#jin under construction

[jinmukangwrites]

Jedi: Fallen Order & Survivor

weep little lion man

[1] [1.5] [2] [3] [3.5] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [9.5] [10]

A place to call home

Wounds that Remember

all that we intend is built on sand

holding on to what i haven't got

living at the mercy of the pain and the fear

To Tomorrow

[whetstonefires]

You know I'm realizing one reason you keep seeing mdzs modern AUs where the Jiang parents are alive mainly so they can dramatically fail and betray Wei Wuxian by cutting him off financially--defaulting on his college tuition or formally disowning him etc--isn't just that people want to translate the Burial Mounds II arc into modern terms while keeping Jiang Cheng clean of it.

(Despite the fact that the internal logic of Jiang Cheng's character is largely built around him being a person who would abandon someone he intensely cared about under these specific circumstances.)

It's because it's hard to set up a modern analogue for the way that Jiang Cheng is responsible for Wei Wuxian, as his Sect Leader.

We live in a highly individualistic society. People are trying to write Wei Wuxian Tragically Wronged, and because there's a normative expectation that people in the position of parents will provide you with resources, and certainly won't withdraw them without warning, but no such assumption that people in the position of siblings necessarily owe each other support, making this work in modern setting with Jiang Cheng in his canon role would require a lot of extra work, just to get a less readily resonant result.

But I keep thinking about it. Because something that's getting lost here is, not just the nuances of character and relationship, but like...it's sort of key to the story that cutting Wei Wuxian off was, in fact, Completely Socially Appropriate.

The level on which it was a betrayal is subtle, and deeply cutting. And intensely tied up in the very different opinions each of Jiang Cheng's parents had about what obligations existed in their family wrt Wei Wuxian, and what these meant.

The level on which it was the obvious, normal course of action is blatant. That is to a huge extent why it happens: because Jiang Cheng's instinct to conform is a survival instinct, reinforced by trauma, and Wei Wuxian's choices meant he had no coherently compelling reason not to obey it, and enormous peer pressure to do so.

The fact is that Jiang Cheng was making a reasonable choice, the actual thing 'anyone would do in that situation,' unlike Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao's respective wildly warped ideas about what that is.

Wei Wuxian wasn't betrayed by Jiang Sect like your foster parents cutting you off because you're disobedient. Wei Wuxian was betrayed by Jiang Sect like your brother refusing to drop fifty grand to bail you out of jail.

Of course Wei Wuxian tells him not to. And of course the fact that Jiang Cheng already chose in the moment not to pay a cent because Fuck You Wei Ying still stands there glaring, a precedent that can never be taken back.

And then later he's betrayed by Jiang Cheng like your brother cooperating with a police investigation into a manslaughter you really did commit, that's being handled like domestic terrorism. And then like your brother calling the cops on you. And then like your brother helping the cops find where you're hiding.

I'm personally fascinated by the way Jiang Cheng's lifelong resentment for the way Jiang Fengmian reliably bailed Wei Wuxian out of everything informed those decisions to do the normal thing, the way he's reacting against his dead father as well as against Wei Wuxian and the actual situation.

But even without that daddy issues angle, the fact that the person who made that choice was Jiang Cheng, and that it was simultaneously the reasonable appropriate normal upstanding citizen rational thing to do and so shitty Wei Wuxian would be entitled never to forgive it is sort of. The Point.

Of the scenario, and also to a considerable degree of the entire finely tuned narrative construct that is Jiang Cheng.

[bratzkoo]

into you | kim seokjin pt. 2

Author: bratzkoo | navi Banner made by: @shadowkoo Pairing: actor! seokjin x journalist! reader Word Count: 4.5k~ Genre: fluff, more fluff, angst, more angst Rating: PG-15 Possible Warnings/Note: enemies to lovers seokjin is *chef's kiss*

Summary: Kim Seokjin finds himself entangled in a complex web of emotions when he meets the journalist covering his new series, challenging everything he is.

taglist (hit me up if you wanna be added): @aretha170 , @jinniegenie , @mooniyooni .@we8joon​ , @njrwifey​, @woncheecks, @armycarat2612

requests are open, but you can just say hi! | bts masterlist

Jin was staring at his reflection in his trailer's mirror, adjusting his cravat for what had to be the fifteenth time that morning. The period costume was immaculate – it had been for the past hour – but he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting with it.

"If you keep fussing with that tie, you're going to wrinkle it," Kyrie observed from her spot on his trailer's sofa, not bothering to hide her amusement.

"It's a cravat," Jin corrected automatically, hands finally dropping from the fabric. "And I'm not fussing. I'm ensuring historical accuracy."

"Mhmm." Kyrie's tone was knowing. "And I suppose that has nothing to do with a certain journalist starting her behind-the-scenes coverage today?"

The tips of Jin's ears turned pink, a telltale sign that Kyrie had hit the mark. He chose to ignore her, instead pulling out his phone to check the time. And if he happened to glance at the saved tab of Y/N's article about him – well, that was purely for professional reference.

A knock at the trailer door made him nearly drop his phone. "Mr. Kim? Y/N from Spotlight has arrived."

Jin's heart did a complicated little flip that he steadfastly ignored. "Coming," he called out, shooting one last glance at his reflection.

"Just remember," Kyrie said, her teasing tone shifting to something more serious, "we have a lot riding on this show."

The unspoken reminder of their complicated situation hung in the air. Jin nodded, squaring his shoulders. He was an actor. He could handle this.

That confidence lasted approximately three seconds after stepping out of his trailer, because Y/N standing in the morning sunlight was somehow even more devastating than he'd prepared for. She was dressed professionally in tailored slacks and a blouse, her hair pulled back in a neat bun – though a few stubborn strands had already escaped to frame her face. Jin's fingers itched with the inexplicable urge to tuck them behind her ear.

"Mr. Kim," she greeted, her tone perfectly professional. The same tone that had dissected his career in her article, seeing through his carefully constructed image with unnerving accuracy.

"Ms. Y/N." He managed to keep his voice steady. "Welcome to the 19th century."

Something flickered in her eyes – amusement? skepticism? – before she checked her notebook. "Shall we begin with the scheduled interview?"

And so began what Jin would later refer to as his own personal form of torture. Because Y/N, it turned out, was even more perceptive in person than in print. She had this way of looking at him when he gave one of his practiced answers, one eyebrow slightly raised as if to say 'really? that's what you're going with?'

It was infuriating. It was fascinating. It was definitely not making his heart race.

"You still haven't answered how you're approaching Lord Hawthorne's emotional complexity," she pressed during their third interview session. "Your previous roles have been quite different."

Jin resisted the urge to loosen his cravat. The period costume suddenly felt stifling under her direct gaze. "Every role requires finding the character's truth," he replied smoothly, falling back on his media training.

"That sounds rehearsed," Y/N said bluntly.

The honesty caught him off guard, making him forget his carefully crafted persona for a moment. He looked at her – really looked at her – and found genuine interest beneath her professional exterior. She wasn't trying to trip him up or catch him in a scandal. She actually wanted to understand.

It was terrifying.

"Perhaps we should move on to discussing the costume department?" he suggested instead of admitting how much her observation had affected him.

Later, during a break in filming, Jin found himself drawn to the library set where Y/N was examining the book collection. She was so absorbed in a leather-bound volume that she didn't notice his approach.

"Jane Eyre?" he asked, recognizing the edition in her hands.

Y/N startled slightly, nearly dropping the book. "You know it?"

"Rochester's a bit of an ass, if you ask me," Jin said before he could stop himself. "The whole 'hiding my wife in the attic' thing? Major red flag."

The laugh that escaped Y/N was bright and unguarded, so different from her usual professional demeanor that it made Jin's chest tight. He wanted to hear that laugh again. Wanted to be the cause of it.

The thought sent a jolt of panic through him.

- The ballroom scene that afternoon proved to be Jin's undoing. Every time he turned Kyrie in their practiced dance steps, his eyes would involuntarily find Y/N in the corner. She was taking notes, but her body swayed subtly to the period music, an unconscious movement that made her seem softer somehow, more approachable.

"That's the third time you've missed your cue," Kyrie murmured during their fifth take, quiet enough that only Jin could hear.

"Sorry," he muttered, forcing his attention back to the choreography.

"You're not exactly being subtle, you know."

Jin's step faltered slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Cut!" the director called out, frustration evident in his voice. "Jin, can we talk for a moment?"

As Jin made his way over to the director, he caught Y/N hastily scribbling something in her notebook. Probably noting his repeated mistakes. Great. Just what he needed – more ammunition for her to see through his professional facade.

The afternoon dragged on, each scene requiring multiple takes. Not because of any particular difficulty with the choreography, but because Jin's focus kept betraying him. He'd catch a glimpse of Y/N biting her lip in concentration, or tucking those stubborn loose strands behind her ear, and suddenly his carefully maintained Regency manners would slip.

His phone buzzed in his pocket during a break:

Jungkook: "Saw the behind-the-scenes photos the crew's been sharing. Subtle as a brick, hyung 😏"

Jin groaned internally, shoving his phone back into his pocket. Was he really being that obvious?

"Here."

He looked up to find Y/N holding out a cup of coffee – his exact order from the cafe cart that had been set up for the crew.

"You seemed like you could use it," she explained, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Jin took the cup, trying to ignore how his fingers tingled where they brushed against hers. "How did you know my coffee order?"

A faint blush colored Y/N's cheeks. "I'm observant. It's part of my job."

"Right. Your job." The words tasted bitter in his mouth, a reminder of why he needed to maintain his distance.

Y/N lingered for a moment, as if wanting to say more. The late afternoon sun streaming through the set windows caught her face just so, making her eyes seem impossibly bright. Jin found himself holding his breath, caught in the moment.

"Y/N! Got a minute?" One of the crew members called out, breaking the spell.

"I should..." Y/N gestured vaguely in the crew member's direction.

"Right, yes. Of course." Jin straightened, rebuilding his walls. "Thank you for the coffee."

He watched her walk away, the coffee warming his hands but doing nothing for the cold knot in his chest.

"You know," Kyrie said, appearing beside him with her uncanny timing, "for someone who's supposed to be keeping his distance, you're doing a spectacularly bad job."

"Not now, Kyrie."

"I'm just saying." She leaned against the wall next to him. "Maybe if you told her the truth—"

"The truth?" Jin let out a hollow laugh. "Which truth would that be? That I'm involved in covering your secret relationship with Jungkook? That I'm supposed to be focusing on maintaining our public image but instead I can't stop thinking about—" He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"About her?" Kyrie finished softly.

Jin's silence was answer enough.

Later that evening, after most of the crew had left, Jin found himself lingering in his trailer. Through the window, he could see Y/N in her temporary office, illuminated by her laptop screen as she worked on her article. She looked tired, but determined, occasionally pausing to reference her notes or check something on her phone.

His own phone buzzed with a series of messages:

Kyrie: "Stop brooding and go home."

Jungkook: "Everything okay? Kyrie says you're being extra moody today."

Kyrie: "He's not moody, he's pining."

Jungkook: "Ah. The journalist again?"

Kyrie: "You should see him when she's around. It's actually kind of adorable."

Jin: "I can see these messages. This is a group chat."

Jungkook: "We know 😉"

Jin was about to type out a retort when movement caught his eye. Y/N was packing up her things, but seemed to be struggling with her laptop bag. Before he could think better of it, he was out of his trailer and halfway to her office.

"Let me help," he offered, reaching for the bag just as she turned around.

They ended up unnecessarily close, the bag trapped between them. Jin could smell her perfume – something light and floral that made his head spin.

"Oh! Mr. Kim—"

"Jin," he corrected automatically, then immediately regretted it. First names were dangerous territory.

"Jin," she repeated softly, and god, he was not prepared for how his name would sound in her voice. "I... actually wanted to ask you something."

His heart rate picked up. "Oh?"

"Yesterday, in the costume department... that phone call seemed intense." She hesitated, studying his reaction. "Is everything okay?"

The genuine concern in her voice made his chest ache. For a moment – one dangerous, tempting moment – he considered telling her everything. About the pressure of maintaining appearances, about the complicated relationship he shared with Kyrie and Jungkook, about how her presence was simultaneously the best and most terrifying thing to happen to him in years.

Instead, he took a careful step back. "Everything's fine. Just business." His voice came out colder than intended.

The hurt that flashed across Y/N's face felt like a physical blow. "Right. Of course. Well, good night... Mr. Kim."

The return to formality stung, but isn't this what he wanted? What he needed?

Back in his apartment that night, Jin lay awake staring at his phone. Y/N's contact information glowed on the screen – obtained for "professional purposes" only. His thumb hovered over the message field.

He wanted to apologize for being cold.

He wanted to ask what she thought of Jane Eyre.

He wanted to tell her that her coffee order was one sugar, no cream.

He wanted...

A text from Jungkook interrupted his thoughts: "Meeting tomorrow about the album rollout. Also, hyung? She looks at you too."

Jin pressed his face into his pillow with a groan. He was so, so screwed.

- The next few days on set became an elaborate dance of avoidance and inevitable collision. Every time Jin tried to maintain his professional distance, he'd find himself gravitating towards Y/N like she had her own magnetic field. And she wasn't making it any easier – not with the way she'd watch him during scenes with those analytical eyes that seemed to see right through him.

"You're doing it again," Kyrie whispered during another take of their ballroom scene.

"What?" Jin muttered, trying to focus on the steps.

"Looking at her like she's the only person in the room."

Jin nearly missed his next turn. "I am not—"

"Cut!" The director's voice rang out. "Jin, what's going on? You nailed this scene yesterday."

From her corner, Y/N glanced up from her notebook, her expression unreadable. Jin caught her eye for a brief moment before she quickly looked away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. The simple reaction sent his heart into overdrive.

"Sorry," he called out to the director. "Let's go again."

During their break, Jin overheard two crew members talking:

"Have you noticed how the journalist looks at him when she thinks no one's watching?"

"Please, have you seen how he looks at her? The sexual tension is insane."

Jin's hand tightened around his coffee cup. He shouldn't care about their gossip. He shouldn't feel this flutter in his stomach at the thought of Y/N watching him. He definitely shouldn't want to know exactly how she looks at him when he's not looking back.

His phone buzzed:

Jungkook: "The album's almost ready. We need to be extra careful now." Kyrie: "Jin's a bit distracted lately..." Jungkook: "I noticed. The photos from set are... telling." Jin: "Can we focus on the actual issue here?" Kyrie: "Your crushing on the journalist IS an issue, babe." Jin: "I'm not crushing on anyone." Jungkook: "Sure, hyung. And I'm not the most successful soloist of the year 😏"

Jin shoved his phone away in frustration, only to look up and find Y/N approaching his spot by the refreshment table. She hesitated a few feet away, and he could see her mentally debating whether to continue forward or retreat.

"Ms. Y/N," he acknowledged, hating how formal it sounded.

"I was wondering if we could discuss the emotional progression of your character," she said, all professional despite the uncertainty in her eyes. "For the article."

Always for the article. The reminder was like a bucket of cold water.

"Of course," Jin replied, gesturing to a quiet corner of the set. As they walked, he noticed she kept a careful distance between them, as if afraid to get too close. He tried to ignore how much that hurt.

"Your scene today," she began, consulting her notes. "It seemed... different from yesterday's take."

"Different how?" He knew exactly how, but he wanted – needed – to hear her perspective.

Y/N bit her lip, a habit Jin had noticed she had when choosing her words carefully. "Less... controlled. More authentic, maybe? Like you were letting real emotions bleed through."

The accuracy of her observation made him want to laugh. Or cry. Or maybe both.

"Method acting," he deflected, offering his media-ready smile.

Y/N's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't do method acting. You said so yourself in your interview with Vogue last month."

Of course she'd remember that. Of course she'd done her research. Of course she'd see right through his excuse.

"People change," he said weakly.

"Do they?" Her voice was soft, almost vulnerable. For a moment, neither of them was talking about acting anymore.

The air between them felt charged, heavy with unspoken words and carefully maintained boundaries threatening to crumble. Jin found himself leaning forward slightly, drawn in by the question in her eyes.

"Y/N..." His voice came out rougher than intended.

Her phone rang, shattering the moment. It was her editor, Yannie, requiring her immediate attention. Y/N practically fled, leaving Jin standing there with all the words he couldn't say stuck in his throat.

"That was painful to watch," Kyrie commented, appearing beside him with a sympathetic expression.

"Don't," Jin warned.

"You know, this would all be simpler if you just—"

"Nothing about this is simple," he cut her off. "Nothing about us – about any of this – is simple."

Kyrie's expression softened. "Maybe that's okay. Maybe it doesn't have to be simple to be right."

Before Jin could respond, a commotion near the costume department caught their attention. Someone had dropped a box of accessories, sending period-appropriate jewelry scattering across the floor. Without thinking, Jin moved to help, only to find himself reaching for the same necklace as Y/N.

Their hands brushed, sending electricity up his arm. Y/N jerked back as if burned, the necklace falling between them.

"Sorry," they both said simultaneously.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Jin turned to find one of the crew members holding up their phone, having clearly captured the moment on camera.

"Just for the behind-the-scenes documentation," they said with a knowing smile.

Jin felt the blood drain from his face. Y/N was already backing away, her professional mask firmly in place but her eyes betraying her panic.

His phone buzzed again:

Jungkook: "We might have a problem. Some photos are circulating..."

Jin looked at Y/N's retreating form, then at the message from Jungkook, then at Kyrie's concerned face. Everything was spinning out of control, and he had no idea how to stop it.

-

The headlines that morning were particularly nauseating:

"BRIDGERTON'S GOLDEN COUPLE: JIN AND KYRIE'S CHEMISTRY SIZZLES ON AND OFF SCREEN" "FROM PAGE TO PASSION: ARE JIN AND KYRIE BRINGING ROMANCE TO LIFE?" "COSTARS TO LOVERS? INSIDE JIN AND KYRIE'S INTIMATE SCENES"

Jin scrolled through his phone with growing unease, hyper-aware of Y/N's presence across the set. She was interviewing one of the costume designers, but he caught her glancing at the entertainment news headlines on her laptop. Each time she looked his way, her expression would become carefully blank – a journalist's poker face that made his chest ache.

"We need to play this up more," his manager informed him during their morning meeting. "The publicity is perfect for the show. I want you and Kyrie to be seen having lunch together. Maybe take a walk in the park where paparazzi just happen to be."

Jin's jaw clenched. "More staged photos?"

"Whatever it takes. The networks love this narrative."

Meanwhile, Kyrie was dealing with her own storm of emotions. Jin watched as she checked her phone for what had to be the hundredth time that morning, no doubt looking for messages from Jungkook that she couldn't publicly acknowledge.

"He understands," she whispered to Jin between takes. "But it's still hard."

"I know," Jin replied, equally quiet. They both watched as Y/N made notes in her journal, probably documenting their apparent closeness for her article.

The irony wasn't lost on him – everyone watching them, thinking they were witnessing a romance blooming, while the real story was completely different. Kyrie's heart belonged to Jungkook, and Jin's... well, his kept betraying him every time Y/N walked into a room.

"Ready for the love scene?" the director called out.

Jin felt rather than saw Y/N's head snap up at those words. He desperately wanted to look her way, to explain somehow that this wasn't what she might think, but he couldn't. Instead, he took his position with Kyrie, both of them professionals playing their parts.

"Big smile," Kyrie muttered through her teeth as cameras flashed from the approved behind-the-scenes photographers. "We're madly in love, remember?"

Jin smiled on cue, all too aware of Y/N watching them with those perceptive eyes of hers. He wondered what she saw – did she buy into the publicity narrative? Or did she sense something off, the way she seemed to sense everything about him?

His phone vibrated in his pocket:

Jungkook: "The photos of you two are everywhere. You're trending again." Kyrie: "I miss you." Jungkook: "Soon. Once the album drops..." Jin: "...This is the gc, little flirts"

But focusing became increasingly difficult as the day wore on. Every staged intimate moment with Kyrie felt like a betrayal – not just of Y/N, who kept her professional distance but couldn't quite hide the hurt in her eyes, but of the truth itself.

During their lunch break, which they were required to take together at a visible table, Kyrie sighed. "This is exhausting."

"Which part?" Jin asked, though he knew. All of it was exhausting – the pretense, the secrets, the careful dance of public perception.

"Jungkook saw the new photos," she said quietly. "The ones where we're 'gazing lovingly' at each other. He laughed it off, but..." She trailed off, staring at her untouched salad.

Jin understood. It was one thing to agree to this arrangement, another to watch the person you love being paired with someone else in the public eye.

"Y/N's watching us again," Kyrie noted, changing the subject. "She looks like she's trying to solve a puzzle."

"She's good at that," Jin muttered. "Too good."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing?" Kyrie suggested carefully. "If she figures it out—"

"She can't," Jin cut her off, even as his heart protested. "There's too much at stake. Your career, Jungkook's album launch, the show..."

"Your feelings for her?"

Jin didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes.

Later, during a scene break, Jin overheard Y/N interviewing Kyrie:

"Your chemistry with Jin seems very natural," Y/N said, her professional tone perfectly maintained despite the slight tension in her shoulders.

"Oh, you know how it is," Kyrie replied with a practiced laugh. "When you spend so much time with someone..." She let the implication hang in the air, playing her part perfectly.

Jin wanted to scream. Wanted to tell Y/N that none of it was real, that the person Kyrie's heart raced for was currently in a recording studio across town, that his own heart was currently doing somersaults just watching Y/N tuck her hair behind her ear as she took notes.

Instead, he walked over and placed a gentle hand on Kyrie's shoulder, just as they'd been instructed to do whenever cameras were around. "Ready for the next scene?"

He felt Y/N's eyes on them, saw the way she pressed her pen a little too hard against her notebook. The urge to explain himself was overwhelming.

His phone buzzed again:

Jungkook: "The album teaser drops next week. Everything has to be perfect until then." Kyrie: "I hate this." Jin: "Just a little longer. We can do this."

But looking at Y/N's carefully composed expression as she watched them play their parts, Jin wasn't so sure he could.

-

The next morning brought fresh hell in the form of a gossip column featuring candid shots from the garden scene. The photos were artfully arranged to tell a story of blooming romance between costars, complete with "inside source" quotes about Jin and Kyrie's off-screen chemistry.

Jin found Y/N in her makeshift office, the article prominently displayed on her laptop screen. She quickly switched tabs when she noticed him, but not before he caught sight of her browser history – she'd been researching his previous projects, interviews where he'd talked about dating, articles about method acting and on-screen chemistry.

"Good morning," she said, her voice carefully neutral. Professional. Distant.

"The articles are exaggerated," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Y/N's eyebrows rose slightly. "I wasn't aware you owed me any explanations, Mr. Kim."

The formal address felt like a slap. "I don't," he agreed, hating how everything he said came out wrong. "I just..."

"Places, everyone!" The director's voice saved him from fumbling further. "Jin, we need you in costume!"

He lingered for a moment too long, watching Y/N return to her laptop, her shoulders tense. His phone buzzed:

Jungkook: "Music video filming starts next week. Everything needs to stay under wraps until then." Kyrie: "Just saw the gossip columns. 🙄 You okay?" Jin: "Define okay." Kyrie: "That bad, huh?"

The morning's scene was particularly challenging – a quiet moment between his character and Kyrie's, full of loaded glances and unspoken feelings. The irony wasn't lost on him that while everyone thought they were watching two actors falling in love, they were actually watching two friends trying to protect someone else's romance while his own heart was being pulled in a completely different direction.

"Cut!" The director called out. "Jin, you're supposed to be looking at Kyrie like she's your whole world, not glancing off-camera every five seconds!"

Jin's ears burned, knowing exactly who he'd been unconsciously looking for. Y/N was studiously taking notes, but he caught the slight flush on her cheeks. She'd noticed too.

During their break, Kyrie cornered him behind a set piece. "This is getting messier by the minute," she muttered.

"I'm handling it," Jin insisted.

"Are you? Because from where I'm standing, you're about five minutes away from either kissing that journalist or having a complete breakdown."

"I'm not—" Jin started to protest, but Kyrie cut him off.

"You literally brought her coffee this morning. Her exact order. And yesterday you snapped at a crew member for interrupting her interview. And don't even get me started on how you keep finding excuses to walk past her office."

"...Is it that obvious?"

"Only to everyone with eyes." Kyrie's expression softened. "Look, I get it. Trust me, I understand complicated feelings. But we need to be careful right now. Jungkook's album—"

"I know," Jin cut in. "I know, okay? The album, the show, our careers. I know what's at stake."

"Do you? Because every time she looks at you with those big questioning eyes of hers, you look about ready to spill every secret we have."

Before Jin could respond, they heard voices approaching:

"—just think there might be more to the story," Y/N was saying.

"Like what?" Another journalist's voice. "It's obvious they're together. The chemistry—"

"Seems practiced," Y/N cut in. "Almost... choreographed."

Jin's heart stopped. Beside him, Kyrie tensed.

"You're too cynical," the other journalist laughed. "Next you'll tell me you think it's all for publicity."

"I just think..." Y/N paused, and Jin could picture her biting her lip the way she did when choosing her words carefully. "I think there are layers here we're not seeing."

The voices faded as they passed, but the damage was done. She was getting too close to the truth.

Later that afternoon, following their manager's instructions, Jin and Kyrie had to do a "candid" walk through the set's garden, knowing photographers were stationed nearby. As they strolled, arm in arm, Jin caught sight of Y/N watching from her office window. Her expression was carefully blank, but he saw her hand tighten around her pen until her knuckles turned white.

"She's hurting," Kyrie whispered.

"So am I," Jin admitted quietly.

That evening, as most of the crew was packing up, Jin found himself drawn to Y/N's office again. She was alone, staring at her screen with unfocused eyes.

"The article's not going well?" he asked, trying for casual.

Y/N jumped slightly, then composed herself. "Actually, I'm looking at your old interviews. Trying to understand..."

"What?"

She turned to face him fully. "How someone so supposedly transparent in interviews can be hiding so much."

Jin felt the blood drain from his face. "I don't know what you—"

"Don't," she cut him off softly. "Please don't lie to me. Not again."

The plea in her voice undid him. For a moment, he wanted to tell her everything – about Jungkook and Kyrie's secret relationship, about the album collaboration, about how every staged romantic moment with Kyrie felt like a betrayal of not just the truth but of his growing feelings for Y/N.

Instead, he took a step back. "I should go."

"Jin," she called after him, dropping the formal address. He froze. "Whatever you're protecting... I hope it's worth all this."

He didn't turn around. Couldn't. If he looked at her now, he might break.

His phone buzzed one last time as he fled:Jungkook: "One more week. Just hold on for one more week." Kyrie: "We're losing him..." Jin: "I'm fine." Kyrie: "No, you're not. And neither is she."

[drzootsuit]

Been watching through Samurai Champloo recently and man this shit slaps.

What if there were two warriors of equal skill but differing principles who were color coded red and blue and who constantly came into conflict because of their differing temperaments and views, with one being a cold stoic and the other a hot-blooded wildman... and then both of them, in time around each other and with the audience, reveal themselves to be more, with the stoic revealing himself to be deeper and more emotionally vulnerable than he wishes to be, and the wildman revealing himself to be detached in his own ways, both reflecting the emotional landscape of what it means to be a dedicated warrior and how such a life weighs on the soul. I also really like the structure of the stories. Most episodes deal with some kind of injustice, be it xenophobia, human trafficking, abuse of government power, lack of divorce, or what have you, which I feel like is meant to make a particular point about the ways modern societies are constructed. The show is intentionally anachronistic in small places, and while one could see it as being stylistic, I view it as a way of saying "here is the past. Historical period Edo japan. Here is all of the injustice, both personal and governmental, that this era labored under in a burden of hypocrisy where the continuing modernization of the formal systems and life sits in relief to antiquated forms of violence and control. How does that differ from our modern world?" A world where, at the end of things, violence is still the root of all social control. Where injustice of the sort we picture romantic knights and samurai as fighting still exists. Every story the show has, of whores and bureaucrats and artists and criminals and tourists and blowhards and stoics and wildmen... all of those people still exist today. The same stories play out. You could move Jin and Mugen to the modern world, put them in some Pulp Fiction suits, and they wouldn't need a single adjustment to their personalities to work. The incredible hip-hop soundtrack that underscores the show makes this point too, I think. It takes a highly modern sound and says "this is the sound of this story. this is not a disconnected period drama where this injustice is a maudlin thing to click our tongues at as advanced space people. this is the sound of our modern streets, and the sound of the Samurai. Your world and theirs are the same." Anyway I think Jin and Mugen should fight until they're half dead and then kiss passionately with tongue and then refuse to ever acknowledge it if asked.

[super-paper]

What was the point of Chapter 419 with AFO giving Tomura decay and being involved in his life since he was born, besides generating AFO is behind everything and Kotaro gay affair memes?

I still believe Hori could have pulled this off if he hadn't veered completely off course after 419 because a LOT of Tenko's (and AFO's) arc revolves around the concepts of "identity" and fantasy vs reality (Like, just scratching the surface: AFO attempting to escape from his reality through fantasy, Tenko angrily attempting to pull away the curtain of fantasy and expose the cruel reality of their world. AFO using "reality" as his source of power by claiming its victims for himself, Tenko using "fantasy" as his power by offering those same victims a dream and the promise of an "escape" from their painful reality. "Shigaraki Tomura" as the fictional construct that both AFO and Tenko are attempting to insert themselves into, for both different and similar reasons-- Tenko because he decides to embrace the fact that he killed his family and uses it as evidence that he was "born evil" and "wanted them to die" as a way of explaining his existence. AFO because he wants to escape from the reality that he murdered his brother, while also escaping from the reality of his origin as a helpless infant who no one would look at no matter how much he cried. Blah blah blah etc etc when I say u have to read AFO and Tenko's arcs as a set instead of getting angry at AFO for "inserting himself into Tenko's story," I really do mean it lmao).

Like, MVA aside, Chapter 115 in particular set the tone for Act 2 and HEAVILY foreshadowed what Tenko's arc would end up being about:

(lmao ya'll there is so much evidence in Act 2 that points to the idea that Hori really did want to write a deconstruction of your typical hero story. like, the framing of this panel with Jin angrily turning the TV off when they start talking about "focusing on the positives"????😭I get so sad when I think about the mha we coulda had)

(Side note: Jin was just so so so good as both a character and as a device meant to introduce the reader to MHA's concepts of identity + how a "hero/villain" identities are frequently used as crutches to stop a person from breaking apart under the weight of their trauma

..... which of course makes the fact that Hori rendered his death pointless in the end all the more upsetting :/)

(Pictured: AFO and Tenko fighting over the role of Shigaraki Tomura)

(this scene where Jin talks about the importance of knowing "who u really are" immediately transitions to a scene with AFO, btw. lmao)

((As an aside: 115 is another shining example of how Hori is definitely a competent writer, bc it manages to set up pretty much the entirety of Act 2 + its themes up in just 15-17 pages-- which is all the more reason why the extremely poor quality of MHA's conclusion is so hard to swallow. I definitely don't believe in blaming the editors/publishers alone for how things turned out, but all the same, I do think there was some executive meddling from behind the scenes bc of how rushed and disjointed the epilogue ended up being. It's not the quality we're used to, not by a long shot, and you can tell as much by reading pretty much any chapter before 423.)) /tangent over

ANYWAY. To me, it ways always pretty obvious that AFO was more or less grooming Tenko to be his perfect ~Demon Lord~ OC-- the idea of treating a real person like a fictional character is something I find pretty terrifying + it's something that further emphasizes MHA's metafiction elements, with Tenko being trapped in a role that was written for someone else. I feel that there was adequate build up to AFO being "the author" behind Shigaraki Tomura, specifically-- and it all seemed to be leading up to a point where Tenko would be encouraged to break free & finally take control of his own story ("I needed to hear those words" -> "Those guys (the villains) need a hero, too" -> "You CAN be a hero" "Uh, whoopsie??" 🥲🥲🥲)

Sadly it ends up amounting to nothing because..... Tenko isn't even allowed to fully process the implications of his birth/life and how this has influenced his actions/beliefs/"dream" before exploding, a core scene between him and Nana gets offscreened, and our MC never even bothers to react to the revelation that Tenko's life was scripted. It renders a HUGE part of Tenko's character arc almost completely pointless because we get no actual resolution/pay off for everything that was set up. Like, so much of the finale + epilogue just feels like Hori was going down a check list of plot points/parallels he wanted to include before putting MHA out of its misery, rather than building up to them naturally-- and it's just sad it had to end this way, bc, well. It didn't HAVE to end this way. Hori had all the ingredients necessary to make something truly wonderful, but he didn't use them.

[clavissionary-position]

Leon: Gather around, kiddos.

Licht: You're not that much older than us. And Jin is older than you.

Jin: He's right, Leon. I am. (takes out a notepad and adds a tally to his daily count of every time someone brings up his age)

Jin: (tucks the notepad back into his pocket) But if you want to switch roles and be the big brother for the day, I'm open to it. I could use the break.

Yves: You say that like being the eldest brother is some sort of mentally and emotionally exhausting... Actually, when I say it out-loud like that, I see how that could be the case. Except not! You're so easy-going, I don't see how that could be the case at... But when I think about it, you could just be putting on a brave face for all of us, and... I don't know what point I'm trying to make anymore.

Leon: There, there. (pats Yves' head as Yves flinches like a cat) Jin's a hard man to read sometimes, but his heart's in the right place, and I think that's something we all see.

Jin: Aw, Leon. Are you trying to make a grown man cry?

Leon: It wouldn't be very big-brother-like of me to put my little brother in tears.

Jin: Ha, so you taking me up on the offer?

Yves: Wait a minute! I don't think we need to give Jin even more of an excuse to fool around!

Jin: (pats Yves' head as Yves flinches) But that's where you're wrong. I'm free to choose the type of little brother I want to be, right Leon?

Leon: If I can choose the type of big brother, I see no problem.

Licht: A shiver just ran down my spine.

Yves: So you're going to be a responsible little brother? (shakes his head) I'll only believe it when you relinquish those awful books you read when you're supposed to be doing work!

Jin: I'll start right now.

Jin: (removes his x-rated books from under his chair and piles them into Yves' arms)

Yves: I know that's not all of them.

Jin: (bittersweet smile) Caught me. (goes to a nearby shelf and removes the outer binding of several, revealing spicy titles)

Yves: (dips a little under the weight of these new books) Thank you. Now-

Jin: (lifts the seat cushion from Licht's chair and retrieves several more books)

Licht: (runs to his chair and repeatedly looks above and below the seat) How did those even fit... It's like it's bigger on the inside...

Yves: (dips even more under these new books) Okay, that's the last bit, right?

Jin: Yeah. Oh, but-

Jin: (pulls the little cat-bell ornament that Yves wears which triggers one of the faction office walls to rotate, revealing an entire wall of x-rated material)

Leon: So that's where that construction budget went... (takes one of the books and blows the dust off) Oh ho ho, this stuff is banned, if I recall. (sits down to read)

Yves: Wh... What are you doing?!

Leon: What? It's fine for an older brother to be pervy, right? Jin did it for 32 years.

Licht: You were already kind of pervy.

Jin: (making another tally on his notepad) I didn't start 32 years ago, but I get what you're saying.

Leon: Actually, Yves, don't worry about taking those books away. I'll take care of them.

Yves: You're not seriously going to read these!?

Leon: I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my Big Brother Vacation yet, but I want to leave my options open. (crosses his legs and begins reading the banned adult novel in earnest)

Jin: And since I've temporarily changed my ways, I'll go clear out the books I have in the sub-basement of this office.

Licht: There's a sub-basement? Wait, there's a basement? Wait. How much of this office is made of (censored)?

a/n: inspired by @ikeprinces-stuff!

[vminizzle]

𝔑𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔤𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 || on hiatus ||

( under construction 🏴‍☠️ )

Private Landing (ft. Justin Bieber )

2:07 ●━━━━━━─────── 3:58

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🎤 bangtan masterlist || jin || yoongi || hoseok || namjoon ||

🎤 jimin || taehyung || jungkook || old masterlist ( ignore )

🔍 series masterlists :

🔎 "hope" || jjk [on going]

🔎 "my destiny" || kth [paused]

��� WIP ( work in progress )

🕷️ about vmin’s daughter aka me

🕸️ I’m a feedback craver !!

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✑ all my works and writings are purely works of fiction! do not copy and translate without my permission!

🖋️ since january 15, 2023

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 37, 2024

Simple spike patterns and synaptic mechanisms encoding sensory and motor signals in Purkinje cells and the cerebellar nuclei. Brown, S. T., Medina-Pizarro, M., Holla, M., Vaaga, C. E., & Raman, I. M. (2024). Neuron, 112(11), 1848-1861.e4.

Disentangling the effects of metabolic cost and accuracy on movement speed. Bruening, G. W., Courter, R. J., Sukumar, S., O’Brien, M. K., & Ahmed, A. A. (2024). PLOS Computational Biology, 20(5), e1012169.

Two Prediction Error Systems in the Nonlemniscal Inferior Colliculus: “Spectral” and “Nonspectral”. Carbajal, G. V, Casado-Román, L., & Malmierca, M. S. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(23), e2327232024.

In and Out of Criticality? State-Dependent Scaling in the Rat Visual Cortex. Castro, D. M., Feliciano, T., de Vasconcelos, N. A. P., Soares-Cunha, C., Coimbra, B., Rodrigues, A. J., … Copelli, M. (2024). PRX Life, 2(2), 023008.

Visual working memories are abstractions of percepts. Duan, Z., & Curtis, C. E. (2024). eLife, 13, e94191.3.

A scalable spiking amygdala model that explains fear conditioning, extinction, renewal and generalization. Duggins, P., & Eliasmith, C. (2024). European Journal of Neuroscience, 59(11), 3093–3116.

Mesostriatal dopamine is sensitive to changes in specific cue-reward contingencies. Garr, E., Cheng, Y., Jeong, H., Brooke, S., Castell, L., Bal, A., … Janak, P. H. (2024). Science Advances, 10(22).

Astrocytes as a mechanism for contextually-guided network dynamics and function. Gong, L., Pasqualetti, F., Papouin, T., & Ching, S. (2024). PLOS Computational Biology, 20(5), e1012186.

Ventral Pallidum and Amygdala Cooperate to Restrain Reward Approach under Threat. Hernández-Jaramillo, A., Illescas-Huerta, E., & Sotres-Bayon, F. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(23), e2327232024.

Choice overload interferes with early processing and necessitates late compensation: Evidence from electroencephalogram. Hu, X., Meng, Z., & He, Q. (2024). European Journal of Neuroscience, 59(11), 2995–3008.

Decision-related activity and movement selection in primate visual cortex. Laamerad, P., Liu, L. D., & Pack, C. C. (2024). Science Advances, 10(22).

Intrinsic and synaptic determinants of receptive field plasticity in Purkinje cells of the mouse cerebellum. Lin, T.-F., Busch, S. E., & Hansel, C. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 4645.

Effects of post-saccadic oscillations on visual processing times. Llapashtica, E., Sun, T., Grattan, K. T. V., & Barbur, J. L. (2024). PLOS ONE, 19(5), e0302459.

Cholinergic Neuromodulation of Prefrontal Attractor Dynamics Controls Performance in Spatial Working Memory. Mahrach, A., Bestue, D., Qi, X.-L., Constantinidis, C., & Compte, A. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(23), e1225232024.

Binocular receptive-field construction in the primary visual cortex. Olianezhad, F., Jin, J., Najafian, S., Pons, C., Mazade, R., Kremkow, J., & Alonso, J.-M. (2024). Current Biology, 34(11), 2474-2486.e5.

Behavioral strategy shapes activation of the Vip-Sst disinhibitory circuit in visual cortex. Piet, A., Ponvert, N., Ollerenshaw, D., Garrett, M., Groblewski, P. A., Olsen, S., … Arkhipov, A. (2024). Neuron, 112(11), 1876-1890.e4.

Exact Distribution of the Quantal Content in Synaptic Transmission. Rijal, K., Müller, N. I. C., Friauf, E., Singh, A., Prasad, A., & Das, D. (2024). Physical Review Letters, 132(22), 228401.

Phase-dependent word perception emerges from region-specific sensitivity to the statistics of language. Ten Oever, S., Titone, L., te Rietmolen, N., & Martin, A. E. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(23), e2320489121.

Temporal interference stimulation disrupts spike timing in the primate brain. Vieira, P. G., Krause, M. R., & Pack, C. C. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 4558.

Theoretical principles explain the structure of the insect head direction circuit. Vilimelis Aceituno, P., Dall’Osto, D., & Pisokas, I. (2024). eLife, 13, e91533.

[amyrahrose]

MasterList

Jujutsu Kaisen

⋇Toji: Like This Baby? ⁞ Again ⁞Traffic Jam ⟨Under revision⟩ ⁞ Toji Oneshot

⋇Geto: You're Mine

⋇ Choso: Recording in Session

⋇Nanami: Feral

⋇Sukuna: Gym Rat: Part 1 , Gym Rat: Part 2

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions

The Beauty and the Detective ⟨under construction⟩

Bucchigiri?!

⋇ Jin Marito (Drabble)

HEADCANONS

⋇JJKMenxReader Drabble

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Moonlight

Whumpril Day 29 (Reluctant Caretaker)

Whumpril Prompts List

part 1

TW: exhaustion, fainting, paranoia, hunted, telepathy, magic whump

Summary: It's been many days since Jin fled the battle field. She attempts to pass through a grove in Moonshadow elf territory and stumbles across something inexplicable.

That's a wrap for Whumpril! I hope you enjoyed my contributions! :D

The moonshadow elf had been following Jin for some time now.

She wasn’t certain how she knew this. It was a full moon, she couldn’t see the elf unless they’d wanted her to. She hadn't heard them, either.

But she knew they were there. She didn’t know how. But she knew.

If Jin had to guess, the elf had started following her when she’d entered the small thicket, after the sun had set below the horizon. She might have trespassed into their territory, but she didn't care. She felt too exposed on the open plains.

Progress was slow, with the trees packed densely together. But the branches almost seemed to part before Jin, allowing themselves to be bent with unnatural flexibility so she could pass. She didn’t try to think about how the trees could be luring her into a trap.

If the elf was out to get her, they would have killed her by now.

But instead, they only watched and followed, nearly invisible from the power of the full moon. It would have been fitting if they did kill her. A moonshadow elf had taken her husband from her. Had taken her king under her watch.

That was in the past. Jin was a deserter now.

Her head snapped to the left, and she barely made out a shape in the darkness as it flitted past, unhindered by the wall of branches. No sound was made. How had she known to look?

Jin almost reached for her ax but decided against it. She had been traveling for days on foot, running on little sleep and the small amount of food she could forage. She was in no fit state for battle, no matter who her opponent would be.

Finally, through the branches, she spied open ground. A clearing? The other side of the forest? The spot where the trap had been laid out for her?

She pressed on. Anywhere was better than the pressing shadows of the trees.

The elf was waiting for her when she emerged from the thicket, spear in hand as they regarded her. Even in their nearly invisible moonshadow form, they appeared masculine, a guarded expression on his face. Behind him was a shrine constructed of white stone gleaming under the moonlight. Two symbols were carved above the gaping doorway. The first was the symbol of the moon arcanum. And the second….

Jin’s mouth went dry. Was that the… dark magic arcanum?!

“Who are you?” The elf asked softly.

Her fingers twitched, eager to hold her ax. Why was the symbol for dark magic on a shrine in Xadia? “I… I’m Jin.”

“Why have you come here?”

Was the ground moving? Why was the ground moving? “I… not… I don’t know.” Overcome by weakness, Jin fell to her knees. “What… what’s happening?”

The elf frowned and turned to face the shrine. “Neoma!”

Jin’s skin prickled as a faint reply echoed inside her head, the words incomprehensible. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control her breathing as she struggled to stay conscious.

The elf sighed heavily. “Fine.”

A hand touched her shoulder. “Stop fighting,” he said softly. “You’re safe here.”

“N-no… I can’t… she’ll do horrible things…”

“Neoma won’t let her. It’ll be alright.”

Jin slowly nodded as she slumped. The ground was cool under her cheek. A small part of her, even as she slipped into the darkness, tried to protest. This isn’t right. Too tired too quickly. What if…

That, too, quickly faded away into oblivion.

@fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @whumpril

[hanakihan]

man you have no idea the sheer DESIRE to write something about Titanic esque chulwoo AU

The main drill is that Sungs come from a rather wealthy old noble family (courtesy of Ashborn as their predecessor being royal knight or smth), Jin-Woo is a next heir while Jin-Ah studies to become a doctor (or a nurse depending on timeline it happens im not even completely sure with setting but probably og titanic vibe mixed with Korean Idek wheeze) and parents send them on a cruise ship for vacation (and in hopes jinwoo will meet nice noblewoman or any woman since sungs are pretty chill about bloodline)

Then there’s Jin-Chul who’s a ship engineer/captain in training courtesy of navy captain on pension Gun-Hee. Gun-Hee comes from rather humble background but managed to reach rather prestigious position of first navy and then civil ship captain but now he’s on pension, and this man is an example to Jin-Chul that you can reach your dream despite your upbringing. Jin-Chul himself also comes from rather humble background on verge of poverty but money and fame never fascinated him, but ships and sailing did. When Jin-Chul was assigned on Gun-Hee’s ship as a new engineer, Gun-Hee saw talent in boy and unofficially took him under his wing teaching him to be a captain. Then Gun-Hee left (or honestly more likely was forcefully dismissed) and Jin-Chul got assigned as one of engineers/coal workers on this giant ship, but Gun-Hee still sails under his own name as a trader or smth like that.

Cue sailing day and at evening Jin-Woo excused himself since noble parties bore him to death and anyway, evening is beautiful and sea is calm. Wandering around he stumbles upon Jin-Chul doing small repairs and who nearly hit Jin-Woo in nose with his elbow because he came too close without announcement. Jin-Chul stiffly apologizing because he knows how annoying nobles can be but is surprised when Jin-Woo is the one to apologize for being so careless and invites him for an apology tea or coffee since compared to other choices Jin-Chul seems as a perfect company thanks to his sharp tongue, wits and knowledge.

Some day of cruise pass and they become rather close friends, Jin-Woo visits Jin-Chul in lowest decks which surprises everyone here and they have a rather nice drinking and dancing session, while in turn Jin-Woo helps Jin-Chul to sneak in 1st class deck so they can chat and play chess in peace of room (and so he can introduce Jin-Chul to Jin-Ah). Jin-Woo even tries to gift Jin-Chul his sapphire brooch so he can sell it for nice sum of money and get his own ship or even open his own company or smth, but Jin-Chul politely refuses, satisfied with their friendship.

Cue disaster night. Now think about captain being an incompetent prick (maybe even on levels of Costa Concordia captain damn) and fucking up entire probably miss into sure hit (even if Jin-Chul risked it and asked people to follow his instructions despite it being a big ass discipline insubordination but no one really minded because people saw that captain gives shit orders) but since bridge was still under captains command, instructions contradicted, but it still allowed a graze hit rather than direct one. So yea this gets worse, Jin-Chul was in section that suffered from impact and got tore, barely got out of here along with most of his men. Seeing how fast water fills decks he tells people to go higher and himself runs to find Sungs or other people he knows. Apparently he finds panicking Jin-Ah and through dangers of ice cold water and falling construction manages to cross paths with Jin-Woo until they got separated again. They manage to get out of sinking shell that nearly becomes their coffin (because he promised Jin-Woo to take care of and save Jin-Ah no matter what goddamnit), Jin-Chul manages to place Jin-Ah on some drifting wood before starting to sink because of cold water.

Now, I’m a sucker for happy endings despite shit looking really bad, so let’s say Jin-Woo with others on safe boat manages to find shell shocked Jin-Ah wrapped in Jin-Chul’s coat, pointing at water and trying to say something with her teeth chattering and managing to say that he’s drowning, Jin-Woo saying ‘not on my fucking watch’ and jumps after, managing to grab him and drag on surface, man is absolutely freezing with lips blue and not really conscious but still weakly breathing.

ANYWAY they safely get back on shore, they all get medical treatment, Jin-Chul earns himself pneumonia (well fuck his sailing dreams ig), Sungs’ gratitude for saving their children and a fucking trial because captain blamed entire catastrophe on lower deck crew defying his orders and following engineer’s ones and that’s a big ass crime in navy. Things ain’t looking good because they want to prosecute him in shortest time to give people answers who’s the guilty one, Jin-Woo is really ready to throw hands with people, Jin-Chul’s patient explanations through coughs ain’t helping because no one can confirm accuracy of his words and that’s when Gun-Hee himself enters court saying smth like ‘maybe you should interrogate deck staff too to hear what commands captain was giving’ and then our sir proceeds to destroy this captain‘s whole career. Jin-Chul is cleaned of accusations and becomes a sort of a good example semi-legend, but thanks to extreme colds diving he now can’t sail on long distances but fear not Gun-Hee invites him to work for him since Jin-Chul is out of commission and Jin-Woo once again gifts Jin-Chul a sapphire brooch but this time asking if Jin-Chul will share future with him. Jin-Chul honestly having ??? reaction while Jin-Woo with the most deadpan face asks ‘You seriously think I’ll dive into cold waters of ocean at night to drag you on surface and then using my body warmth to keep you alive if i didn’t cared about you???’

[canyonkingdom]

that annoying shit named bruner

since i'm active most of the time while the RCP community isn't (different timezones galore), i've decided tor rant about one of my least favorite characters bruner

why do you hate him so much?

there are other characters that deserve the hate like cap or that truck who kidnapped the kids, but bruner specifically i don't understand where he comes from; like, why are you so mean and so nice in the next episode? and the fact that he left his cousin unattended makes me hate him even more; i know you want to play ball but a literal child is under your care, can you please think about their safety?

i really hated the cousin episode; even though bruner learned his lesson, throughout the episode he doesn't give a shit about his cousin and left him in the woods somewhere

yeaaa bruny is also an annoying shit but he's a child and it's understandable for him but bruner is kinda like a psychopath to leave his cousin in the woods just because he couldn't deal with him

what jin says before the episode ended is complete bullshit: "you can tell he really cares about his cousin" does he care enough that he couldn't even leave bruny in the hands of more capable bbysitters? even the rest of the construction crew seemed more worried than bruner until bruner finally realizes the errors of his ways and go looking for his cousin; and because of his empty concern, poli and the gang have to suffer because of his icompetence of leaving a child alone

anddd his voice is annoying and he's just all around annoying

[rhythmic-idealist]

Everytime I start to think "maybe BNHA wasn't *that bad*, maybe I could bring it back in and let it just coexist with whatever interests I have nowadays" I just look at your blog and get a snap back to reality🙏

(SORRY THIS IS LONG. Oh my god. My bad. Yw, though)

This is so interesting. I adore BNHA, and the post that people are tagging "BNHA critical" lately was.... intended not to be read as "BNHA uncritically believes this thing" but instead as "BNHA constructs a society that it specifically exposes for this bad thing."

I really will never agree with decisions made with the end of the manga. [I'm about to do manga spoilers. I figured this was okay since you aren't coming back, but you can stop here if you'd rather.]

Tenko should have lived. Himiko should have lived. Touya DESERVED to live, although I find myself less burned by his specific tragedy & it seems handled with the most appropriate context and care.

Like. I've analyzed it, and I'll continue to. I get the feeling even Horikoshi may be uneasy with it, although I'll never know for certain obviously and I always feel strange speculating about that stuff. But I don't think the ending was good.

BNHA started conversations in public spaces for me and gave me specific characters and concepts in ways that I will never begrudge it, and for that I find myself really just unbelievably lucky. Lucky in the ways I find myself able to continue to engage, in the fact that its ending has managed not to taint the rest of it. There still exists in my mind a very real "BNHA before the ending was written" as its own piece of art that existed for a period of time and that I'm not really done talking about. BNHA has made me want to write a novel with more of a strong pull to action than anything has for a long time.

But—while I love Tenko, and love Himiko—my favorite characters are Tenya and Hikage. Tenya's ending is imperfect, but oh my god, it's barely imperfect. Hikage's ending is imperfect for Tenko, but for HIMSELF? I have no notes. Missed opportunities, but no complaints, no notes. Oh my god Hikage fans are the luckiest people in this goddamn fandom.

And so my heart winds up insulated. I experience the letdown of the manga's end but I think that myself having other CENTERS to my BNHA experience probably has a lot to do with why it was able to deeply disappoint me without hurting me or changing itself so drastically, in the way that it has alienated so many other fans.

I really do love BNHA as a piece of art. I believe it is a good piece of art.

Growing up my favorite book was The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and I hated the final chapter with a burning passion. The feelings were significantly more intense than my BNHA ending feelings somehow, although being a tween/teen may have had something to do with that. It was still my favorite book.

I love.... so much about how BNHA opens conversations about transformative justice. I love that it's a story about how parents cannot be abandoned to protect their chid from the world alone if the child is under constant fire, and how sometimes the fire is coming from inside the house, and it is everyone's obligation to meddle even when social rules say otherwise. I have sat in Discord servers having long conversations with people who NEEDED to be asked If heroes "save people," was Jin a person?

BNHA falls short of writing an ending that imagines the world where we actually all become the hero who saves everyone, but the fact that it speaks to a fandom that is so often lagging so far behind that concept on even a basic level—that Izuku provides a conversation space for me to even tell people no he says his goal is to save everyone. Everyone. Everyone. His goal is to save everyone. "Does [x] deserve to live" I have a question. is that person one of Everyone? Then Yes, Deku Is About Saving That Person. Whether he achieves it or not, that's what the concept of Deku is for. It is for trying.

(There's a lot that I disagree with about how Izuku's ending was written too. To speculate, and I'm not the first to say this, much of the ending feels like it was.... following a plan that was made years and years ago, even when it didn't fit anymore.)

I think it was trying to do something with the idea that Tenko and Himiko were tragedies. It feels vaguely like it was trying to do something with their lack of privilege, and like it was trying to do something with characters who deserved to live but were so successfully isolated by mainstream society that their survival, unlike All Might's and Izuku's, wasn't "possible." (When the world prayed for All Might, when Ochako yelled at the civilians to buck up and take on some of Izuku's burden- Tenko and Himiko don't have that.) The strategy heroes use to kill the villains is called Divide And Conquer, and this series is about how no one can manage without Those Who Match Their Pace And Run Alongside Them. And how even with a few people like that... that's only a stopgap, and the broader context they exist in MUST change.

It imagines more than thousands of its more mainstream fanbase are willing to. I think it is something deeply important for that. I think that as a piece of political art (all art is political) it WILL ultimately matter that

But I feel that it forgot that some of its audience relates more to the Tenkos and Himikos to anyone else, and that it managed to deeply betray that audience after building so much hope.

Anyway. It's a work that wounds a lot of people for extremely legitimate reasons. Also there is sexism and some such etc in it. I'm quite glad that if you won't have fun here I manage to remind you to stay away, ahfjdisgin.

I am.... a little sore lately abt that post of mine circulating with the tag "BNHA critical"—not because of the tag itself, but because it shows me several people seriously believing a post I made about "look at this cool flaw BNHA points out in its own society" means "wow, fucked up that Horikoshi EARNESTLY BELIEVES this," and that the misread is so consistent it's likely a problem with my phrasing—and so whenever I post about it now I always want to make my OWN feelings very clear. I hope this does not feel that it was at all in argument with you?

I am VERY glad we enjoy our various different fandoms in our own different corners. And that my portrayal of BNHA is honest enough to remind you that you wouldn't have a good time getting in here with me!

.....The other option for why I'm receiving this ask is that you just...... REALLY don't like local hermit Hikage Shinomori. In which case. There are so many people in BNHA-historical-era Japan who have that in common with you ahjfdsingkd <333333

[sunriseverse]

spinecorset's 2024 book reviews

i read more books in 2024 than i'd expected, and i love commentating on things, so here's a list of books i read in 2024, my ratings for them, and my reviews/thoughts on each of them! (below the cut, because there are sixteen of them)

The Kazakh Khanates Between the Russian and Qing Empires: Central Eurasian International Relations During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries by Jin Noda (?/5; academic text)

the first book i read in 2024, this one was on a fascinating subject, but the writing was a little dry. by necessity, there are almost no records from the kazakh khanates themselves, but the author compared qing and russian sources from various periods against each other, and i'd definitely say this is one of the seminal texts if you're interested in studying the political impacts and dynamics at play during the 17th-19th centuries with the kazakh khanate and the polities it shared borders (and political ties) with.

Scribes of Gastronomy: Representations of Food and Drink in Imperial Chinese Literature by Isaac Yue (4.75/5; academic text)

i only focused on a single chapter in this text, the one on the ming dynasty food critic zhang dai. however, i found this text very approachable, and it has a very useful bibliography section.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (2.5/5; YA fantasy)

i buddy read this book with a friend, and unfortunately, neither of us really enjoyed it. it had been recommended to me by someone, though i don't remember who, and i wasn't aware that it was a YA fantasy before i started it. the 2.5 stars are mostly for the interesting concepts that popped up now and then—the writing style and execution of the entire novel was, frankly, incredibly unsatisfying and offputting. it didn't help that the main character is both incredibly shallow in characterisation, and almost always is somewhere else when something plot-relevant or interesting happens. it reads very distinctly as a YA fantasy—which i guess if you're the target audience is probably fine, but i'm not, and so most of the buddy read was my friend and i messaging complaints about the chapters we'd read each week back to each other.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (5/5; historical fantasy)

my only five star novel of the year, swbts is one of the best books i've read, and it reinvigorated by passion for writing and reading. the prose and structure and construction of the narrative are all top-notch, and as a yuan/ming dynasty nerd, the way that the politics and worldbuilding is interwoven with the history makes for one of the richest, most immersive novels i've read in my life. i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys complex, morally grey characters, period-typical sociocultural ideals and the rebellion against them by multiple characters, gender discourse (in the academic sense) that feels realistic rather than pasted on, and ruthless characters.

Disorder Under Heaven: Collective Violence in the Ming Dynasty by James Tong (?/5, academic text)

originally picked this up thinking it was about collective punishment of the citizenry by the ming dynasty government, but it turned out i'd misinterpreted the title. however, while it's one of the drier texts i've read, i found that the discussion of various types of collective violence, their causes and effects, and the way they reflected the growing social and governmental instability were very useful in deepening my understanding of the ming dynasty, especially the later ming.

Chinese Clothing by Hua Mei (?/5, nonfiction)

i picked this one up to try and get some more information on ming dynasty clothing, which is a bit hard to come by. while it wasn't very expansive, it did clarify a couple things i hadn't been able to find in my other research.

The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu (4/5; fantasy collection)

the first collection that i read in 2024, it was nice to pick up some short, self-contained stories for a change, after a fairly straight run of long novels and academic texts. a number of the stories in this collection are inspired by fairytales, but i found that the way that liu put her own twist on them was incredibly enjoyable. some of the stories weren't as interesting, but overall, it was a very solid, well-ordered collection, with fascinating stories and excellent execution.

He Who Drowned the World by Shelly Parker-Chan (4/5; historical fantasy)

the second in the radiant emperor duology, i found hwdtw to be less well-structured towards the end than i would have liked—i think the final 15%-20% could have been compressed a bit, as it dragged, making it not as tight as swbts. however, aside from that, i felt it was an excellent continuation and exploration of the world introduced in the first novel, and it continued and expanded on the themes in it.

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong (3.25/5; poetry collection)

the shortest book i read in 2024; i've enjoyed individual poems of vuong's, but i found this collection to be overall less satisfying than i'd expected, as some of the poems felt rather rambling and didn't invoke the emotions in me i felt like they were attempting to.

The Rupture Tense: Poems by Jenny Xie (3.5/5; poetry collection)

like vuong's exit wounds, this collection felt lacklustre for me. i enjoyed it slightly more because the poems felt more curated, but i don't think i'll probably read more poetry by this author.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (3.75/5; horror)

i don't usually read horror, so i think i'm probably not the correct audience for this. i found the concept very interesting, and thought the conclusion was rather refreshing in terms of horror i've read, but the middle dragged a bit, and some of the character conflicts felt a little contrived.

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (4/5; speculative/science fiction)

one of the most interesting novels i read in 2024, simply in terms of concept; set in a presumably near-future world, it follows a marine biologist who is hired to figure out if a colony of octopi have formed culture, rather than merely being sentient. the various POVs wove a very complex, rich tapestry of the world the novel is set in, and, despite a number of the concepts that are raised in the novel being fairly complex, i felt like the author knew enough about what they were talking about to explain it in a way that didn't feel condescending, but still allowed the audience to understand what was being discussed. my main complaint is that the pacing was a little slow, but if you prefer more drawn-out novels, this will probably be a higher rating for you.

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin (4.5/5; speculative/science fiction)

similar to the mountain under the sea, this takes place in a near future, and is based on extant academic/scientific theories and research. however, unlike it, i felt that, overall, tell me an ending was more impactful, possibly because it is also, in some ways, a mystery novel. that said, if you don't enjoy unlikable characters, you might not enjoy this as much as i did, as almost all the characters are unpleasant in one way or another, and the entire conceit of the novel is deeply unethical.

These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs (4/5; science fiction)

i enjoyed a lot of elements of this novel, especially the government and character dynamics, and the worldbuilding. the interplay of the flashback and present day scenes built a very engaging picture of the characters, which i enjoyed. however, i was offput by the end of the novel, and will probably not read any more of the series.

The Philosophy of Translation by Damion Searls (4.75/5; nonfiction)

one of the most engaging, personally relevant books i read in 2024; i don't talk about it as much online as i do in my real life, but translation is one of my greatest passions, and reading a book written by someone in the field and getting to see discussions of popular philosophies was very valuable to me. besides being interesting, the writing style is geared towards a more general audience, so you don't have to be an academic to read it.

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge (4/5; fantasy)

the last book i read in 2024, this was also the only traditionally published chinese novel i read in translation. the episodic but interconnected chapters were a very interesting style, and i enjoyed the way the plot unfolded. my only complaint is that in some points the sections felt like they dragged a bit, but i'd be interested to read my by yan ge.

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Random question that will definitely not lead to fanart:

I want to work on various designs for cybernetics and the riot kings crew are a good vessel for that, if you feel like answering, is anyone trained for/assigned to various tasks within the fleet? And if so, who is assigned to what?(i.e special ops, med tech, riot control, etc) or if theyre not, what would they be best suited for? Here's a bit of an example of what I mean, a character of mine was trained to be a sniper so his cybernetics are optimized for stability, flexibility, and accuracy(his hands can't shake, all of his joints have 360 degree rotation, artificial eyes that can zoom a fair amount, his cybernetic limbs have artificial nerves to mimic touch)

As an example for a Riot kings character: Nabi is a psychic, she's also a civilian and not particularly suited to combat, so i feel like her augmentations would be designed to mimic normal flesh and would probably be minimal so she wouldn't have to undergo a lot of surgery. For their usage: they'd probably be focused on protecting her, like tougher skin and like, taser fingers. Or maybe theyd be better for helping her focus on her psychic abilities, like being able to temporarily turn off her hearing/sight/other senses to reduce distraction when using her abilities.

oooooh! I haven't delved too deep in cybernetics myself, but your ideas sound super cool and creative!

to answer your question, there are specialized duties within the Fleet, usually separated visually by uniform color:

Green: foot soldiers/guards/undesignated. The most common troops, will also do miscellaneous jobs not covered by the other categories. Leadership also wears green.

Blue: special duty (like instructors or prison guards). Jin's current uniform is also blue, but his special duty is Nabi Guard (his blue is to match her sweater)

Purple: intel, aka the guys who collect data, monitor satellites/surveillance drones, and compile reports. Mainfleet also employs interrogators under "intel" (for the sake of never having to admit they employ interrogators. It's just "intelligence collection", nothing to worry about.)

Red: special missions. Can qualify as spec ops, but are generally just soldiers with unique skills that may qualify them for solo/minimally manned missions.

Orange: personnel/admin. These guys handle paperwork, pay, facilities, food... everything required to keep the Fleet running smoothly.

Yellow: engineering. Mechanics, armament, repairs, construction, and more. Commander Kita is the only engineer I've drawn so far I think. She's the officer in charge of that sector on the Inferno.

Teal: medical! ship's surgeons, emergency med techs, and nurses are common on most ships. Dentists, optometrists, and other specialists are available on Mainfleet-side and at established bases. Field and combat medics will also wear teal to distinguish themselves from combatants.

[haunted-radishes]

 I am asking people who have better translations than I do for citations re: Jin Guangyao killing the whole sect whose leader he accused of killing Rusong, because even JGY positive people I follow talk about it as indisputable canon, but here's all the translation I've read has to say on the subject:

Sect Leader Yao continued, “And the one who killed Jin RuSong just happened to be the sect leader who opposed his construction of the lookout towers—how could there be such a coincidence?” He snorted, “Either way, no matter what, Jin GuangYao didn’t need to keep a son who’d likely turn out to be an idiot. He killed Jin RuSong, framed the sect leader who opposed him, and crusaded against sects that refused to accept him fair and square, in the name of revenge for his son—although it was heartless, it killed two birds with one stone. What tactics, LianFang-Zun!”

Note that even as sect leader Yao is in maximum mud slinging mode, he doesn't mention any deaths besides Rusong. Sure, the popular conclusion isn't too unreasonable of an assumption, but...... If JGY massacred an entire sect under false pretenses, wouldn't that be something you'd say directly in your smear campaign? It's just as reasonable to me, if not more so, to assume that he had the accused sect leader executed and placed heavy sanctions on the sect, but spared the rest. Is this just a translation issue?