutionaries but no goddamned oppressive figure from Seido to fight against???

Hotaru being absent from MK1's narrative is a creative failure. Like, they could've painted a shade of grey on Liu's character by having him recruit Hotaru to help maintain order in his timeline. The fact that there is no Chaos Realm just tells me Liu Kang just forced Hotaru and Havik to co-exist and that led to potentially Hotaru enforcing oppressive Order by any means necessary while Havik becomes an anarchist.

Hotaru would be fantastic here, especially as a overtly order obsessed character who yes, is aligned with the good guys, who slowly realize "aw shit this guys gonna be a problem too" as his methods and beliefs and goals aren't perfectly aligned by any means beyond "stop havik"

I think it’s kinda baffling how we have a story expansion where Havik is the villain and they just leave out the golden opportunity to bring back Hotaru.

Havik is chaos personified. Hotaru is the worst aspects of Order. He can go from saving you, liberating villages and setting up a fucking police state and NRS STILL does not see the potential in Hotaru?

[mayimkjs]

MeMe and Double Album Art Breakdown

Taken from the FOOL's MATE research doc

MeMe

Shattered glass overlaid on his hair. Looks sorta like a bullet hole with blood around it. 

Marbled pattern overlaid on his hair and clothes. 

3 skeletons in the bottom right corner. 

Red 6 pronged symbol. 

Double

This is the only T2 EP that has the title of their previous song on it.

Mikoto has 2 emotions on his face, anger and fear. 

The Japanese title is in both katakana       (ダブル) and hiragana (だぶる). The title is also in English. This contributes to the Trikoto theory.

Like all other T2 album arts, there’s a line from Dante’s Inferno on the top of the door.

Why is Double the only T2 song with the T1 title on the cover?

Mikoto works in advertising. This is a job that requires one to know how to present themselves and others. Let’s look at some numbers.

Line Distribution

John: 33

Mikoto (Singing): 17

Mikoto (Talking): 5

Unknown: 2

Scene Distribution

John: 13

Opening・Standing on train pad・Standing at doors・Entering・Sitting with a bat and surrounded by bodies・“それがいい”・Mikoto stressed behind him・John killing someone w/ white background・Killing people during the phone call・Observing・Walking with a bat・Holding the bat out・Communicating 

Mikoto: 12

Opening・Sitting calmly・Zoom through the train cars・Stressed out・John killing someone w/ white background・Phone call・Sitting and observing・“なんで”・Running・Someone gets killed off screen・Communicating・Apologizing 

This could mean multiple things. 

John has the most lines and is in the most scenes. MeMe being on the cover could be seen as Mikoto trying to put his name on someone else’s work. He’s trying to make himself look innocent. 

A variation of that, is that John could be putting Mikoto's "name" in a sense on the cover to convince the viewer that Mikoto is innocent.

John and Mikoto almost have the same amount of scenes. John having 1 extra scene means that the song is his. MeMe being on the cover shows that they’re equal in some way.

Dante’s Inferno Line

There’s a theory that each prisoner correlates with the specific ring of hell that they share a number with. Mikoto would be the 9th in this case. All of the doors have a line from Canto III. This line is found on the door to hell.

“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate’.”

“All hope abandon, ye who enter in!”

9th Circle of Hell

The ninth circle stands for Treachery. 

It’s the deepest circle and is where Satan resides.

It’s a large frozen lake that’s divided into four concentric rings of traitors corresponding in order of seriousness. 

The first round is named after Cain, who killed his brother. 

The third round is named after Ptolemy, who invited his father in law, Simon Maccabaeus, and his sons to a banquet and then killed them.

[motherfactorin-pi-face]

In which I speak a bit more on (NEO) TWEWY, Shinjuku's Reapers, and JP workplaces

So to add on a little bit more to some thoughts I had in relation to Challenges in Localization And Cultural Nuance and mageknight14's good analysis on Shoka Not Having Had The Best Family Life, both of which touch on Japanese businesses and how they're run, I'd like to expound a bit more on how the whole Shinjuku Reaper situation really is a series of two separate (and yet, as it turns out, somewhat related) cultural contexts. One of these is that Shinjuku, particularly Kabuchi-cho (which if/when we see the strongly hinted Shinjuku Interquel I fully expect to see that localized as "Kabuki Backstreets" or "Kabuki Alley" or something similar), has had a historical rep as a "red-light" district, and as a fairly major spot for Yakuza and similar organized crime activity. (And there are entire franchises that focus on THIS aspect of Shinjuku, as well.) The other context, which is probably not as familiar to Americans (who are more likely to have played one of the Yakuza games), is that Shinjuku is one of the areas that is a major business hub within Tokyo metro proper. (Square Enix actually moved their headquarters to Shinjuku around 2012 or so after having moved from Yayoi--a part of Shibuya we've never seen in a TWEWY game--and is ironically moving back to Shibuya next year in the Sakuragaoka area just south of Mark City.) And as it turns out, the Shinjuku Reapers and their situation are a MASSIVE parody of how Japanese businesses are run (particularly how certain trends culturally can result in a business--or a Game--becoming highly dysfunctional). So. Japanese businesses have (in comparison to US businesses) a lot of stratification and (although this is changing somewhat) there's still kind of the ideal that if you get into an actual business (versus, say, working at the Lawson or the Family Mart or 7-Eleven) where you're wearing a suit and tie, you're essentially set for Life as long as you don't rock the boat. Historically, this even extended to your prospects of a Forever Job being tied to what college and even what high school you attended (hence why there has been such an incredible pressure with kids being sent to cram schools to get into a good high school, and then get into a good college, as good employers tended to hire directly out of specific colleges). And there's not really the Layoff Culture there is in the US, and generally the main reason someone leaves a business in Japan involves retirement, involves (especially in creative fields) some irreconcilable differences with the board of directors, or some kind of a Scandal where one has seriously hecked up and been Removed. (Again, this is changing some, especially for younger folks, and in part the NEET culture (Not in Education, Employment or Training) is kind of a rebellion against this social pressure, but right now I'm focusing on how typical businesses are run once you manage to get into a suit-and-tie occupation in Japan.) So once you do get IN a company, there's a LOT of societal pressure to really devote everything to company success--not just in terms of working late/working OT, but even societal obligations of going to Company Dinners where you go drinking with your boss/supervisor, social events, morning exercise with the company, etc. that honestly has had a history of lending itself to abuse (karoshi, or literally working yourself to death, IS a phenomena in Japan to the point there have been workplace laws to try to reduce the abuse). Aggretsuko is actually another bit of popular media that explicitly calls out a lot of the more abusive practices like power harassment and the demands a company places on workers, etc. Cells At Work! Code BLACK actually depicts someone dying of an abusive workplace...as the stereotypical abusive "black company", the Japanese slang term for a particularly abusive corporate sweatshop.

[terrence-silver]

Give us some basic headcanons about Jack Blaylock, please? Anything that comes to mind? Why he's the way he is? What turns the gears inside his head? He's such a fascinating, mysterious character but there's so little content about him to enjoy.

---

Okay, random thoughts on Jack Blaylock and how he ticks:

Believes in reincarnation, fated soulmates and karma.

Is an US-expatriate born on Japanese soil who’s never actually been in America, yet maintains this weirdly idealized, fiercely patriotic image of it, all while for all intents and purposes, man’s technically infinitely more Japanese than American. 

Traveled all across Asia for, erhm, jobs, but he’s never actually been ‘home’.

As a result of this, he also romanticizes tradition and ‘the way things are meant to be / the way people are originally meant to live’ precisely because he was born and raised between two worlds and two very distinctive cultures, neither here, nor there, wanting to find his own place under the sun and go back to a simpler time when ‘everything made sense’.

He’s a hitman because he’s immensely talented at it and if he causes carnage and breaks laws with a general disregard for human life (winding up in jail and the newspaper at least once from what we’ve seen, going as far as changing his name...at least once too) he probably feels he at least isn’t doing all of this at ‘home’ and that half of the time whenever he assassinates some whistleblower, gangster, nosey investigative journalist or corrupt politician, he’s actually doing America a favor by ‘offing her enemies’ from afar and blaming it on someone else is need be, pshhh.

As such, man’s convinced he’s in a weird way…doing a necessary deed.

Jack might feel it’s infinitely better to arrange the termination of some politician promoting unfavorable international policies than have entire countries duke out disputes that came about from one rotten apple at a later date through actual warfare, sanctions, serious repercussions and millions of people dying, losing their jobs, ending up displaced and suffering the casualties when it’s just easier to simply off one dude and lop his head off, for example. He feels his profession is dirty, uncomfortable, taboo, not something everyone can stomach doing, but very much needed. People like him are not liked. People like him are on the margins of society. In the shadows, always hiding behind other professions and made-up identities, precisely the way he himself does. They don't get happy endings. They’re very much a requirement, though. Have been all throughout history. Where there’s civilization, there’s people who kill professionally. There's always been some Jack Blaylock out there one way or another. Or some Timothy Calloway.

And he will kill anyone and everyone in the most gruesome ways possible if the job demands it (exacerbated by his bigotry for certain groups, which, ironically, include the Japanese) --- and he can really make it into a scene if he wants to --- but in his own words, the one possible hard no he has is other Americans and mainly the women precisely because he has this ingrained patriotism and longing for a home he’s never actually experienced. Man has his own (hypocritical) preferences and biases he conflates with honor. A code of sorts.

Ultimately, Jack's oddly romantic and idealistic, yet somehow simultaneously fiercely realistic and even cynical. There's something bizarrely spiritual about him, I'd even dare say. He believes a better world is possible --- if not now, then in another life, cycles and cycles from now, and in the meantime, someone, namely people like him have to get their hands seriously dirty to make all of that possible for themselves and everyone else. So happens that sometimes a better world starts by unloading a round of bullets into someone standing in the way of it all.

It's preferable if you enjoy doing it along the way. If you're good at it.

He's both.

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

BL Wrapped 2023

A little bit late, but I wanted to make sure to do this for my own records! I've watched so many shows now, it helps to have something down more formally to remember stuff.

A few notes:

This includes shows that started in 2022 and finished in 2023.

No shows that are currently still airing - how the ending lands is too critical for me.

There's some shows I know I'm going to love that I just haven't had time to see yet, so if there are any shocking absences, that's probably why.

Total # of QL watched: 37 (35 BLs, 2 GLs) (really looking forward to more GL offerings next year)

Favorite Thai shows:

Bed Friends

I was not the biggest fan of Cutie Pie, so entered this one with a fair amount of skepticism. But what a lovely surprise. Uea was such an incredible lead and so well-characterized, his trauma was handled seriously, and though there were occasional hiccups due to drama, overall King was such a respectful and supportive partner. And let's not forget the cat ears.

Laws of Attraction

What a ride this show was! I had not watched To Sir with Love, so had no familiarity with Jam or Film, but they were amazing here. The side couple of disaster muffin + loving bodyguard were pitch perfect, there were fantastic women characters who actually had significant roles in the story, and who can forget our wonderful chaotic Nawin? The story was compelling, the emotional points hit, and even when it leaned towards the ridiculous, it always remained aware of what it was.

My School President

I still remember watching the trailer for Our Skyy 2 and noticing two random dudes I had never seen before. Little did I know!

I don't have much to say except that this was pure charm from start to finish, and Fourth & Gemini were a delight. Pure comfort watch.

Unforgotten Night

I SAID WHAT I SAID! (and yes this aired in 2022, I was late)

Look, I know a lot of people thought of this purely as a trash watch, but it's so much more than that. I wrote a whole post on it. It was fantastic. I apologize for nothing.

Favorite Korean shows:

Our Dating Sim

I adored this show from start to finish. I could understand the motivations of both characters, I was deeply invested in their relationship, and they felt so utterly natural once they got together. 10/10, no notes.

Jun & Jun

This was a little messy at times, and missed an opportunity to lean more into D/s dynamics, but I really liked all the characters, the leads had great chemistry, and it was refreshing to see a Korean BL be more open about sexual desire in a relationship.

Favorite Japanese Shows:

The End of the World With You

This one could have easily gone off the rails. End of the world stories can be very tricky to pull off. But there was such a solid emotional core to the storytelling, and it kept such a hold of my heart.

My Personal Weatherman

One thing I think Japan does extremely well is stories about people who have extremely deep internal lives, but don't show much on the surface. As someone quite introverted, who keeps a lot of things on the inside, I relate a lot to this. This show did such a good job of showing how challenging it can be to communicate with those we love, and the rewards once you are able to break through and really understand each other.

Favorite Taiwanese Shows:

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Of course it's Kiseki. This series was amazing. I don't care we never really understood any of the mafia stuff, that was all set dressing for some of the best couple work ever.

Honorable Mention:

Midnight Museum

I will never stop calling this a BL. Some day GMMTV will realize that Gun has too much chemistry with other people to keep him only with Off. Also, we got Nanon playing evil, which was so sexy.