#fried-cactus

[thepersonperson]

Sukuna's You Pronouns

Someone pointed out that Sukuna doesn't exclusively use the you pronoun Kisama for Gojo in the tags as a response to this post. Sukuna also uses it for Kashimo.

This prompted me to go back and double-check his you pronoun usage with everyone since I focused on people he openly likes (Gojo, Higurama, Jogo, Megumi, Maki, Uraume).

And that, of course, spiraled out of control. Please enjoy my findings. (Someone made a formal response to this post if you want an alternate perspective.)

-Written as of JJK 262.5.

-Mangareader(.)to for the raws.

-TCBscans for everything else.

(Click images for captions/citations.)

Preface

Here's a shorthand for how Sukuna addresses characters with you pronouns. Not when he's speaking about them to other people, but when talking to them directly.

No You Pronouns: Haruta, Higurama, Kenjaku, Kusakabe, Mahito, Miguel, Ui Ui, Uraume

Omae: Finger Bearer, Gojo, Jogo, Mahoraga, Maki, Mimiko/Nanako, Megumi, Ryu, Yorozu, Yuji, Yuta

Kisama: Gojo, Kashimo, Yorozu

What does 'no you pronouns' mean?

Not using you pronouns or someone's name is the most polite and formal way to go about addressing someone in Japanese. Using you pronouns invites certain assumptions about the relationship between the speaker and the addressee. In most cases it's informal or rude. Sukuna going out of his way not to use pronouns for someone suggests he views them with some amount of respect. (Except for Haruta. To this day, this is the only character Sukuna has called trash.)

What does Omae and Kisama mean?

お前 (Omae), often written as オマエ in JJK, is a masculine, informal, and indicates the speaker's higher status to the addressee. It can also be used as a causal you between peers of equal standing (Gojo, Yuji, and Megumi use Omae for everyone in this way).

There is a third use in the context of love. It's the male equivalent of あなた (Anata aka the wife pronoun you could translate as "You, Dear") when used by a man to their lover. This usage seems to have conflicted usage irl. It might be too intimate or informal depending on the relationship. (Basically it pisses some people off or is a massive turn on.)

貴様 (Kisama) is historically formal and respectful, and modernly an extremely informal and hostile insult that is far more rude than Omae.

Which way does Sukuna mean his Omaes and Kisamas? Well, context is everything. He is 1,000 years old, rude as hell, and a hater. In most instances, he means the rude version. Trying to figure out when he's not being a bastard is the hard part and what I'm interested in.

Why does this matter?

Pronouns in Japanese indicate how the speaker views themself and how they view their relationship to the addressee. In other words, pronoun usage in Japanese carries characterization that gets lost in translation. I'm trying to figure out Sukuna's internal logic and his particular brand of communication so this is a helpful thing to consider.

For example, when Gojo first trash talks Sukuna out of the box, Uraume gets pissed and insults him. And guess what they use as the insult—Kisama.

I put this side by side with an English translation for context. If you noticed, there is no kanji for "Swine" in the raws. That was added in by the localization to carry over the tone of the original. Since English doesn't have a you (derogatory), this is where localizations will vary the greatest. To get across the hostility of Kisama, translators will add extra things with or without the creator's direction for their language's audience.

Uraume is extremely polite to Sukuna and uses high level vocabulary in Japanese. The only time their politeness drops is when they're being hostile (especially with Kenjaku), but their elegant manner of speech doesn't deteriorate with their mood. In my opinion, "Swine" is a great word to pick that carries that insulting, yet dignified pattern of speech. Someone less snobby might use pig.

Gojo replies by referring to Uraume with てめえ (Temee) which is even more rude than Kisama. (Sometimes this you is spelled as てまえ (Temae) instead.)

This stands out because Gojo either uses Omae (friends and enemies), no you pronouns (everyone), or 君 Kimi (students—this one is cute because it's an affectionate way to dote on your juniors). (Gojo also exclusively uses アンタ Anta with Toji but that deserves its own post.) Not just that, but he ends his sentence with だよ (Dayo). This is a combination of the particles だ (Da) and よ (Yo) that emphasizes what ever the speaker is saying without respect.

Both TCBsans and Viz localize this as "Who are you?" That's a direct translation that in my opinion doesn't get across how pissed Gojo is. If it were up to me, I think it would be better as "Who the FUCK are you?"

Anyways I hope this explains why I'm so obsessed with how Sukuna uses you pronouns. There's characterization and tone that translators may or may not pick up on. Figuring out why Sukuna uses certain yous helps with understanding how he views others.

Omae

As you saw in the list, Sukuna uses Omae for just about everyone. It ranges from people he openly hates (Yuji) to characters he massively respects (Mahoraga). The easy way to resolve this is to assume that Sukuna looks down on everyone so that's what he means at all times.

I don't think that's the case. Sukuna is a very complex character with weird motivations that don't fit neatly into black/white boxes. Reading his words a single way at all times seems to be a disservice to him. So I'll be presenting my theories on what determines the meaning of Sukuna's Omae.

Omae (Deragatory)

Itadori Yuji

When Sukuna uses Omae for Yuji, it's coupled by insults. That's not surprising, Sukuna despises Yuji so much that he's devoted a good deal of his time to making his poor little nephew suffer. I can confidently say the Omaes are derogatory. Here is one of many instances.

No matter how angry Sukuna gets at Yuji, he has never deviated from Omae. This is interesting to me because the more hostile and ruder you pronouns Kisama and Temae/Temee exist. In fact, Yuji uses Temee for Sukuna most of the time. And he uses Temee for no one else, not even Mahito, who gets Omae like Yuji’s friends. This special pronoun usage for Sukuna shows how much Yuji hates him compared to any other character.

Anyways, this is a good starting point for determining how he means Omae. When Sukuna means Omae in a rude way, it'll be combined with an insult and/or accompanied by an aggravated facial expression. He also will avoid addressing the character by name and instead use nomers (such as Brat) externally and internally.

Finger Bearer

Despite trying to befriend this curse for the sole purpose of bullying children, Sukuna doesn’t show the Finger Bearer a lot of respect. He tries to kill it, insults it at every turn, and gives it a few nasty faces for attacking him. It’s no surprise he uses Omae for this thing.

He treats this curse like he treats Yuji, which is a pretty good sign that the Omae usage is disrespectful. This is also helps establish a pattern for Sukuna’s behavior when he chooses to engage with other beings. It should be noted that he calls the Finger Bearer an insect and refuses to address it by anything that's dignified.

Hasaba Mimiko & Nanako

Sukuna addresses Mimiko and Nanako as you kids and with Omae for bringing him a finger. He also demands they bow before him to acknowledge just how far beneath him they are.

He doesn’t ask for their names and he kills them the second he finds them too annoying. There’s a clear lack of respect for the twins here that makes the Omae appear to be very deragatory.

Jogo

Jogo starts in the same category as Mimiko wnd Nanako. That much is obvious with Sukuna cutting off the top of his head for mot bowing low enough. Sukuna uses Omae to both address and insult him, so it can be assumed he’s being deragatory.

But what separates Jogo from everyone on this Derogatory Omae list, was his fight changing how Sukuna viewed him and therefore the usage of Omae.

Omae (Complimentary)

Jogo

Jogo is never addressed by name, Sukuna never asks for it and refers to him as Cursed Spirit throughout their interactions. This seems more in line with something Sukuna does to someone he dislikes, however, he bothered with seeing Jogo off into the afterlife to gain a better understanding of him.

When Sukuna learns that Jogo and his friends wanted to become human, he doesn’t mock their dream but their methodology. The criticisms he levies at Jogo are constructive. If Jogo wanted to obtain his goals he should’ve been more like Gojo and burned everything to the ground, etc.

Sukuna goes onto complimenting Jogo using Omae, ending on the iconic, “Stand proud, you’re strong.”

If this is enough to move Jogo to tears, the Omae here unlikely to be meant as something rude. This shows that Sukuna is capable of using Omae in a friendly manner and that the intent behind it can change with the same character over time.

Fushiguro Megumi

Before Sukuna realizes Megumi's potential with Mahoraga he is still quite friendly with him compared to other characters. (As friendly as you can get beating the life out of someone that is.) He compliments his Cursed Technique (CT) and shows interest in his internal logical as he tries to teach him how to be a better sorcerer. Omae is used as he does this.

When he senses Mahoraga, he starts calling Megumi by his full name, which is the most respectful way to directly address someone in Japanese. I'm pretty sure the Omae he uses from the start is well-meaning. It should be noted that he stops using you pronouns for Megumi after this, upping the ante when it comes to showing respect for him. (Outside of murdering his sister and caretaker with his body you know.)

Mahoraga

When Sukuna first fights Mahoraga, he avoids using you pronouns entirely. He has fun and very much values its strength so this is definitely a show of respect. The only time Sukuna uses a you pronoun for Mahoraga is during his fight with Gojo. He uses Omae after addressing Mahoraga by name. "You (Omae) are not Fushiguro Megumi's shadow, you're mine."

I'm pretty confident the Omae is friendly here, albeit very possessive. It almost reads like Sukuna's composure slightly breaking to show his excitement. His manner of speech does seem to get rougher the more into a fight he gets, and so far the wildest we've seen him is with Mahoraga and Maki.

Zenin Maki

Sukuna has yet to address Maki by name. He calls her The Woman when thinks about her or speaks of her to other people. However, since meeting her in Ch 215, he has always been impressed with her. Sukuna has not once insulted her prowess and has exclusively complimented her, just like Mahoraga. He dodges using you pronouns with her, a sign of respect, until he starts flipping out over her in Ch 253.

Similar to Mahoraga, his excitement appears to have made his manner of speech deteriorate. Combined with those expressions, the Omae usage here can’t possibly be coming from a place of hatred. Sukuna seems to like people similar to himself and Maki did “eat” her twin to gain power. She rejected her fate as a twin to survive. I think Sukuna recognizes that and admires it immensely.

Omae (Unknown)

Ishigori Ryu

When Sukuna first tries to kill Ryu, he doesn’t die. This impresses him so much that he apologizes for taking him lightly. The Omae he uses while doing this is probably complimentary.

However, Sukuna is kind of a dick and not above sarcasm. He doesn’t ask for Ryu’s name and doesn’t bother watching him die like he does with most other named characters. And if you noticed, he tried cutting him into 3 pieces like he did with the Finger Bearer to gauge his strength. That cursed spirit is barely above Yuji on Sukuna’s tolerance scale. I’m not sure if he’s being genuine here.

Okkotsu Yuta

Before Yuta takes over Gojo’s body, Sukuna doesn’t seem impressed with him. He doesn’t address him by name and uses the nomer Cursed Brat when thinking of him. Being called a Brat puts him on the same level as Yuji. I think the Omae here is derogatory.

He does seem to enjoy fighting Rika so there’s a little more respect than what he has for Yuji. But prior to Ch 261? I think he means it in a rude way.

Similar to Ryu, Yuta got Sukuna to apologize to him after impressing him. But unlike Ryu, Sukuna makes direct eye contact with Yuta and addresses him by name. The excitement on his face is almost identical to what he had for Maki. If Sukuna continues to use Omae for Yuta, it will be complementary. Especially since his internal dialogue now uses Okkotsu Yuta in the same way he uses Fushiguro Megumi.

For reasons I’ll get into, there’s also a strong chance Sukuna might swap to Kisama for Yuta. And if he does, it’ll be very significant.

Kisama

In a different post, I proposed that because Sukuna is old and hates Yuji the most, who he exclusively uses Omae with, that his usage of Kisama with Gojo is the formal version. But after learning that Sukuna uses Kisama with Yorozu and Kashimo, I want to reevaluate that interpretation.

Uraume using Kisama as an insult towards Gojo means that Sukuna is aware of and therefore capable of using the polite and hostile versions. If this is because of vessel memories or both meanings being present in Heian era I don't know. Regardless, just like Omae, additional context will be needed to determine which way he means it.

Yorozu

That's surprising, Sukuna is using Kisama with Yorozu when he has otherwise demonstrated that his usage of it with Gojo is formal. Does that mean he secretly likes her? Sukuna outwardly despises Yorozu, so it wouldn't be wrong to read his Kisama with her as hostile. Does that mean he hates her more than Yuji? Does that mean he hates Gojo?

Let's start with how he greets her. Sukuna initially uses Omae and addresses Yorozu by her name with a slight smile. All signs that his Omae is further towards friendliness than hostility even though he's here to kill her. (Sukuna communicates with violence this is normal for him.)

But the moment she brings up love? Sukuna swaps to Kisama. He uses it to insult her love too.

Sukuna is not showing respect here, he is actively being hostile with this use of Kisama. Of all characters, Yorozu would be the one who reads into Sukuna's words the most if it would frame things more romantically. The fact she sees this pronoun change as a part of the rejection and pursues him harder further supports this reading.

As she's dying Sukuna switches back to Omae. This can be read as him believing he's effectively told Yorozu to piss off with the love talk and is being a little nicer as she passes. It wouldn't be out of character for him to do this.

Still, he's insulting her CT and lack of battle intellect. She's definitely not amongst the likes of Jogo. Yorozu reads into his parting words as affection anyways and this is how Sukuna feels about that.

I'm comfortable marking down Sukuna's use of Kisama with Yorozu as one of disrespect, and Omae as slightly derogatory.

Kashimo

For Kashimo, Sukuna exclusively uses Kisama when addressing him. Now that would seem a bit sus given the exclusivity, but once again, context is everything. What separates Kashimo from everyone else he uses Kisama with is Sukuna's refusal to know or even speak his name. And if he checked Culling Game player names prior as a participant, this is pretty significant.

When Sukuna really likes someone, he addresses them by their full name, if possible. In fact, he pauses his fight with Higuruma to ensure he got his name correctly.

No such thing occurs for Kashimo. Additionally, he brings up love, which Yorozu has established as something that makes Sukuna more hostile. His entire love speech uses nothing but Kisama and Sukuna goes from cordial to visibly irritated. There's a strong chance he meant it in the piss off way.

As an aside, Kashimo first addresses Sukuna with Omae at the start of their battle and switches to あんた (Anta) when they discuss love and satisfaction 満足 (Manzoku).

Now this fascinates me because Anta is a contraction of Anata. It usually indicates the lack of class in the speaker, but is otherwise used just like Anata. Since Kashimo is talking about love and uses Omae for everyone else, this reads as Kashimo hitting on Sukuna. (In other words: Are you, dear, satisfied?)

And this is Sukuna's response to that.

Rejection.

I'm mostly comfortable marking this down as a hostile use of Kisama. Not sure if this means Sukuna hates Kashimo more than Yuji though. They did have a civilized conversation that wasn't exclusively insults. The worst Sukuna called him was greedy, and he briefly expressed annoyance with the loudness of his CT. It’s not like Yorozu where he mocked every aspect of it and her love to the end. He humored the loved talk even though it seemed to make him miserable. Not really sure what to do with this.

Gojo Satoru

Well, now that I know Sukuna is aware of the hostile meaning, there is a good chance when he promised to kill Gojo he meant it in the piss off way for humiliating him earlier. He didn't bother addressing Gojo by his full name despite knowing it at that point.

If Jogo showed us that Sukuna’s use of Omae can change over time, this means that his use of Kisama is capable of evolving too. That being said, it is still pretty confusing when it comes to Gojo because Sukuna combines his hostile and friendly mannerisms at the same time.

The Gojo fish speech showcases this frankly bizarre contradiction the best. He addresses Gojo by his full name and then insults him for being a nameless fish with the use of Kisama.

Prior to this scene, Sukuna has been thinking of him and speaking to other characters of him as Gojo Satoru. When Sukuna thinks about Yuji? His inner dialogue keeps calling him Brat. Maki, who he likes, is just The Woman (so far). If someone is nameless to Sukuna, they stay just that—nameless. He’s blatantly lying about how he views Gojo here and I have no idea why.

What’s even weirder is that for a single instance, Sukuna swaps to Omae for Gojo during their fight. The usage of Omae appears to be playful in this context as Sukuna uses an English word alongside it.

If you didn't know, it's cool to use English words in Japanese. Randomly sprinkling them in is something youths like to do a lot. Gojo himself is one of the people who does this. Not just in normal speech, but specifically when he’s engaging in “play” with other sorcerers.

What’s weird about Sukuna doing this to Gojo is the fact that English didn’t make it to Japan until the 1600s. Sukuna very much speaks like a weird out of touch old man from the wrong century. To my knowledge, (correct me if I’m wrong) he hasn’t used English like this prior.

Omae is the go-to you pronoun Gojo uses for most people. He also uses English when engaging in sorcery “play”. This almost seems like Sukuna is mimicking Gojo’s style of speech as either a form of flattery or as an insult (most likely flattery given that he is still copying Gojo's moves obsessively). Regardless, Gojo seems to pick up on Sukuna being playful since this is his response.

From his perspective, the guy calling him Kisama (aka you bastard) has started calling him Omae (you, but neutral), which would come across as Sukuna deliberately being more respectful towards him. It seems to put Gojo in such a good mood that loverboy Kashimo looks at this and goes:

Which starts to make me wonder. Did Sukuna mean Omae in the Anata way? After all, the previous chapter ended on this:

It ended on Sukuna thinking of Gojo as Anata. This fight can be framed as a date too, so it’s really sus that Sukuna swapped to Omae for an event that can be read as romantic.

The only reason I'm looking so closely at this usage is because it's sandwiched between Kisamas. It stands out enough for Gojo of all people to notice. To him it signified that Sukuna’s view of him had changed. That probably means this Omae is telling us something about Sukuna’s character.

Surrounding this Omae is the use of Kisama in the kill context a total of 8 times. Either as "I'm going to kill you." or "This is how I killed you." (Fish speech not included in this collage.)

What stands out to me compared to other characters is how happy Sukuna looks while describing how he’ll get past Infinity. It’s so persistent and detailed sometimes... (To be fair he did spend 6 months on this.)

The use of Kisama with "You cleared my skies." is definitely the respectful way. He addresses Gojo by name with a happy expression while showering him in praise.

The rest of the Kisamas? I don’t know. You could read it either way and it's not being used in the same way for Yorozu and Kashimo. The takeaway here is that Sukuna doesn’t usually use this pronoun, which means it’s significant when he does.

What did Sukuna mean by this?

The problem, once again, is Sukuna priming others to read him a certain way. Way back when Sukuna and Gojo first met? Probably hostile. During their rematch? Kisama was coupled with contradictory insults and/or death threats up until the very last second. And that still doesn’t explain the Omae.

He only used Kisama for Kashimo. Why did he briefly swap to Omae for Gojo? He swapped to Omae for Yorozu as she died. Why did he swap in the middle of their fight instead of the end for Gojo?

And this still doesn't address the massive elephant in the room—Sukuna only using Kisama for Yorozu and Kashimo because they had the audacity to bring up love to him. Gojo didn't try to do that. Not once. The only time the word "love" has explicitly come out of his mouth to another character was when he told Yuta love was the most twisted curse of all. What does this mean? Is this implying Sukuna has associated Gojo with love from the start? Am I reading too much into this pronoun usage?

One of the most prominent themes of JJK is love being a curse. Whether its Yuji's love for other people driving him forward after they die or Gojo's love for Geto screwing everything up. Yuta's entire deal is him cursing a loved one into a semi-immortal monster creature. It would not be out of the ballpark to have the main antagonist motivated by a very fudged up obsessive love in the same way Kenjaku's parental love speedruns Mommy and Daddy issues at the same time.

Yuta fighting Sukuna in Gojo’s body is significant for all these reasons. Sukuna is either going to stick to Omae, or he’s going to start using Kisama. With how happy he is at seeing Yugo, it’ll be meant positively.

If he keeps using Omae that’s not too weird. That’s normal Sukuna behavior. If he swaps to Kisama when it has been strongly suggested that in 2/3 instances it’s in relation to love… I’m going to be sus on why he’s using it for The Love is the Most Twisted Curse of All Poster Child, Yuta, who is piloting Gojo’s body.

[carlthecheeseburger]

Me-ouch! Look at these guys chillin in their little cats.

[thegrayjedi]

i gotta get this out--i really wish tumblr would stop making fun of food.

it's just... tumblr's fun new game of pointing and laughing at weird food--mostly midwestern food--really rubs me the wrong way. and look, i get it--some of it may not be very appealing if you didn't grow up eating it. i didn't grow up eating it. i grew up in the american midwest, but in chicago--the food in chicago is a pretty far departure from the rest of the midwest. those staples i've seen floating around in polls and posts, like snickers salad and canned green bean casserole? they weren't things i ever ate, let alone heard of, as a kid. and honestly? all the mayo and cool whip based salads did gross me out when i first experienced them in college (moved to iowa), and the majority still really aren't my thing.

but here's the thing--all those mayo-based pasta salads? the jello and cool whip salads? the casseroles made exclusively with canned and frozen goods? the meatloaf? they aren't just midwesterner food. they are often poor and/or rural midwestern food.

because mayo and jello and canned goods are cheap and have a long shelf life, so they'll last if you can't make another trip 30+ minutes to the store this month. because you can easily fill a deep freeze with frozen potatoes and veggies and meat and not have to worry about the money you're wasting when they spoil. because adding breadcrumbs and seasoning and ketchup to that last scrap of ground beef is going to help stretch it into a proper meal for your family so now you don't have to throw it away and it will still taste good.

sure, not every person today who is making hot dish or stained glass salad is dirt poor and living in "the middle of nowhere." not every meatloaf ever made was cooked up out of desperation. some people eat tuna tetrazzini casserole because it is quick, easy, and they just like it. but that is still their food. it is all someone's food. i thought we learned not to make fun of people's food when we realized who we hurt when making fun of southern food, or appalachian food, or the plethora of other cuisines that we have seen derided as "gross" and "unhealthy" time and again. people get hurt when you mock their food.

part of being human is being different from each other, and i think its good to acknowledge. i don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that something isn't to your taste, that you find it strange or weird or curious. i don't think there's anything wrong with having fun with it either! i think its really great to have fun discovering and trying weird new shit, even if you still don't like it afterwords and just confirm that its too weird for you! but i do think there is a line in the sand that takes the fun somewhere mean and tumblr's exploration of midwestern and other wierd food seems to be stepping over it. people intentionally misrepresenting dishes, sneering at the ingredients, seeking out recipes but making them poorly and talking about how nasty the results are, and just... mocking food. its just really been leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

[calpicowater]

Week 1/52: January 1st - January 8th 2023 | New Year’s Day! 🍔

Happy New Year!!! It’s 2023. First day of the year - slept for 11 hours straight and only woke up at my 12pm alarm lol. I died. Starting off the year with plenty of sleep. Got ready and headed to Apple Store to pick up my new phone. Met up with bf for our last day together before he goes out of town again for 4 weeks 😭😭😭 Thanks to the company holiday party, both of us each got a $25 giftcard to Cactus Club Cafe so today we went to the Coal Harbour location for food hehehe. I got their cajun chicken burger and it was quite yum (all I ever eat at CCC are burgers LMAO). I still have $6 left on my giftcard LOL so I have to go back. Left super full!!! :3

[onepiexe]

anyways. hi :-)

[assiraphales]

anyways (I say this as someone who is deeply critical of the united states government, military, unchecked capitalism, police, etc) I am SICK of people treating america as if it has no cultural value or positives so..... I love u 85 million acres (bigger than italy) of national parks. I love u harlem renaissance. I love u groundhogs day. I love u sweet tea and fried chicken and jambalaya. I love u apple cider donuts and maizes on crisp autumn days. I love u 95k miles of coastlines and new england fisherman and hand knitted sweaters. I love u halloween where millions of people dress up and give candy to strangers and carve jack o’lanterns. I love u small talk and small towns and potlucks and bringing over casseroles to your struggling neighbors. I love u cowboys and ranch hands and arizonian cactus. I love u appalachian trail and dirtbikes and divebars. I love u sparklers and fireflies. I love u mark twain and toni morrison and emily dickinson and henry david thoreau. I love u rock n roll i love u bluegrass and hippies i love u jimi hendrix and nirvana and CCR and janis joplin. I love u victorian houses and jonny appleseed and john henry and mothman and bigfoot. I love u foggy days in the pacific northwest and neon signs and roadside attractions. I love u baseball and 1950s diners and soft serve. I love u native american art and pop art and poptarts. I love u blue jeans and barbecues and jazz musicians 

[edenslostwallflower]

'hunk of cactuar meat' ....... you mean to tell me a cactuar is a MAMMAL?

[celebrationgeneration]

[puppykittymousegirl]

The most gorgeous and cool transwoman you know is at the Texas Roadhouse eating a cactus bloom in the most animalistic and sadistic way you could imagine. Southwest sauce dripping down her chin like the slick of a lover, locked in passionate coitous with this fried onion

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

Rooftop Confessions 🌟

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Finally, my first fic for my 800 follower event 😵‍💫 I'm sorry that it took me so long!! I missed writing for Jason!! I luv him so much 🥹

The order is here 🎂 <3

☆

Jason seems off. Something is bugging him, disturbing your annual date night. After some pressing, he reveals what has happened on his latest patrol and blames himself.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Something was off. You couldn't pinpoint it, as if it was avoiding you, but the shift in the air made an uneasy feeling creep up your spine. The cold air felt harsher than usual, the sounds of traffic an unpleasant ring in your ears.

But most importantly, he felt off.

Jason had always been a warm and soft presence, at least with you, but now, he felt cold and stiff. Prickly, even, as if you'd hurt yourself if you touched him.

A beautifully blooming cactus you'd admire, reaching out to graze the tantalizing spikes with your fingertips only to fall in face first.

Your eyes were trained on him, a worried crease between your brows. Jason on the other hand was staring straight ahead, an almost lost look in his teal eyes while the flashing lights of a tumultuous Gotham night were reflecting in his irises.

He'd been quiet today, not something completely out of the ordinary, but it was a different kind of quiet. Not the usual comfortable silence when he was more than happy to let you do the talking and listen with a smile and a fond look on his face but the absent kind of silence, as if he was stuck in his head, his thoughts, with no way out.

The empty affirmations of mhm's and hm's made you alert, being cautious and paying even more attention than normal.

Maybe he had a nightmare again, a bad one?- No, he usually told you about them. A fight with Bruce?- Unlikely, he would've cursed him out and complained about him by now. There wasn't a lot that could sour Jason's mood like this, and the fact that you didn't know what it was made you even more worried.

The cold concrete of the rooftop made you shiver, an uncomfortable feeling settling in your bones. It was your usual date night today, something you'd spend in many different ways; of course there was always the classic dinner, however you and Jason got bored of it after a while.

So, now you just did what you wanted to. Whether that was staying in and reading to each other while gloomy clouds hung in the sky or eating your way through every street vendor the main avenue had to offer.

Today, you opted for take-out and camping on the rooftop of your apartment building. Despite all the noise and chaos going on in Gotham, these were the most peaceful nights. Filled with soft laughter, talking about anything and everything along with sweet kisses.

But all of that sugary sweet atmosphere was lacking today. Jason's dinner remained untouched, while you pushed the food around with your fork, your appetite fizzling away. Swallowing the last bite of your fried rice, you gently moved the container off your lap and watched Jason.

The way his brows were pulled together, his eyes stone cold with something else hiding underneath the surface. His jaw was clenched and the entirety of his back and shoulders were tensed up. The dreading anxiety was slowly crawling up your throat, opting you to say something now before the flood of emotions from being overwhelmed and confused would uncontrollably spill out of you.

"Jay?" You asked carefully, watching him intensely.

No reaction, just glazed eyes.

"Jason?" You raised your voice a little, hoping your stern call could break through the thick fog hanging over his mind.

His head moved maybe an inch to face you.

"Hm?" The absent tone in his voice both made you want to huff in frustration and cry.

"What's wrong."

"What? Nothin's wrong-"

"That wasn't a question. I know something is wrong." As much as you wanted to sound steady and firm, the worry in your chest managed to tie your tongue in a knot.

A scoffed slipped past his lips, something that he regretted immediately, judging by his expression.

"Everything is fine, alright?" He tried to assure you softly, but the fake smile he tried so hard to put on only made the feeling in your stomach worsen.

"Don't lie to me." You said quietly, the furrow of your brows tugging uncomfortable on the muscles in your forehead.

"I told you, everything is okay." His reply came out snappy and annoyed, something that has rarely ever happened.

You were taken aback, the shock on your face evident.

Jason's eyes widened and he scrambled for an apology but the only thing that came out was a strained sigh, a hand running through his hair, the tuft of white hair spilling through his fingers.

He got up from his place beside you and dragged his hands down his face with a disgruntled noise.

"You have to tell me what's going on." You pleaded desperately.

If he was acting like this, whatever was wrong wasn't a little dispute with Bruce or even Dick. This was something bigger, something so big that it broke down the impenetrable walls of your invincible lover.

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, his bottom lip finding its way between his teeth. You could see the distress on his face, it was basically radiating off of him. But what made you jump up from your place near the edge of the roof was the quivering of his lip as he tilted his head back.

"Jason.." you reached up and cupped his cheek, the other placed over his heart.

He melted into your touch, curling himself around you in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, ladybird." He mumbled, pressing his face into your neck.

"Hey, hey... what're you sorry for, Jay?" You asked softly, gently raking your fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

There was a beat of silence, his grip tightening around you.

"I fucked up." He sniffled quietly.

"Honey, look at me." You pulled his head from where it was nestled in the crook of your neck and firmly planted your hands on his cheeks.

"What happened? I can only help if you talk to me." You said with a small and gentle smile as your thumbs smoothed out the deep crease between his brows.

His eyes were glassy when he finally met your gaze, and there was the faintest hint of a pout on his kissable lips.

"Deep breath." You cooed, letting one of your hands fall to the middle of his chest.

You watched as Jason inhaled deeply. Unfortunately, the lump in his throat only seemed to grow, and his voice came out shaky when he spoke.

"When-" Jason cut himself off with a defeated sigh as his head tipped forward.

You waited patiently, tightly holding onto his hands while he searched for the right words.

"On patrol, a couple days ago... there were these... I don't know, bad guys? More like wannabe villains or something..." he mumbled, a small smile breaking onto your face at the grumbly tone of his voice.

"And then what, hm?" You asked gently, the pads of your thumbs caressing his scarred knuckles.

His brows furrowed again, but more like he was thinking, a pained shimmer in his eyes nonetheless.

Now, what he was thinking? That was always hard to decipher. You could see the gears turning, but what they were turning, you didn't know.

His shoulders slumped just slightly, something that might've seemed normal or unimportant to the regular eye. Jason's lips were pulled into a thin line.

"One of them, he started his little monologue and I guess... he wanted to get a reaction out of me. You know, he talked about B and Dickie and everyone else. Which, I can handle. I've been doing this a while." He ended it off with a sad chuckled that made your heart twinge.

"But..." he sighed heavily, gently pulling one of his hands from your grip and dragging it down his face.

"It didn't work. So... he... fuck- he mentioned you. He-He said your name and...." Jason's jaw clenched as he tried to force the words out of his throat.

You had to admit, the fact that some random criminal had somehow gotten his hands on information about you made a particularly unpleasant shiver run down your spine.

You swallowed thickly, your stomach tying itself into knots.

Subconsciously, you squeezed Jason's hands tighter, and his gaze snapped towards you, and the look in his eyes was enough to rival a hot dagger to the chest.

"I snapped. He blindsided me so hard- I never would've expected that and-and his fucking grin got wider the angrier I got and his buddies were cackling- I'm so sorry." He rambled nervously, his throat closing up again.

Unspilled tears glistened in his eyes as he bit back a sob.

"It's not your fault, my love. You couldn't have known-" He shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, I put you in danger. I was reckless and should've controlled my emotions better. If I hadn't put all of them in the ground and had Tim scrub every possible access point to you, who knows what would've happened." He looked almost ashamed that he put your safety on the line, even just for a split second.

"Oh, Jay.." you sighed softly.

"But you took action, didn't you?"

"... I suppose so, but-"

"Ah- no buts. You did the right thing. You fixed your mistake. Gotham's streets are safer without them anyway. Besides, I know you would've protected me regardless. There's no place safer than your arms." You brought his hand to your lips and pressed a sweet kiss to his knuckles.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks dusted pink.

"I know, I know... I just need you to understand how much I can't lose you." The sincere and almost pleading look in his eyes would've been enough to bring you to tears.

He wrapped his arms around your middle and pulled you flush against him.

"I can't lose you. Do you hear me? Ever." He said quietly. Suddenly, all the loud noises of Gotham seemed to cut out as the only thing you could hear were your shared breath and his voice.

"Because... when I'm with you... it feels like my heart sings, my emotions feel like explosions and you... make me so happy." You could feel tears well up in your eyes at his loving and heartfelt confession.

"Jay-"

"I'm a wreck when I'm without you, absolutely unbearable. I need you like I need air and it feels ridiculous sometimes. I never thought happiness would be in the cards for me, and I always asked myself if love was worth it, and it definitely is. You're worth everything." The words spilled out of him with no end as he layed out his heart and soul in front of you on this chilly Gotham rooftop.

His hand cupped your cheek, and you leaned into his warming touch.

"And I hate myself for all times I've ever made you feel like a burden or anything less than perfect. I need you to stay. Here, with me. Forever, preferably." He a cracked a gentle smile making you let out a sniffly giggle.

"I love you. More than I could ever tell you. And I need you to know that I've never been happier." You replied softly, pulling Jason down to bump your nose against his as a gentle gesture of affection.

He smiled, resting his forehead against his while the howling wind of the night was pounding on his back.

"I love you too, ladybird." He whispered, connecting your lips in a sweet and loving kiss that managed to melt any remaining worries you had.

His hand slid upwards between your shoulder blades, the other arm firmly situated around your waist, as he dipped you slightly.

A squeal and a laugh slipped past your lips into the kiss and a pleasant purr of a chuckle rumbled through his chest. Jason pulled back and rested his lips on your forehead, wrapping you tightly in his burly arms.

You hummed softly, your face buried in his chest, shielded from the wind. The pair of you stood on the rooftop, the moon shining down on you as the bustle of Gotham quieted down just a bit.

Your, now cold, take out was long forgotten, as were any uneasy feelings in the pit of your stomach. The steady beat of his heart was enough to lull you to, not quite sleep, but a drowsy state of warmth and love, while enveloped in his arms.

There was no place you'd rather be.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ────── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

I hope you enjoyed 😚

More Jason -> 💫

《taglist》: @arkhamknightscxnt @allysunny @hellonheels-x @gaozorous-rex-blog

If you want to be added/removed from my DC taglist (Bale!Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson) just let me know! 🩷

[orange-cheetah]

Makochi Town Famous Shops Guide!!

Approved by Nii Satoru-sensei!

Saboten (Bakery)　さぼてん

Popular items BEST3

1st Anpan

2nd Curry bread

3rd Yakisoba-pan

Regulars

Sakura - What he buys often: The curry bread is a recent favourite of his　He was surprised when he ate one fresh out of the oven, and was hooked ever since.

Umemiya - What he buys often: Anpan　It's been his favourite ever since he came to this town.

Tsukushi Butcher's Shop　つくし精肉店

Popular items BEST3

1st Korokke

2nd Menchi-katsu [minced meat cutlet]

3rd Ebi-katsu [shrimp cutlet]

Regulars

Hiragi, Kaji - What he buys often: Korokke　Because Hiragi-san treats me often (Kaji).

Kikuchi-ya (Japanese sweets shop)　菊地��

Popular items BEST3

1st Dorayaki

2nd Mitarashi dango [see above picture]

3rd Warabimochi [1]

Regulars

Yanagida - What he buys often: Dorayaki　He often goes to buy dorayaki to serve with tea at his parents' house.

Sakaki brothers - What they buy often: Warabimochi　Warabimochi is just the best, right (Seiryu). I often go to accompany [2] Seiryu (Uryu).

1　Warabimochi (蕨餅) is a wagashi (Japanese confection) made from warabiko (bracken starch) and covered or dipped in kinako (sweet toasted soybean flour). Kuromitsu syrup is sometimes poured on top before serving as an added sweetener

2　「晴竜の付き添いでよく行くから」 - 付き添い can mean to accompany, attend, serve, wait on, attend to, assist

Café Pothos　喫茶店ポトス

Popular items BEST3

1st Omurice

2nd Handmade pudding

3rd Fully-packed egg sandwich

Regulars

Students of Furin - What they often order: Omurice　The taste is excellent, and there's a discount for Furin students.

Muscle Power (Okonomiyaki [3] place)　まっするぱわー

Popular items BEST3

1st Okonomiyaki that doesn't use flour

2nd Customized protein (banana & milk)

3rd Banana pound cake

Regulars

Tsugeura - What he often orders: Okonomiyaki that doesn't use flour　It's nourishment for the muscles!

3　Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese teppanyaki, savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a teppan (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce), aonori (dried seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger.

[For the menu see the bonus at the end of chapter 32!]

Penpengusa (Monjayaki [4] place)　ぺんぺん草

Popular items BEST3

1st Mentaiko mochi cheese monja

2nd Corn monja

3rd Seafood monja

Regulars

Anzai, Kurita, Kakiuchi, Takanashi - What they often order: Mentaiko mochi cheese monja　It's delicious, and the restaurant is the perfect place for everyone to hang out! (Anzai)

[photos of before and after cooking for reference, not the ones mentioned in the rankings]

4　Monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き, often called simply "monja") is a type of Japanese pan-fried batter, popular in the Kantō region, similar to okonomiyaki, but using different liquid ingredients.

The ingredients in monjayaki are finely chopped and mixed into the batter before frying. Monjayaki batter has ingredients similar to okonomiyaki. However, additional dashi or water is added to the monjayaki batter mixture, making it runnier than okonomiyaki. The consistency of cooked monjayaki is comparable to melted cheese.

[BONUS TRIVIA]

Saboten - Cactus

Tsukushi - Horsetail

[Tsukushi (つくし) redirects to 杉菜 (スギナ sugina) on Wikipedia. Known as the field horsetail or common horsetail in English. The buds are eaten as a vegetable in Japan and Korea in spring.]

Kiku - Chrysanthemum

Pothos - ...Pothos

Penpengusa - Shepherd's purse

[Penpengusa (ぺんぺん草), or 薺 (なずな nazuna). Known as shepherd's purse in English. It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku.

The Festival of Seven Herbs or Nanakusa no sekku (Japanese: 七草の節句) is the long-standing Japanese custom of eating seven-herb rice porridge (七草粥, nanakusa-gayu, lit. "7 Herbs Rice-Congee") on January 7 (Jinjitsu); one of the Gosekku.]

[all extra information and photos from wikipedia]

[masterlist]

[dw]

pupusas: proceso + producto!

pupusas de carnitas y nopal — carnitas preparadas por hervir cubitos de puerco con especias enteras de garam masala (hojas de laurel, semillas de cilantro, anís estrellado, canela, y otros que no me recuerdo), pimienta negra, comino, y sal hasta que se evaporó toda la agua y entonces triturarlos y freírlos; nopal; y queso oaxaca dentro de unas tortillas de maíz

pupusas de garbanzos refritos y queso — frijoles refritos de garbanzo, jalapeño, ajo, y queso cotija; y queso oaxaca dentro de unas tortillas de maíz

salsa roja salvadoreña — tomates cherry de heirloom (algunas del jardín de mi mamá!), jitomate, y jalapeños preparados por hervirlos y licuarlos antes de cocinarlos otra vez

servidas con kimchi de rábano en lugar de curtido, rábanos dulces en vinagre, y salsa verde de aguacate

no tuve frijoles pintos pero he tenido garbanzos por mucho tiempo y quería usarlos pues hice una versión de frijoles refritos con ellos. tampoco no tuve curtido que es tradicional, no me gustó lo que tuvieron al supermercado, ni no quise hacerlo entonces usé kimchi porque son suficientemente similares

¡inglés por abajo! — english below!

pupusas: process and product!

pork and cactus pupusas — pork boiled with whole garam masala spices (bay leaves, coriander seeds, star anise, cinnamon, and others i can't remember), black pepper, cumin, and salt until water evaporated and then shredded and fried; cactus; queso oaxaca all in masa harina shell

chickpea refried beans and cheese pupusas — "refried" chickpeas with jalapeños, garlic, and queso cotija; queso oaxaca all in masa harina shell

salvadoran red salsa — cherry heirloom tomatoes (few from my mom's garden and others leftover from when i made steak dinner salad), roma tomato, jalapeño all boiled, blended, and cooked again

served with radish kimchi, sweet pickled radish, and green avocado salsa

i didn't have pinto beans and i've had chickpeas in my pantry for forever so i made the refried beans using those. i also didn't have curtido which is normally served with pupusas, i didn't like the ones they had at the store, nor did i want to make it so i used kimchi since it was similar enough

[carlthecheeseburger]

Dia de los Muertos dogs and cats!

[oraeliaa]

Fallout and Food - research for all fics

I've been meaning to type this up for ages (I have it as written notes on my iPad), so I thought I'd post this first and if people are interested I can post more research that I've done, since a lot of you said yes to seeing my research!

So I talk about food a lot, in my fics. That's because I love cooking. So one of the first things I did was research food, because as much as I love spam (no joke I miss it most since going vegetarian) I wanted to try and have some diversity in what Cooper and Lucy ate, especially once we got to the ranch, where the residents are permanently settled and food is part of life, rather than a mere thing of sustenance.

There were a few things I focused on in my research, wanting to have meals that could be left whilst work was happening, so I pictured a lot of stews and cassoulets, corn-based porridge, hearty breads etc - but there's no flour. Instead, Mesquite beans can be subbed 1:1 for flour to make a flatbread, and there's a lot of recipes using beer etc, which we know they have, as a raising agent.

A lot of the animals they're eating aren't exactly to our tastes, but knowing that peppers and tomatoes are grown lets us know they can make paprika etc, and the jalapenos in game gave me hope haha! I wrote a smoker into the farm and cold storage so they could a) dry age the meat via hanging, and b) smoke extra flavour into some of the less...appetizing cuts

And for the meat-

Here are some of the meal ideas I noted down-

Meal ideas

Cassoulet of wild beans and meat

If we have agave and corn we can have cornbread

Corn based porridge

Pinon nuts - pine nuts + Jalapeno and coriander could marinade Iguana Nicely

Pickly Pear - can be made into fruit/jelly/fruit cheese (named after the historic moulds, no cheese involved) or sauce for meat

Tacos with black beans and brahmin cheese

Nopales are edible pads of the prickly pear cactus, which can be stir fried

Tepary beans and cholla bud stew

And finally, 10 of my references since you can only put 10 links in, apparently!

[mochinomnoms]

MOCHI!!

Do you think the Tweels don’t like to eat fish in the mainland?

Cuz of the fucking spines, you can’t eat one fried fish without getting your mouth pricked like a cactus.

In the sea they can just swallow a small fish no problems, I think.

They do like eating seafood, in canon both of their favorite foods are octopu lol. But from what I'm aware it's a different kind of dishes (fried, sautéed, pasta, etc) than that available in the sea. I think they probably wouldn't like eating raw fish, as they don't have their talons and their senses are a lot duller.

I think their normal body is also able to just process/digest raw fish easier, but if they do in their human body, they might be prone to get food sickness or a parasite much easier. It's harder for them compared to the average human, but easier than when in their merform.

[random-chaos-and-stuff]

Fourth actually drawn Wings of Fire OC here guys! This is Hemlock, a Leafwing/Icewing hybrid!

She’s a bit more simplistic than some of the others, but I like how her face turned out.

Just like always, backstory and lore, abilities, the no background and the outline, and the generation method I used for her under the cut!

Hemlock is a hybrid, her mother being a Leafwing and her father an Icewing. She is often seen as cold or rude, but in all reality that is just how she was raised, and towards those that gain her trust she is very supportive and loving. She grew up in the poison jungle for the most part, with occasional trips to the icy outskirts of the ice kingdom. Her mother was a poisonwing Leafwing, and very protective over her only dragonet as a result of the harsh environment of the jungle, training her how to hunt and be self sufficient from a young age. She is also rather adventurous, loving to explore new places, often coming home with stories and trinkets to share with other dragons. 

She has a reputation for being dangerous and powerful, one that is well deserved, with her Icewing sharp claws and unusually sharp for a Leafwing spines, and the spikes on her tail. She can withstand fridged temperatures, though not as well as her father, and is an excellent climber. She got most of her build from her Leafwing mother, but alongside the traits mentioned above her Icewing side shines through in the indented webbing on her wings and the end of her tail, her pale coloration, and her grey-blue eyes.

She is also, surprisingly enough, an animus. It is believed that her father carried the long dormant gene, passing it down to his daughter, where it for some reason became active. She often uses this ability to help herself and her community, with a special love for one young hybrid, Cactus, who has eagerly deemed Hemlock her best friend, despite Hemlock being a grown adult. Hemlock also used her magic to give herself an ability. She had hatched without leafspeak, or any real abilities other than her magic, and often longed to have something like it. So, she gave herself a new ability, similar to leafspeak, allowing her to grow plants wherever she pleased, including the fridged arctic where they should have frozen solid and died, as well as manipulating the ice to grow like plants with leafspeak. She also once used her magic to imbed into her face, three on each side under her eyes. The rubies had been a gift from her father, a higher ranking Icewing in the ice kingdom, as a symbol of status.

Yeesh, that was a long one, but at least it’s properly spaced now to an extent. I named her for her colors, and the fact that Hemlock can grow in cold temperatures, and is a poisonous plant. I had trouble with the name for a while, until I basically rubber ducked at @spookys1fan for a name, and some research on cold growing poisonous plants, thank you for tolerating my yapping messages!

She is a good example of why I like drawing hybrids, because I can play with the features more, and pick and choose how I want different features from each dragon to interact.

Here is the no background version and the outline, as promised!

Tumblr fried the quality on these, so click for better quality and all of that. I went at this with a basic idea for her colors, but it took me a bit to get them just right and make them interact well.

And finally, as promised, the generation method I used! I used a generator sheet made by HoneyBeest, which is really fun, and really helps when I get art block and want to make a new OC.

Reblogs are appreciated, but please don’t repost on other websites without credit! Also, feel free to use her/draw her if you like her design. Writing, drawing, ect. as long as you give me credit as her original creator.