#i think these are all the major things i highlighted wanting to discuss back a few months ago

[pochapal]

Topics:

[simpee9000]

Not Just Friends - 8 -

M.List : Prologue : Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Part 5 : Part 6 : Part 7 : Words 2.6k

Childhood best friends turned into something more, at least with the label. Katsuki Bakugo, a fast-rising hero and fast-learning guy who is ever so slow in getting attached to and loving someone. Even three long years into a relationship, and your friends even forget you're even dating. Nothing happening, spare a few kisses.. like 3 kisses, during high school. Graduated and living together, and you guys have done absolutely nothing to further the relationship. Are you sure you're not just friends? Also not edited!! CW: Smut, brief domestic violence discussion, virginity loss, aggressive flirting from creeps, gore with pro hero stuff (lmk if i missed any) Applies to all chapters regardless of it is in said chapter.

"It's been two weeks," you pointed out, telling yourself and him.

"That doesn't mean you have to be okay already," Katsuki huffed at you, crossing his arms as he leaned against the makeup table in front of you.

You were going on for the interview that you promised that night. Truth quirk and all. They were prepping you right now for it, covering the dark circles under your eyes as they made sure to add highlights.

"I go back to work tomorrow, I want everything to be dealt with before hand," you dismissed. You wanted your plate clean so you could throw yourself fully back into work, you were itching to use the equipment. "Besides, Aizawa is here. He'll make sure to turn off the truth quirk if needed."

He grumbled, watching you intently as you got up, makeup finished and TV ready. "I don't like this." He didn't want you to go back to step one, even if you claimed to be fine.

"I know," you patted his arm, he's been trying to convince you not to. But his PR manager advise you to do it, knowing if you switched up that the public would think the worst.

An assistant knocked on the door, peeking through when you told them it was okay. "You're on in five," and with that, they left.

You swallowed nervously. "It's not to late," Katsuki offered.

"I said I'd do it, so I will," you looked yourself over in the mirror one last time, brushing your clothes smooth before you walked to the door. Katsuki following behind as you waited behind the curtain, ready for your cue. You made eye contact with Aizawa who was on the other side, next to the interviewer with a truth quirk. You gave a small wave and gained a nod back.

"Remember that you can dodge the question, it's not considered lying," Katsuki informed you for the millionth time, going down his prep list, "I studied them, they make you say the truth but not blurt it, so you have time to form your words."

"And now we have Dynamight's girlfriend," the talk show host called your name, greeting you on stage. "She'll be giving us all the details of her juicy relationship with our number two hero! All under a truth quirk." You walked onto the stage, giving Katsuki a nervous smile before turning to wave at the crowd.

It wasn't your first interview but it was the first major one. A huge live audience that filled the room. You shook hands with Gossip, the hostess nickname for the public. Shaking hands with the truth quirk interviewer as well before sitting down. Aizawa stayed off stage, ready to cancel things if needed.

"Nell, here," Gossip called attention to the truth quirk, "Known as 'Spills' will activate her quirk and ask questions about her secret relationship with Dynamight." Nell waved at her introduction, smiling brightly. "We've opened questions to the audience as well, so let's get started," Gossip grabbed a stack of cards from her desk, nodding to Nell to start.

You crossed your legs, hands clasped in your lap as you waited for the effect.

Gossip handed Nell the cards to read out. "You were the one on the phone with Dynamight two weeks ago, correct?"

"Yes, called me while I was making dinner," you laughed trying to add anything you could to the questions because you wanted good press.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Three years," you answered easily, feeling the small buzz of the truth quirk in your mind, "Since second year of high school, even though I liked him way before that." Well, you haven't meant to say that, the truth quirk making the small bit of information slip out.

Gossip grinned at what you were saying. "And you've never liked Deku? No romantic feelings there?"

"He's like my younger brother, absolutely no feelings there," you confirmed.

"You don't even find him attractive?"

"I do, just not like that. I only have eyes for Katsuki really," you didn't even know why you were anxious at this point. Part of you was worried it'd make you slip up, say something in the wrong way and make it seem like you wanted him.

"How cute!" Gossip gushed to the crowd. "Well now that we have that settled, lets get to the nitty gritty." You paled at that.

Opening your mouth the protest before Nell interrupted you, "What about Dynamight annoys you the most?"

You rolled your eyes, "He leaves his socks everywhere. Literally only his socks, everything else he is a neat freak about."

"Anything else?" they pushed for something more.

"He literally argues with himself while getting ready, calling his teeth stupid for getting dirty," you ranted, glad you had no real issue with him.

Nell and Gossip shared a look, unsure of where to go. "What do you love most about him?" the decided to switch from negatives to positives, trying to feed his fan base.

"Oh," you paused, mind swirling with too many truths, "He remembers all the small things," you settled on, talking fondly, "He bought an extra chair for his office because he knew I hated the ones he had. He might not talk a lot but he does so much."

The crowd swooned at how fondly you talked of him.

"Why are you with him?"

"Cause I love him?" you questioned back confused, paleing when you realized you haven't directly said it yet. You've been together for three years and knew you loved each other, it was just hardly, if ever, spoken.

"How about we open questions to the fans?" Gossip turned from you and pointed at someone who raised their hand.

"What's Dynamight's biggest weakness?" the crowd called out, Nell immediately asking you the question.

You froze, Aizawa was being distracted and couldn't save you. You faintly heard Katsuki's loud foot steps coming up, trying to save you.

"He loves his back being popped," you answered, truthfully, the interviews losing the spark in their eye as you didn't give good enough gossip. "Seriously, he loves it. Practically melts afterwards."

Katsuki stood next to you, grabbing your hand and pulling you to stand. "This shit is done."

"Dynamight," Nell called out as Katsuki dragged you away. The truth quirk likely making him stop. "Do you seriously love her?" She spit those words out in a manner that reminded you of the break in.

"Yeah, so fuck off," he barked over his shoulder, pulling you off stage.

---

In just the drive home, your phone was blowing up entirely. You were trending on Twitter, Tiktok, and any social media already. All they needed was an hour. You scrolled through TikTok as you curled in on the couch, swiping from one video of you to another video of you. People were gushing over your relationship, loving how he protected you and how you talked about him.

It turned the fan girls more on your side, having gotten a glimpse of your life with him. They concluded that you were one of them. You even saw videos of how you cheered him on during the first-year sports festival. They took any social media post with the two of you and over-analyzed it. Talking about how you looked at each other.

"Still looking at that shit?" Katsuki called from the kitchen. Currently packing up the leftovers of dinner.

"It's cute," you defended, "They found a photo of us during graduation," you lifted your phone over the couch for him to look, hearing him shuffle over to look.

It was a photo of you two hugging after the ceremony, probably seconds after he asked you to move in with you. "This is horrible for my image," he complained as he saw the caption, "Makes me look fuckin' soft."

You rolled your eyes, looking up at him from where he leaned over the couch, "You are soft."

He scoffed, "Sure."

Humming, you got up from the couch, moving to head to your room, wanting to grab a book from a box. You hardly unpacked, your room still empty as you've been spending the past few nights in Katsuki's room.

"Hey Kats," you called from your doorway, seeing more boxes in your room than before. Probably and entire third of boxes that you didn't put there, you were at work all day, busy with meetings while Katsuki got home early.

"What?" he asked when he met you in your doorway, looking over your room.

You stepped in, glancing into an open box and seeing Katsuki's stuff filling it. "What's all this?"

"Figured with you sleepin' in my room all the time we might as well share," he crossed his arms as he shrugged, leaning into the doorframe.

"Really?" you looked up at him, taking your eyes of the open box, lighting up inside as you looked at him.

"Why not?"

You've been waiting for this since he first asked you to move, but you knew that if you freaked out he would back out. You bit back a huge smile, joy seeping through your expression regardless. "Want to set things up then?" you offered, answering his unasked question of it was okay.

He didn't give an answer before he moved in the room fully, grabbing a box of his clothes and going into the walk in closet. You stepped out of your room, seeing how his old room was empty minus a bed. Smiling, you moved back into your room, grabbing another box of his clothes and placing it beside him before grabbing your own clothes and finally unpacking. You took two of the walls of the closet, him taking the last wall, having less clothes.

Cycling through each box until they were all unpacked, your room looking like a mixture of the two of you. His comforter but your sheets on the bed, pillows stacked the way you loved and his limited edition All Might alarm clock sitting on the nightstand. The dresser being spilt for the two of you with small touches of each of you adding to the room. Giving it personality.

It made you giddy, to see everything done up as a combined. You let a bright smile grace your features as you changed for bed, Katsuki showering in the connected bathroom while you slid under the covers. You grabbed a book from your nightstand and flipped to the bookmark.

Reading through the rest of the chapter before Katsuki came out of the bathroom, ruffling his hair under a towel as he walked in. Hanging the towel up and shaking his head like a wet dog to fluff it back up. He stayed shirtless, how he's been sleeping the past few nights, and only wore his boxers.

You eyed him over your book, watching his arms flex with any simple motion he made. Eyeing him as he walked to his side of the bed, slipping under the covers fully before wrapping his arms around your waist.

The motion was surprising, filling your stomach with butterflies as you accepted his hug. You were propped up on pillows, making it easier to read with the posture, his arm slipped easily under you, his other going under your book. He squeezed light, wearily of the wound that was still present on your left side.

"Your shower is so much better than the one in the hall," he grumbled, digging his face into your shoulder. His shampoo scenting the air as you leaned your head onto his.

"Our shower," you couldn't help but correct him.

"Do we want the old room to be your office? The other mine?" he questioned.

You closed your book, setting it on the nightstand as you held onto his arm. "Maybe one can be a guest room? Your mom called and said she wants to visit," you suggested.

"That hag been callin' you often?"

You slapped his arm for how he addressed his mom, "She's worried."

"Hm," he dismissed, "I don't care."

"The interview wasn't that bad," you changed topics, "Just made me say softer versions of the truth."

He took his head off you, moving to sit up so he could look at you, "They asked you about my weakness? Do you know how bad that coulda been?"

"But it wasn't, I did what I said and nothing bad happened," you matched his glare.

He rolled his eyes, falling back onto you.

"I surprised how cuddly you are," you said, not to tease but point out.

"Fuck off," he scoffed, moving to flip away from you. You hooked your arms over his shoulders, trying to pull him back but just got flipped back over with him, letting out a squeal of surprised. Situated right on his lap, close to his face. His hands held your thighs as you straddled him unintentionally. "'m not cuddly," he pinched your thigh.

"Sure," you teased now, "That's why you've been all over me."

"I can finally touch you, think I'm not going to take advantage of it?"

You pulled back, sitting up right on his lap as you looked down at him. Brows furrowed, "Is your watch always on?"

He shrugged, "Not always, but most of the time, 'round you."

Your stomach dropped, you moved to grab his hand and saw that it was on. Turning his quirk off. "You can't use it that often," you told him, worried.

"I turn it off before I sleep," he brushed off, moving his hand away from yours.

"When was the last time it was off around me?"

"When I was asleep last night," he answered easily.

"Katsuki," you frowned, "That's not good for you, you need to turn it off." You reached for his hand again.

He snatched it out of your hand, "The fuck's your problem?"

"I don't want every time you touch me you need that stupid watch on," you complained. It made you feel disconnected from him, like he had to hide his true self.

"It's not on all the fuckin' time," he argued.

"Then you should have no problem turning it off right now," you challenged. His face was all scrunched in distaste as he looked at you.

"I don't have shit to prove."

"You're using it as a crutch," you dug, "I shoulda never built it for you."

"So you would of prefered staying how it was? Don't want me to touch you?" he argued, getting frustrated that you were upset. Defaulting into anger.

"I'd prefer you," you clarified, "The actual you that doesn't need to suppress his fucking quirk."

"I don't need anything," he hissed, "I was doing it to make you fuckin' happy but now you're all bitchy about nothing."

You widdened your eyes, pushing yourself off his lap finally and moving to your side of the bed. "You'll kill yourself," you commented, "Not having access to your quirk is deadly."

"No I won't," he huffed, not moving from where he laided.

"You're right, cause you can turn it off," you decided, "I'm not going to touch you until I know it's off."

He sat up right, "Really?" he looked down at you.

"Yep," you popped the 'p', "I only made the watch for work training, not sex training like how you're using it."

"That's ridiculous," he tried to reason.

"Well, I'm going to be 'bitchy' about something that'll kill you," you crossed your arms, standing your ground.

He shifted, "So we're going back to square one? That what you fuckin' want?"

"Sure," your chest felt tight, hating how frustrated he was. But your side made sense. "I want you alive."

"I'm not going to die."

"Yep, cause I'm not encouraging you to turn it off anymore."

"Can't kiss you or anything then," he tried to threaten, failing to change your mind.

"Okay," you shrugged. Internally mourning the loss of it already.

"Seriously?" he was in disbelief.

"Goodnight Katsuki," you turned onto your side, making him unable to look at you anymore.

When he huffed and turned away you were worried he'd leave. Go back on sharing a room. Truly test how far you were willing to go.

But all he did was adjust onto his side of the bed, angrily turning his lamp off, darkness coating the room.

At least you had that, but who knows how long you would. You clutched at your chest as you sunk in on yourself. It would suck to go back to how it was two months ago. Not being able to kiss him, or hug him freely.

You've gotten so far and had to throw it away. But it was necessary. The nitroglycerin made his heart run slowly, he needed to have his quirk flowing or you didn't know what would happen. You weren't trying to risk it so you could feel him up.

---

-Next Part-

In them m.list of this fic comment if you want to be added into a tag list <3

I'll no longer add people to the taglist if they haven't commented there. It's too much to keep up with all the new part. Hope you understand <3

@ldk3347 @suki0 @ez4ra @mithicakurogo @aomi04 @ellielover69 @54fangirl @zoast32

@lvc-lv @wildernessflora @xbieditz @poemzcheng @jaxyy219 @truwaifu

@mushroomsneedystuff @kazuumii @keiva1000 @atashiboba @ofcqdesi @americasass1942 @kaboomkayla @ilovedenk-i @iamyoursonly @albakugo @fairiesgloss @limitedstar @i-bitch-you-bitch @drageonix24 @sinyaaa @oddball08 @imsuperawkward @lomlchi @anime-manga-fanatic @irlpadfoot @chocoyanchan @gollumsmygel @yuptha-tsme @icedemon1314 @alstrums @andysdrafts @your-mum3000 @idontevenknow129 @stxrrielle

@supersecretsamm @maeveorsomethinggg @schniti-is-in-the-house @dumbbitchenergy17 @whydoyoucare866

[mareastrorum]

Hello! I’ve been looking at your blog after Critical Role episodes for a couple of weeks now and I have to agree with you wholeheartedly about pretty much all of it. I wanted to ask you your opinion on the idea that a majority of us are calling Bells Hells the bad guys because all they’re doing is ‘wanting to dismantle the oppressive force that aims to destroy an entire established society of innocent people’. I’m having trouble understanding what oppressive force that is?

Thanks for the ask! There's two parts to this, so I'm going to address them separately.

First, there is no "oppressive force that aims to destroy an entire established society of innocent people." Like, the only group that came close to that in this campaign was the Weave Mind and the Imperium, which intended to take over Exandria in its entirety and subject the entire population to hivemind slavery--but Bell's Hells did little to oppose them. Vox Machina (backed up by an army) demolished the Imperium's main forces at the Exandrian base of the bloody bridge. The Mighty Nein killed the Weave Mind and then started mopping up their allies that remained on Ruidus. Bell's Hells did nothing to support that rebellion other than assist on a scouting/sabotage mission and then flee.

Otherwise, there is no force aiming to destroy society. Ludinus wanted Predathos out so it could eat the gods, and there was no intent about anything other than that. He did not care one way or the other about collateral damage. Predathos doesn't either, but it wants to eat, and we do not know what level of divinity is too small for it to prioritize. And let's be serious, unless a god flees and lures it away, there's no reason for Predathos not to look at a planet full of life and think, "Hmmm, it might not taste good, but I am so fucking hungry."

A good while ago, when the Hells had initially reached Vasselheim, I saw discussion of whether Vasselheim and other Exandrian forces intended to wipe out all Reilorans and other Ruidus-based species. I think Evoroa's plea and assistance made directly to the leadership of Vasselheim has already prevented that potential result. Of course, the Exandrians are working together as a collective of dozens of factions, and each of those has untold numbers of individuals working for them. It's possible some of them will insist on war anyway, but given the actions of the three campaign parties, I don't see that happening on an organized scale. Regardless, Bell's Hells aren't focusing on that right now, and nothing they could/would do with Predathos would affect that either.

The only other faction that comes close to that idea is the Betrayer Gods, but they don't care about society. They want genocide. They want to murder every single mortal in existence, and then torment their immortal souls for all eternity. I literally cannot overstate the disdain the Betrayers have for mortals. They are Exandrians' ultimate enemy. The Divine Gate is the only thing protecting mortals from the Betrayers, and it requires every god to unanimously agree to drop it. That is phenomenal protection. There's been no serious threat to it since its creation.

In particular, I want to highlight that "the gods" as a category of entity are not a united faction. The gods don't rule anything on Exandria--not even Vasselheim. That's a purely mortal project! Mortals decided to build a city dedicated to the gods, and given that it's filled with their followers, the gods have historically spent particular attention to protecting it. That makes perfect sense, and it doesn't mean the gods are in charge of it.

Obviously, there will be other factions across Exandria that could fit that bill, but Bell's Hells hasn't had to deal with them in this campaign. Like, chaotic evil factions exist, they're just not in this story right now.

Next, whether Bell's Hells are villains, bad guys, etc.

I've written up how I assess villains in my pinned post. That's my general approach to any type of story, whether it's interactive, written, oral, etc. It's a very broad overview of when is a villain an effective narrative device? I am rather harsh in my criticism of villains: if they didn't improve the story, they should not have been included at all.

We could cherrypick through the various episodes to come up with an argument that Bell's Hells are the bad guys, but my problem with them is that they aren't effective villains. A villain's primary purpose is to highlight a theme in the negative: what is the wrong thing to do in these circumstances, and why is that? The reason they aren't effective is that they don't have a motivating purpose.

Bell's Hells are a chaotic faction that consistently deviates from whatever is requested of them. They claim to be for the people, then denigrate and oppose every faction they've encountered. They claim to have changed their minds about some of the gods (the Matron and the Arch Heart in particular), then repeatedly ignore or contradict the plain statements told to them, but they still seek out the gods' instructions regardless. This carelessness or apathy makes it impossible to map a philosophy onto the PCs other than "I felt like doing it in the moment."

None of them have been able to articulate a reason that they chose this path. Maybe the players will come up with some hamfisted excuse next episode, but it's still going to be unsatisfying from a narrative viewpoint. This stream had hundreds of hours to show that and instead needs someone to say it in the last episode. It's terrible storytelling, and none of them could claim that it was impossible to see this confrontation coming. We've known it was coming since Ludinus successfully bridged Exandria and Ruidus. There was time, and it was not spent wisely.

Going beyond dialogue, there's no consistency to Bell's Hells's actions except the desire to kill Ludinus. That muddled any potential message that could be conveyed about them as villains in a story except "kill Ludinus in particular." We can't even say they oppose any existing hegemony because none has been established in Exandria. There's no racial, economic, social, religious, etc. group dominating the world. Again, as said above, the gods don't rule anything, and they're stuck behind the gate.

Any potential to build Bell's Hells into worthwhile villains was squandered. Everyone but Orym had an explicit, tailor-made opportunity to lean into their darker personality traits, and every one of them chickened out--except Ashton, who gave into his desire to be special and have power to lash out at people standing over him. Unfortunately, Ashton's attempt to absorb another shard of a primordial would have also broken the game on a D&D level, so that got reversed and reworked into a character moment that also had no lasting impact on his character arc. Ashton hasn't bothered exploring it since. That's really the core problem: every time the PCs had the option to pursue a villainous path, they ran the fuck in the opposite direction, then dithered about what to do.

Without conviction, villains are merely bullies. They're just here to be mean, stop other people from getting what they want, and jeer at others when they get their way. We saw that in this latest episode. There's nothing Bell's Hells wants. They don't even want to be involved. They're just doing it because they can't even commit to going home--because they're player characters in a D&D game, and the players didn't want to switch to new characters.

That makes for a terrible villain story. Like, once we see the final episode and all the PCs have had an opportunity to take action and speak on their own behalf, we'd be able to revisit this with more definitive statements. Unfortunately, I can't think of a single way this could go that would correct the flaws I've already listed. It's far too late to correct the characters' lack of direction to develop a coherent villain arc for any of Bell's Hells.

[silkenwinger]

would do crazy, unspeakable things to get TA Gaz's attention. he's just so nice. never playing favourites, necessarily: his attention is always divided evenly. after all, he is a tutor figure for an hard class, and all of you need help. and while you're scared shitless of price, you know you can count on gaz's calm tone to tell you what you wrote wrong. never judging. understanding. encouraging.

it's not just his behavior, of course. have you looked at him? he's top 10 most handsome men you've ever talked to. wait, more like top 5. okay realistically he's the best looking one. and you're not the only one to get lost in his eyes, either. you hear hushed whispers of fuck me behind you when he stretches mid hour. you telepathically send whoever said that a strong mental message of stay away from my man.

as for your relationship... well. you've been working really hard on building a particular rapport. by that you mean you sit in the first row, greet him immediately, and try to come up with at least one question per session. looking hard for things to ask him has led you to a vast amount of knowledge you really don't need to pass this class, to the point you know you're getting glares from the other students. it's hard to be more forthright: you wish you could, but you're still somewhat inhibited by everything about him. for christmas, you brought him some homemade cookies, saying you made them for all TAs (absolutely false). gaz had smiled that absolutely devastating smile that made you weak in the knees. your five attempts and hours wasted had given you something back!

you've convinced yourself what you've going on is special. gaz (and oh my god, the day he told you (aka the class) you could call him that instead of mr garrick was the highlight of the month) knows your name and asks how you're doing frequently, which has completely revolutioned your world. you spend two hours getting ready every time you have to see him. when you saw him in the distance while you were talking with another classmate from another course, you almost threw the poor guy from the corridor balcony to not be seen with him.

of course, your friends call you fucking delusional, short of telling you you have absolutely no chances with him, but hope never flees true warriors' hearts.

eventually, all good things come to an end. price's class ends, you submit your long ass essay, and you don't see gaz as frequently anymore. you almost cried the last session, with him telling you all that he was kinda sad to let you go and that he was sure your final would go well. he'd even touched your shoulder! it would have been hard not to hug him if you hadn't been paralyzed by his touch in the first place.

one day, checking your results, you see that alongside price's grade there is a considerably longer email. the professor is telling you that he's seriously impressed with your essay, and that his TA, recommending you, wants to work with you on a project related to the class.

a project.

with gaz.

alone!

(part 2 here)

a/n: for both mine and your peace of mind, please tell me if this is wildly inaccurate for british universities! i'm basing the TA role as it exists in my country: someone (usually freshly graduate or about to be) who leads a secondary course for a major class, that can deal with redoing what has been done in class, solving students' doubts, in depth discussion, etc. i think this blurb will stay this way anyway, but if i ever want to write something longer on the topic 👀, i'd like to know how stuff actually works in the country it is set in lol

[mdzsartreblogs]

Recognizing AI Generated Images, Danmei Edition

Heyo, @unforth here! I run some danmei art blogs (@mdzsartreblogs, @tgcfartreblogs, @svsssartreblogs, @zhenhunartreblogs, @erhaartreblogs, @dmbjartreblogs, @tykartreblogs, and @cnovelartreblogs) which means I see a LOT of danmei art, and I go through the main fandom tags more-or-less every day.

Today, for the first time, I spotted someone posting AI-generated images (I refuse to call them AI "art" - and to be clear, that's correct of me, because at least in the US it literally LEGALLY isn't art) without any label indicating they were AI generated. I am not necessarily against the existence of AI-generated images (though really...considering all the legal issues and the risks of misuse, I'm basically against them); I think they potentially have uses in certain contexts (such as for making references) and I also think that regardless of our opinions, we're stuck with them, but they're also clearly not art and I don't reblog them to the art side blogs.

The images I spotted today had multiple "tells," but they were still accumulating notes, and I thought it might be a good moment to step back and point out some of the more obvious tells because my sense is that a LOT of people are against AI-generated images being treated as art, and that these people wouldn't want to support an AI-generator user who tried to foist off their work as actual artwork, but that people don't actually necessarily know how to IDENTIFY those works and therefore can inadvertently reblog works that they'd never support if they were correctly identified. (Similar to how the person who reposts and says "credit to the artist" is an asshole but they're not the same as someone who reposts without any credit at all and goes out of their way to make it look like they ARE the artist when they're not).

Toward that end, I've downloaded all the images I spotted on this person's account and I'm going to use them to highlight the things that led me to think they were AI art - they posted a total of 5 images to a few major danmei tags the last couple days, and several other images not to specific fandoms (I examined 8 images total). The first couple I was suspicious, but it wasn't til this morning that I spotted one so obvious that it couldn't be anything BUT AI art. I am NOT going to name the person who did this. The purpose of this post is purely educational. I have no interest whatsoever in bullying one rando. Please don't try to identify them; who they are is genuinely irrelevant, what matters is learning how to recognize AI art in general and not spreading it around, just like the goal of education about reposting is to help make sure that people who repost don't get notes on their theft, to help people recognize the signs so that the incentive to be dishonest about this stuff is removed.

But first: Why is treating AI-generated images as art bad?

I'm no expert and this won't be exhaustive, but I do think it's important to first discuss why this matters.

On the surface, it's PERHAPS harmless for someone to post AI-generated images provided that the image is clearly labeled as AI-generated. I say "perhaps" because in the end, as far as I'm aware, there isn't a single AI-generation engine that's built on legally-sourced artwork. Every AI (again, to the best of my knowledge) has been trained using copyrighted images usually without the permission of the artists. Indeed, this is the source of multiple current lawsuits. (and another)

But putting that aside (as if it can be put aside that AI image generators are literally unethically built), it's still problematic to support the images being treated as art. Artists spend thousands of hours learning their craft, honing it, sharing their creations, building their audiences. This is what they sell when they offer commissions, prints, etc. This can never be replicated by a computer, and to treat an AI-generated image as in any way equivalent is honestly rude, inappropriate, disgusting imo. This isn't "harmless"; supporting AI image creation engines is damaging to real people and their actual livelihoods. Like, the images might be beautiful, but they're not art. I'm honestly dreading someone managing to convince fandom that their AI-generated works are actual art, and then cashing in on commissions, prints, etc., because people can't be fussed to learn the difference. We really can't let this happen, guys. Fanartists are one of the most vibrant, important, prominent groups in all our fandoms, and we have to support them and do our part to protect them.

As if those two points aren't enough, there's already growing evidence that AI-generated works are being used to further propagandists. There are false images circulating of violence at protests, deep-fakes of various kinds that are helping the worst elements of society to push their horrid agendas. As long as that's a facet of AI-generated works, they'll always be dangerous.

I could go on, but really this isn't the main point of my post and I don't want to get bogged down. Other people have said more eloquently than I why AI-generated images are bad. Read those. (I tried to find a good one to link but sadly failed; if anyone knows a good post, feel free to send it and I'll add the link to the post).

Basically: I think a legally trained AI-image generator that had built-in clear watermarks could be a fun toy for people who want reference images or just to play with making pseudo-art. But...that's not what we have, and what we do have is built on theft and supports dystopia so, uh. Yeah fuck AI-generated images.

How to recognize AI-Generated Images Made in an Eastern Danmei Art Style

NOTE: I LEARNED ALL THE BASIC ON SPOTTING AI-GENERATED IMAGES FROM THIS POST. I'll own I still kinda had the wool over my eyes until I read that post - I knew AI stuff was out there but I hadn't really looked closely enough to have my eyes open for specific signs. Reading that entire post taught me a lot, and what I learned is the foundation of this post.

This post shouldn't be treated as a universal guide. I'm specifically looking at the tells on the kind of art that people in danmei fandoms often see coming from Weibo and other Chinese, Japanese, and Korean platforms, works made by real artists. For example, the work of Foxking (狐狸大王a), kokirapsd, and Changyang (who is an official artist for MDZS, TGCF, and other danmei works). This work shares a smooth use of color, an aim toward a certain flavor of realism, an ethereal quality to the lighting, and many other features. (Disclaimer: I am not an artist. Putting things in arty terms is really not my forte. Sorry.)

So, that's what these AI-generated images are emulating. And on the surface, they look good! Like...

...that's uncontestably a pretty picture (the white box is covering the "artist's" watermark.) And on a glance, it doesn't necessarily scream "AI generated"! But the devil is in the details, and the details are what this post is about. And that picture? Is definitely AI generated.

This post is based on 8 works I grabbed from a single person's account, all posted as their own work and watermarked as such. Some of the things that are giveaways only really show when looking at multiple pieces. I'm gonna start with those, and then I'll highlight some of the specifics I spotted that caused me to go from "suspicious" to "oh yeah no these are definitely not art."

Sign 1: all the images are the exact same size. I mean, to the pixel: 512 x 682 pixels (or 682 x 512, depending on landscape or portrait orientation). This makes zero sense. Why would an artist trim all their pieces to that size? It's not the ideal Tumblr display size (that's 500 x 750 pixels). If you check any actual artist's page and look at the full-size of several of their images, they'll all be different sizes as they trimmed, refined, and otherwise targeted around their original canvas size to get the results they wanted.

Sign 2: pixelated. At the shrunken size displayed on, say, a mobile Tumblr feed, the image looks fine, but even just opening the full size upload, the whole thing is pixelated. Now, this is probably the least useful sign; a lot of artists reduce the resolution/dpi/etc. on their uploaded works so that people don't steal them. But, taken in conjunction with everything else, it's definitely a sign.

Those are the two most obvious overall things - the things I didn't notice until I looked at all the uploads. The specifics are really what tells, though. Which leads to...

Sign 3: the overall work appears to have a very high degree of polish, as if it were made by an artist who really really knows what they're doing, but on inspection - sometimes even on really, REALLY cursory inspect - the details make zero sense and reflect the kinds of mistakes that a real artist would never make.

So, here's the image that I saw that "gave it away" to me, and caused me to re-examine the images that had first struck me as off but that I hadn't been able to immediately put my finger on the problem. I've circled some of the spots that are flagrant.

Do you see yet? Yes? Awesome, you're getting it. No? Okay, let's go point by point, with close ups.

Sign 4: HANDS. Hands are currently AI's biggest weakness, though they've been getting better quickly and honestly that's terrifying. But whatever AI generated this picture clearly doesn't get hands yet, because that hand is truly an eldritch horror. Look at this thing:

It has two palms. It has seven fingers. It's basically two hands overlaid over each other, except one of those hands only has four fingers and the other has three. Seeing this hand was how I went from "umm...maybe they're fake? Maybe they're not???" to "oh god why is ANYONE reblogging this when it's this obvious?" WATCH THE HANDS. (Go back up to that first one posted and look at the hand, you'll see. Or just look right below at this crop.) Here's some other hands:

Sign 5: Hair and shadows. Once I started inspecting these images, the shadows of the hair on the face was one of the things that was most consistently fucked up across all the uploaded pictures. Take a look:

There's shadows of tendrils on the forehead, but there's no corresponding hair that could possibly have made those shadows. Likewise there's a whole bunch of shadows on the cheeks. Where are those coming from? There's no possible source in the rest of the image. Here's some other hair with unrelated wonky shadows:

Sign 6: Decorative motifs that are really just meaningless squiggles. Like, artists, especially those who make fanart, put actual thought into what the small motifs are on their works. Like, in TGCF, an artist will often use a butterfly motif or a flower petal motif to reflect things about the characters. An AI, though, can only approximate a pattern and it can't imbue those with meanings. So you end up with this:

What is that? It's nothing, that's what. It's a bunch of squiggles. Here's some other meaningless squiggle motifs (and a more zoomed-in version of the one just above):

Sign 7: closely related to meaningless squiggle motifs is motifs that DO look like something, but aren't followed through in any way that makes sense. For example, an outer garment where the motifs on the left and the right shoulder/chest are completely different, or a piece of cloth that's supposed to be all one piece but that that has different patterns on different sections of it. Both of these happen in the example piece, see?

The first images on the top left is the left and right shoulder side by side. The right side has a scalloped edge; the left doesn't. Likewise, in the right top picture, you can see the two under-robe lapels; one has a gold decoration and the other doesn't. And then the third/bottom image shows three sections of the veil. One (on the left) has that kind of blue arcy decoration, which doesn't follow the folds of the cloth very well and looks weird and appears at one point to be OVER the hair instead of behind it. The second, on top of the bottom images, shows a similar motif, except now it's gold, and it looks more like a hair decoration than like part of the veil. The third is also part of the same veil but it has no decorations at all. Nothing about this makes any sense whatsoever. Why would any artist intentionally do it that way? Or, more specifically, why would any artist who has this apparent level of technical skill ever make a mistake like this?

They wouldn't.

Some more nonsensical patterns, bad mirrors, etc. (I often put left/right shoulders side by side so that it'd be clearer, sorry if it's weird):

Sign 8: bizarre architecture, weird furniture, etc. Most of the images I'm examining for this post have only partial backgrounds, so it's hard to really focus on this, but it's something that the post I linked (this one) talks about a lot. So, like, an artist will put actual thought into how their construction works, but an AI won't because an AI can't. There's no background in my main example image, but take a look at this from another of my images:

On a glance it's beautiful. On a few seconds actually staring it's just fucking bizarre. The part of the ceiling on the right appears to be domed maybe? But then there's a hard angle, then another. The windows on the right have lots of panes, but then the one on the middle-left is just a single panel, and the ones on the far left have a complete different pane model. Meanwhile, also on the left side at the middle, there's that dark gray...something...with an arch that mimics the background arches except it goes no where, connects to nothing, and has no apparent relationship to anything else going on architecturally. And, while the ceiling curves, the back wall is straight AND shows more arches in the background even though the ceiling looks to end. And yes, some of this is possible architecture, but taken as a whole, it's just gibberish. Why would anyone who paints THAT WELL paint a building to look like THAT? They wouldn't. It's nonsense. It's the art equivalent of word salad. When we look at a sentence and it's like "dog makes a rhythmical salad to betray on the frame time plot" it almost resembles something that might mean something but it's clearly nonsense. This background is that sentence, as art.

Sign 9: all kinds of little things that make zero sense. In the example image, I circled where a section of the hair goes BELOW the inner robe. That's not impossible but it just makes zero sense. As with many of these, it's the kind of thing that taken alone, I'd probably just think "well, that was A Choice," but combined with all the other weird things it stands out as another sign that something here is really, really off. Here's a collection of similar "wtf?" moments I spotted across the images I looked at (I'm worried I'm gonna hit the Tumblr image cap, hence throwing these all in one, lol.)

You have to remember that an actual artist will do things for a reason. And we, as viewers, are so used to viewing art with that in mind that we often fill in reasons even when there aren't. Like, in the image just about this, I said, "what the heck are these flowers growing on?" And honestly, I COULD come up with explanations. But that doesn't mean it actually makes sense, and there's no REASON for it whatsoever. The theoretical same flowers are, in a different shot, growing unsupported! So...what gives??? The answer is nothing gives. Because these pieces are nothing. The AI has no reason, it's just tossing in random aesthetic pieces together in a mishmash, and the person who generated them is just re-generating and refining until they get something that looks "close enough" to what they wanted. It never was supposed to make sense, so of course it doesn't.

In conclusion...

After years of effort, artists have gotten across to most of fandom that reposts are bad, and helped us learn strategies for helping us recognize reposts, and given us an idea of what to do when we find one.

Fandom is just at the beginning of this process as it applies to AI-generated images. There's a LOT of education that has to be done - about why AI-generated images are bad (the unethical training using copyrighted images without permission is, imo, critical to understanding this), and about how to spot them, and then finally about what to do when you DO find them.

With reposts, we know "tell original artist, DCMA takedowns, etc." That's not the same with these AI-images. There's no original owner. There's no owner at all - in the US, at least, they literally cannot be copyrighted. Which is why I'm not even worrying about "credit" on this post - there's nothing stolen, cause there's nothing made. So what should you do?

Nothing. The answer is, just as the creator has essentially done nothing, you should also do nothing. Don't engage. Don't reblog. Don't commission the creator or buy their art prints. If they do it persistently and it bothers you, block them. If you see one you really like, and decide to reblog it, fine, go for it, but mark it clearly - put in the ACTUAL COMMENTS (not just in the tags!) that it's AI art, and that you thought it was pretty anyway. But honestly, it'd be better to not engage, especially since as this grows it's inevitable that some actual artists are going to start getting accused of posting AI-generated images by over-zealous people. Everyone who gets a shadow wrong isn't posting AI-generated images. A lot of these details are insanely difficult to get correct, and lots of even very skilled, accomplished artists, if you go over their work with a magnifying glass you're going to find at least some of these things, some weirdnesses that make no sense, some shadows that are off, some fingers that are just ugh (really, getting hands wrong is so relatable. hands are the fucking worst). It's not about "this is bad art/not art because the hand is wrong," it's specifically about the ways that it's wrong, the way a computer randomly throws pieces together versus how actual people make actual mistakes. It's all of the little signs taken as a whole to say "no one who could produce a piece that, on the surface, looks this nice, could possibly make THIS MANY small 'mistakes.'"

The absolute best thing you can do if you see AI-generated images being treated as real art is just nothing. Support actual artists you love, and don't spread the fakes.

Thanks for your time, everyone. Good luck avoiding AI-generated pieces in the future, please signal boost this, and feel free to get in touch if you think I can help you with anything related to this.

[inafieldofstarflowers]

Having alternate POVs gives a more rounded perspective of so many parts of aftg, but I think that Jean specifically gives a more in-depth view of Kevin which is deeply necessary to understand his character.

On multiple occasions throughout his narration, Neil comments on Kevin’s single-minded focus on Exy. This makes sense, because Exy is at the heart of Kevin and Neil’s relationship and is central to the overarching conflict of the books. Neil gives his game to Kevin, and Kevin takes that seriously. Moreover, Kevin has something to prove, to himself and to the world, and the success of the Foxes in their season is key to his success in proving his worth, so of course he’s focused on it. Also, Kevin just truly does love Exy: he’s spent his whole life working hard to get to where he is by the time the series begins, and he clearly did that because he cares just as much as he did it because it was expected—it makes sense that he loves the Trojans, because they play for love of the game, not just for the desire to win.

When Jean’s narration discussed Kevin, it agrees with all of these things: Kevin is fanatical and he loves the Trojans (even though his playing style is incongruous with theirs, as Jean points out) and he is arrogant, though not without cause. It also, however, gives peeks at a softer side of Kevin. Part of this is because so many interactions between Kevin and Jean are colored by Kevin’s guilt at leaving Jean behind, and the validity of Jean’s accusation that Kevin twisted the knife as he left, but regardless of the reason, Kevin lets his walls down ever so slightly when it comes to Jean, and while he’s still standoffish, it’s also evident how deeply he cares about the people he loves. Jean notices this side of him, though he doesn’t typically mention it outright, being justifiably angry with Kevin; he leans closest to admitting it when others criticize or doubt Kevin’s motivations, unwilling to let them misrepresent him.

Kevin Day is the ultimate fake idgaf-er. He has his people—Andrew, Neil, and Jean, but also the Foxes as a whole—and he sticks by them. He believes in them. His faith in Andrew keeps him going, his confidence in Neil gives him space to dream about the future, and his trust in Jean is what he falls back on (when he learns about the district change, when Neil is headed to the Nest),

Applying that lens to the original trilogy makes so many of Kevin’s actions stand out, even though Neil rarely flags them as significant or identifies them as a result of either his desire to show up Riko or his fear of retribution (which Neil sees as cowardice, while Jean intimately understands the way that bone-deep terror mixes with a cultivated, years-long habit of obedience to make a cage that is nearly impossible to escape).

In this light, Kevin’s love for the Trojans looks like a small act of defiance. His History major—of which Neil makes only a passing mention—gains weight as evidence of other passions strong enough to get Kevin to fight. Kevin’s plea for Neil to leave after he learns his identity, his decision to agree to train Neil every night, and his initial refusal to accept Neil’s choice to go to the Nest at Christmas are all highlighted, exemplifying how much he cares about Neil. Every act of defiance—every time Kevin stands up for or by the Foxes, each interview where he indicates he is where he wants to be, each moment he supports Neil instead of trying to change him—gain weight with Jean’s commentary on the trauma that comes from the Nest.

Kevin Day is an Exy player. He is arrogant and irritable and abrasive; he has built himself around his success. He has also built himself a net to fall back on out of the people he has chosen to have faith in, chooses to find worth in people the rest of the world has written off and fight for them to achieve the version of themselves everyone else has long stopped believing they could be. He is the Son of Kayleigh Day and David Wymack, and he takes after each of them in spite of growing up mostly apart from both of them.

[anukkuna]

Day 13: Cleverest detail

I'm not sure whether this counts as a 'clever' detail or just as 'interesting symbolism' or whatever... also, I'm just speculating here, so maybe, nothing of what I'm about to say was ever intended by the director and welp...- anyway, here's my two thoughts:

The scene in which Adam has to undergo the strip search for prison and its related scenes:

The scene is presented in snippets. We cut between the office scene with Leo and Pia and, later, a longer flashback scene with Roland. It’s in this flashback that the stick and Roland’s method of suicide - intended to frame Adam as the murderer - are revealed.

In the office, we see Leo and Pia piecing together the bank robberies committed by Boris Barns and Roland Schürk (because Adam handed Leo the photo and related evidence at the lake). They come to realize that what happened back then is still very much connected to Adam’s current situation.

Meanwhile, Adam is being subjected to a thorough examination by the prison physician. (The only way it could be more literal is if they actually x-rayed him!)

We also see him lie effortlessly - for example, when asked whether he smokes. (And, of course, this is where we get his iconic line: "Alles klar. Mir scheißegal.") As a viewer, this was another moment in which thought: 'Wow, he’s really good at this. At lying... huh.'

What I really want to focus on here, though, is the theme of being caged in this scene. First of all, the way it’s shot: from outside the windows with these metal grids inside. We’re watching Adam, visibly uncomfortable, undress in a cage created by:

1. His own colleagues, whom we just saw in the previous scenes (with Leo, his partner, being the one who had to put the handcuffs on him); and -

2. His manipulative and abusive father, as shown in the following scene.

This is also the scene where Adam’s large snake tattoo is revealed, likely altering the viewer’s perspective on the title Das Herz der Schlange. (At least, that’s what happened for me.) You might think: Ohhh... the heart the snake is protecting is Adam’s heart! So, in a way, the episode could literally be called Adams Herz (Though, to be fair, one could have drawn this conclusion earlier, when Roland paralleled himself with the frog and Adam with the snake in the terrarium.)

And then there’s the way Adam briefly looks almost(!) directly at the camera - like a trapped, caged animal that would much rather fight or flee but isn’t allowed to.

There is, of course, a deeper and more sinister layer of symbolism to this.

Within the fandom, there has already been discussion about the association of snakes with negative traits - particularly due to their role in biblical contexts.

One major theme, I believe, is the idea that evil is inherent in the snake’s nature, tied to its association with temptation and sin.

This is another clever detail I’d like to highlight (if it was intended that way! Also, apologies if someone else has already written about this and I’m unaware.) So…

In the flashback, we cut to Roland, Adam’s father. In German (and, I believe, in English as well), there’s a saying:

"Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm" - "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

So, is Adam tempted to discover how far he has fallen - from the metaphorical, biblical tree (and the real one we see later)?

How much of his family’s criminal tendencies and energy has Adam inherited? Are deception and lying things that come naturally to him? Is there, deep within the heart of the snake, some lingering trace of evil? Even if Adam were never intentionally criminal, are there still aspects of his 'nature' he can’t control (and which would that be)?

Esther seems to suspect as much. She believes Adam tried to kill his father before. Even after learning that it was Leo (and Adam) acting in self-defense, she continues to distrust Adam in Ep. 4. On the rooftop, she openly says to him, “I don’t trust you.”

Snakes are often associated with being cunning, deceitful, and unpredictable - silent predators that suddenly strike. Are we, as viewers, meant to draw these parallels to Adam? Or is this meant to make us question these stereotypes?

Later, when Roland utters his last words, I was wondering the same thing... wondering if this is what they're getting at.

"Adam... meine Krone."

- Roland Schürk, Das Herz der Schlange

I feel this refers both to the crown of a tree and the crown of a king, (which is traditionally passed down to his heir, of course). (It’s worth noting that the crown, as a symbol, has been scratched into the bark of the tree where the money is buried. R+A - Roland and Adam. A place where they likely went before... maybe when Adam was much younger?)

But make no mistake. Telling Adam where the money is in his final moment is not meant as a kind gesture at all.

Roland correctly suspects that once Adam knows where the money is - whether or not Adam really finds or takes it - other gangsters will come after him. Adam is even tortured by Boris in prison over it. This becomes Roland’s final attempt to torment Adam, presenting him with criminals, who will come after him, as well as a difficult moral choice: Should Adam return the money, which he could use as compensation? (After all, the bank likely didn’t go bankrupt from the robbery, so it might even be morally justifiable for him to keep it.) Or should he keep the money - and risk both his job and his relationship with Leo in the process?

Adam is caged, in more than one way. How will he escape?

[roachliquid]

Made a post a few years ago where I stated I wouldn't be using the term 'transandrophobia', and I would let y'all know when I found a term I deemed more appropriate. I figure it's time I followed up on that. Not just on whether I've found a term I prefer, but on my feelings about the term 'transandrophobia' in general, because they've evolved a lot recently.

At the time, the reason I decided to drop the term was because I'd learned it was upsetting to certain people who had received racist treatment at the hands of some of the term's early adopters. That wasn't the sole reason - it was part of a broader picture where I was just getting into thinking about trans men's oppression, and I was desperately scrabbling around for any word to describe those issues. Which meant I never gained a very nuanced understanding of the term, which in turn made it easy to drop.

Recently, I've gotten back into reading up about these issues, and developed a much better idea of what kind of theory is behind these discussions. With that in mind, I've reached a few conclusions:

1: "Some of the people who use this term are racist" was a bad reason to stop using it. It'd be one thing if we had plenty of reasonable, freely-available alternatives available, but that has never been the case in this situation; furthermore, the term was itself coined by a nonwhite man, whose identity isn't magically irrelevant because of someone else's racism.

2: Part of the reason I dropped it was because I was scared of losing favor with people I saw as reasonable. In hindsight, they weren't, and the only reason I thought otherwise was because I had internalized a good amount of anti-transmasculine ideas. I'm doing better now.

3: Most of the arguments of the term "transandrophobia" are BS:

"It implies that misandry is real!" Except it doesn't say 'misandry' anywhere. Anyone saying this is just recycling the argument against "transmisandry" as if it's the same exact word and expecting you to play along.

"It's ableist because it uses -phobia!" We went through this discourse with "homophobia" over a decade ago. It's a semantic distraction that demands we take a suffix literally when we already have precedent to understand that it's figurative. Plant behavior.

"It implies that trans women have privilege!" This is only true if you assume gendered oppression is a zero-sum game of two sides, which shockingly, is not a notion that the majority of trans people have accepted.

4: With that being said, "transandrophobia" not the term I'm going to prefer going forward.

The primary reason for that is because, per the person who coined it, transandrophobia refers specifically to the way that trans men and mascs' perceived manhood is abused to further our victimhood. While this is obviously an incredibly important problem to highlight, not all of the issues I want to talk about fall under that umbrella. For that, I find that the term "anti-transmasculinity" is more applicable.

The secondary reason is because, as has been pointed out, the "andro-" part of the word does suggest that it's talking about trans men specifically - and while I do think there's room to interpret it less literally, I've already got a more inclusive term available.

So, what's the summation of all this? IDK, I think "transandrophobia" is an imperfect term, but one thing I've come to believe over the years is that you can't demand people stop talking about their oppression just because the language isn't perfect. I do think there are better options, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone who does use it, because most of us are just doing our best to talk about our problems in the face of an Orwellian silence.

(Edited to clarify a couple of things.)

[npd-goro-akechi]

Yoshizawa, and what I would have liked to see from her character

P5R spoilers, to no ones surprise

I'll be honest, when i first played through P5R I very much did not enjoy Sumire. Didn't hate her, I just could not get myself to engage with her character. Which was a shame, because I saw what they were trying to do, I just think the game did it badly lol. Since then, I've started liking her significantly more. But, again, in no thanks to the game. Every few weeks I feel like I see a post somewhere discussing Sumire so I wanted to put all my thoughts in one coherent post. This mostly covers the direction I wish Atlus had taken to integrate her into the game better, based off completely my own opinions. First, I would have loved for them to lean further into the mysterious, possible-antagonist type I feel like they were teetering on the edge on in the P5R opening scenes in the casino. I think it would have been cool if you saw her hanging around members of the PTs during school, or had cutscenes of seeing Sumire and any of them together as if she was purposely befriending them, or any other small scenes that could have made her look suspicious if you were already coming from that angle, but then looking back after you finish the game, she's just some guy making friends. Of course, players who had played through the P5 vanilla would likely be a bit less suspicious, but with the addition of the 3rd semester I think it would be enough to keep people guessing about her role. I really don't have any detailed and well thought-out examples, though, so maybe it's not fair of me to criticize this part too much

However, I would revamp her fight with Joker in Maruki's palace completely. I feel like it comes off too much like it's Maruki's fault; she gets kept in his palace for a week and then when you meet her she fights you. To me, personally, even though I know she's choosing to do so, it really doesn't feel like it - it just feels like more of Maruki's influence. I think it would be infinitely cooler if she went back with the Phantom Thieves and then while they were all going through the palace she did something to sabotage their progress or try and stop them. It would feel so much more like her own decision and also highlight that desperation to stay as Kasumi - that she would be (apologetically,) willing to do something to halt or possibly harm her friends to avoid going back to how things were. I think if the Phantom Thieves managed to talk her out of it here, it would also work well for her actual awakening - it would likely be more impactful after a fight rather than in P5R, when the PTs are just going through the palace. It pisses me off how agency is a major theme of the game and yet one of the few times Sumire makes a choice, it's so easily brushed off as "Maruki's influence," because the game did not do a good job at portraying otherwise. In a fit of desperation, Sumire decided to fight Joker; she made that choice. But, especially with how the fight goes, with her persona then taking over, that choice is just washed over completely. I want her to be so desperate to hide from her trauma that she goes against the Phantom Thieves, and I want it to be unquestionably her decision.

There's probably more I could write, especially more about just the horror of her character, the whole taking on the role of your dead sister, but really that second part about changing her and Joker's fight is what I really wanted to talk about and dedicated most of my thoughts too lol

[hexiewrites]

on romcommunism, bisexual ted lasso, and the mumford-and-sons of it all

TLDR: this ENTIRE SHOW is about subverting expectations, expecting one thing and ending up with another, trying and trying and trying and ending up with something you never expected but is exactly what you need.

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially in regards to the amsterdamn episode which I think is the show finally 'coming out of the dark forest' so to speak, so I wanted to revisit the romcommunism speech and how it interacts with the theme song and with the other mumford references I see throughout the show, and why I think it points to a possibility of bi!ted, or at least, of a ted ending entirely different than what the majority is expecting it to be.

first off, as a reminder, the rom-communism speech from season 2 episode 5:

"If all those attractive people ... can go through some light-hearted struggles and still end up happy, then so can we. (...) Gentleman, believing in Rom-Communism is all about believing that everything's gonna work out in the end. Now these next few months might be tricky. But that's just 'cause we're going through our dark forest. Fairytales do not start, nor do they end, in the dark forest. That's something that only shows up smack dab in the middle of a story. But it will all work out. Now it may not work out how you think it will, or how you hope it does, but believe me. It will all work out. Exactly as it's supposed to. Our job is to have zero expectations, and just let go."

I've highlighted one of the most important parts of this speech for my analysis here, because when @stevecarrington and I were discussing it they pointed out where that sentiment comes into ted lasso again and again and again:

sound familiar? yup! it's right out of the theme song itself.

I have a lot of feelings about the theme song in general, but specifically the fact that it's... it's not exactly a sitcomedy theme. it's not actually a hopeful song on first read through, but it also kind of is. because one of the unfortunate and inexplicable truths in life is that it's pretty much assured that you might not get what you want, but, as the rolling stones and the season 3 trailer itself tell us, you can't always get what you want, but if you try some time you just might find you get what you need

I'm viewing this very much from a point of, Ted is going to find what he needs this season. he doesn't know yet what that is (winning the whole damn thing? moving back to his son?) but it's our job as the viewers to have no expectations, to not assume that things are going to work out in any specific way but that they will work out. and that you're going to keep trying, you're not going to know what to expect, and what you end up with may be something entirely different than what you thought when it started.

(kind of like having a giant bi awakening, no?)

I also have a lot of personal feelings about mumford and sons (and marcus mumford's) influences on ted lasso. I've started writing that post a hundred times but it's kind of a mess so I haven't posted anything (in the meantime, go watch the hopeless wanderer video, which exists because jason sudeikis is a close friend of marcus mumfords), but the one I come back to over and over is the song believe, and how the lyrics fit so perfectly into this romcommunism concept to the point that I think the entire central theme of the show is built off of mumford&sons lyrics:

and again. this drags it home so hard for me, on all of this. I could do a literal dissertation on what I think are other major mumford and sons influences on the show but this post isn't that. instead, I just want you to think about how the believe lyrics fit in with everything we're seeing. "your world's not all it seems" <- ted is not all he seems. he doesn't know if he believes yet, he needs someone who can "open up [his] eyes, tell [him he's] alive" and it needs to be someone who communicates openly, who talks to him

ted doesn't yet know if he believes. and he might not get what he wants (his marriage to be fixed, an easy relationship, an ending where everything is perfect), but he is going to get what he needs. he is going to try, and try, and we as the audience will go in with zero expectations and trust that it is going to work out.

I think different people will read this differently, but to me, it's a great subversion of the obvious idea that ted and rebecca are going to end up together. the cast has already said again and again that people seem to expect tedbecca to be A Thing, partially because they're both attractive, or they're both leads, because romcoms have trained us to expect this. ted is in a lot of ways some of what rebecca has been in need of, and there are some great posts about rebecca as the rom com heroine and what that means for her arc. but for me, the writers and cast saying that their relationship is strictly platonic, that they're brother and sister, is an excellent example of 'you can't always get what you want, but if you try you get what you need'. they might have some thoughts, they might start to think they'd be right for each other, and they are, but not in the way we might be primed to expect.

what ted and rebecca both NEED in each other is that confident. that platonic love and support that they're both craving in a lot of ways. sure, ted has some of that with beard, and rebecca has some of it with keeley. but their relationship, their connection, is so powerful to me from a platonic place, and this season is going to show them that's what they need from each other and always have.

and what ted needs is someone who can open up his eyes, who can, as mumford say in "white blank page" (which is also a very ted coded song):

he needs someone who can lead him to the truth.

perhaps... someone we might not expect? someone who built his career on finding the truth, and who destroyed it to do just that, to give ted the truth even at the cost of his job and the life he had built?

perhaps now that we've come out of this dark forest, we're going to start to see those expectations shifting, and we're going to see ted get exactly what he needs, even if he doesn't yet know what he wants.

(I want to be clear that I think you can also view this very strongly from the angle of 'ted does not need to end the show in a romantic relationship, he just needs to surround himself with love and truth and platonic support' and truly I think that's more likely to be what we actually see. I just couldn't help the tedtrent implications slipping in a little at the end here.)

[mr-nauseam]

love your takes BUTTT it's literally canon Sejanus doesn't listen to Coriolanus? the whole plot of Part III hinges on the fact that Sejanus is doing things behind Coriolanus's back (which drives Coriolanus insane). He tries to reason with Sejanus multiple times and Sejanus never listens until Coriolanus uses the brothers card. I get where you're coming from but Sejanus not bending to Coriolanus's will is pretty much a thing(TM)

Thank you! I’m really glad you like my takes! And I appreciate the chance to discuss this topic. That Sejanus agrees with everything Coriolanus said or that he bent to Snow’s will was not the message I intended to transmit at all. So I'm gonna try to explain my thoughts here in a clear way but of course it is important to remember this is my perspective, you are free to agree or disagree with it, but here is exactly where I come from. 

My posture is that Sejanus is not a character that directly confronts or openly questions Coriolanus for his ideas, nor does he try to defend his own beliefs against him. Something that at least to me does not imply that Sejanus bends to his will nor that he listens to him (although Sejanus does listen to Coriolanus advice on many occasions. I will elaborate on this point later because it is a matter with a lot of nuance) and the central point it does not mean that in any way Sejanus shares Coriolanus's worldview or agrees with his perspective. 

The first point to explain here is how much awareness Sejanus had about Coriolanus's horrible ideas, and the truth is that I think we have a lot in the text to say that while Sejanus is not aware of Coriolanus's personal hatred he have for his family, Sejanus is aware to some extent that Coriolanus, like most of his classmates, has prejudiced and negative ideas about the districts and their people. The Capitol is not a kind place to the districts in any respect, while we are offered a wide range of feelings about the districts and the games within the mentors, it would not be risky to say a large and overwhelming majority hold a dehumanizing and extremely negative view to a lesser or greater extent over district people. Despite many of the mentors showing a disagreement with the games, saying they find no purpose in them, this opinion does not equate for example to believing that the districts are full of people who are just like them and deserve equal rights and equal opportunities. 

Think of how one argument used to explain why no one wants to watch the games is because they are about children that no one cares to see die (Arachne and Livia), and while we are offered other opposing views that seem to resonate more with a positive idea about the districts and the value of their people (Clemensia and Lysistrata) these views are coexisting peacefully with these extreme ideas. The games in the Capitol are treated as an issue where everyone can have their own opinion and every opinion is valid, that is the reason why some opposing views by others born in the Capitol don't cause as much of a stir as the extremist views of punishment and hatred neither do.  The games do not provoke an important difference of opinion among the mentors, the games do not cause division and I highlight others Capitol born because Sejanus is treated very differently and judged under another parameter by his Capitol classmates and teachers for having been born in the district. His opinions cause conflict for who he is and that’s why he is violently reprimanded. 

Related to this, is relevant notice that Coriolanus Snow in contrast with his peers, was raised under extreme and hateful ideas against the districts. He has internalized much of this prejudice and bigotry in a way that his ideas could be radical for others. We see consistently in his thoughts, and in some of the opinions he expresses openly that the hate Snow feels is something else even in comparison to his classmates but not for someone like Volumnia Gaul which is a bad sign. 

Yet for Coriolanus to say out loud terrible and dehumanizing ideas against the districts would not cause any conflict in the Capitol, especially with his other classmates. He lives in a place where it is socially acceptable to treat the districts as enemies deserving of the worst offenses. This translates to the fact that while, when he talks with Sejanus, he is aware that he must hide the contempt he feels for Sejanus and his family, it does not necessarily imply that Coriolanus is so conscious of his need to hide from Sejanus certain negative opinions about the districts (actually this something he learn during the book he must do), or sometimes he will say insensitive comments that from his perspective are not bad or inappropriate to say, because again, the environment in which he exists does not punish or condemn believing the worst about the districts and expressing it. This gonna provoke that throughout the book, Coriolanus will say from time to time awful things about the districts and Sejanus will be there to hear these comments and he will not say anything about it, or do it in a very passive way, without try to engaged in an argument or a direct confrontation with Coriolanus for had these opinions. While he actually does this to other people and their negative ideas regarding the districts. (1. “What is it?” he asked. “Aren’t you happy? District Two, the boy, that’s the pick of the litter.” “You forget. I’m part of that litter,” said Sejanus hoarsely.) This is one of those cruel and totally insensitive comments that Coriolanus will make without the awareness that what he has said is wrong. The worst? Is not a bad faith comment, it was genuine, Coriolanus himself is envious that Sejanus has such a strong tribute, a possible winner in his eyes. However Sejanus who is aware of the horrors of the games and what Coriolanus has said, barely tries to correct him. (“You forget. I’m part of that litter,”) With this Sejanus makes clear to Coriolanus that’s not the kind of thing he should say to someone like him, that is district because Sejanus is part of the affected group, is part of the children suffering, which is a correction yes, but only related to himself that not go beyond. He’s not trying to correct Coriolanus for saying he should be happy and all the line of thoughts that do not see district lifes as important that provoke this comment in the first place. The matter stops there for him and then Sejanus complains about his father. And the thing is, this is not the only time a similar situation will take place. Later when Coriolanus helps Sejanus with the sandwiches, he insists on how Marcus will be the winner, he emphasizes his strength, ergo to him, Marcus is someone capable of killing other children without any problem, someone who would do it without hesitation, he says it as a compliment but it is a prejudiced idea over a district boy who only happen to be tall, is an insensitive commentary, and I think Sejanus is quite aware of this. 

I mean he shows already a good awareness of why the tributes didn't trust him or accept his food, I don't think this is any different but Sejanus once again doesn't discuss this language, these ideas that clearly Coriolanus is expressing, even though he did with a little girl: (2. “It says, ‘Please don’t feed the animals.’” “They’re not animals, though,” said Sejanus. “They’re kids, like you and me.”) I will go deeper in the conclusion about Sejanus's context and the hostility he faces, as this influences his behavior and his relationship with Coriolanus; however for now we will continue on the topic of proof why in the text I do not see that Sejanus try to argue with Snow or make him change his opinion most of the time. 

Another important clarification that I want to make before continuing is that many times Sejanus will say his opinions and feelings openly to Coriolanus which involve Sejanus expressing aloud his despise, sadness, anger, over the Hunger Games and the conduct of the Capitol, and I believe that these talks are different once again from Sejanus trying to correct actively the bigoted opinions of Coriolanus.

Coriolanus is Sejanus's friend from his perspective. It makes sense that Sejanus would express his discomfort to Coriolanus, and sometimes this discomfort, this worldwide he has and communicates can prompt a change of opinion in Coriolanus. In fact the talk with the little girl I mention earlier, would echo later in Coriolanus as he himself thinks that Sejanus was right the more he interacts with Lucy Gray the more human she becomes in his eyes, but this is a change of opinion that Sejanus was not intentionally seeking to provoke in his friend when he told him of his concerns and fears, he was simply venting with Coriolanus, in who he trusts. (Besides it's important to note that the idiot Coriolanus ended up dismissing this idea like many others that Sejanus communicated to him and actively decided not to change his mind even if he now has a better understanding of the situation thanks to hearing Sejanus point of view.)

Another scenario that is repeated throughout the book that I mentioned earlier and we will now take a closer look at is the silence of Sejanus in the face of certain opinions and actions of Coriolanus that once again clearly prove that he does not value the lives of people in the districts. (3. “Did you mean it for real? You think we should have betting on who wins?” “Not really,” Coriolanus said, then cocked his head. “On the other hand, if it’s a success, then absolutely, Clemmie. I want to go down in history as the one who brought gambling to the Games!”) I have said many times that I do not consider the movie in anything I analyze or make posts about, but for this occasion I will bring it up to mark a contrast: The gambling issue in the movie is a serious proposal made by Coriolanus to Gaul, not a joke, and Sejanus clearly seems disgruntled at his words, because he himself a minute ago was saying why the games are abominable, why they should stop to be made and Coriolanus his friend of all the people, say that? 

Sejanus confronts Coriolanus directly for his comments and for the action of stealing food from the cafeteria considering his words in the next scene. This does not happen in the book. While Coriolanus in the text expresses this as a silly comment, only a joke, it is still a joke of bad taste, that makes very clear he has a mind in which the lives of the tributes are trivial enough to do these jokes, his youth contribute to why he thought was a good idea say this aloud. And is Clemensia the one who actually questions Coriolanus for this comment, for what he implied not Sejanus. 

At no point later in the story will Sejanus bring up this issue to discuss it with Coriolanus, not even when this proposal becomes a reality, and one that happened thanks to the direct participation of his friend. Even if it is obvious that Gaul was pushing the grambling matter to happen, the truth is that Coriolanus never tried to refuse to write the proposal, to be part of that idea, he showed no resistance nor even in private.

You as a reader know his motives to no protest, Sejanus does not, although he may suspect why, since he has a clear understanding of how power dynamics work within the Capitol and the personality and beliefs of Snow, still is important to point out that no conversation occurs where he ask for an explanation of why Coriolanus talked why he not look bothered to help it happen. There is silence. We can say it clearly now. Sejanus is a character who disagrees with Coriolanus, and has let him know this on many occasions, however, in general he does not question Coriolanus, he does not confront him about his ideas and actions. This is not to say that Sejanus approves Coriolanus or agrees with him, nor that he never protests, in fact it must be said that Sejanus does try to change Coriolanus’s mind, this happens in D12, but the results are quite depressing and disappointing. 

Which brings me to my next point, and that is that here I disagree with the idea that Sejanus does not listen to Coriolanus. For he does, many times actually and it is part of the conflict they both enter into once they are in District 12, but the fact Sejanus chose to listen in the past to his friend, does not mean he’s bent over his will. This has its nuances and I will explain it below: 4. ( “I can’t, all right? It’s part of who I am. And you’re the one who said I could help the people in the districts if I agreed to leave the arena.” “I believe I said you could fight for the tributes, meaning you might be able to procure more humane conditions for them,” Coriolanus corrected him.)

Sejanus here admits that he listened to Coriolanus's advice but Sejanus is his own person, with his own beliefs and understanding of right and wrong. That is why he considers that listening to Billy Taupe's request (and later getting involved in the plan) is the right thing to do, while Coriolanus does not believe that’s the case. 

He does not agree. He recommends Sejanus to forget about it, something we know Sejanus does not do, he decides this time not to listen to this advice that his friend gives him. And this action is the one that unsettles Coriolanus, because in the past Sejanus had listened to him. The incident in the arena is the most prominent example, but the point is that Sejanus had previously considered it appropriate to listen to Coriolanus, that now he decides he will not listen to Snow, is what causes the tension between the two. 

Especially is what makes Coriolanus feel so threatened, because from his perspective Sejanus has proven this time that he will not bend to his will as he did before and that scares him. This makes Sejanus a danger from his eyes. No that Sejanus bending to his will is a thing that actually happened before. Like I said, Sejanus listening to Coriolanus is not the same as Sejanus bending to his will. The person who thinks that’s the same is Coriolanus, is his worldview of the actions of Sejanus (who from his perspective owes him obedience), not what is happening. Coriolanus believes that Sejanus not listening to him, is disobedience, it is a betrayal, because he considers he has the right to control Sejanus in some way, when it is not the case, he is only his friend, and the people you are friends with have freedom, but the background in which Coriolanus was raised, has made him have this belief without any basis in reality. 

(I mention his background because this is not an expectative Coriolanus Snow will have about his Capitol friends, he only expects this type of blind loyalty and obedience from Lucy Gray and Sejanus, who are from the districts).

Sejanus does not owe Coriolanus any obedience. He’s not “out of control” nor being “irrational” by choosing not to follow his advice this time. And we are getting closer to the end, let's talk about why the confrontations that Sejanus tries ends up being a failure. 5. ( “What sort of strategy was that?” “A desperate one. But look around!” Sejanus grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “How long can you expect them to go on like this?” [...] “They lost the war. A war they started. They took that risk. This is the price they pay.” Sejanus looked about, as if unsure which direction to go, and then slumped down on a broken wall along the road. [...] “You’re right, Coriolanus. I’ve been stupid. Again. I’ll be more careful in the future. Whatever that holds.”) Coriolanus and Sejanus relationship blossoms in D12, they have a better understanding and get along well, but in D12 it is also where Coriolanus most shows his true colors to Sejanus. If some of his earlier comments discreetly revealed that he holds prejudices against the districts, discretion is no longer an issue, and Coriolanus is quite outspoken now about what he believes about the people of the districts, what he thinks they deserve, similar to the way now Sejanus, free of the isolation and discrimination he faces in Capitol, is more firm regarding his own beliefs. They are in opposite positions, and I believe that at this point Sejanus can neither deny nor run away from a horrible truth: Coriolanus deep down does not believe that the people of the district are human. He has told Sejanus without hesitation that he believes that the people of the district, people like Sejanus, deserve to be punished. They deserve to be abused and live in misery for provoking the war. And I think we can agree that Sejanus has implied several times that he does not believe the district rebellion was unjustified. He constantly reproaches how the Capitol did not correct the mistakes that led to such a circumstance in the first place. 

Now imagine what it was like trying to reconcile that his only friend believes that people like Sejanus have to suffer. It is no surprise that Sejanus decides from this moment on to hide the truth from Coriolanus, he decides to avoid further conflicts and fights with his only friend in the world. In this scene Sejanus agrees with Coriolanus. 

Not that he really does because we know he insists on helping Billy Taupe, Spruce and Lil, but he has decided that he will deal with this conflict of interest by giving Coriolanus the reason, in front of him. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised, Sejanus never had the courage to try to make Coriolanus change his mind, he now tried but failed, Coriolanus wouldn’t listen so Sejanus didn’t try to insist. He's resignate. And how not to be? This is not the first time this has happened:

6. (“Stop being so self-indulgent, in other words,” said Sejanus. “Well, so dramatic anyway. That’s how you ended up in the arena, remember?” asked Coriolanus. Sejanus reacted as if Coriolanus had slapped him. After a moment, though, he nodded in recognition. “That’s how I almost got us both killed. You’re right, Coryo. Thanks. I’m going to think over what you said.”) Let's do the summary. Sejanus does not share Coriolanus's ideas, he does not agree with them, sometimes he lets him know this but he does not insist on the subject. Other times he ignores what Coriolanus has said even if they are ideas that clearly make him feel uncomfortable or with which he disagrees deeply. Sejanus in D12 cannot deny that Coriolanus will probably never understand him nor agree that the districts need to be freed from the Capitol's control yet Sejanus appreciates Coriolanus, he considers him his friend and that's why he decides to lie, to hide things from him. 

Sejanus prefers to maintain his friendship with Coriolanus rather than defend his actions and beliefs. Hence why I think it is noteworthy to point out that Sejanus only tells Coriolanus what he has been doing, once Coriolanus manipulates his trust. 

By appealing to the sense of family, of being “brothers,” Coriolanus knows the message he is conveying, family will always love you no matter what you do, family will always be with you even if they don't always agree with you. It is a bond that does not seem as fragile as a friendship that depends in large part on Sejanus accommodating Coriolanus’s demands.

Sejanus speaks easily once it is clear that yes Coriolanus won't change his prejudices, but at least won't hate Sejanus. The lie is that Coriolanus promises he will respect Sejanus’s opinion and offer him help if he needs it because they are almost like brothers. (Which as we know is not what happens, in the end Coriolanus prefers to let the trouble of a Sejanus that does not obey him anymore be in the hands of someone he considers more capable: Gaul, provoking the death of Sejanus.)

I'm sure I sound like a stuck record but after a lot of text, here come the conclusions. 

So from my perspective Sejanus Plinth is a character that most of the time does not tend to directly confront or question Coriolanus Snow and the rather questionable opinions he expresses from time to time in the book. This is not to say that Sejanus has never tried to do so or not shown that he disagrees with these ideas, but Coriolanus Snow and Sejanus Plinth in the entire TBOSAS book never have a debate about their perspectives on the world, their values and the hunger games. 

I already said that Sejanus venting his feelings, his disagreement with the games is not the same as a debate, it is him just venting to his friend, and the super vague answers Coriolanus usually gives him, while in his head he is judging Sejanus and elaborating on why he disagrees with each of his opinions, I think reinforces  this point of mine. Along with the fact Lucy Gray, is for example someone who actually does question Coriolanus and his worldview, they DO have debates and confrontations about their values, the role of the Capitol and its relationship to the districts and human nature. 

Surely this already seems like I'm slandering Sejanus but it is not the case nor the intention. I LOVE HIM AND I FEEL HE IS SUCH A COMPLICATED CHARACTER that now I am going to do what Sejanus almost never does when he is in front of Coriolanus: defend himself. Because a vital aspect of this situation is to understand the hostile and violent environment in which Sejanus Plinth has grown up as a district person in the Capitol. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that Sejanus is a painfully POC coded character, a racialized character who is perceived as an outsider within a homogeneous society that exploits and has a superiority-prejudiced view of the districts. Some people might say that those aspects are up for debate (I don't think that's the case) but look at one detail that is canonically textual is that Sejanus is ethnically different from all of his peers in the Capitol. 

The discrimination and intimidation that Sejanus suffers in the Capitol has everything to do with who he is, with his ethnic identity that is different from that of the people who live in the Capitol, specifically different from his classmates, who after living a war against the ethnic group to which Sejanus Plinth belongs, feel more resentment, hatred, contempt than ever. 

It makes all the sense in the world that Sejanus avoided confrontation, or questioning his only friend, due to the circumstances he lived through. There is a certain naturalization ergo inevitably someone ends up getting used to hearing the dehumanizing ideas that Coriolanus expresses, when all the people around you for more than a decade, repeat them to your face. That Coriolanus makes the effort not to call Sejanus a savage to his face is something that Sejanus would certainly appreciate a lot, even if Coriolanus keeps talking about the tributes as if they were animals and doing other “minor” questionable actions or comments. Coriolanus seems to care about Sejanus, they usually get along more or less well, so I ask again. Why would it be worthwhile to enter into conflict with Coriolanus? When the chances of friendship are almost nil to Sejanus. Besides, another factor that could contribute is that Sejanus back in the Capitol is in a fragile position, his family has money but he doesn't have the status or social power, if he gets into too much trouble or questioning he could not only alienate Coriolanus, but he could get his family fucked (nor a coincidence why in D12 he try to speak about these matters with Coriolanus, and later why he choses keep Coriolanus a part from his rebels activities, is  a big risk). Sejanus is already corrected in a more aggressive way than the rest of his peers, imagine if he goes further. Well we don't need to imagine it is what happens during the 10th games, and we saw how it went wrong.

While I believe that Coriolanus's lies, and that they have been studying together for over a decade would inevitably give away in one way or another that Coriolanus does not see the people of the district as human beings who deserve the same rights, we must also give credit, as fair, he tries to make a conscious effort to keep hidden his feelings of contempt and resentment towards Sejanus and his family, in other words Coriolanus from an external point of view again seems not so bad in comparison to other classmates who bully Sejanus directly to his face. 

And if there is one reason Lucy Gray was able to fearlessly question Coriolanus, it is because she has something that Sejanus does not, it is not talent, it is a support system. She has covey, and Sejanus has a dysfunctional family.

He hates his father, Strabo makes him miserable, and they just argue all the time and although Sejanus has his beloved Ma, you have to question how effective support she could be, when 8 year old Sejanus had to be the one to comfort her, and the arena incident, did not prove that Ma has the necessary skills to handle such a stressful situation (which makes sense, because the Plinth’s life is MISERABLE and HORRIBLE), so Sejanus is on his own. 

Absolutely alone, and only Coriolanus, with his very obvious flaws, is the only person Sejanus can trust. To say goodbye I want mark this: 7. (“Always an honor to be of service.” “That’s a fine polish job,” Coriolanus replied. Sejanus tensed at the implication that he was, what, a suck-up? A lackey? Coriolanus let it build a moment before he diffused it. )

I think Coriolanus has complicated feelings for Sejanus, he doesn't hate him completely, he cares in a weird, twisted way about him, but Coriolanus grew up hearing all his life that people like Sejanus were not human, they could not to be trusted, they were savages, that he should hate them, because the rebels from the districts caused the death of his parents. No matter how much he acts like a decent person, those kind of beliefs seep into his actions, the first encounter of snowjanus, has always lived in my head, because maybe we could discuss if Coriolanus's intention is properly conveyed but here, in their first meeting, he tried to intimidate Sejanus. 

In a discreet way, not so crude or direct, but he wanted to intimidate him, to annoy him, and then he tried to relax the situation, to make it look like that was never his intention. It's a passive aggressive gesture, and considering Sejanus's life in the Capitol, a place where they hate, despise, and see less people like him (from the districts). This is what Sejanus believes he must endure to have a friend. To what he must not argue, nor protest, if he wants companionship. And that is so sad. 

Ps. It was not his responsibility to comfort or try to make Coriolanus change his mind too. Trying to confront Coriolanus's ideas was useless in many aspects. It was always at risk to end BAD for Sejanus to do it and a mutual of mine do the addition that the no confrotation can come from believe Coriolanus never being on disagree with Sejanus openly until later in the story, make Sejanus thinks Coriolanus have very similar beliefs which is not the case!!! This was very fun and I really nice relaxing thing to do on my day off, thanks!!!

[volchiitza]

Hi, I have a question that I hope isn't stupid. I'm (technically) a political science grad student (I'm on indefinite leave due to disability, but that's beside the point). One thing I've been struggling with since day 1 is that everyone keeps saying "don't read the whole paper." "Reading every word is a waste of time." But when I ask "what do I read, then?" They just say "you'll get a feel for it as time goes on." I never did, I just got further and further behind. Sometimes a paper is very interesting, and I spend far too much time on it. Then I have exhausted my focus, and I can't get anything out of the next 4 papers I needed to read that night. How did you learn how to read for grad school?

Hey! I think the “don’t read the whole paper” is not the best advice. I like to read the entire paper because often there are some arguments embedded in different parts of the paper and it seems only fair to the researcher who spent ages getting their research published.

The “it gets better” comes from 1) reading enough papers so that it’s easy to follow the structure of the paper (e.g. reading papers with formal modelling is really daunting the first few times but then you learn to pick apart the important assumptions - I tend to skip a lot of the mathematical proofs because my brain is definitely not wired in that way), 2) having a research question in mind so that you can easily spot areas that are relevant to your research.

My standard process is that I read a paper in zotero, copy the highlights into obsidian and make a summary and takeaways in my own words so it’s easier for me to synthesize the information and have a record of it in case I want to refer back to it - this takes me roughly 30-60min per paper.

But! let’s say that you have 4 difficult papers you need to finish in 4 hours for your class and you can’t read one per hour. I would advise reading the introduction, methods and discussion parts of the paper.

For instance, reading the introduction immediately gives you the research question and a simplified version of the lit review and theory. Methods will give you an idea of how the authors try to prove it and whether it’s a valid approach. And the discussion section will summarize all the findings and their implications neatly. Once you’ve done that, you can spend your time trying to find connections between the papers. If you think a paper missed a major assumption, you can then skim the theory part just looking for if they address the assumption.

This is a long answer, but the basic bottom line is that once you read the introduction, you treat the paper as a reference in which you look for answers. At least this has worked for me! And obviously after each paper, you could eat something, walk around or watch a youtube video if you need to clear your head - I usually do this every two papers. Hope this answer has been in any way helpful!

[violasghost]

Random thoughts about Rookie S6 Finale (6X10)

I admit I went into this finale with low expectations due to how the rest of the season has panned out and I'm kind of happy I did. I didn't hate it but it wasn't one of the best Rookie finale's Ive seen either.

First with the Nolan/Bailey baby story line--Why are they forcing this so hard? Nolan and Bailey cant even find time to have a full conversation uninterrupted about bringing a child into their life. If they cant even find time to talk about it, are they going to have time to raise a kid? Just think this is a story line that should have been dropped. It sucks valuable time away from more interesting plots and its really unnecessary. If anyone should have been discussing having kids (pre-breakup at least) it should have been Chenford.

And speaking of Chenford. I did enjoy the Chenford action scene and Lucy saving Tim from being stabbed. It was probably the highlight of the episode as far as action, character growth, and making progress on the police side of things.

I don't really understand the whole Monica/Blair plot. I'm sorry but Blair really seems like a naive simpleton to me. Did she not think that there would not be consequences to recording LAPD patients and blackmailing them? Did she really think Monica (a crooked lawyer) was going to protect her from the LAPD and FBI? Kind of disappointed in Blair to be honest.

The multiple villains this season has also been really confusing. I don't feel like Monica can represent the 'Big Bad' like Rosalyn or even Elijah. Shes a power hungry lawyer who wants money and has probably killed a couple people, but in the context of other big bad's--she's pretty weak. I was hoping they would bring Elijah back as the one who wanted Monica dead since that story line would make more sense with the last scene of him ending with Oscar meeting him in prison, and having plenty of time to plot his revenge.

Bringing me to the cliffhanger at the end. With Bailey's ex breaking out of prison. Haven't we seen this story line before? This is unpopular opinion (and I have no ill will against Jenna Dewan), but I honestly think the best move they could make to return to the action/suspense heyday of S1-S5, would be to kill Bailey. Her character is dead weight. Lately the only time she has been showcased was to basically portray her as Nolan's perfect little wife who has no flaws, and allows him to swoop in as her prince charming every episode, etc. Her death would be really interesting story arc for Nolan, and would allow him to put more focus on his cop-life.

I do also agree with others who are saying that Nolan needs to face some consequences to his actions. Him going rogue in Argentina and disobeying direct orders from the FBI, should be reprimanded. Also he hasn't really been present in his role as TO either. How many episodes has Nolan actually rode with Celina as her TO? 50% of this season. Think he is due for an evaluation.

And then there was the Chenford elevator scene. I also think this scene was over-hyped. Although I'm happy that Tim said what he did, I was hoping to hear something from Lucy. Girl still hasn't gotten her adult conversation yet. Hoping this will still happen in S7. The reason it didn't have me squeeing was due to the body language. One episode before they were holding on for dear life to each other in that very same elevator, and this time Lucy was as far away from Tim as she could get. I know realistically it will likely take time for them to find their way back together, but it just kind of felt a little one step forward two steps back to me.

The silver lining, no major characters died. And they didn't destroy any more relationships. So there's that.

Okay so after writing all that out I realize my take on the finale may be a little critical. I'm hoping to have some more time to reflect over the summer and read other points of view. Its going to be a long wait but I suppose we survived S6, so at least next season after the long wait, instead of a half season, there will be a full season of episodes to better flesh out story lines and character motives.

What did you think?

[thehumanpuffball]

Myth is Man (1)

Throughout history, humans have always loved stories. They, in some cases, form intrinsic parts of how we teach about our norms and values. A rather famous example would be the moral tale of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” a very apt name in my opinion. Anyone who went to a British primary school most likely knows this one off by heart, but I do not know about other countries so here is a shortened version of it:

A shepherd boy tends to the flocks of sheep on the side of the hill at night. He works when all of the shepherds have gone to bed and his job is to protect the flock from the wolves that would otherwise eat the sheep. If he sees a wolf coming to eat the sheep, he must cry out at the top of his lungs “WOLF!” and the townspeople would come running up the hill to scare it away. One night, the boy gets bored, and he thinks that it would be a good idea to shout to the town that there is a wolf. Of course, all those who could, come running up the hill to protect the sheep which will feed them in the winter, but alas, the wolf is not there. Another night comes and the boy does the same, the wolf is still not there, and the townspeople all get angry as they have been called out of bed repeatedly in order to scare away a wolf which doesn’t exist. On the third night, there is a wolf, and the boy cries out to tell them, in hopes that they will run up the hill to save the flock. Nobody comes. He tries again but it is all in vain. Nobody is coming.

The next morning, the shepherd comes back to the hillside, and he says to the boy “Where are the sheep?”, for they had all been taken by the foxes. The boy replies with “I called for the townspeople, but nobody came.

This story is told often to primary school children because it highlights the importance of not lying as when the boy in the tale lies people stop believing him and when he needs help, he does not receive it.

There are so many of these stories and they are told in assemblies everywhere. They are such an important part of our lives growing up as the characters going through these very obvious and tangible events can be used in order to teach children about morals and about right and wrong more effectively than a list of rules can. Writing and storytelling is one of the oldest human artforms, our brains love a good story, once they kept us together around campfires, and now they keep us together in book clubs and at Halloween when we tell ghost stories with our friends in the dark. Fandom is also a form of this, a group of people brought together by the pure joy of loving a piece of media and wanting to talk about it.

Furthermore, it is crucial that we celebrate all writers, because not only can we find joy, peace, and delight in fiction, but we can also understand some of the more awful things in the world a little better using fiction. I know that my perception of religion and where I stand on it was somewhat guided by my reading of the His Dark Materials trilogy which has some beautiful messages about the dangers of control of only one religion, but the wonder that can be created when different people with different life experiences and beliefs all put their ideas together, and the importance of discussion and open mindedness. This part goes for writers too, it is so crucial that people keep writing the stories that they want to write, not what will sell, because every book has a soul. A writer behind those pages who put so much emotion into these characters, crafted people from the electrical and chemical signals in their mind.

Storytelling is a major part of being human, it always has been and (hopefully) always will be. Whether you are a bestselling author, or you like to make up little scary stories to tell your friends at sleepovers, your story is part of a long, long tradition, and is valuable, and beautiful.

[castlebyersafterdark]

you've mentioned you love upbeat pop and 80s tunes... can you speak a little more on what you'd like for musicality in the final season, soundtrack and score?

i personally think that pop culture is missing the sincerity of 90s/2000s film scores like john williams and swelling violins, and if any show could bring back unabashed sincerity (today known as cheesiness because we are still allergic to being genuine instead of ironic somehow) - its ST! the overall themes and story, the 80s ET-esque influences, and they already went there with an orchestral version of eleven's theme in s4. i really want to feel hopeful and uplifted by this story in a way that makes me feel like a kid again, even though edgier endings are seen as cooler. the score has some beautiful classics like the Eulogy motif that played when bob died, when el searched for her mother, and when mike and el broke up lmao

as for soundtrack, people seem to discuss that a lot and im up for almost anything. i think cyndi lauper will return. we know the clash will return too, and seeing as we centre around will i think more alternative and rock might be the way they go instead of mainly the new wave pop classics.

One of the things that made me fall in love with Stranger Things was that it had such a unique, distinctive score. The synths and specific motifs. Super engaging, really different than what a lot of shows were doing. It's always given the show more of a cinematic quality. I'm hoping for more super cool moments like in season 4 - the Journey revamp, Separate Ways?? So good. And listen, as cheesy as it is, I still get chills when I watch the sequence that mixes Running Up that Hill with the Main Theme, like are you kidding?? I was transfixed, hands white knuckling the couch during that whole sequence. The music just took you there, you know?? And that was just the penultimate season, can you imagine what these fucking insane composers are cooking up for the series finale? Whewwww. Because that moment felt like a series ender based on music usage and YET we get 8 more episodes. I'm so excited for the score choices almost as much for the answers to the mysteries and the shipping payoffs. I really really love movie/tv scores. ST has one of the very best. And the influence! You know how many remixes and covers of common songs have been done with synth stuff over the last decade and they're referred to as "Song Name: Stranger Things Mix" despite not having anything to do with the TV show? Her influence. Respect.

One thing that I disagree with the majority on is a reprisal of Heroes - sure, it can return! But I'd really prefer a score track than a song played whenever Byler gets together. More emotional that way. I don't know where it would fit, and I know everyone loves the lyrical connotation of Heroes, but I think this moment deserves something unique. Pinnacle of all the relationships in the show and no I am not exaggerating. Truly.

I have a playlist of potential season 5 song choices! I'll just list some highlights:

Edge of Seventeen - for the Party! When it skips to 1987. Especially for Will. These lyrics are so Will coded they make me insane.

The Breakup Song - This would be so on the nose cheesy fun, but it's a good song, it sets a mood. Mike and El break up and then some danger strike and boom, needle drop.

We need some Judas Priest for Will, since it's 80s, it's rock, and the lead singer is gay!! I never see this mentioned. He came out in the 90s but that would be so cool for future Will to learn that having known this band from his childhood. There's a lot of relevant songs of theirs to use in s5 but even some of the more obvious ones would be cool.

Love is a Battlefield was briefly in s2 but it would be perfect to get a feature in s5.

I honestly love a Billy Idol White Wedding badass moment for Nancy. It just fits her, I think.

I Ran So Far Away for something with Mike, I think this song is very necessary for him.

Only You by Yazoo for the Lucas/Max reunion!! It's so cute and so them.

A friend posted about this before so I'm not the one who came up with this idea, but they predict that Video Killed the Radio Star is going to be featured in promo, using the Radio Station hideout whenever we get the first teaser trailer and I think that's a very possible route. I see the vision so clearly, kinda can't get that out of my head. I think it also ties the 50s/Creel vibes to the present day characters with the radio vs. video imagery for both promotional stuff and the actual show itself.

Listen to Your Heart, Roxette. Again, for Mike. Introspective moments. Figuring out some heavy truths. Facing feelings.

The Man Who Sold the World for Will in some conjunction with his Henry issues. It's evocative, it's dark, it's Bowie, baby! Maybe remixed and slowed and made very creepy.

I don't think Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division has been in the show yet? But, it should.

Self Control - Laura Branigan

Wake Up the Neighborhood - Holland

No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo

Running With the Devil - Van Halen

Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil (can be used for a scene to demonstrate the absurdity of going about life, going to school, under military lockdown, end of the world vibes etc.)

Shout - Tears for Fears

Break on Through to the Other Side - The Doors (WillEl moment or something, I've heard some great remixes of this song!)

I'm mad they already used Thriller in the trailer for s2 because I've heard some fantastic synth remixes and the lyrics are soooo perfect for a scene where monsters are running rampant in Hawkins or something. It would be so 80s and I eat that shit up.

Eye in the Sky - Henry inside the minds of the town, tormenting our leads. Make it creepy. Make everything with him fucked up and dark.

If we don't get a really poignant needle drop with the core four Mike Will Dustin Lucas gearing up for battle to Kids in America, what has all this been for???????

PLEASE. Will in a pivotal moment very late in the season with Should I Stay or Should I Go! Seems obvious but worth listing. Some big scene is going down. Then quiet. No score. Then those first few notes cut the silence. Willlllllll. This to me is in the same vein as the lead up to the scene in Endgame when Cap lifts the hammer?? Sorry, haha you can take the boy outta Marvel but...🤣

[doppotranslations]

Butler Cafe Minuet ~Welcome home, young lady~

===============================

Hypmic ARB in-game event story (Jakurai, Doppo, Rei)

Recording Link: https://youtu.be/24ZRzYdjE94 (in case you wanna read along with the in-game voice lines and sound effects :D)

===============================

Chapter 1

Doppo: *talking on the phone* Yes… Yes… Then it’s settled, I will explain the proposal tomorrow morning at 11:00… Yes… Yes. Well then, I’ll get in touch tomorrow, thank you.

Ogura: Kannonzakaa~. Could you show me the delivery note you’re about to hand in to Toranomon Hospital Nr. 1?

Doppo: Yes. I’ll send it right away. Ogura: Thank you~ Doppo: Hmm… The invoice should be in this folder…

Boss: Kannonzaka-kun! Is Kannonzaka-kun here?

Doppo: (Ugh… that baldy came in… I can see his sweaty face coming over… what stupid thing does he want from me this time…) Boss: Kannonzaka-kun!

Doppo: Y-yes… Can I help you…?

Boss: You will be dispatched at the start of the next month!

Doppo: EH!? D-dispatched!? Where in the world would I…

Boss: To a concept cafe, or so they say! Doppo: C-concept cafe… Boss: The name is “Butler Café Minuet”!

Doppo: B-but, there is no food service experience on my resume, is there…?

Boss: That’s right.

Doppo: Then… Why do I have to go…?

Boss: Because one of our company’s shareholders opened that shop. That’s why I’d like all the members of Matenro to be the highlight of the cafe’s grand opening.

Doppo: Eh!? A-all three of us…?

Boss: The president agreed that two of you will do just fine.

Doppo: T-two… It’s fine if it’s just me, but I can't just make Sensei or Hifumi be part of this too!

Boss: Don’t say you can't do it when you haven’t even tried to do anything about it!! This major shareholder is kind enough to only want one other member to participate! I don’t care which one of them it is, make sure to bring him with you!

Doppo: B-but…

Boss: If you don’t bring either one of them your salary will be cut so you’d better do your best! Now then, get to it!

Doppo: W-what the…

[At Doppo and Hifumi’s apartment]Doppo: *sigh* I’m home… Hifumi: Welcome home, Doppo-kun!

Doppo: Heading to work?

Hifumi: Yeah, I was just about to leave.

Doppo: …Hey, hey, are you free the first weekend of next month?

Hifumi: Around that time I’m going to the club in Osaka for two weeks to help out.

Doppo: *sighs* I s-see…

Hifumi: …what is it? Doppo: N-no! It’s nothing! I was just thinking we could go out together if you were free.

Hifumi: That’s too bad. We’ll have to hang out when I get back.

Doppo: Y-yeah… let’s…

Hifumi: Uh-oh… it’s about time I have to go. See ya!

Doppo: L-looks like I have no choice but to beg for Sensei to help me out…

[At Jakurai’s house]

Doppo: S-sorry for coming so late at night…

Jakurai: I don’t mind it at all. Well then, you said on the phone you had a request that had to be discussed in person?

Doppo: Y-yeah, actually…

[Skip to after Doppo explains it]

Jakurai: A butler cafe… hm?

Doppo: Y-yes… it’s a no, as I was expecting, right…?

Jakurai: Not at all, let’s do it!

Doppo: Eh!?

Jakurai: I wouldn’t want you to have to handle this all alone.

Doppo: S-sensei… Thank you so much…!

Jakurai: I’ll do my very best on that day!

Chapter 2

Rei: …

Con Man A: Amayado-san!

Con Man B: Greetings!

Rei: …so, how did it go?

Con Man A: Well… we couldn’t exactly approach the target.

Con Man B: The security the head conglomerate has there was way too tight…

Rei: What the hell~. You said I could trust you to quietly approach and observe-

Con Man A: Please forgive us…

Rei: *lights a cigarette* …whatever, looks like little old me has got no choice but to go on a business trip.

Con Man B: …All of us entered the building from different angles yet it still ended in failure… I’m afraid it will go the same whether or not you join in or not…

Rei: You two keep saying that but fail to realize your plan was mediocre in the first place.

Con Man A: But, tricking him isn’t so easy…

Rei: You two are too naive Could someone really call themselves a con man if they weren’t able to deceive anyone in this world?

Con Man B: For future reference, could you tell us what your plan to enter that building is?

Rei: If you really want to become first class professionals you should be able to think of it yourselves.

Con Man A: I get what you’re saying but could you at least give us a hint…

Rei: When it comes to this job, what’s of the utmost importance is entering the residence. That’s why the best way to go about it is to become live-in servants.

Con Man B: That is something we thought of too, but the employment process proved to be a real obstacle…

Rei: Hehe. Saying that just proves to me you’re still a second rate con man.

[In the mansion]

Doppo: Sensei… Thank you very much, I really mean it, I am so grateful… thank you so so much!

Jakurai: If you say so… I’m very glad to help out with this favor, but you don’t need to thank me so much.

Doppo: AAH!! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!!

Jakurai: Don’t worry about it… The inside of this store looks exactly like a Western mansion, doesn’t it? The accuracy of the architecture is truly astounding.

Owner: Greetings! First and foremost I would like to express my gratitude to the two of you for cooperating with us. I am the owner of this store.

Doppo: Oh, it’s a pleasure meeting you… I am Kannonzaka Doppo from the sales department of E.L. Medical Ltd.

Jakurai: My name is Jinguuji Jakurai. I’m delighted to make your acquaintance.

Owner: Thank you for your politeness! The rest of the staff will also introduce themselves at once. Everyone, this way!

Doppo: Eh!?

Jakurai: You are…

Rei: Oh, it’s a small world, isn’t it~

Owner: Now then, everybody, please get changed into your uniforms at once.

[Skip to after they get changed]

Doppo: T-this outfit… it’s so embarrassing…

Jakurai: You look great in it, Doppo-kun.

Doppo: Eh, ha, ha, thank you… but it suits you a lot better, Sensei.

Rei: Hey now, it’s pretty clear that the one best suited for this attire is little old me~ *wink*

Doppo: Hey… Amayado-san… What are you doing here?

Rei: Hehe. I’m here to rehearse my butler skills. Isn’t that obvious?

Doppo: I-is that so… I don’t get what you are saying at all…

Owner: Now then, everybody, starting tomorrow we’ll be open. Today you may all receive a short course on customer service.

Doppo: Please…

Jakurai: That would be great, thanks.

Rei: Sure thing.

Chapter 3

Doppo: W-welcome… h-home… m-mish…

Jakurai: Doppo-kun, you shouldn’t be this stiff when saying that…

Doppo: U-uhh… This is way too hard…

Rei: Today’s black tea is Dimbula blend. With its great balance of taste and fragrance, it is certainly something that I recommend.

Jakurai: Amayado-san, you've surely gotten used to being a butler, haven't you?

Doppo: Hey, Amayado-san…

Rei: Yeah, what is iiit?

Doppo: How are you so good at this?

Rei: Whaaa? Being a gentleman is just something I am passionate about.

Doppo: T-that’s right... I am no gentleman…

Owner: Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! You may have a taste of our store’s food if you wish.

Doppo: Woah~. It sure looks tasty.

Jakurai: Hmm… Hachis Parmentier, Légumes à la Grecque, Coq au Vin. Looks like they are serving French food.

Rei: Let’s have some right away then!

[Skip to after they taste the food]

Owner: Was the food to your liking?

Doppo: It was all so delicious!

Owner: That’s great-

Rei: Not really, the quality of the food doesn’t justify the price at all.

Doppo: Eh….?

Jakurai: The arrangement of the food is beautiful. The taste is not bad either. However, as Amayado-san mentioned, it just does not live up to the price.

Rei: *sighs* This would only satisfy fools with bad taste.

Doppo: F-fools with bad taste…?

Jakurai: Yes. Doppo-kun, if you don’t know the genuine flavor of these dishes you can’t really help it.

Doppo: Sensei…

Owner: W-well… What exactly was bad about it…?

Rei: Rather than wasting time explaining it, how about I show you how it’s supposed to be made? Jinguji, lend me a hand.

Jakurai: Yes, let’s get to it.

Doppo: Haha… Looks like I’m just a fool with bad taste who doesn’t know the genuine flavor of these dishes…

[Skip to after they cook]

Rei: Pardon the wait! Here’s the genuine Coq au Vin.

Jakurai: Excuse us for making you wait! Here’s what I know Hachis Parmentier is supposed to be like.

Owner: E-even the scent is different…

Rei: Hehe. Make sure not to let it get cold.

Owner: T-then… *tastes the food* A-amazing! The chicken is so wonderfully tender and it perfectly intertwines with the richness of the red wine sauce…

Doppo: Excuse me… *tastes the food* Sensei’s Hachis Parmentier… It’s so good that I can’t even begin to compare it with the dish from before.

Owner: How is it so different when the same ingredients were used…

Rei: Well, what made the difference was the skill of the people who made it.

Owner: If it’s not a problem, I would like you two to help out in the kitchen…

Rei: That’s great and all but how about we also change this dull menu while we’re at it?

Jakurai: If my skills will suffice, I’ll gladly lend you a hand.

Owner: That’s a great help!

Rei: Well then, Jinguji, let’s go to the kitchen right away.

Jakurai: Yes. Doppo-kun, please help us out by tasting the food.

Doppo: Would someone who’s a fool with bad taste who doesn’t know the genuine flavor of these dishes really be the right person here…

[Skip to after they help in the kitchen]

Doppo: I can’t eat anymore… Everything is tasty...

Rei: Well, looks like we did it. We taught them how to perfectly follow the process.

Jakurai: Doppo-kun, here’s some stomach medicine.

Doppo: S-sorry for this… Thank you so much…

Owner: I’m very grateful for your help, everyone. We shall meet again tomorrow for the grand opening.

Rei: Yep! I surely want to keep riding this ship. Jakurai: I’ll do my very best. See you tomorrow.

Doppo: E-excuse me for being a bother, I’ll d-do my best…

Chapter 4

[The Day of the Grand Opening]

Doppo: Welcome home, miss. I shall prepare the tea at once. Your table is over this way.

Jakurai: Here we use only the highest grade tea leaves. The light elegant aroma together with its refined taste make this black tea truly a pleasure to drink.

Rei: Miss, it appears it is time to depart. Please follow me.

[Later, in the kitchen]

Doppo: *sighs* …even though it’s only the first day there are so many customers…

Rei: Hey, Kannonzaka. Give me some water too.

Doppo: Yes, of course. *pours him a glass and hands it to him*

Rei: Thank you. *drinks water* Phew~ looks like lil old me got tired too, as expected.

Doppo: It’s because we’ve been moving around constantly since noon…

Jakurai: Hey, Doppo-kun.

Doppo: Yes. What’s the matter?

Jakurai: It seems like someone has called you over. Please head over to the hall.

Doppo: Called me over…? Alright, got it… Hmm… I wonder who it is. *goes back*

Ogura: Yo~! I came to poke fun at you~

Mitsuya: Tailcoat, huh? (lmao)

Doppo: Get the hell out of here…

Ogura: Oi oi oi~ Are you ok-?? What’s with that attitude, dude??

Doppo: Such a bother… Come on, hurry up and turn right…

Mitsuya: Excuse mee~. That butler is being awfully rude to us.

Jakurai: Please excuse us. …Doppo-kun.

Doppo: E-excuse me…

Doppo: W-welcome home, young master… Please hand me your luggage so I can carry it.

Ogura: Right on!

Mitsuya: Don't mind if I do.

Doppo: Damnit, I should stuff the insides of their bags in the fucking garbage..

[Time skip]

Owner: Jinguji-san, Amayado-san!

Jakurai: Yes. What appears to be the matter?

Rei: Yeah, what is it?

Owner: Both of our chefs seem to have injured themselves with kitchen knives… I hope it is not too much trouble, but could the two of you help out in the kitchen?

Rei: Well now, that’s fine and all, but…

Jakurai: Our absence would surely turn out to be a burden for Doppo-kun…

Doppo: A-ahaha… I’ll try my best to manage somehow…

Owner: I deeply apologize…

Doppo: The inside of the cafe is completely packed… Those two are absent so I have to cover for them… Yup, I’m dead… (Huh!? Wait a second… It doesn’t have to be like that. There are two idiots here who aren’t customers!) *runs to their table* Oi, you two!

Ogura: Oi oi oi! What do you mean by “you two”? What happened to “young masters”?

Mitsuya: Hey, watch your tongue!

Doppo: *chuckles* The owner is in trouble…

Ogura and Mitsuya: Huh?

Doppo: It’s time for work, you assholes!! Go change into these tailcoats at once!

Ogura and Mitsuya: WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!????

Owner: Everyone, thanks to you we brought our opening day to a good end. Thank you very much. As an apology for not being prepared enough for this, please have something to eat if you’d like.

Jakurai: Thank you very much!

Ogura and Mitsuya: S-sshoo tired…

Ogura: We didn’t even get any training in working as butlers or anything… that was horrible…

Owner: Oh? Where are Kannonzaka-san and Amayado-san?

Jakurai: Doppo-kun is taking out the trash and Amayado-san went to get changed.

Owner: Is that so?

Ogura: Oh, there’s beer!

Mitsuya: Oh~! I definitely need it after all that hard work.

Ogura: Hey, Jinguji-sensei, here, have some!

Jakurai: N-no… I shouldn’t… Mitsuya: C’mon, no need to hold back!

[Outside]

Rei: *lights a cigarette and sighs*

Doppo: *throws the trash* Amayado-san, thank you so much for helping out. Thanks to you it looks like I won’t be getting a pay cut…

Rei: Ahaha! You seem to be working for a really shady company! If it’s all fine and dandy, lil’ old me would love making some sweet moolah off of scamming these chumps~

Doppo: Ahaha… if you do that I’d be getting that pay cut after all, since they won't be able to pay my salary.

Rei: Anyways, it’s been forever since these old bones have moved this much, so my joints are creaking~

Doppo: Ahaha… mine too… *sighs* I want a massage…

Rei: Massage you say? I could make some arrangements for that.

Doppo: I’d love to go, but I have work tomorrow…

[Glass Breaking Noise]

Doppo and Rei: !?

Jakurai: There isn’t enough fuckin’ booze! Hurry up‘n bring me more already!

Ogura and Mitsuya: *gasp* HELP!!!

Doppo: Amayado-san. On second thought, I’ll be taking you up on that offer for getting a massage.

Rei: Yeah, sure, but first let's slip into something comfier…

Doppo: If you go inside you’ll be finished for sure! So, let’s get the hell out of here!

Rei: Oi oi! What the hell are you talking about…

Doppo:  (Ogura… Mitsuya… turns out I’m counting on you…)