#kid vs adult

[shushmal]

tw: for implied past emotional abuse, im in my feels today

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Hopper growls. He's not quite shouting, but he's still loud, raised voice echoing through the living room. "She's not ready to drive yet, I forbade it, and what? You two decided that you knew better?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, but gamely keeps quiet. He knows Hopper's less upset with Ellie taking a spin through the parking lot and more upset about the property damage. Eddie's on her side though, that phone pole came out of nowhere. Must have been pretty rotted out too, to fall over that easily after a little love tap.

Ellie had done a damn good job fixing the huge dent in the bumper.

But if Hopper wants to be dramatic and chew everyone involved out, Eddie's not going to stop him. Whatever gets the guy's blood pressure back down.

"You're supposed to be responsible adults! Especially you, Steve!"

Rolling his eyes again, Eddie glances over, hoping to share a commiserating look with Steve.

Except Steve isn't looking anywhere but down, shoulders and spine ruler straight. Eddie stalls there, stuck on the way Steve's standing, tense from jaw down to his ankles, his hands balled into tight fists flat at his side, knuckles white. Hopper keeps ranting, pacing a wide circle in front of them, but Steve doesn't flinch, doesn't look up, doesn't react. It's like all the color has washed from him.

"Are you even listening?!"

"Yes, sir," Steve says tightly. He doesn't look up. Hopper keeps going.

Eddie watches as Steve's throat works to swallow, like he's choking. Like he can't breathe.

"Hopper," Eddie snaps. "Shut the fuck up."

Hopper whirls on him, livid, but Eddie's not looking at him, fixed on Steve as he reaches out. Tries to take Steve's hand, just holds his wrist when Steve can't unclench his fist, gentle as he touches him. Steve is tightly wound and trembling under his fingers.

When he looks, Eddie finds Hopper with deep regret on his face, struck silent. He doesn't say anything when Eddie leads Steve away, back out onto the porch. They sit on the swing, Eddie's arm around Steve's shoulders, rocking back and forth until the muscles loosen and Steve slumps, strings cut, into Eddie's side. They'll sit like that for a while more, watching the woods as the sun sets and listening to the dusk settle, crickets and cicadas and chats calling the moon up, filling their silence with nighttime music.

Later, Hopper will come out, temper cooled, and sit on Steve's other side. Will ruffle Steve's hair when Steve starts to stiffen. Will apologize when Steve eyes him warily.

Later, Eddie will scowl and glare, but ultimately keep quiet, unwilling to make the whole thing worse for Steve, another fight, another shouting match. Will stiltedly tell Hopper good night and take Steve home, wait patiently until Steve finally speaks, when he finally tells Eddie a little more and a little more, until Eddie's holding him tight.

That's later though. For now, he digs his heel into the porch, rocking them back and forth, and waits for Steve to breathe.

[neutralizedfates]

This is so random but it’s so funny that with the release of the book of bill it kinda canonically states that bill is 12 years old. Like I just rember the huge controversy over bill dip bc well dipper is 12 and bill is a billion! But then the book ten years later in an unprecedented 4D chess move says the bill is also, technically 12, like mentally? For his species? So now they’re both hilariously 12 and the ship has backwardly become unproblematic.

[disappear-into-the-role]

Killua: My special ability will be electricity, and everyone's going to think I'm awesome and terrifying!

Every adult who sees it: Whoa. That poor kid :(

[lukazade]

These kids are NOT studying rn

[crow-caller]

I really do think looking at bad writing is one of the best ways to learn about writing in general, especially for beginners.

the thing is, writing in general is highly subjective- a good sentence will be good in different ways to different people, or not impress someone at all.

a bad sentence? most people can spot bad sentences easy, especially if it is presented to them as 'here's an example of a bad sentence, let's unpack why.'

bad writing can also be very funny, which I think is again often more engaging than 'here's a work of literary genius go analyze it'. Like here's some bad writing from lightlark3:

The moment it was out of Horus’s grip, his body became bones. The flesh turned to ash. He became a corpse.

it's dumb as hell, but I think could foster a solid discussion when you ask 'why? what is the author intending to say? what about it makes it feel 'clunky'? How would you write the same idea?'

[jenniferjareauprotector]

" you're like the daughter i never had. "

[macadam]

Finally had the moment I’ve been waiting years for and got to listen to a 12 year old info dump to me about transformers after he learned I like transformers

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

I have all of these extended thoughts on my head about the amazing way themes and character relationships are handled in Iruma-kun and the inclusion of queerness and the handling of the coming of age narrative in this shonen manga/anime

And every time all that comes out when I'm reccing it is "You should watch/read it"

Do it. Go watch/read Mairimashita! Iruma-kun/Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun

Please.

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

main difference between mason mccormick n darry curtis is darry is a 'you just don't use your head' brother whereas mason is a 'christ you're dumb' siblin. hope that clears that up. heart.

[thisblogdoesnotexisg]

how much u wanna bet that there actually were fun places in the other four states, but morrigan never got to see them because they were in the lower class areas. like im pretty sure jackalfax is their equivalent of the rich people part of town, given how the architecture is all the same and everyone seems pretty stuck up. let me see the protests and marches in the streets, with colorful banners and signs! let me see the poorer areas with mismatched houses and overflowing flowerbeds! they may not have as many inventions, but im almost positive that whatever was going on in jackalfax was more similar to those fancy pants gated communities than a usual citizen's day-to-day life

[lovecolibri]

"I know you're scared. Kitty will be fine. I promise you."

Vs

🖕🏻"I'm gonna kill that dog"🖕🏻

[greenzilla4]

That terrifying realization that this isn't a joke anymore.

[persistentplums]

Smiles big and wide wouldn’t it be funny if Rusty when REALLY inebriated/high/whatever calls Hank every name but his own. whatever person Hank reminds him of at the time but spills every single story and honest thought to him vs remembering Dean name but not listening to Dean worried comments of taking care of himself and pushes ideas of grandeur wouldn’t that be fun.

it technically happened in canon how Hank learns about Dermontt, how fucked up do you think Rusty needs to be to call Hank Dad for chastising him in that cheerful way Hank normally does killing the vibe instantly. I think it would be funny

[akkivee]

something that makes me laugh in retrospect with jakurai is how he always got on ramuda’s case for not acting his age but lol

when he’s with hitoya, he’s always praising hitoya’s childhood acts and always wanting to see hitoya do them again and it really does just drive home jakurai didn’t fck with ramuda at all in those early days lmao 😭😭😭😭😭

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 51 Lateposting

Greetings, dear void. It's time to delve into Samura's character this chapter!

This is some Buddhist crack cocaine. No wonder he's at the temple!

His given name is Seiichi (清市)- not very unusual in of itself. 清 (sei) means pure, clear, or clean and has tons of related implications like invigorating, peaceful, vibrant, being free from impurity, so on and so forth. 市 (ichi) means city/market could be chosen for abundance, prosperity, or influence. [pure city]... Hm. Kind of amusing that both his family and given names include kanji for locations. I don't know enough about Japanese naming conventions to say if this is weird or not though.

It's funny to watch him struggle with his sincere beliefs that conflict with his worldly desires (like porn mags and cigarettes), but it also adds a very compelling layer to his character that instantly rocketed him near the top of the "Please Don't Die" list. The gag at the start of the chapter is designed to hint at his deeper character conflict in an amusing way before demonstrating the seriousness of it. I'll say more about that later.

Also, I'm going to keel over and die if we keep getting spoiled with so many names, Hokazono-sensei! Tobimune 飛宗 is our fifth enchanted blade. 飛 (tobi) means fly/leap for freedom, ambition, and being able to stand up for one's beliefs. 宗 (mune) means ancestor or respect (for elders/tradition/religious teachings). It can be chosen to symbolize respect for legacy, admiration for those who have come before, and an expression of the family's faith. Hmm, where have I seen this kanji before...? Anyway, I choose to believe that the name is [flying ancestor] because of the hilarious mental imagery it invokes. This is almost certainly inaccurate though, so believe at your own risk.

Unexpected Connections

No escaping yaoibachi even during a kick-ass fight chapter! I'm not a fan of the mentor/mentee ship dynamic, but that sort of thing is hugely popular in certain spaces over in Japan. Expect a sharp rise in SaUru stocks going forward (the JP tag is 座漆, for those who want to know).

Uruha and Samura use the venerable art of 居合術 (iaijutsu), a staple of many an action series featuring samurai-esque characters fighting with katana. I was hype for Samura cleaning house and boy was I not disappointed! He's so freakin' cool, man!

Where did he learn to succ like that, though...?

I'm a huge fan of the decision to give the bearers ties to each other outside of being acknowledged by Kunishige as well. It adds depth to the story and characters without requiring Chihiro's presence, making the world feel more natural. I'm excited to see what relationships we can compare to Samura and Uruha's instructor-student dynamic!

It's a bit funny that both of them use the same technique, have the same connection to Kunishige, and possess similar war hero status but have vastly different outcomes. Samura seems to have reached some kind of inner peace with himself- just like a samurai near the end of his story (oh no, death flags). On the other hand, Uruha is more like a ronin in the way he mourns the death of his master (Kunishige) and remains listless until he can fight again for Chihiro's sake. How much more has Samura experienced in life to be where he's at vs. Uruha? Official age reveals when?!

And this...! Chihiro lore tidbits!

So Chihiro DID get to go out in the world away from home, at least a little bit.

This probably took place shortly before Kunishige was murdered since Samura was still at his own home instead of the temple (Chihiro was 14~15 during the attack -> is 18 when the story starts 38 months later). And now we know how he learned to use a sword- Samura showed him a few things! I mean Kunishige probably did too since he demonstrated to Chihiro by slicing through as single bamboo shoot in Ch. 1, but Samura had a few things to teach as well. And he still has at least one more lesson for Chihiro before this arc finishes.

Samura, Chihiro, Life, and Death

Very interesting how Samura accepts that he's "going to hell" for killing obvious bad guys we're not supposed to feel sorry for. Contrast that with Chihiro, who believes he's justified in pursuing vengeance and killing "scum" who hurt others along the way. Both of these mindsets are valid and sympathetic! But it's notable to me that the adults in this manga are the ones who have more reservations and moral hangups about risking and taking lives compared to their younger companions. Usually it's the cool older adults telling the kids to keep an open mind and do what must be done, you know? At least in the shounen series I read. And they still do it here! I haven't forgotten the gut-punch flashbacks of Kunishige being a goof while telling Chihiro to "keep a cool head". It's just that the messaging from the adult cast of Kagurabachi is quite somber compared to how it usually goes in shounen. There's something heavy weighing on all of them that compels them to interact with the younger characters like they do. Ch. 1

Kunishige's reaction to Shiba's praise of him as a war hero.

Ch.8

Why wouldn't you know about being able to change before it's too late, Shiba? What's your story?

Ch. 29

A war veteran's outlook versus a young colleague's idealism.

A lot of these adults -especially Kunishige, Shiba, Uruha, and Samura- also refuse to be seen as heroes and pass the buck on to someone else. Their exact reasons are still hidden from us, but it's not hard to see that life has tempered them and given them nuanced takes on the significance of death. So their advice and wisdom come across as something somber and painfully realized.

Then you've got young characters like Chihiro and Hiyuki who have a strong sense of justice and don't mind killing "scum". We've been cheering Chihiro as he murders random mobs in cold blood since chapter 1 because we know he's only killing "bad guys", in fact. They're quick to judge and condemn and to their credit, pretty much everyone who's gone down to them directly has been framed as irredeemable (or at least deserving by association). Yakuza who kill and torture innocent townspeople, amoral mobsters that participate in slave auctions, mooks who want to kill Chihiro on sight for a bounty- it's never been in doubt that Chihiro is morally justified for killing the people he does.

But what is the weight of a life? Can Chihiro truly call himself a good guy after staining his hands with so much blood? Is he correct to condemn and snuff out so many evildoers? Samura brought up these questions. And there aren't any easy answers here- hopefully.

I think we can all agree that anime protag speeches containing pearls of wisdom like "killing [super evil villain] would make me just as bad as him" are eye-rolling in most superficial contexts. Many people find Chihiro appealing because he is the antithesis of this trope. But I believe the lackluster reasoning that comes across on-screen has a deeper logic behind it that often isn't built up or conveyed well.

In Buddhism, every single life is precious- no matter what. All of us are here for a purpose and it is not our place to judge how others spend their time. Instead, we should be pursuing our own peace and helping others along the path. We can choose to find or create value from even the most awful situations. We can and should choose to help someone turn away from causing harm to become a companion on the long road to enlightenment. So choosing to end a life instead is robbing someone of their essential right to exist. Killing a killer is a terrible act even if it saves other lives. So while it doesn't stop Samura from taking action, he acknowledges that he won't fare well in whatever judgement comes after death; he's no more worthy of living than the assassins he's killing. But he understands that his life is essential to the stability of the nation, so he fights to save himself despite believing what he's doing is wrong. Samura is cast in complex shades of grey compared to Chihiro's stark black vengeance born of grief.

If you thought direct references to Buddhist concepts were leaving WSJ with JJK ending this week, you were WRONG. I'm not gonna try to figure out what the flowers are right now but I might make a separate post if it eats away at me enough.

I think this is the burden that lays on most of the adults we've met. Killing might be morally justified in many cases, but it shouldn't be the first course of action, much less celebrated. Hence why Shiba tries to reform Madoka and the living Tou sibliings, why Samura has his bit here, and why Kunishige seems to hate being called a hero for creating weapons of mass destruction.

Death is part of the burdensome legacy that Chihiro's carrying- Kunishige was very clear about that in Chapter 1, so it's not a surprise that it might come up. I hope if it's explored we get a lot of nuanced takes, just like how familial duty was looked at in the Rakuzaichi arc.

There's another comparison I want to touch on...

Despite all of his resolve and intention to see the mission through, Chihiro isn't built for murder; if he can sympathize with the opponent, he instantly loses the will to fight. We've known this since Hakuri pulled Chihiro along with him to kill Kyora in the the Rakuzaichi arc. And Chihiro's still hesitating thanks to his compassionate heart: Uruha had to remind him to focus on the fight after they saw the gruesome display at the station. And we are reminded again this chapter in a very pointed fashion through Samura, but this time with a bit of potential foreshadowing disguised as a flashback:

I have no doubts that Samura will be the one to get Chihiro to stop wavering in the face of overwhelming cruelty this arc. Despite his sincerely held Buddhist beliefs, he accepts his role and what it means to be a Bearer. He sucks in the toxin of his worldly desires and commits seeing his job through. That will be the most important lesson he can teach. Hopefully not through death or betrayal, but... well, we've got a while to go so buckle up and settle in for the ride.

Hakuri, Samura, Uruha, and "Worth"

Sorry for the pseudo-philosophical rant there. Best boy is here again!

Cute hair clip and radiation therapy face marking, bro. Interesting smell lore too- apparently Samura can only recognize "old friends".

Hakuri's relegated to being an exposition device while on forced bed rest, but at least he still gets to do something in the narrative (I will yap about this guy no matter how small his appearances are).

In line with my borderline headcanon ramble above, I think "worth of self" might be examined this arc through Hakuri. I don't want to beat a dead horse over Hakuri's issues each post, so basically: knowing one's own worth and acting accordingly is A Thing now. Hakuri, Uruha, and Samura all have different takes on the concept that will hopefully get developed.

Hakuri: thinks he needs to be useful to have "worth" (re: is completely unable to make an accurate self-assessment). Throws himself in harm's way with no self-preservation instincts evident despite being the key to Chihiro's plan working.

Uruha: despondent without someone to fight for until he meets Chihiro. Correctly assesses his own worth and refuses to take Hiruhiko's bait and rush headlong into danger.

Samura: at peace with fighting and killing even though he considers it to be a wrongful act. Knows his own worth and fights to preserve himself.

They sorta read as being in different stages of a self-actualization journey, don't they? Hakuri is at the start, Uruha's somewhere in the middle, and Samura's near the end. Maybe I'm just bonkers and making connections I shouldn't- wouldn't be the first time!

Crackpot Conspiracy Theory Time

This is just a silly series of observations. I have lots of tinfoil to make hats with if anyone wants to join me though!

市 (ichi) from Seiichi is the same kanji that was used in Rakuzaichi (楽座市). 100% coincidence, yes. But what if I point out that 座 (za) is ALSO the sa in Samura (座村)? It's not like there's a dearth of "sa" or "ichi" kanji to choose from to make a person's name, you know. Especially if it lets you avoid an overlap of concepts -like location-related kanji- being used in both the family and given names. What's up with that?

2. And then there's Tobimune. 宗 (mune) is the same character used in Soya's name, just with it's more typical reading. I pointed out a bit ago that the so reading of 宗 added to the oddities of Worst Big Bro's name- he's got some weird stuff going on (as does Hakuri).

3. We're not actually sure if Soya is dead. I want him to be rotting in hell for all eternity, but he could be alive and resting up somewhere offscreen. It's actually a semi-popular theory in the fandom since he didn't explode or become fertilizer at the end of the previous arc.

4. Samura's already raised a few traitor flags by being one of the handful of people to know about Chihiro and Kunishige's circumstances, and he found out by accident in a somewhat suspicious way.

Basically, I'm saying that this could be a hint that Samura will be tied to Soya's comeback. Possibly even be the traitor himself! I know, I know, I'm a genius. I accept kudos in the form of likes, cheese platters, and licensed professional mental health services.

Thank you if you made it this far into my delusional ramblings, kind void. Let's hope we see some Chihiro action next week and that no one raises any more death flags! Except for Hiruhiko. He can die any time, thanks.

[sappi-papi]

happy jungle sunday everynyan treating myself for this one by sharing one of my fave headcanons for him ever . remember when i infodumped about him in that one post? yeah this was what i was implying in that first paragraph below the cut. anyway consider age regressor jungle ? smile?