#i am formatting the first chapter's post as we speak so that i can post it in a few hours !!!!!!

[noxiatoxia]

okay, i’ve been obsessing over your komaeda translations and i must know… given the unsure way he talks in the japanese (lots of filler words), does his dialogue change much after he learns the truth? late ch4, i mean. when he starts being condescending to everyone. i’m also very curious about his big speech about wanting to be called the ultimate hope

Hello, anon! Thank you for the message and interesting question! And thank you for the patience!

So, there's three questions here if I'm understanding:

Does Komaeda's speech pattern (sounding softer and using filler words, or generally downplaying his words) change later into ch.4?

When Komaeda starts rambling about hope, does he speak more clearly and more confidently?

What is the nuance in Komaeda's "hope" speech on the laptop?

I will answer all 3 in this order.

(Also, for anybody confused.... here's my post talking about how Komaeda uses filler words, and here's my post talking about how Komaeda's speech was deliberately changed during the earlier beta to make him sound less confident in himself.)

So, question number one:

1. Does Komaeda talk more rudely, use less filler words, or talk more assuredly in ch.4?

Hmm...I don't think so. He still uses honorifics for everyone (-san for girls and -kun for boys), he still uses sa and ne to the same amount, and he does not seem to devote any sort of rude speech for the most part. It is only his words that change, and not the way he speaks them.

My memory is horrifically bad, so please keep that in mind...I asked my friend @kaiokentimesten for help, and was provided with a good number of lines he remembered from ch.4/5 of Komaeda saying rude things, and I looked them up in the Japanese version. All lines were said in his usual speech formations, so there was no change. Again, the words he spoke just happened to be ruder, but they were said in the same tone.

I will show an example.

KOMAEDA: おっと、安易にハムスターを例に出すと、 脱落した彼に怒られちゃうかな? KOMAEDA: Oops. How clumsy of me to use hamsters as an example. Do you think that loser* would've gotten mad at me if he were still here?

*Komaeda does say "dropout" and it's used for people who have been eliminated in a game, or failed a test/exam/otherwise didn't "make the cut". I just think "loser" works better as a translation.

Nothing changes about Komaeda's speech here, he talks the same as he always does. He's just saying meaner words.

(I don't know where the translators got "weakling" from...that's nowhere in the text.)

The only exception I can think of is the beginning of Trial 4. Souda remarks they talk about the murder weapon, and Komaeda three times goes, "Ha?"

It's a funny scene, but significant because, as far as I know, this is the only time Komaeda uses this word.

(I could be wrong, but I'm totally coming up empty right now...please correct me if I am!)

は ha, is very rude. It means "What?" or "Huh?" but is a very rude way to say it. People like Kuzuryuu and Oowada love using it, and Hinata uses it a fair amount, although even Hinata - who's whole design philosophy, as pointed out by the SDR2 artbook, is to be more masculine and ruder than Naegi was - uses え e more often.

え e, うん un, ん nn, あれ are, are more casual but non-rude ways to say "What?"

Komaeda always used one of those first four from what I can remember, or simply 何 nani, which is probably the most neutral way to say "What?"

So to see Komaeda use this is surprising.

This is different than ははは, はっ, or あはは which are normal laughing sounds.

Oh, before we move out of Chapter 4, here's a mistranslation I want to point out (or, less mistranslation, more very direct translation where the joke is lost in English).

KOMAEDA: じゃあ、始めようか。シンキングターイム...ってヤツだね。

Komaeda isn't a stranger to randomly injecting English words into his speech - a quirk that I feel is used to show he's a bookworm/otherwise intelligent (that's just my thought) - and in those instances, instead of translating directly (because using English in English loses the nuance that using English in Japanese does) I would replace it with bigger, more obscure English words.

But this is actually not one of those times.

Another thing Komaeda is no stranger to is making random pop culture references. He does it more than you would think for a character like him.

While "Thinking Time" isn't a reference to any specific Japanese media per se, it's Japanese game show lingo.

For example, a tough question is given to the contestants, and they have 30 seconds to think of the answer before being forced to give one. These 30 seconds are called "Thinking Time".

I don't know the English equivalent. I know there's a countdown timer in stuff like Jeopardy and Minute to Win It, but I don't think they say anything. Sometimes it's "You have [x] seconds, good luck!" Or "and...start!" or suchlike.

I guess in that case, this line is better localized as:

KOMAEDA: Let's start! You have 30 seconds on the clock...good luck!

(I chose 30 seconds because that's how long the "Make your Selection" part lasts maximum).

2. When ranting about hope, does Komaeda speak more clearly, more confidently?

Yes!

In scenes like post- Chapter 1 trial, where Komaeda monologues to the audience for a few minutes before being knocked out - where he is rambling on and on - his speech is noticeably smoother with less pauses or filler injections. I would also venture to say the way he speaks makes it sound like he is stating facts, that he is very confident in his assertions.

3. Komaeda's Hope Speech on the laptop

Firstly, I want to point somethings out...unrelated to the hope speech itself, but just fun to note.

The garbled, loud noise you hear sometimes where Komaeda is speaking is not gibberish (listen here, volume warning). For whatever reason, the English version did not have Bryce Papenbrook record lines for this, and still uses the Japanese version.

It doesn't reveal any new information, sadly. And I can't make out the second one...but it's highly likely in that line I linked that Komaeda is saying 希望は絶望なんかに負けないんだ or "Hope will never lose to despair."

When it comes to the scrambled text...I've never been much of a decoder, but I can point some stuff out.

For one, I'm 99% sure the Japanese team probably provided the translators with the full, unscrambled text so they could better translate it.

That said, it's not impossible to figure this out.

<まじむかつく+超Ｙさしい２こんなにEEものｇ１０２＄うRしｓ～＝～＋いｄｓねうれOｒｚ』

まじむかつく is a term that means "extremely irritated" hence "seriously pissing me off".

The + is the same in both version, I assume it means "and".

The next part needs a little explaining. In Japanese, all consonants (for the most part) are followed by a vowel. on a Japanese keyboard, if you do not finish typing the character, only the consonant shows up.

for example, な is "na". but if you only type the n and don't follow with the a, you get ｎ.

There's a lot of Japanese slang based off this. To type ん you have to type "n" twice. so, a slang form of konnichiwa (こんにちは) is shortened to こん, konn. But it got shortened even further to こｎ.

so, 超Ｙさしい requires a bit of guesswork, as there are several sounds that start with "y", like ゆ yu, よ yo, や ya. the さしい at the end tells us it's an adjective.

超 in this case means "very", like "very expensive" or "very awesome".

Likely, Yさしい is やさしい, which is either "kind" or "easy".

This makes 超Ｙさしい either "extremely kind/nice" or "extremely simply/easy".

Official translators wrote it as "hella nice", aka "very kind".

Beyond that I start to get bad at this xD I don't know where they get "I can't believe something odd like this is only $102".

The 2 may be に, as 2 in Japanese is pronounced に(ni), and に is a particle.

I think the ＥＥ Is to be read like いい (ii) in Japanese. And the ｇ might be が (ga)?

超やさしいにこんなにいいものが１０２＄

こんなにいいもの would be "Such nice stuff" or "Really good stuff".

が at the end could be "But..." or "However..." but if the 102$ is connected somehow, then it may be an object particle.

Maybe it's "Really good stuff gotten easy for $102"

But that isn't fully true to the official English version, so maybe they were provided with more clear words to translate from. Like I said, I'm no good at codes.

The last part is easy though. うRし follows the same rule as before. うれし Ur(e)shi(i), which means "happy". I don't know what the "s" is, since it seems the sentence picks back up at いｄｓね, as うれしい is the full word. "d s" is probably d(e)s(u) with the ne particle at the end. うれしいですね, which means "I'm happy!"

And I'm guessing Orz is the emoticon.

Okay, sorry for rambling. When it comes to the actual speech, there is something interesting to note, albiet small.

The English version is correct in its translation, and the only thing I have to offer is the nuance behind how Komaeda makes his requests.

He says stuff like, "Respect me" "Praise me" "Build a bronze statue of me" and such. And he requests all of these by saying ～てくれ ~tekure.

I don't think Komaeda ever uses this outside of this speech. てくれ can be seen as rather rude. Though the formation looks like an imperative (very rude), it is not, since at it's core, てくれ means you are asking someone to do something for you, not ordering them. It is still the rudest way you can "request" something though.

It's not as severe as Komaeda yelling 黙れよ (damare yo) in 2.5, but it's close behind.

It does show he is being very callous and assertive in this scene, truly a 180 from him being casual but still respectful. This sort of demanding request tone coming from Komaeda is surprising, I feel.

Otherwise...there isn't really any nuance to add, I'm afraid. The speech is rather straight forward and the English version translates it well.

I hope this answers your questions!

[milkpup]

｡⋆ʚ♡ like father, like son

›› chapter 2 ›› nsfw 18+ ongoing multi-chapter fic!

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ʚ ao3 ɞ / ʚ kofi ɞ / ʚ fic masterlist ɞ

›› toji fushiguro x reader ›› megumi fushiguro x reader ›› toji x reader x megumi (mfm) ›› 18+ f!reader ›› started: 12/6/23 : updated: 1/29/24 : status: ongoing

‹𝟹 summary: You and Megumi are best friends. You've known eachother for almost your whole life. His home has become your second home. As time passes and life happens, Megumi slowly develops feelings for you, even though he's unaware of it. To complicate things further, you're now living with him and his father, who has also taken a liking to you.

‹𝟹 fandom: jjk, jujutsu kaisen

‹𝟹 genres / warnings: au - no powers, college au, power imbalance, pseudo-incest (they both want y/n, nothing w/ eachother), dubious consent

‹𝟹 tags: good cop bad cop, fluff, smut, angst, toji has a big dick, dilf toji, toji is his own warning, toji tries to be a good parent, toji is an asshole, toji is trying okay?, daddy dom toji, daddy kink, porn with feelings, porn with plot, friends to lovers, spit / spitting, spit kink, spit as lube, breeding, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, double vaginal pen, double pen, anal, making out, making love, love triangles, praise kink, degradation, light masochism, light sadism, emotional sex, cuckolding, jealousy, jealousy kink, smoking, smoking kink, emotional manipulation, manipulation, polyamory?, father and son share you, protective megumi fushiguro, megumi needs a hug, megumi has a big dick, aged up characters, dead dove: do not eat, finger sucking, large cock, cum swallowing, blow jobs, first time blow jobs, under desk blow jobs, fingerfucking, face sitting, face riding, 69, mutual masturbation, threesome mfm, lots of smut, loss of virginity

‹𝟹 notes: formatting next chapter for tumblr! there are currently 4 posted on ao3. i have the 5th in the works! it gets spicy!

!! - again, PLEASE READ TAGS BEFORE CONTINUING - !!

! - ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+ - !

Chapter 2: Intimacy and Exposure

--

By mid afternoon, you and Megumi are both exhausted with your full course load. You both major in biology, no emphasis right now. Megumi loves animals, so he will probably pursue something veterinary later. As for you, you’re undecided. You chose biology because it’s very general and broad, and also so you could be with Megumi more. You would never tell him that, though. You just say “idk maybe some science-y crap” and shrug it off.

You weren’t able to get lunch, so you both decide to visit a coffee shop after your last class of the day. A snack and some caffeine would help get you through for a while until you decide what you want to eat that night.

Megumi orders his usual black cold brew and muffin. The barista asks how to spell his name, and giggles? Is she flirting with him?

“That’s a cute name…” She says as she writes it down on his cup. “And for you…?” She barely glances at you.

You’re not sure how you feel in that moment. Was she flirting with Gumi? Am I jealous? Why is my heart racing?

“Oh I’ll just get an iced black tea and a banana bread please.” You try to not show your emotions while speaking. You’re not sure why you feel this way though.

You hope and pray to whoever is out there, any deity listening, that Megumi would not see you blushing and jealous.

You think you’re in the clear, he didn’t notice. He drives you home and you scroll your phone, acting like everything is normal. In reality, you’re shaking.

--

Sitting around the table, you both have your laptops and books out in front of you. It’s been a couple hours of studying, and you’re ready to take a break.

“Gumi, can we take a break and watch something? If I read the word bacteria one more time I’m going to go insane.” You tell him more than ask, already getting up out of your seat. You’re yawning, walking straight towards your bedroom, not even bothering to wait up for him. You already know he will follow.

Your room is hyperfeminine, plushies everywhere, cute shit everywhere. But you also have a mix of other stuff, like your consoles and gaming setup (that Megumi helped you get), a bass guitar that you’ve barely touched, piles of books you haven’t sorted yet.

You turn the tv on, hopping onto your bed. Megumi follows and lies next to you. You’re already aware of his presence and he isn’t even touching you.

“What do you wanna watch, Gumi?” You ask as you scroll through different apps.

“Whatever you want, you have better taste in movies and shows.” He doesn’t really care, he just savors the opportunity to be close to you. He lies behind you, almost touching but not quite. He’s close enough to feel the tickle of your hair. He feels weird thinking that your hair smells nice.

You choose some random comedy show, not caring to pay any attention. You just wanted a chance to rest and turn your brain off for a while.

Megumi moves a little close, resting his hand on the side of your abdomen. This isn’t the first time you’ve been close to Megumi, you both used to cuddle under the same blanket on cold nights or huddle under one when playing games as kids. But for some reason, now it feels different. Maybe it’s because you’re hyperaware? It has to be that, right?

Your heart beats faster, your skin feeling warm to the touch with every movement he makes. Does he notice? Is he aware of these things too? Am I overthinking things?

An hour passes by, but it feels like an eternity. You’re so hyperaware that every second feels like 20 minutes have passed. He hasn’t done more than gently caress the side of your body. He doesn’t seem to be making any advances. So why is this so painful to endure? Why does a simple touch make your body feel hot, with something pooling in between your legs?

Megumi is aware. You think he isn’t, but he can tell. Your breathing is irregular, your pulse is uneven, your skin is hot. He notices, and it drives him insane. But he’s respectful, he wouldn’t try anything. You are basically siblings with how long you’ve known eachother and lived together.

It’s getting hard to breathe. Even the lightest touch sends jolts through your body. You turn around to meet his gaze, with a look he’s never seen before. Your face is red, you’re struggling to breathe, while looking into his eyes like you know his secret. He’s flushing too, starting to sweat, feeling heat spread through his body. Your eyes are intoxicating to Megumi.

He looks at your eyes, then your panting lips, and back to your eyes again. He’s thinking of everything he wants to do to you, he doesn’t care if it’s wrong.

He touches your cheek, caressing you gently. Your breath hitches as he’s so close to you. He runs his fingers down your neck, before he pushes you to your back. It’s not forceful by any means, but mostly surprising.

He’s on top of you, pinning your arms to your pink bedsheets as he leans down towards you.

“Y/N…” he breathlessly speaks, “tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”

You definitely do not want it to stop. You’re staring up at him with your doe eyes, unable to control your breathing. He leans in closer, his face not even an inch away from yours.

His lips crash into yours. You’re surprised, you didn’t think he would be so intense, and this good at kissing. He’s biting your lip, trying to elicit little yelps and mewls from you. He’s kissing you so roughly, forcing his tongue inside your mouth. Megumi is still on top of you, pressing his body against yours.

You can feel his heartbeat, his hot skin, his bulge against your body. You don’t know why, but you lift your hips and legs up a bit to angle yourself better against his body. Feeling him so close, pressing into you was making you feel almost drunk.

He releases one of his hands from pinning yours so he can caress your cheek a bit more. His hand travels down your neck again, moving towards your chest, before eventually resting at the bottom hem of your shirt.

He’s giving you sloppy kisses, before he momentarily stops to ask you a question. “Y/N, can I?” he asks while gentle tugging on your shirt.

You giggle. He’s too damn cute. You nod your head yes and he releases your other hand.

You pull your shirt above your head, leaving your bralette on.

He looks down at your flushed frame, no longer hidden behind some random band t-shirt. The moment you take your shirt off, he’s harder than ever before. You feel him poking into you a bit.

He kisses you with more passion this time, grinding his bulge into your clothed cunt. He’s grunting and making little moans in between kisses.

He lifts his head a bit to look at you and moves his hand over your bralette. He admires the intricate lace detail, thinking it suits you perfectly. He licks his lips. You know he wants to desperately feel what’s under, but you decide to tease him a bit.

You wrap your legs around his waist, forcing your bodies to be even closer. He grunts a bit, looking at you. You smirk and pull his head back down to make out with you.

You’re grinding against him with fervor, unrelenting and unforgiving. The feeling of him rubbing against you is oh so good, and extremely hot.

He moves his hand towards the waistband of your shorts. “May I, Y/N?” You think it’s sweet that he asked. You decide to reward him a bit.

You roll him over and push him against the mattress. You quickly get up and pull your shorts off, leaving your panties on. You take your bralette off. He’s watching you like a starved dog, savoring every second of this.

You pull his sweatpants off, leaving only his boxers on. He’s looking at you, with wide eyes, excited and surprised.

You straddle his waist, sitting on top of him. You grind against him, eliciting sounds of pleasure from his lips. You lean towards him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, before leaving a trail down his neck. You suck on his skin, giving him small and faint lovebites. He looks so cute.

You have a suddenly devious idea. “Megumi, can I try something?”

He instantly nods yes; he wants you to do anything and everything with him.

“Lay down then, please. I want to try something I saw online once….” You say as you move towards his head. You’re hovering above him now. He’s directly at eyelevel with your clothed pussy, and he feels his boxers get tighter the closer you get.

“Let me know if you need me to stop, please <3.” You hum as you pull your panties aside and lower yourself onto his face.

He can feel your drenched cunt against his mouth and instinctually starts getting at it. Licking and sucking like it was his last supper. Megumi couldn’t really breathe, but he didn’t care. He could die right now and have no regrets. He would die a happy man.

You moan as he’s sucking and flicking between your folds. The noises you make drive him even more insane, he thinks he could cum right then with how much of a turn on it is.

You lift yourself up, giving him a moment to catch his breath as you look down at him. He’s staring up at you with the eyes of an animal.

You sit back down, and he continues once more. Sucking on your clit, savoring the taste of your essence, and basically fucking the air. He’s straining against his boxers now, desperate for any touch or release.

You have another idea. You lift yourself back up and turn around, your cunt still in front of his face. You lean down towards his straining cock. You push your cunt back down on his face, and like a good boy, he continues again.

“Fuck Megumi…” You whimper out as you push against his tongue. You move your hand over his boxers, palming his cock. You notice he’s quite big and you’re a little scared.

You release his cock from his underwear and it springs up. Megumi grunts under your touch. You stroke his cock a bit, slowly. That’s not your objective however.

You lift up once more as you move to spit on top of his cock. Megumi moans again, feeling the sensation of your spit covering the head of his cock.

You sloppily kiss the tip, earning a moan and a few curses from Megumi. “Fuck… Y/N.”

You move forward to suck the tip, before letting it come out with an audible pop sound. “You have hands too, Megumi…”

Your pussy is still in front of him, and he gently moves his hand to brush over your clit, circling it. You moan as you take him back into your mouth again. You’re desperately hoping this feels good, it’s your first time doing any of it.

Megumi pushes his index finger in, noticing how wet and tight your cunt already is. He’s salivating at the thought of when he can fuck your tight hole, but he’s content with just learning your body for now. Everytime he pumps his finger in and out, he hears your sweet, angelic voice.

The way you respond to his touch is music to your ears. Your mewls and whimpers drive him crazy enough already.

You take his cock back in your mouth, trying to push more in as he fucks you with his finger. He adds another of his slender fingers inside, feeling how he’s stretching you already. You moan around his cock, and this turns Megumi on more.

He moves to push you against the bed again, pushing your body down gently. He never breaks contact with your cunt, as he starts to fingerfuck you even harder. He’s watching you squirm and moan under his touch, and he can’t get enough of it.

“Megumi… Aah!!” His touch is relentless. He wants to hear every sound you can possibly make. He finger fucks you harder, feelings your walls clamp around his fingers. He uses his other hand to rub circles around your clit. You’re nearing your climax, and he’s eager to see all of it.

You’re drunk in the pleasure that is Megumi’s skilled fingers. He brings you to the edge, watching as pleasure washes over your entire body. He pulls his fingers out and licks them clean, wanting to savor your juices all while never breaking eye contact with you.

Your chest is heaving, but you want to make this man feel good too. You roll over and crawl across the bed towards him. He sits atop the bed once more, spreading his legs open and smirking.

The way you’re crawling towards him is incredibly hot. He knows what you’re about to do.

You make your way to his cock, spitting on it once more and stroking it a bit. You know you can’t fit all of this beast, but you want to try your hardest.

You look up at him as you take his cock into your mouth. You make it about halfway before you feel at your limit.

“Y/N, you’re taking me so well. You’re such a good girl,” he praises you as you drool over his cock. He gently grabs your hair, not tugging but mostly just applying pressure.

Your pussy drips again at the praise as you continue to go up and down. You’re finding a rhythm to breathe and still go at a decent pace. Using your hands also helps, and whenever you fondle his balls, Megumi’s eyes roll back into his head a bit.

“Y/N.. I’m close..” He says as he bucks his hips against your mouth. “Please.. don’t stop..”

You suck harder and moan against his cock. You don’t particularly like the idea of cum in your mouth, but for Megumi, you would do it.

He covers the back of your throat with his cum, and groans as you empty his balls like an expert. “Y/N… fuck…”

You pull back up, trying to not show how displeased you are with the taste of cum.

“That was… fuck…” He lets out an exhausted sigh. “Fucking… amazing…”

You’re laying down together again, not even caring to get dressed again. The studying can wait for later, for now you want to relish this moment.

You’re not sure what this means between you two, but you’re still happy that it happened. You yawn as he snuggles around you as the big spoon, surrounding by the same fuzzy blanket and cute plushies.

He thinks it’s so cute how tired you get after that. He lays there as you fall asleep before him, memorizing and tracing every detail of your body.

Toji comes home not long after Megumi finally passes out. He doesn’t see food on the table, and goes to check your room. He sees you and Megumi, asleep under your fuzzy pink comforter.

--

‹𝟹 notes: i will have the next chapter posted here asap :D feedback is always appreciated! ao3 has all the chapters so far!

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(･ω･)つ divider creds to @/cafekitsune and @/eloquentreverie

[slova-the-necromancer]

a dive into the symbolism in "forged in fog"

exactly how the title of the post sounds, i have this so insanely on the mind and i wanted it in a slightly easier format than google docs to have accessible. while i'm at it, too, i'd like to share my thoughts and possibly hear others on the matter. more specifically, this is about tome 14, so..yappening under the cut.

SO. when i was in between classes today, i was looking at tarhos's tome armor/the rift outfit that you got for that tome. most notably, taking a magnifying glass to the symbolic concept of "hear no evil/see no evil" represented in the helmet, and looking a lot at the in-game description saying something along the lines of how he was made to wear that by his lord. see below, looking at the hands over the ears and the eyes.

this led me down a REALLY deep rabbit hole in regards to the origins of this old western proverb that we are all so familiar with, and most notably at first, i found 2.

the four wise monks from buddhism, dating back to ancient china. practicing right mindfulness, right speech, right action, and right livelihood.

from that concept in buddhism came another interpretation from 14th century japan, the three wise monkeys. mizaru, roughly meaning "does not see," kikazaru, or "does not hear," and iwazaru, or "does not speak.

the problem i found with trying to link these interpretations back to the tome is that neither of these have any relation to the italian renaissance. the italian renaissance was, obviously, a christian/catholic renaissance. at this point in history, buddhism was very largely untouched by the west, and this held true until around the 19th century. this isn't even BEGINNING to count the isolationist policies of 14th century southeast asia. apologies if some stuff here is wrong, this is NOT my field of study!

this is a problem because, as we know, tarhos and vittorio are dated from 1391, and historians pretty generally agree that the renaissance has its origins in the 14th century. it's really more...the span of the renaissance that's argued. there's some pretty blatant symbolism here that doesn't make MUCH sense to have reached 14th century italy, even for a nobleman such as vittorio who, like most, was probably a sponsor in the arts and exploration. by this point in my research, i really just started bitching about the historical accuracy-- or rather, inaccuracy-- and how BHVR really seems to prioritize aesthetics over period-relevance.

BUT!!! a little bit more reading brought me to look further into confucius and his teachings!

according to national geographic, "The main idea of Confucianism is the importance of having a good moral character, which can affect the world around a person through the idea of cosmic harmony. This moral character is achieved through the virtue of ren, or 'humanity,' which leads to more virtuous behaviors, such as respect, altruism and humility." so huh! just based on that, it really kind of feels like we're onto something based on the characterization of vittorio that BHVR gives us. (from what i'm aware of, i'm more of a tarhos guy)

confucius writes in The Analects in chapter 12, "Yen Yuan asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, "To subdue one's self and return to propriety, is perfect virtue. If a man can for one day subdue himself and return to propriety, an under heaven will ascribe perfect virtue to him. Is the practice of perfect virtue from a man himself, or is it from others?' Yen Yuan said, 'I beg to ask the steps of that process.' The Master replied, 'Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety.' Yen Yuan then said, 'Though I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I will make it my business to practice this lesson.'" i feel like this in and of itself can be seen as symbolic of best-case scenario tarhos and vittorio, because it is ABUNDANTLY clear that this path to enlightenment is virtually nonexistent for the former-- tarhos is more the one prattling on and on about foolishness towards vittorio, not himself. but here we see the roots that buddhism and, by extension, japanese philosophy both pull from, confucius defining propriety as "proper behavior and interactions."

from here, i made an effort to link this idea back to the italian renaissance. it's all speculation of whether or not there was really any confucian influence in the italian/european renaissance-- we're looking at a time about 400-ish years before deistic teachings emerged (god as the secondary driving force, morality and humanity first and foremost as the number one influence. think martin luther and voltaire). here, we're looking more at very early/preliminary enlightenment, so very philosophical, less scientific. i won't say objective because NOTHING in history is objective. here's what we know in regards to possible relevance:

confucian's teachings weren't really translated until the 17th century by the jesuits.

in the later half of the 13th century, the polos returned to venice after a few excursions to china, reaching as far as what is known now as modern day beijing.

in the mid-to-late-ish 14th century, there was a cessation of european roman-catholic missionaries and merchants from china after establishment of the ming dynasty, and reestablishment of ethnic han rule.

it feels a little bit like a big nothing burger here, so at this point, i'm kind of about ready to throw my hands up and say whatever, i'm putting more thought into this than BHVR has.

now, i'll run through the actual interpretations of the proverb, much less "how did they even KNOW about this??"

the proverb has multiple meanings, as many ideas in philosophy do.

from a glass half full standpoint, we can look at it like...this is the peak of spiritual consciousness. living with an awareness of what we take in, what we see, what we hear, how we act, and what we say. we have the power, as the individual, to choose to see what is right with people, as opposed to what is wrong with them.

from a glass half empty standpoint, this can all be taken the exact same way but sort of flipped on its head a little bit. instead of the active choice being made by the individual to do all of these things, it can be seen as practicing willful ignorance. seeing the bad in making the choice to not acknowledge wrongdoing, to ignore the world around us, to pick and choose the things and ideas that confirm our biases of human nature and the "inherent goodness" of people.

both of these interpretations for SURE apply greatly to the forged in fog lore in general. again, not a vittorio guy, but i see him more as the former, seeking enlightenment and knowledge and doing so peacefully, while tarhos's criticisms of him and of noble society is the latter.

tarhos views the nobles and the knights as cowards that are shielding themselves from and wrapping themselves in the security of this idea of justice, choosing only to see and hear the good when their actions and legacies are just absolutely...bathed in blood. a bloody legacy that they are choosing to ignore. people who practice willful ignorance being so far up on their own high horse that they just can't look down and see the people that they are trampling into the ground. tarhos as this superior moral being-- how he KNOWS he's evil and he doesn't deny it, but it's the fact that these same exact people pick and choose what to praise him for. this begs the questions from him...what makes the atrocities he commits righteous and honorable? is it only worthy of praise when he's receiving a paycheck for them?

FINALLY getting into the design of the armor now holy shittt.

all of those ideas, ultimately leading up to THIS, is why BHVR's choice of depicting the physical representation of this proverb onto tarhos-- the exact OPPOSITE of someone that would willingly uphold these ideals-- is so unbelievably interesting to me. the personification of see no evil and hear no evil forced onto him by his employer, who he views as some...self-righteous douchebag, and what to him, feels like just downright ignorance and foolishness.

in the video, too, we see tarhos committing these atrocities that are outlined in the tome lore. he's killing, pillaging, thieving, what have you, and by the end of it?

a VERY VERY nice and up close and personal shot of that helmet, of that symbol of good morals and proper conduct, of propriety. we see the streaks on the hands covering the eyes, honestly probably dripping blood but also looks veiny and reminiscent of like...corruption and how that's depicted in art, or maybe some cracks in the visage we see. and then, the zoom out shot of him stabbing the sword into the man, giving us a pretty clear juxtaposition of just absolutely bastardizing and twisting this ideal that stems from good faith.

the final shot that we see at the end of the video gives us a good view of the cape, too. on it is what is universally know as the scales of justice, but we can see that the scales are tipped-- and i know that's not just the cape moving because you can see it earlier on in the video, too, this is just a more clear shot of him walking away from the scene. i unfortunately got a not great screenshot of the cape being a little straighter ough. justice in a literal representation of the ideals of vittorio, yes, but also, perhaps a new, metaphorical representation of the scales of justice tipped in favor of tarhos's idea of what it means? of the way that he views himself as the judge, jury, and executioner? like this decision of his is what weighs the scales down in his favor.

fin.

if anyone made it this far, i'd be happy to hear any other thoughts! of course, this is non-exhaustive-- again, in regards to the history of it, not my circus, not my monkeys, i'm just a guy that likes the knight a little bit too much. plus i myself might expand on this some more and edit it a little, too, because in my lots and lots of searching, i saw arguments that the "virtue politics" of the italian renaissance have some striking similarities to confucianism. my school library has a book on that that i'm planning on taking out later this week.

TLDR; i crave historical accuracy, and pieces of lore that i can put together like a puzzle. in regards to accuracy, it feels like BHVR took 3 different puzzles together in a box and just shook it up. historical accuracy aside though, the symbolism is SO GOOD. yum yum yum BHVR please release the knight cosmetic in the shop already.

[comicarc]

𝐈 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 (𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈)

•──✮ masterlist ✮──•

> Bruce Wayne/Reader > y/n relives her past as she explores Metropolis and finds a friend in Superman 【 wc: 2706 】

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A/N: I had more time to write, so here's another chapter! I'm trying a new format for my posts, lmk if you like it or not.

“Superman.” y/n spoke with conviction, hoping that she’d hold the superhero’s attention. Standing on the rooftop of Lois’ apartment building, tending to a dead garden that she had found while exploring, y/n was met with the presence of Metropolis’ number one story. 

y/n was so utterly shocked by his presence that she remained mum and still, simply staring at the man as the water from her watering can drowned the seeds she had planted earlier. The silence that followed confused the man, so he chose to answer, “Yes?”

She had been settled at Metropolis for a few days now, finding no luck in tracking down Superman as of late, until this rare opportunity landed in her lap. Despite all the time available to her, she had no idea what her story would be about outside of its general premise. Directionlessly searching for something to say, she uttered the first thought that came to her head, “Are you friends with Batman…Partners?”

Knowing full well that he’d met the frightening Bat only once, Superman was reluctant to say anything. But, seeing as he was the strongest man alive he pushed aside his worries, puffed his chest, and confidently answered, “Yes, we’re partners.” Internally smacking his head, Clark didn’t know what possessed him to say that. A part of him hoped that the announcement would force the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, while the other feared what may happen of him. The Bat–Bruce Wayne– held an air of mystery beyond what any X-ray vision could uncover; that dread of the unknown allowed even Superman’s heart to stutter with fear. 

Y/n on the other hand, felt less embarrassed by her lack of preparedness as she finally found some ground to continue her questioning. “You’re lying.”

“Aren’t you quite the detective?” Superman chuckled, confirming, “Yes, but I hope to work with him. Though our methods differ, we both strive to make our cities better. Speaking of bettering cities, you’re y/n right, Gotham’s best journalist?”

A blush crept on y/n’s face as she heard the compliment. Though she knew it was part of his natural charm, y/n couldn’t help but fall for such pretty words coming from the handsome face of a heroic man. “I’m flattered, and yes I am y/n.”

Y/n waited for Superman to respond, but he remained there, staring at her with awe. Taking advantage of the time she still had with him, the woman inquired, “Could I interview you at 11 PM here, more properly this time?”

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After tending to the overwatered seeds she had been planting before Superman’s arrival, y/n was at a loss for what to do while her story was across town fighting supervillains. Looking at the city from her rooftop view, y/n was struck with the idea of exploring the city. 

There had been such a heavy emphasis on Superman’s alien origin that no one seemed to be questioning what encouraged him embody human empathy. Even Lois, who had seemed to track every minute detail of his life outside of Earth, failed to mention anything about why he was saving Metropolis of all places. And what better way to learn about a person than by understanding the surroundings that influenced them?

Trekking outside of her building, y/n walked aimlessly south, noting the architecture of the buildings towering over her and the cheerful demeanor of passersbys. It was quite a unique experience for her, as Gotham’s gothic influences and a near-constant cloudy forecast remained a stark opposite to the beauty of Metropolis. Eventually, the marvelous streets transitioned, and before she knew it y/n felt at home again, in the worst way possible. 

Looking up from her notepad, y/n was met with an enormous sign reading “Metropolis Welcomes You To Southside…Where Progress Lives.” But the word Southside was spraypainted with different letters and the latter phrase had parts crossed off, instead saying “Suicide…Where ogres Live.”

At first glance, it seems reasonable for such a place to exist, for every city has its dark side. But, as familiar as her surroundings felt, with tattered buildings and garbage-ridden streets resembling Crime Alley, y/n was still baffled by the fact that the City of Tomorrow known for its progress and inclusivity, left out the one place that needed the most help.

The Daily Planet among other local newspapers made no mention of this place, of the apparent and rampant crime that y/n lay witness to right now. Muggers to her right and gunmen to her left, more people sleeping on the streets than functional buildings. At least Gotham tried to hide its nefariousness under the shadow of night. Here, everything was out in the open, for anyone to stumble upon should their fate be so unlucky. 

Traversing further into the dangerous territory, y/n remained vigilant. Turning a corner, her eye caught a teenage boy, slumped against a brick wall. He was dead, the hole in his head a clear indicator of it. He looked at peace, with his eyes closed and his face twisted into a happy expression. Death was his mercy. The sight sparked a feeling of anguish y/n hadn’t felt since the day she had left Crane; the day she believed a similar philosophy, that dying would give her the peace she deserved. 

Since the gala, y/n had been haunted by the past, something she’d tried to bury for years. But maybe this was a sign that she had to confront her pain to move on, that by acknowledging the darkest parts of herself she could be free from the shackles of regret. So, she finally let her mind wander to a place she had long refused to go. 

“I will never be like you.” y/n screamed from the entrance of Crane’s office, gripping the wooden frame tight enough to splinter it. She was done being his puppet, done fearing what he could do to her. She had to take a stand now, or she’d become the very person she abhorred: her mother. 

Crane paid her no mind, busying himself with another fear concoction as he replied, “And yet, you always come back, always give into my demands. Fear controls you, and you one day hope to control it just as I do.”

“You’re wrong.”

Crane turned around, finally giving her the attention she sought. His demeanor changed from indifference to frustration as he pointed a gun at her foot. “Prove it. If you don’t fear me, try and walk away.”

He was unpredictable, unstable, psychotic, worse than any of his patients ever had been. There was no telling what we would do with the gun. Shoot her? Let her go? Expose her to his fear venom? Lock her in the asylum? 

The possibilities were endless, and that was precisely what he preyed on, her fear of unpredictability. But she’d learned to face her fears over the years, and the prospect of a worse future didn’t terrify her anymore. What was lower than rock bottom?

So she lunged to the door, and a bullet pierced through her chest. Instantly she dropped to the floor, motionless, losing enough blood to almost kill her. But she smiled through the numbing pain.

No one would control her life as they did her parents. No one’s presence would have such power over her like Bruce’s once had. No one’s threats would manipulate her as Crane’s did. She was reborn in death. 

While blood continued to pool underneath her, she was able to convince Crane she didn’t survive. The bullet, though painful, managed to avoid any major arteries, so when Crane made his leave to let her bleed out, y/n managed to escape. Stealing some medical supplies as she ran, y/n collapsed at an unfamiliar alleyway a mile from the Asylum. Patching up her wound, she breathed a sigh of temporary relief, a moment of absolute freedom. 

That solace lasted for a mere moment until a man dawning black and orange approached her. This time though, she’d be taking control of her life, fate be damned. 

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably and her hands shook violently as she lost her footing. Staring at the corpse in front of her, she couldn’t help but acknowledge her pain. It was so much easier letting the wound in her heart remain forgotten, than face the bitterness of any medicine. She didn’t want this life. She didn’t want to live in fear. She didn’t want to be at the center of it all. She wanted to be nothing, nobody. Simply live alone in some remote part of the country where the only creatures she’d see would be sweet birds and curious deer. 

God how she wished she could wail away her pain. She didn’t want to remember, she didn’t want to re-live it all, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be alone in her trembling state. This wasn’t a way to live. Why were the best years of her life those she spent as the dirt that sullied the halls of the Academy? Why did fate have to be so cruel? But the trauma she endured couldn’t have all been for nothing.

Trembling on the concrete at the entrance of the alleyway, vision blurry from the relentless tears, she felt a clothed hand snake around her waist. The man holding her leaned further down, his pointed ear brushing against her hair. He whispered in the same modulated voice she’d grown accustomed to, “It’s ok, you’re ok.”

Tears died to whimpers as y/n surrendered herself to his calming embrace, assured that she wasn’t truly alone. Maybe all that pain was worth it in the end now that she had someone at her side. Clutching his hand with her own, she softly asked, “Can you take me back?”

She wanted to go to a time where she felt peace, puppy love, and everything innocent. Bruce knew that, and though he couldn’t give her the peace she wanted, he gave her the break she needed. Lifting her, one hand under her back and the other under her knees, he hugged her into his chest before walking into the shadows. 

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time y/n regained clarity after being taken home by the Bat it was already 10 PM, only one hour to strategize her interview with Superman and figure out what direction her article would take. Taking advantage of the little time she had, y/n splashed some water on her face to wipe away the tears stained on her skin and got to work. Eventually, 11 PM rolled around, and y/n patiently waited for Superman’s arrival. Punctual as the papers claimed him to be, he arrived there on the dot. 

“Are you alright? I can always come back another time if you don’t feel up to it.” Superman earnestly began as he approached y/n.

Shaking off his concern, she smiled as she deflected, “Yes, I’m quite alright. Let’s start shall we?”

Nodding his confirmation, y/n began, “As you have shared with the world, you’re the last son of Krypton, sent here to seek refuge, and in turn for humanity’s kindness you choose to save us from ourselves. But with so much power, why do you stoop to our level, and associate with characters like Batman when you’re twice as powerful as any human here.”

“I’ve been different all my life, ostracized by enough people to make me feel more than just alien. I’ve also experienced the best of humanity, having been praised and loved as though I were one of your own. At the end of the day, I have a choice. Either I be motivated by hatred and become the villain everyone thinks me to be, or I let the love of others guide me to share the same hope I’ve been given. I will always choose the latter. “

“With such a perspective, you must be carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. How do you cope with that? Knowing you’ll always be the savior never the saved. If you fall, we all fall with you, and you’re planning to take the blame when all hell breaks loose? What of you, of your family, of your friends, of everyone.” y/n projected her own doubts in the question, hoping that his answer might inform her on how to cope with the painful knowledge of knowing the consequences of her choices–past, present, or otherwise.

“Even I admit, I’ll die one day. I’m your champion, as the Daily Planet proclaims, and so I will fulfill this duty. Let that scenario come as it may, it doesn’t change my present. I’ll continue to fight until my last breath and ensure that other heroes can follow in my footsteps to one day even surpass me.”

Superman’s words allowed her mind to stray to Robin. She’d fought tooth and nail for a better tomorrow and she’d make sure no other would end up like her, especially the sweet little boy who held an unimaginable dexterity. Retreating from her revelation, y/n resumed, shifting the conversation to something less ambiguous, “You seem to have such a big picture for humanity as a whole, but what of the overlooked? What of the people living in Suicide Slum? Are they beyond even your touch?”

Superman paused, digesting the question. “No.”

“What an ambiguous answer. Does the nitty-gritty of the job scare you?” He remained silent as y/n continued, “Tell me what you really believe. What are you trying to achieve?”

“Saving just one man and stopping one burning building from falling apart, though helpful, aren’t impactful. For real change, we need to approach the root of the problem, the systematic poverty and corruption that thrives in places of power. By inspiring change, by promoting hope, people can uplift themselves on a vaster scale than I ever can.”

y/n smiled at his response, his words encouraging her to believe in a promising future. Finishing her last note on the small pad she carried everywhere, y/n raised her head to finish the brief interview, but Superman beat her to it. “I’ve answered your questions, now it's your turn.”

Quirking an eyebrow, y/n was somewhat surprised by the turn of events. But, she invited this opportunity to finally speak her mind to the only person she thought would understand her. Giving him her full attention, he began, “I’m embarrassed to admit it, but you’ve been my hero since that Falcone story. The way you were able to uncover such deep-rooted corruption with nothing but your wits inspired me to become Superman, to be a man–or woman in your case–of the people like you. So, I’ve always wanted to know, why’d you choose to be a journalist of all things?”

y/n chuckled at his awkwardness, as she watched a faint flush creep onto the Man of Steel’s face. She couldn’t believe that she inspired people, or even had any semblance of an impact. All these years she failed to realize the weight of her words. “My answer will probably be a let down…” She thought for a moment, long and hard, about why she was the way she was. 

She turned away from Superman, looking at the city overlooked by where she stood as she answered, “I uh–I wanted to die. But I wanted to die satisfied. So I endured the Academy, I endured pompous pricks like Bruce Wayne, I endured corruption, and I never thought to rise above it. I wanted out, and when I saw the light at the end of my tunnel–when I got my Harvard acceptance I was elated. 

“But people do silly things when they’re high on a feeling. After everything with Falcone went down, I lost my way out. And I was frustrated, angry, pained. So I put pen to paper and I thought writing down my experiences would allow me to chip at my heart. I would relinquish myself piece by piece until I was numb. And it worked because now I don’t think I can feel anything anymore. Not as noble as you’d hoped huh?”

˖ ࣪🦇𓆰♡𓆪🦇ִ ࣪⋆

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•──✮ masterlist ✮──•

taglist: @earth-to-name

[cramberry24]

I Am No Mother, I Am No Bride, I Am King

Happy Update Day! Also known as Sunday lol. This chapter lowkey fought me a bit, but at last she's done and released into the wild

Chapter 10: Don't Call It a Comeback, I've Been Here for Years is now officially up!

Pairing: Robert Zussman/OFC

Tags: 18+ Minors DNI, Explicit Language, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Period Typical Attitudes, Historical References, Historical Inaccuracy, War, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Medical Inaccuracies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Period-Typical Sexism, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Homophobia, Feminist Themes, Queer Themes, Survivor Guilt, Self-Esteem Issues, Blood and Gore, Graphic Description of Corpses, Protective Robert Zussman, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Choking, Buried Alive, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Denial of Feelings, Misunderstandings, Yearning, Mutual Pining

Summary: The Bloody First liberates Paris, featuring more flashbacks to basics and the formation of the gang.

Little sneak peak below, the entire chapter is up on ao3, linked up above in the chapter title!

“Remember,” Eve says, keeping her voice low. “It’s all about being quiet.  We go in fast and silent.  Don’t let anyone get upstairs or set off any kind of alarm.  And for fuck’s sake, only shoot Jerry, don’t forget about the prisoners.  Control your fire.  Everyone have their silencers on?”

Everyone nods.  Eve lifts her head up, looking for the moon.  She’s a thick crescent, nearly half illuminated, and there’s a smattering of stars not covered by clouds.  Taking a deep breath, Eve looks back down, gesturing for Woods to take the door.

As soon as he opens it, Eve and Marsh move in.  Marsh remains low, in a crouch, and Eve is directly behind him, aiming over him, and the two immediately get to work.  They’ve gone over this dozens of times, and it pays off.  Marsh starts on the left, Eve looking for immediate threats, and when Del and Woods come in behind them, they focus their fire on the right.  The silencers do their job, and they’re so quick most of the soldiers down here don’t even have a chance to yell.  It helps to have the element of surprise - some of the soldiers are drunk, others strewn out and playing cards, unprepared for an attack.  Eve’s eyes find the stairwell leading upstairs, and she watches it intensely as they all move into the cellar to make sure no one darts away to alert anyone to their presence.

It takes less than a minute.  On Eve’s command, Rojas and Pig flank the stairwell, knives out, ready to dispatch of any unlucky Germans who may happen to wander down to the cellar.  Lowe and Woods man the door leading to the courtyard in a similar fashion, and Eve, Del, and Marsh clear the rest of the cellar.  Marsh pulls a ring of iron keys off one of the dead Krauts and tosses it to Eve.  There are two resistance members imprisoned down here, a man in one of the cells who’s free after Eve unlocks the door, and a woman who exits from a room at the far end of the cellar.  Neither of them speak English, and there’s no one in their squad who can speak fluent French, but they both mutter a quick “vive la resistance” and help themselves to the dead Germans weapons.

Waiting at the stairwell, the time passes for the gates to blow, and nothing happens.  Eve shifts nervously, grinding her teeth together, and her squad feeds into her anxious energy.

“What if it went off and we didn’t hear?” Rojas asks.

“You dumb or something?” Dellucci responds. “You don’t think we’d hear the fucking bombs?”

“Del’s right,” Eve cuts in, even though the words physically hurt to say. “We’ll hear them, and probably feel them, too.”

“But why haven’t they gone off yet?” Pig, this time.

“Something went wrong,” Del says. “We should attack, now.”

“No.  We wait for the signal.”

“It’s not gonna come, they failed-“

“We don’t know that-“

“Knew this was a stupid fuckin’ mission-“

“Shut the fuck up and get ready,” Eve snarls, whipping around to glare at her squad, and their whispered comments silence. “We just need to wait.  Rousseau’s not going to fail.”

But it’s been over a minute, now, and still nothing.  If something has gone wrong, the rest of the platoon will sink back, away from the Garrison to regroup and get a new plan of attack.  Eve’s squad, though?  They’re stuck here.  Trapped at the German headquarters in the middle of a city crawling with Nazis.  They can’t attack the Garrison with just the six of them, plus the two resistance members.  But if they escape out the courtyard, where will they go?

If Rousseau and Crowley failed, then Eve and her squad are as good as dead.

Expendable, a voice hisses in the back of her mind, and that’s the moment a distant thundering boom rocks and shakes the cellar.

“Go, now!”

[sambart93]

2025.03.22 Mo Dao Zu Shi The Stage Play: Chance Meeting Arc [Evening Show Report/Review]

Bare with me because I haven't written one of these in about 6/7 years. I apologise if this isn't the best written as I am rusty.

Official Website here

Official Twitter here

Press Coverage 1, 2 [more may be added later]

CAST and CHARACTERS

Kaneko Shunya as Wei Wuxian Hirose Tomoki as Lan Wangji Wada Takuma as Jiang Cheng Komatsu Junya as Lan Xichen Tamura Shougo as Jin Ling Ando Yuto as Lan Sizhui Tsuchiya Naotake as Lan Jingyi Yasui Kazuma as Nie Huaisang Takeshi Naoki as Jin Guangshan Murata Mitsu as Lan Qiren

Disclaimer: A lot of this review is being written with the assumption the reader knows this story (I'll give a brief explanation in the non-spoiler and spoiler parts). This is a VERY popular IP, it started as a novel in China, then got a c-drama, a donghua, and a manhua adaptation. All 4 formats have been translated in various languages including English and Japanese; it is popular among bl-lovers in English speaking countries as well as Japan too. I have watched the C-drama twice and the donghua once as well as consuming a LOT of fanfic and fanart for it over the years.

STORY

The overall basic plot for newbies is: Wei Wuxian wakes up in the body of Mo Xuanyu, a teenage boy, who summoned him via magic in order to get revenge on the people who hurt him. It becomes very clear to Wei Wuxian that something else is going on and investigates along with the help of some members from a clan called the Guzu Lan Clan. We follow a dual timeline that shows us Wei Wuxian from his youth up until present day and beyond.

Non-spoiler plot for MDZS fans: The stage play follows the novel/story very faithful right from the start. This installment leaves us at the arm pointing towards their next clue; the end of Chapter 19 in the novel apparently.

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

I really enjoyed this stage play! It might be because it's been a long while since I've been to one, or it just genuinely was that good - which is what I want to believe! There is a lot for me to compliment this show on.

I think the first/biggest thing all the hardcord fans what to know: Is it censored? NO! It is not censored! The gay is front and center, and open right away! Wei Wuxian as Mo Xuanyu is right away flirting and saying "yeah, because I like men!". You can always trust Japan, even though gay marriage is still technically illegal but being openly gay and having homosexual relations is not, to keep the gay content in. I was squealing in my seat at a lot of them.

Things that immediately impressed me with this stage play; the outfits, the music, the usage of the projection mapping, the fight scenes, the use of the stage, and quite a lot of the casting.

The music is a little different the c-drama (the official website posted a notice on day one that the music might sound a little different because of the instruments they're using, which was super Japanese of them.), but it is still beautiful and had me crying a few times.

This story has a lot of giant or mythical creatures that can be hard to create or have on stage but I really love how they tackled each battle, and every single fight was done differently and used different techniques to show off the magic and the "monsters", which I really liked - they were definitely flaunting their creative skills.

Kudos to the casting director because I felt a lot of them were absolutely the perfect choice. The standouts for me are Hirose Tomoki as Lan Wangji (he's perfect at showing Wangji's emotions without emoting or saying much which is what you want from an actor playing him!), Wada Takuma as Jiang Cheng (as soon as I saw him cast and as which character I KNEW he was perfect! He plays a lot similar characters like Jiang so I knew months ago he was going to bring Jiang to life well!), Ando Yuto as Lan Sizhui (he is an absolutely cutie patootie pookie, and I can see a lot of similarities between him and the c-drama's portayal of him already), and Yasui Kazuma as Nie Huaisang (as soon as he walked on stage, I could see Huaisang. He embodied him so well, I cannot wait to see how he plays the character in future installments!).

If I had to give gripes, I just have two very tiny, minute ones. First one is Kaneko/Wei Wuxian, but not towards him directly; 90-95% of the script is him so Kaneko has a very high bar to reach in this play - it's almost a one man show in this first installment - and because I went on the first day, naturally it's not the most perfect performance, so he did mess a word up here and there. But I put this blame mainly on the script/performance choice; I don't understand why Wei Wuxian's internal thoughts weren't prerecordered? Kaneko says all his in character lines, plus his internal monologue, PLUS narrating the story as a narrator here and there. I really think it was poor choice to have this guy basically speak almost the entire 2 and a half hours. I really don't understand why they didn't prerecord his internal monologue - we don't need to see him speak those words, the actor himself doesn't need to say these words. I hope in future installments, they use prerecordings for internal stuff, so the main actor isn't constantly talking and having a massive script to memorise, and to give him some breathing moments. My second gripe is; where are my wives?! Where are the women?! In this we did have Yanli be brought up a few times, especially when it came to Guangshan scenes but there was no actress cast for her. I really, really hope in future installments, we get perminant casting for Yanli, Madame Yu, AND Wen Qing - and for A-Qing when we get to her part too. I want to see my wives and daughter on stage please!

SPOILERS

I am basically just going to tell you all the gay that happened because I need y'all to know how much I was squealing internally in my seat.

In Act One:

Very quickly from the beginning Wei Wuxian as Mo Xuanyu is like "ah yeah cos I like men," and playing it very gay when he needs to.

Then the very first time Wei plays the flute and Wangji comes in and recognises him immediately, just like the picture above Wangji grabs his hand and doesn't stop looking at him!!!! During this part Wei stares at him a little before getting shy and then looks away, waits a little, tries to look in Wanji's direction again, realises Wangji is still staring at him, and looks away again! While this scene in the play isn't as impactful as it is in the tv show with the "music goes wild while a camera spins around the pair as they stare at each other in recognition" moment, it's a quiet scene that, if you're watching just the two main actors, so much goes on between just their eye contact and body language especially from Hirose as Wangji; he played this scene so perfectly as Wangji. You could read all his feelings and emotions just from his stare. It is quite but meaningful in the play.

Then towards the end of act one when Wei as Mo runs into both Wangji and Jiang, Jiang talks about how Mo is gay and Wei is like "yeah, I like men *twirls hair* but doesn't men I like just any man!" to which Jiang is like "ohh??? So what kind of man do you like?" so Wuxian runs behind Wangji and says "I like man like Lan!" hoping to distract them but Lan turns around grabs his hand again and goes "you finally said it.." in such a quiet deep voice, and THEN says "I'm taking you back to Cloud Recess" and PULLED HIM OFF STAGE BY THE HAND! It was a very good moment.

In Act Two:

Act two was even gayer.

When we go back to present day and they're staying at the inn for the night, Wei Wuxian/Mo was still flaunting his gay and even started feeling up and coming onto A-Yuan a little and I was just screaming "THAT IS YOUR SON!!!" - internally of course.

Then Wei Wuxian and Wangji stay in the same room for the night but first Mo got onto his own bed and like sexy posed while not taking his eyes off Wangji - the audience was laughing of course - but then because Wangji can restarin himself, he gets into his own bed and starts to sleep. Which leads to Mo climbing on top of him so he couldn't ignore him. The sexual tension here between them! The conversation goes something like this:

Wangji: get off Mo: no Wangji: GET OFF Mo: I don't wanna! Wangji: …. You really won't get off? No: NO huff Wangji: okay Then Wangji stuns him so Wuxian can't move and sleeps on top of him the entire night 🤩

Back to the flashbacks at Cloud Recess: Wei Wuxian is in detention and in the very first detention session he's like "Wangji is such a bijin (bijin is like "beautiful person" but it's way stronger than just calling someone "kirei/beautiful". He's basically calling him a goddess of beauty 😭). His face is so pretty too" BRO CALM YO SELF.

In the next scene, Wei Wuxian is explaining how he AND Wangji ended up getting back-wacked punished; by sneaking in alcohol and fighting on the roof again with Wangji, but in the stage play version instead of actually fighting on the roof this time, Wei Wuxian just straight up ends up hugging Wangji on the roof and that's why they fall down!!! (I dunno if that's the same in the novel/manhua, sorry.)

After Wei Wuxian tries to become friends with Wangji in the cold bath, he gets too close and Wangji very obviously gay panics and moves away from him twice but Wuxian keeps moving towards him. Then Wei Wuxian is like "y'know there's so many pretty girls at Lotus Pier" and Wangji just says "I have no interest".

Finally, when Wei Wuxian presents Wangji with the rabbits, he's like "oh look at the position they're in. They're on top of each other. But I guess it doesn't matter to rabbits whether if they're male or female" all the while Wangji is trying "I don't think they're doing that."

Okay, all the gay is out of the way, now onto the other spoiler stuff.

Before they head to the inn for the night in the present, Wuxian is slouching around waiting to move, but the juniors trying to fix his posture but straightening his back and pulling his knees together so he's not manspreading which I thought was cute.

Also Wuxian's reactions in the past whenever Guangchen is there. There's a specific moment where everyone is greeting everyone at Cloud Recess and Wuxian doesn't even bother to bow to him, but bows to Qiren a second later 🤣 it's subtle things like this and like with the juniors that really add to the characterisation!

When Wuxian goes back to Cloud Recess in the future and sees all the bunnies, the actor actually used us, the audience as the rabbits, and was like "wow this one is black (girl with black here), but this one is a different colour, oh and this one! But they're all so cute and so many though!" which I really liked.

Final Ment

At the end of the show, one actor got to do a little comment, and in the night show is was Wada who plays Jiang, so he did a little thank you comment at the end but accidentally said "thank you" with the two main ones instead of waiting a beat to say it together.* He looked so embarrassed, and after bowing he looked at Tsuchiya Naotake (Lan Jingyi) and they both walked off stage giggling.

*In Japanese stage plays, usually the very last thing is:

Main Actor(s): Thank you for coming today. Rest of the Cast a beat later: Thank you! *everyone bows together*.

I really hope we get an announcement for the second installment on April 6th (the final day for this show).

[theothersideoftheuniverse]

I know it has been a bit since I first announced it but i promise that I am Cooking... I Swear........ it just takes Time, and i am in college and stuff lol

There is content in this notebook..... and the prologue has been all storyboarded & is being drawn in a digital file as we speak..... amd I've finished somr panels, I just want to post the prologue all at once when I've finished it, so i can figure out how i will format all posts in the future with longer chapters that will not be posted all at once.

But on my YouTube, for fun I've started a little music project about it! There's only one song done so far, but all the songs will be in this playlist. It'll just be various themes for charachters and events, as teasers for things to come. And for fun.

Just a little update!!! Thank you for your patience!!!

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 10 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Thank you for all the support on my last post! So for that I have given you a short sad chapter, wow I'm mean sorry about that. This chapter hits me hard, as I am a nurse and it made me cry thinking about the men who had to die overseas. I explain in the chapter how we actually care for people who have died in the hospital. I remember when I first did after death cares, I did it on one of the patients I didn't really know well but I still cried. I spoke to him as I cleaned his body, one of my tears fell on his face as I was washing him and I apologised to him. You get used to it after a while but it hurts still the same, you just get better at regulating your emotions. I have so much respect for nurses like Renee I'm sure it was the toughest job you could do. As always this is based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters no disrespect to anyone involved.

The sounds of movement pull me from my dreamless sleep. I crack my eyes open to see Gene leaving the foxhole, I watch him pull the blanket off himself as Babe’s hand comes out to pull it back around his side, keeping in the warmth. I am tucked into Babe’s side, his head resting against mine. I think out of all the sleeps I have had in this godforsaken forest this might have been one of the best. I sigh knowing I should get up as well to help Gene, but the thought of getting out from under the warm blankets into the cold morning deters me from moving. Babe coughs next to me, eyes still closed. I don’t remember falling asleep. Babe nodded off first. Then Gene and I were talking, he was telling me about his Grandmother who was a healer. I listened intently, so interested in his stories, then we must’ve fallen asleep. I yawn, my legs sore from being in the same position for the whole night. 

“Babe, I gotta get up.” I whisper to the sleeping man, he nods, eyes still closed. I crawl out from under the blanket tucking it into Babe’s side. I carefully manoeuvre out from under the tarp on the roof, making sure I don’t disturb the freshly fallen snow that coats the covering. The cool air hits my face, sending shivers up my spine. “Jesus Christ it’s cold!” I mumble. I see Gene just ahead, I don’t move any faster to catch him though, wading through the thick snow. Engine noises sound overhead. I look up squinting as planes pass, are those our planes? I’m startled by cheering men who race past me, towards the open field. I follow them. I run out into the open, as red smoke fills the air. I look around me, men smiling and cheering, hugging each other. I look as two planes fly towards us, a yelp sounds from my mouth when they open fire onto the crowd. I sprint back into the safety of the trees, bullets spraying into the position I was just standing in. Men around me open fire at the planes, so not our planes? I can clearly hear Lipton yelling at the men to cease fire. A formation of planes fly above us, heading in the direction of town. “It’s a drop Lane, come on!” Lipton runs past me, to the jeep. I get to my feet following the men.   

As we drive through the town, blue parachutes line the streets with bags attached. The car is jam packed full of soldiers to help Gene and I grab supplies. I hang off the back of the jeep, sitting in the rear. Every corner we took I was sure I was going to fly right out, I grip the seat in front of me, looking to the men who sit beside me, they watch their surroundings not holding onto anything, how are they so comfortable? I’m relieved when we finally pull to a stop, I jump out of my seat grateful to be on solid ground again. We head into the hospital to grab supplies. I pick up heavy boxes, giving them to the soldiers to move to the car. I spot Renee leaning over a man, her hand placed in his forehead as she speaks softly. I smile watching her, a warm feeling filling my chest. 

“MEDIC! Someone give us a hand here!” A man called from the other side of the room. 

“Help! Help!” The yelling continued. At the entrance a group of men carried a stretcher into the hospital. Renee was quick to act, directing them into the far room that was less crowded. I put down my boxes, Gene was beside me in an instant as well. We made our way over to the situation. There on the bed lay a man, grey in pallor, a sheen of sweat coating his skin, blood spilling from his mouth and stomach. He lay still, barely breathing, eyes closed. Renee pulled apart his top, showing the massive gaping hole through his abdomen, blood covered his entire stomach, making it harder to see. Gene was quick in helping Renee, they swiped away the blood with their bare hands, trying to get a sense of what was happening for this man. They spoke to each other in french, I watched unsure of what I could do to help.

“I need to find the artery!” Gene said ramming his hand into the open wound, the man coughed, more blood spluttering from his mouth, eyes wide with pain. I moved forward, putting pressure on the other smaller wound above the main laceration Gene had his hand in. I packed it with whatever I could find. I watched the man’s face, contort, grimace as Gene tried to find the artery that had been cut. My heart beating in my ears as I watched the man, his eyes found mine. They pleaded for help. I couldn’t find the words to say to him, to try and comfort him, I couldn’t lie and say he was fine, I didn’t want those words to be his last he heard. 

“I’m with you. You’re safe.” I whispered as Renee and Gene worked together trying to pack the wound. I watched in that moment the light leave his eyes. A glaze fell over his expression. My stomach churned. He was gone. His once rigid body is now lifeless. I looked back at Renee, tears brimming in my eyes, no words were spoken but she knew. She had the same look on her face as she turned to Gene, panting from exertion. They shared a glance, Gene stilled, his eyes landing on me and then the man. Gene removed his hands from the man’s stomach, as Renee’s slipped off too. My hands still laying on his chest. Gene stood, rage in his face as he threw the dressing he was using to the ground. I’m sure he was mad at a lot of things at that moment, himself for not being able to save the man’s life, this place for not having the supplies we needed, this god damn war that we were dragged into. I looked back at the still man, my teeth found my lip. I wiped the blood from his face with a clean dressing, pulling his top closed. I wiped my hands clean before lowering his eyes closed, trying to make him look more at peace. My hands shook, my breathing ragged. I have seen people pass before but it was different, they knew it was coming, they were old and grateful for the life they had lived, they were surrounded by family and had passed peacefully thanks to the medication we had given them, like falling asleep and not waking up. But this death was brutal, the man I’m sure was in great amounts of pain, young, with no medication, in an unknown place, far away from his friends and family. This death was cruel. I stayed kneeling beside him, a tear slipped from my eye landing on his cheek. I thumbed it away, muttering an apology. In the hospital we would clean the body, take belongings off the patient to give to the family, and wrap them in clean sheets, we would brush their hair, make them presentable for the family to see them one last time. One time when one of the patients died her son didn’t make it in time, so the nurses went in and said goodbye. We placed flowers on her chest, looked at the photo album she had brought with her, we told stories about her, and opened a window for her soul to leave. In this place there is no time, when someone dies, we move them out of the hospital and leave their body on the street, piled on top of everyone else. We dehumanise them, like they weren’t once a person, who loved, who lived. I stand quickly, feeling suffocated in this building. I move quickly up the stairs, into the open. I struggle to breath over my sobbing. I move myself away from view, I try to focus on my breathing. In through my nose out through my mouth. 

Time passes, I sit in silence, mind numb. If I dwell on things I can’t change it will hold me back. I have to move forward, leave it behind, it’s done and gone. Footsteps approach, someone takes a seat beside me. I glance over, Renee sends me a small smile. 

“Emily, right?” She asks me, not having been officially introduced. I nod, smiling at Renee.

“You’re a good nurse.” I say to her, moving my body to face her. 

“I could say the same for you, I saw what you did for that man.” Pain in her eyes thinking back to the moment.

“You know when you first arrived I didn’t even notice you were a lady.” She laughs, I join her.

“Yeah, it’s hard to not look like a man swamped in this uniform.” I look down at my appearance, my figure disappears into the many layers of clothing on my body.           

“In this war of men it is easy to feel like you’re losing your femininity.” Renee hums nodding. 

“That’s why I brought you this.” The nurse hands me the most beautiful baby blue dress. I look at her surprised. 

“Renee I can’t take this.” I gasp, trying to refuse her gift. 

“No, I insist it will look better on you anyway. You can wear it when we win this war.” She smiles at me, my heart swells with gratitude. 

“Are you sure?” I ask her again, she nods, handing me the dress. I take the clothing from her hands. The material is so soft on my fingers, “It’s beautiful, thank you so much.” I stand pulling her in for a hug. She hugs me back, tightly gripping me. I could cry again. We sit and talk for a while more, before I am pulled away to help the men load the jeep. I slip the dress into the medic bag for safe keeping, I wish I had something to give back to her in thanks. I look back over to the entrance of the hospital to find Gene and Renee sitting together talking, it doesn’t last long as she is called away by a vehicle that arrives with more casualties. Gene stands making his way over to me, he gives me a half-hearted smile, which I return. A smile that says are you alright? But knowing the answer will be, yeah I’m fine but not really.

-------------------------------

Chapter 11

[pentuppen]

Writing Patterns Tag Game!

Never done one of these before but I got Tagged by @dustdeepsea so I figured I would give it a go! Also @dustdeepsea i snagged your formatting because I am lazy!

Rules: list the first line(s) of your last 10 posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~

The Devil You Don't (BG3 unfinished series. Rapahel/Tav. explicit)

The library was a place in which a thousand journeys waited.

2. Unleashed (BG3 Unfinished series. Book two of The Game series. Tav / Astarion spawn. Explicit)

Warner Gould half stumbled out of the Blushing Mermaid, weaving on the threshold for a few seconds before he bounced gently off the doorframe and half floated down the wooden stairs.

3. Bitter Suns (BG3 one shot. Gortash / Durge. Explicit)

Her mind was a spiral of revelation, coming undone at the seams she had roughly tied into place over the last few months, the urge once again circling her body like a shark, waiting for the first drop of her weakening will to fall like blood in the water.

4. Loose The Arrow (BG3 finished series, book one in The Game series. Astarion ascended / tav, i think at this point you can assume they are all explicit lol)

It was a perfect twilight by the time she’d finished setting up the camp.

5. Mid Winter In Moonrise (BG3 One shot. Astarion ascended/tav/halsin. Created as a xmas special for all the people who got me through 50 chapters of Loose the Arrow)

Twas the night before Deadwinter and all through the woods, not a creature was stirring…aside from the druid who sailed through the air and hit the trunk of a tree.

6. The Things We Must Do (DA:I Solas/lavellan angst fluff and smut, old fic)

The old wolf roamed across the Exalted plains and a trembling silence followed, broken only by the sound of dry grass beneath weary feet.

7. See Her Run (DA:I Solas / Lavallen angst fluff and basically unfinished because I ran out of steam)

When he had once sat within the painted rotunda of Skyhold and idly imagined her stepping amongst the ancient shelves of the shattered library, it had not been like this.

8. The Lady Doth Protest (DA:I One shot. Pure Blackwall/trevelyan smut)

He watched her mingle with the sycophantic ranks of nobles and dignitaries alike, a glittering array of strutting peacocks and bejewelled swans, all of them speaking from behind masks, whether they wore them on their faces or behind their lying eyes.

9. In Red (DA:I One shot. Pure Iron Bull / Trevelyan smut )

They meet on the battlefield again, and this time they are on the same side.

10. What You Owe (DA:I 3 parter. My very first fic, a Solas / lavellan angst smut sobfest! I made a lot of people cry)

“It was cruel of you to seek me in my dreams”

~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~~o0O0o~

Not sure what any of that says about me other than I am a bit long winded lol

Don't actually know many other authors I can tag because im old and mostly shitpost stupid memes! But I will ask @nusaran and @chewchewman to take a stab at it!!

[ipsen]

1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12 and 13 for Holometabolism

Hoho, boy, here we go. After a read more!!

1 - What inspired you to write/update this work?

I once put in the tags of a post I can no longer remember that there are only two things that fuel the creative process: love and spite, which are ultimately the same thing-- a desire for something better than what came before.

I am not upset that Eto was scrubbed out of her role in TG:re. I am upset because she was ultimately treated as an afterthought by the story, and that most of her efforts are just attributed to Arima. It's one of Tokyo Ghoul's worst habits: giving men more pity and attention than women. And this is a story with really good women characters that fall flat simply because the story refuses to utilize them.

That is ultimately why I made Holometabolism.

4 - What’s the most challenging part about posting new/updated work? Do you find posting stressful or invigorating?

Posting as I go is probably the only way I can motivate myself to continue a multichapter work. I need some extra validation from sources besides myself, because personal passion can only get you so far in life. You must be uplifted by others in some capacity to, ultimately, make it anywhere.

The hardest part about posting is, to me, clicking the post button. Because I just know there's gonna be some formatting error or whatever that I missed and now I have to go back and FIX IT.

Oh well.

5 - How do you decide how long your fics/chapters will be? Do you have a word count goal?

For Holometabolism specifically, I liked to shoot for at least 4k words because that's a nice healthy number for me. It just seems like the longfics I myself enjoy have a similar word count per chapters, and I've just kinda grown accustomed to it.

But usually my process involves a vision, and then writing to get to said vision. I visualized an EtoKen ending for this fic and then went from there (I actually fleshed out Chapter 4 the most before any of the others, and it's the chapter that's retained the most of its original draft form). Word count isn't a generally a factor, but it does help keep me within a certain limit.

I'm all for a word vomit, but constraints are an integral part of quality. Also makes editing much easier when there's less to actually edit. I like editing the least.

7 - What part of this fic/chapter was the most fun to write?

Now here's a tricky question, because I have a lot of parts that I had so much fun, to the point where ranking them is honestly impossible.

I liked Eto and Touka's first conversation in Ch2. They are foils to one another, with similar backstories and personalities, but they approach things differently. Establishing that was important groundwork for their friendship later on in the fic.

Every time Hinami interacted with Eto was a joy. Hinami is this weird cross between Kaneki and Eto, like a strange brain child of theirs since she was influenced by both of them at key stages in her life.

Ch4's climax (haha) is near and dear to my heart. Not my best work by a longshot, but a very important piece that I'll cherish for a long time. Reconciling your ugliness and bearing it in the hopes for something better is something I want to believe I can do too. So I wrote two people doing it (haha).

Ch5's ending!! I loved taking "I am a ghoul" and making it a positive, awesome slogan! I felt bad having to follow it up with Ch6, honestly. SPEAKING OF--

Eto and Furuta's conversation and "rematch"! So much fun. What better to demonstrate her character development than by having her confront someone she definitely hates? Gotta pat myself on the back for that one.

8 - Which line/paragraph are you most proud of? Why are you proud of this?

Tricky question #2, I see. Well, if I have to pick one, then:

“Please don’t die, Eto,” [Hinami] choked out.

Eto pursed her lips. “Why?”

A few tears dropped onto their hands, coalescing into a small puddle on Eto’s knuckles. “Because… Because I’m not ready to say goodbye.” Hinami pressed their hands against her forehead. “Please… Even if you can’t smile, or laugh, or cry… Live.”

I intended this to be the turning point for Eto's character in this EtoKen fanfiction. A sin, to some, to not have the love interest be the one to start the redemption journey.

Hinami is another one of Eto's foils who is also in the unique position of being capable of holding real and sustainable affection for her. It was important to me to showcase that that was what it was: real, genuine love. Because Hinami, besides Kaneki, is the only person Eto would actually believe in 99% of circumstances, since the girl is both similar to Eto and honest with herself.

12 - What do you hope readers will take away from this work?

"You are worth it, even if you don't think you are." "There's always a little bit of hope for everyone." "Even if you can't smile, laugh, or cry... Live."

Life is mostly good, I like to think, and I wanted to underscore that belief with this fic. I want people to know that hope is stronger than despair, and that it is hope for the future and yourself that drives positive change. Something like that.

13 - Are there any cut lines/scenes from this work? Why did you cut them?

I have an entire document dedicated to "scenes that were Good to me, but either didn't flow properly with the story or just contributed very little to the progression of those involved." There's at least one scene per chapter, too.

I might actually post some of them here on tumblr someday, when I'm feeling enough energy to format each LOL

--

That's everything! Thanks for the ask!

[bloodmaarked]

in search of the perfect peach: why flour holds the answer to fixing our food system // franco fubini

first published: 2024 [to be released 19 september] read: 26 august 2024 - 28 august 2024 pages: 224 format: e-book [ARC]

genres: non-fiction; food; gardening; environmentalism favourite character(s): n/a least favourite character(s): n/a

rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 thoughts: i have a lot of thoughts on this book. unexpectedly so, because when i asked for an ARC after spotting the lovely cover and intriguing title on a NetGalley newsletter, i thought it would be a quick, informative read on something outside of my comfort zone and not much more than that - just a chance to learn something new. but for me, in search of the perfect peach ended up irking me much more than i expected. part learning resource, farming guide, memoir, and investor pitch, my greatest issue with the book is that it didn't seem to know who it was being written for, or for what purpose.

having read only the introduction, i was intrigued by franco's key concepts - that the food system has been "broken" in the post-war era due to the introduction of supermarkets that have prioritised yield and profits from fruit and veg, at the expense of flavour, quality and nutrition. the author's understanding of this largely comes from his experience running a food distribution company called Natoora - fine, but in the introduction he began lauding his company too much to the point where i felt he was trying to plug it to me. unfortunately, that was something that kept jumping out at me throughout the book and took me away from what should have been the main point. i'm not entirely convinced this book isn't a not-so-subtle advert for his company.

as i moved through the chapters, i began getting frustrated in a different sense. within the first third of the book, i had gotten my head around the main message - supermarkets deprioritised flavour and we need to bring the focus back to that. this had been told to me, rather repetitively. absolutely nothing wrong with the message, but once i was this far into the book what i wanted was some practical tips for how a person like me can begin to follow his ethos. there was some discussion on eating in line with the seasons; not seeking out peaches in the middle of winter, so to speak. but there was a lot of information to wrap my head around. it seems that it's not just about eating seasonally, but you have to know that different varieties will be available at various times, and you have to understand that each variety has an early, peak, and late season (EPL). perhaps it's just me, but i feel like for someone who is not used to eating seasonally at all, it felt a bit like "where do i start?" there's not actually much practical advice on offer. so i suppose the solution is to head to google and figure it out yourself. at this point, i started wondering whether i was not the target audience and whether this book is better suited for someone who works in the food industry (like a chef or a restauranteur) who might be able to grasp these concepts with less guidance.

this was a recurring pain point; there was a frustrating lack of practical ways to implement change as an everyday consumer. franco's main advice was just to seek flavour, but how? from his viewpoint, it's an impossible feat to find flavour (i.e. quality produce) in a regular supermarket. so what are the alternatives? where do we go? farmers' markets, perhaps? or directly to Natoora? (i honestly am not sure where else you would go.) however, the author then brings up other complexities, such as you can never tell whether produce has been farmed responsibly using healthy soil. or that you can't assume local produce is going to be better. so it felt like there was no clear starting point for learning to change one's habits without hitting some type of pitfall.

in one of the last few chapters we finally get some solid(ish?) advice - that we should simply pay more money for better quality produce. while there is a passing remark that maybe some people can't afford this change, he also comments that you should be willing to divert your funds away from other things in your life, like your hobbies, to afford more expensive and better quality fruit and veg. um. it felt very dismissive. but also misguided. the majority of people rely on accessible and affordable supermarkets like ASDA (which he takes a shot at) to get by. the idea that large-scale change needs to come about as a result of change at the food industry level, but also while heavily relying on the few who can afford to shell out more for food doing so, doesn't make sense. it feels like the change needs to be top-down - from supermarkets, food suppliers, farmers, restaurant chains, etc. which then begs the question of whether the little advice given to us in this book is that impactful.

i feel like by the end i hadn't gotten much from this, and that this book was not truly directed at the everyday consumer. i do think that this was better aimed at those within the food industry, and, i suppose, the minority who can afford to make significant changes in their buying habits (and given the types of clients he and his company work with, i feel like this was probably the case). as a book for this group, perhaps it worked fine. for readers not in the know, i think the whole thing probably needed some reworking. the one thing i did get from this was eating seasonally, and that's something i will have to do much more research on on my own to get to grips with making what is a fairly big change in eating habits.

if you are someone who fits into the category for whom this book might work, by all means, give it a read. if not, but you are interested in eating consciously and sustainably, i suspect there may be better resources out there than in search of the perfect peach.

massive thanks to Chelsea Green Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

[alienaiver]

Summary: Even if the Seven Days of Mourning has passed, your grief will not let you rest. Your father, your kingdom's crown, has untimely left the earth. Now it's your job to go from Crown-in-Waiting to actual Crown of the Karasuno Kingdom. With the kingdom's grief and responsibility on your shoulders, it's your time to rule - all the while figuring out how an assassination on your beloved father succeeded. You're just grateful that you have your advisor - and biggest supporter - Sugawara Koushi, by your side to ground you.

wordcount: 28.7k words

General tags: Royal Advisor AU, Fantasy AU, SFW, mild to medium angst, gender neutral reader, POC!friendly reader, bodytype!friendly reader, slow-burn, romance, no use of y/n, comfort, mutual pining, idiots to lovers, reader is royalty, mentions of loss and grief, minor character death (reader's father), these idiots are so tense and official around each other that it hurts, minor violence, surely it should be illegal to type out 'your majesty' as much as i have, i'm sorry if my little crime solving takes up space - i dont even like the crime and thriller genre 🤡, i cared too much abt world-building here, if anyone wanna know the economic history of this world (including the three recessions and inflation time periods) let me know! im insane!, vaguely described sword fighting and related wounds in the final chaper go to each chapter for more detailed tags and warnings

A/N: i have made a big effort into making this reader as gender neutral as possible so that men, women and nonbinary people can all insert themselves! therefor i refer to the ruler of the kingdom as 'the crown' instead of king/queen etc! clothes are not described in whether or not theyre pants/dresses but instead in fabric and colors. this has been my main goal as a nb person! ✨ i hope i succeeded! otherwise i dont have much else to say, but that i hope u enjoy this baby of mine! 🧡

Chapter 1: miles, 8.7k words

Chapter 2: inches, 7.9k words

Chapter 3: collision, 12k words

ao3 link

[imnotoverlyobsessive]

PICK YOUR FIC, TIMOTHÉE EDITION

Alright kids, so for Lea’s birthday at the end of April, I am going to be posting a fic that has never before been seen on the tumbles (and AO3, which is the superior format). Thing is, there are quite a few options, all incomplete, and that means you—yes, you!—get to decide which one!

Let me tell you a bit about each fic, how much I’ve written of them, and then you can decide which one you want!

1) If You Like Me, the OG RPF. Started in October of 2021, this fic has been going for many moons. Summary: College student Lea has never interacted with men, and after her dad's treatment of her mom, she likes it that way. All-girls schools have always been more comfortable than the alternative. Men are dangerous, and they're even more dangerous if you're stupid enough to fall in love with them. Lea would like to postpone that as long as possible, preferably indefinitely, and she's confident she'll be able to do so. That is, until a certain someone strolls into her part time job and flips her world on its axis. Follows real life closely. Chapter count: 7.

2) If I Dare Speak Your Name. Summary: Lea and Tim have been friends for awhile, and she’s always been careful not to let her feelings complicate things on account of him being stuck in a relationship he can’t escape and isn’t happy in. Things come to a head during her birthday trip, and they begin a secret relationship that changes everything. Chapter count: 8.

3) Mr. Chalamet, also known as the dilf au. Boring title, not-so-boring premise. Summary: Timothée was a bit dumb as a teenager and had a kid. Now, sixteen years later, his daughter is in an early college program at Lea’s university, and when the girls get partnered up for a semester, Lea ends up meeting one of the most famous actors in the world. An absentee wife and a fifteen year age difference may or may not be adequate for preventing the development of Feelings™. Chapter count: 4.

I am adding in my tag list because I really want people to choose which one they’re wanting.

Tag list: @meetmyothersouls @ellamaianderson @shika1200 @blackqueenstarseed1 @gatoenlaciudad @esmaada @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @softhecreator @timolaurence @timmymyluv @oddlyenoughiamweird @leecrunchybones s @s-we-e-t-t-ea @almostg @vampire-reanimator @leespparker @bubblebuttwade @glizzymcguirex

[katyspersonal]

Hey, it’s nice to see you around again! I saw you say you are reading a fan fic soon? That’s cool that you are getting back into it. Do you have any recommendations? :0

Heeeeeey! ❤️ Here, I finally consider myself having read 'enough' Bloodborne fanfics, sooooo let me just share a few! Though I will be sincere; my selection of characters and themes to read is a bit narrow (for now), I do not read anything in the row x) Let's see!

This is a short and finished fanfic that explains the mechanics of Micolash's mirrors teleportation from alchemical and occult standpoint, as well as HOW and WHY he is 'the Host of the Nightmare' and... without any exagerration or flattery?

This is basically all I've ever wanted from fanfiction about Micolash. I was honestly impressed by alchemical and historical knowledge elaborated and how precisely it is explained how things WORK. Fictional universe giving very exact formulas, mechanics and rules of worldbuilding always felt like absolutely next-level thing for me, and something I think Bloodborne fandom REALLY needs. ESPECIALLY regarding the dark academia horror related characters like Micolash. Writing level is also very good.

ALSO, this particular fanfic made me realise something about School of Mensis that BLEW my mind, so I will bring up a bit from it in another post, stay tuned in

(Not to mention that I am absolutely in love with this portrayal of 'early' Micolash, only just having set a foot on his path to insanity, being very stubborn and determined yet clearly having no realistic esteem of how HARD this way will be. Almost childish naivety of a boy that fell in love with inhuman knowledge...)

Now finished works end. x) This fanfic I actually got recommended several times as one of like, two people that love Edgar. I am already enjoying it VERY much, it was definitely worth the hype from my friends I'll say.

It is written in the style of letters and diary notes mostly by Edgar, though sometimes scribbles of other characters are found and... Well, in this case, I did not KNOW I needed this. I absolutely love reasonable and analytical approach of Edgar and how well old English is imitated. (I personally also find this fanfic very handy as a reference to how people in Bloodborne setting would talk, since I just can't imitate this style as someone for whom English is not even the first language... Thank you for teaching me 5000 old-fashioned synonyms. )

Honestly, I think this is the best format for describing Edgar's slow descent into insanity possible; we can see how he loses his objective and falls in love with Micolash through his eyes, it illustrates the progression much more effectively than third face writing would in my opinion. I would not even call it a ship fanfic not yet at least?, he falls in love not with a man but with a cult leader but that is... even better? I don't want to spoil at what point the fanfic is right now as I write this post, but it was SO awesome that I've been thinking about it all day. Without irony, I want Whatever This Is even more than normal "ship" now o_o'

This is also a work in progress, an ambitious project to tell the full story of discovery of the Old Blood and Pthumerian secrets, getting help of Cainhurst in investigations, all the researches, forming of the Healing Church and so on so on...

I am really impressed that Fantomette, as someone without prior experience with writing (and not speaking English as native language, like me) jumped to something so big. But honestly? I've had a lot of fun reading this story. It is just... so many characters, so many themes, and chapters are written absolutely correctly in how they lead events from point A to point B and how the mood changes. There is never too much emotion+information, and never not enough. I don't know how to explain it well as I am still a visual artist, not a writer, but it legit feels like watching a fun TV show! You get invested.

I will be blunt; skill, artistry, grammar (especially in foreign language), sometimes even consistency... they all are important but there is always time to develop them. The most, and most, and MOST important thing for the writing, without which NO skill matters is to be entertaining and engaging. And this fanfic did entertain me and did make me care about what was going on, so of course I can recommend it with clear conscience.

(Also, side note, I gave her many advices on how to improve this or that sentence and pointed out some wrongly used synonyms or typos... I was worried that I'd accidentally destroy her self-esteem, but she has been receiving constructive criticism very well and is willing to improve. Like.. I can just say this person has talent and will go very far.)

So yeah! Waiting for the latter two to get more chapters and be finished.. and also hoping for more stuff like the first one please!

I'd say I am very particular on the 'gives my blorbo a justice' fanfics, and those that either do not focus on a ship or make it weeeeeeeird. Each of the listed fanfics are an example of what I am after; exploration and exact explanation of the science and magic, study of a character and their progress as a person, and detalization of 50000 events and characters that formed Yharnam's story! If you got some more, let me know too!

[madtomedgar]

: Books read in September and October:

A Guide for the Perplexed,” Dara Horn: interesting concept, horrible execution. The idea of a modern adaptation of the story of Joseph with two sisters, one of whom is a tech prodigy and one of whom is just a failgirl, was exciting. The book gets away from itself really early, the authors engagement with Egyptian society post Arab Spring was... bad. The historical narrative didn’t ever really gel with the modern one, and then the ending very much imo didn’t resonate thematically with the story of Joseph. Also. Taking Ancient Queer Icon Joseph Ben Yisrael and making his story into a heterosexual love triangle is a crime and I am googling to see if Keshet has a legal team as we speak. That being said, the other Dara Horn book I’ve read, Eternal Life, was AMAZING. Glad I didn’t read this one first or I never would have read that one.

Revielle for Radicals, Saul Alinsky: Oh Saul. I’d missed this professional pain in the ass. A decent refresher, but I would probably have been better served by just rereading Rules for Radicals. You can tell that this was written when he was much younger and still high off the victory of organizing the Back of the Yards community in Chicago, that his confidence and world view hadn’t been disrupted by that community organization turning itself into a gleeful tool of racism yet. My main takeaways were that wow this guy must have been fucking insufferable (I love it), the extent to which American life has become so atomized and private, and how upsetting that is and how it makes it much harder to organize, and that it turns out they would just publish whatever back in the day.

Are You My Mother, Alison Bechdel: I don’t usually read graphic novels or comics, so the format was interesting. It read a lot quicker than I thought it would. A lot of this was unfortunately relatable. Oof. I am not really a person who buys into the like. Early 20th c psychoanalytic obsession with the subconcious, symbolism, and infant impressions, so that part of the book didn’t do much for me. But Bechdel is a great storyteller and overall a good read. Nice to read about mom shit that is different from my mom shit, y’know.

Human Acts, Han Kang: Firstly, I learned a lot about recent Korea history that I had no idea about! Like most white USAmericans, my knowledge there kind of stopped with the end of the Korean War and then fast-forwarded to today. I like learning new things and this book galvanized me to read up on South Korea in the 80s. More importantly it is one of the best and most interesting and emotionally effecting books I’ve ever read. The emotional impact was similar to Holocaust literature. The format of having the tragedy of one particular boy’s death ripple outward in the lives of witnesses and loved ones was just... damn. There is no resolution, and the way time has moved on from these deaths by the end is disturbing rather than comforting. This might be weird to say but the way the book is constructed and the way it reads feels very true to how post-traumatic stress disorder works. The event never goes away or gets duller, the wound is always open, the grief never stops screaming. The chapter from the point of view of the ghosts is especially intense, lovely, horrifying. This is a book about a massacre and the continued oppression by an authoritarian regime of those who stood up to it, so bear that in mind when deciding on reading it. Like I said it felt similar to reading Holocaust literature for me, with the main difference being that this wasn’t my grief and generational trauma. But also, a truly amazing book. Hard to read other books after it because they just aren’t as good.

Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

(by which I mean if you aren’t reading the Locked Tomb series, what are you doing with your life)

Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons, Marilyn Hacker: I haven’t read this much poetry all at once probably since my post-college T.S. Eliot phase. It was a good challenge and I’m glad I did it. So many good individual sonnets that really speak to the lesbian experience, especially the erotic sonnets. I was really struck by how much we’ve lost in terms of lesbian public and social life since this book was written in the 80s. while i loved many of the individual poems, and sections of the series as strung-together beads, I think I would have enjoyed the overall story of the relationship better if it had been an autobiographical novel, but I’m not sure how much that has to do with my actual taste and how much it has to do with me being out of practice with poetry.

The Ruby Fruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown: Oy. So I get how this was A Big Deal in the 70s. But. The writing is bad. The main character somehow IS the sassy too-cool overly competent and smug and above everyone and everything lesbian character that people shoehorn into fanfics about dudes so they can Do Something with the inconvenient women that isn’t killing them or putting them on a bus. Like. She is lesbian Ebony D’Arkness Dementia Raven Way. A bunch of squares stare at her and she puts her middle finger up at them. Also she’s Not Like Other Lesbians, she’s a Cool Girl. Generally the author’s disdain for other lesbians, especially butches and less feminine ones, is f a s c i n a t i n g given what the author looks like. I’m not sure if this was like... a marketability/likability thing and more about an imagined straight audience, or genuinely her thoughts at the time but uh.. hmmm.

A Map of Betrayal, Ha Jin: I’m very confused how this guy gets awards and tenure, a little confused how he gets published. His writing sucks. His dialogue is wooden, his characters are flat, his plots are contrived, predictable and basic, and everything is an excuse for him to include Cool Historical or Cultural Details that he has researched or knows from his life. If he wrote articles about those things they would be great! When he forgets he’s writing fiction and just starts going on about the relationship between the US and Taiwan in the 1960s, it’s fascinating! He could just write nonfiction! But no, he thinks he’s got to have characters and a narrative to give him an excuse to talk about anything, and it’s painfully obvious that they’re the excuse. Someone tell him to just write the nonfiction that he wants to write already.

[jmdbjk]

Is this true ?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FXZCGTjVEAEOean?format=jpg&name=large

Hey, Anon!

I know it’s a yes or no question, but sorry...your first mistake was you sent it to ME... so here’s my super long ass post for such a short question...get your snacks and beer (or lemonade if you are underage) and get comfy, here goes...

I am assuming the image that your link is referring to is related to a fan sign event. The image in question is way down below under these cute fan sign pics...

For new Army who might not be familiar with fan sign events: I am pretty sure these events are common in the kpop world. They are a cute way for fans to get up close to the members. They get one on one time with each member, talking, taking photos, holding hands, signing autographs, fans also bring questions for the members to answer.  They also bring cute gifts and it’s all very... sweetly cute. Typically, attendees are younger/teenage females and the interactions are very age appropriate. 

BTS has not done a fan sign since 2019 I think. I wasn’t Army when BTS still did them.

My take away from those events is that they are highly contrived as idol/fan interactions...the pure definition of “fan service.” The members will be engaging and cute with the fans during these things. They wear all kinds of knick-knacks that are gifted to them: crowns, flowers, all kinds of headbands for photos...

During one of these events, a fan brought Jimin the exact same Minnie hat he wore in GCFT... when he put it on the crowd started shouting for Jungkook to look... Jimin looked like he wished the ground would just open up and swallow him right there ... he’s so damn cute.  

As the years went on, we progressively saw Jungkook and Jimin evolve from being very awkwardly cute in their behavior with fans to more relaxed and playful, joking with each other and it all coincides with how their relationship has evolved over the years. I think I even found the instance (or a similar one) that Anon’s question is about and it happened in the very early years:

There’s a ton of stuff out there, even fan-edited compilations of these moments. I also found this:

I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other about fan sign events. If I had an opportunity to attend one, hell yes I would! But do I think it is something the members themselves enjoy doing? Maybe at first because they were working hard to be successful and build their fanbase. But these days we are moving on to Chapter 2 so I don’t know if this type of thing would be on their radar. The ages of the fans at these events is really young and it would seem awkward now that the members are a little older and it appears they are shooting for a mature market from the looks of Hobi’s new work.

So back to Anon’s question...

I cannot tell exactly when or where this particular interaction may have taken place but it looks like something that would happen at a fan sign. I don't think the remarks in English on the white section of the image are exactly what the poster asked in Korean but I could be wrong. 

This is my very rudimentary translation of the typed Korean:

꾹이한테 To Kuk

어제 지민이가 정국이가자기안고잔 다고자랑을 하길래 Yesterday, Jimin was bragging that Jungkook slept in his arms.

물어보니 굉 장히단 호하게 When I asked, he was very, very kind.

"절대아님" “Absolutely not”

박지민 에게 진실을 요구합니다 I ask Jimin the truth

From MY translation (I do not speak Korean, I can barely read it and use a translator to translate what I read) so my understanding of my translation would be something like:

“To Kuk (Jungkook), Jimin was bragging that Jungkook slept in his arms, when I asked Jimin the truth he was very kind and said absolutely not” so obviously my translation would be different than what is on that post. There is no way for me to grasp the context with this image.

(Imagines a future conversation with someone when I try to ask in Korean “May I pet your dog?” and it comes out “When do you fuck your dog?” ...already pre-embarrassed.)

On the handwritten yellow note the only words I can make out are:

잘대 Sleep well

지민 이룰 (?) Jimin will(?) 

I am not sure if that is 룰

I cannot make out the other characters well enough to translate all of it since it is CROSSED OUT WITH 7 X’s hahahahaha. 

I do think that’s Jungkook's handwriting in sharpie marker, but I can't read his handwriting very well 🤣 and it doesn’t even closely resemble the characters that spell out “absolutely not.” Maybe it says: ㄹ록 ㄹ록 or “LOL LOL” 🤪

So my answer to Anon’s question, “is it true?” I don't know. Did this interaction actually take place? Seems possible...I found the instance where it happened or one that is similar.  Is what they said true? Could be? 

Did they mean it, like with their hearts and souls? HAHAHAHA...no. 

The intent of the post might be an attempt at refuting Jimin’s claim he slept with his arms around Jungkook and that Jungkook said absolutely not, that did not happen. But I think there are issues with the translation because of the comment in English on the black section of the image. I cannot tell who said what and we are supposed to take the original poster’s word as accurate translation which is not wise when it comes to things we see on social media that have been passed through several users (I’m thinking the image is a fan cafe post that was reposted on Twitter maybe). 

WATCH ORIGINAL CONTENT IN ITS ENTIRETY!

Regardless, if this was during a fan sign event, the members are playful, teasing, acting up with fans. If Jimin stated Jungkook slept in his arms, it was in this context. If Jungkook (or even Jimin) said “absolutely not,” what does anyone expect them to say in front of a roomful of young female fans? Yes, we fuck as soon as we get home? 

Does any of it mean anything in the big picture of Jimin and Jungkook being the closest of closeness? No. They’re fine. 

Anyone else have any input here? I am certain there are others who probably know exactly when this happened.