#for context: both are used when one eye doesn't need correction

[hillbilly---man]

If you ever feel incompetent at what you do, just think about this optician I talked to today who tried to argue with me that a balance lens and a plano lens are the same thing

Imagine going to school for years to learn about glasses and then being confused over why someone might prefer a lens with a prescription over one without a prescription

[elysianstarfall]

miscellaneous phantom busters hcs

(pre-dating or dating, i have no clue so read however you want)

summary: the title, basically—this is also a chapter on wattpad so check it out (same name as tumblr)

characters: shishikuno mogari, korekishi eugene, kanzaki kaoru, tamon kotaro

s. mogari

✧ randomly sends you the stupidest memes/insta reels/youtube shorts/tiktoks he can find

- he is DEEP into the brainrot (korekishi has no idea what he's talking about)

- considers it part of the "youth experience"

✧ begs you to try weird food combos with him

- "pickles... and nutella."

- "what the fuck?"

- "it's good, trust."

✧ lowkey has a sleeper build

- once you were bored in class and wanted to see his biceps (real)

- "mogari, can you flex—WHOAAA?!"

- he loves when you compliment him because it feeds his ego like crazy

✧ does the thing where he taps you on the shoulder and then looks away and pretends it wasn't him

- fails every time because he cannot keep a straight face

- "there is literally no one else around. who, besides you, could have possibly done that?"

- "...a ghost?"

✧ has, multiple times, handed you his phone and told you to record him doing something "really cool" only to eat shit or wipe out

- "first try!"

- "more like eighth. also, you scraped your knee. come here."

- at least you take care of him when he gets hurt (maybe that's his plan?!)

- when he actually succeeds he expects you to glaze him

- "THAT WAS SICK AS FUCK! RIGHT?!"

- "it was pretty cool, i guess."

- "YESSS!"

k. eugene

✧ stays up on call with you if you need help with schoolwork

- explains topics really well (chatgpt who?)

- is super patient and wants to make sure you understand everything

- somehow never oversleeps even if you both stay up really late

✧ randomly fixes your uniform for you

- adjusts your collar and stuff

- "what are you doing?"

- "making sure you don't get in trouble."

✧ has insanely pretty handwriting

- it actually looks printed

- "can i see your notes, korekishi?"

- "of course. but, i thought you took your own notes?"

- "yours look nicer..."

✧ lets you do whatever you want with his hair

- it's so silky and smooth

- sometimes you braid it during class and he just leaves it like that for the rest of the day

- he carries hair ties around and lets you use them

✧ knows there are dating rumors about you two but purposely doesn't correct people

- defends you with his life if anyone talks shit about you though

- "korekishi, why do people from class c think you're my boyfriend?"

- "blimey, i wonder why."

k. kaoru

✧ sends you out of context manga panels, and when you ask what's going on he just tells you to read the manga to find out

- "wait, that's so funny... what the hell is happening, though?"

- "here's the link. it's chapter 239."

- "fuck off."

- you still read all 239 chapters and beyond

- he's gotten you into like 15 new series this way

✧ sometimes you just watch anime while video calling

- he has to rewatch episodes by himself afterwards because he just zones out staring at you instead of watching with you

- infodumps randomly but makes sure you don't get spoiled

- straight up lies to you if you come across spoilers so you don't believe them

- "he DIES?!"

- "no, what are you talking about? someone totally made that up."

✧ has really long eyelashes and lets you stare into his eyes for however long you want

- you love having "staring contests" with him (totally not an excuse to look into his eyes)

- he definitely knows but just lets you do it so he can stare at you more

✧ talks about you to his sister way too much

- she's sick of hearing about you but still wants you to come over

- you make him happy, so why wouldn't she like you?

✧ lets you trace over his scars and draw on him

- still avoids getting touched by the other guys though

- comes to your classroom during break or lunch just to sit with you so you can use pens to draw stuff on his hands

- he likes how focused you look while drawing

t. kotaro

✧ texts you sometimes but mostly prefers voice calling since he likes how you sound

- occasionally tries to do video calls but starts tweaking after a while from the eye contact

- "y/n, please, please, please turn off your camera."

- "damn, am i that ugly?"

- "what—no!"

✧ speaking of calling, calls you late at night when he can't sleep

- you're literally his asmr

- you don't mind because his sleepy voice is so, so nice

- likes it when you ramble so he can just close his eyes and listen

✧ has a spotify blend with you

- listens to every single music rec you give him but is way too scared to recommend you anything

- made you a playlist, sent it to you, didn't check his phone for the next 12 hours in case you didn't like it

✧ most used apps are the weather and calculator apps

- uses them to look busy and get out of talking to people

- "we're literally outside, you do not need to check the weather right now."

- "...yes, i do."

- "and why are you putting random numbers into the calculator?!"

- "i just... really like math."

✧ has no idea how to start a conversation so he just sends you cat pictures

- wants you to say something so he can talk to you

- every time, it's a different cat... you have no idea where he gets all those pics from

- "tamon, you know you can just say 'hi' or 'hello'?"

- "my bad."

[evilfrogcereal29]

ANOTHER NIKTO X READER I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THESE SPECIFIC SCENARIOS JUST COME TO MIND DJDHSKS

this is made with a fem!reader in mind, I try to write everything kind of GN, so sorry, but gender is kind of important for this specific piece cause reader's mistaken for a man and doesn't correct anyone to hide their identity

Tw: drinking, swearing, google translated russian, probably a bit ooc Nikto, I make him a lil softer than he probably is.

Nikto x Disguised(?)!fem!reader

- "You're pretty small for a guy"

- you were more than used to that sentence by now, and you never once saught to correct or challenge anyone on it. Who cared? There where more important things than whats in your pants, and it was better that everyone thought you you a man anways.

- You were very private about your identity, you had friends and family back home you didn't want getting wrapped up in this shit. You've seen how petty people can be for just a little bit of revenge.

- you wore a full suit of gear that masked your feminine form, including a helmet with a built in voice changer. (You sounded similar to that of a metro-cop from half-life 2, but with way more clarity)

- You didn't even push the man narrative, everyone just naturally started using he & him for you, unaware of your past or who you really were.

- You were, for the most part, one of the guys. Your file even stated you as male. A serious oversight by the higher-ups.

- So then why was Nikto currently pointing a gun amd looking at a woman in *your* armor?

- *Funny timeskip that i added here because I thought it'd be a bit confusing jumping between these two bullet points*

- You often frequented the showers late at night, it was the only time you could wash yourself uninterrupted by others prying eyes.

- You never realized how often you and Nikto barely evaded seeing eachother. You’d finish, disappear from the showers back to your room, and Nikto would come in, with the same idea of a late shower as you within a few minutes to as soon as 30 seconds after you departed.

- Tonight though, maybe by fate, you both got the idea at the same time, unfortunately for Nikto, you walked just a little faster.

- Nikto almost immediately turned around when he heard the water running, there was no point. Yet there was also frustration, and an overwhelming urge to confront whoever it was. Who the hell was showering at this hour?! He’s never had this problem before, who was deciding to give him problems tonight?

- He cracked the door open, head peeping inside, his eyes widen big at you- whoever you were- in his fellow solider's suit.

- Now it should've occured to someone as intelligent as Nikto that this *was* his fellow solider, but he had known you for a while, and had never suspected anything before, he would've known if you weren't anyone you said you are...right? Had you truely bested Nikto?

- He pulled out his gun right as you seemed to notice him, letting out a yelp. You were a confident 'man' on the battlefield, but now, you were red in the face, caught in a web of lies you didn't even mean to string.

- *Timeskip from earlier ends here :3 there will be more timeskips tho because my ADHD ass LOVES giving context*

- "ублюдок, ты кто? Where is our teammate? What did you do to him?" He growled, cocking his gun and aiming it right at the girl's head.

- Your eyes are wide, as big as half-dollars, and threw your hands up into the air.

- "Nikto its me! Its me!" You plead. Only receiving a sneer and angry grunt

- "You think I'm a stupid man, маленькая девочка?!" He yelled, stepping closer, finger twitching on the trigger, his bloodlust rising.

- The running water is the only thing breaking the terrifying tension in the room, you're mind is racing, how do you get this killer off your back. You needed to prove who you were. Think! Think!

- "Please don't shoot- let me prove it, I can prove it's me Nikto. I-..." You feel your cheeks heating up, god this was fucking embarrassing, and Mr. Emotionless here is the last person you wanted to slip up with. Even if you did prove yourself, he might kill you just because he felt a little angry that you didn't tell him personally. You gulp at that thought.

- Nikto grins under his mask, amused, truely, his gun lowers a bit.

- "Go on." He muses, "tell me something only HE would know." He smirks, thinking about how he's going to lay your body in the shower and watch the blood seep down the drain.

- *Time skip backwards again here, cause I love me some backstory :3*

- Your mind races. You and Nikto weren't 'friends' per se, but you had a past, you had met him right around when he had come out of rehabilitation after his sickening torture. He was worse back then, he would snap on teammates. He snapped on you, pinning you to the wall once, eyes dilated and filled with a primal kind of rage, he pressed down on your neck.

- "Мы сломаем твои кости, как стекло, маленький муравей."

- You had picked up some Russian from being around him and other fluent operators, knowing a decent amount, and in that moment you knew just enough to fear for your life.

- Thankfully Minotaur was in the area, and while he enjoyed watching a good scuffle bewteen two soldiers, he knew very well that this one would end with you dead, breaking up you two with very careful wording and while staying a very far away distance from the still ravenous, blood-thirsty Nikto.

- Surprisingly, you didn't completely avoid him after that, not like you could, the allegiance seemed to love put you two on the same team. Something about the variety of both your skillsets.

- It was true, you had to admit. You and Nikto worked very professionally on the field, quick and easy kills, communicating everything with head & hand gestures instead of talking. It was preferable for the both of you. And always ended with success. So maybe thats why you always ended up near eachother. Still, you always tried to give the Psychotic man the benefit of the doubt. Knowing the story of his past, as told to you by Rodion, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy for the broken man.

- It eventually built up to you having a very personal moment with Nikto.

- You were on a long-term mission, you'd been deployed in Yakutsk, Russia. Yes, one of the coldest fucking places in the entire country. Reaching nearly unalivable conditions- In your opinion- but of course Nikto never complained, he liked the cold after all.

- You had shacked up in an abandoned home on the outskirts of the city for the night. You laid on the one of the dirty mattresses left there by the old tenants, whoever they were.

- You shivered and shook like a rabid animal. Unable to sleep from how cold you were. Even in your full body of armor, it wasn't doing enough. You had those crap emergency blankets but even they, and the addition of the thin poo-stained mattress beneath you, didn't help with the very persistent cold that seemed to seep in through every crack of the home possible.

- You can only assume Nikto is fast asleep, at least, until you hear a soft humming, one that turns into soft singing, its gruff, and deep, but as you continue to listen, you find it rather soothing.

- "Здравствуйте, девочки Здравствуйте, мальчики Смотрите на меня в окно...." He sang, tapping his foot to a beat in his head. It seemed there *were* moments where nikto wasn't being mentally tortured by his own mind. Instead, filled with a melody from childhood.

- You rolled over and saw Nikto sitting criss-cross on the other mattress, his mask was slightly lifted up, but it was too dark to make out anything but the outline of his chin, and there was something in his hand, a bottle of Vodka.

- Now that you found weird, Nikto usually wasn't one to live up to the stereotype, in fact, he barely drank at all. Sure, he did drink lots in his youth, and still did a few lines of coke or toked off the occasional blunt when the offer somehow came up, but he was sworn off alcohol for the most part, especially vodka or anything strong, it gave him extremely awful headaches, he was hangovers bitch.

- You finally sat up after a few minutes, alerting him to your presence, his singing ceased and he pulled his mask back down over his mouth quickly, shooting you a dangerous glare.

- you frowned through your helmet that you kept on, blinking tired, dissapointed eyes at him.

- "Don't stop, I didn't know you could sing like that Nikto... Or that you drank-"

- "Господи, заткнись, сука. ты ничего обо мне не знаешь" he said defensively, you couldn't recognize every word but you recognized every swear, flinching at his vile language, but recognizing the slight slur in his words. A sign of inebriation.

- "Nikto...? You're drunk?" You try to ask, but he follows it up with a quick and defiant 'no' and more swearing. You let him, knowing better than you argue with the bullish man. Let him stop seeing red, than you could keep talking.

- "So.. what about tonight made you finally want to drink, I thought you liked the cold?" You ask, tilting your head.

- "I'm not drinking cause I'm sad." He corrected you coldly, setting the bottle down beside him, "The opposite actually."

- Nikto was...happy drinking? You didn't think normal people did that, but than again Nikto wasn't normal so- you supposed it made sense.

- "Whats the occasion?" You ask after a moment of consideration, and now that you thought about it, it was a bit rude, let the man be happy. occasion or not.

- "Everything is... Quiet tonight. I think we're just happy to be somewhere that feels like home." he says, tapping the side of his head.

- You're happy for him. He deserves moments like these. You find yourself scooting closer, settling down beside him when he doesn't shoo you away.

- "Tell me about your home, Nikto." You ask politely, taking him by surpise, catching him in a moment of vulnerability in his nostalgia and drunk-ness. The usual softness in your real voice, even with the voice changer, was present.

- He goes on to describe his early life to you, albiet, in bit and pieces, it's obvious he's holding back, relinquishing some details while stating others blantly. He also just doesn't remember much. Everything from birth to 5 years old is a blur for him. He just remembers his older brother and mom, and a vague outline of a father figure, but he left before Nikto's 6th birthday, Nikto can't remember his face or the sound of his voice anymore.

- He pointed out the song he was singing earlier, he listened to it often when he was a younger man. It reminded him of his mother and brother, of sitting at the dinnertable eating warm meals as a family whenever they scrounged up enough money to have the luxury of doing so. The laughter and love they shared, even if things around them were lackluster.

- He details early life in the military, his becoming of a spy and his... Eventual Downfall and capture.

- "One job, I got messy... I wasn't looking where I was going I..." He trailed off. He stopped telling his story and you reached a hand out, resting a hand on his shoulder.

- "Its okay. I get it. You don't need to tell me anymore if it hurts." You reassure, seeing the way he tenses under your pitiful touches.

- "I deserved it." He tried to continue, but you interupted him

- "None of that now. Just shut up and think about the now." You scold, noticing the wide eyes stare Nikto gives you.

- No one has ever told him to shut up before. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks underneath his mask, thank god he was wearing one.

- "Sorry." He muttered, and now you both sat there a bit stunned and quiet. The moment you were experiencing together left the both of your heart's racing, wondering a million things about the other.

- You because you had never seen such a soft, apologetic side of Nikto before, a man with no regrets, no empathy. He seemed so... Human?

- And Nikto because he couldn't believed he was being so soft and apologetic with someone. He always had his walls up. His mental fortress guarded with maximum security at all times. But you caught him when the Vodka- 3/4th a bottle of it that he found stashed in a drawer somewhere in the shack- had him weak, and you didn't take advantage of him. Didn't judge or even really cast much pity towards him. He didn't like being pitied. Fucking hated it actually. But here you were, rubbing his shoulder, which wasn't exactly an *unwelcomed* gesture, and sitting in silence with him. The voices were at bay tonight. Right now. It was just him, or whatever was left of Andre.

- "I used to walk 4 miles to school every morning in the freezing cold, and almost got hit by a pickup truck and stolen by a pack of wolves doing it." He suddenly blurted out, the previously warm vibes of the room returning as Nikto casted the past out of his mind. You were right. He was being too emotional, he should focus on the now.

- And right now, the booze brought him back to fonder memories, ones of childhood mischief and near death experiences.

- You looked at him with wide eyes and couldn't help the burst of laughter that followed, something that Nikto didn't find insulting, in fact, he was smiling too, underneath that mask.

- "You think that's funny, just wait til I tell you where I got my first tattoo..." He chuckled with his thick, russian accent.

- You and Nikto shared stories all night. And never once did Nikto question it, like when you told him you took ballet, or when you ripped your prom dress, or even when you told him about your first boyfriend. He shrugged it off. He wasnt exactly as straight as a board either. And the military exposed him to people from all walks of life.

- Of course, Nikto still thought you were a *man* at this point. A very effeminate acting man, but a man none the less.

- *Time skip ends here SORRY IF U HATED THAT SJSHSK*

- But now Nikto's world was flipped on it's head, as you combed through your mind, you find yourself going back to that silly song he sang. Trying to recall the words.

- "Здравствуйте.... дев-вочки.." you started, cringing at your poor pronouncations of the words and shrilly little singing voice.

- Nikto's eyes widen in recognition, all former sneers and snickers long gone. He wasn't joking anymore, and it seemed you weren't either.

- "Здравствуйте, мальчики..." You continued, your cheeks growing impossibly red, "С-Cмотрите на меня в окно.."

- "That's enough. Stop. Stop it." Nikto demanded, aiming his gun right at you again, "how do you know that? That night?"

- "Cause it's me Nikto! I'm a girl!" You exclaimed, getting annoyed yourself. You practically just performed for the bastard, and now he was still trying to shoot you, just like you figured.

- There was a moment of silence. And Nikto stood there, as if needing to process everything that just happened.

- "Put on the helmet." He demands. And you don't defy him, placing your helmet on, the change in your voice is like night and day,

- "I didn't think it mattered this much, I'm sorry." You said genuinely. Your voice deepened to it usual state, confirming your indentity.

- There a few more moments of silence before Nikto coughs, grabbing your attention. He straightens himself. Lowering his gun and putting the safety back on. There's a sense of embarrassment in his movements, he's tense, and avoiding your eye contact.

- "It...it doesn't matter. We'll just shower tomorrow morning." He says and hurries off. Another vulnerable moment with you, what was wrong with him?! He hated himself right now. For having never realized, and for having threatened you.

- Nikto did hold you in high regards, not that he would ever tell you or another soul. He respected your dedication to the work, and after that night in the cabin, a mutual but unspoken trust was formed bewteen the two of you. You never had a moment like it afterwards. Well. Until now.

- You don't dare go after Nikto in that moment, but you want to. It's late, and if you woke everyone else up and made them aware of the situation, only god knows what would happen. So you shower and head off to bed, replaying senarios in your mind, planning what you'd say to Nikto first thing in the morning.

- Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you see it, he beat you to it.

- You were still sleeping when a heavy-handed Knock came to your door, sending you scurrying out of bed for your gear. You reach for your helmet until you hear the voice on the other side.

- "Hey... Its Nikto...let us in, please." He says, his voice gruff and demanding as usual but theres something else there....Pleading? Hoping?

- You freeze, fiddling with your helmet before deciding its not worth it. You quickly move to open the door, making sure noone else is around before ushering Nikto in.

- He takes a moment to look you up and down. You're not wearing any gear now. Just some plaid pajama pants and a white tanktop.

- He sighs, shaking any stray thoughts from his head. "We should talk. About last night." He finally states, and you agree with a simple nod, motioning for him to sit next to you on your bed.

- It feels like last time, except the cards have been flipped, this time, it was your secrets that were being spilled, and Nikto had the questions.

- "Why?" He asked flatly, "why hide your gender?"

- "Why hide your face?" You fire back, rolling your eyes at him like it was obvious, "for privacy, same reason as you, as Krueger. We don't want anyone knowing what we look like, our identities" you said, using another member of the allegiance, Sebastian Krueger, as an example.

- Nikto's eyes dart down in thought, and he nods, "I see."

- Theres more silence, it seems that was a recurring theme between you two, long bouts of silence. Never once did either of you try to force conversation. It came naturally.

- Nikto really appreciated that about you in this moment. It allowed him to get his thoughts straight, arguing with the voices for a bit before he opens his mouth again.

- "No one has to know." He says, like its that simple, and stands up. He starts for the door and you move to follow, a hand on his bicep.

- "Nikto wait- that's it?" You ask, confused, but what did you really expect? Nikto wasn't the type to gossip. If information needed to be gathered and brought back his superiors, he would. But that wasn't what he was asked to do.

- "да, that's it." He said standing the in the doorway with finality.

- He shut the door behind him with a click and you stood there dumbfounded. Did any of that really just happen, or was all of this one big dream you were about to wake from?

- You pinched yourself with a winced and cursed under your breathe. This was reality. Could you really trust Nikto with this secret? Without blackmail? Without shame?

- Apparently, yes. As you would come to find out. In fact, you soon realize that this whole incident only made you and Nikto somehow closer.

- In battles, during tight situations, he was always there. Freeing you from the enemies grasp, carrying you with a bullet wound in your back. He was your personal guard.

- He wasn't being more protective just cause he knew you're a girl, he knew you were deadly. He's seen what you're capable off. No. You come to learn Nikto does this as a display of affection. Subtlety showing his appreciation for keeping his secrets, and in return, he keeps your's, and keeps you alive as well.

- After one particularly long mission, you're walking alongside each other, covered in dirt and grime, heading to the showers as the sun set and everyone heads for bed.

- You two showered together now, of course, broken up by thin curtains. It was a bit intimate, but it was an easier agreement than an already insomnia ridden-Nikto getting up at ungodly hours of the morning to shower.

- As you're walking together you nudge him gently, "good work today. You still fight well for a guy your age." You tease. Nikto knew full well you were hiding a shit eating grin under than helmet of yours, grimacing at you.

- "Yeah, good work to you too... For a girl." He says back venomously, earning him a playful punch.

- "Bastard! Don't be so loud about that!" You scold while whisper-yelling, but Nikto can still hear the smile in your voice. And knows its in jest.

- "It would be a shame if the others knew what a pretty little woman you really were."

- "It would be a shame if the others knew about the smiley face tattoed on your buttcheek."

- Both of your faces are red and concealing mischievous grins. This was you and Nikto's relationship now. Learnings eachothers secrets, and using them to pick on eachother. Playful banter.

- Everyone around base notices what you two are doing...just FUCK already you two... Damn. The tension is killing everyone.

- You and Nikto will probably end up together after a while more of this, its inevitable. You're just unjudgemental enough to deal with his freak, while also being one of the only solider's on base willing to put up with his terrifying, intimidating aura for long periods of time!

- Nikto always kind of liked you, as a man, and even now as a woman. And sharing your secrets only solidified that attraction in his mind. You were his милый, and he would keep you and your secrets safe for as long as he lived.

AHHHH HOLY FUCKING SHIT SORRY IF THE END FEELS RUSHED I TRIED TO CONCLUDE THIS LONG ASS STORY, I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH YAP I HAD IN ME😳

The song Nikto was humming is Кино - Алюминиевые огурцы, and was inspired by a comment on my post about Russian and Austrian musc left by @weepingmagazinesandwich and once I heard that song I knew I had to use it in a writing piece its just so sweet. The two playlists were made btw I just never publicly posted them (also cause Nikto's list is chronically short, and Krueger's playlist is already almost hours long) so- idk if y'all want those posted but lmk👍 I hope you enjoyed this- whatever you'd call it. Idk what to call the reader in this. Disguised!reader sounds so silly.

I have a sfw agere krueger drabble comin out soon, and I just started writing big chunks of the hubby!gromsko x reader hcs.

[sokkastyles]

I just saw an article on Twitter that stated that Netflix's live action ATLA adaptation is going to make Toph's character more feminine. People on Twitter had really strong reactions to this, so I decided to read the article first before assuming what this meant. The actress who has been casted as Toph (Miya Cech) did mention that one of the changes to Toph's character is that she is slightly older (because of the actress's age), and also that the character is going to be slightly more feminine. Miya stated that she wanted to work in a more humanizing environment, and that she did speak to the original voice actress for Toph. Both of them have very similar methods for how they approached their portrayal of Toph. I still don't want to jump the gun when it comes to any of this, especially because I do think that some of the more original bits of writing the live action Netflix ATLA writing team came up with kind of did work at times (Iroh being more of a grey shaded character, the 41st regiment idea, Lu Ten's funeral, Bumi's feelings of abandonment, the Gyatso scenes, etc.). I wanted to know, what are your thoughts about this?

Okay, so I'm of two minds about this.

I love Toph, and I will also defend gender nonconforming girls to the death.

However

The complete uproar I'm seeing over this is pretty ridiculous. As you pointed out, Miya said that Toph will be "slightly" more feminine. Older is obvious, because Miya is an adult. Which also informs Toph's character because a lot of Toph's behaviors stem from her being a kid. Which doesn't mean that all tomboys need to grow into feminine women, but in the original show, Toph is a kid. She's one of the boys, yeah, but she also enjoys getting to feel pretty, has crushes, and is desperate for female companionship, as her relationship with Katara shows.

Miya is also correct about the original show being a cartoon and I'm seeing people pull this phrasing waaaay out of context to imply Miya is saying that gender nonconformity is "unrealistic." That's not what's being said at all, and I hate to break it to y'all, but Toph is a cartoon, and her lack of femininity is often played for laughs in the original show. The girl literally rolls in dirt. Like, it's obvious why that won't translate to live action well, the same way Sokka's over the top sexism wouldn't, or Katara bulging her eyes when Sokka makes a sexist joke or smacking him upside the head. It's a GOOD thing that the show is deciding to take these things more seriously instead of having us point and laugh at how haha funny it is that Toph doesn't like to wear dresses.

Also, what does "slightly" more feminine even mean? I saw someone saying that doing this would "take away the point of Toph," as if all Toph is or ever will be is her eschewing of femininity. But there's another important aspect to Toph, and that's her disability. The problem with the role Toph is forced into by her parents isn't that it's feminine, it's that they denied her agency. They wanted her to be feminine in a way that's helpless and doesn't take up space. If Toph were sneaking out every night to go dancing with heavy makeup, do you think her parents would like that better? Of course not. I'm more interested in the question of what femininity means for Toph as a disabled girl, because disabled girls always have to live in that liminal space.

I also suspect that Miya, like a lot of young actresses cast in similar roles, is wary of being typecast. I mean, look at how Maisie Williams was treated for her role on Game of Thrones. Even after her character grew up and had sex with a boy she had loved since season two, many people did not accept it because tomboy characters are supposed to be genderless beings. A standard which, again, is also applied to disabled girls.

Also people are still repeating the point about the show "removing" Sokka's sexism when they very much did not do that. He's still weird about Suki being a warrior, and the show still has him learn to respect her, without the simplistic "girls can fight, too" moral. Also the way people talk about Suki in the live action is really gross and misogynistic and makes it clear how much she has to fight for respect in the original show in the first place, which is evidence that it wasn't as progressive as people like to pretend it is.

[yesimwriting]

Importance

a/n i don't even feel the need to justify my taste in evil men anymore lmao, here's a drabble as i try to figure homelander's 'voice' :))

Summary: Homelander begins to reflect on your sort of friendship when you come over to watch a scary movie.

Warnings/info: me writing for a character for the first time so pls be nice

----

Humanity's connection to fear has always been a subject of fleeting interest to him, a concept that's only occasionally managed to become more than a shift of hormones and heart rate.

Now, though, with your legs pulled beneath you on his couch, body angled towards him, yet eyes still glued to the screen, Homelander can't believe he's never given this kind of adrenaline a second thought.

"You okay?"

The question seems to bring you back, your head turning towards him. "Yeah." What the response lacks in certainty, it makes up for in determination. He can see it in your soft nod, in the way your fingers press into your knees.

The nerves you're doing your very best to hide are so different from your usual demeanor. An investigative journalist who's always running headfirst into danger, who never lets fear of retaliation get in the way of your writing, can't get through a scary movie. It's such a prevalent dichotomy, Homelander has to work at keeping himself neutral, at remaining focused on what's in front of--

"Stop," you mumble, the word far from harsh.

He lifts a shoulder in a partial shrug without removing his arm from the back of the couch. "Stop what?"

You tilt your chin downwards, your lips pulled into the start of a pout as you attempt a glare. The expression is so particularly you, it briefly seizes some remote, unnamed aspect of his being that lives deep inside of his chest. "Stop making fun of me--I told you, horror movies make me so jumpy, none of my other friends will watch them with me anymore."

Other friends. The reminder of the others that get to be recipients of your kind smiles and reassuring glances is usually enough to taint his mood, but there's a warmth to the phrase that redeems the sentiment entirely. He's more than a friend, he's the only one that's here for you.

Homelander straightens slightly, arm shifting forward until his fingertips are against your shoulder. For the briefest second, there's an increase in your general tension, a stillness that doesn't suit you. The implication of tension digs at him--he's been this close to you before, closer even.

Before the thought of rejection can fully latch onto him, you're easing, spine relaxing against the couch's cushioning. The new position is enough encouragement for him to continue, his palm coming to rest against the fabric of your shirt, the loose collar letting the side of his hand feel the warmth of your bare collarbone.

He remains steady, leaning into what he knows as he offers you one of his more subtle, yet openly heroic smiles. It's the kind of look he'd use to comfort an almost-victim, the gentle curve of his lips a silent promise. I'm here. You're okay now.

You watch him in that way of yours--eyebrows drawn together and eyes bright yet not exactly admiring in the way that he's accustomed to. His inability to understand that particular look is what drew him to you in the first place.

"I'm not making fun of you," he says, voice leaving no room for argument, "I'm just making sure you're okay. It's why you wanted to watch this with me, right?"

It's not so much an exaggeration as it is a stretching of context. You had mentioned wanting to watch the movie, but not loving the idea of watching it by yourself. You hadn't meant anything by mentioning it during your coffee shop catch up, you never do. Your words are usually free of both probing and placating subtext.

"I wanted to watch this with you because we're friends." There's a genuineness to the correction that jabs at him. He has no response, but you don't seem to mind the silence.

A high pitched scream and a flash of color has your attention drifting towards the screen. Your adrenaline spikes, a fact you attempt to dismiss by leaning into his touch. "It's nice of you to check in, though."

The acceptance leaves him feeling a little warmer than he did a moment ago. You have a way of doing that. "It's what I'm here for."

You look away from the screen, the corner of your mouth tugging itself upwards. "All in a day's work for America's favorite hero."

"This is top priority."

You let out a breath that feels like more of a laugh. "I feel important."

The movie steals your focus, a fact that a part of Homelander is grateful for. You're too distracted to think of what contemplating your value might do to him. He swallows, a pointed dismissal of the uncomfortable feelings probing at his chest.

You move slowly, legs straightening and feet finding the floor. Before Homelander can overthink the changes, you lean towards him, your head coming to rest against his shoulder.

[only-the-shippers-can-bully-nrmt]

(Original Japanese on the left with translations under the break, Fan Translation in the middle, and Official Translation on the right.)

Saw some things flying around that have (unintentionally or otherwise) been giving people the wrong idea, so here are the comparisons to show that, yes, Miles was referring to Phoenix near the end of the second Miles Edgeworth Investigations game. Miles does bring up Gregory too, but Gregory being "that man" during the famous "shines brilliantly" scene was actually a change in the official English release that does not line up with the original Japanese version (even MTLs will get across the Wright meaning).

Also, "shining brilliantly in one's eyes" can be both how a son might look up to his father but also how a ruffly prosecutor might strongly/romantically see his courtroom partner; the line is simply intense enough to not easily carry the label of an "average" relationship. We don't need to elaborate when we tell family members/friends/significant others "I love you" (even if it's at the same time) for similar reasons, and I don't see anyone arguing that this means that Miles must see Phoenix like a father because he grouped them together in some form.

TL;DR: The official translation mucked up some context and stuff happened because of it. Keep shipping and feel free to use this as a reference post because the shippers did not misinterpret anything. We can have a conversation about how the change affected the moment, but the original context is still important and Phoenix was part of it.

Besides the translations, there are other points under the break as well, including a bonus of one of the nice and harmless additions the official translation changed/added with the "saved me from myself" line:

Translations (provided by a friend of mine who knows Japanese; edited at times to sound more natural in English or help get across the intended meaning)

........以前、 ある男が言っていました。

……..In the past, a certain man once said:

被告人の唯一の味方になって あげられるのが弁護士だと。

the only one willing to be the defendant's ally is their lawyer.

依頼人を信じることで、《真実》に近づいていく････

By believing in the defendant, the truth draws closer....

その男の姿は、私の目にも まぶしく映りました。

The image of that man was so bright in my eyes, it was engraved into my mind.

There's a bit more added here for clarification's sake and people like me who have a habit of taking metaphors too literally; essentially, the first part that's in the game is saying that the sight of "that man" was so blinding that it stuck in Miles's mind/memory eternally, so the translation in the fan version is correct in a direct translation and what it means is closer to the official.

(fun fact that if you go for an MTL, a translator may translate what in English was "image"/"sight" as "appearance" or "figure" which is technically accurate but obviously not the intent when translated, just as "so bright"/"shining brilliantly" may become "dazzling"; doesn't mean I won't mention it for people to imagine/have fun with though :3c "That man's figure was so dazzling in my eyes." my god)

法廷で戦う父と、同じように････

In the same way my father fighting in court does….

(without the clarification it's more like "In the same way my father fought in court...." but as above, message is clearer this way)

しかし、それはあくまで その男や父の生き方です。

However, that's just the way that man and my father lived their lives.

This is the big one since it makes a clear and blatantly obvious separation between "that man" and Gregory himself.

Here's another translation in a reblog of the post I linked, which follows even closer to the fan translation and is more straightforward.

My asks are open for any further translation clarifications people may want to make (don't want to bog down reblogs when edits can simply be made) but this was a long-winded way of saying that the fan translation was super on point with accuracy and the only thing of note is the "burning into memory" that the official one has to help get the point across (though I think more was definitely lost the way it was done).

Other Points

1 - Staying on the official translation, its use of "that man" is rather... bizarre, even if one hasn't seen the original. Such a use is typically for:

someone the game wants the audience for figure out on their own (so the character knows it but the player needs to go talk to the person themself once they figure it out)

someone who the character speaking isn't really familiar with (like, "oh yeah, that guy, I kind of remember now")

someone the game tries to keep secret a little longer for the sake of mystery (example being the fan translation where Ray refers to Gregory without a name drop for the build up that Ray worked for him)

Miles using the phrase and then saying "my father" in the very next sentence made me do a double take because I was totally caught off guard by how it was done.

The shot of Miles sepia toned in the courtroom (the fourth shot) doesn't even make sense anymore if he's only talking about Gregory since obviously he's never seen Gregory from across the courtroom while Miles has been behind the prosecutor's bench (nor do they do a camera slide as if Miles is only imagining himself across the courtroom from him; it flashes to white instead). It only makes sense if he's taking about Phoenix.

2 - Looking at it from a fan's perspective, it makes 150% sense why "that man" would immediately be associated with Phoenix in the context of the moment. Not only did the last case of the first game have that exact thing too ("In a situation like this… what would that man do…? What would he who can turn any desperate situation around do…?"), thus making it a near-perfect continuation of that, but "a defendant's only ally being their attorney" was a huge part of the original trilogy.

In fact, the official translation actually actively makes it weirder to leave Phoenix out of that bit because of the change "a friend to the friendless" it did, which catapulted me back so violently to Turnabout Sisters - the first serious case in the entire series - that it could've put me in a coma.

This is even disregarding how important the whole "trusting clients" and "finding the truth" stuff was in cases, especially 2-4.

It's like, "ah yes, Mr. Fender, that was yours and my father's life, not mine and also no one else's; honestly, not a single other important person in my life who I could have mentioned comes to mind" lol)

3 - From my own personal perspective, I'm not stirring up a fuss over shipping, it's not about that (though shippers getting thrown under the bus absolutely sucks). I'm far more baffled that it takes the already-not-around Phoenix and chucks his mention away for later.

4 - Anyone lamenting the loss of "shining brilliantly" for something else without the context has every right to be confused and should not be criticized for it. Shipper or otherwise, most wouldn't imagine for a second that the end of Miles's arc/self-reflection would have a significant change that takes 50% of the original meaning out.

This taken into account with my comment about the visual aid of Miles behind the prosecutor's bench in sepia during that very line furthers this. Obviously people will (still) think it's about Phoenix.

5 - I only linked to one of the comments/posts I saw in case I was accused of making things up. I don't actually recommend approaching/confronting anyone because I don't think it's worth the time/effort, so this is more for anyone who felt gaslit/like they'd gotten it wrong or wanted the actual evidence. I did check the blog of the person who I linked and they made a long answer to a person who was complaining about the people complaining about said post, but hadn't made an edit to their original post telling people that there were misinterpretations being made.

That's not actually me being aggressive in any way (it's their business and their blog), but pointing out that it's not something important to people like that. I'll also grant that some might simply not know enough about the fan translation/original meaning to get it, so don't stress about it is all I'll say. :)

6 - Here's the "saved me from myself" line as promised, congrats on listening to me babble and making it all the way down here~

[rhiaarrow]

Hello, hello! The Ghostie with the penchant for long rambling walls of text here to give her unwarranted two cents on the current disagreement between the Tubblings and the Crows!

I'm offering my take as a purely unbiased outsider

(Yes, us Ghosties may be married to the Tubblings but when I first joined the Qsmp Fandom I was a Crow and a Crow only, before I died and became a Ghostie. Thus, while I like both qTubbo and qPhil I don't watch either of them often, ergo unbiased :D )

who has no real reason to attempt to villainise or place either character on a pedestal because to put it bluntly, they are not my cubito.

Without further ado I will begin my ramble.

Today's ramble of course comes with the disclaimer that with me not being a qTubbo or qPhil main there may be areas of their character that I'm not aware of since I don't watch every single one of their streams! Feel free to correct me on literally anything you think I've mischaracterized about your main just please be understanding that nothing is done with malicious intent! :)

I'm not attempting to paint either character as a villain in this ramble, I'm just publishing this in hopes to allow each community to understand that neither cubito is perfect and that's okay!

Okay! For anyone missing context; the current disagreement began when Tubblings expressed feeling happy that Chay was able to be a kid around qTubbo as opposed to being serious with qPhil then the Crows reminded the Tubblings that qTubbo is also attributing to Chay's hero complex through him acting as Chay's egg and asking Chay to protect him. Which has caused both sides to instinctively protect their cubito and is causing arguments within their communities.

As a Ghostie who is more than willing to write 1000 words to raise awareness, and is frankly sick of infighting within the QSMP fandom (it's why I left twitter, please don't bring it here 🫠) I figured I'd try to help 'squash the beef' if you will.

Polite discussions about cubito conflict is fine, going for each other's throats over character takes...yeah let's not do that! :D

Firstly, everyone has to recognize that Chayanne has an almost toxic hero complex. He's had it since the beginning of the server and while neither qPhil or qTubbo is doing it on purpose they are BOTH feeding into it!

He has an overwhelming urge to protect others with no regard for his own safety or wellbeing at times. In the beginning it only extended to eggs. As the older sibling he had a sense of responsibility over them, which was cute! But now it's borderline toxic although it's become so normalized as such a core part of Chayanne's character that no one recognizes it's no longer a healthy mindset.

Now Tubblings can make the defense that qTubbo isn't being entirely serious or that he doesn't truly expect Chay to put his life on the line for him but I watched him look Chayanne in the eyes and BLAME HIM FOR NOT PROTECTING 'HIS EGG'.

Even if that was immediately reincarnated qTubbo who was a little fucked up in the head, even if he no longer fully blames him, even if qTubbo was joking at the time, he looked that kid dead in the eyes and told him it was his fault. Tell me again how qTubbo isn't unintentionally feeding his complex?

Yes qTubbo allows Chay a more carefree space away from his overwhelming need to protect his younger sister and a space to be more relaxed.

Yes qTubbo is joking about a lot of things and a lot of the out of pocket shit he says isn't intended to be taken completely seriously.

BUT you cannot fully disagree with the Crows when they say that qTubbo feeds the complex too. BECAUSE HE DOES, JUST NOT ON PURPOSE THE SAME AS qPHIL!

qPhil is so used to his son being the strong warrior that he doesn't realize that that character trait is actively damaging his son's mental state. His attention is divided between Chay and Tallulah and since Tallulah is more open to talking about her issues he often isn't as attentive to Chay.

Is that a bad thing? Yes!

Is it intentional on qPhil's part? No!

Is it something the Crows need to recognize that qPhil does which unintentionally allows his son to continue to struggle with his hero complex? Yes!

qPhil loves his son unconditionally AND qPhil feeds Chayanne's hero complex are two statements that can and do coexist

qTubbo let's Chay be more of a child AND qTubbo feeds Chayanne's hero complex are two statements that can and do coexist

And as long as both the Crows and Tubblings are willing to understand that neither cubito is perfect and THERE'S NO USE FIGHTING OVER PIXELS then we're good!

- Sincerely a Ghostie who just wants to try to bring understanding between the two fandoms by utilizing her rambling skills!

AGAIN, any severe mischaracterization you feel I may have included is unintentional and feel free to correct anything you feel like I'm misconstruing, they're not my main cubitos so there may be somethings that qTubbo or qPhil mains find to be untrue to the source

HOWEVER if you're gonna call me out for mischaracterizing a character simply because I'm bringing up their flaws and you can't accept a character has flaws, kindly fuck right off :D

[vxsellie]

hello all 🤗 ive been overthinking & listening to hozier (literally me in a nutshell) and so i'm gonna be doing a deep dive on the song talk because it's eating away at me

the thing is, all of hozier's songs can be interpreted differently & thats what people love about them. they can be morphed and personalized depending on who's listening. so i can't say that my thoughts are 100% correct, bc they aren't. it's my personal opinion, so pls bear that in mind

anyway!

the song opens with him explaining the greek myth of orpheus and eurydice — where a man goes into the underworld to bring back his dead wife, trekking all the way down & making a deal w hades, only to lose her a second time by breaking said deal

lots of people focus purely on this verse when they talk abt the song, but i don't think that this is what's important.

like, yes, the way her perceives the controversial myth is interesting blah blah blah, but let's dive into WHY he's talking about it maybe? why he literally retold the story when he usually just briefly mentions myths, expecting us to already know every single greek myth in existence (love him for that even tho it drives me insane when i have to do extensive research just to listen to his music)

see, he myth is only mentioned once throughout the entire song, and it doesn't center on what most people do when the story is brought up. hozier doesn't debate on why orpheus turned around, how eurydice died, what pact he made with hades, etc etc. he simply tells the story for context & focuses on what's most important / why the myth exists in the first place — their love.

not only does he focus on the real, rawness that comes with being in love, but he makes this the entire point of the song. and how he does this, well, that's the real kicker 🥳🥳

he. makes. love. the. narrator.

like WHAT??? he makes LOVE the narrator???

he fucking tells the myth in the perspective of love itself, calling himself (aka the narrator) the voice that brought orpheus to madness when finding his wife's corpse & the grief that drove him into the underworld & the all-consuming devotee that made him break the pact w hades & the reason eurydice forgave him in an instant even though he lost her only chance at life again. LOVE is telling this story and i cannot be convinced otherwise

following this verse of orpheus & eurydice's tale, he says "imagine being loved by me"

he's literally telling you to picture being loved by love itself.

the song goes on to list more examples of where love exists — mankind's obsession with death and sex, needing the "sweet feeling of release" in both of these things despite them seeming to be complete opposites to the naked eye.

and! this further pushes the ideals that love can be brutal and raw (death) whilst simultaneously being sweet and intimate (sex).

also "i'd be the last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love" is basically saying that genuine love is rarely found anymore, nigh impossible in its manmade divinity. he says that the thing keeping that one last thread from breaking — which would cause love to be completely lost to the world — is love itself. HIM.

and then he goes on to repeat that line after each example he gives. "imagine being loved by me", saying that despite the pain and grief and awful truth that comes with loving someone, everyone craves it in spite of the inevitable & will forever search for something as genuine as the love that orpheus and eurydice had. even though it's a tragedy, it's what we all want, right?

in conclusion, idk if i want to strangle or kiss andrew for creating this song

[goldammerchen]

I wanted to write a fic today lietpruweek2025 day 4: Free Day | Polyamory Break, but couldn't (except I kinda did?). It was going to be a prequel for my unfinished Mythalia March fic (E!), happening after these notes for a previous prequel (oh boy), also Explicit.

Fic summary: In the woods, Tolys refuses to acknowledge the sudden visit of his once enemy Gilbert, that almost killed him more than once (and viceversa) almost succeding last time, if wasn't for Feliks intervention (partner of both). Or the Werewolf tries to ignore the Harpy, until the half-bird creature crashes into a tree...

(CWs: References to Past Child Abuse, Animal Death [if finished will get described, not just mentioned], (Bird) Children Death mention)

The gist of it is Gil (Harpy) looking for Feliks (Harpy), after he leaves and doesn't say where he went nor how to find him. Gil flies to Lithuania to find Tolys (Werewolf), hoping to either find Feliks there or for Tolys to know more than him. The three relationships is complicated~, Feliks having a romantic relationship with both once before enemies, until they were forced to ally... (some of this in published fic, specifically on chapter 4, where Gil tells Rode about his past).

This looks convoluted. Anyway, here it goes the outline / draft / concept.

More notes for context, most found in chapter 4:

Gil told the Teutonic Knights he was twelve, when he was ten. He looked older because Harpies grow faster (and live shorter lives).

Tolys has a necklace with one of his own canines, this allowing him to transform willingly, but he always has wolf ears and tail.

"We were not on speaking terms since my mate befriended a heathen!" (...) "Correct, and not any Lithuanian, the one I hated the most! More than once we were close to killing each other, if it wasn't for our comrades saving the loser of the duel. If I didn't kill him first, I knew he one day was going to be my death."

The Pope ordered to kill non humans in Christian organizations. At some point after that Gil wakes up with a knife on his neck. He fought back and won, escaping.

"(...) little did I know I would find both my enemy and my mate together. My happiness over my mate being alive was short-lived, because all I wanted was for that man to be gone; I wanted to be his death. Lucky me, neither had seen me, so I flew higher, and aimed my javelin with ease."

He hit his target... Feliks begged facedown Gil to save Tolys. Swan maidens here have the power to damage by 'channeling regret'. Rode thinks Natallia as a witch but no, she and Iryna are just more deities than all the other fic deities. "She channeled my regret to undo your wounds".

From here details mentioned in other prequel notes, that happens before this one, will be repeated down.

And here we go, I'm changing my mind about this but I want to have it noted down.

Tolys walking alone in the woods. He's worried about his future. He wants to be alone, yet the silent is interrupted by certain someone's loud voice, calling Tolys from above: Gilbert, his once enemy, almost killing him more than once (last time almost succeeding), last time almost succeeding if wasn't for Feliks.

Oh, Feliks. Tolys figures out correctly Gilbert must be there for his mate—thinks he always was Feliks second choice, and Feliks leaving with Gil for many months only confirms that. Except, Feliks visiting him recently, explaining he needed to leave (again) to "mull about his faults, and get his act together".

What faults? Tolys wasn't completely sure, Feliks was too shocked and heartbroken to explain properly. Three eggs, only one survivor, almost took away from the pair. So Feliks went to see him to tell him he was leaving, again...

[Info that should be added later little back little in conversations: After Gil is injured in the war (losing one eye vision), and was healed enough to fly, Feliks left with him to North Africa. After more recovery they mated, and had 3 eggs back in one of Europe's mountains (I'm using the Carpathians a lot but for their childhood and first clutch, maybe another range)… It went poorly, even since before the first egg. Something about the nest, that Feliks doesn't explain well, Gil being ill, only two eggs hatching, and only one surving, this one almost being taken away. After the only surviving fledgling leaves, while Gilbert was sorrowful, Feliks leaves.]

...And now Gilbert was here, likely to torment him, or blame him over Feliks not being there.

So Tolys ignores the best he can the Harpy, it doesn't matter how much Gil yells his name, demands him to go to a near forest clearing, the I know you can hear me, I see your dog ears pointing towards me, or the insults.

But then there's a loud sound that startles him: Gilbert, who's blind in one eye, crashing into a tree. Even if he tries to not care he does, and turns around to see Gil falling down the tree, scratching the trunk on the way down, nothing stopping the fall. He lands on his talons, harshy, and falls to his knees, feathers all around him. Tolys runs towards the Harpy, part of him scolding himself for this, after all Harpies are sturdy. Gil is the same person/creature that both almost killed him and saved him though.

Groaning, Gil checks his wing. Seeing Tolys, quickly goes from "I'm fine" to "this is your fucking fault you piece of shit! How will I cross the Mediterranean like this?!", puffing his feathers, hissing, and trying to scratch Tolys, who dodges him.

The crash was too loud, alerting Tolys' people. They come up with weapons, and they also recognize the until not that long ago Teutonic Knights Harpy. They yell Gilbert to back off, pointing their weapons. At first Gil is defiant, but for once he just raises his wings (as much as he can injured). Tolys tells his people that it is fine, that he must be there for his (he hates saying this) mate, but crashed. Reminds them that they are not enemies anymore, and doing anything stupid would cause conflict with the Harpies (and the other way around too, he tells to Gil).

After telling Gil to not try anything, the common people leave, but at a distance where someone like Tolys (and Gil) can still hear, they start talking about Tolys, someone else reminding them over and over that Tolys can still listen.

Left alone, Tolys tries to check Gilbert injuries (that includes visible scratches and in bad shape primary feathers), however he refuses to be touched (Tolys also thinks in old injuries inflicted one to the other, only their better healing having erased them). Instead they talk about Feliks, Gilbert saying that Feliks left a letter (that he refuses to show to Tolys). Upon learning that Feliks wasn't there, alredy having left...

"That idiot keeps doing this shit to me..." Hides his face behind his hands for a while. No sounds except ragged breathing.

Gil eventually stands up, knees almost giving up again.

Tolys: "You can't fly like this, not long distances. Stay with me until you've healed enough."

It takes more than a little convincing. Tolys piggybacks Gilbert to a watchtower :3 (Gilbert asks if that's fine, Tolys says his people will understand). Before they arrive, it begins to rain. Gil raises his good wing to hide Tolys from the rain, the water slidding off the feathers (at least for now).

On the watchtower, it doesn't take long for Gilbert to fall asleep, sitting agaisnt a wall (Harpies don't sleep lying down). Tolys struggles to fall asleep, thinking in Gilbert, Feliks, and the person he punched earlier after calling him a dog (drawback of his necklace with one of his canine that allows him to transform when he wants, the permanent pointy ears and fluffly tail); he is struggling to adapt to a life without a war to fight...

He wakes up again, startled: Gilbert has woken up screaming, looking at him yet his view is likely on the past, when his own men tried to kill him. Tolys moves closer, and hesitates to put a hand over a shoulder. Gilbert barely reacts.

Tolys: "I have nightmares too."

Gilbert: "About... About when I almost killed you?"

Sigh. "Yes."

Gil tells Tolys to sit on his good wing side (left), that thankfully is his good eye side as well—he does. Tolys is too tall for Gilbert to put him under the wing, at least not comfy enough for sleeping like both want... He wakes up next morning with his head leaning on a fluffy feathered thigh. He thinks in Feliks, and jumps back when he lifts his head to see Gil's face; too many mixed feelings.

Now Gilbert is more than sore than yesterday, struggling to move. He opens and closes his mouth several times, only telling Tolys what he wants to say after being encouraged: he needs help preening his wings, was at first too proud to ask, and contemplated in allowing his feathers to go bad. Once again Tolys thinks in Feliks, who did most preening himself, Harpies spending a lot of time in this. Tolys helps Gil, but refuses to touch a weird gland on the lower back, near the base of the tail. Does help spreading the oily(?) fluid, and realigning the (looks notes) feather barbules.

Hours later, Gilbert is able to do some of his daily stretching... Tolys emitates him, and someone (kids?) below too. He gets fucking annoyed.

When Tolys brings food for both, Gil only eats the meat, barely chewing. Tolys gives him some of his meat, not all, and aside that practically eat both meals. Gil also keeps killing critters, more about that later.

Other day? Tolys invites Gilbert to one of his temples, the temples and faith that Gilbert tried before to destroy. The Harpy obviously doesn't want at first, and isn't happy either about the way Tolys smiles ("are you taunting me?" "no." {yes}). Gil tries to use the excuse of what will Tolys' people think, but Tolys actually wants for both to go to a open place on the forest, one with a God figure. They go, and the whole ordeal is umconfortable for Gilbert. They later talk about Gil believing again in the usual Gods workshipped by the Harpies, but actually in the Christian God a bit too, still. Tolys tells him he could like even more Gods, his ones—Gil refuses, but he will eventually... [Hima has drawn that dog that's totally not Anubis, also Bastet, Atum, God, devils. If it believed it exist, I guess this inspired a bit the fic... It's a bit like "collecting" Gods to believe in though, but also syncretism].

Btw Tolys: "I prayed for your healing" = Gilbert getting flustered as hell.

While together, Gilbert keeps killing random small critters to eat. Tolys complains, to what Gil responds that he prefers eating frequently "now that he can" (starved at times by the Knights, and rarely eating well, not enough or not what Harpies need). He does sometimes avoid killing birds. This (or something else?) will remind Gil of his first clutch, and make him open up about what happened. Tolys learns about Feliks not making the nest on time, Gilbert unable because sick with fever and malaise, and not knowing because he left the Harpies as a child. Feliks' mom made the nest, stepping up after visiting, and after the first eat was laid (painful, difficult, both parents freaking out, no nest yet). In general the mother was more helpful to Feliks, often freaking out, more than Gil. Here Tolys tell Gil he is sorry about the unhatched egg and the chick that didn't survive, almost comprehending better than before why Feliks (and Gil) was so heartbroken: both about what happened, and worried if the only fledgling will ever return alive in his final form. This changed both Harpies, matured; meanwhile, has he himself changed? He's not sure about what to do about his life, Feliks returned and left, Natallia probably thinks about him as a puny mortal—it doesn't help that Gilbert comments (not on purpose) that he gets well along with Natallia; birds kinship, while he will never fly...

Other moments while together: Gil petting Tolys on the head (feels nice, is a good distraction, let's pretend we didn't try to kill each other and that we want the same harpy), Tolys either as a human or as a wolf… In either case when he tries to get up, Gil pushes him down more than a bit harshy (stay there!), cue to a (physical) fight. At the end up both are tired and laughing about it. Also more non-serious fights, roughhousing--Tolys goes from no I don't want to have fun with you to forgetting that sentiment, let's horseplay again.

Other day (?) they visit one of the knights abandoned castles/forts (not sure yet), after Christians lost the war (:3). The place is semi burned down, and the barracks make Gil feel sick. He leaves through the window (can do short flights), and goes to sit on the roof. It takes a lot of convincing to get Gilbert down, and once he does, the first thing he does is hugging Tolys. Tolys internally: oh no I'm getting attached to him.

It doesn't take too long for Gilbert to be able to do longer flights... Tolys who started not wanting to talk to Gil, now is worried about being left behind again. He also (shit this should be moved somewhere else?) is getting internally eaten by guilt, because the last time he saw Feliks, he almost forced Feliks to stay by force, only the fear on Feliks' face making him desist. If he tried that again, it would ruin everything between them (better than ever before, who thought this was possible), and cause troubles with both his people and the Harpies... But he would stay though.

Anticipating getting heartbroken, Tolys is the ones who asks about where Gilbert will go, and if he will try to find Feliks—the Harpy is actually too angry with his mate to that for now. He could go to where one of his sisters lives (that he never met until his child was born; she thought there was no way his brother would have survived as a bird). He is more interested in traveling though, having missed alot while only staying with the Knights... He invites Tolys to travel with him (both south and east, to central Asia), but at first Tolys shoots this down, after all he can't fly: "I will slow you down"; his pointy ears and tails will cause problems around most people, and not using his necklace will only cause more problems on fullmoons. "We could still manage!" "Sorry, but no..." (fool).

Gil says he also wanted to stay close to where Erszi (centaur) lives, or in the town itself.

"In the town?" (A Harpy? In a humans+centaurs town? They have mainly stayed on the skirts or where Tolys lives, although that's explained by the complicated past).

"The town's lord is a vampire, even if he and everybody pretend he isn't. He asked me so many weird questions..."

The Swan Maidens are also somewhat near, and if Feliks ever returns, is not unlikely he would want to see both Natallia and Erzsebet...

...Tolys says he should stay with his people. Later, only when Gilbert takes flight to leave he changes his mind, having to chase Gilbert as a wolf.

[avalon-of-babylon]

Idk if I've posted this before, but last year, I discovered the perfect cover for any fish out of water character. Just have them say they were in a cult.

I'm not shitting you it's that easy, and it can cover EVERYTHING. Lab grown clones, aliens in hiding, people on the run, monsters among us, time travelers, you name it, this covers it.

An X-23 or Superboy like lab grown clone with no birth certificate?

Just say their mom joined a cult before they were born, and because the cult didn't believe in governmental authority, no one got them one. Same with school and medical records.

A Supergirl or Asgardian like alien trying to live amongst humans but has spent a significant portion of their life on another planet with a different culture and language despite it binging similar to one on earth?

Just say they were in a cult and are still trying to learn the proper use of the language they're speaking and correct social edict because in the cult, some words had completely different meanings and how they're behaving was completely common amongst the people they knew.

A Fae afraid of something completely common?

The cult had a superstition about that, they don't want to risk it.

A demon with a really weird name?

It's what the cult gave them.

A time traveler who doesn't understand any kind of technology around them?

The cult didn't have anything more advanced than a wheelbarrow and a grindstone this is blowing their mind.

Just a regular dude on the run who's super paranoid all the fucking time?

Say they're afraid the cult is going to try and force them to come back. Any friends or acquaintance they manage to make who aren't in the know will try to help them by keeping an eye out and pretending they have no idea who they are if anyone asks.

As an added bonus of this cover is the built-in excuses for every question anyone could ever ask about the cult. Either have them say they don't want to talk about it or be both super vague but also incredibly specific about it. Example:

Q: What was this cult called?

A: I don't know if we had an actual name. We just called ourselves the family.

Q: What about the people there what were their names?

A: We called anyone our age or younger brother and sister, even if we were married. Anyone our parents' age was mother, father, aunt or uncle. The oldest members were just called elders.

Q: That must have gotten confusing.

A: Not really. Context and adjectives did a lot of the heavy lifting. We did have names given to us when we came of age, but we were always told only to say them if it was an emergency or when addressing one of the elders.

Q: Where was this cult?

A: I don't know. I remember trees so tall that even now, I would not be able to reach the lowest branch. A small river, or maybe it was a creek, I'm not sure what the difference is, that's where we got our water and washed our clothes. When I left, I walked for a long time, I walked so long my feet began to blister, bleed, and ache. I didn't know where I was going; all I knew was I needed to leave.

It's literally perfect.

And if any aliens, time travelers, demons, fae, or whatever are reading this, you're welcome.

[thestupidhelmet]

I guess I just can’t imagine feeling that entitled and forgetting that I’m just a fan. As a creator myself I can’t rly imagine how I’d react if someone was like excuse me no, I know your art and your characters better than you do akshuallllly

I believe framing it as entitlement is the wrong way to think about it.

I can speak only for myself, but I see a variety of different but still canon or in-character ways for characters to develop. Not any of them is necessarily "right," which is to say not the One True and Only Path a character might take.

But whatever path a fictional character does take needs to be a path that character would take based on their personality, goals, emotional wounding, flaws, internal and external stressors. I don't have to like the path, but if it's one that doesn't break the fictional dream, I'll believe the character is capable of making that particular choice.

An example from That '70s Show. Jackie and Fez developing a romantic relationship is an in-character possibly in season 2 because of the episode "Eric and Kitty's Night Out". Had Jackie's development continued in the direction that episode points her, it would have led to a romantic arc between her and Fez. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have accepted it as canon because the path made character sense at that time.

(But every episode after "Eric and Kitty's Night Out" provides a different context for Jackie's "realization" that she likes Fez romantically. Those post-episodes both corroborate the episodes preceding "Eric and Kitty's Night Out" that depict Jackie's non-romantic interest in Fez and show directly and indirectly that her "realization" is a misguided interpretation of her feelings of jealousy. Donna helps Jackie jump to her initial conclusion, but Jackie soon understands that she is jealous of the attention Fez gives to his girlfriend instead of her. She's not romantically attracted to him. She craves his worship.)

Had Jackie developed romantic feelings for Eric, however, on the show, I'd call, "Foul!" because it would be completely out of character for both of them. Jackie consistently expresses that she does not find Eric aesthetically or sexually attractive. Further, she's directly depicted as being sexually repulsed by him. Eric is shown to feel similarly about her except in the season 5 episode where Hyde convinces Eric that Jackie is "hot" when her personality is taken out of the equation.

But, generally, Jackie plays an antagonistic sibling role to Eric whenever Laurie isn't on the show. Eric even uses the same specific devil and hell insults on Jackie as he does Laurie, minus the slut-shaming.

Despite that I find the Jackie/Eric romantic intriguing, I can't consider it a canon, in-character pairing because it's simply not. My personal interests don't distort my writer's/reader's eye.

Speaking of equations, good writing does have a math-like aspect to it. 2 + 2 = 4. A character's personality, goals, trauma, flaws, established behavior + internal and external stressors = a character's choices. When I see in a show that the writing depicts two plus two as equaling five (character-wise), it's glaring.

I know that two plus two equals four, and pointing it out does not come from a place of entitlement but of a desire for truth. In the case of fiction, character and emotional truth. I want to correct the equation, but in fiction X can represent different but equally valid numbers to solve the equation.

A show's writers, unfortunately, too often put an invalid number for X that doesn't solve the character equation but collapses it in favor of a plot they want to pursue or any other reason that is not based on proper writing technique. Consistent characterization is an inconvenience they ignore.

A story (in whatever medium) must make sense. In college and selective post-college writing workshops, the students' (and teacher) are tasked with finding the flaws in their peers' stories, what breaks the fictional dream. We must, in our own writing and that of others', be aware of the characters' development and arc(s). What is working and why. What isn't working and why. Again, to make sure the story's equation is solved organically and logically.

In The Office (US), Greg Daniels (the creator and showrunner for most seasons and the final season) decided that Jim and Pam would separate in the final season and not reconcile until the last episode. John Krasinski (the actor who played Jim) was very tuned into the audience's reaction to the Jim/Pam storyline and saw that it wasn't good.

John told this to Greg and said that he worried Greg's plan (already written and partially filmed) would essentially destroy the show for the fans. They wouldn't be able to rewatch it happily, having experienced a traumatizing end for their favorite pairing.

Fortunately, the show's creator listened to John, to the fans, did a reshoot of the end of one already completed episode and re-edited under the wire then had the last few episodes rewritten to reflect Jim and Pam's reconciliation. This was absolutely the correct, in-character choice -- because the fans recognized a flaw in the equation, not the creator, and John (the actor) also recognized the flaw.

This wasn't the first time John objected to a character development on The Office. He also nixed the John-kisses-Cathy storyline proposed in season 8. He said the audience would never forgive Jim for cheating on Pam in any way. It's out of character for Jim, and instead the show depicts him as doing everything he can think of to get away from her in his Tallahassee hotel room. Again, someone who was not the writer knew better what a show's character would canonically do.

For John Krasinski and Leonard Nimoy, their fidelity was to the characters they portrayed. For many fans, including myself, it's the same. A sense of entitlement is not what I feel. I recognize when characters are written against their natures and want the equation to be corrected. TV showrunners and writers have a lot of external forces weighing on them from the industry and/or personal ambitions that undermine the characters they created or are tasked to write.

A sense of entitlement would entail, for instance, being blind (wilfully or ignorantly) to or simply not caring about character consistency so that the characters they ship become romantically involved on the shows they watch. Justifying their desire not with facts (i.e. what the characters actually say and do on a show) but with distortions and misinterpretations. Then attacking the showrunners and writers for not catering to their desires.

That '90s Show does not depict That '70s Show's canonical future (no idea if this is the reason for your asks, Anon, but it's relevant to the conversation). Canonical, well- and long-established facts from T7S are changed, distorted, or erased to create T9S's fictional dream. T9S is not a corollary of T7S's equation. It's a different equation altogether, using some of the same numbers but in different ways.

That's a fact, substantiated by statements made by T9S's creator Gregg Mettler and the show itself, and it's also not a problem as long as fans recognize -- in T7S's series director's statement about T7S S8 -- that T9S "is an alternative universe". In other words, not canon to T7S.

I enjoy That '90s Show as its own thing, but I neither consider it nor am satisfied by it as a canonical future for That '70s Show from both a fan's perspective and as an author.

[unsaintness]

hi, i mean to send this ask with all respect. i know people present disorders in different ways. i saw you have ASPD and i was wondering what that is like for you?

for context, i had an ex who i suspect now had ASPD after realizing a lot of the lies he told me and how he even pretended to be different people on alts for months to fool me into staying and stuff like that. i don't want to project my experience onto others as i still did care for him somehow and hoped he would get help (only bc it seemed he wanted to?) since i really believed in us but i think i was just too easy to manipulate so even if he did 'care about me' he "couldn't help but become that manipulative person again" because i needed to believe in his lies to stay i guess in his eyes? a lack of empathy explains a lot and also the criminal behavior too. towards me and others.

ik this is my personal stuff but i wanted to know if maybe there's perspective im missing. i dunno i know this might come off bad or confusing but i know it is a spectrum and i guess i still want to 'understand' even if it's over, you don't have to respond if this is too much.. sorry

Hi! No worries, this is just a new one. I'm bored as shit and this gives me something to do anyway, I'm going to put all of this under the cut as to not flood my blog with my yapping about this though

Of course, not everyone experiences a disorder the same way. There are symptoms and behaviours which overlap in common which makes it distinguishable as a disorder on its own, but overall everyone goes through it differently and no one can feel and experience it the exact same.

I do want to mention that I'm self-diagnosed since I have no way of accessing any type of diagnosis currently, but I do it after plenty of research and observing myself for years. So I'd say with confidence that I harbor most of the symptoms that make up ASPD as a whole

I can't say with precise judgement about your ex since I don't know him on a personal level nor do I have a lot of context to work around with but I'll try to give my honest opinion and perspective.

Was this because he cheated or something else? I'm lacking that vital information, because if it's something of that sort. Clearly he doesn't respect you, antisocials are well aware that commitment and loyalty are painfully and obviously mandatory for a long-term relationship. Don't excuse their behaviours just because of the disorder, acting on it is a choice that was made consciously. They aren't stupid, they know right and wrong.

Other than that part, it seems like he does care for you to an extent to have reacted that way, although I can't pinpoint for sure whether it was out of genuine love or control. For antisocials, they can't be bothered if someone they give zero shit about leaves- so I'll say you did mean something quite significant to him in order to drive him to act that way. It means that you were something genuine to him or it could also mean that you provided him with something he could exploit that he didn't want to let go of yet, that's something that only he'd know. You'll just have to evaluate and pick your poison as your ultimate judgement I suppose

Yes I can definitely relate with the lacking emotional empathy part, I still have cognitive empathy and I can still have sympathy for others (whether genuine or not depends on the person and the situation) and the criminal behaviours as well. I won't go into much details about things that are irrelevant to your case though.

Now, for my case, to love someone while having ASPD myself is a complex thing as I go through with being both borderline and antisocial, the last time I had a true obsession though- they were my exception, and the BPD part completely dominates over the ASPD part of me in terms of my feelings towards them.

The only times where the ASPD part kicked in was solely for problem-solving for arguments and conflicts, behaviour-correcting anything that I deemed unsatisfactory from him or when I felt like I was being replaced / abandoned. I turned manipulative to make them stay, a lot of guilt-tripping and planting ideas that eventually I got them to believe that they're basically nothing without me, I also planned a whole scheme that ripped them away from our mutual friends in order to isolate them completely since they were being too uncannily close to them and I didn't like it one bit. And also made them depend on me for any type of social interaction, basically isolating them so I can have them all to myself.

Disorders don't automatically make someone shitty or an asshole, a person with no personality disorder can be as shitty as someone who does. Being a shitty person is a choice, your actions and decisions dictate that, not the disorders.

I hope my answer cleared up some things and provided you with some insight.

[languagestudymaterials]

わけ - definition (2)

What does ～わけ mean?

The same post in much higher quality is here

In this #Japanese with anime post, we will take a closer look at a mind-bending structure belonging to the realm of modality and, unfortunately, is usually omitted in translation. It's not that it has to be omitted; it happens that English just sounds better or makes sense without it (in most cases).

Examples in this post are from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Season 2.

Extra grammar: 

というわけ vs. わけ  

わけ vs. から/ので

Before we dive in

わけ is truly a mind-bending structure, and knowing just the dictionary definition is not usually enough. The examples provided in textbooks seem to be okay at first glance, but when you start analyzing and comparing わけ to other structures and grammar points, you quickly realize that you haven't fully grasped the concept it actually represents.  

Long story short, though. In a lot of cases, わけ can be translated to 'so' or 'then' (: as a necessary consequence; Merriam-Webster).

However, in many cases, English translations don't need to include 'so' or 'then' because things can be simply understood from the context. As readers, we don't need extra lexical help to understand that something is a consequence of something else. The brain fills in that information naturally on its own. Japanese, though, decided that having extra lexical help could be useful. 

Note: This article doesn't explain the meaning of structures like わけにはいかない or わけではない. They do have their English equivalents.

I also managed to compile a short list of things that literally enlightened me while struggling to understand what わけ really means and why we need it to sound natural.

In many contexts, わけ indicates that the partners in the conversation share some knowledge.

You really need context to be able to use it. If you were to just enter a room and say a sentence containing わけ, it wouldn't make much sense. 

It is used as a reaction/to react to someone else's statement (dialog) or to your surroundings. It shows that you have realized/understood something. Could be paired with だから, それで、なるほど, which are placed at the beginning and わけ at the end, for example:

だから、五条先生強いわけだ。

Ah, so that's why Gojo-sensei is so strong. 

Context: We were wondering why Gojo is so strong, and we just found out (someone told us) that Gojo is a six-eye user, and that made us realize why he is so strong.

It is used when the speaker performs a monologue. In this case, we can distinguish two possible situations:

emphasizing inevitable consequences of some actions, i.e. You eat a lot of sugar, so naturally you will gain weight.  If you don't add わけ to such a statement, it will be fine as well, but it will sound like a dry fact. However, during a lecture or a conversation about eating habits and their consequences adding わけ will give your sentence the nuance of  "And as you know...".

the speaker wants to restate/sum up their own words because their first explanation was unclear. It's like saying "I mean..."; "In other words..."

It is used to restate/paraphrase someone else's words (or your own words). Could be paired with つまり. For example, someone described something to you, but it was complicated. You want to make sure you understand the statement correctly, so you paraphrase it using easier words. You will end that 'easier' sentence with わけ or というわけ.

Used to give the reason for what the conversation partner has said or to state the logical conclusion. Remember that both parties in the conversation need to have the same knowledge. For example:

Context: Both of the speakers knew that Tanaka-san had some heart problems, and one of them drew a logical concl

田中さんが亡くなったそうだ.

I have heard that Tanaka-san has died recently.

本当？心臓発作だったというわけだな。

Really? That must have been a heart attack. (source) usion.

わけではない is used for correcting false impressions 

In English, the tone of your voice and intonation will change the meaning of your sentence. In Japanese, though, such changes can be expressed through particle/verb ending choice. A good example can also be ～てしまう.

Consider this sentence: 

I didn't invite him to the party because I didn't like him.

It could mean either: 1. I don't want to party with people I don't like. (から) 2. I had other reasons not to invite him, and not liking him wasn't one of them (わけではない)

Even though there are ways to translate わけ into English, it's often omitted in translations. 

'Because ' in English is used to provide reasons, but it doesn't really matter if your conversation partner shares knowledge with you. 'Because' can convey completely new information or information already known to everyone for clarity's sake. わけ, on the other hand, speakers must have some prior, common knowledge.

In the following parts of the article, you will find more information related to the above points. 

Definition of ～わけ

According to Jisho, it is a noun, and because it is a noun you negate it as a noun, and it conveys the meaning of:

conclusion from reasoning, 

judgment or calculation based on something read or heard; 

or it just translates to (as a standalone word)

reason; cause; meaning; circumstances; situation​. 

Stefan Kaiser in his book Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar defines わけ as

a structural noun [...] used when the speaker realizes that there is an explanation or reason for some occurrence or phenomenon. Or [...] used when the speaker realizes that some fact or occurrence is the result of some other fact or occurrence. 

The author mentions that it can be translated to 'so' or 'then'.   Following this definition, let's analyze our first example from Jujutsu Kaisen. 

JJK; S01 episode 02 or 03; Yuuji just moved into the school dorms

君の中の宿儺が力を取り戻すために指の在り処を教えてくれる. 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるわけだ. 

To regain its power, the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. You are a vessel as well as a radar. 

To better understand this sentence, let's look at more context.

Yuuji has already eaten two of Sukuna's fingers. Since the fingers resonate with each other, he can kind of guess where they are or at least sense their presence (to some degree). Given those facts, we can surmise that Yuuji works like a radar, and that is what Gojo implies by using わけ.

In essence, わけ marks a logical conclusion or result based on some known facts.

Some known facts: Yuuji ate the fingers, they resonate with each other, and he's a vessel...

The conclusion from reasoning/realization: ...you’re a radar. 

Notice that the English translation did not include any phrase that would introduce 'conclusion'. It is implied. You could include, for example, 'And that's why...' or something along those lines, but the whole line sounds better without it.  

Let's elaborate on it, though. For those of you who don't overthink life or grammar rules, such short dictionary entries might be enough, but I'm a professional overthinker and I just need to know.  

～わけ as a modal structure

This section is full of proper linguistic discourse, but don't shy away from it. It might actually help you deepen your understanding of this structure. Japanese grammar books for teachers, and grammar books written in Japanese, list わけ as a modal structure.

For a complete guide to modality, go here ⇒ Link Click

Modality is about a speaker’s or a writer’s attitude towards the world. A speaker or writer can express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity and ability by using modal words and expressions. Speakers often have different opinions about the same thing. (Cambridge online dictionary)

Simply put, modal structures help you convey a variety of subjective nuances, for example, instead of saying, I'm wrong, you can say, I might be wrong (might is a modal verb). Let's see what subjective feelings わけ helps us convey: 

Certainty or Conviction: わけ is often used when the speaker is confident or certain about the reason they are presenting. It signals that the speaker believes something is true based on their understanding or recognition of a situation.

Explanatory or Justificatory: It is commonly used to explain or justify a statement or action. It adds a sense of "it makes sense that..." or "therefore..." to the statement, showing that the speaker is not just stating a reason but also expressing their conviction or perspective on that reason. 

 Subjective Interpretation: わけ reflects the speaker's subjective interpretation or understanding of a situation, making it a modal structure because it conveys the speaker's attitude and belief. 

An interesting observation has been made in an article titled 「わけだ」文と「からだ」文の意味の違いについて by 牟世鍾 and 宋洙珍 (I'm sorry, I can't decipher their names).

「わけだ」文が表す理由は、対象から納得し、それを理由として位置づけたもの、つまり、話し手が何か認識の過程を経て位置づけたまさにモダリティの形式であり、そのような認識․納得の過程のない直接的な理由を表す「からだ」文とは異なっている。

 Which roughly translates to: 

The reason expressed by the sentence わけだ is that the speaker is convinced by the object and positions it as the reason, that is, it is the very form of modality that the speaker positions through some recognition process, which is different from the sentence からだ, which expresses direct reasons without such a recognition/convincing process. (translation: mine)

In summary, the passage explains that わけだ places emphasis on the speaker's mental activity by which they become aware of, identify, and understand something (recognition). It involves perceiving, acknowledging, and comprehending information or stimuli in a way that leads to an understanding or recognition of a particular fact, concept, or situation. からだ, on the other hand, is more direct and simply states the reason without highlighting the speaker's internal thought process. 

The article also states that

納得の形で提示した理由の文、つまり「わけだ」文は「からだ」文に置き換えられるが、その「からだ」文は「わけだ」文が持っているモダリティ的な意味はなく、単なる理由を表す文になってしまう。

Which translates to: 

The statement of reason presented as a form of belief, i.e., the わけだ statement, can be replaced by the からだ statement, but this からだ statement does not have the modality meaning of the わけだ statement and becomes a mere statement of reason. 

"A mere statement of reason" refers to a straightforward and explicit connection between the cause and reason; there's no room for confusion or subjective interpretations. Modality, though, is all about subjective interpretations. For example, in the sentence "I'm late because of traffic," "because of traffic" directly links the cause (traffic) to the effect (being late), making it clear that traffic is the reason for being late. There is a straightforward connection between the two elements. 

Okay, let's leave modality and that linguistic talk and move on to something lighter. However, continue reading this article to find out what is the best possible interpretation of Gojo's  わけ.

A learner-friendly definition of わけ

After many talks with my Japanese teacher, we managed to pinpoint some reasons for using this structure and what speakers want to convey by using it. Our main goal was to determine why in some cases わけ is a much better option than から.  

Let's go back to our Jujutsu Kaisen example:

君の中の宿儺が力を取り戻すために指の在り処を教えてくれる. 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるわけだ.   

To regain its power, the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. You are a vessel as well as a radar. (official translation) 

In this case, and as you will see in other examples, わけ most likely conveys: 

general/obvious statement. It means that all parties involved in the conversation share the same knowledge and the speaker just confirms everyone's understanding.

the speaker indirectly (through わけ ) asks "You understand, right?" / "You know what that means, right?"

Gojo realizes that Yuuji has enough information to understand his situation, but may or may not know the implications. Yuuji may not know/be sure what all of this means. 

Gojo first provided Yuuji with a result and then he stated the reason why achieving this result will be possible. This can also give わけ the meaning of "So no wonder why you work like a radar."

In essence, わけ is used when there is shared knowledge about the situation and the speaker reinforces/confirms everyone's understanding, even when not prompted to do so.  If we replace わけ with から, we will end up with a sentence conveying completely new information to Yuuji. The context of this sentence would have to be different as well.  

The original context involves Gojo walking Yuuji around the school and talking to him about the jujutsu world and Yuuji's position in all of this. Yuuji did not ask any questions during their walk, as some things had been explained to him before. 

However, if Yuuji was oblivious to his situation and what having eaten the fingers meant for him and the jujutsu world, Gojo would have to provide him with some dry explanations/facts.   The important factor here is 'being oblivious/not knowing enough'.

Let's replace わけ with から then. 

[...] 君は器である同時に探知機、レーダーでもあるから。

To regain its power the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers. Because you are a vessel, a locator as well as a radar. 

In English, it still might make sense, but as I mentioned at the very beginning, わけ is often omitted in translation. In translation, we call such cases 'problems with equivalence', which means that one language has something that the other doesn't have or doesn't use it as often as the first one. If Gojo used から, it would imply that Yuuji didn't know that he was a vessel, that the fingers resonate with each other, and therefore he could be of help to everyone.  The exchange between them could look like this:  Gojo: In order to regain its power the Sukuna you consumed will direct you to the whereabouts of the fingers.   Yuuji:Why? / How come? Gojo: Because you are a vessel, a locator as well as a radar.  Let's analyze another example from Jujutsu Kaisen.  Nobara just joined the team; S01; Ep03

でかい霊園があってさ、廃ビルとのダブルパンチで呪いが発生したってわけ

There is a big cemetery, and the double whammy with the abandoned building caused the curse. (Again, no English equivalent of わけ)

というわけだ / ってわけだ are just more elaborate ways to express logical conclusions. It's often used with な-adj and nouns. There's a separate section on that, too.

In this case, Gojo gave our main trio two reasons why the curse might have shown up in the abandoned building. The building and the nearby graveyard are those reasons.  

If we were to explain the use of わけ here in linguistic terms, we could say that わけ is used to emphasize that the occurrence of the curse is the logical result of the combination of two factors: the large cemetery and the abandoned building. It suggests that there's a logical connection between these two elements that led to the curse. It also adds a sense of logical inevitability.

However, explaining it through our 'learner-friendly definition' we could say that Gojo used it because: 

all of them share the same knowledge, namely they all know why curses are born and what the combo of an abandoned building and a graveyard means (general/obvious statement). 

It's not like they pulled up to the building oblivious to the world around them, and Gojo had to teach them the basics. Even though they did not ask any questions, he was confirming their understanding of the situation through わけ.

Gojo through わけ also implies something along the lines of  "And as you can see..." or "As you probably already realized..." 

It could also be the case that they immediately realized that the curse was there, but they didn't know why/weren't sure why. Gojo did not waste time, and instead of waiting for their questions, he supplied the missing information himself.

If we modified the sentence with から, it would still indicate that the curse occurred because of the combination of the large cemetery and the abandoned building. However, it would imply that the main trio didn't know that the connection between the curse being there and the vicinity of the graveyard and abandoned building mattered.

The conversation could go like this:  Gojo: There's a curse in this building.  Them: Why?  Gojo: There is a big cemetery, and the double whammy with the abandoned building caused the curse.  One more example from Season 1, Episode 2. 

さすがに特級呪物が行方不明となると―上がうるさくてねえ   観光がてら はせ参じたってわけ 

As one would expect when a special-grade cursed object goes missing, the higher-ups won't shut up, so I stopped by while I was out for some sightseeing.

In this case, 'so' perfectly captures the meaning of わけ, as Stefan Kaiser pointed out in his book. 

A missing special grade cursed object is a big deal and sorcerers shouldn't take such cases lightly, which Gojo points out to Fushiguro, namely "[...] the higher-ups won't shut up."  

Both Gojo and Fushiguro know about it as they belong to this community, which means they share knowledge. 

While Gojo is telling Fushiguro why he came, he isn't providing him with new information. In this case, わけ has the nuance of "So you probably realize why I am here." 

Because they belong to the same community, Fishuguro understands that ignoring special-grade cursed objects isn't the best of actions, and Gojo just reinforces/confirms his understanding.

One example from Season 2, Episode 8 

準備ばっちりってわけだ。

The presence of わけ in this example might not be so clear at first glance. However, the English translations official and unofficial alike somehow manage to capture the meaning of わけ through "I see," which by many learners is instinctively translated to なるほど, though.

As always, we need more context.  

Gojo since entering the Shibuya station began to collect information about the situation. He noticed some things that helped him understand/realize what was going on, namely his opponents (Jogo, Hanami, and Choso) prepared for the fight with him.  

Through わけ, Gojo shows his realization. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that わけ can be used as a reaction to someone else's statement. In this case, Gojo is not reacting to someone else's words, but to his surroundings. 

In an alternate situation, Jogo or Hanami could also tell him: "Hey! We did this and that!" And Gojo could reply with: "Is that so? It means that you prepared yourself then" (drawing a logical conclusion/natural consequence).

Summary

So let's summarize what we have learned about わけ so far.               

わけ is a modal structure, which means that the statements marked by it aren't facts but opinions/beliefs/thoughts.

It can be used interchangeably with から, but the nuance changes, and in some cases the meaning.

It marks logical conclusions, which by nature aren't hard facts.

It can also be used to give advice or make general statements based on a logical conclusion.

というわけだ is a more formal and elaborate way to provide a conclusion because there are more reasons stated and this helps us summarize everything.  

わけ is used to explain the reason or cause behind something. It helps clarify why a certain situation occurred or why someone did something.

It is often used to provide an explanation or justification.

All parties involved in the conversation share some knowledge / have the same information. 

You can't really use it without context, as opposed to から, which can be used without any context.  

It conveys the nuance of "As you probably already realized..."  or indirectly asks, "You understand, don't you?" 

というわけだ / ってわけだ for restating some facts 

Apart from というわけだ / ってわけだ being a "more elaborate way to mark logical conclusions", it can also be defined as a structure that paraphrases someone else's or your own words. 

わけだ and というわけだ don't really change the meaning of the sentence, but というわけだ is used when the speaker provides more than one reason for something. It is often used with な-adjectives and nouns as opposed to わけだ, which is often seen after verbs. It's not a hard rule, though. 

What does paraphrasing mean and why do we do that?  

Paraphrasing means that you're trying to use your own words to show how you understand someone's statement. You have analyzed someone's statement and you drew a conclusion.

We do it because we are not sure of our understanding; in a way, we're asking our speaker to confirm our understanding. Modal meaning applies here as well.

In the previous examples, Gojo wasn't restating someone else's words. He was the one to introduce the information. 

However, in the example below, Principal Yaga is restating Yuuji's reasons for joining the jujutsu world.  

The interview with Yaga; S01; Ep02

それが呪いの被害となると看過できないというわけか

Yaga just asked Yuuji why he wanted to join the jujutsu high school. Yuuji told him that leaving Sukuna's fingers as they are (unprotected/unsupervised) is dangerous. Yaga drew a conclusion from that, namely: 

JJK; Chapter 3; Viz Media

In this case, we actually have something that is considered the equivalent of というわけだ namely, "So you're telling me that [...]". However, remember that not every "so you're telling me that..." needs to be translated to というわけだ.  

In the very first chapter, the very first thing Fushiguro says to Gojo is, "You're telling me that someone is keeping a special-grade cursed object in a place like this?!" Fushiguro wasn't restating/paraphrasing Gojo's words.

We can assume that before this panel Gojo told Fushiguro: "There's a special-grade cursed object in the outdoor thermometer box." Fushiguro saw it and just repeated Gojo's words in disbelief, it was sort of a quotation.

Translation problems

In the above examples, わけ could be translated to 'so' or 'then,' but the aim of translation is to make sentences in the target language sound as natural as possible. We could rephrase all of them and include 'so' or 'then' or even any other synonyms, but if the context is clear enough, then including extra lexical help is simply redundant.  

Here, we're also dealing with audiovisual translation, where the number of characters in a single line of subtitles matters a lot. Too many words in a single line may hinder the understanding or slow it down and lower the overall experience. And yes, even such short words as 'so' can do it.

Sources

https://briefjapanese.fun/how-to-use-wake/

my Japanese teacher and his native Japanese teacher 

Stefan Kaiser, Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar (p.285)

[lovinggreeniehours]

erinpheus fic,,, number 3,,,, someone save me 😭 these two are going to kill me i think

if you don't know what's happening here, i don't either HGDSFJ i threw together a quick context without specifics just to be able to make a draft for this so if the dialogue sucks then um. sowwy 🥺 i just needed this idea out of my brain Now thanks

context in question: (mid-leander arc) they agreed long ago to work together to find erinyes's bounty. after wrapping it up, all that was needed was to go and kill the bastard. but during the time they spent together, erinyes had come to a few realizations, not all of them very good. all of which led to erinyes going alone. it did not end well

Erinyes almost doesn't see him as he wakes up. Still as a statue. Blended in shadow and the sleep clinging to his eyes. But he was there. Barely rumpled white suit. Mere tendrils of hair out of place. Orpheus. At the foot of his bed.

He wasn't looking at him. Rather, scowling downward, seemingly lost in thought; but nevertheless, he looked furious. His grip on the footboard seemed to mimic claws.

"I've figured it out."

The forced steadiness of his voice cut like a knife.

"Your mystery," He continued. "You were planning to die out there, weren't you?"

Erinyes fixed him a look. The wrapped-up stab wound in his stomach flared at every breath he took. He did not reply.

That was when Orpheus finally looked up. Footsteps clacked dangerously against hardwood as he approached.

But the closer Orpheus moved, the more apparent the cracks in his demeanor became. Trembling, uneven breaths— Erinyes flinched as one of Orpheus's hands collided loudly against the wall above his head— And as he looked up, he noticed the faintest tremors in his hand as well. Rage seemed to seep through his fingers like the blur left in the air by dangerous chemicals.

"You went— without me. Then.. You take him down with you. Correct? Was my deduction correct this time?"

Erinyes stared, silent. But it seemed Orpheus did not need an answer. His hand dropped to his side, balled back into a fist. He scoffed. Ran a hand through his already unkempt hair.

"Do you have any idea.." Their eyes caught, perhaps for the first time since Erinyes woke up. For the first time since Orpheus pulled him out of the water.

It seemed to give them both pause. As if they'd thought of the same thing. But where Erinyes could feel his heart lurch, at his beside, Orpheus let out a frustrated snarl. Another sound that made him jump.

"Was that your plan the whole time?" He asked, eyes narrowed, volume raising as he went on. This was unlike him. "Was this the grand mystery you promised? You thought it would be a great idea to disappear into the fucking lake?"

Erinyes didn't understand.

"I.. I did not intend to get stabbed." Disuse as well as the dash of pain under his ribs made his voice smaller than it was. How long had he been out..? "But you were not supposed to follow me."

"Is that a joke? After all that talk making sure I never go anywhere alone because it's safer, now you're talking like this?"

"It is my bounty. You were meant to help, and you have. But the rest should not be your concern. Whether I die or disappear for my next assignment, following me around like that will only bring you peril."

Orpheus went silent. Erinyes turned away, certain the conversation was over. There was no use. He had not intended to get caught, but the outcome was the same, even if it was regrettable. He'd burdened Orpheus long enough to figure it out. He was not needed here.

Then Orpheus yanked him forward by the collar, the force briefly knocking the air out of his lungs.

If push came to shove, Erinyes was certain, he could probably overpower Orpheus, then take his leave by force if necessary; stab wound be damned. It was the shock that had pinned him down, and the sharp look in his eye. He could hear the ragged rise and fall of his breath, as if he was struggling to hold himself steady. The bare hand gripping his shirt held so tightly that it shook.

"Let me try this with words you understand." Orpheus forced his words out through gritted teeth. "You are not leaving. You don't get to leave. Not by foot, not by boat, and not even through the merciful release of death. There is nowhere I will not look. Nowhere that I will not find you."

He pushed Erinyes down onto the bed as he released him. His eyes were dark, looking down at him. As if it hurt to even make eye contact.

"So stay this time. Or so help me, I will make you."

[sakuraswordly]

Drafts: Pit and Naminé our precious children.

Peter: You're a naughty one. How come you don't listen to your mother?

Pit: But the reason why we always escape some situations is because of my mother.

Gilgamesh: Pit, I heard that!

Peter: *chuckles*

Pit: But whenever someone is ill, Big Sister, Punch always goes to cure the person, so people or many lives look for her.

Peter: When Punch sees someone cry and says no one needs them, she wants to tell them that's not true. She will be there for them; that's who Punch is.

Peter: You don't like it?

Pit: It's not that I don't like it....

Peter: Then?

Pit: Punch......my mother prevents me and Naminé from going there.

Peter: It's because Punch and I are worried. When PUNCH and Punch were young they made mistakes.

Pit: And the reason why they lost so much was because of the burden they shared, I understand.

Peter: But listen to us anyway, I don't want to lose you again. Even though you're once Aithusa who was treated by Morgana, Morgana also worries about you. She's afraid that you might turn out that way as well.

Pit: Yes sir.....!

.

Pit: *Nervous that Punch's still mad at him*

Punch: *Gazing eyes at Pit with a happy smile makes Pit's happy*

Pit: Mother, why a fish can't close its eyes? Don't every fish go to sleep like us?

Punch: That's correct. Fish don't have eyelids like humans do, so they can't close their eyes. Instead of eyelids, most fish have a protective membrane that covers and protects their eyes. This membrane is often transparent, so it doesn't obstruct their vision. Since fish live in aquatic environments, their eyes are adapted to help them see clearly underwater, and they don't need to close them to sleep or rest like land animals do. Some fish might "rest" by becoming less active or by going into a more stationary state, but their eyes remain open the whole time.

.

Punch: I'm going before both Pit and Naminé wake up. I can be at ease after I come back.

Gilgamesh: You can take Mulder or Scully with you but I guess that's not necessarily huh....

Punch: I'm sorry for spending all of your treasure on medical treatments.

Gilgamesh: *Nod* You know what Pit said to me.

Punch: What did he say?

Gilgamesh: "Stop pretending to be nice and just work!"

Punch: *Laugh* I'm a lazy one you know. I....I miss all of them.....

Gilgamesh: Go quick. If Pit wakes up, he'll start fretting again. His stubbornness is exactly like Peter's.

Peter: Gil! I heard that!

Punch: *Laugh* See you soon!

Peter: Gil......about Naminé.

Gilgamesh: Huh......she WHAT?!

.

Naminé: Big sister, Punch!

Punch: What?! How come don't you listen to me?!

Naminé: You don't listen to me either!

Punch: *Soft laugh* so do you dislike me?

Naminé: Oh no! Our mother is the best in the whole world!

Punch: Hehe don't you mean Peter?

Naminé: No, it's you, Ma'am!

Punch: *Chuckle*just a sugar word....

Naminé: What's a sugar word?

Punch: A "sugar word" is a term that refers to words or phrases that are sweet, pleasant, or endearing, often used to convey affection, warmth, or sweetness in communication. The term can be applied to language that is deliberately chosen for its charm or emotional appeal, such as calling someone "honey," "sweetheart," "darling," or "love." These words are typically used in intimate, affectionate, or romantic contexts and serve to make the interaction feel more personal or caring. In another sense, "sugar words" can refer to language that is overly sweet or flattering, sometimes to the point of being insincere or manipulative. In this case, the sweetness of the words is intended to influence or persuade the listener in a subtle way

.

Punch: Naminé. What are you going to be when you grow up enough?

Naminé: Be like you!

Punch: Like me?

Naminé: Yes, a mother who's pretty and has so many talented uses to save many lives and be a great leader like you!

Punch: Then Mr Gilgamesh would be disappointed.

Naminé: That's too bad! I'm a girl so I cannot be like my king.

Punch: *Laugh*

*Thump Thump*

Naminé: Big sister, Punch, hide me!

Punch: Huh? What's wrong?

Naminé: Hurry!

Punch: Oh.....*Chuckle*

Gilgamesh: Naminé had disappeared! Peter and I couldn't find her! Punch. Did you know-

Naminé: My king!

Gilgamesh: Why you...?! You should've told me if you were going?!

Naminé: Then you and big brother Peter wouldn't have let me go!

Gilgamesh: What a cheeky one huh?! Come here!

*Laugh*

Gilgamesh: I should ask "our mother" to acupuncture you so you can listen well.

Naminé: Really?

Gilgamesh: If Punch does it one more time just acupuncture her!

Punch: Yes.

Naminé: I'm sorry my king. I won't do it again! Our mother wouldn't do that, would you?

*Laugh*

Naminé: Why acupuncture is so important?

Gilgamesh: Acupuncture is a traditional medicine practice that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body to stimulate energy flow, or "Qi" . The goal is to restore balance and promote natural healing.

Punch: The weirdest is your items are all gold!

Gilgamesh: Oh shut up! I made by myself you know! You should be proud!

[beginningobserver]

Hey, Kimeramon Guy here again. So, I'm going to be honest, I've been putting off actually watching 02 due to executive dysfunction since forever, and thus I never went out of my way to spoil myself on The Beginning like I've done a lot of other media. So I'm working off a... limited palette here, but I really do want you to get to enjoy yourself talking about this AU.

So, what I've gleaned (and correct me if I'm wrong) from secondhand stuff is that Ukkomon's main motivation is to keep Rui happy, to the point of brainwashing his parents until they literally burn out and get turned into meat puppets. And something involving a replacement eye.

All this to say, does Rui ever figure this out in √02 (since you said he doesn't when he normally would)? Does Ken discover it first, somehow?

Ooh... Uh... Sorry for the spoilers orz -- I used some elements from the movie, so the ones *with* movie spoilers have the "02tb spoilers" tag... Just in case💧

I'm sorry to hear you struggle to (re)watch 02 due to that, I feel you here (yeah... sometimes it hits me too, orz).

Also, thank you for trying to help me elaborate and explore more about this AU 😭💜 But you don't have to push yourself for that…!

I think The 02 Kids are smart enough to figure things out about what Ukkomon did, but Rui here had his beef with Ukko changed (see read more for details) and solved differently... Maybe you do not want him to know the truth, right? :')

Like I said, there are a few changes from the movie, but...

[Spoilers ahead, albeit vaguely, so as not to spoil the fun for anyone who hasn't seen it yet]

... Yes, the 02 kids come to the conclusion that Ukkomon did all those things to keep Rui alive and happy, and after Rui told them his story, and they all sided with Ukkomon, though they didn't neglect Rui's feelings (the only person who was just a little insensitive was Hikari, but I think everyone who watched the movie took that line too seriously when she possibly meant that Ukkomon was pathetic for doing a lot of wrong things to keep Rui happy and safe/satisfied). Later, at the end of the movie, when Rui gets to talk to Ukkomon again, the mon himself confesses that Rui needed him and that he wanted to make Rui happy to the point that he thought everything good was better for Rui. Ukkomon was aware that he did bad things and doesn't try to defend himself. The Audio Drama 3 (released as a bonus in the JP theaters and now in the JP Deluxe Blu-Ray box set) also points out Rui's share of guilt, so they both think it was their fault in the end.

To be fair, the part about the parents' death is pretty unclear to me. But the same drama CD kind of confirms it, yeah, Ukkomon's power might have killed them. But in the movie, Rui's dad is on his deathbed, and Rui's mom is always distressed, so I wouldn't rule out that they suddenly die and Ukkomon just starts to meat-puppet their bodies so that Rui doesn't get orphaned or sad/desperate…

Since in the movie Rui learns what Ukkomon did, and it's the scene that a lot of people played up while trying to describe it and warn people about the "blood", "eye injury" and "body horror" parts -- it's nothing what people meant. All of those are tamed and on the level of "well, there should be some blood here if you got hurt like that", and I think this movie is even more tamed than Ghost Game -- which was for children ages 12-13. And even I had to skip certain episodes because they were TOO MUCH for me. But 02TB was fair game for me? I can watch it again...at least the RAW I have 💧

The scenes in question happened in connection with a canon 02 event (to be exact, a movie that takes place a year after the 02 events, Diablomon Strikes Back/Diaboromon's Revenge), so he's around the age of the 02 kids -- the AU would sound weird because the events of the TV series take place in 2002, while DSB in March 2003. I debated how to use the exact same scene/context in the AU, but had no success, so yeah, I changed it completely 💦.

√02 Rui does not witness Ukkomon puppeting the corpses, and when Ukkomon confesses in the AU version, Rui does not believe it at all. If canon Rui (adult Rui) had met AU kid Rui, he would have been disappointed that his other self is kind of naive?