#interesting first post after not being too active due to school hi

[goldenstring6123]

Lnds: The boys as parents

Warning: Long post ahead! 3.7K words in total! reader is MC! f!reader, AFAB!reader, implied abortion

Author's note: I went a little too overboard and specific with this one... IDK if you guys will like it. Might make a part 2/Individual fics it this post does well!

Zayne as a father:

He became a parent to 2 kids, both adopted. The eldest is a boy, and the youngest is a girl.

After a life-threatening complication when you were pregnant (it involved the problem in your heart, you and your husband decided to adopt instead. The first was a 4-year-old boy and, later on, a 2-year-old girl from an island near Linkon City.

Zayne works hard as a chief surgeon; even then, the pay at AKSO Hospital is no joke. Despite preparing more than enough money to live comfortably with a child, something within him fueled his desire to do better: before you got married, he worked hard to become a part of the Hospital's board of directors. This allowed him to control his time more and spend fewer hours working.

When you and Zayne adopted your first boy, a 4-year-old named Elias, you met him as a quiet little boy which you found working hard to try and read an outdated newspaper on the island. A few months later, you discovered your now-son's interests in academics and learning. Zayne was pleasantly surprised to see his little boy eager to learn about things outside of the island, so much so that the chief surgeon almost immediately registered him to enter formal schooling.

Most people would assume that, like himself, he expected his son to achieve great things in school, but on some school nights, before bedtime, Zayne would talk to your son. "You're doing well in school, Elias. But don't forget to have fun." You thought Zayne would never really have time to visit your son's plays and school activities. Still, much to your surprise, he was there for most of it, especially in events where your son is involved. It was such a comedic sight watching your husband hold a noncellular camera.

Being a part of the hospital board of directors meant long and lengthy meetings, so there were times when he still had to work late and leave beyond working hours. Sometimes, you let your son stay up and accompany you to pick up your husband. Of course, that's also to buy a hotpot for a midnight snack on the way. There were also times when you and your son would fall asleep on the couch waiting for him. He quickly picks you up and places you on his bed, tucking you and himself five minutes later. The next thing you know, it's morning, and the smell of waffles is wafting in the air.

He wasn't outwardly affectionate, but it's more than evident that he loves his son. He praises him to his colleagues (unknowingly), and he gives him gifts, and the cost doesn't matter. But sometimes, he shows love to his child through words, Complimenting his son's actions and skills.

He rarely scolds his son as he's the less strict parent. Your dynamic is the type where if you don't allow your son to go do something, he'll call his dad for backup. You almost always give in. Zayne never really puts his hand on his son. Instead, he opts for a more, face-the-consequence-of-your-actions type of dad. He lets his son be and ensures Elias learns that there are things he can't and shouldn't do. On more bad days, when your son is extremely hard-headed, Zayne will tell him what to do.

A few years later, despite many ups and downs, both of you decided to adopt from the same island again. It was a year-old infant named Penelope who was handed to the orphanage due to the death of her mother.

Between the two of you, Zayne was the one who fell in love first. He never expected to be a girl dad, and he didn't think too much of it until he saw her in your arms. The first thing she did was grab his finger and giggle, looking so beautiful against the island's sunset.

When she grew a bit older, Zayne became fond of how she began to resemble you in terms of actions and personality. She was undoubtedly the type of kid to make a fuss about the little things and act cunningly to get her way and, at the same time, not cry over the things that made her sad or hurt her.

She was often seen with you and clinging to you if not Elias. With her, things were an unspoken competition between Elias and Zayne. He was her first in many things: first dance, first time riding a bike, and first parent to be called by her, except for the first kiss. Her first kiss was given to his older brother, and it was on the forehead. Zayne sulked for the rest of the day while your son held that against him, stating that his little sister loves him more than his dad.

Despite this, Zayne and Elias developed another thing, an unspoken urge to protect the little girl. It may not seem like it, but Elias always focuses on Penelope, ensuring she's doing alright in school and having fun. Zayne sometimes sneaks into the daycare to peek at her daughter's condition. On Zayne's day off, Elias would tell stories about what Penelope does on a day-to-day basis. Thanks to his son, he was well-versed in her daughter's life events despite working a lot in the Hospital.

Xavier as a father:

Xavier is a father to one male child.

It was an unplanned pregnancy, which you only realized when you had your Quarterly checkup at headquarters. The doctor ruled you unfit to work on the field because you were carrying a month-old baby. You gagged at the news, and on the same day, you told Xavier. He just stared at you and turned red.

Xavier was…enthusiastic(?) with your pregnancy. Despite being the type not to really change when you were pregnant, he was always on guard and on your beck and call, buying out whatever cravings you had, even at midnight or on a rainy day (He was the one having cravings; You settled with whatever food you had in the house.)

While you were at home resting with him, you observed his behavior change. He was more silent than usual, looking out of the window; when you asked, he told you that his having a child felt like a fever dream. Xavier was unprepared to be a father but willing to learn. His trove of light novels and comic books slowly began to be invaded by parent magazines and guidebooks on caring for an infant. If he has some day off, he will be by your side to help you do stuff around the house or attend parenting classes behind your back.

When you gave birth, even through the amniotic fluid and white stuff covering the child, you could easily see that he was a pure carbon copy of Xavier. There was no part of the little baby that resembled you at all. Both in physical appearance and in attitude. Xavier cried tears of joy upon seeing your child born, albeit he never showed anyone his crying face. You know he did because his eyes and nose were puffier than usual.

The baby was quiet; it coos, plays with its saliva, and asks for a lot of milk, but I rarely cry. The only time it cries is if a loud sound is disturbing it from sleeping. And even when he cries, gently tapping and lulling him within five minutes will stop the little guy from crying.

The baby was attached to him. The baby would unknowingly leer towards him whenever he was around, asking to be picked up, to which Xavier would happily do so. He was a sleepy child and liked to nap even in broad daylight. He was easily fed and didn't put up much of a fight, even in his older years.

At the age of three, it was the beginning period where his little meek personality began to change. The kid was adventurous and the curious type. He was often found in his own world observing the little things in life, like a trail of ants or a kitten atop a tree branch, yet it seemed like he was curious to learn more things. He liked to observe from up close, which is why he was often seen on tiptoes trying to look over a lot of stuff or squatting down to observe the smaller insects on the ground.

To help him foster his talents and strengths, Xavier brings him to the headquarters once a week to let him run around and train. You were against it initially, but seeing your little boy imitate his father with clumsy focus made your heart swoon. A few years later. The kid was in school; Xavier was the one who attended the boy's school activities as you had to work most of the time, leading a team of your own.

He was doing well compared to the average students in school. Still, the teacher complained that the little boy kept sleeping in class, often getting him scolded and demerit. Xavier scratched his head and apologized, saying the little boy must've been exhausted after midnight play-dates with him.

Xavier keeps physical albums in his home, one for the family, one for you and him, and one dedicated to your child's life. Much to your surprise, he was more hands-on with his child than you might expect. Xavier never lets you carry your son for too long; he's afraid that you would collapse from exhaustion. He'd also be the one to put him to sleep, almost always falling asleep with his own son.

He's not the type to gift his child physical things (he still does occasionally). He would prefer to take you guys out to different locations, like a new arcade, a new park, or a place where your son could explore freely and safely. Xavier adores his child and keeps a photo of him on his lock screen. On his desk is a family picture of you and him that you take every year.

Xavier was the favorite parent when the little boy grew up because he was calmer, more collected, and the cooler one between you two. It's not that you weren't, but you know how boys are. Xavier tells his son many stories that he passes off as "fairytales" when, in reality, it was actually his real adventures in the decades he has lived and worked. But his favorite ones were when he and you fought against the wanderers side to side.

Needless to say, Xavier was a role model and a doting father. Because his appearance never really changed, at some point in the far future, he would be mistaken as the little boy's twin brother instead. It became a running joke in your family, so much so that out of pity, your son decided to dye his hair a different color to make him distinguishable.

Xavier and your son continued to have a boss and subordinate relationship in the hunter's association, which a lot of people really admired. On the other hand, you ran the bigger team and were on the field most of the time. Memories of regular days are filled with seeing each other in the medical Bay, on the field, or in a restaurant after a long fight on the field.

Rafayel as a father:

Father to two girls.

Rafayel's baby was not planned. In fact, he never believed you were pregnant until he saw signs of your body changing, especially the morning sickness and cravings. It's not that he didn't want to be a father, but it was simply too sudden for him, and he couldn't absorb it well.

He went a little overboard in preparation, hoarding many little clothes that your child would definitely outgrow. He brags about your pregnancy to many people, saying he's excited to be a father and always wanted a family of his own. People congratulate you a lot, even if you don't know who they are. On random days, you keep getting mail for some reason, and it's oversized packages: bassinets, branded feeding bottles, bottle steamers, and a box full of infant diapers. Safe to say, you really didn't need to buy a lot of things for your little passenger.

Unlike you, who was pretty lenient in designing the bedroom for your daughter, he was nit-picky as hell. The interior designer and suppliers had a hard time dealing with your husband, and you could only apologize secretly on his behalf. Nonetheless, the room turned out to be more beautiful than you expected.

When the baby arrived, he was crying, but he denied it. Yet everyone in the room could see him cry like a diva. Everyone wanted to see the baby, and so did your friends. Still, to your surprise, Rafayel refrained from letting anyone visit you for fear of the infant contracting any diseases from the visitors.

You decided to name her Anastasia. He was undeniably meant to be a girl dad. There was no day in the week when the little baby was dressed poorly. She would always wear on-brand clothes; even simple pajamas cost more than they should. He bought her dolls, stuffed toys, and those big dollhouses collectors buy.

When the little baby girl grew up and began to attend school, Rafayel would always ask for a kiss on the cheek, which your daughter would happily give.

Rafayel likes to gossip with you and your daughter, and he is a good source of news because he always knows the juicier side of stories. With your daughter, he knows the reputation of each and every parent. Sometimes, they go too far and pick on your daughter's classmates, e.g., telling them that their clothes are old-fashioned or that one kid looks like a mean bully. The bad thing is, your daughter thinks so as well. You and Rafayel once went to her sports day competition and saw her play a three-legged race partnered with a boy. You could see the smoke coming out of Rafayel's head, and you had to cover his mouth because he was uttering profanities. Something like: "Get your hands off my daughter, you little…"

Raf likes to give gifts as a sign of affection, and your daughter is thankful, but on special days, she doesn't request anything. Instead, she insists on having a dad-daughter date instead. Thanks to those moments, Raf began to lean more towards spending time together rather than showering her with gifts.

She grew up replicating Rafayel's diva-ness as her form of humor, and she usually tries to get away with stuff using that method. But she was family-oriented, being the type to show affection outwardly. She most definitely became a daddy's girl and would always go to him for help.

Later on, when your first child reached her teen years, you decided to have another child, and this time, it was a girl whom you named Charlotte. Rafayel was more tamed with the room decoration this time, but not with the gifts and outfits. He didn't allow any secondhand items from Anastasia to be given to the younger one.

Rafayel, despite already being a seasoned dad, was more overprotective with his second daughter, hiring a nanny for her. He would be restless if he didn't manage to see her for two days, so he refrained from going out of town unless necessary. If he did, however, he would always call you and ask how Charlotte was doing. You would turn the phone to your daughter, but she wouldn't pay him any mind and continue coloring in her little notebook.

Unlike Anastasia, Charlotte preferred to be with you. She was the more reserved of the two siblings, but she was mature for her age. She knew what she wanted and would outwardly deny if whatever she was doing or receiving was not to her liking. She wasn't that dramatic and would just stare at her sister or father whenever they exaggerated their emotions in front of her.

Sometimes, you and Charlotte just like to watch your other daughter and your husband act all dramatic. Then you just brush them off and spend your day drinking tea and eating cupcakes.

Sylus as a father

Sylus is the father of twins. One boy, one girl.

You weren't married when you found out you were pregnant; you were his lover by then, but you were severely unprepared to have children, considering the environment you guys were in. You got married in secret, and he made a promise to protect you and your children despite living in the N109 zone.

Upon the birth of your children, he was mainly on edge. He got you the best doctors and midwives. Although your birth was surprisingly smooth sailing, you heard some stories from the nurses nearby about how Sylus was threatening a doctor if you ended up with complications. Thankfully, the twins were delivered safely.

Between the twins, the eldest is a girl you named Mauve, and the boy, Claude. Mauve had your eyes, but his hair color was daunting, and he had a more pale skin tone, while Claude resembled you more than Sylus, except for his eyes.

Sylus didn't care much for the children; he made that apparent by focusing more on you and his work and leaving the kids to the nanny. That quickly changed after six months. On a random day, he saw you tending to your children, both sleeping soundly in your arms. You seemed at peace inside the bedroom, looking out into the distance. Something switched inside of Sylus, which neither of you can point out, but there was one thing for sure: You guys were now a family.

The mindset change perplexed you the most because, beginning that day, Sylus made a quiet effort to learn how to take care of the twins. He was often seen with the nanny, asking for specific methods of washing the feeding bottles or bathing the twins. And in no less than a month, he was practically the one taking care of your children whenever he was at home.

Sylus doesn't spoil his children more than necessary. Sure, they had rooms of their own and a decent amount of toys, branded items, and clothes, but he only gave them a little more than necessary. He firmly believes that children should learn to work hard at an early age to not get disappointed in the future; you scolded him for that, though, after all, they were just children.

Sylus always plays with his children whenever he can. He doesn't like it when family time is interrupted by business, so he ensures no one disturbs the residence until you and the children have had enough fun. His play methods are surprisingly tame and even comedic; after all, the sight of Sylus dawning twin-tails and stickers on his face doesn't come by that often. On days when he's out of town, Luke and Kieran are the ones who play with the children, and not even they can withstand the dress-up and role-play.

Whenever things get complicated in the organization, or even a hint of danger lurks around the family, Sylus sends you and the children away to a residence under a different name. It was located on a more private island, which only his private jet could access. Then, he deals with the problem as swiftly as possible.

A few more years later, Sylus changed. His principle of hard work equals good rewards shifted, and he slowly began to spoil the twins. They were spoiled, but it was surprising that they were obedient. That is until you spied around them when you were supposed to be at work. It was thanks to this that you realized another thing: Sylus is the type of father who says, "I can't do anything, your mother said no. Sorry, kids." when you're around and "C'mon kids, who will scold you? Your mom is at work, and I'm the parent in charge!" when you're not.

Thanks to this, you also discovered the real nature of your children behind the nice, good children facade.

They were naughty: They liked to play pranks on your husband, but Sylus always outsmarts them. You constantly wondered where they were picking up these silly pranks until you saw them huddled together with Luke and Kieran in a random corner of the house.

The twins were cunning: They greeted guests with a smile and treated maids with care, but they sneaked around the staff room and reported to Sylus what they heard. Once, they broke a vase and convinced you that Mephisto did it.

They were eccentric: The smiles on their faces were business smiles whenever other people were around. Note they were smiling ear to ear, but their smile was unsettling once you realized that you had entered the house of Onichynus' leader. It was almost threatening even.

Sylus, despite not looking like it, valued education as he believed it could give his children an advantage. Still, he'd let his children be street-smart rather than book-smart. Because of this belief, he would bring his children around for business meetings and less dangerous missions. You once argued with him over the twins' safety. Still, they reassured you that they're more than capable of protecting themselves.

A few years later, into adulthood, Claude was quietly regarded as a lethal weapon due to his proficiency in engineering (nuclear & Chemical) and in statistics; His background and frightening loyalty to his father and Onychinus amplified the organization's fearsome reputation.

On the other hand, Mauve was the front of Onychinus, often leaving the country to make business deals on behalf of his father, who was busy working at home. The woman was responsible. She was undoubtedly a gambler who believed high stakes = high rewards, yet she had never once lost that gamble.

But when you and your family get together for dinner every week, it's like they're the most mundane family ever, talking about what they hear out on the street and what the new neighbors are up to or what new places to visit in Linkon City. You just…came to accept it.

Author's footnotes: Alright this post is too long for my own liking but it would be longer if I go in depth about your family details. and at this point, this is like an AU... Layout by me, using canva premium | Do not repost |

MASTER LIST | Buy me a thread?

[bouquetface]

Bang Chan - Vedic Chart Analysis

Per request. This uses the birth time of 8:54 PM.

I hope everyone just takes this as fun. I do not mean any disrespect in making assumptions. Ofc I do not know him or his life. I wish him the best. Please take it as entertainment.

🍀 if you have some of the same placements this post may be insightful for you.

Romantic Relationships:

Venus conjunct Mars in Scorpio 7th H - This strongly indicates marrying someone you have encountered in the past. He will have met or been near his spouse at least once before properly meeting. The times prior they would have been unable to get close for some reason.

Real life example: I have seen this as a person who went to the same vet school as their spouse but they never encountered one another. They were too focused on their studies to even care about meeting someone.

In Bang Chan’s case, this may be someone he encountered during his travels and/or through his work life. His future spouse and him currently may have mutual friends or acquaintances. They may have seen or heard about the other in a causal way.

The area they meet in will be a busy area - like downtown or simply people are around them. This conjunction shows the couple meets in an area close to their home - this is due to Venus being in its natural home ( the 7th house). They may even discover they live very close to one another. There is some sense of familiarity in regard to meeting. He could have been to the location before.

It will be up to him to approach her directly. While she is an independent and go-getter type, she likely won’t make the first move.

Venus holds the lowest degree. This shows someone who makes bold moves. He is likely dominating and assertive in relationships. He will not come off as aggressive doing this since Venus controls this conjunction. While he is comfortable leading, he doesn’t desire a partner to be completely submissive either. After marriage, his spouse will be someone who dominates/leads the marriage. This doesn’t mean it has to be a negative scenario - he may appreciate the responsibility being taken off his shoulders.

But there often isn’t a balance of who is leading/dominating and who is following/submissive. It can constantly change throughout their relationship.

His spouse has a fiery nature. The good side to this is she will fight for the marriage and for him (Mars’s influence). She is somewhat possessive and he’ll prolly like it tbh. There can be constant passion and friction throughout the relationship. The intensity is unlikely to ever die down. The two are always at least physically attracted to one another even when fighting. Strong sexual energy.

Venus in Vishakha indicates a very beautiful spouse. Yet, his spouse is likely to still experience jealously. Ofc everyone does but for his partner this is to a greater extent - it can be more intense of a feeling or possibly a constant feeling. Her emotional and sensitive nature can lead to arguments. She can be very stubborn. She does not back down easily. He can like this about her but be frustrated by her at the same time. There is a pull and push to their dynamic.

She is likely highly accomplished. This is due to the nakshatra’s influence - it shows overcoming hardships, obstacles & defeating enemies. She may have undergone experiences of feeling betrayed or discriminated against resulting in an independent and bold personality. She does not trust or follow anyone easily. She may desire he makes it clear that he is with her.

She may be very concerned with her appearance. She is likely active. She may have interest in fashion. She’ll likely have a good style and/or have beautiful features.

Specific Appearance of Spouse:

Venus DK & 7th H Ruler (Mars) in Scorpio indicates: A pale or lighter skin toned partner. Scorpio indicates medium height, Mars shows shorter height. She may be medium to short height.

Venus conjunct Mars indicates the spouse has or gets a mark on them. Birth mark, scar, acne, burn, etc. This can even indicate she ends up having a c-section - results in a surgery scar. & sometimes this can show someone undergoes or has undergone cosmetic surgery.

Either way she will be stunning as Venus is in 7th H and Venus is the DK planet. & because Venus is his 1st house ruler in 7th, he may look similar to his spouse or personality-wise he becomes similar to the spouse.

Her career: She could become an entrepreneur. She may model. Her work involves movement, diplomacy, charming communication & possibly design/aesthetics. She may act. She may have multiple sources of income and/or tried multiple career paths.

6th house ruler (Venus) in 7th house indicates the spouse is constantly dealing with obstacles in life. In worst case scenario, this can indicate a spouse who eventually is diagnosed with a serious illness. In other cases, it can be the spouse’s work or family life that causes a lot of stress & responsibilities. He may desire to swoop in and save/protect the spouse from these troubles.

Essentially, the spouse is bringing 6th house topics (debt, struggle, court issues, illness, pets, other responsibilities) into married life. This doesn’t often occur instantly after marriage - not much of this post will - this is later into married life. It doesn’t have to be overly negative either. For example: A short period of struggle as the spouse later deals with a lawsuit in their life. OR even simply the spouse brings pets into the marriage - extra responsibility - but not bad at all.

Venus DK and Saturn AK are friendly planets to one another. This indicates a bond built on mutual friendship not just physical attraction. They have the ability to work together to resolve any issues that come their way. Venus conjunct Mars shows they can count on one another supporting them through anything.

Ride or die - not in a toxic sense tho as Saturn AK brings in a sense of maturity. And his Mars aspect to Mercury shows logical decision making before taking action.

Spouse Family:

He’ll have a distant relationship with his spouse’s family - specifically his father in law. The relationship will be formal, polite but distant.

Divorce Potential

He doesn’t have strong divorce indicators. However, in D9 he does have Rahu in 7th, the ruler of this Rahu is Mars in 5th house. Truthfully, this can indicate affairs. Yet, no strong divorce indicators showing these thoughts may not be acted on. And if they were, the couple could decide to remain together to work on their marriage.

Timing Based on SR:

2023-2025 - During this time, it seem someone could have caught his attention However, it seems unlikely to go further. Specifically in 2025, the connection would be unstable. His focus is divided. He may find it better to detach from any romantic connection he may be involved in.

May 2027 - Sept 2028 - This seems prominent for the birth/creation of something new. There could be some shocking developments in his personal life. This won’t be something small, it’ll leave an impact on him. He could experience a lot of romance and passion - which is likely to feel both exciting and frustrating. However, this could be a creative project that he has an idea for/works on.

He may suddenly decide to move or make another change to his home life.

2028-2029 - This when he’ll have adjusted to the newness and change. If he is working on creating something in 2027-2028, then in 2028-2029 the project is completed. The 5th house is more than just romance, it’s creation - creation of art, creation of children, performance, + more. So it’s unclear if this is a start of a relationship or birth of a creative project or simply working and casually having fun.

2029-2030 - He could potentially marry in 2030. Jupiter and NN will transit his 7th, Saturn will aspect his 7th from 1st. This is his Rahu bhutki period, if he did marry this year there are likely many tests for this marriage later.

Late 2034 - Early 2035 - Specifically January 15th would be a good time for marriage but will he actually marry this exact date? prolly not.

Timing Based on Dasha Periods:

Nov 2023-Jul 2026

He is in a Jupiter/Venus period. It is likely partnerships are a focus in his life during this period. Natal Venus in 7th shows he could be in an important relationship (even if it isn’t the person who he ends up marrying). Venus is his DK as well - further emphasizing even if he isn’t in a relationship, he may have encountered his future spouse.

Jul 2026-May 2027

He is in a Jupiter/Sun period. Natal Sun is in the 5th H and rules his 4th H. This makes it likely the themes of these houses are important. 5 H = creation, romance, children, joy, performance, etc. 4 H = home, mother, family, origins, etc.

His natal Sun aspect Saturn shows this period can be slightly difficult. He may indulge in pleasures and recreational fun (5th H influence) but then realize he needs to stabilize himself. This is a period of growth and maturity. He may feel trapped & restricted in some ways too - writer’s block.

May 2027-Sep 2028

This is a Jupiter/Moon period. Natal Moon rules 3rd house and is in the 6th house. Truthfully, this period could bring some personal struggles. He may be in conflict with a sibling or partner (longtime friends, romantic, or even business partner).

The worst case scenario with 6th H is he experiences poor health or is required to go to court for some reason. He may be stressed at times & experience anxiety, headaches, fatigue. He may be involved in contracts and court matters.

Sep 2028-Aug 2029

This is his Jupiter/Mars period. Natal Mars is in 7th conjunct Venus (7th H ruler + DK). He can seriously consider marriage in this period - however, due to his career I personally doubt he’d marry this young. An important relationship development is likely to occur tho.

Aug 2029-Jan 2032

This is his Jupiter/Rahu period. Natal Rahu is in 4th H. This shows home and family experience important events. He can experience arguments within the home & family. There can be deception - he may feel he’s being lied to or he is being deceptive in some ways. Honestly, he could feel unhappy and dissatisfied with what he has in this period. ex: He wants to move, he wants an additional property.

Saturn/Venus - Nov 2038-Jan 2042 - Age: 41-44

This will be a prominent time for his relationships. If he is married at this time, he could find some difficulty. This is when his Sade Sati period begins too. Thus, added tension as life throws tests his way.

Personality:

Sun in virgo indicates he is very hardworking. He desires control and perfection. His routine is likely very important to him. His Moon in 6th house emphasizes the importance of routine on his health.

Moon in Libra shows a natural diplomat. He sees both sides. He desires peace and balance. This Moon paired with Jupiter in 9th shows a great leader. They can understand and motivate people when they are at their lowest. He has a balance - he isn’t an enabler nor will he do tough love to an extreme. This shows someone who is good at business - both the social aspect and the actual commitment to work.

Chitra is considered the architect - They have a good eye for design. They often like photography - examples: have scrapbooks, photography is a hobby, purchase other artist’s photos, many personal photos around the home, coffee table book of photos, etc. Due to the ruler Venus in 7th H, this can indicate the spouse has these traits instead.

Libra Moon in 6th shows being well-groomed and having good hygiene is very important to them. This is one way their desire for routine can appear - being religious about their skin care routine, gym routine, etc. His mom may be like this too. She could enjoy having a healthy routine and taking care of her appearance.

Saturn Atmakaraka in 11th house shows it is his purpose to provide service for the masses. In Pisces, it indicates it’s through art and imagination. He could eventually speak on politics - for example he shows support for same-sex couples. He shows support for other groups of people who are often discriminated against.

[rey-129-fan]

Well, it's been a while since I've posted any fanfic... Let's change that.

Good news! I'm not dead! My brain did try to get me to do things that could unalive myself for a bit, and then I lost nearly an entire side of my family over the span of 3 years, but I'm still here and still kicking! And I have two new puppies who are adorable and so loving.

Now for this story, this is inspired by a few posts I saw on @theglamorousferal, mostly the one about Amity Parkers going to college in Gotham and buying a hotel (I'm making it a co-op student house, but I've never lived in one, so if something's unacceptably wrong, tell me, if not, artistic license), but also the one where our main Trio buy a building to set up shop there, and wind up adopted my Jason (I swear, I saw that post after I wrote the first chapter, but it just fit so well).

***

Honestly, Amity Park was weird long before the Fentons moved there- the original settlers named the nearby lake Eerie, and it wasn’t after the Great Lake.  It’s just that before the Fentons’ machine punched a hole through reality and created a permanent doorway to the land of spirits and ghosts, the weirdness was not as blatant.

Prior to that, Amity Parkers were some of the few that could move to Gotham without suffering a breakdown that was common for new arrivals.  Now there was a slight dip in newcomers for about a decade or two after the Bat made his debut and then the crazies that followed him, but then Amity Parkers got used to the spirits of the dead wandering around following the aforementioned punching through reality.

All this to say that Gotham Universities were a rather common destination for young Amity Park adults seeking higher education.

Now because of this, there were always apartments advertising themselves for people from the small town.  They, after all, tended to not have a breakdown after their fifth rogue attack and just pack up and leave halfway through their lease.  But it got very annoying having to sift through all the advertisements when looking for a place to stay- something Danny Fenton saw his older sister go through when she got in to Gotham City University.  The boy then shared what he was witnessing with his two best friends- Tucker Foley and Sam Manson.  Tucker offered to help filter out the spam, which Danny’s sister Jazz thanked him for but turned down.  Sam… Sam instead got thinking.

Sam had been to Gotham a few times in her life.  She had an idea of the areas closest to the schools and how much those should cost.  And looking at the letters Jazz was getting, the offers were a little too high for a regular college student to afford.  Sam was also familiar with how many hotels were not being used in Gotham- people building them in hopes tourists would come to stay while visiting the East Coast, tourists that could not be convinced to visit due to the high crime rate and the lack of activities or places of interest in the city itself.

She quickly went to work, looking in to these empty hotels.  She was rather upset by their numbers and put together a spreadsheet of them, with details like number of rooms, any amenities they may have, and nearby landmarks.  She then grabbed her two dorks and marched to Casper High’s Community Outreach director.

Now Sam’s presentation raised a few eyebrows, mostly because it was in a completely different state, but Sam shot back that because of the efforts to incorporate the town’s new ghostly residents and provide them with helpful ways to feed their obsessions- efforts led by the Fenton family- Amity Park had very few homeless, and those that were had a huge community safety net to help them get back on their feet.  Additionally, with how many people moved between the city and the town, helping the city could be argued to also be helping the town.

The Outreach Director just sighed and gave Same the green light to at least draft and send out a proposal to the powers that be in Gotham, saying that there wasn’t much that could be done before they got backing and approval.  Sam thanked them before leaving, Danny and Tucker trailing behind.

She was back the next day with a draft of her proposal and a list of who to send it to.

***

Since returning from the dead in the eyes of the public, Jason Todd was often contacted by groups trying to use the Wayne fortune to fund their own personal projects.  They thought Jason would be the easiest to con- sorry, persuade- since he was a former street kid unlike the rest of his family.  Thus surely he would know just how much this new building with low income housing would help the people of Gotham- it even came with a pool and gym!

Yeah, he did know how much the people of Gotham needed housing, but $2K a month was not affordable when you’re barely making $30K a year!  Oh and the pool and gym were only available for those who could shell out an additional $2K a month.  Jason knows, he read the whole document carefully.

God, sometimes it was hard to tell who was worse, the psychos in Blackgate or real estate investors.  And sadly, he couldn’t just pop a bullet in their heads and be done with it because 1) it would raise too many questions and 2) it would make Bruce get all sad and mopey- again.  Jason just did not have the mental energy to put up with that on top of the rest of his life as a crimelord/vigilante/long-lost adoptive second son of a billionaire.

All this to say, he was not impressed when he first glanced over a proposal to convert the unused hotels around the city into housing units- especially since it was from someone that did not live in Gotham.

Manson?  Wasn’t there a family with that name that would attend some of Brucie’s galas?  Oh yeah, their family made its fortune off patenting the machine that wrapped toothpicks in plastic, as well as a couple others.  And they had a daughter around Repla- Tim’s age.  Hopefully this wasn’t her trying to be a kiss-ass like her parents.

Jason finished reading and sat back.  The proposal wasn’t too bad.  Converting hotels into apartment buildings would be easier than office buildings, and the suggestion to use ex-convicts that wanted to turn over a new leaf as building managers certainly wasn’t the worst.  Also creating a fund for those that couldn’t afford rent, as well as community kitchens and gardens were certain plusses, though would need to have the right people in charge to make sure they actually worked as planned, and to keep the Court of Owls from messing with it.

Overall, it was something Jason would consider, after some research and maybe talking with the rest of the Bats and Birds.  And if this was from the Manson kid, maybe get Dickie or one of the others to talk to her next time there was a gala in town.  Or talk to her himself, if the Pit wasn’t too loud.

…Dick was probably the better option to talk with her if it came down to it.

***

There's the first chapter. I'm going to go write the next one. When I have a good log of them, I'll then go and edit them and put them on AO3.

This has no title yet because I suck at naming. Feel free to comment with suggestions for a name, both for the fic/au and for the eventual hotel/co op. As well as any shinanegans and majors/colleges/universities for our liminal young adults.

Part 1/? Next >

[cheriladycl01]

The Deeper Connection - Zhou Guanyu x ChildhoodBestfriend! Reader

Plot: You made friends with Zhou when he first came to the UK to pursue his driving career, and you were like two pee's in a pod. When he reaches F1 and life gets busy for the both of you he finds solitude in your childhood hideout.

A/N: I haven't been that active lately with finals coming up, however I'm still trying to post regularly!

You'd grown up in Sheffield all your life, you lived in a very nice home and came from a pretty well off family. With a dad in oversea real estate and your mum as a business owner and entrepreneur in the UK you wouldn't ever have to ask for anything twice.

The trouble was that you tried out so many hobbies and none of them really tended to stick.

Ballet when you were at three, didn't work with zero hand to eye coordination.

Horse-riding when you were five, didn't work after you got bored with how slowly you were being taught to ride.

Acting school when you were seven, didn't work when you were bullied for only being there because of mummy and daddies money. This completely made you loose your passion for it.

Swimming when you were eight, which you had to stop because of a medical condition with the cold water in the winters and your body temperature not mixing well.

Space camp when you were nine, didn't work because you were bored where you already knew everything they talked to you about because it was a special interest of yours.

Pottery when you were ten, whenever something broke you got really disappointed and sad with yourself and eventually it became something you only did every now and then to avoid burnout.

Gymnastics when you were eleven, didn't work after getting bored within the first weeks and it taking up too much time.

You were 12 when you met Zhou Guanyu, he moved into a house down your road in the gated woodland community of large and wealthy farm homes and mansions.

You guys became close almost straight away, you'd spend every night in the treehouse that his dad built him when they first moved in. But he wasn't always around, some weekends you'd knock on his door and no-one but the maid would answer explaining that the family weren't around.

She'd let you into the house, where you'd wait for him in either his bedroom or out in the treehouse. Sometimes he wouldn't come back until 10pm, and you'd be curled up on his beanbag in his room, asleep and his parents would have to call yours suggesting yet another sleepover.

After 3 years of knowing him, you found out where he'd been going and why he was home schooled just like you. He would kart, but now he'd got into Italian Formula 4 and he wouldn't be home as much.

You'd cried begging him not to go, Zhou really was your only friend and even though it had only been three years of friendship you'd attached yourself to him insanely quickly.

Not that he minded of course.

Your managed to go see one race with him, it was in Monza and he'd won it all. And that weekend he asked you to be his girlfriend. You of course said yes, as a two giddy sixteen year olds and went on from there.

The distance got easier when he was in the European Formula 3 championship in 2016. You being 17 weren't actually allowed to make your own choices yet, but the minute you turned 18, 5 months after Zhou, you were following him around to each race.

At this stage taking a gap year before you were due to go to university was better for you, and Zhou. In 2018, he got the news he'd be going to Formula 2 for the 2019 and you'd been accepted to Oxford.

For that first year you made it work. You visited him at races when you had breaks from university and he would come stay with you in your small uni accommodation in the off season or when he had longer breaks into between races.

But when 2020 rolled around, and you were forced to be separated by the growth of COVID-19 your relationship fizzled out. You pushed and pushed trying to keep the sparks there but one day, Zhou phoned you explaining that he couldn't do it anymore.

You'd cried so much that day, and you'd never felt more alone. The only place you thought to go that was safe was the tree house, you could get there through the side gate and you knew Zhou's parents were in China on business only leaving the maid there.

So that's what you did, you laid there curled up in a blanket Zhou brought you, crying until it got darked and you started to scare yourself looking into the dark woods.

When you were younger and you thought you heard or saw something in the woods, Zhou would hold you close explaining to you it was just your imagination and you'd immediately feel a sense of calm wash over you.

You left the treehouse that night getting on the last train you could think off back to Oxford.

Zhou continued in F2 in 2021, but got progressively more busy when competing in a small stint of the Winter F3 Asian Championship, of course you kept up to date with him.

You loved the boy and you didn't ever think you'd stop.

When the announcement of his promotion into F1 happened you cried happy and sad tears. Happy he'd achieved his dream, but ultimately sad he was in the big leagues now and he would definitely have no time for you.

He had a phenomenal first year and you watched every single race, even getting up at absurd hours to watch him. You cheered him on all the time and would get anxious whenever you had to stop or DNF.

Silverstone with the Russell incident was the worst. You parents had to hold you tightly as you cried seeing just how bad the crash was. Seeing George run over to his flipped over car that he couldn't get out of and a red flag being called.

You ran out the house going straight to the treehouse. His parents watched as the 22 year old climbed up the old rickety ladder, bag in hand and red bloodshot eyes.

They knew you'd seen his crash and you wanted some space.

What did shock them was the fact that you consistently came back every night for a few weeks.

It was a warmer night and you still had your blanket but there wasn't a need for a hoodie when you first came out. You were just laying there on the wooden planks looking out of the little skylight in the breaking wooden roof at the stars.

"Hey" a voice says softly making you turn to the ladder.

"Zhou?!" you explain sitting up quickly looking at him. Not that you hadn't seen him on Instagram or in his post race interviews but he'd grown into his face. He was as handsome as ever.

"Mmmmm" he sighs, almost in a grunt sort of way. He comes next to you and lays down, not coming to close scared that you'll leave if he pushes to close.

"Your star is up there tonight" he says raising his hand and pointing to the brightest star between the tree line. He'd named it your star when you'd spend the first night out here.

"How's it been, travelling round the world?" you ask softly turning to look at him, laying on your side. He turns onto his as well to also look at you.

"Lonely" he whispers with a sigh, pushing some of you hair behind your ear making you hold you breath as his fingers brush along the side of you face and down to your lips before recoiling his hand back.

"But your so busy and round people all the time!" you argue confused as to why he would ever feel lonely.

"I think sometimes even though I'm surrounded by people, they aren't people that get me... you know?" he asks turning onto his back, looking up at the sky.

"I think i feel the opposite" you laugh.

"What do you mean?" he asks, his gaze not wavering from the sky.

"I feel like i have absolutely no-one around me, but everyone i do bump into can see right through me" you sigh, having struggled at work recently as a graduate and new employee, working from home.

"Seems like we both are out of our comfort zones then" he offers with a sigh.

"Mmmmm i did have my comfort zone at one point" you say, it came out pointedly which you didn't intend.

"Yeah?" he asks, looking over at you again.

"Yeah it was you. I don't think I've ever experienced a connection like I have... had with you" you sigh.

"Had, you don't feel that way anymore?" he asks with a sad frown, that makes a frown of you own appear.

"You broke up with me in one of the loneliest periods in my life, It's always just been you Zhou, I've never had anyone else and then you were just gone ... I- you broke me and took a part with you" you sniffle, not sure how else to describe the heartbreak you were feeling.

Some people had their heart broken, where it would splinter all over and someone would come along and patch it back up until it healed.

Some people had their heart broken, where it would completely shatter and all the pieces are spread out and someone has to come along and pick up all of those pieces and puzzle them back together.

Some people have their heart broken, where it again completely shatters but the culprit takes a piece of that heart with them so that if theirs a time when someone else does come around and fix it it's never fully fixed, beating but never full.

And Zhou had that piece of your heart and no-one had put back the remaining parts of your heart, you'd gradually started to do it yourself but it was proving to be a long process.

"I-" he starts but chokes on his words.

"I think, I'll always love you Zhou Guanyu..." you whisper sitting up, your hair loosely falling over your shoulder.

"I know I'll always love you. And I want to take back everything I did! I need you in my life!" he says looking over you, making you look down.

"You cant take it back Zhou..." you start before looking up seeing his teary expression. "But i think we could start again. I don't want my heart back, it's yours to take... all of it forever. Your only going to be it!" you smile, knowing this was your chance to have him back.

He was your soulmate you were sure of it.

He leans up and pulls you into a kiss.

"I promise from here on out, I'll never leave you again again!"

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma @teamnovalak @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @jlb20416 @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @seomako @urdad-hot @formula1mount @tinydeskwriter @butterfly-lover @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount @styl1shl1v

[thealexchen]

hi! i recently got back into lis2 again and that made me really curious - do you still agree with a majority of the critiques you made on lis2 in 2020? i know it's been 4 years since that post was made, but i actually do remember when you dropped this critique on a separate account and i'd thought it was an interesting one to keep in mind back then :)

i appreciated a lot of what you have to say, even if i respectfully disagree with almost all of it 😭 - i didn't want to drop a whole "why" i disagree discussion on here because it seems kind of rude to drop such a huge thing about it haha, but i would like to say that this critique actually did stick with me for a bit and i appreciate that you made it when you did! your account was a big lis2 acc that i remember back in the day, and i always loved seeing your posts!

Hi there and thanks for your ask! I think I may know who you are, but you did get me thinking about that critique again (has it been four years already?? Jesus). After rereading it again, I have to say my overall opinions haven’t changed… I’m just not as invested in them as I used to be.

Since DE came out, I’ve seen a drastic shift from favoring D9 to DN, but I really think the reception comes down to their creative choices (or lack thereof). When I gave my initial thoughts on DE in May, I said that D9’s games rely heavily on fanservice to be marketable, while LiS2 was divisive from the jump because it was so obviously rooted in DN’s prioritization of making a game out of passion and not what would sell well (a continuation of Max and Chloe’s story). People have mostly been complaining that DE feels written without much thought or care for the original game, with lazy offscreen narrative decisions. Unfortunately, I believe this output is really due to D9 being puppeteered by Square to “corporatize” this series to death, which I find really depressing.

When LiS1 first debuted in 2015, the gaming industry was still recovering from Gamergate (which proved how misogynistic it still was) and LGBT+ issues were finally achieving mainstream attention, both positive and negative. The media storm surrounding LiS1 all focused on how different it was. It was truly radical at the time to turn what would be a typical Sundance indie film plot into an interactive AA game and make it mainstream. I think both the positive attention from gamers starved for a story like this and the negative attention calling it “Life is Tumblr” contributed to its massive popularity and attention that hasn’t been matched since.

I have always, always believed (like since 2018) in LiS being an anthology series and letting Max and Chloe’s story end. “Farewell” was supposed to be that, and I was really excited to see what DN was making next and hopeful I could fall in love with LiS2 like I did the first game. Even if I found LiS2’s narrative choices really frustrating, I still respect DN for sticking to their vision. Honestly, Michel Koch deserves his flowers so much for staying active on Twitter through years of fan hate and complaining and posting consistently respectful replies, even as his own characters have likely become unrecognizable to him.

But while DN stuck to their vision about LiS2, I think the main contextual issue with the game (and where my critiques came from) is there was too much pressure to follow up an accidental hit. DN wanted to follow up LiS1 with an even bigger, more serious, more ambitious, maybe more “artistic” and “daring” game that was boldly political… but I just don’t think they achieved that. The game still looks beautiful, with a strong soundtrack, art direction, moments of calm, and great environmental storytelling like the first game. But while LiS1 lured you into a false sense of security with its cozy vibes and high school setting, only to blindside gamers with heartbreaking and shocking plot twists late in the game, LiS2 is just a misery fest from start to end in an attempt to be as serious and memorable as the first game. There isn’t enough joy and nostalgia (DN is SO good at nostalgia) to contrast the sorrow, and the game wasn’t as memorable or fun to play for me.

My main critique in 2020 was the game relies too much on a violent trauma narrative without proper research and content warnings. Looking back on it now, I think DN internalized the praise too strongly that LiS1 was daring and different. They tried to be even more topical and bold without regard to how actual players of color might react to the racial violence onscreen. In addition, I critiqued LiS2 for not showcasing the positive aspects of Sean and Daniel’s Mexican heritage to contrast all the racism, and I thought True Colors did a better job at including meaningful and positive cultural details for Alex and Gabe’s family. They likely didn’t think to research more carefully how to depict POC (and how the standards for sensitive representation might be different in the U.S. compared to France). American politics are also wayyyy more complex than what’s on the news, and have a massive historical, social, and economic background, and nowadays, I’ll cut DN some slack and say I think that’s too much to tackle for any game. Yes, DN could’ve done better, but I wouldn’t critique them as harshly today, and I know they had good intentions.

If the pressure to follow up LiS1 wasn’t there, maybe LiS2 could’ve been different. Maybe DN wouldn’t have bit off more they could chew, or maybe this game could’ve been made independently of the LiS series and judged on its own merit. A game like Tell Me Why shows how DN is at their best when they tell smaller, nostalgic stories and are able to do the right research and collaborate with the right consultants and actors. I hope Lost Records can be the same, since DN is pitching it from the jump as an anthology and likely their do-over of LiS as their own independent studio.

Thank you again for asking! It was nice to revisit my critique. If you’d still like to talk about it, I am down for a friendly debate!

[aita-polls]

AITAH for having a hard time talking to my ex after everything that happened?

Hi, I’m 17F. About 6 months ago, I broke up with my partner after we’d been together for three years. It had been both of our first experience dating/being in a committed relationship with someone. However, we had been long-distance for most of it due to me going to a different school, and eventually moving 4 hours away. Toward the end of our relationship, we didn’t talk much unless one of us happened to be visiting nearby for a weekend. I was mainly the one starting conversations, and it often felt one-sided. They didn’t really seem interested in my life, and their replies were usually short. I got the sense they weren’t trying to connect or get to know me better.

Over time, I felt and became more and more disconnected from the relationship, talking to them less and less. I eventually had fallen out of love due to how distant everything was, and how little effort there seemed to be from their side.

So, I told them I wanted to break up but still hoped we could stay friends. They agreed, saying how they had even thought about it at times.

Since not everyone is comfortable staying in touch with an ex, I figured it would be best to give them space. I’ll admit I didn’t clearly explain that’s what I was doing.

My ex has a bit of a following on Tumblr (just over 1,000 followers last I had heard) and our relationship had been semi-public. I never posted anything about the breakup publicly because of this, but a few months later, I started receiving anonymous asks, asking what happened, why we broke up, and some calling me a creep.

At first, I checked the Tumblrs of some of our mutuals to see if anyone had said something — I really didn’t want to believe my ex would post publicly about it. But when I didn’t find anything with any of our mutuals, I finally checked their blog. That’s when I saw they had made a post basically calling me a creep for reblogging their posts after ghosting them. I had still been following them, along with their side blogs, and reblogging from time to time because I genuinely still wanted to be friends. I hadn’t reached out again yet, partly because I noticed they had unfollowed me, and I assumed they didn’t want to talk anymore.

After I discovered it was them, I messaged them to explain my side, told them about the anonymous asks, and apologized it came across like I was ghosting them. They responded and apologized too, and they took the post down. They explained they’d been getting harassed online by random people, and seeing me in their activity had added to their stress and that was part of the reason they made the post. I apologized again for not being clearer and for hurting them, and they told me not to worry about it.

I still want to be friends, but after everything that happened, I feel like I’ve ruined any chance of that. I don’t even know how to start a conversation with them anymore without it feeling awkward or forced.

AITAH for struggling to talk to them? How do I start a conversation moving forward?

Thank you

[accirax]

Fourth Anniversary Art Analysis

(Credits to DRDTdev for the art, obviously. Please support the original post.)

Yeah guys, this is definitely Charles, trust me. (/j)

In all seriousness, the reveal of what Teruko's brother (more or less) looks like got me thinking about a couple of things. I'd like to ramble about them in a space less directly linked to the public fourth anniversary art!

The first is that we've (basically) confirmed that Teruko's brother is older than her, something that I don't think we actually technically knew until now! I always got those kind of vibes, but it's nice to know for sure.

The second is something that most people have picked up on-- his white hair color. Between DRDT and altDRDT, the only people who we've seen with white hair up to this point are XF and Dandelion (I think those are the names people agreed upon???). Both of those seem... unlikely to be Teruko's brother, although, for what it's worth, they do both use he/him pronouns. That's not to say that Teruko's brother couldn't have dyed his hair after he and Teruko last parted, and still be someone else we know, like Teacher. However, I could also easily believe that DRDTdev may have wanted to draw this art as a soft disconfirmation of the "Teacher is Teruko's brother" theory before people got in too deep. It's too bad, though, I did like that one.

One of the reasons why I liked it was because of the synergy with Teruko's favorite color being red due to "association." However, even if Teruko's brother still is Teacher, it seems like he has no red in his design as of the last time Teruko saw him. I suppose red could still be his eye color, but I'm going to take this mean that Teruko's positive association with red is due to somebody else-- likely either Xander or Mai, or possibly still Teacher, but without him being her brother.

Lastly, and most importantly, I find it highly interesting that, at this point in time, Teruko's brother is shown with several scrapes and bandages, while Teruko has absolutely none. It got me thinking about the nature of Teruko's luck.

I wonder if Teruko's bad luck operates in a way where it will hurt whoever is around her until she's the only one left, at which point it has no one to attack but herself. (The only comparison I can think of is to the Death card in the card game Fluxx, so shout out if you know what I'm talking about.)

As long as Teruko is the "protagonist," her luck will go after the "side characters". But, if Teruko isolates herself, then the luck will go after the hero.

Now, there is a bit of contradictory evidence going on here, because Teruko has had unfortunate things happen to her since entering the killing game and being around other people. Most notably, the time that she slipped and fell while holding the cake, and when Xander tried to kill her. That's why I'm wondering if there's also an element of how much Teruko cares about these people involved. Like, if Teruko cares less about someone, they don't pop up as a "side character" punching bag as much. Or, if Teruko caring about someone is the inciting incident to turning an entire group of people into "side characters"-- that way, if she had no friends at any of the schools she attended, she could have avoided dooming them all.

Teruko cared a lot about Xander, so his betrayal was the tipping point. After she took one last blow, the scales tipped and more bad things started happening to the other students than to Teruko. Teruko falling down transformed into the much worse luck of Min dying. And, from then on, the "side characters" started taking the brunt of the bad luck (J's secret being revealed, Eden being bullied and threatened, Ace nearly dying, etc), while Teruko remained mostly fine.

If there is an element of how much Teruko cares about people involved, it would give her a lot of incentive to be a loner and actively make people dislike her.

Anyways, just a thought. This one is pretty off the cuff, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm missing something or overstepping here.

Happy fourth anniversary DRDT, happy ???th birthday Mai, and a happy day to all of you!

[thatthingilovewith]

Another Lore Post

This is just a random collection of some of my personal Bobbin lore, as well as some lore for OC's and District 8. If you have any questions about it feel free to send me an ask!

Brocade ~ As I've mentioned before Brocade is Bobbin's older brother who cares for him at the time of TBOSAS. Brocade doesn't really have any friends due to him suffering from an anxiety disorder and being written off by those outside his family as being "crazy" so he spends most of his time alone.

Brocade is actually really good at most arts and crafts and spends most of the very little free time he has doing things like sewing or making fake flowers out of cloth. He likes to pin the cloth flowers to their apartment walls, claiming because the wallpaper is green, it makes it look like a meadow, ignoring or oblivious to the fact the wallpapers color is more like sludge.

He is not very good at most academic tasks due to his education being interrupted by the first rebellion and its fallout. He, like the majority of people in District 8 at this time, is functionally illiterate

Bobbin's friends - Bobbin only has two friends (three if you ask other people), they are all a bit strange and sit near the very bottom of the social hierarchy and as such are often the target of bullying.

Wilhelmina Corwin ~ Wilhelmina is Bobbin's oldest and closest friend. She lives in the apartment below him with her parents and brother before his death. Most people consider her to be a bit of a frump, she wears old hand-me-down dresses and sewn patches in patterns everyone thinks are hideous. She has rat's nest hair pulled into uneven pigtails and has a tendency to speak with he mouth full. Other than that she's a very nice and creative girl, always coming up with fun ideas and games to play. Though her teachers wish she would keep her ideas to herself at least until class is over.

Calico Napier ~ Calico is Bobbin's "best friend." he lives a block away, and Bobbin and Wilhelmina walk to school together every day. Bobbin and he have many of the same interests, so he considers him to be his best friend. His family can be rather weird, making loud noises, singing through the night, and experimenting with new recipes none of their neighbors appreciate. Calico can, at times, be a bit dull in his classmate's opinions, as he struggles with most school subjects. Calico is overall a good kid, though. One of his favorite activities is to play baseball in the abandoned lot near his apartment building, he's a rather good pitcher.

Lacey ~ In Bobbin and his friend's opinion, Lacey is not their friend. She used to be, but she's not anymore. She wasn't an outcast because she was mean; she was no meaner than anyone else, or because she was ugly, she was not, or even because her family was weird, they were. No, Lacey was an outcast because she wore the same exact outfit to school for nearly three years straight, that's also when she was their friend. One day, she suddenly came to school in new clothes, and the next day and the day after, too. Bobbin guessed Lacey thought that meant she was better than them now that she wasn't the poorest girl in District 8, and she tried to find better friends. Unsurprisingly to Bobbin, none of the other kids wanted to be her friend, and now she wasn't even their friend anymore. However, as of late, she'd started to pull her own hair out, making him and the others reconsider their position on if she was their friend.

General District 8 thoughts.

Scraps ~ Most people in District 8 live in run-down tenement buildings whose heaters break often. They also have access to fabric scraps left over from the cloth-making process that they tend to take home with them. It's not uncommon for the residents of the district to stuff fabric scraps into the holes in their walls and where outlets have broken and the wiring ripped out of the walls.

[fivenightslaughter]

Wicked Serpentine (Part 8)

pairing: draco malfoy x femravenclaw!oc (some like george weasley x femravenclaw!oc too)

summary: slowburn enemies to lovers fic, a TON of parts. (continued after ... 3 years..) i'm back lol)

warnings: blood purism, bullying, swearing, descriptive physical danger, violence. Awful Draco

taglist: @gloryekaterina

taglist: let me know if you’re interested in being added!

Roughly a month had gone by, my last real interaction with Malfoy being my first school day in the Great Hall.

Snape had reassigned partners and tables after only the first day, likely due to Harry and Ron’s noise from the first class. I was paired with Hermione, thankfully. She was pleasantly quiet but helpful when she needed to be. My friendship with her had furthered quite a bit, but less so with the boys. I wasn’t actively attempting to befriend Harry after Snape’s hostility.

Flitwick and I hit it off and he quickly became my runner-up favorite teacher, just behind Snape. I frequently stayed behind in his classroom to discuss muggle music and the world as a whole. It was the only part of my day I could get truly lost in.

I’d eventually learned the schedules of Luna and Cho, sitting with them on days they’d be in the dining hall. Rarely was my attention drawn to the blond across the hall on the days he was there, either. He’d been looking rather sick, lately.

Not that I actively tried to look at him.

It just struck me whenever I’d happen to catch his silvery strands in my peripheral. His face looked sunken, his cheeks hollow. Instead of marble, he looked almost grey. It made my heart hurt a little. How could someone look so ghostly, as if he was always floating? It reminded me of a dried volcano, stiff and cold.

His head bobbed up, his eyes meeting mine for the first time since I’d walked off from him a month ago.

“Eris?” A voice snapped me back to the present. It was Hermione. She had said something that I didn’t catch at all.

I looked at her, my mouth slightly parted. Dumbly, I replied, “Huh?”

She gave me a small laugh and stabbed at her food, cocking her head to the side exasperatedly.

“I said, Snape is assigning new partners, something about people falling behind already. I’ll miss the quiet of sitting next to you. Seriously, I will.” She let her shoulders droop sadly, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.

I heard her teeth slide on the fork as she ate, mildly sullen. I felt bad. I hadn’t even known we were switching partners, I must have been too caught up during potions to hear Snape mention the change.

“Hey, we’ll still eat together. Maybe I’ll kick Ron out of his seat every once in a while.” I joked. Her mood seemed to perk back up a bit at that, nodding.

“That’d be perfect, wouldn’t it, Ron?” She nudged him jokingly.

He whipped his neck to face her, food falling out of his mouth. He was too busy talking to Harry to notice our conversation, so he looked absolutely lost.

“Wha…?” Food tumbled from his mouth. I groaned and Hermione bit her lip in a laugh. The way she looked at him was cute, a twinkle in her eyes lighting as if everything he did was enchanting.

“Nothing, Ronald. Just… Chew your bloody food!” She choked out, noticing the knowing smile I was giving her halfway through her sentence.

He scrunched his nose up, confused and annoyed. He finished, crumbs still dusting his lips.

“Whatever, ‘Mione.” He dismissed, turning back to Harry. They were discussing something Quidditch related.

She exhaled through her nose, rolling her eyes. I watched as she packed her sprawled books and papers into her bag, deep in her thoughts.

Her eyes lit up for a moment and she immediately looked back at me.

“Oh! I almost forgot. We all have lessons but you’re free after this, right? Snape said he’d post a parchment outside his room with the partners. You should check it out.” She beamed.

I paused in thought for a second. Should I go check? I shrugged.

“Yeah, sure. I will.” I saw no harm in making my way to the classroom. I’d gotten a much better hang of the hallways to my classes and the library. The dungeons and the Room of Requirement remained untraveled for now, the map buried in the bottom of my bag. I’d taken it out to mark it up whenever I discovered a new direction or an alternate way to a class.

It was incredibly helpful and I was glad I befriended Hermione. Maybe I could go check out partners and find her later to let her know who she got. I’m sure she’d appreciate knowing beforehand what she was in for.

Satisfied, she dropped her last book in her bag and stood.

“Right, well I’ll see you!” She waved farewell, already taking off from the table. Ron and Harry were still engrossed in their conversation about Quidditch. I tuned in, a name immediately catching my ear.

“Of course we’ll win, Harry. Malfoy’s played like shit lately. Serves him right, bloody bastard.” Ron bragged. Harry nodded in response, noticing my sudden interest in the conversation.

“Eris, you haven’t been to a Quidditch game yet, have you?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“Ah, no I haven’t.” I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t have an intense interest in sports in the muggle world and wasn’t sure how much more exciting they could be in the wizarding world, so it hadn’t piqued my interest.

Harry’s head leaned against his hand and he seemed to nod slowly for a second before smacking his hands on the table.

“Come to the game today. I’ll ask Hermione to save you a seat.” He mused decidedly. Ron shrugged, agreeing.

“Okay, sure. I’ll come then.” I confirmed.

Glad at my response, he turned his attention back to Ron.

“Ready to go?” He asked him.

They got up and left for their next lesson, which I’m pretty sure was a history class I’d often heard them complain about. I still sat, popping a final piece of food into my mouth. I planned out my route in my head. First to Snape’s, then to the library to study intensively.

It felt like a solid enough plan.

I stood and left the hall, making sure I didn’t leave anything at the table. I made my way to Snape’s classroom. It was a different way than when I’d originally followed Malfoy and I was grateful I didn’t have to relive my cowardice every time I went to Potions in the mornings.

The clock tower chimed while I was walking and people pushed by me as I made my way down the hallways. Some people stood idly and hung out with one another, sitting in window sills or quickly scurrying somewhere.

I watched a class fill into Snape’s classroom and I walked up to the doorway. A small plaque with a scroll of parchment hung on the wall.

“FIRST PERIOD PARTNERS

HERMIONE GRANGER - NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM

HARRY POTTER - SEAMUS FINNIGAN

RONALD WEASLEY - PADMA PATIL

ERIS WOODWORK - DRACO MALFOY “

There was more, but my heart stuck in my throat. This couldn’t be real. I reread it several times, finally making my way to the bottom.

There was a tiny footnote stating partner changes were not permitted and must remain as written on the parchment. I felt myself shrink. Maybe Snape didn’t know how bad Malfoy would treat me?

I shook my head at the thought. It was quite obvious how poorly he treated everyone. Just because my interactions with him have been few and far between doesn’t mean he didn’t endlessly snip at other people.

In fact, the only times I ever heard his voice was when he was chastising Harry or Hermione, or making a comment about how Ron lives in squalor. It was unpleasant but at the very least I could be glad it wasn’t directed towards me.

I dreaded this partnership, but at least now I’d read the list like I said I would. Later, I’d be able to tell Hermione and the boys who they’d been partnered with.

I took off to the library, my mind spinning. I accidentally bumped into someone in the hallway and his hands shot out to steady my shoulders before I could fall to the ground. I recognized him as Malfoy’s original partner in Potions.

He eyed me up and down, removing his hands once I was steady. I vaguely recalled Ron calling him Zabini.

“Be careful. Never know who you’ll run into in these halls. You’re lucky it was me.” He spoke smugly, clearly a bit vain.

I raised an eyebrow at him, nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll be more careful.” I replied. I started to walk off when he spoke, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Fuckin’ better be.” Was all he said as he continued to walk as well.

It unsettled me in the weird way that Slytherins were good at. A switch seemed glued to their emotions, fully able to flip at any time. It was startling. A chill eased down my spine and I hurried toward the library, no longer taking my time as I had before.

Finally arriving a bit breathless, I entered the space that had become most familiar to me over the last month. Giving a nod in Madam Pince’s direction, she gave me a puckered and stiff smile.

She was an intolerable vulture that only cared for her books, but I’d come to be in her relatively good graces. With my quiet presence and care for the texts, I was often the only one in the library with her. In her own way, I think she kind of liked me there.

Tucking into my usual space behind a few large bookshelves, I pulled a lesson book out of my school bag, along with a parchment and quill. We had just gone over a new spell in Flitwick’s class and I was determined to study it down to every flick of the wand.

A seat pulled out beside me and a book dropped down onto the table just loud enough for me to wince. I glanced over. It was “Libatius Borage’s ADVANCED POTION MAKING” book. I recognized it from my class with Snape.

I watched black robes swish down into the seat beside me, defeated looking. My surprise was immeasurable when I met empty, silvery eyes and messy moonbeam-colored hair. I couldn’t stifle a tiny gasp that slipped from my lips.

“Malfoy…?”

He leaned his head back against the top of the chair, remaining in quiet for what felt like a couple minutes as I dumbfoundedly stared at him. Seeming to find his resolve, he sat up. He leaned forward towards the table and didn’t meet my eyes again.

“Snape reassigned everyone because of me.” He stated. He was looking straight ahead, his eyes travelling up the spines of books in front of the table we were at. It felt wrong hearing a real sentence from him, especially one that wasn’t littered with insults.

“He thinks I’m fucking falling behind.” He was the second Slytherin I’d heard swear today, but his anger didn't quite reach his eyes. I watched a stray strand of hair fall from his slicked back ones, lightly resting on his forehead. He looked hopelessly disheveled the longer I looked at him.

My eyebrows knit together with concern.

“Are you okay, Draco?” I tried to be genuine, my voice soft and low. I barely breathed it and regretted it the second I said it as he flipped to face me. His lips were pressed in a tight line, chapped and pale.

“Don’t you dare call me by my first name, mudblood.” He snapped.

I felt my body tense up and my blood run cold at the tone he used. I desperately fought the water that immediately welled up in my eyes, coaching myself to just breathe carefully. I hoped he couldn’t tell how pathetic he made me feel. I just wanted to move on, now.

I decided that if he didn’t want my help, that he didn’t need it. There was nothing I could do to help him, and talking clearly wouldn’t solve anything. I wasn’t going to give him power over me, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I went on as normal. I focused back on the book for Flitwick’s, pulling my wand from my bag and placing it on the desk. Flitwick had even written a couple notes for me himself, explaining things in a better way the book could.

I had spoken to him about Scourgify, mentioning how Cho had done it and it was something I wanted to learn. He included notes about how to perform it, but I kept failing without a physical example of how to cast it.

All I had in my head was the memory of Cho, which I’d been too in shock from Malfoy’s prank to fully grasp the technique of. I had been trying to practice on dirty spoons I’d snagged from the Great Hall. I kept one wrapped in a fabric napkin and tucked into my bag, switching the spoon out for a different one each time I went to eat.

Ignoring the blond sitting next to me, I pulled the spoon out and placed it on the table in front of me. I unraveled it and there it was, just a gross spoon.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up my wand and reread Flitwick’s notes, as well as the pages in the textbook. Holding a book in one hand and my wand in the other steadily, I focused on the spoon.

“Scourgify.” I half whispered, trying to work with the tiny bit of light that sparked on my wand. I could never get farther than just a tiny emittance from my wand. It had been weeks and I still struggled to get it. It was clear from my frustration that this wasn’t the first time.

I heard a scoff from my side. I realized a set of steely eyes had focused on what I was doing as if I were some kind of entertainment. I ignored him, trying it again. And again.

I had attempted Scourgify on the spoon a good four times before he shot up out of his chair, blatantly annoyed.

“You’re literally doing everything wrong.” He muttered crossly.

I heaved a sigh, dropping my book to the table. I turned to put my wand away in my bag but he stopped me. He stood behind my chair, leaning over my shoulder. Mint and cologne overpowered my senses as he corrected me sourly.

“No, just… Merlin, you have to-” he grabbed my wrist and pointed towards the spoon, swishing my hand in a sort of ‘S’ shape. “Swish it, like this. Say it. Now.” He instructed rudely, guiding my hand to motion correctly. His cold, silver ring made me clench my wand as tightly as the night I’d got it.

“Scourgify.” I spoke boldly, jumping a slight bit as the grime left the spoon in an immediate little spark. I swallowed loudly, a disbelieving laugh bubbling softly through my lips. I turned my face to thank him before my mind could reject the idea.

However, when I turned, he had simply gone. I guess I was a bit glad he had disappeared, otherwise I would have proved his point by thanking him. Stroked his ego, probably.

I turned back to my book, writing down what I had just learned. I felt so excited and accomplished that I’d pushed away how weird that situation really was.

Did he really just grab my wrist like that? Why did he never seem to have a grasp on personal space? I tried to move on, finding the dustiest book I could find to try the spell again.

Much to my disappointment when, just as before, trying the spell only made my wand fizzle slightly.

Disappointed, I slumped down into my seat. I spent the next half hour trying to focus on Potions instead, opting to note things I noticed during class. Such as the physical traits of ingredients I was confused by.

Out of my peripheral, I noticed a light-blond head duck quietly from between some shelves, past me, and out of the library doors.

There was a book on the opposite end of the table that wasn’t there before.

I stood and walked over, picking it up. I flicked through it and much to my surprise, it was a Charms book. It was filled with neatly scribbled notes in the margins, shapes and arrows showing how to cast some simple charms I knew would get covered this year.

Some of the ink was slightly smeared a tiny bit, clearly brand new. Whereas other notes in it were old and the ink slightly faded.

Flipping to the very back cover, I read

‘If lost, return to Draco L. Malfoy’

in the same handwriting as the notes throughout, slightly faded.

What the hell?

A piece of parchment slipped from between some of the pages into my lap.

“You’re dense. Read my notes and maybe you won’t look so ridiculous.” It read.

That made much more sense. I guess I'll just... Study this all, then.

[chibichibisha]

OC Asks Masterpost

After a million years I’ve decided to answer Twisted Wonderland asks about my oc’s!

Sorry for the delay, but I wasn’t on the mood or inpired in the slightlest in the last couple years. I’m not active in the fandom nowadays but there are some asks worh answering for my oc archive (that I will set up someday haha) and for those still want to know! Ofc I still love my bbys from NRC!

if you are still interested in them, here is master post of several asks with some info!

General

Not oneshots but a sum up of how my oc’s canonly meet Yuu/MC in the story

Ermine: Meets Yuu in Heartslabyul chapter. When Ace and Deuce chase Grim around the school, the group find Ermine being harassed by Savanaclaw students. Before they can have some sort of answer, Ermine flees saying he has no time, looking visibly distressed.

Nahal: At the Savanaclaw chapter. Nahal is around complaining about Leona’s general behaviour, until Yuu and the others find him talking with Jack. He later joins to help stop Leona’s plan.

Rossain and DeShawn: At the Savanaclaw chapter. When Cater helps them to look for Magishift players in other’s dorms, Rossain and DeShawn are introduced as Octavinelle players, as well as first years and the rivalry relationship they have. They try to harass them and Rossain tries to flirt with Yuu. At their negative, they get mad and Grim scratches DeShawn’s face.

Gilmo: At the Octavinelle chapter. Gilmo is seen to be around the Mostro Loungue when Ace and Deuce are forced to work. He introduces himself politely to Yuu as Octavinelle’s advisor.

Malik: At the Scarabia chapter. He speaks to Yuu the first time they stay at the dorm calling them “Man cub” then he mysteriously warns them about Jamil,

Virginie: At the Pomefiore chapter, as part of the VDC group. He is introducing having a rivalry with Epel during the whole week and being mad at RSA students.

Kero: At the Pomefiore chapter. Kero accompanies Ortho to the VDC audition and as a confrontation with Ace. Deuce introduces him due to them being clubmates.

Cornelius: At the Ignihyde chapter. Yuu mistakes him for Malleus at first, but then they realize they are not the same person. He mysteriously introduces himself as “the dethroned king” but then says it’s a joke. He gives them insight about what his family knows about Styx.

Dr. Tusk: At the Hearstlabyul chapter, introduced after Riddle is taken to the infirmary and explains the overblot effects.

Dion: At the Scary Monsters event, when he gets lost and Yuu finds him at the school surrondings.

Theodore: At the Pomefiore chapter, as he attends the VDC to support his school. He is seen with Chenya when Yuu meets him.

Ermine: He is actually thankful for Yuu for helping out in dealing with Riddle’s terror reign, but reminds them every time he has no time to hang around. He isn’t probably fond of Grim, as the monster makes him slip his “herald” persona, all calm and collected, easely, leting everyone to see his more frustated and short-tempered personality.

Nahal:  Constantly reminds Yuu of studying properly and how important is the academic aspects of the school. He would be the same with Grim, but a bit more severe. They would clash a lot and Grim would find him too uptight and annoying.

Rossain and DeShawn: They tried to harrass Yuu and make use of them for the Octavinelle dorm first, with Rossain flirting with Yuu and DeShawn threatening Grim for being a cat. They would probably still try to tease them around for hanging out with Ace and Deuce.

Gilmo: He thinks of Yuu and Grim as other of his dear grandchilder. He politely invites them to Mostro Lounge everytime they meet and “to be good” to Azul.

Malik: Calls Yuu “man cub” and generally treats them with indifference, though it’s clear he is interested in them one way or another. Ignores Grim as much as he can because he finds him too lowly for his attention.

Virginie: Treats Yuu as he treats everyone else, in a condescending way because he has that kind of personality. But he warms up to them after the Pomefiore chapter. He still thinks lowly of Grim and considers him a vulgar creature.

Kero: They didn’t have the best start, with Kero thinking they are talking at Idia and Ortho’s back, but Kero opens to Yuu pretty quickly and considers them a friend, talking to them whenever they can and inviting them to stuff around the school. He has a dislike to Grim tho, and still threatens him with “eating” him.

Cornelius: He likes Yuu and Grim alike. He might be percived as “odd” by them due all this talking about death while Cornelius consider them friends already. He is too unawaredly cryptic so it’s an interesting dynamic.

Ermine: Rabbit’s hole - Can open two portals that teleport the user when they cross them. Cannot control it properly yet.

Nahal: Morning report - Can convert his memories into physical documentation, like magical holograms. These are exact and accurate to the reality. He can only use it once a day.

Rossain and DeShawn - Not developed yet.

Gilmo: Your last chance - Lends certain amount of “magic energy” to someone else, granting them the ability to spend more energy or “fuel” than they naturally possess. The amount of energy landed will get back to Gilmo when the time (three days) is overdue, making the former person weak or extremely tired from the withdrawal. The catch is the payment bears interests, the more this magic energy is lend, the more he gets back. 

Malik: Tiger’s eye - Paralyzes the target when locking eyes.

Virginie: Mine me the gold! - He can charm, persuade, influence or make people (multiple at once) more reasonable to his liking, while the targets retain their concience and awareness. The effects wear off after a time.

Kero: Hell’s guardian - Can extract the “anima” of a person for a few minutes, giving them an extracorporeal experience. After the time is overdue, the person comes back to normal, completely unharmed.

Cornelius: Not revealed yet.

Dr. Tusker: Pink Elephants - Makes the target dizzy and disoriented, giving them hallucinations of their own imagination.

Cane Twins & Gilmo

This is a part of the Pomefiore chapter where they seem talking about being choosen in the audition for the money and fame instead of Ace and Deuce, as always, rivaling them. Since this does not happen and they lose to them, Rossain suggest this while the actual VDC group is rehearsing, as vengeance. This does not come into fruition because Vil finds out Rossain’s idea and punishes him with his Unique Magic, as a member of the Film club. It's worth to say DeShawn was not convinced of this plan and it’s played mostly in a lowkey comedic way.

Rossain is the one who cries, DeShawn is the one that gets scared, I have no doubt about this. I hope this help you out lmao

Translation: If DeShawn is Aro/Ace, does that mean he is not gonna fall in love ever? I mean, if he doesn’t feel any romantic or sexual feelings, he is not gonna fall in love. I want to see DeShawn shipped with someone.

DeShawn es Aro/Ace y eso significa que no está particularmente interesado en ninguna relación romántica o física. No significa que no pueda pasar, pero sería algo excepcional y eso tampoco cambiaría su orientación.

Translation: DeShawn is Aro/Ace and that means he is not particulary interested in any romantic or physical relationship. That doesn’t mean that it can’t happen, but it would be an exception and that wouldn’t change his orientation either.

Yes, he has cute moments! He is just a complicated teenager with a lot of repressed energy and behavour problems, but he holds very strong bonds, specially with Ross and Gil of course and he makes friends in the school. DeShawn is actually very excitable when facing a challenge, and he has the most fun when he is playing sports. He becomes a little kid with adventurous things and likes when Gil praises him for a good work, craving recognition form authority figures.

Rossain is actually protective of DeShawn (as the same way around) because he is fairly misunderstood by others. DeShawn is the only one Rossain is honest with about his inferiority complex.

He would probably snarl at him, and that would mean problems because Chenya would prank him to no end, and would make DeShawn very angry. The only cat-like person he respects is Leona because he gained that respect in the Magift club, just like Jack respects Leona after the Savanaclaw chapter.

Deuce and DeShawn’s relationship is not good at the start of the story, mirroring Ace and Rossain rivaly relationship too.

They are the “same character concept” so it’s natural they class. Both duos are first years in different classes, they are clueless students about the status quo of the school and slowly learn how to navigate it.

With Deuce and DeShawn specifically, they are rough kids with strong personalities and very sport competitive. They can be seen on the verge of fighting when provocked, in contrast with Ace and Rossain fighting with witty words mostly.

Both duos learn to see eye to eye with time, and they kind of become friends as the year develops. Deuce and DeShawn understand each other better than Ace and Rossain, who keep their complicated relationship longer.

Back at the Savanaclaw chapter, Ace and Deuce (with Yuu and Grim) meet the Cane Twins and there’s already some sort of ackowledgement between them because of join classes, but they never speak much. This time, they clash because the twins try to harass Yuu and Grim and assert some sort of position as “superior” to them.

Deuce instantly tries to protect them and DeShawn is very confrontational to him, because they both tend to resolve things throwing hands first. Nothing bad happens though, because Grim ends scratching DeShawns face. It represents this scene in the movie.

Ross and Gil are actually impressed that the Magishift club handles DeShawn so well, specially Ruggie for that matter. It helps that DeShawn is in a context where the sport lights his mood and makes him spend his high hyperactive energy, and Ruggie catched this the very first time DeShawn entered the club.

DeShawn respects Leona and Ruggie as senior classmates and Ross and Gil feel secretly relieved that DeShawn is actually in good hands and is making friends in something he really enjoys.

Malik

Malik is not very interested in other dorms (or other people, to be honest. He is a guy that likes solitude), but here’s some key moments of Malik regarding Octavinelle members! (+ Octatrio 2.0)

Malik didn’t trust Azul and the Tweels when they came to the Scarabia dorm in the same chapter. He saw them as intruders trying to benefit from the chaos the dorm was in that time.

Can and will easely push Azul into intimidation using his physical appareance (meaning brute force) if Azul ever tries to use him for his plans because he is not fond of Azul or the respect he has to Jamil, considering them the same type of two-faced people, which he hates.

Will feel completely overwhelmed with Floyd’s personality and his swing moods, because Malik hates chaotic tendencies.

Has a neutral almost friendly relationship with Jade thanks to being the only two people at the Mountain Lover Club. They seem to not interfere with the other’s desire much and there’s some kind of respect there.

He is in the same year as Gilmo, but Malik still calls him senpai, due to Gilmo retaking the third year currently. Malik doesn’t have much opinion on Gilmo more than judging him from having too many “kids” around him.

Won’t pay attention to the Cane twins, because they are not that worth of his attention, honestly.

In general, he is not a model senior for the first years, as he is very desinterested for other people and won’t really make them rely on him for anything, or even pay attention to them.

He sees Ace as pretty annoying. He doesn’t like that superiority and smart talk he tries to bring always.

He is more tolerable with Deuce, as Deuce easely shows respect for seniors like Malik, making him have better opinion of him.

Nahal is kind of funny to observe, as how mad he is always with Leona. Due to his good relationship with Leona, Malik pays a little more attention to him, just to kind of laugh about it.

Jack is another first year he can tolerate, but his unflexible attitude also irritates Malik.

The Cane twins are a couple of first years he would not even think about, too much of a problem.

Might think Epel is interesting when his true personality comes to shine, but really won’t think much of him.

Sebek is the best and the worst. Malik likes to see his loyal side to what he believies is superior but then be really overwhelmed for his abrassive attention.

Cornelius

Cornelius is a very taciturn individual and spends his time alone. He is calm, quiet and has this aura of mysticism around him, but funnily enough, he sees himself as an approachable person with a good sense of humor and very family oriented, even if others don’t see him this way.

He is rather romantic, loves the concept of gothic aesthetic; he is captivated by the ephimery of life and the beauty in death, which makes him be seen as a very morbid person. He just has a different conception about these subjects than regular people thanks to his upbringing.

Also very knowledge-hungry, considers “science” his hobby and loves to experiment and old magic artifacts.

Maybe not wear them, but it would be funny that he’d hold corsets in such high regard and be such a nice piece of fashion that everyone knows he’d talk how beautiful they are and, if welcomed, he’d offer them to try the ones he owns. Which may happen and it just another quirky detail about him.

I know this ask wasn’t that serious, but I’m taking the opportunity to say that I don’t really ship Cornelius with anyone else in particular! Not yet, at least.

Malleus and Cornelius are very distant relatives but they remain having an uncanny similarity. Their families were united many many centuries in the past, but Cornelius family lost the royal title and branched out, progressively getting closer living to other species aside the fae. Malleus is more than aware of this, but never treated him differently. They have a very cordial relationship, with similar likings, and Cornelius ackowledges Malleus status and calls him accordingly.

With Lilia is very different. It’s rather one-sided with Lilia not being comfortable with Cornelius presence, but Cornelius is also aware of this and tries to distant himself from them as much as they can. This is due thanks to bad blood that happened in the past, but neither of them talk much about it. Cornelius respects his but does not take responsability for his family mistakes. Lilia does not raised Cornelius and doesn’t want much to do with Cornelius family branch.

Both Cornelius relationships with Sebek and Silver are based on the normal premise of “juniors and senior”. Cornelius tries to take care of them in the absence of Malleus and Lilia, and is kind of responsable with them if they are not around (Like in the Scare Monster Endless Night event). Neither Sebek nor Silver knows much about him aside him being distantly related to Malleus, but they respect him (aside them wondering of why Lilia does not like him)

He is more similar to Lilia in this. His family is much more in contact with modern technology as nowadays they live more in that context, even if they are seen as “obsolete” and “prefering traditional ways” by other people. He knows certain technology and is used to it, at least in a similar way as Lilia, but maybe that’s why he is much more interested in old artifacts his family still hold dear, as family heirlooms. His favorite type are cauldrons.

Dr. Tusker, Dion & Theo

I think Tusker takes his job very seriously and children are his vocation and top priority, no doubt. He would feel bad for those he cannot help more from his field and try to further them in the direction they can be properly helped, always looking for alternatives to make their lives better.

He would also follow the protocol for people having panic attacks, which he thinks is the first thing to do to avoid potential overblots in the school context. He promotes a lot of healthy habits because of this and that’s the reason he is such a flexible person regarding students and their well being.

Tusker and Crowley are in friendly terms. They both have a similar personality regarding taking things lightly and not as serious as it should, so they usually see eye to eye in most cases. Tusker confronted Crowley’s decisions when he accepted to go with Styx in the Ignihyde chapter though, as from Tusker’s side the organization hurted students and they should’ve been taken accountable for that.

With Crewel, the situation is complicated. They are neutral to friendly most of the time, but they have history together. They are former students from NRC and also classmates. Crewel may state they weren’t that close back then and Tusker will say they were best friends, but they had a good relationship back then nonetheless. They act professional as coworkers, but always let slip a level of implicit trust between them that probes that they are in fact, good old friends (or maybe more)

Trein was, in fact, Tusker’s professor when he was a student, so Tusker tends to hold a respect for him that he doesn’t have to others. Trein is also still able to make Tusker “behave more maturely” if he’s too losely in his job, probing that the old dynamic is not so buried.

He has much more of a neutral relationship with Vargas and Sam, but they work together just fine, as Tusker is actually a friendly person.

Dion is comfortable around the NRC staff as he practically knows them since he was a baby. Crewel and Crowley are the adults aside Tusker he trusts most, though he is opening slowly to Trein as well and starts to refer him as “grandpa”.

It is purposedly left to interpretation, in the meaning that is not actually anything specific about what happened. I think the story of a single parent with a child could resonate with a lot of people (like with me) in a a lot of different ways and I like that it can be in a certain way true to anybody that stumbles across his story. Tusker would just say “All that matter is Dion now”

I like to picture Tusker is actually representing Dumbo’s mother. He’s caring, and protective in the right way, and sometimes he cannot be with him as much as he would like, but he is still for him.

Not headcanons exactly this time but here it goes.

Ace and Deuce are first years, but they are familiar with the rivality NRC holds with RSA. They would ask him what he is doing there in an inquisitive way (Ace more than Deuce) but not be very confrontational, which surprises Theo.

Nahal would be lowkey jealous of Theo for assisting RSA, his prefered school and first choice. Unfortunately, thanks to Leona this was not possible, so he is now in the rival school. Nahal would ask any sort of things to Theo about RSA, and be visbly still bothered by his broken dream.

Jack wouldn’t really be into what others usually do, so he probably would help Theo in what he is looking for. Theo would thank him and get a better impression of the students there thanks to him.

The Cane twins? they would totally try to harrass Theo out of the school, or at least intimidate him as other NRC students would do, no surprised here. Theo is smarter than them though, and actually much more diplomatic so even if they are a bit scary at first, he would hold his lane.

Epel would be kind of conflicted, because he has been taught by Vil that the RSA students are their biggest competitors in the VDC, but Theo seems like a nice guy. So talk to him wouldn’t be that bad.

Sebek would be very judgmental, maybe more for Theo being human than a student from RSA, but Theo would find it pretty funny as he wouldn’t expect that at all.

Yuusa & Sa-kun

No, Sa-kun is most of the time his friendly and “normal” self most of the time, only hinting his dark side in very specific moments in which he gives this “odd” or “creepy” vibe that makes other wonder if there’s more to him that meets the eye. This means he never crossed any line with anybody.

Yuusa not having a mouth is mostly an aesthetic decision and also a visual play to break the 4th wall, making obvious they are actually in a cartoonish story where no logic actually plays, since others ackowledge this weird feature about them (among others) and still try to play it as normal, causing most of the time for them to break this 4th wall. Yuusa is a caricature of Mc’s and the alternative universe they are mc for is mostly a caricature of these type of stories!

Now, the unserious reply: Yuusa simply does those things and nobody questions how or why lmao

TL;DR: Don’t take Yuusa seriously, they are a joke.

Miscellaneus

For someone to start creating fanmade sprites for twst, there are out there a ton of tutorials about this since it became popular! I am not really the indicated one for this, but my tips like always are study the official art and try to replicate it step by step! Start with small parts and simple shapes, then pay attention to color and gradients. Shadows and lights are tricky so don’t worry, take your time and also experiment! That being said...

Thank you SO MUCH for ALL these messages!!!! The ones about you loving my oc’s, the ones about giving them hugs, kisses, calling them cute, saying they are your favorite, making lil headcanons about them, loving the ships and the art! Thank you so so so much for your support all these years, it means the whole world to me! I want you to know you are seen and appreciated and you are the reason I created so much for this universe and I will probably keep creating in the future as well. You are the reason artists create and share and build a community. So from the bottom of my heart, please know that I will always love to read you here!!

[jaimeshonorhardon]

ned/jaime fic concept

modern au jaime post figuring out his trauma works at an animal shelter for dogs

Single dad Ned finds a bunch of “puppies” by the road and is like idk what kind these are and takes them to get checked and vetted up before taking them home and he goes to jaimes shelter and like he doesn’t expect him there and Jaime leaves him with a bad taste in his mouth but like his kids will love these puppies and is like hey can u tell me what these are and give them their shots so I can go and jaimes just like u dumb sexy idiot I have bad history with these are WOLVES how did you find theses?????? U were gonna give them to children ?????? Jaime instantly needing to have sex with this fucking idiot. Post cersei he hasn’t been with anyone in years due to insecurities/major blows to his confidence (cersei trauma and no hand trauma) and the lack of practice in genuine flirting besides a little thing he had with his bestie (brienne) but they were both going thru some shit and are just family now but he literally hasn’t been interested in anyone either (demisexual jaime rights) so he literally is just stumbling and blushing and then just blatantly flirting but ned thinks that’s just how he’s always been but maybe a little more nervous than usual so doesn’t really get it

But also later for jaime truly falling for him it’s because ned is just such a good dad (obviously ruggedly hot but that’s besides the point) with a heart of gold like he’s a single dad of fucking 6 plus Theon so 7 and is super busy with his company but makes time for all of those fucking kids and all of their activities and for ned—ned is just like wow Jaime is really good with these dogs they really like him animals know best plus he’s very very good at his job just something about an efficient man that animals like he seems changed and a good person now plus he’s gorgeous and my kids don’t mind him I’ll let myself love him :)

but Jaime at first is just purely horny for ned (that’s just what he tells himself) and then eventually is like oh no…..I am in love with this old caring father while said father at first had no idea what was going on but after they fuck he immediately and silently in his head decides he’s romantically seeing where things go and falls in love gradually and naturally compared to jaimes bomb of a realization one day as he has no practice in this besides having always been “in love” (imagine post trauma Jaime also air quoting) with cersei and ned was fully married and in love before

FUCK and of course Jaime has to go over periodically to check on the wolves growth and behavior cuz like that’s what ALL vets do right …right??!!?? He tells himself yes of course 😅 I’m not being too secretly crazy in love I’m just being helpful! He won’t catch on! Ned goes from oblivous to begrudgingly accepting into making it apart of his life and something to look forward to with Jaime in their initial stages of romance while jaime is just internally screaming that he hopes ned doesn’t catch onto his feelings and how much he needs ned in his life and cares and if he rejects him cuz cersei never gave a single shit about any of his true feelings and he cannot handle losing the best man he’s ever met even as a kind of friend he’s fucking and helping taking care of his wolves and kids (jaime is their second dad at this point he’s the only one who doesn’t know)

He also thinks ned doesn’t know what to do with all these dogs anyway he’s a busy man with 7 kids he needs help these poor wolves probably aren’t getting proper care and the children need rides to school which is on his way to work (jaime is the one not getting proper care and ned can tell the man is low key struggling on his own why not just add another one into the pack more the merrier)

And of course ned has a huge property and one of the pups gets lost late at night and he calls Jaime to help and they get snowed in at some cabin at the end of the property where the little pup took shelter (probs ghost bc he’s harder to find and quiet so it would take until nightfall) and ya know ~things~ happen between the two men

I need those two mfs to be locked in a cabin so bad idk …

[ankimodaisukiq]

Geki-Jin Tanbou Vol. 7: Jinya "From Defense to Forward"

Japanese (original; all credits to YU-TO):

INTRO

Hello everyone, this is YU-TO. It's hard to believe, but this "Geki-jin Tanbou" marks the seventh post. Every time I complete an article, I can't help but think, "Am I really surrounded by musicians of such high caliber?" It's a genuine feeling without any doubt or arrogance, and playing music with these musicians is something I take pride in. With a sense of gratitude, let's dive into the 7th edition of the Geki-jin Tanbou.

Our guest this time is Jinya, who plays in Undead Corporation and is also the guitarist for Unlucky Morpheus.

Since starting the Geki-jin Tanbou, Jinya is the first guest from a younger generation than myself. While Jinya and I don't have a "generation gap" per se, there is a noticeable age difference, enough to be perceived as "belonging to different generations" in general society. Interestingly, Jinya is the first musician younger than me I've played with since I seriously started my band. For someone who has played with musicians seven or more years older all along, this feels refreshing.

However, even as we played together, I always sensed that Jinya and I had taken completely different paths as players. Somewhere deep down, I always wanted to clearly understand that "difference." Additionally, Jinya's vigorous recent activities and success in the music scene are remarkable. I had a faint feeling that there was "a change" in him recently, and I wanted to explore that further. When I offered him the opportunity, the conclusion was, to put it bluntly, mind-blowing. While there were moments where I keenly felt the generation gap during our conversation, I also realized, "Ah, this is how musicians from younger generations grow," and simultaneously, I felt that it's only a matter of time before he becomes one of Japan's leading guitarists. You'll understand why I thought this way once you read the article. I hope you can grasp his words, thoughts, and growth, which often don't get much attention in the media. Without further ado, let's get started.

ENCOUNTER WITH CANON ROCK

In this intense interview, we've heard stories about various musicians picking up instruments during their early days, but among them, Jinya's experience stands out. No, the sense of "uniqueness" here is probably due to what is commonly referred to as a "generation gap." In contemporary times, there are likely more players who, like Jinya, spent their initial period similarly. The trigger for Jinya to start playing the guitar was his "admiration for a childhood friend."

"Back in elementary school, I wasn't interested in music at all, but when I was in the first year of middle school, a childhood friend started playing the guitar. He was already an object of admiration—good at sports, smart, and handsome. Seeing him play the guitar, I thought, 'Wow, that's cool,' and decided I wanted to be like that too, so I started playing the guitar."

Although he began playing the guitar due to admiration for a close friend, during this time, Jinya didn't have a specific artist he was devoted to.

"Of course, I didn't dislike music, but I wasn't that knowledgeable about popular music or anything. I really never thought of playing the guitar myself. After starting the guitar, my friend played Japanese rock, like BUMP OF CHICKEN, so that was probably the kind of music I started with. It wasn't a specific artist that influenced me."

At this point, Jinya picked up the guitar not out of a general love for music but from a simple desire to be like his close friend. The Japanese rock that he talks about was likely shaped by his friend's choices rather than being a significant influence that molded Jinya.

However, shortly after this, Jinya had an encounter that explosively increased his enthusiasm for the guitar.

"It was within a month of starting the guitar, I encountered a song that was crucial to me. It was a song called 'Canon Rock,' where a Taiwanese amateur guitarist posted a rock arrangement of Pachelbel's 'Canon' on YouTube. It was incredibly impactful, and I thought, 'I want to play this.'"

Jinya's mentioned 'Canon Rock,' and indeed, the video is still available on YouTube.

The video quality might show its age, but the play and arrangement are simply magnificent. Typically, what boosts one's motivation for playing an instrument is exposure to glamorous rock musicians appearing in the media. However, for Jinya, it was someone who could be described as a "remarkable amateur," posting a performance video on YouTube.

"At that time, I only knew the information about a person with the handle name JerryC from Taiwan. It was what we'd now call a 'cover video.' However, the arrangement was so shocking that the video was massively viewed at that time. So, there was some sort of unspoken understanding among the beginner guitarist community in Japan back then, like 'If you can play Canon Rock, you're a real player.' You know, the feeling of 'I want to become competent quickly' since I was bad (laughs). So, I practiced for a year and managed to play it through."

In contemporary times, not only rock musicians who compete with live performances but also musicians who actively utilize the online world, like those referred to as "YouTubers," inspire beginners. Even though YouTube might not have been as developed at that time, Jinya had already been using YouTube and the internet to gain various information and inspiration. Consequently, Jinya can be considered a player positioned at the beginning of what is known as the "Internet generation," utilizing the internet from the very start of his guitar journey. This use of the internet will contribute to Jinya's improvement in various directions.

GUITARIST NURTURED BY THE INTERNET

I had never perceived Jinya as a "live-raised player" before. Not in terms of technical issues, but more in an abstract sense, a perception I never conveyed or attempted to convey to him. This time, I shared this image I had with him.

Jinya: "That's absolutely right, haha. The first time I played in public was probably on the internet. Back then, blogs were popular, so I diligently kept a practice diary on my blog, saying things like 'I mastered this part today' or 'this part is challenging,' along with recordings. Looking into it now, I was already uploading recordings at home within a month of starting the guitar. It was terrible, haha. That was my first attempt at sharing with the outside world."

Hearing this, I was somewhat culturally shocked. When I started playing the drums for the first month, I never considered sharing it with anyone. It was still a world of just watching the internet, and I didn't know how to utilize it. At that time, Jinya not only used the term "sharing" but also engaged in a live-like use of the internet.

"There were people like 'blog buddies' back then. People gathered, wanting to learn 'Canon Rock,' and a community discussing various guitar topics formed around that. After a while, a service called 'Stickam,' similar to today's ZOOM, was introduced. We used it to practice guitar together. I spent every day immersed in that community, playing the guitar. So, people watched me play there every day. It was really encouraging, and you can't play embarrassingly when people are watching, right? (laughs) I think that's how I improved."

While video calls like ZOOM are widespread nowadays due to global circumstances, they weren't as prevalent during that time. Jinya's foresight in recognizing this early and actively participating in such a community within a few months of starting the guitar is remarkable. Even on the internet, showcasing your play, which is still in its early stages, requires a certain level of courage. Some young people might hesitate and miss out on leveraging the advantages of modern communication where anyone can share.

However, just as musicians of the past honed their skills through jam sessions, if you truly want to improve, you need to continually showcase your play to others, occasionally receive feedback on your shortcomings, and elevate your skills. While the internet can sometimes have negative effects on players, Jinya maximized its positive aspects and became an ideal player for the contemporary era, refining his skills.

Jinya firmly asserts his relationship with his guitar and the internet:

"If it weren't for the internet, I probably wouldn't have continued playing the guitar. Without the internet, I wouldn't have encountered Canon Rock, and I think my middle school days would have ended with just a bit of playing." 

Likely, those who can thrive in the future music scene are players like Jinya, who fully utilize the elements of their time. I believe his rapid improvement is a result of such considerations.

THE UNANTICIPATED "PATH OF MUSIC"

Jinya, utilizing the internet to gather information and captivated by various technical guitarists like Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai, gradually began performing live shows.

"In my third year of junior high, someone approached me at a music store while I was trying out a guitar, saying, 'You're good.' He was a bassist, and we became friends. The two of us started performing live. I programmed drums myself, and we played guitar instrumentals at a local venue in Utsunomiya. We covered some songs and had about half of our setlist with original compositions. From that time, I bought a multitrack recorder and started trying my hand at composing."

Performing with that unit occurred a few times a year. During this period, Jinya emphasizes that his main activities were still online.

"For me, 'performing in public' was definitely the internet's main battleground. I never really played live regularly at local venues as a band member. Besides, I lived in a rural area, so it was challenging to find band members. I wanted to play hard music, but there was no one interested in that. So, I thought, 'Why not play alone?' (laughs) I just practiced relentlessly, showcasing the results on the internet."

During this time, Jinya viewed the internet not as a tool to connect with external activities but as the main platform for his activities. He hadn't focused much on live performances.

"At that time, 'sharing music' for me was entirely on the internet. I didn't think of pursuing music as the next step after high school. I was already well-versed in using the internet to share music. While there's an idea that you need to play in a band and make it your life's focus to convey music, I realized in middle and high school that it wasn't necessary. You can share music just by playing the guitar at home, recording videos, and sharing them whenever you like. That was enough for me at the time."

Although this attitude might draw disapproval from some traditional "live performance-centric" veteran musicians (laughs), it is something that musicians of the current generation should indeed consider. Jinya, at that time, enjoyed playing live, and he wasn't entirely inactive outside the internet. However, at this point, committing his life to music and considering a future in the industry was entirely out of the question.

"I mean, isn't the path of music like a 'thorny path'? (laughs) I didn't have the courage to follow that thorny path. At that time, I thought entering a comfortable company, living a leisurely life without any highs or lows, was the best for me. Music can still be done even after becoming a working adult, right? I thought it was fine to play music when I wanted to at home, record videos, and share them. Of course, I loved music, but at that time, I thought I couldn't live as someone whose life revolves around music."

At that time, Jinya seemed somewhat indifferent, not harboring hopes for the future—just an ordinary young person living with the idea of "it's fine to live comfortably." However, his life and perspective on music gradually but distinctly transformed into something more "professional." A young musician who had mostly resolved his activities online began to envision the "live scene," growing into a genuine musician playing the guitar in front of thousands and thousands of people.

JOINING UNLUCKY MORPHEUS

Currently, Jinya's main activity revolves around Unlucky Morpheus, a band representing Japan in the melodic speed metal genre. Infused with grand orchestral arrangements and Fuki's outstanding vocals, they have gained many fans with their original and expressive compositions. Jinya joined Unlucky Morpheus during his high school years.

"Towards the end of my second year of high school, I received a message from Shiren asking, 'Want to play in our band?' At that time, I was supporting another group, and we had a joint performance with Unlucky Morpheus. Shiren had been watching me during that performance and seemed to like something about my playing. I had known about Unlucky Morpheus since around my first year of high school, so being approached by someone I admired was quite a feeling, like, 'Wow, I'm being approached by someone I look up to.'"

According to Jinya, Shiren had heard rumors of an impressive young guitarist even before the joint performance. Jinya, who had been diligently honing his skills through the internet more than anyone else, probably had considerable technical prowess even during high school. Thus, Jinya became a live member of Unlucky Morpheus, marking the beginning of more authentic musical activities beyond the internet.

"Now I could fully demonstrate the results of my practice. Well, until then, I had been playing alone on the internet (laughs). Although the venues weren't necessarily large, every live show was packed. Experiencing people watching my guitar in real-time, live, was something I couldn't easily achieve through internet activities alone. Of course, I had some live experience before, but it was during this time that I first felt how intense live houses could be. It was shocking because sweating while playing the guitar, as opposed to playing on the internet, was an experience I hadn't had before (laughs)."

At this time, Jinya discovered the enjoyment of live performances for the first time. It wasn't about comparing the merits of online and offline activities, but he realized the value of both. However, at this point, he still couldn't consider pursuing music as a career in the future.

"I had a few pleasant experiences like that, more like 'beginner's luck' in gambling. I thought, 'This is just a coincidence,' and it didn't really shake my feelings during high school."

While continuing his activities with Unlucky Morpheus, Jinya simultaneously pursued higher education with the intention of entering the workforce. It was during his university years that he began to undergo gradual changes in his feelings.

"From this time onwards, I started performing in larger venues, and my position gradually changed. Initially, I played backing guitar during live performances, but as my skills improved, my role within Unlucky Morpheus expanded. Around that time, not only with Unlucky Morpheus but also with Undead Corporation, I was invited to join. In other words, people started relying on me. During middle and high school, I was just sharing what I created, but now people were asking me to play guitar for them. That made me think, 'Maybe I can be useful to others.' If I can be helpful, I want to do it. That's when my feelings started to solidify little by little."

For Jinya, Unlucky Morpheus was the first platform that truly exposed him to the world of music outside the internet. Utilizing his information gathering skills honed online and applying the knowledge gained, Jinya quickly became a presence that "others couldn't ignore."

"I briefly considered job hunting, but, conversely, I couldn't adapt to that environment. I started feeling that I wanted to express myself more. I gradually thought that music might be the thing I could wholeheartedly devote myself to. It was a vague idea, but it turned out this way in the end. However, I think if I had continued playing guitar only on the internet during my university days, I wouldn't have developed these feelings. Having people who 'pick you up' is crucial, I believe."

The greatest benefit I gain from writing this in-depth exploration is the real, tangible experience of the transformative power of music in one's life. A young person who once thought, "It's good to live an easy life in the future," discovers the joy of being useful to others through music and chooses a life pursuing that. What else can we call this if not the "power of music"? Although nothing dramatically happened, slowly and steadily, music enhances a person's life, making it richer and better. I believe that this is the reason why music continues to exist in this world. Having experienced the power of music, Jinya's journey unfolds further, and an event awaits him, pushing him to become an "aggressive" guitarist.

FROM DEFENSE TO FORWARD

In 2017, Unlucky Morpheus experienced a significant change. Shiren, the leader and lead guitarist, developed tenosynovitis, requiring a period of rest for treatment. As a result, he could no longer perform lead guitar as before. To continue the band in this situation, Jinya had to take on the role of lead guitarist.

"I had played solos here and there before, but from then on, the proportion of my solo parts explosively increased. The situation was such that Shiren wasn't even playing the guitar in some songs."

Until then, Unlucky Morpheus had primarily positioned Shiren as the main guitarist, with Jinya in a supporting role. However, due to this incident, Jinya officially took on the role of lead guitarist for Unlucky Morpheus.

"Consciously, things definitely changed. In a negative sense, I used to think I should be a guitarist who played quietly in the background to support Shiren's lead guitar. It's a strange way to put it, but I also thought, 'It's better not to stand out too much.' Well, I didn't think about it that clearly, but there was some awareness like that. However, because of this incident, I had to shift from defense to forward and put myself in a position to score points. That's when I started to strongly feel, 'I am the guitarist for Unlucky Morpheus.'"

Certainly, Shiren's injury and recovery were setbacks for the band, but the option of stopping their activities was never considered by Unlucky Morpheus.

"Of course, it was a setback, but Shiren also wanted to turn his injury into a positive direction as much as possible. By putting me in the front at this timing, he aimed to strengthen the overall capability of Unlucky Morpheus. Even though it was a challenging situation, we continued the band, and in the end, it worked out well."

Despite facing such setbacks, Unlucky Morpheus continued its vigorous activities. It's not just Shiren's strong mental resilience, even with his significant injury, that kept the band going. Jinya's efforts and the change in his mindset also played a significant role.

"Well, I don't think there was a drastic change in technical aspects like memorizing songs or playing fast. However, mentally, things changed a lot. I feel like I have to have more confidence now. Until then, Shiren had reigned as the lead guitarist, so looking back now, I think I didn't feel much about my own confidence. But with Shiren, the shield, no longer there, I needed to stand at the forefront and fight like facing an enemy (laughs). Of course, it was like that before, but my consciousness of being seen as 'Unlucky Morpheus' guitarist, and the awareness that if I played poorly, it wouldn't be good for 'Unlucky Morpheus' became stronger. Naturally, I prepared for that and practiced, and both my guitar playing and behavior changed significantly due to that incident. The awareness of 'Jinya is Unlucky Morpheus' guitarist' emerged within me. Then, I thought I couldn't be complacent. It's a sensory thing, so I can't express it clearly, but I started feeling the consciousness of 'I need to be aggressive' and 'I need to set goals.'"

This incident became a turning point for Jinya, bringing significant growth and a change in consciousness. Facing challenges without breaking, overcoming them courageously, Jinya joined the ranks of top-notch musicians. His attitude, objectively assessing his position within the band and how others perceive him, is truly respectable, even though he is younger. Many musicians from the "internet generation" are often seen as emotionally fragile and tending to stay within their shells. However, the fact that there are musicians like Jinya, who learn various things both online and in live settings, can be perceived as a threat but also as an encouraging presence for our generation and the ones above. Jinya's growth will undoubtedly contribute to Unlucky Morpheus' further leaps in the future.

ACTIVITIES WITH "TOP-TIER" MUSICIANS

In addition to his band activities, Jinya simultaneously works as a support guitarist for various artists. Some venues, with nearly 10,000 attendees and around 50 songs to perform, not only demand technical expertise but also require mental resilience. How do these support activities influence Jinya?

"There's a term 'Shingitai,' right? Mind, technique, and body—if any of these is lacking, you can't fully showcase your performance in such situations. If it were just a few songs, I think you could manage with a bit lacking in the 'body' part as long as you had 'mind' and 'technique.' But when there are many songs, you need to be healthy and robust, especially performing in large venues introduces anxiety. So, how to keep your mind intact and play as usual—it's directly related to mental strength. It really felt incredible to coordinate all three seamlessly; otherwise, you can't deliver a decent performance."

It's obvious, but playing an instrument is not the sole job of a musician. There are cases where you need to memorize a vast number of songs, especially in a supporting role. Beyond showcasing your own play, you also need the skill of responding to the client's requirements. Jinya mentions that he has learned a lot by working with top-tier studio musicians in these settings.

"They perform regularly at places like Nippon Budokan or Seibu Dome, so, well, the level is just high (laughs). Their on-the-spot responsiveness, vitality, really, the Shingitai is on a different level. They kind of rewrote what I had thought of as 'human limits.' My perceived limits were quite low, and seeing them made me feel like 'Oh, human limits are much higher.' I realized that."

Even among professionals, the technical requirements differ significantly between band musicians and studio musicians. While band musicians need the skill of "how to produce oneself," studio musicians need the skill of "how to meet the demands." 

"For example, the ability to immediately shape an image when told 'I want it like this,' and also, their physical stamina is incredible. I think there's both the aspect of having incredible physical stamina itself and supplementing it with mental strength. It's the feel of people who have gained experience. "

Jinya was thrown into a completely different world of musicians, where he learned many things while being shaped by it. Although the work in these settings eventually went well, making him a continuously called-upon fixed member, Jinya's unique "research skills" played a supporting role.

"Initially, it was my first time going to such settings, so there were many things I didn't know... I didn't know even the common sense in those circles, but I just covered it up (laughs). Because I couldn't say 'I can't do it,' I kept covering and collecting things I didn't have. Gratefully, I was repeatedly called for the next job. Of course, they'd request confidently, 'You can do it, right?' So, even if I didn't know, I'd say, 'I can do it,' then desperately research and practice behind the scenes, buying any missing equipment, filling in the missing pieces. Especially the first time was clearly adversity, but humans grow the most when overcoming adversity, right? Just like muscles (laughs). The effort to overcome adversity seems to have resulted in a good outcome."

When faced with a request for something he lacked, Jinya's approach was to research and make it his own. It's not the absence of something that is the problem; it's crucial how one responds at that moment. This process of "filling in missing pieces" is a task Jinya himself is good at, and his insatiable curiosity is one of his distinctive features. As years of playing accumulate, there are times when I try to solve things only within the scope of what I already possess, refusing to gain new knowledge. However, occasionally, actions like Jinya's thorough effort to fill in what he lacks might be necessary. By doing so, one can, like him, turn encountered adversity into one's own flesh and blood, potentially raising one's own level by multiple degrees. Hearing Jinya's story, I couldn't help but think, "Well, of course, you'll grow." It seemed obvious and straightforward.

HANDLING HIS OWN "CHARM"

Jinya, who handles various support roles, often finds that the selection criteria for such jobs involve not only technical aspects but also the element of "good looks." In live performances where the majority of the audience is female, even as a support member, having members who appear attractive to the female audience can enhance the overall quality of the live show as simple "entertainment." Despite being of the same gender, I must say Jinya has a distinct charm in his looks.

His androgynous, well-defined features are makeup-friendly, and while not particularly tall, his slender physique accentuates his androgynous aura. Many musicians consider how to present themselves and tend to appear somewhat excessive in their appeal. However, Jinya doesn't give the impression of actively showcasing such appeal.

"Frankly, I had zero confidence in my looks since middle and high school... I wasn't popular, and I never thought my looks would be a selling point. So when I presented my music, I thought, 'Why not just film my hands playing without showing my face?' If you show only that, and if the performance is good, you can be appreciated for the technique you've cultivated. If you show your face, even if the performance is good, other evaluations come in like noise, or at least, that's how I felt back then. So, by showing only my hands, I felt a sense of relief that I could be appreciated for the techniques I've practiced."

As most people are aware, in music, the element of "looks" is inseparable. Statements like "You won't succeed unless you're handsome" or "Your appearance won't cut it" are unrelated to music but have affected many in their musical pursuits. Particularly in the age of the internet, which Jinya has been utilizing since he started playing the guitar, he was likely hypersensitive to such matters.

"What I wanted to do was music, not to be evaluated for my appearance. Some people would say it's good, but I didn't want to hear negative comments, and it felt like I shouldn't have to deal with that. I had no confidence to begin with, and I really disliked that kind of thing."

In the music industry, one is occasionally treated in an overly "entertainment" manner, and attractiveness in appearance is sometimes overly emphasized. The music Jinya has been immersed in is on a completely different level, where artists compete based on the goodness of music and technique.

"If my roots were in visual kei, I might have felt like, 'Let's sell my looks.' I could have done my own makeup, confidently saying, 'I look cool, right?' That's a good thing for a musician too. But I fundamentally had a different starting point... For example, Mr. Big, they look cool, but fundamentally, you watch them for their incredible musical skills, right? Maybe I leaned too much toward that part and became twisted, or so I think (laughs)."

This is a personal opinion, but I don't want Jinya to become the type of musician who relies on looks to compete. That's because, with his handsome face and an aura of charm, he chooses not to leverage his looks but competes solely with his musicianship, making it an integral part of who he is as a musician. However, as Jinya has aged and accumulated various experiences in recent years, he seems to have become more accepting of evaluations based on appearance that come from those around him.

"Well, now the circumstances are different, or rather... fundamentally, music is a kind of entertainment, and I don't think it's just about being appreciated and evaluated for playing an instrument. It encompasses everything like appearance, behavior, speech... I think all of that together creates the 'music' as entertainment. For example, even if someone makes amazing music, if that person is anti-social, they might not be appreciated, right? So, I've gradually come to realize that playing an instrument alone isn't entertainment. I've accepted that appearance is being appreciated, but (laughs) well, I don't feel bad about receiving praise. However, I do think, 'It hasn't been cultivated for over ten years for nothing,' though (bitter smile)."

Jinya's humility towards his own looks is genuine and not just a pose, as I felt from listening to his story. The character of being unaware or even having a complex about having an attractive appearance is a trait that, when you think about it, is very appealing and would be well-received by anyone in the worlds of manga or anime. Jinya does it sincerely, without any sarcasm—a charming presence indeed (laughs). 

THE DIGNITY ACQUIRED AS AN ARTIST

There was a collaboration between Undead Corporation and Hone Your Sense for the song "Face The Fate," and the music video was being shot. I met Jinya after a long time, and upon seeing him with a guitar, I felt a somewhat different atmosphere compared to before. This was the "change" that I had sensed in Jinya at the beginning. To put it simply, there was a certain "dignity" when he held the guitar.

It's a common point, but as mentioned in the previous chapter, mere good looks and the coolness as a musician are entirely different. While Jinya had the looks and techniques before, I had never felt that he possessed something as a musician. However, when I saw Jinya after a long time, there was undoubtedly an "aura" emanating from him.

Understanding how to showcase himself, exuding a certain calmness and charm, were things I had never felt from the previous Jinya. I played the drums while thinking, "Ah, he has changed after experiencing various things." Because it felt so natural to me, I ended up going home without saying anything on that particular day. However, upon further reflection, I realized I wanted to hear more about what Jinya himself thought.

"Well, um, I think it's a nuance of having grown through battles... There are scenes where you feel like, 'If I make a mistake here, it's over for my music career,' right? (laughs) Overcoming such strong pressures, I feel that I've gained more 'composure' compared to before. Well, it feels like I'm just a guy saying something (laughs), but if this 'composure' looks like an aura, that's fine, I guess (laughs)."

What I felt, a kind of aura from Jinya during the filming of the music video, is undoubtedly something that won't be acquired without accumulating experience on-site. While Jinya's main battlefield was the internet when he started playing the guitar, in recent years, he has experienced a lot, such as the tension-filled scenes where "mistakes are not allowed" and performing in venues with over 1,000 people.

Through such professional experiences and the effort he put into making his work his own, he naturally acquired an aura as a musician that is unique to him.

"Of course, you can't get things just by being defensive, and by turning to an offensive stance, you gain various things. I feel like I've had various experiences in this 'offense.' Compared to when there was nothing, I feel that it has given me a bit more confidence."

Certainly, having a defensive attitude is not a bad thing. The humility gained from such experiences and the ability to look around are essential qualities for a musician. However, there are times when one must firmly appeal to oneself and fight with an offensive attitude. After overcoming that battle, there is the acquisition of an aura as a musician that others cannot easily approach.

The understanding of "defense" acquired at the beginning of the band and the knowledge gained through recent experiences in "offense" are both becoming well-known to Jinya. He is on the path to becoming a truly formidable guitarist.

While retaining the atmosphere of "defense" from before, I am eager to see more of the "offensive" Jinya in the future.

WHAT WAS GAINED FROM THE ADVICE FROM SENIOR GUITARISTS

During the interview for the previous Geki-Jin Tanbou at STUDIO PRISONER, when I mentioned my plan to cover Jinya in the next one, Hiro from STUDIO PRISONER seemed to express that he, too, had noticed Jinya's growth. Since Unlucky Morpheus also records at STUDIO PRISONER, Hiro appears to have sensed a significant improvement in Jinya's approach to playing and his attitude towards sound in recent years through their collaboration. I asked Jinya about this development.

"Honestly, I think Hiro-san's influence is enormous. I used to do my own recordings, studying not only the sound I recorded but also sounds recorded by others. When I first heard Hiro-san's created sound, I was like, 'What is this?!' And apparently, he's doing it individually, not in a major studio. I was shocked, thinking, 'Can such an aggressive sound be created at the individual level?' Since then, I've always wanted to meet Hiro-san."

Before actually getting Hiro's recordings, it seems Jinya was already impressed by Hiro's sound. However, the advice received during the recording process and when Hiro watched his live performances has become a crucial element in shaping the current Jinya.

"I think the first time we met was during the recording of Undead Corporation's 'Flashback.' At that time, I was pretty much in 'safe mode.' While Hiro-san recorded my sound and came to my live performances, he often told me things like, 'Jin-kun, you can't fight with that.' I already liked and trusted Hiro-san's created sounds, so it was quite impactful to hear things that gave off the nuance of 'you can't fight like this' from someone I admired. That really changed my awareness. For example, he would say, 'You need to express gain more with your picking,' or 'Right now, Jin-kun, you're playing from your wrist, but it's better to play with your whole body.' I realized that until then, I had only been playing with my head and wrists."

As can be understood from the previous Geki-Jin feature, Hiro is a guitarist and engineer who maintains an "offensive" attitude in various aspects. His approach was entirely opposite to the Jinya of that time, and working or being associated with such a character was undoubtedly stimulating for the Jinya of that period.

"Actually, Hiro-san has been recording my guitar all the time, so he's constantly listening to my guitar objectively under the same conditions. Therefore, he can sense changes more sensitively than I can. He gives me various advice or, well, scoldings (laughs), saying, 'That's improved' or 'That's gotten worse.' So, that had a considerable impact. The fact that I adopted an 'offensive' attitude was significantly influenced by Hiro-san. Being strongly told off by a musician I respect has been significant in my experience. If I had been told off weakly, it might not have affected me as much (laughs), but he was quite firm, saying, 'That won't do.'"

As mentioned in the previous Geki-Jin feature, I conveyed that STUDIO PRISONER has contributed significantly to the growth of many musicians. Jinya, too, was one of the musicians who grew there. Digesting Hiro's strong advice and turning it into nourishment undoubtedly requires a certain level of curiosity and patience. While Jinya recalls being in a "safe mode" during that time, his attitude to not disregard Hiro's advice, to think earnestly, and to confront the challenges head-on is something I sense in his approach from that period. Even if he doesn't emphasize it entirely, despite his looks, Jinya has always had a somewhat masculine and principled side, which was evident from the beginning. Thinking about it, Jinya's growth seems to have started from that time, and in recent years, it has become visible and tangible through his active performances. Always absorbing something and striving to make it his own is one of Jinya's significant characteristics and an essential element that cannot be overlooked when discussing him.

THE VISION OF THE MUSICIAN FOR THE FUTURE

Jinya, who has shown remarkable activity and growth in recent years, is undoubtedly evolving. What kind of musician does he aspire to become in the future?

"It's not about whether I can play or not; when I watch my old performances, I feel there was something bland about them. But being able to recognize that means I've changed and evolved, so I want to feel that my current self is bland five or ten years from now."

Starting from the early days of independent expression using the internet, his guitar play, shaped through various live performances and interactions with people, has become more profound. With the aura derived from his innate charm and experiences, Jinya is aiming to become a truly unique guitarist. However, the ideal musician image he envisions is not about imposing his own charm or play onto others; instead, he wishes to be a musician who can contribute solidly to others.

"I want to be a reliable presence for people. There's a part of me that sees it as a reason for living. I want to contribute to the people who rely on me. And of course, there's the desire to meet the expectations of people who listen to the music I've been involved in. Overall, I want to be a man who's reliable to others, a musician with a firm core who seems like he won't collapse easily. That's what I aim for (laughs)."

The Jinya of high school, who once thought, "If I can live life safely, that would be good," is no longer present in his current self. The Jinya who challenges the unknown, makes something out of it, and ultimately contributes to others has become a different person from the Jinya of high school, even though I don't know that version of him.

"I did have a long period where I thought I wanted to live life safely. I think, as long as you think that way, you might stumble on even small steps, and I think I was that kind of person. That's why I aspire to be someone who is needed by others, looking up to those who aren't like that."

Being able to reflect on his past self and objectively consider his current way of life is already a sign of growth. Jinya is becoming a musician who is relied upon, and his considerations of the guitar and music are no longer a means to achieve selfish goals. Jinya takes music seriously, and the choice of "living life safely" no longer exists within him.

"As I've said many times, I was a safe personality, sticking to a do-nothing attitude, especially around high school. But music made me want to pursue something and earnestly try something different from others. It might sound like a big statement, but... I think if I could die feeling that I've used up all my energy and physical strength, that would be a happy life. Music seems to be a place that allows me to do that. If I entrust myself to music, I might be able to push my limits. I don't know where it will lead, but if I continue like this, I think I can reach the point of using all my abilities. Regardless of the result, if I can end my life having used up all my abilities, I'd be happy playing music in that way. That's what music is for me."

I'm looking forward to the day when I can play with Jinya again, but more than that, the greater anticipation is seeing how much he continues to grow. I sincerely believe that he will become a tougher player, leading the Japanese guitarist scene. Jinya has ample potential, and I hope he becomes an existence that surpasses me, providing significant inspiration to both myself and other musicians of our generation. I'm quite confident that this will happen in the near future. I'm looking forward to that time with great excitement.

AFTERWORD

I never expected this article to become so passionately charged. Being in a band involves unexpectedly hectic situations, and especially for someone like me, often not an original member of the band, deep conversations with all members are not as frequent as one might think. 

It was the first time I sat down with Jinya to talk about various things in a truly focused manner, and there were many things I came to know just now. His words and the strong will behind them are surprisingly powerful, to the extent that I can't help but think that the media should highlight more of his words in the future.

For someone like me, who doesn't have much interaction with musicians from younger generations, his presence is extremely valuable. Knowing that he's tackling many things I haven't experienced and hasn't achieved yet, despite being younger, has truly been stimulating.

The phrase "stimulating" might inherently carry a somewhat "frustrating" feeling for anyone. However, I didn't sense any such feelings from Jinya; rather, there was a genuine desire to cheer him on, to see him succeed. It became apparent that this came from the humility and sincerity evident in Jinya's words.

Even though he speaks of still being in the "understudy" phase and claims a lack of confidence in his looks despite his refined appearance, it genuinely seems like that's what he feels. I believe Jinya's innocence will significantly contribute to his ideal of becoming a "reliable presence." His purity could foster trust in others' hearts, making him someone who can be entrusted with various responsibilities.

I look forward to seeing what kind of presence he will become in the future music scene. However, there's still a part of me that feels like he's too perfect—good looks, great technique, excellent personality—it's almost like he's a character from a manga world (laughs). Moreover, he isn't "intentionally" humble; it's a genuine humility that he expresses, making him even more like a character from a popular manga (laughs). "Jinya" truly is such a musician.

July 6, 2020

YU-TO SUGANO

[beifong-brainrot]

Hey, hi, hello! I wasn't going to interact with this post after my first reblog, in which I did agree with you that I did not like the direction Toph's character was taken, since you seem to have made it clear that you're not interested in engaging in a discussion! But since you saw fit to engage and interact with my rather tongue and cheek tags, I thought it would be beneficial to clarify my opinion on the matter, as I believe it has been a bit misinterpreted, be it on purpose or not.

Before I do so, I want to reiterate: I do not enjoy cop Toph, nor do I like the lenient portrayal of the police force in tlok. I just think that people are much to willing to jump on a bandwagon of blindly crossing out this development, despite the interesting storyline it could provide.

You claim that I reduce Toph to 'a wealthy girl who likes violence'. Now, barring the fact that my original tags were more jokey, because I didn't expect a response, I would like to note taht you left out the arguably more important part of Toph having a constant need to prove herself, which I believe is arguably more important to her becoming a cop.

I've already alluded to this in my post about Toph's story being a tragedy but I think a lot of people handily discard Toph's need to prove her worth. This is probably due to the bravado she puts up, which, in my opinion, is used to cover up her fear of dependence and weakness.

Toph was not just seen as weak as a child, she was purposefully kept 'weak' by her parents, particularly Lao. Keeping her hidden from the world, not allowing her to socialise with her peers, not allowing her to move past basic earthbending forms, not giving her a shred of independence. I don't think I have to elaborate on how harmful this will be to a child.

We see how hard Toph wants to prove that she can be independent in literally the wpisode after she joins the Gaang, in the chase. This is literally the primary reason for her and Katara's conflict.

Toph: Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food and look, [Earthbends a rock tent over her.] my tent's all set up. Katara : Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish - Toph: I don't understand what's the problem here!

This isn't Toph being a brat, or difficult, this is her trying to establish that she's able to handle herself, so the Gaang don't treat her like her parents did. This is a fear and suspicion that follows Toph constantly, and this is where her struggle with authority figures comes from.

And yet, she craves her father's approval. So much of her arc is trying to show her father the value of her true self, the powerful fighter and force of nature she is. Achieving greater and greater feats, just to prove to herself and perhaps her parents that she has more value as the person she truly is, not the person her parents tried to mould her into.

We see Toph enjoying new challenges and searching them out. She's competitive, but bot due to a sense of ego, I believe, but due to a a constant need to prove herself. Why wouldn't she search out a vocation that would allow her to, at least in theory, test herself and assert independence?

Her metalbending school does not give her that, she clearly loves challenges too much.

Furthermore, your argument that Toph's reduction to a 'rich girl who likes violence' being the reason 'so many' people are fine with her being a cop doesn't hold up. Most people flatten Toph to 'aggressive gremlin who hates rules' and actively use that to go against Toph being a cop. People hating Toph being a cop is the majority of the fandom, I would argue.

'This is what the fandom reduces Toph to.' Would you find someone agreeing with you and calling Toph a 'law breaker', 'insurance fraid', 'petty criminal', as they do in the reblogs and replies of this post, flattening a complex character to one aspect of her character? No, becauae they're agreeing with you. I personally find the idea that Toph is constantly stripped of her depth and reduced to "criminal chaos causer" upsetting for how much of a deep character she actually is.

And yes, Toph's wealth is important to the discussion, and so is her being accustomed to solving issues with violence.

Remember, Toph was sheltered as hell as a child. Even when she hung out in Earth Rumble 6, she didn't stick around to socialise. So we have a young woman who grew up in very particular enviornments. And while spending time with the Gaang, she widened her horizons, a gagle of teens and preteens wandering the world aiming to take out a monarch isn't the most 'preparing you for real life' situation out there. This leaves us with a girl who has extremely limited experience of the world, and is very accustomed to violence as a form of life.

People also tend to ignore that Toph is actually an incredibly pragmatic person, who will often prioritise efficiency over things like morality, ideologies and even personal grudges. This doesn't make her a bad person, I love that about her. She's not only able to see clearer than the Gaang that they need Zuko to teach Aang firebending and she is able to forgive him for accidentally burning her.

We would be remiss to see that she is willing to surrender her own ideals for the bigger picture. Like as she did with the case of Liling, advising Aang to remove her bending. I don't believe this is a decision Toph made lightly, especially with how important her own bending is to her. She knows more than anyone the pain and fear removal of bending can cause. But she offers this anyway because it's how she believes a dangerous criminal will be stopped.

We also ignore that Toph has a love and fascination for progress. She's drawn to the future that the refinery and Cranefish Town represent, and she's willing to defend them. So her remaining in Cranefish Town while it becomes Republic City and becomes a hotspot of both economical and technological growth is in character, as is her wanting to defend it from the apparently many crimes that happen there.

And sure, there are many ways to do that, and I honestly wish it weren't by being a cop. But we can also remember that Lao Beifong was on the council of the city from its beginning and may have wanted Toph to be less of a vigilante and help train benders to defend the town. Because, cool as Toph is, she can't be two places at once.

And we've already seen how much Toph cares for her dad's approval and she's also very protective of him.

So is it really that improbable that Toph would start a police force in Cranefish Town, where her father whom she wants to impress resides? The girl who wanted to spread her influence across the world via spreading her teachings? The girl who loves progress and challenges?

And honestly, Toph didn't even seem to be having that much fun on the police force anyway. I think a very likely progression of events for Toph in the police force is that she created it and later became disillusioned with it a she realised that she had become what she hated most. A controlling authority figure.

Hell, the way she acts when we actually meet her in tlok lends credence to this theory. Toph is clearly bitter and disillusioned about her time in the police force.

Toph: Listen, when I was Chief of Police in Republic City, I worked my butt off busting criminals. But did that make crime disappear? Nope. If there's one thing I learned on the beat, it's that the names change, but the street stays the same.

It's a tragic story and it makes me sad, but I can't deny that it is an enjoyable storyline to follow. It feela like more of a critique of the

Now, do I think Bryke intended for this to be the true meaning Toph's story? Hard to say but I'm leaning more to no. I think they made Toph a cop because they're two liberal white cishet men who were creating fictional New York in a East Asian skin. Although B1 did try to lay a critique of police brutality and police states it falls flat due to Lin and how the storyline absolves her of a lot of her flaws.

I don't like cop Toph. I'd much rather she do anything else!

But I do still maintain that this storyline isn't a character assassination or the 'worst caharacter progression ever' or impossible, as a lot of people claim. And my opinion doesn't come from a reduction of Toph's character to a caricature of herself, but from a very careful consideration of her multifaceted nature.

People are free to dislike cop Toph, hell, I dislike cop Toph. But it's not as bad as everyone claims. But we sadly see a lot of this in fandom culture. A fandom reduces a character to their most basic traits and creates their own little doll of them based on said traits. And when writers and creators want to do something new and interesting with a character they created, they are faced with extremely harsh backlash because fandom has begun to see their version of the character of not only the 'correct' version, but also as their property.

So as much as I dislike the direction they took Toph, I dislike the fandom culture that caused so many people see this as some sort of destruction of Toph's character even more.

Reblog if you also think Toph shouldn’t have been a cop.

I want to see how “unpopular” this opinion really is outside cop-worshipping Reddit.

[n1fonseca-global-cinema-blog]

Kurosawa's Critics: The Rejection Of His Homeland

Akira Kurosawa is considered to be a master of filmmaking by many, including filmmaker peers as outlined in previous blog posts. His works have influenced many western filmmakers and brought many eyes towards Japanese cinema on an international scale. From George Lucas’ Jedi stemming from the samurai his films to receiving remakes, Kurosawa had a major impact on the West. However, many believe that this is due to his “western” style of filmmaking standing apart from typical Japanese filmmakers. This topic of discussion typically comes up in relation to Kurosawa’s first major film: Rashomon.

Released in 1950, Rashomon followed a series of differing accounts on the same incident: the murder of a samurai and the raping of his wife. With its thought-provoking storytelling that meditates on the truth and subjectivity, this film would go on to be the first Japanese film to have won a major award at a western festival: the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival in 1951. It’s believed that what helped the film most in its appeal at the festival was Kurosawa’s mixture of Western influences, such as the films of John Ford and Frank Capra. Due to this, many Japanese critics would then go on to accuse him of making films which pander to western audiences.

As noted by author Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, “By many Japanese,  Kurosawa is regarded as the most westernized Japanese director” (Yoshimoto, 2). Yet, it’s through his winning of the Golden Lion that is considered to have brought Japanese cinema to the global level, thus making Kurosawa one of the first major representatives of Japanese cinema to the world. However, this didn’t lighten any criticism from his fellow country men on the authenticity of his films to his homeland.

When interviewed by Donald Richie, Kurosawa had been discussing fellow Japanese filmmaker Mizoguchi and said, “People always say that [Mizoguchi’s] style is purely Japanese and mine is foreign. I don’t understand that” (Cardullo, 6). During this conversation he divulged into his differences with Mizoguchi and his films before saying, “Yet, of all Japanese directors, I like Mizoguchi best, and after him, Kinoshita. It might even be nostalgia- after all I am Japanese, and those two create a film which is purely Japanese.” With this thought, he returns to speaking on the critics, “But the Japanese critics go on and on about how Western I am. And mainly just because I do my own cutting and happen to prefer a fast tempo and am really interested in people” (Cardullo, 7).

Pictured: Kenji Mizoguchi

Here, Kurosawa expresses a distaste towards this critique, sensing it as an attack on his identity. With his statement, “after all I am Japanese” there’s this sense of disrespect felt by the director and how surely the concept of his cinema being ‘foreign’ never settled well with him.

Down the line, Kurosawa had then also been interviewed by Dan Yakir and claimed, “I don’t think I’m Western at all. I don’t understand how I could have that reputation… But it may be true that, as I was growing up, my education – like that of most people of my generation – compared to younger people today, covered a broader span: Shakespeare, Balzac, Russian literature. It’s quite natural that my education would manifest itself later in my work” (Cardullo, 74).

Within this 1980 interview, Kurosawa had to defend his films once again from the critique of being too “western” when Yakir had asked the director for his thoughts on that reoccurring opinion. Here, instead of expressing how Japanese he is, he instead opts to defend the evidence used against him: his western influences. Claiming his western influences to be more of a product of old-school Japanese upbringing, Kurosawa here then refutes the idea that he actively panders for western audiences.

Throughout his lifetime, Kurosawa would face the criticism time and time again of being too “western” of a Japanese filmmaker. One that, as seen here, has caused him to wrestle with his sense of identity. While considered by many in the west as an ambassador of Japanese filmmaking, in his own country he’s considered to be a foreigner. It’s that western viewpoint of respecting him as a Japanese filmmaker that makes this side of the filmmaker is seldom seen, but the tragedy of being seen as an outsider by much of his own countrymen is an aspect that should be given more thought. Despite having been a Japanese filmmaker who had dedicated much of his filmography to the culture and society of his homeland, he would be followed throughout his career by critics expressing that his works were too “foreign”. Meanwhile, the western opposition to this opinion which cemented him as a Japanese filmmaker thus made it so that even if Kurosawa had embraced being “western”, he wouldn’t even be accepted by the west. Kurosawa then is left in the limbo of being too “western” to be Japanese yet too Japanese to be “western”. Much like the crime in Rashomon, Kurosawa's westernization is left to the subjectivity of the people.

Sources:

Yoshimoto, Mitsuhiro. Kurosawa : Film Studies and Japanese Cinema. Duke University Press, 2000. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06985a&AN=bsu.190979&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Kurosawa, Akira, and Bert Cardullo. Akira Kurosawa : Interviews. University Press of Mississippi, 2008. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06985a&AN=bsu.242974&site=eds-live&scope=site.

[drsorrell]

Core Writing, Fri. 1.19 (Online Activity)

Friday's class was supposed to be a Murray vs. Graff debate. However, the snow for tonight and tomorrow may affect my 50-mile early morning commute from the burbs north of Pittsburgh. So, I'm going to post an online activity due by noon Friday instead. (I can't push the reading back for next week, or we have five readings to discuss on Monday, which is not helpful.) I changed the Schoology work reminder into a discussion forum ("1 Read Ch. 21, Murray (506-26) & Graff (548-55). 2 InQuizitive: “How to Use InQuizitive.” 3 Complete Schoology activity online."), so please respond by noon. Murray, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” (506-526): Murray claims that colleges should not have to provide a “liberal education." "Liberal” isn't political here, by the way; he just means being educated about a variety of things. Murray believes everyone needs to be familiar with “a body of core knowledge,” which is “an important part of the glue that holds the culture together” (507), and that students should learn this by 8th Grade (508). Graff, “Hidden Intellectualism” (548-555): Graff argues that we should get students more interested in our classes by appealing to their interests. For example, he discusses his own love for sports as a young man. Graff thinks that letting students explore their own interests in the classroom will allow us to teach them to understand these interests “through academic eyes” (553). Graff's point is not that we should just let students study whatever they want but rather that we should help them understand their own interests academically. Online Activity Prompt (150-200 words): Choose Murray or Graff (just one of them) and argue with them. Use specific quotes from the reading, your own educational experience before SVC and at SVC, as well as anything you know about education, psychology, etc, as you make your point. Dr. Sorrell's Response: Murray is out of his mind! Has he actually been inside a school in this century? First of all, schools do a lot of this already with core curriculum. Second, this might be a nice idea, but how would it happen practically? Is every single school board in the country going to agree to one thing? I agree with him that "facts can be fascinating" (508). In high school, which I dimly remember, I often wished that we had just learned more about what actually happened in history class. However, how can you propose something like this in three short paragraphs? My biggest issue is with Murray's depiction of college, which seems old-fashioned. (And I am 45 years old!) He keeps talking about philosophy (511-512) and literature, which are increasingly unpopular subjects. Personally, I love them, but he's unaware of what most undergraduates I meet want to do: get an education that helps prepare them for something after college. My last problem with Murray is how he thinks face-to-face education is "obsolete" (513). The pandemic showed us that not all education can be moved online.

[iraempirecom]

Randy Hyland

Randy Hyland is a name that resonates strongly within the dance community, particularly due to the fame of his talented daughters. While the limelight often shines the brightest on his children, there's more to Randy than just being the father of popular dancers. Let's take a closer look at his life, his career, and the family that he holds so dear.

Who is Randy Hyland?

Born and raised in the United States, Randy Hyland is a proud member of the Hyland family. He's an American by nationality and of white ethnicity. Not much is known about his early life or educational background, but it's said that he had outstanding academic achievements during his school and college days.

His aspirations were rooted in business. Randy always had a keen interest in becoming a successful entrepreneur. However, he's remained quite reticent about his professional journey, keeping his career ventures under wraps.

The Hyland Family's Net Worth

When discussing Randy Hyland's financial standing, his net worth is estimated to be around $500 thousand as of June 2023. His daughters, Brooke and Paige Hyland, have done well for themselves too, with a net worth of $2 million and $1 million respectively. His wife, Kelly Hyland, also has an impressive net worth, amounting to $2.5 million. Randy's monthly earnings range between $100 and $200 thousand, contributing to his overall wealth. Unfortunately, there are no records available regarding his property or other assets.

Randy's Journey into Fatherhood

Randy Hyland's journey into fatherhood started when he met Kelly Hyland, a dancer. Their paths crossed at a restaurant, and they soon found themselves drawn to each other. After dating and spending quality time together, the couple decided to take their relationship to the next level. They got married in 1996 in Pennsylvania. Their marriage has been blessed with three children: Brooke Hyland (born on January 30, 1998), Josh Hyland (born on April 27, 1999), and Paige Hyland (born on November 1, 2000). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Randy (@randyhyland1967)

The Connection with Dance Moms

The Hyland family's connection with the dance reality show, Dance Moms, has been a significant part of their lives. Brooke, Randy's first daughter, started her career in dance at the tender age of nine. She participated in Dance Moms and emerged as a top performer thrice in two seasons. She also shared the platform with Chloe Lukasiak, another young dancer.

Paige, Randy's second daughter, also made her mark on Dance Moms. She first started dancing for the Abby Lee Company when she was just two. She made her Dance Moms debut when she turned nine and even secured the first position in one of the episodes of the second season.

Randy Hyland: Personal Life

Unlike many celebrity parents, Randy Hyland prefers to keep a low profile, especially when it comes to social media. He doesn't have an active social media presence of his own. However, his daughters often share pictures of him on their platforms. He loves travelling and exploring new places with his family. They currently reside in Pennsylvania. View this post on Instagram A post shared by PAIGE HYLAND (@paigehyland1)

Interesting Facts about the Hyland Family

Here are some intriguing tidbits about the Hyland family: - In April 2014, Randy's daughter's high school was in the news for a significant stabbing incident. Thankfully, no lives were lost, but it was a scary event that shook the community. - Brooke, Randy's daughter, enjoys dancing not just for the art but also for the camaraderie with friends and the opportunity to dress up in beautiful costumes. - Brooke has expressed in several interviews that Dance Moms didn't accurately portray her personality, often showing her as emotionless. - Despite being in a family of dancers, Randy and his son, Josh, are the only non-dancers.

Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts about Randy Hyland: - Full Name: Randy Hyland - Net Worth: $500 Thousand - Nickname: Randy - Marital Status: Married - Birthplace: United States - Ethnicity: White - Religion: Christian - Nationality: American - Eye colour: Brown - Hair colour: Brown - Spouse: Kelly Hyland (m. 1996) - Children: 3 - Paige Hyland, Brooke Hyland, Josh Hyland Randy Hyland might not be a celebrity in the typical sense, but he's a star in his own right. As the father of talented dancers and a loving husband, he's a role model for many. His life is a testament to the fact that you don't need to be in the limelight to make a significant impact. Read the full article