#for context she was using speech to text

[voidimp]

happy easter i will never be over this text my mother sent me two years ago

[beloveds-embrace]

Thinking about designationless reader...

Imagine how alone she must've been for all her life. It started since she was young, her parents pushing her to the corner of the home, away from the family, and naturally, her siblings would follow their parents' lead, pointedly ignoring her, and finding any excuse available to be out of her presence. She wouldn't understand them anyway, she can't tell the difference between noises nor could she even recognize scents. It just wouldn't work.

Reader thinks that maybe she could find someone, anyone in school, but kids are like sharks, except instead of smelling blood, they smell the lack of all scents on her. Most kids have a combination of their own and their family members' scents. Reader has nothing, so everyone continues the pattern, but now with more stares and jeers and hushed giggles. Reader knows that bullying is bad, but anything would be better than simply not existing to anyone. That's what the others say, at least, that she's nothing, nobody. Never to her face, though, just in the whispers shared between friends.

She eventually tries to find others like her through the wonders of the internet. There's maybe a handful more scattered in her country, but none are her age, and all have their own families who care about them. Was it just her who wasn't deserving of love, of connection? Reader reaches out to them, and they talk a little, but before long, through no one's fault, it falls through. She was bad at talking anyway, even if she doesn't have to worry about scents or sounds that aren't there, she never knew much about context or connotation. She never had the opportunity to learn about the intricacies in communication. Reader is back alone.

The military eventually scouts her, and it's the first time anyone has ever really looked at her. Sure, they look at her like a valuable tool, but a tool is better than nothing. Reader obviously joins, desperate for crumbs. She climbs the ranks, gets the job done. She is good at her job, so people respect her. She learns how to talk professionally, emails, texts, and so one, but no one talks to her on leave. No one invites her to the pub after a good mission. No one even talks to her in the mess. But people do talk to her when they have to, and that's enough. Maybe she even gets a callsign. Doe. After Jane Doe, the placeholder name for unknown individuals, and insult if anything.

Now there's the 141. They invite her to things. They talk to her. They touch her. Reader exists for them. She isn't just an unknown person stuck in the background and invisible to everyone else, and Reader doesn't know what to do. Her speech is awkward and overly professional, even in personal settings. How is she supposed to be friends with someone, multiple someones? How is she supposed to move? To act? To express? She doesn't know, but she really wants to learn. At least now she has good teachers.

ANON YOU GENIUSSSS okay but this? Perfect. AHHHH I ADORE THIS IDEA!! Esp the jane doe callsign omg yes

You weren’t used to being seen.

Growing up, you learned quickly how to make yourself small- how to exist quietly, without taking up space, without asking for too much. Because the few times you had asked- asked for a hug, asked to be let into the nest, asked why you felt so different- the answers had all been the same.

No.

Not now.

Not you.

It wasn’t that your parents didn’t love you. You were sure they did, in their own way. But love was hard to feel when your mother flinched at your touch like you were something disgusting, when your father sighed like he was tired every time you entered the room as if you were taking up space he was saving for his other children. When your siblings built their nests without you, curling into piles of warmth and safety while you sat outside the door, knees pulled to your chest and hands balled into fists to keep them from knocking, a cold ache burrowing itself in your chest.

You stopped knocking eventually.

You stopped trying.

You used to wonder if you’d done something wrong- if maybe you could fix yourself and everything would go back to normal. But it wasn’t something you could fix. It was just… you.

Scentless.

Designationless.

Invisible.

School had been worse, perhaps the worst. At least your family had pretended not to notice how different you were. The other kids didn’t bother pretending. They stared openly, whispered behind your back, laughed when you walked by. You’d caught bits and pieces of what they said- weird, wrong, broken, as if they hoped by having you hear their words, they’d convince you to leave at last.

You’d started keeping your head down after that, slipping through the halls like a shadow. No one talked to you unless they had to, and even then they either did it with a mocking, jeering tone that echoes in your nightmares or with a meek tone; as if your lack of everything is contagious. No one sat next to you at lunch, either. When partners were assigned, you always ended up working alone per your teachers’ instructions.

It was easier that way.

At least, that’s what you told yourself.

By the time you joined the military, you’d gotten good at being alone. You didn’t need friends. Didn’t need packmates. You had work, and work didn’t care if you were quiet or awkward or too stiff to laugh at the right jokes. Work didn’t care if you flinched when people got too close or froze when someone raised their voice. Work demanded to be done, and you had nothing and no one to stop you from that.

But the military also has the same teens who used to bully you so consistently. Rookies all to ready and happy to lord over you. It’s how you get your despised callsign, Doe. Jane Doe. A cruel mockery, comedy wherein you are the joke that has the world laughing.

Still, you wear it. It’s still an acknowledgment and that will always be better than never being seen. You flit from team to team, unit to unit, always an observer from afar, watching everyone around you speak a language you can’t.

But the 141 was different, when you eventually end up working for them.

They cared.

They cared in ways you weren’t ready for.

Soap was relentless, dragging you into conversations even when you barely knew what to say. He filled the silences like it didn’t bother him, kept talking for the both of you, lounging against you unbothered, until you started talking back. Gaz was gentlest, steadier. He never pushed, just lingered close enough to remind you he was there, waiting, whenever you were ready. Quiet, silent acceptance you’d never been given before, and you were yet far too afraid to so easily cling to it.

And the Alphas- Price and Ghost- were worse.

Price had a way of looking at you that made your chest ache, like he saw you, really saw you, and didn’t mind what he found. Scentless, with no designation and all. Ghost was quieter, sharper, but his eyes tracked you everywhere, presence wrapping around you like he was staking a claim you didn’t understand, like he was teying to etch every part of you behind his eyelids.

You didn’t know what to do with it.

They didn’t give you space. They sat next to you at meals, tugged you along when they went out for drinks, called you over during breaks like it was the most natural thing in the world. And it felt natural- until it didn’t, because sometimes you still felt like an outsider.

Like you didn’t belong.

You tried to hide it, but they saw through you. They always did, and they never shied away.

When you started avoiding the mess hall, it was Gaz who caught you, shoving a plate of food into your hands and dragging you to sit with him like it wasn’t a big deal. When you hung back during missions, letting the others fall into their pack dynamics without you, Soap was the one who looped an arm around your shoulders and pulled.

And when you flinched, once, at the sharp sound of someone’s voice echoing down the hall- when you tensed so hard it made your fingers tremble- it was Price who closed the distance, standing in front of you like a wall and letting Ghost linger at your back. Neither of them said a word.

They didn’t have to.

You weren’t used to being protected. You weren’t used to belonging.

But they made it hard not to.

[daisybianca]

pairing: lando norris x femalereader

summary: max was your ex who chose to cheat on you. now he wants you back. too bad you're already someone else's...

warnings: cursing words, possessiveness

(a/n): don't get me wrong, i love max. soneone had to be the bad guy, though.

WHEN SOMEONE KNOCKED on your door at ten in the evening, you didn't expect it to be Max. He was holding flowers in his hand and was completely soaked from the rain.

He looked... well, he was fine.

Just like you remembered him.

Tall, strong, blond hair, dreamy but also empty eyes.

You could see absolutely no emotion in him.

He had been a chapter in your life someday. A really important one, you had to admit. But now you had already turned the page.

Did he even know that?

“(y/n)… um… hi,” he said, his eyes glistening.

Hi? Really?

Fuck no.

You were sure he'd have something better to say to those tall, blond Germans he fucked while you still had a relationship with him.

"I'm so, so sorry." He took a breath. "You're not answering my calls or texts, so I came here so I could speak to you myself."

Wrong choice.

"Please, let me talk to you, baby."

Before you could even take a breath to answer, a voice came from behind you.

"Honey, who are you talking to over there?" Lando opened the door wide enough for Max's face to be revealed. Max's red face.

"What the hell?" Max took a small step back, his expression almost too funny for you to handle. "Lando?"

"Max." Lando stepped ahead, protectively covering your body with his, fully filling Max's view so he couldn't see you hidden beside him.

Neither of the three of you knew what to say at that moment, and you just stared at each other for a few seconds.

"What are you doing here?" Max's question was totally out of context. You could tell he was astonished.

"Livin', actually." Lando responded, his British accent kicking in. "What are you doing here?" His beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Stopped by to see my girl," Max raised his chin up.

Lando laughed. You almost let a giggle escape as well.

"Well, let me clarify," Lando started, dramatically clearing his voice as if he were to give a speech. "This is my home," he mentioned to the apartment around us. "This is my soon wife-to-be," His hand wrapped around your back possessively. "And these fucking flowers are for the trash can." He said and grabbed the door's handle. "Thank you for stopping by. Also, make sure you shove these up your ass. She's allergic to gardenias, you stupid piece of shit."

Lando closed the door with a loud sound.

A few seconds passed, and he turned to look at you. Before he could say anything, you felt a tickle in your nose and gave up to the sneezing.

You sneezed once.

Twice.

Three times in a row.

Before the fourth one, Lando had already picked you up, locking you in his hands. "Sometimes you make me wonder about your taste in men."

You laughed before sneezing again. "He's not a man."

"Yeah, I know." Lando replied, placing a small peck on your lips. "He's the stupidest boy I know."

[2demondogs]

Some HC abt what kind of texters RDR2 characters (you choose who) would be?

Would they be dry, dynamic, overly sensitive about Grammer, no Grammer at all??? I know this is kinda of silly. I hope you don't mind, lol

Omg no this is fun love it. I have a modern AU (IDK if I'll ever write anything for it bc I tried and felt silly) so I already have some ideas cooked up.

I accidentally wrote too many and had to restrain myself because it's 1:30am and I need to sleep.

Charles has autocorrect on and will not elaborate on typos. He texts in a tone that sounds like he wants you dead. He won't open a single link, song, etc. he is sent unless it's from Arthur or John because he dgaf otherwise.

Hosea uses speech to text not because he's old but because he cannot be bothered. Refuses audio messages. He has do not disturb on 24/7 and the only person on the exceptions list is Arthur. He has Dutch's number blocked. He'll respond instantly if it looks like you sent him gossip.

Sean texts every thought he has to whoever is online at the moment, gets into phases where he sends a thousand audio messages. He answers in 4 seconds flat, day or night. Lowercase and usually brainrot infested.

Dutch uses no punctuation unless it's an exclamation mark, which indicates he's yelling at you. He sends people recipes and news articles with no context. Uses capitals one day, lowercase the next. Will text you questions like "How was your relationship with your father?" at ten in the morning. At least he actually wants to know, I guess?

John uses :3 and >:3 as his only emoticons and texts in lowercase. But like, in the way where you get the feeling that at any moment the next message might be your full address. Answers in minutes unless someone's seeking emotional support, which he will ignore until he feels bad enough to answer.

Sadie also texts in all lowercase with old-school emoticons like :-) and :P, in a way where you suspect the next message might be your social security number. One time it was, but she was deadass telling the truth about guessing it on the first try. Insane aura.

Arthur doesn't reply for so long you genuinely have to search the local obits for his name. He has everyone except the one person not annoying him that week muted (usually Hosea). He hates using his phone unless it's watching reels. He texts while he drives. He types with one pointer finger.

Javier types fast but sends an audio message if he's really angry or happy. He will text on one platform while spamming reels or whatever on another. Oh and then once that four hours of constant texting is over, he doesn't respond again for four business days. Sometimes he doesn't even answer calls. Like dude... where the fuck are you?

Micah only sends audio messages. Especially to Dutch, who loves it and only sends audio messages back. The only actual text messages he's sent are extremely pointed songs he tells people reminded him of them and then when you listen to it it's clearly not a compliment. Only texts via number because his texts got him banned off most social media.

[doctor-yaoi-phd]

Confessions of a Rotten Girl MV References to Fujoshi and Yaoi Culture

0:13 In the background of Miku’s room we can see dakimakuras hung on the wall, as well as a poster of a bara esque character wearing a face mask. Dakimakuras, or body pillows, are a common piece of anime merchandise.

0:17 All of Miku’s speech bubbles within the video are stylized like manga bubbles, even using the same font (wildwords). Also, the object she’s holding behind her is a yaoi paddle, a long pine wood paddle that were sold in the mid to late 2000s as decorative props, but were also used by some convention goers to spank others as a prank. While they typically read ‘Yaoi’, ‘Seme’, ‘Uke’, or other similar terms, hers reads ‘sinner’.

0:24 We get a better look at the manga she’s buying in this scene. The illustration is of a man getting his pec grabbed, with “Knockers” written up at the top. The text on the front reads “The best ever.”, and is subtitled “Time to see some old man hole”. The character seems to be one of Hokawazu’s, an NSFW artist who appears to have drawn this image, or at least been referenced by it. Additionally, the cover advertises a free CD that comes with the manga. BL CDs are a form of media in the yaoi genre in which the story is constrained to an audible form. Audio dramas that can be either explicit or safe for work in their content.

0:34 The cream on their faces is a reference to the trope of frosting/cream being used as pseudo-semen to imply a sensual undertone to images that may otherwise be SFW (I believe, the aprons might also be a reference, but I’m not sure as to what). Also, Yuuma and Len are the only two of the five without frosting on their faces - they’re also the only two who aren’t sexualized throughout the MV, presumably because they’re Miku’s classmates and therefore high schoolers and most likely underage.

0:36 Lemon slices float upwards, referring to the Citrus Scale, an older metric of labeling explicit fan works. ‘Lemon’ in this context indicates that the work is erotic or explicit in nature.

0:40 Example of classic seme/uke dynamic. Note Kiyoteru’s smaller and less muscled frame, as well as his more pointed jaw as compared to Gakupo’s square chin. Gakupo’s lanyard reads ‘Soft Seme’, and the camera effects imply Miku is recording all of this. Additionally, the lyrics and the outfits the characters are wearing imply that they are students and faculty members at Miku’s school, which means she’s shipping real people, as Fujoshi’s are often criticized for doing.

0:43 This whole image is a Given reference.

0:44 The lyric “Just watch! Look beyond the smoke and mirrors” refers to shipping culture, and how some fans with theorize that their pairing would be canon if not for an outside acting force such as management, producers, writers, etc. The most popular example I can name in reference to this is the Johnlocke conspiracy.

0:47 Luka is scribbled out and labeled ‘Delusional’ by Miku, in reference to how female characters and actors tend to be treated poorly by some fans for ‘getting in the way’ of slash ships.

0:51-0:57 Kaito, Kiyoteru, and Gakupo are bound in bondage ropes, except for Gakupo, who is bound with jump ropes because he’s the gym teacher.

1:03 Miku is holding a Death Note, except it’s not a Death Note, it’s a ‘Yaoi Note’. May be a reference to Lawlight, a popular Death Note ship.

1:06 “The lord sayeth “halt thy child, don’t give into sin”” is a reference to how some Fujoshis have referred to yaoi as ‘sin’ in the past, and the act of engaging with it as ‘sinning’.

1:15 Omegaverse referenced on the chalkboard next to bananas and donuts; bananas referring to penises, donuts referring to assholes. Anal sex.

1:27 Rotten tomatoes, as are thrown in disapproval at a poor performance. At first I thought this was a Hetalia reference, but figured that might be a bit too deep of a cut. They’re also used in reference to the ‘rotten’ in ‘rotten girl’ (“rotten girl” is a translation of the word “Fujoshi”), rotten tomatoes for a rotten girl.

1:38 This whole segment is a Danganronpa references, a fandom with many popular slash ships.

1:43 Top left and right of the chalkboard are Ao3 symbols, specifically the ones for Explicit, M/M, Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, and Completed Work.

2:00 Most of this is obscure to me, but if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say the fruit is referencing forbidden fruit (as brought up earlier in the song), the ping pong paddles yaoi paddles, and the tarts the desserts the boys were holding earlier.

2:10 MikuMikuBeam in the bottom right corner. Not yaoi, but a cute reference to another of Sawtowne’s works.

2:13 She’s using some website on the computers in the back, but the pixelation makes it hard to tell which. I’d guess maybe a manga reading website? But none I’m familiar with.

2:21 Refers to a trend on TikTok where the speed at which the circles are moving implies the speed at which the corresponding character is having sex (top or bottom).

2:25 Another reference to the Citrus Scale.

2:33 Penis in the reflection of her glasses.

2:52 And finally, slowburn is a fanfiction trope.

I probably missed a few, but these were the ones I was familiar enough with to speak on! Please stream Confessions of a Rotten Girl by Sawtowne :)

[saintsenara]

Is the rest of the order also a part of the upper wizarding class (other than snape ofc)? Like Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, etc. ?

thank you very much for the ask, anon.

the context for this question is here, and the answer is... yes, but not in the way you'd think.

with the exception of mundungus, who remains working-class, and snape, who was raised working-class and is something more tenuous as an adult, the order come from various middle- to upper-class backgrounds, the three members of the second order you mentioned - lupin, tonks, kingsley, as well as mad-eye moody - among them.

as with the weasleys, these four characters' class backgrounds can be identified from their class performance, rather than from their financial circumstances. so things like dress, language use, jobs, hobbies, names, manner of living, and so on.

for example, ted and andromeda's house - which we see in deathly hallows - is as much a middle class stereotype as vernon and petunia's. its description - which comes just before harry sees andromeda for the first time and mistakes her for bellatrix - is to hammer home that she made a choice [and, of course, a choice the text considers to be noble] to go down in class-status in defiance of blood-supremacy.

but - while tonks is clearly part of a lower class-bracket than sirius [hence her pointing out to harry at the beginning of order of the phoenix that she's still riding a mid-tier broom, while he has the firebolt which sirius bought for him] - she, like the rest of the order, has access to a shared marker of elite status notwithstanding her middle-class upbringing...

that she went to hogwarts.

it's clear throughout canon that lupin's statement in deathly hallows that "nearly every witch or wizard in britain has been educated at hogwarts" cannot be correct, because we meet numerous characters throughout the series - such as mundungus, stan shunpike, the snatchers, anyone in a service role, etc. - who transparently were not.

and we can say that they weren't because these characters' presentation is as unambiguously working-class, above all, in that they are written as speaking with regional accents which are intended to be interpreted by the british audience as indicating working-class backgrounds and the stereotypes which accompany them, such as unsophistication, irrationality, and a lack of intelligence.

the only person we meet at hogwarts who has a similar manner of speaking is hagrid - who is, of course, supposed to be interpreted similarly. while there are a couple of hints in the text that harry's classmates speak regional dialects - seamus says "me mam" on a couple of occasions, dean says "my parents don't know nothing", both of which are non-standard phrases in british english but which make sense for an irishman and a londoner respectively - none of them are subjected to having their speech written out phonetically. that only happens to the english-speaking characters in the series who are meant to be interpreted as existing on the rung below everyone else on the class ladder.

the distinctions the text draws between hogwarts students seem fairly profound - and fairly rooted in financial circumstances - but they actually exist within a homogenous class performance. hogwarts students identify difference on the basis of things like brand of racing broom, or brand of wand [we learn in half-blood prince that there are various wandmakers working in britain, but anyone going to hogwarts wouldn't consider going anywhere other than ollivanders...] or whether your robes were tailored for you or are perfectly serviceable hand-me-downs. we don't see differences which come cross-class - someone who couldn't even afford a wand, even from an inferior maker; someone who not only can't afford secondhand robes, but doesn't have shoes or underwear or pyjamas.

the only people we meet who seem to stand out from the rest in terms of class performance are hagrid - and, yes, this is to do with his size, but it's also to do with his accent, rough-and-ready physical appearance, tendency to be driven by his base impulses, and fondness for manual labour - and snape. tom riddle - when we see him as a student - speaks and comports himself indistinguishably from the rest of the student characters.

[the eleven-year-old riddle very much does not.]

while we never actually learn whether the school is state-funded or not [although even if it is, it requires a colossal financial input from parents in terms of buying all the equipment], hogwarts is an elite institution. it's the main [and, apparently, only] source of new employees for the state and its institutions - such as st mungo's, gringotts, etc. it is considered shocking that one of its graduates would end up working in retail.

it exists to maintain the class system by which the wizarding world is governed. and, therefore, it exists to inculcate its students in the class performance which signifies being an upright citizen of the wizarding state.

and lupin tells us clearly what that means:

"I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing - and sometimes killing - to eat...  I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood, that we ought to revenge ourselves on normal people."

the language here is so instructive! "normal society"! "normal people"! no suggestion that werewolves have been deliberately made an underclass by the wizarding state! no suggestion that lupin's "unmistakable signs" of playing the wizarding class game aren't correct or admirable! lupin's attempts to win his fellows over to dumbledore's side being described as "reasoned" arguments, which fail to work against the base and violent greyback!

one of the things which is really interesting about the series is that voldemort is - by far - its most radical character. even more strikingly, voldemort's radicalism has a clear populist element - despite the fact that he's set up as the champion of a posh, pureblood elite whose aims are violent oligarchy.

it's fascinating how many working-class-coded characters are in his service - the doylist text clearly intends this to suggest that his ranks are full of idiots, but we don't have to accept it! and it's also fascinating how almost all non-humans we meet in the text either openly support him - he has huge support among goblins and werewolves, for example - or clearly regard him as no worse than the current system - hence the centaurs' policy of non-intervention in the war.

the order, in contrast, are profoundly unradical. the thing they oppose is voldemort's revolution. the thing they're working in defence of is the status quo - the homogeneity which hogwarts teaches and maintains.

[that's what the series understands as the "all" in "all was well".]

and they therefore all exist in a world where the class performance they learned at school becomes a shared language which can be used to establish common ground with someone across age, gender, and [certain] class lines... but only if that other person also went to hogwarts.

[the best analogy for this is what it's like to be a graduate of oxford or cambridge. where this benefits a person isn't so much down to the quality of the education they would have received from either university, it's because every time they meet someone who also went to oxbridge they have a shared language they can use to establish a rapport, making it vastly easier to network at the upper levels of almost every british profession.]

the order is an elite organisation, then, but it's not elite because it's members were all born into elite families. it's elite because they were offered access to an elite institution and gradually came to see that institution as the default.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

SECOND ROUND: 25th Tilt

Prince Charmont, Ella Enchanted (2004) VS. King Henry V Plantagenet, The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Propaganda

Prince Charmont, Ella Enchanted (2004) Portrayed by: Hugh Dancy Defeated Opponents: - Galessin, Duke of Orkney [Alexis Hénon], Kaamelott (2004-2009) - “One Eye” [Mads Mikkelsen], Valhalla Rising (2009)

“Before he was cannibal catnip, Hugh Dancy was the dorkiest, hottest Prince Charming variant.”

King Henry V Plantagenet, The Hollow Crown (2012-2016) Portrayed by: Tom Hiddleston Defeated Opponents: - Arthur Pendragon [Oliver Tobias], Arthur of the Britons (1972-1973) - Ahchoo [Dave Chappelle], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

“Hal is Shakespeare’s sexiest history protagonist by virtue of sheer range. He’s a roguish rake, a dashing prince, a rugged king and you bet your ass Tom Hiddleston serves cunt all the way through. I know y’all love Loki and I promise you he’s even sexier blonde.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For Prince Charmont:

For Henry V:

“I can't believe [it took so long for people to submit] text propaganda for Hiddleston!Henry V. Did everyone just look at him in leather trousers and lose the power of speech? I teach with this film, and I am convinced that the leather trousers are responsible for more than one student missing key plot details in that scene (and possibly for more than one epiphany re: sexuality.)...

"... Thea Sharrock directed this, and she clearly Knows about the female gaze. Surely any time you see a man drawing a longbow like that, it's an invitation to think about hands and arms and shoulders (shoulders!) in other contexts. From a characterization standpoint, too, the coiled physicality of his Henry and how he uses it are really interesting. Also this man's cheekbones should be illegal. And the wooing scene where he lays aside his crown and kneels as if in homage to the princess who is about to be signed over to him via treaty in the next room? Hot damn, I do love a good use of courtly love imagery.”

[hxhhasmysoul]

jjk tags and fags - translator assigned genders / fandom assigned genders

The people who translate this manga and anime just can't fucking help themselves with constantly assigning genders to characters.

Yuuji is not gendering Uraume in any way in what he says in the manga:

And he says the exact same thing in the anime: Ore dake hyoyketsu ga amakatta Sukuna kanren dana. That roughly translates to: The ice around me was half-hearted likely due to the connection with Sukuna.

He doesn't mention Uraume by name, which is very typical in Japanese which is a very context reliant language. But in the context it is clear that he is referring to Uraume's connection to Sukuna.

Uraume's gender is ambiguous on purpose, Gege is very deliberate in this.

Uraume of course isn't the only one.

______________________________________________

Other characters and their tags and fags.

Kenjaku

People who know them closely, like Tengen, always refer to them without gendering them. Sometimes the people who don't know them well gender them according to presentation like Takaba, or like Chousou who heavily associates Kenjaku with Noritoshi Kamo. And also those who think Kenjaku is Getou.

The fandom is super bad about Kenjaku, people insist on calling them he/him and making really homophobic and transphobic comments regarding their motherhood. Or the Getou fans just erase Kenajku and pretend that everything Kenjaku does is actually Getou...

_______

Tengen

She literally in open text says how she wants to be gendered. People use the preface where she says that technically as a cursed spirit she doesn't have a gender to pretend the next line doesn't matter. When the opposite is actually true. Even if Tengen could decide to forego having a gender after her evolution, she says nah, grandma, don't call me a guy. And then proceeds to indulge in masc presentation, Queen!

I personally get more annoyed when people use they/them for Tengen than he/him. The he/him people usually just read casually and remember all the times the translators called Tengen master and they haven't really paid that much attention to her scene with Yuki. But I've seen people use they/them on purpose to ignore Tengen's words.

_______

Kashimo

Kashimo is never gendered by the other characters. They use the personal pronoun "ore", which is associated with men but not used by them exclusively. It is rather harsh sounding pronoun, and as @/cursedvibes says it fits Kashimo who speaks in a crude and masculine way. Kashimo's modern day presentation isn't very gendered looks wise though.

But presentation =/= gender. Regardless if it's looks or speech.

Fandom will say well in the past life they looked like a guy and it's just rude to assume based on that :/

Also even if, maybe new life new gender who knows.

If Gege was trying to obviously gender Kashimo the 3rd person pronouns were right there yet remained unused.

_______

Kirara

I've written about Kirara's pronouns before.

I read Kirara as a woman and I explain why in the post above. I don't mind non binary readings because it's really not super clear.

And I don't even have some huge issue with people calling Kirara a high femme boy, though I personally don't read her like that at all.

As long as it's done in a kind and not transphobic or homophobic way. But alas the fandom is there to disappoint quite often.

_______

Angel

I don't know how are people confused about her gender this far along. I didn't remember that her gender was revealed when she actually started interacting with the other characters because Tengen'd spoken about her many chapters earlier. But Angel is very clearly gendered as "she/her". And she's been in the story for many chapters now.

[loopyren]

When Inuyasha is confessing to Kagome while she's asleep (Ch 78), these are a couple nuances in the Japanese text that made me squeeaal...

What he thinks when she falls on him. He's gently surprised: かごめ ... そばにいてくれるんだな。 "Kagome... you're beside me, huh."

He's exhaling (in surprise) in that panel. So the nuance is like, "Oh? Kagome... she's next to me, huh..." which kinda just sounds like an observation BUT!!! He uses くれる (kureru), a loaded word that implies it’s something he appreciates or cherishes. Sorta like, "Wowza I am the receiver of this beautiful action..." like that. LOL 🥺 ugh... my feelings..

His tone in his confession is very soft. なんか ... おまえと一緒にいると、ホッとするってゆーか... "Somehow... when I am with you, I feel at ease — something like that..."

(Btw, "relieved" is a fine translation, but ホッとする can also mean "to be at ease" depending on context, which could be how he feels.) I see translations not including that last bit because it's not literally what he says... but that's the nuance. I dunno if I can explain it well but it's sooo soft. He's trailing off all shy and stuff 🥺

てゆーか just means ていうか, which is what you use when u want to say "this is the impression," or when u want to explain something (better). In this context, it also sounds sort of meek and shy... it's so NOT like him, his speech was usually so harsh and macho, like "yagaru" central 🤣 In other words, he's really choosing to be vulnerable right now. ISSA BIG DILL

In English, this scene is already so sweet. In Japanese, there's this extra layer of vulnerability to hiM IT MAKES ME WANT TO COMBUST AND LEAVE THIS EARTH BEHIND!!!!!

*VIOLENTLY GASPS FOR AIR*

[da-janela-lateral]

MP100 S2E01 under a writer's perspective

The Emi Fukami episode in Mob Psycho 100 was a beautiful display of Mob's character development in relation to his individuality and a earnest vision of emotional vulnerability, but I want to call attention to a single detail: Emi being a writer.

Out of all the secret truths that the cast masks during the narrative, Emi's must be one of the most mundane. She is writing a book. She doesn't want people to know about it, much less read it, as Emi was led to believe this hobby of hers was embarassing.

I find it very interesting that Emi, character whose focus episode revolves around vulnerability, has writing has her main passion. In a way, writing is one of the most revealing art forms that there is. Literary choices are a reflection of the author's context, beliefs, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams, even though many of these choices cannot be perceived in a sensible level. Even if I suddenly decided to write a tale about a random theme - you say, a blue-footed booby who becomes an architect while wearing ballet shoes - it would say something about me. It could be a preferred text type, my sense of humor or even my idea of what is "random". Word choices, rhythm, figures of speech, themes, narrative structures, spins on a literary genre's expectations - all of these and more consist of conscious or unconscious decisions made by the writer. Writing as an art form serves as a mirror to the artist's very mind.

As a result, a piece of text can be a very delicate thing. Many people would only reveal their works to a exemplarily trusted someone, or to no one at all. That's the origin and end of uncountable masterpieces. It is also associated to passion. Few are the writers who characterize themselves as such and don't feel a duty to write. Yes, duty. Not all pieces are a labor of love, but it's almost universal that they're one of resolve, as little as it might be. One can unlock a fundamental will to write something in spite of it being weary work. At this point, for many writers, it's not a simple hobby. It's a need. It's a compulsory manner of expression hardwired onto our brains; thus, it's an inseparable part of who we are.

So what does any of this have to do with Emi's arc?

S2E01 is all about being vulnerable. Even though Emi had only asked out Mob because of a bet and hanged out with him for a week, she felt safe enough to show him her book. Her own friend group didn't have an idea that she was working on one, and once they discovered this, they ridiculed Emi's effort and teared it to shreds. Emi tried to alleviate this rejection by affirming she didn't care for her work, while everything shown previously on the episode proved this was wrong. In turn, Mob uses his psychic powers to put back her text together - his first public demonstration of them since he was a child. Mob was honest about himself by revealing he was an esper. Emi was honest by wanting his opinion on her book.

Emi is a fourteen year old girl going through a confusing and ever changing phase of her life. After doubting on Mob's emotions, she tells him that she too doesn't know well who she is, and her actions around her friends prove how she was prone to peer pressure. Her mind and identity were on an uncertain state, and this would also reflect on her writing. Emi uses complicated words, perhaps to make her writing sound more serious. Based on a translation of her work "Adventure", she uses more of a stream of consciousness prose and ambiguous descriptions. She immediately decides to write something different after her experiences with Mob. Emi has a personal style! She has techniques and topics she enjoys and active choices about how she will employ them! Emi has a bit of her on her story and this was why she hid it so much: a mockery of it would be synonym of a mockery of herself.

This is what makes the plotline with her book so important to express the episode's themes. Emi felt insecure to reveal such an integral part of herself to the world until someone came and not only took it seriously, but appreciated it enough to make an effort to understand it better. It tells a lot how Mob's demonstration of caring made her leave the people who destroyed her work.

As a writer, this detail gave a whole another layer of significance for the episode. I've felt Emi's struggle in a very intense level on the past. Storytelling is something so dear to me I can't see myself without the adjective of "writer", but the acknowledgement of my work would be the same as exposing myself to the world. It can be scary at times, to divulge something so sincere to others. However, such is the writer's role: divulging. For reasons long unknown a magical excess of words was born to me, and this coincidence can't be supressed and abandoned on the dark. There is something I can offer copiously hand in hand and its words. Words. Words. Words... And the reflection of me resonates on others.

[exaltedfuzz]

Goddammit, your last lanamia comic made me cry.. What master storytelling spirits are you channeling that make you know these characters better than the original writers?

Deepest apologies... I have worse planned. Poor Mia. (and Lana... but you'll see why I say poor Mia soon enough, I hope...)

As for writing characters, it really helps to talk to yourself in their "voices" to try and figure them out. Mumble to yourself when you're cooking, when you're walking and nobody's around, but also listen to people speak. When you put what you know into dialogue it sounds way less phony than if you're purely trying to advance plot with ham-fisted exposition... Though you need a bit of that too, if you're trying to drive something. It's good to write stuff down in a script, get a recording app out, say it all (put on a different voice for each character, why not?) and when you stumble over the sentences because they suck to say out loud, rewrite them so they don't. Your most powerful tool in writing speech is speaking. 

Think about the context too, it's dead important. Surrounding events and characters are what keep things grounded... Nothing exists in a vacuum. It's really useful that AA has such a packed world, with so many characters in proximity. Makes it easier to de-vacuum things. I guess the same is true for most fan works. 

Having a start and end point really helps. But, more so in a sense of "where is this character at the start of this scene, and what do they want to achieve". When you're writing "aspirationally" like this, you can get into the groove better than if you have a point A and a point B that you are looking to get to overall. And then considering the dynamics between the characters and taking that into account when understanding how those goals may be compromised, ignored, pushed for... Who has the most power in a scene generally decides what goal is pushed towards. 

Another thing is focalised narrative. Usually when I'm doing these comics (at the moment), I follow Lana, and most of the emotional core is in her reactions to things. You don't want to zero in too much to one character, or you'll end up flattening the rest, but having a core character is a good way to keep things simple. It's tempting to just chuck as many characters as you can into something, but you have to remember that you're then going to have to have them all exist... 

Also, honestly, going back to the source text plenty, and with an eye for specifics, is really useful. Take note of how characters refer to each other, which is a huge thing in AA specifically... And also what humanity is in them. For Lana, for instance, she's quite witty, and quick to make light of herself with that wittiness. ("Oh, this? I cut myself by accident. When I stabbed him, that is. I'm not very good at being a criminal, I suppose.") I try to put this slightly irritating joking into how I write her. With Ace Attorney characters, you're looking at them at very intense points in their "lives", so they're probably acting differently to normal, but picking up on these little things can make all the difference. Obviously, as well, there’s the “that… was probably why she was attracted to me” line. I take this as a reluctance to publicly acknowledge the mutuality of said attraction… (“Intellectually” seems like a Lana-ism to deflect that Ema picked up, to me. Lana doesn’t seem to be very comfortable with who she is in general. She wears her King of Prosecutors medals when Edgeworth seems to think the award is tacky, and even Manfred, obsessed with achievement and perfection, and apparently winner of multiple King awards, doesn’t display his medals. Obviously this is because when they were designed, it was before the idea of King of Prosecutors existed, but I think that Lana pinning her achievements to her chest where they can clearly be seen in order to convince to both those around her and, more pressingly, to herself, that she is competent is interesting.) Her own goals also always come second to Ema. I think she’s probably felt quite suffocated by having to spend her whole adulthood so far being a mother to her.I have a lot of thoughts on her as a character, both in the context of lanamia and outwith. She’s very compelling to me, and although most of the time when I'm drawing her, it's the "used to be so gentle, always smiling" Lana that we never actually see in game, I want to push some of these key aspects of her in game identity into her, so I interpret that "gentleness" as a slight nervousness, and that "always smiling" as something mostly for Ema's sake, so she doesn't have to see her rock crumble, so to speak. Anyway, that's enough on her...

I don't know if you really wanted my dialogue writing tips, but anyway. There they are. I wrote way more than I meant to, so sorry about that, haha! Hope some of this could be useful.

I don't know that I know the characters better than their creators... I only hope I'm doing them and the stories I think they could have lived in justice. Thank you very much for the ask, haha!

[copperbadge]

Hi Sam. A potentially stupid question. Image descriptions for screen readers. Do they work the same way for audio and video? As in are they needed or helpful? I'm finding conflicting answers when I search for this.

Not at all a stupid question! I think sometimes it can vary by community, to be honest.

Screen-reader users, visually impaired folk, and others for whom IDs are particularly relevant, feel free to chime in; I'm going to ramble and you likely have more useful stuff to say. Remember to do it in reblogs or notes, as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks.

I'm not visually impaired, and I don't use a screen reader and thus am not really able to speak with firsthand authority. In the past, when I've asked, I've heard that in-post text is better than alt-text for images; even if that stops being the case, I prefer to use in-post text because there are people who aren't screen-reader users who also like the IDs. I do too, actually. And generally I've heard that video as well as image should be described. I don't do straight audio generally, but when I do, if it's a song I don't bother because the title is there and lyrics are googleable, if it's speech I like to see/give a transcript.

I like when videos have descriptions especially, because I am almost never in a position to play a video I see on my dash. If the video doesn't autoplay I don't want to hit play because then it will load with audio and I'm usually either a) somewhere I can't have audio or b) already listening to something and unwilling to turn it off. If the video autoplays it's muted, but if it's audio-heavy there's the same issue. So if someone posts a video without a description/transcript, unless it has captions, I can't engage.

There are a lot of guides out there for how to write IDs and I kind of think, based on conversations I've had, most of them are bullshit by people who don't use screen readers. In my experience, which is not universal but is relatively comprehensive, people who can't see an image often do not want a precise objective description as we're instructed to provide.

There's a great essay that touches on this, Against Access, where the writer, who is Deafblind, talks about how he doesn't want a diagram, he wants an emotional evocation.

Why are you telling me, telling me, telling me things? Your job isn’t to deliver this whole room to me on a silver platter. I don’t want the silver platter. I want to attack this room. I want to own it, just like how the sighted people here own it. Or, if the room isn’t worth owning, then I want to grab whatever I find worth stealing.

I've had people get shitty with me about putting "feelings" into my IDs, but the majority of people for whom those IDs are necessary have told me they like it because, for example, saying "She looks like she's about to commit violence" is a subjective opinion but conveys something that "A woman is standing with arms upraised and a frown on her face" does not. And if you're describing an image but there's not a ton of meaning to it, describing it in clinical detail is wasting time. A paragraph describing a fortysomething white guy and all the clothing he's wearing and the room he's in is not as helpful, on occasion, as simply saying "This is a photograph of me in my bedroom." It depends on context, which is your call to make, and the only way to get good at that is to do it.

But again: this is my experience with my readers, and even John Lee Clark, quoted above, doesn't speak for his whole community. So I would suggest that the best way to get an answer for this is just to ask your readers what they'd prefer. If you have friends who use screenreaders, ask them. If you don't, or if you don't get a response from your readers, I would do what you feel is best until someone tells you otherwise, and then be gracious and discuss it with them so you can better understand their needs. In my experience, when someone is genuinely trying to make a more welcoming space for disabilities -- as opposed to making virtue-signal attempts to Be The Perfect Ally -- they get a lot of slack when they don't get it exactly right. It is better to make a welcoming space for people to feel safe telling you that you fucked up than it is to pretend you're never going to fuck up.

So yeah, as someone who is more or less fully sighted, that's my two cents, but if you really want to know what your readers want, you know...I'd ask them. :) Good luck, either way.

[f4ggydog]

LMAO @ that one Pro!Depp Anon! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TRIAL! YOU ALL HAD MADE YOUR MIND UP BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED! You just rest easy on the fact, that the jury let themselves be manipulated into conceding more to Depp. HOW do you think abusive men EVER got away with their shit in court? By having more money and painting the woman as crazy ("HiStrIOniC PeRsoNalitY DiSordER!"). This is BASIC stuff when it comes to the history of sexism and yet yall are clueless! If you are a woman, anon, then you are already way too fucking comfortable in your thoughtless current privileges (that other women fought and DIED for to make them happen!) to still have a clue… the amount of women who are just clueless over what these people are doing, who fucking celebrated Depp's win as progress for male victims, thinking these people had everyones best interest in mind- have NONE of you ever looked beyond the Google definition of feminism??? It's crazy how you lot happily and naively help misogynistic powerful men dig the grave of women's rights. IF you cared about trials, you would fucking aknowledge, that it's LEGALLY PROTECTED SPEECH TO CALL DEPP A WIFEBEATER IN THE UK! You ALSO realize that NOTHING about an US trial is actually about "facts", right? Do you think, that evidence is being presented in an unbiased manner (how come Amber's evidence got blocked? How come evidence against Depp had to be accidentially unsealed by dumb fans of his?) Do you think, that a defense lawyer's job isn't about lying, manipulation, playing into people's biases? That handmaiden of the patriarchy, Camille Vasquez, wouldn't stop bragging for ages after the trial over how good of a job she did with manipulating yall. Here's how you win a court case: have way more money than your opponent so you can prolong this shit and get the better lawyers aka manipulators. Top it off with a jury that is suceptible to prejudices most people hold. Depp's Kremlin lawyer leaked ONE out of context, falsely subtitled bit of an audio recording to the public and yall with your social media, true crime and Hollywood movies-rotten brains went: "OhOhOh, the secret villainess told on herself, plot twist!" (when she literally didn't, yall quote her wrong to this freaking day). Depp literally flew out to explain the DARVO strategy to an abusive soccer player, who wants to pull the same shit on his abused wife, as we speak. His bff Marilyn Manson tried his strategy as well. Wanna hear some other facts about Depp? Like how he'd brag over assaulting others out of anger when Amber was still in diapers? How so many of his buddies are fellow abusers and rapists? How his former business partner went missing (and hasn't been found to this day) A DAY before he was supposed to testify against Depp in court? The firsthand horror stories others have about him? Like how he once ambushed and shot blanks at a PA, making the PA so terrified for his life that he pissed himself and Depp thought that was hilarious! You all didn't ever believe Amber. SHE'S the one who lost jobs due to divorcing Depp, not him. SHE'S the one who constantly had to change her number, because strangers threatened her with calls and texts, during the time where everyone supposedly "believed her". If you had ever truly believed her, you wouldn't have been so easy to manipulate to the point of writing off: Depp constantly telling on himself and his proven character in interviews, messages and on recordings. You wouldn't write off contemporaneous text messages and emails, contemporaneous therapy and medical records, contemporaneous PROVEN UNEDITED pictures of Amber's injuries, and 10+ witnesses who saw Amber's injuries in person (+ more witnesses attesting to Depp being the abuser, such as their former relationship consultant Dr Amy Banks (a Harvard-trained world renowned expert in Domestic Violence!), who had sessions with them both together! Guess what happened to her deposition: that's right, that ALSO got blocked by Depp's team). Or you really are just THAT dumb. Either way, you are a detriment to all women, anon. 💋

I want that Depp defending anon to come back and read every word of ur fucking post because YOU ATE THEM UP SO GOOD. GET THEM AGAIN GET THEM AGAIN GET THEM AGAINNNNN

notice how that anon didn't come back after I called them out on their bullshit too? Yeah u can't put that shit past us

[mandalhoerian]

deep in my lads brainrot & i randomly decided to watch some things in japanese because i really like the voice actors and know a little bit of japanese . just for the hell of it. "lets see how different the localization is" i said. and OMG im just rewatching the sea of golden sand and

you know how amund is going "your quintessence" this "your quintessence" that? so respectful and everything?

NONE OF THAT IN JAPANESE. BRO IS SO RUDE AND PATRONIZING TO RAFAYEL LIKE ACTUALLY LOOKS DOWN ON HIM, even the voice is reflecting this. in english you'd think he's a subject wanting the best for his sea god but the japanese amund uses "omae" when addressing rafayel, which is SO RUDE. there are like, quite a lot of ways to say "you" in japanese and this is like at the top of the list of no-no. it's overly familiar and informal if its not rude. this is NOT the way to address someone you respect or see on a higher position than yourself. the suffixes of respect are also missing, there is no keigo (honorfic speech). he truly talks from the place of an angered "elder".

speaking of pronouns, rafayel never addresses the mc as "your highness" like he does it over and over again in the english dub. he says "kimi", which is a casual and often used towards someone of equal or lower status, commonly by males towards females.

and "your quintessence is not one to hesitate" in the english dub is actually "the old you wouldn't have hesitated like this" in japanese. which could mean nothing.

"you no longer need to play the suitor" in english is "the act of repaying the debt/returning the favor ends here" -- which i believe references rafayel should be done with repaying his debt to the mc for setting him free

while they're riding the camels and rafayel asks if she knows why the sea god "died", he says "(ningen ni damasareta) and got his heart stolen" . from what i know and correct me if im wrong, japanese doesn't always explicitly differentiate between singular and plural, so, The phrase "ningen ni damasareta" (人間に騙された) can mean either "tricked by a human" or "tricked by humans" in general, depending on the context. which also. could mean nothing.

"it's lemuria's history and the sea god's prophecy" which rafayel says about the tome is actually "These are the prophecies of past sea gods of/concerning/about lemuria" -- insinuating there are actually a lot of prophecies in the tome

"prophecies are but delusions. they are not reality" is "Prophecies are nothing more than nonsense born from people's dreams. You mustn’t believe in them." -- like, it's such a big difference and has so many layers to it.

"you've thought about it then? i may actually take your heart" is "have you thought about it carefully? Someday I might rip out your heart" which is. AAAAAA . SO BRUTAL???? THEY TONED IT DOWN.

"we'll head to whalefall city" becomes "You said you wanted to see the sea, didn’t you? Let’s go look for [geirakutou] together." WHICH INSINUATES THEY'RE ACTIVELY SEARCHING FOR THIS PLACE LIKE EL DORADO AND NOT HEADING STRAIGHT THERE. Geirakutou likely means "falling island" or "island of descent" if its like 下落 (geiraku): decline, fall, or drop and 島 (tou): Island.

edit: the "bond" between them in english is [keiyaku] -- which means "contract", which is naturally binding yes, but doesn't really insinuate anything emotional like "bond" does. its transactional

I wish I could have access to the japanese transcript of written text so I could look for more little nuggets like this but alas im listening to japanese dub and english sub so all i have are spoken lines 😭 anyway let me know if im wrong somewhere or you want me to do this for other cards/myths??? because this is SO FASCINATING. so much is missing from english localization, i wish i knew chinese so i could look better into it AHHH

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

CH2-14 Thoughts

So! CH2-14, huh? This episode has been our longest in the series yet, and it has used that time incredibly efficiently, especially given it is the penultimate episode before our culprit reveal. I don't think there's much to start with, really. Let's jump right into it :D

SWEAR STATISTICS (ch2-13)

BINGO CARD

Nico

DT-Dev needs to stop drawing Nico so handsome when they're in the middle of killing someone. this has happened twice now, I am very concerned.

Nico is probably the character I have the least to say about overall, but I still think it's fair to start with them. For one, we finally got the reveal of Nico's true murder plan! I...still personally do not understand why they didn't just garrote the man from the beginning, but it's nice to finally have some answers. Nico confessing to not trusting anyone in the killing game as well as their whole speech later on is honestly very based, if I was in their shoes I'd probably not see the point in pretending to be guilty either, and I really do think it was the most mature way to respond to this situation as a whole. Nico is probably one of the more logically-driven in the cast (when Ace isn't up their ass, anyway), so it makes a lot of sense to me that this is the conclusion they'd come to.

(x) Nico: I… I just can't stand being treated like that. My teachers, my classmates, my father… I don't ever want to relive what they did to me.

Furthermore, we also learned that their father was also in on the abuse and transphobia they received, and this combined with how Levi talked about his father in the previous episode, it's just daddy issues across the board huh? Guess DT-Dev had to make up for J's mom angst somehow lmao. But in all seriousness, the fact that Nico more than likely had no one be there for them during those times is probably part of why they drifted more towards animals, besides the fact that there's no social rules with animals. (...has anyone put alien blues by vundabar on a nico playlist? I'm getting sidetracked.)

There is also a lot I could say about Nico's predominant male figure subjecting them to such treatment and how that relates to their relationship with Ace and Ace in general, but I'll leave that for a future post. All I'll say for right now is to look up VeryWellMind's page on toxic masculinity and observe how many points relate back to Ace :3

(x) Nico: I don't expect you to forgive me. Very few people ever do. So I don't see the point in acting sorry.

The last thing I really want to mention when it comes to Nico is this line, specifically the bolded text, because... am I wrong to think this is a very strange thing to say in the context of talking about your attempted murder? I've seen people say that this could be in reference to Nico's blunt way of speaking, but I feel like that doesn't fit in with this context, and the wording itself feels too dramatic for that to be the case. I feel like Nico has resorted to violence against their bullies before. I don't think it ever got as severe as the situation with Ace, but if only a few days of abuse caused Nico to choose violence, I think its almost a guarantee that they resorted to violence a few times during the years they were abused by their peers. Would certainly explain those weird ass bandages around their upper arms. anyway Nico, I adore you very much despite your bullshit murder plan. can't wait to see where you go :) (also is it fair to say that the theories of literally anyone else committing Ace's attempted murder are de-confirmed now? Like I don't think you could get a greater confirmation than the first thirteen minutes of this episode lmao)

Hu

...Oh yikes. So I have defended Hu on a few occasions, talking about how she is just defending Nico and that her behavior towards them is completely normal. And I think I must take advantage of my minimal gag reflex and gulp down that L because lord have fucking mercy.

First and foremost

(x) Hu: You’re trying to paint them as the villain just because they lost their temper at Ace once!

(x) Hu: If Arei died of a stab wound, it would be wrong for me to say you did it.

Both of these lines were fucking crazy of her lmao. Absolutely nonsensical, she is so annoying /affectionate

Second and secondmost, Hu so clearly projecting her own emotions and feelings onto Nico so that they can look weak and small and thus have to rely on her and clinging onto that perception when it continues to falter is so fucking delicious. The way I worded that makes it seem like I think Hu is being malicious, I do not, but also that is literally what she is doing, and furthermore it is not working. This episode alone brought Hu in my mind to a high-c tier, to a high b-tier because there is nothing I love more in this world than fictional women being awful. And now that I have that all typed out, I can't help but realize that this sounds very familiar...

Oh! That's right!

...Man Hu, I get that it's across the color wheel, but you really like to foil with people in red. Yeah, I think that Acevi and Huco are meant to be parallels of each other relationship wise. Both of them feature someone (Ace and Hu) projecting a certain identity onto a stranger (Levi and Nico) to satisfy their own emotional needs and their reactions when those fantasies crumble beneath them. The dynamic between Ace and Hu is so delicious to me and I think should be explored more in the fandom. Not just because they somehow manage to give divorced spouses vibes despite one of the two being gay, but because I think the way that they foil, how they are different in contrast with how they're similar in typical DRDT fashion, adds so much to both of their characters and their relationships with the others. And I'm also glad that I at least have two more, count-em two, more parallels between Nico and Levi. I will keep spreading my Levco agenda until the day I die.

Okay but, though I've kind of been taking the piss out of Hu during this section, I do actually feel very bad for her. Especially if Eden is the culprit, because Hu and Eden have shown to be close on multiple occasions, and I could not imagine witnessing the gruesome execution of someone you love after pretty much dealing with two betrayals back-to-back. And I guess since we're here I should clarify that I do not think Hu, or anyone else except the two suspects we land on in this episode, are responsible for Arei's murder. Third Party Theory seems to hinge entirely on the idea that someone other than Nico attempted to kill Ace, and as I've said before I don't think that's the case. And given the fact that we have at least 40 minutes left of the overall case, I can't really see a way from a writer's perspective to throw in such a major final twist with an entirely different character without it feeling rushed. I'm sure DT-Dev could pull it off, but just on concept, not sure how it could work and also if Eden really is the culprit, Hu is 1000% going to try and take her place as the optimistic mood-lifter, and I need to see that outside of my imagination

There isn't much else for me to add, really, part from the fact that I am very excited to see how Hu's character progresses and how her relationships with the cast progress. ... ...hey can we count Hu and Nico as toxic yur--

Ace

Funny thing, I originally was not going to give Ace his own section in this post. But I decided I would anyhow for two reasons 1. Ace is a very fun character to analyze And 2. I get to once again talk about how much of a fucking liar this man is lmao

(x) Ace: Who’s gonna stick up for me, huh? No one. Because I have a spine and I don’t need other people to lie to me constantly to keep me happy.

[Pictured: Doesn't need other people to lie to him constantly to keep him happy]

(x) Nico: What else should I say? Ace: W— "What else should I say"?? Ace: You tried to murder me. You fucking tried to murder me! And after all's said and done, you can't even say something as simple as "sorry"?!

I love this jockey the best when he is gaslighting himself. We obviously know that Ace does, in fact, need people to lie to him to keep him happy. And I don't just mean that in the context of Levi and Nico. Ace has a very antagonized view of everyone in the cast

(x) Ace: -but now they apparently also have a fucking defense brigade to shield them from even having to think about the fact that they're a murderer.

the only person defending them was Hu

And that view of his classmates, to me anyway, is very intentionally cultivated by Ace himself. He is very aware that how he's behaving is wrong, and he is clearly not happy about it

(x) Ace: You think I act like this for fun, and then I go to bed and sleep soundly at night, you dumb piece of shit?

Ace doesn't like the fact that he is being rude to otherwise innocent people, but at the same time, he knows that any of these innocent people could stab him in the back without a second thought, like Levi. So Ace demonizes the cast in his head so that he can emotionally distance himself from them, and as such, will feel less bad about treating them like shit. As a certain indie game that had its nine year anniversary once said: The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.

Ace does need people to lie to him to keep him happy. Which brings me to his role in this whole scene with Nico which just- I love. So much.

It is so, so funny to me that Ace is putting this pressure on Nico to give an apology. And why is that? Ace treats both Nico and Levi in pretty much the same way, incredibly volatile even more so than the rest of the cast. And that makes a lot of sense given his relationship with both characters and how both of them have threatened his safety. But there is one key difference between his interactions with both of these people

(x) Levi: Ace, I already said— Ace: "Sorry" won't cut it. You know that's just a word you say, right? You think that saying two syllables is going to make me forget how you acted yesterday at that trial?

(x) Ace: You tried to murder me. You fucking tried to murder me! And after all's said and done, you can't even say something as simple as "sorry"?!

With Levi, he repeatedly denies and mocks his apologies. With Nico, it's almost like Ace wants them to apologize to him. But why is that? Ace certainly cares less about what Nico thinks compared to Levi, so why does he necessarily care whether or not Nico apologizes to him? You could say it's because the severity of what both of these people did to Ace, but to me personally? I think Ace just wants this all to end. Nico's murder attempt on him, the scar it left him, it was the perfect kick in the ribs to everything Ace had become since the events of Chapter 1. It confirmed to him that not only was his fear that everyone is out to get him, that he's going to be next after Xander and Min, completely justified to have. But also that his efforts to appear tough and threatening to prevent that fear from becoming reality were not only null, but thrown right back in his face.

(x) Ace: You know… Heh. I've always wondered which is worse, dying young or living a long shitty life of suffering. But it turns out neither of those options are as bad as this.

He is currently at his lowest possible point. At this point, the least that he wants is for Nico to provide him with some form of closure, so that he can put that moment where his guts were spilled on the floor to rest. But Nico isn't providing him that closure, they refuse to. And with Ace now being suspected for Arei's murder, regardless of if he survives this chapter or dies with it, I think he is finally going to break down. That hidden quote of his is fast approaching. I already know.

Rose

Rose is a character that, though I love dearly and believe she is one of the most strongly written of Despair Time's cast which is saying a lot, always somehow manages to fade into the background for me. But this episode bringing her to the forefront and giving us some extra character development from her is something I loved a lot.

For one, her clear and open betrayal towards Nico's actions was very upsetting to me, especially when you take into account that Nico asking Rose to teach them how to paint was probably the first time Rose has ever been asked to paint something for someone without a contract involved. I can imagine the idea of it must've been a breath of fresh air for her, and for it to only result in another red string in Nico's murder plan had to have been crushing.

But what's possibly even more crushing is her monologue after David gets frustrated with her, because...

(x) Rose: I know I'm supposed to remember everything. I know I'm supposed to be smart. I know I'm supposed to be helpful. Rose: Yet I'm not. Rose: I… I'm sorry for being useless. Maybe if I tried harder, if I just got over myself—

Wow this woman really does see herself as a commodity that only exists to be used by other people, doesn't she?

Something I've always appreciated about Rose's character is how it commentates on the subject of big corporations seeing art as content instead of something that was the product of someone pouring their heart and soul into a canvas. And how that mindset kills the desire for artists to create. And it is so fascinating seeing how that mindset reflects how Rose sees herself as a person.

She's one of the few characters in the cast that I can never really get a read on when it comes to where her character arc could be going, but I am very excited to see where DT-Dev takes her, even more-so with this development.

Teruko

I am like, 9999% sure this sprite is the first time she has smiled throughout this entire chapter. I am so happy for her.

Teruko, as always, stays being Best Girl™, and I absolutely adore the development given to her as well. Her realizing that her attempts to over-correct by isolating herself and not receiving help from anyone not only resulted in her getting hurt, but those around her getting hurt as well. And the fact that that's what leads her to coming to this conclusion really goes to show that, despite everything, she cares about these dumbfucks so much. And this is only taken further by her decision to trust Eden despite (HOW I INTERPRET IT) already knowing that Eden is a more likely culprit than Ace. She is choosing to trust her, regardless of if she'll regret it. And I honestly think that, regardless if Eden is the culprit or not, regardless if Teruko backslides, I think the fact that she got the courage to trust Eden at all is going to stick with her. I don't really have much else to say, really. Uhh... Teruko and Rose were kinda fruity this episode, I dunno.

David

[Sighs] This man provides us with a new headache every single episode and I love/hate him so much for it. So like...basically everyone else who watched this episode, I was confused as fuck watching whatever the hell David was pulling for the last 18 minutes of the episode. But now that I have time to think about it, I think I have a pretty stable idea. So, let's get into it.

Firstly

(x) David: Because I'm actually the first person to see the body.

Now, most people are immediately brushing this off as David lying to fuck things up again. But I think that a lot of people are forgetting two things 1. David is not a compulsive liar. He doesn't just tell lies for no/little reason behind them. The lies that he tells all have reasoning and inner logic to support them. 2. There really isn't any evidence suggesting that he couldn't had seen Arei's corpse before everyone else.

So though this point is mostly speculation, I think that David is telling the truth (sorry if this seems like an asspull, there is literally five more hours until the next episode comes out I need to speed things up)

But that's not really what I want to talk about in this section anyway, it's everything that comes after this that I want to talk about.

(x) David: All I want is for Teruko to distrust others.

...So. I think David is lying off his ass when he says that this is why he is doing this. And my reasoning for why I think that is pretty simple... Why would he care?

Like, yeah given the fact that David more than likely has Teruko's secret, he has every right to suspect that she might be affiliated with the death game, and also probably wants her dead. But...what does that have to do with Teruko's distrust in others? Not much. I think this sentence is David lying about why he is doing this to keep his true intentions underwraps. But what are those true intentions?

I can answer that pretty easily as well. David's whole argument in this part of the episode is the idea that Eden is not exempt from being the culprit. He suspects that she is the one behind Arei's murder, and I don't think that's helped by the seed planted in his head by Arei that even Eden must be responsible for the harm of someone. And well...I think we know how exactly David feels about the culprit behind Arei's murder

(x) David: Ahaha. It's just so foolish. David: For someone to take advantage of Arei like that… David: It's absolutely unforgivable. All she wanted was to change. David: What a reprehensible person this killer is. I look forward to seeing their painful execution.

And that leads me to what I think David is truly trying to do here: I think he is trying to get Eden voted for.

That is why he wants Teruko to believe him, and is using her trust issues against her to do so. He's seen the first trial, he saw how Teruko was able to convict Min as the culprit and convince the others to vote for her too. He wants her to do the same thing again, but for Eden. Really, it's a win-win for him. If Eden is the culprit like he suspects, then he gets to witness the unforgivable culprit get their just deserts. If Eden isn't the culprit, then everyone ends up getting executed. Which is, y'know, that other thing he really wants.

That's my personal theory on what David was trying to do here. It's not perfect, but it'll do for now. I love you, Mr. David Chiem. Please keep being confusing.

Eden

...So yeah, if you've been paying any attention to this post, I do still think Eden is the culprit. I also think during the scene with her and Teruko she is very desperate and wants to live and as a result, may have sipped a small tiny bit of the manipulation juice. But I will get to that in a bit First of all though, I absolutely loved the scene with Teruko and Eden. There is something about all of their scenes that just resonates with me in a way I can't describe, and this one is no different. The way it is shot, with the half-and-half and then the closeup on both of their expressions, and the fucking HUG CG? Luucarii and Zel both did an amazing job bringing the scene to life with their voices, and the choice to use the same OST as the kitchen scene in CH2-3 was fucking evil, especially because of what I'm about to say. All around, a fantastically orchestrated and emotional scene, I would expect no less from DT-Dev and their team.

But now it's time to talk Eden!Culprit. This is not something I should have to clarify if you aren't stupid, but I think before I really go into it I should say that I do not think Eden is an inherently malicious character, and I think she feels horrible for what she has possibly done. I also think she wants to live, like every bundle of pixels masquerading as a human. She can feel guilt for her actions and also indulge in a bit of gaslight gatekeep girlbossing. Min already proved that those two things can be simultaneous. With that out of the way... I do think that Eden is slightly manipulating Teruko here. And there is a very big reason why I think that is because of something @thebadjoe pointed out in their theory post

(x) Eden: Teruko, relationships aren't transactional. It's not that I did something good for you that you should do something good for me.

[11 episodes later]

(x) Eden: Please, Teruko… You’re my friend, aren’t you? Eden: Friends help each other…. So please, help me…

...Eden? Darling? I thought you said that relationships weren't transactional. You can't simply change your principles because they're getting closer to the truth. Putting the fact that Teruko never even considered her a friend to begin with on the shelf for right now, these two lines from Eden directly go against each other. Saying that relationships aren't transactional, and then saying that Teruko should help her because she's her friend. I think Eden knows that she is basically backed into a corner. There is no evidence suggesting that she couldn't had done it, and David is turning the tide in a way that is leading others to begin suspecting her. And just as Arei said...

(x) Arei: -you're pathetic and weak, and you always need to rely on others to get by.

Eden's is too overcome with emotion to defend herself properly, so she comes to Teruko to defend her for her. And when Teruko initially refuses, she becomes desperate. Using their relationship so that Teruko will believe her and trust her.

I don't think Eden wants to do this, but I don't think she knows what else to do, and is terrified and just wants this trial to be over. Even if it means treating her and Teruko's relationship like it's transactional. And Teruko, ultimately, gives into this idea.

(x) Teruko: Don’t… get me wrong. This isn’t out of kindness or pity or anything else. This is only because you helped me in the last trial.

(teruko is most likely simplifying her thought-process, I think she does genuinely care for eden and wants to trust her. But the idea of relationships as transactions isn't one inherently new to her, so I do think this is partially the truth.)

And I think the fact that Teruko does agree to help Eden is why Eden goes in for the hug. This is where we take that point of "Teruko never agreed to be friends with Eden" off the shelf

Eden knows that Teruko is choosing to not be her friend, despite considering Teruko as a friend. But I think in this moment, Eden thinks that Teruko finally considers her as a friend, someone she is willing to extend her hand to. And even if this day is her final one, I think Eden will appreciate forever.

Extra Thoughts !! - TERUKO SAID IT!! SHE SAID THE WORD!! THE T WORD!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT FROM HER!! another one to cross off the bingo card babyyyy - that aside, as always the voice work for this episode was fucking phenomenal. I already mentioned Luucarii and Zel's performances, but Swords and Arakachi did amazingly too. Such an amazing frosting on top of the already great storytelling.

(x) Eden: Arei is… She could have been my friend! Why would I kill her??

- maybe I'm reading too deep into it, but I honestly think this is the closest we've gotten to direct confirmation that Eden thought Arei was full of shit when she said she wanted to change. Like...she literally corrects herself. Why the fuck did she correct herself. - this isn't something I usually compliment, but the music-choice in this episode was amazing as well. Every song chosen suited the situation and the rising tension, and all of them were fucking bops. - I also adored the new sprites, as I always do. Especially Nico's

Predictions for CH2-15 - I'll be honest and say I have none. At least other than the obvious, that being that there's 100% gonna be an Ace VS Eden scrum debate.

Conclusion

This episode was a fantastic way to lead into what will probably be the last episode of the trial. I cannot wait to see what's cooking come CH2-15, which is in... [looks at my conveniently placed watch] THREE HOURS?! WHAT THE FU-

UPDATED SWEAR STATISTICS CH2-14

UPDATED BINGO CARD

[lavendermin]

also tipsiness but in a more sfw context

note: reader is a shitty texter with atrocious grammar and shorthand because the weaklings who use autocorrect will not survive when the abundance invades

you get invited by your friends out to a bar of some sort after-work party, and despite your usual reservations you somehow end up overindulging (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) perhaps it was the sweetness of the cocktails you'd ordered that masked the liquor's burn, or getting caught up in the tale your coworker was divulging of her cheating ex that was begging for her to take them back (and maybe in your tipsy mind you think, jing yuan would never do that, but it's merely a passing thought that you don't linger on, gliding past your focus as she drops another deranged attempt at winning her affections again) but whatever the reason—your head's spinning not even halfway through the night.

It'd be a lot less cause for concern of circumstances hadn't aligned how they had, your place of residence far further away than the usual haunt, and your friends are realising how intoxicated you actually are when you start rambling, dropping anecdotes about your definitely-not-a-crush, and definitely merely admiration fueled fixation on the Luofu's General. By the fourteenth metaphor of 'eyes like sunbeams shining through slow-flowing honey, except vibrant in a way that nothing else could ever stand up to', they are more than just a tiny bit worried about how they're going to get you home.

For reasons unknown, you've somehow acquired Jing Yuan's number, and for reasons slightly more known, your friend group ends up huddled around the table, your phone opened up to the chat and placed on the sticky surface.

The muttered comment of "dear Lan, I think I'm going to be sick—and it's not because of the alcohol," at your contact name—⭑⊹｡𖦹°‧ general ⋆₊˚⊹♡  is a perfectly acceptable name and you will live and die by this truth— has you offended enough that you demand they dictate your speech, instead of simply letting them convey a general sentiment from the group.

You would have texted him yourself, if your hands weren't suddenly the least cooperative they've been in your entire life. Typing is surprisingly difficult when the extremities on the ends of your arms just flop uselessly against the keyboard—despite what it seems, and no matter the effort you put into it, gems like "meklokwhb ebjsiiwnn hjeins ??×?" don't convey the intended message very well...but you didn’t get as high in the ranks as you did without being adaptable, and the honor of being your scribe has been bestowed upon your closest friend.

> so, how has your night been?

His reply is quick, surprisingly fast for someone who you'd assumed to be rather busy—but it's the question he texts back that has your friend throwing his head back in raucous laughter, wheezing interrupting his exclamation of, "No way, your textspeak is bad enough that he can recognise it with one glance!?"

> Who is this?

If anyone asks whether your chest constricted oddly at that, you'd deny it. Even now you're explaining it away as a bad reaction to having three cocktails in the span of a hour, rationalising your suddenly fluttering pulse into a neat little box, to be locked away forever as you dictate the next message.

> my friend's borrowing my phone because my hands aren't working right at the moment, I think I had too much to drink

> but answer the question, it's important

> Your hands aren't working because you've drank too much? That seems to be a rather pressing issue that I wouldn't mind solving, if you don't mind me turning up to take you home.

> But very well, in response to your oh-so urgent query—my day has been severely lacking without you to keep me company.

(this entire interaction was inspired by a momwnt in a fix i read where the mc asked his friend to text someone for him, and said someone instantly recognsied that it wasn't the same person typing bc of the use of apostrophes ₍^ >ヮ<^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ !!! this has been 🔥 anon too THE GRIND NEVER STOPS ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️)​

jing yuan knowing right off the bat your kind of horrible texting is such a cute trope ^^💗 10/10 no notes 💗

🔥anon (now wifeguy anon per your most recent ask ^^) this was such a treat to read thank you 🥹 im always a sucker for some fluffy jing yuan tropes

Also “weaklings who use autocorrect will not survive when the abundance invades” has me CACKLING