#i still don’t really know the definition of mcd unless it’s all of the option which might be the case

[sxnshxnxxnddxxsxxs]

for the longest time i truly hated the major character death tag. not for the usual reasons but because its just a slap in the face to me and my literal thinking.

like when you say major character death does that mean:

an important character in both canon and the fic dies

an important character in canon but not the fic dies

an important character in the fic but not in canon dies

there is just death everywhere in this fic bitches be dying left right and centre

like there’s too many interpretations for my brain so i just avoid the tag purely so i don’t have to try and puzzle out the meaning.

[belabellissima]

Fic ask: P, R, T

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I’m an architect most of the time! I love plotting out stories and my outlines are usually several thousand words. However sometimes the outline will say “they travel two weeks here + bond” and other times it will be a full paragraph complete with dialogue that I’m imagining right then. By nanowrimo terms I’m a plantser! (Combo plotting and flying by the seat of your pants)

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

Rosaria Munda is a huge influence in how I write politics and regime structures, and Nicki Pau Preto is a big influence in fantasy world building and complicated sibling relationships! (I’m an only so I don’t always remember to give my characters siblings😂 and I find those relationships to be harder for me to write)

Blue_Sunshine/ @blue-sunshine-mauve-morning (hope you don’t mind being tagged😅) is also a huge influence on how I plot things. Reading their Desert Storm and Rise and Fall series’ completely transformed my ability to plot stories. Their ability to foreshadow is next level, and every time I reread those I find something new. They also are so so good at writing a multi-pov narrative without losing the reader. I can connect with every character and they all feel so unique. If you like Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett, Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze, Anakin Skywalker, Shmi Skywalker, or all of the Jedi that I can’t list here, that’s the series to read. Also I just love the way they write Shmi and female rage, and it definitely influenced how I write anger and hatred in general, both in fic and original work. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but reading that fic literally taught me more/helped my writing grow more than my actual degree in creative writing did.

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

I feel like this is more of a trope in general than just fandom specifically but I can’t stand when female characters lose/give up their magic😭 there’s literally only ever been one book series where that happened and I was okay with it, and only because it immediately gave the narrator the option to get it back if she was willing to brave walking through fire, thereby making her a sort of narrative reincarnation of the first of her people to get magic/beginning the cycle anew.

I’m not putting the name for spoiler reasons but I’m always down to talk about this series if it sounds interesting to anyone. It’s got magic (obvi) and rivals to friends to lovers (I’d say enemies but really they just get off on the wrong foot and they don’t ever actually try to kill each other bc it’s YA and they’re teenagers) and bonded animals and the fallout of a bloody war of succession that left both heirs dead and genuinely nice male characters who respect the women in their lives and multiple canon queer characters (including an aroace girl, a bisexual guy, and two gay guys).

But back to the actual question! I also don’t like unhappy endings😂 I generally won’t read something if I know it has mcd or a sad ending. Unless that’s like…. The whole point of the fic in a ‘this is a classic tragedy’ sort of way designed for catharsis. There was a fic that I read and thought the mcd tag applied to the death in the beginning, so it took me completely by surprise when, after ~60 thousand words of healing from that, the best friend was then killed right in front of the narrator in the second to last chapter. I still can’t listen to ‘somewhere only we know’ without thinking of this fic and it’s been S I X. Y E A R S. Never again🥲 it’s called Paradise and is Young Justice fandom if anyone wants to experience the same pain😌

[mc-doppomine]

Dunno why this came to mind...maybe calculating Jakurai’s deal here...Who knows but here I am imagining how much schooling these boys have gone through. 

As a note, I am not saying their schooling level as any jab to them. All people are different. Some would prefer going to school, some do not have the opportunity and some have other things to do. It really is many reasons why they would or wouldn’t go on. And I’m just guessing what I think they’ve done based off information we have of them. 

Buster Bros!!!

Ichiro I feel only completed compulsory school and some of high school. He was too busy supporting the orphanage and his brothers to really keep up with it. And considering Yorozuya Yamada is likely their only source of income, he hasn’t really gone back either. I don’t that particularly bothers Ichiro since while he wasn’t bad at school he wouldn’t say he liked it either. 

Jiro is at the age where he didn’t have to go to school anymore but Ichiro made him stay. As it was just better options for Jiro if he does finish school. He also doesn’t go to cram school as 1) he can’t stand school as is, 2) he likely goes to help Ichiro with the business and 3) there’s a chance they can’t afford to send him. Despite the latest drama tracks, I don’t see school being a point of contention between them even if Jiro doesn’t like school. I don’t see him pursuing a traditional higher education, if he even goes at all.

Saburo is still in compulsory school as far as I understand so it’s not really a question of if he goes. But obviously Ichiro would want him to stay. Especially him because he’s good at it and seems to like it. That and it might help Saburo’s social skills to have to be around kids his age. For the most of the same reasons, Saburo doesn’t do cram school either. If anything he probably could tutor if he didn’t get so easily frustrated with people. I do feel he could make it to the top schools when he gets older but I see an interest in going overseas for uni.

Mad Trigger Crew

Samatoki I don’t think went past compulsory schooling. He was too busy with yakuza stuff to really deal with school. I see him getting into a lot of fights over his background, namely badmouthing of his parents. He probably had Nemu stay though because he wanted her to have options. I think he’s really good with money even though he probably hasn’t had to worry about it for a long time

Jyuto I initially was gonna say did go to college but researching a little bit, he probably didn’t. He only would need to finish high school and pass exams. Which I feel he was prepared for. Like I think he’s been set on being a cop for a long time and worked for that. Which is why I’ll also go out on a limb and say that in high school this boy was a runner so he was also in shape for his training when he passed exams. I also think Jyuto was a good boy student.

Rio likely went into military service as soon as he could, which I believe is 18 over there. It’s a little harder to tell about how the service was since the world of hypmic is one that had another war, so it’s likely his time was busier than what it would be normally for someone in the navy. He absolutely could’ve gone to uni and come back to get a better rank but I don’t think Rio really cared about that aspect of it. (This man knows communications and some hacking, you cannot tell me he couldn’t have gone far) I will say he likely took advantage of his half-American status and is fluent in English as it would’ve been useful for joint exercises with the states. I think the dissolution of the navy really shot him in the foot but he’s just too resourceful to keep down with that.  

Fling Posse

Ramuda...obviously didn’t. And I don’t think his records would show anything. Like if it had to show anything, it would probably show him going to a super large school where it’s completely possible no one knows who the hell he was (because he was never there). And if he was based off someone, he likely had some of his credentials taken from them. He understand the culture of schooling though, I mean his style and personality does seem to draw girls high school age and older. 

Gentaro is pretty hard to imagine to be honest. I don’t see him enjoying his school life and being around classmates for an extended amount of time. And while I think he could’ve spent some time in academia in literary research, I also see him finding it way too stuffy for writing. But I think ultimately...he went to uni for a short time. For some reason I just don’t see him vibing with how the system is for it. 

Dice did not. I don’t think he finished high school although he could’ve if he wanted. But he probably avoids it because it’d be an easier way to keep track of him and run contrary to his stray sort of life style. 

Matenrou

Jakurai...is a doctor...I sure HOPE he went to school for his profession. So he studied some of the stuff you need for doctoring during his time as an assassin but he didn’t actually go into studying to be a doctor until he quit his killing at 23. He probably went into the national defense medical college, which seems to be 6 year program but you have an extra 2-3 years of compulsory service with it. I think he likely finished his compulsory service, at the latest, a year before the Dirty Dawg timeline. Or OR he faked his schooling and just knew the equivalent knowledge from his time as an assassin and was able to pass his exams and later studied whatever he lacked. He’s basically fully legally certified NOW, don’t worry...

Hifumi I just can’t see going past high school. Like I’ve always seen the incident happening in his last year of high school and it made it difficult for him to even finish. And considering he claimed in the first Matenrou drama track that he didn’t find a way to live with his phobia until he was 20...I don’t think he went. Not that he would’ve been interested in it. Hifumi is interested in what he likes and wouldn’t want to put the effort either way. I don’t think he really cares and he has more than enough skills (and money) to do just about whatever he wants.

Doppo likely went to uni. He couldn’t get into the real prestigious schools and knew he couldn’t so just went for wherever he could get into rather than wait to test again. I feel like his degree is in either accounting or business. I think he had a part-time while in school to pay for it since it seems like his family might not be as well off or he didn’t want to burden his parents (in a passing conversation I think he mentioned paying for his brother’s exams or schooling). For some reason I also can see him having a minor in biology because I see him either knowing a lot about plants or knowing a lot about marine life. What kind of person just thinking of a water flea for like a small creature?

Dotsuitare Hompo

Sasara I feel like he didn’t go past high school. Not that he couldn’t. Just that he didn’t find a need to? Not when he was set on going into comedy. Like it was either make it or be trapped with his family. And he was hard noooope. 

Rosho....is a teacher? I sure HOPE he went for his teaching certificate. I don’t think he was going to initially and might not have while he was doing the comedy game with Sasara? Their time line is a little fuzzy, I haven’t found the indicator of if Rosho and Sasara disbanded before he went to MCD or after. If it was before, then yes he went to school after they disbanded. If not, then he was in school while doing the manzai thing. So yeah dual major of mathematics (or statistics) and education (he didn’t need both but I have faith in him).

Rei most definitely went to fucking uni. This bastard would let you think he didn’t but he did. He’s probably a fucking doctor or just shy of it. Drives me mad. Why am I sure? Because if Rei is behind the hypnosis mics. As in the designer and/or inventor of it, he is a scientist or engineer of some type. I see him having a degree in either biotechnology or neuroscience. I learn towards the latter because I feel like he also got a minor in psychology (or y’know what, business is possible too for a minor). Just to mess with people.

Bad Ass Temple

Kuko I feel was the same as Ichiro in that he went to high school but not necessarily finishing it. I don’t believe he would’ve had to...if anything he’s gone back to his teachings at his temple. Yet it seems he doesn’t do that either so I’m not sure. I just don’t think he did anything past high school. 

Jyushi I think he might’ve just finished high school? I don’t know if he was just finishing or he’s soon to be doing exams. But I think he’s going to finish regardless. Y’know I feel like Jyushi would’ve liked going to uni. I can’t think of what he’d go to school for though! Would it be adding too much work to a passion if he did something with music theory? 

Hitoya...is a lawyer? So yeah? And you have to wonder if Hitoya is a masochist or loves to learn or what have you. Because he was in medical school WITH Jakurai. And then when they part ways, he quits and then goes into LAW. Are you kidding me? Hitoya, Hitoya please...I looked it up, he HAS to be a masochist! Law in Japan is super hard to get into! It has one of the most difficult bar exams to exist! What are you doing, man??? Although...I think Hitoya is still fairly new as a lawyer though because him starting when I assume Jakurai started school at 23, would have him only being fully practicing for 5 years. And that’s assuming he dropped out the first year and not later...which would only shrink he years outside. Unless whatever he got for his bachelors was applicable for law too (behavioral science?)...either way, yes he’s done it and he sure does do a lot to beat a guy that doesn’t even know they’re competing.