#lesser developed countries

[lxmelle]

The man surrounded by the theme of love…

Geto.

Gege has made several writing choices to depict Geto as someone who was handsome and loved - arguably more than any other character in the series. Maybe Gege loves him the most - not complaining at all.

More under the cut - just a few visuals I’ve collected to demonstrate this. I’m certainly not alone in noticing it and there may be others who show this much better, lol. Tag me in if you want to share!!

My post does end with a not-so brief analysis which you can skip if you wish.

Geto, despite being cursed at birth with the technique to absorb the ills of the world, the very skill that led him to fight alongside Gojo as part of the Strongest Duo - by design, each others’ counterpart in so many ways - a twist of fate led them onto opposite paths, leading to complete imbalance, one that drove him into madness.

If Geto in some ways represented Love, it is truly the most twisted curse of all which played a part in his death.

Geto witnessed the most love confessions in the whole series - I found (and stole) it off twitter/now X:

The Japanese originals seem more compelling to me:

Riko says “daisuki” whereas Yuta uses a more traditional “Aishiteru” which, is quite embarrassing of a confession, and therefore almost hints at what could be Gojo’s last words to Geto, if it directly parallels Yuta & Rika’s relationship. And that expression Geto wears when he sees Riko and Kuroi struggle with separating?

That does not look like a person who cannot sympathise and empathise with people. Geto was a person who cared too much, and in search for a way to protect those he cared for, needed an outlet and something (in this case, lesser being, the humans) to blame. He descended into a mania and much like shinobu sensui from yu yu hakusho, seemed to develop some kind of mental disorder due to being unable to carry the conflicting ideals together. The dissonance the world presented to him was just too cruel, and he himself became a weapon to defend his ideals.

Before his defection, Geto was liked by his peers:

Haibara

Mei Mei

Loved by his family for and despite his ideals:

Mimiko and Nanako

Shibuya crew liked/loved him and carried his will/beliefs even after his death, in their own ways, as family:

Miguel and Larue in the most recent chapter to date:

Translations (rough):

Larue: You and me alike, we just wanted Suguru-chan to be King.

Miguel: Yea, I followed just because it was Geto. After shibuya, I trained Okkotsu and I don’t want anything to do with the country anymore. (Something along these lines; a little too complicated for my rudimentary Japanese)

Larue: You , me, Mimiko, Nanako, Manami, Toshihisa, everyone just really liked/loved Suguru-chan.

Canonically, he was known to be handsome and popular:

Takaba

Gege’s character book:

JJK popularity poll:

I do not have screengrabs of how Manami and Larue joined, but it was said to be due to how handsome they thought he was.

Maybe he was like Rika, who did realise how she came across in her life, and manipulated people, lol. But that’s a bit of a stretch to bring that parallel/similarity in. Geto was just quite a magnetic person, according to Gege.

And in the most roundabout way:

Gojo:

“my one and only”

“Love is the most twisted curse...” “curse me a little at the end.”

“I don’t need love to satisfy me” ... “if you were there I might’ve have been satisfied”

While love surrounds Geto, the theme that follows Gojo appears to be “the strongest” cursed; he was admired, revered, feared, and disliked by many. It truly breaks my heart, to think of what he had to give up to carry the weight of this for his whole life, until the very end.

This looks like the most dizzyingly lonely picture of Gojo. It was indeed ironic to have it all but to embody what it means to have an unlimited void by being totally different.

He suffered so much for his power and to have carried this strength. The sorcerer world was practically on his shoulders. The balance was up to him; everyone relied on him. Every time he tried to protect his love (geto) it seemed to fail. It worsened each time, ending with his own demise. But of course that’s just a dramatic interpretation - I don’t really mean/believe that, but it is one way to see the tragedy between Gojo and Geto. Strength at the expense of love; it plays out with the strongest this far as those identifying with this title are plagued by loneliness and do not know love.

They met before things got twisted within themselves, between them. Even after Geto left, Gojo seemed to be looking and waiting for him - to prove his trust for him almost as if he saw through his illusions and lies. Geto was the shadow (Yin) and Gojo was the light (Yang). Only the light can see through the dark. I’ll leave the gojo characterisation for another time / to other better writers.

For now, I’ll just say that I felt that he had planned for the possibility of losing to Sukuna (with the various things we see him do between scheduling the 24th and the actual day) and if he won, he’d just carry on the plan to cremate Geto on top of saving everyone and being a good example as the strongest. Worst case scenario, he would weaken Sukuna and I guess just die on the same day as Geto - idk, maybe as a form of redemption for one of his most painful experiences in life. Who knows?

I headcanon he was relieved to pass on, doing his part to defend the world that relied on him so much, with a big bang - a really fun fight.

And I’m glad they found each other at the end - the loved and the lost.

Back to Geto:

We don’t get much insight into what Geto wanted or felt aside from a world that was better for sorcerers, those he cared about. Even at the afterlife scene, or in subsequent chapters, we only hear from others rather than Geto.

Call me biased and delusional; I believe he didn’t kill the innocent despite saying he hated them all. He loved and hurt so strongly that he hated with almost equal force. He did want to force evolution and eventually extinguish all human kind, to him: the ignorant source of suffering, but I’m glad he didn’t manage to get Rika. I headcanon that he was aware he was losing himself by defying his own principles (to kill sorcerers) for his own gain. That, and Rika with a binding vow for a life, no less, was just too powerful.

In the official character book, Geto was described as someone who told himself that he hated humans a lot, like a reminder. He didn’t kill people indiscriminately. I’m sure he was well aware of how evil he had become but he had chosen, hadn’t he? He expressed to Yuta, that self-affirmation was incredibly important in his view. And the more he interacted with the students, I think the more his humanity fought back - I mean, he was standing there crying from being so moved by what he saw. He also let Yuta heal his friends. How villainous? Or how incredibly loving in spite of himself?

Geto has been shown to lie to others too: jjk 0: described having lied to the school about the conditions for obtaining a cursed spirit, and after defecting: upon taking stage for the first time, stating that the looking the part (wearing gojokesa) was important (ie lying). At his death’s door, he also prefaces with, no matter what anyone says - why would there be a need for that if he wasn’t telling a half-truth? He sought to avenge Riko (first person at the cult he killed after calling him onto the stage + cue mic throw) and the village represented a bunch of people who he slaughtered out of rage and ignorance. I’m definitely not defending him here - his actions are reprehensible. My headcanon view is that he didn’t know how to live with himself after snapping and that was the only path laid before him, which he ardently committed to.

I just think that he held onto a form of love/humanity still- Gojo and Geto both did. Without it, Geto would’ve become the Queen of curses due to Rika (uncaring about his family, or killing young sorcerors despite witnessing the students’ bond and yuta’s selfless power of love in jjk0) and Gojo may have focused on training at all cost without embracing Geto’s principles and becoming a teacher to change the jujutsu world - he could’ve become the next Sukuna and take the title of the King of curses instead - crowning them both King and Queen - instead of both the King and Queen contributing to their deaths. Anyway, I digress...

Geto appears very mother-coded in his protective and defensive relations to the girls, but also to Riko, Kuroi, and Gojo - especially after Toji had killed them. He was so fiercely trying to avenge and defend them, but failing that had a huge effect on him. Moreover, Haibara - innocent, glowingly positive - suffered an undeserved death. It weighed so heavily on Geto, that he didn’t defend Gojo when Nanami vented about leaving things to Gojo who seemed to take it all in his stride, almost insinuating that Geto, too, had little autonomy but to carry on that cycle of curse consumption he began to loathe.

Yuki also underlined the meaninglessness of the death / sacrifice / relationship rupture / suffering. And like the novel implies: Geto was too sincere for this world. He just loved too deeply and wounds cut him too painfully. At just 17... what inner resources were they forced to develop?

He was disillusioned by the system, but respected that Gojo had a place there. This is also SatoSugu indulgent: He never once attempted to talk Gojo into joining him, despite it being the most logical choice, but Geto was the emotional and loving kind - he prioritised Gojo over his ideals / himself. This man was willing to die trying to pursue his ideals, but didn’t want to try convincing his friend even if he know it might fail. What does that say about him? I think it says he loved Gojo. And Gojo loved him.

He masked like Gojo did : the infamous “yeah I’d win” and Geto’s “I’ve made my choice” and his face fell as he had his back turned, stating that he just needed to do it to the best of his ability. This may be headcanon but it does seem plausible to me. He was under no illusions about what he had done. To love was to turn away too. To love was to let the other go. Sigh.

Backtracking a bit: When Geto encountered the twin girls, who knows what entered his mind, but there was something that emerged from being horrified, enraged, and it gave birth to new meaning. He would take control and save them - from humans and the institution that made child sorcerors die. According to Gege, he became Papa Geto. (Kenjaku is also mum-coded but the antithesis of motherly love, with the womb protrusion domain and actually bearing children.)

This is of course not limited to feminine energy, as parents, both male and female, have protective instincts. But I’m not here to go into that discourse. Just stereotypically, and loosely speaking, Geto is very Yin energy. He is a big Mama Bear. With extreme maternal aggression. We see female counterparts do this in the wild more than males. And yes, of course both male and female are protective. Both geto and gojo were protective in their own unique ways. That’s for another post. Geto would rather die than have anyone come save him. In fact, the scripture behind him in the temple goes somewhere along the lines of “death to the weak”. If he had failed, he deserved to die. His family should live.

Gojo cares for others differently. And yes we know he died whilst defending others too. He is inherently more individualistic due to what he is with his gifts and noble heritage. He is less emotional and more cerebral, the only time we saw him lose his composure was due to Geto.

He allows his students to take risks and would allow them to fight in his stead, like in jjk 0 where Toge and panda were sent to be defeated by Geto. Tough love, as Gojo admits. This is also very Dad-like in the modern sense of the word.

In my subjective experiencing of the world, it’s almost like a husband who is only really emotionally vulnerable with his wife, and is otherwise the successful businessman, dad, and whatever else he is. Geto is much like a mum that he would walk away from her husband (lol, Gojo in this case) in order to protect them in a way she deems is best. Maybe I’m a little nuts, I don’t know. (Actually I am a little eccentric, but that’s by the by).

Now this is totally just satosugu indulgent: I headcanon that Gojo also “protected” / was possessive of Geto by making a deal with Miguel since the latter said he would curse Geto if he died, lol. Especially in light of the latest chapter where Miguel said he was spared by Gojo. (And i reckon Gojo was respectful of Miguel being Geto’s family, so he spared him for that reason too). I mean, Gojo had to kill his best friend, but this was his burden to bear, you know? It’s almost sickeningly intimate to allow someone to end your suffering, and be entrusted with that too. Ugh, ouch, my heart…..

Edit: I’m reminded of that scene where Shoko reflects on loving neither of them, like Gojo, Geto didn’t want anyone to be alone anymore either. Geto said he didn’t feel happy from the bottom of his heart. Gojo felt lonely (although he said it got better at the airport scene). They weren’t alone, but probably felt it… because of the absence of their true/first love? Larue stating in the panels above that Geto wouldn’t wish for them to fight seems like a nod to what Geto believed happened between him and Gojo. Gojo raised allies - be strong, don’t be left behind. Geto a family - get along, don’t fight. Just pointing out what my take is on the parallels I’ve observed.

That ends the brief analysis portion of what I wished to convey about what appears to surround Geto. He may not have been depicted much in the series, but his presence has been felt through the eyes of many. It made me wonder why did Gege do this?

This author deliberately wrote multiple people in the verse to love and follow him (and spare him a death sentence for 10 years) despite not agreeing to his ideals.

Perhaps it isn’t Gege’s focus, understandably, to give us a lot more insight from Geto’s pov, but there is certainly some kind of narrative he is pushing to depict how this man, cruel yet kind, is somehow one of the few he seems to portray in this way more than others within the sorcerer world at the very least. That his life was somehow a tragedy that he might not have really known the love at all? I wonder what Gojo’s last words were to incite such a heartfelt reaction - well done? Welcome home? You did well? I love you? My one and only best friend? Sigh, I guess it’s a secret between them.

There are others who have written metas on Gojo and maternal energy. If I find it I’ll link it! Otherwise, search through my reblogs! So many fantastic writers and thinkers out there!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

[birdofmay]

Ok, so there are some people who don't understand why it's insensitive to say that kids learning sign language is great because "they have so much fun having a little secret language", and I take that in good faith and assume that you simply don't know much about history and culture regarding sign languages.

So here's a comparison with oral languages; with minority and endangered languages, to be precise.

I'll start with my own culture, with North Frisian.

North Frisian was prohibited multiple times in history, or at least seen as a "lesser" language, and native speakers were seen as "lesser" as well. There was a lot of discrimination, and as a result my grandma completely forgot her North Frisian variation and her kids didn't learn it. This language is actively revived now, but my grandparents are too old to successfully learn another language, and I have a disability that makes it impossible to learn new grammar. We can't read old letters in that language, a huge chunk of history is permanently lost for us.

If you learn North Frisian while ignoring the culture and discriminatory history of Frisian people, you reinforce the sentiment that it's a "lesser" language; not worth acknowledging that we suffered and sometimes still do. East Frisian is completely extinct, by the way. Most East Frisians speak Low German variations now, but even THAT is a minority language. Even that.

Another example. Australia. Indigenous languages of Australia. You know that native speakers still face discrimination to this day, don't you? You don't? Oh, well they do, they're also seen as "lesser" people and so are their languages. If you learn one of their languages just for fun while ignoring their history and culture, you reinforce the sentiment that these languages are unimportant, not real languages, "lesser" languages.

African languages? You know that these languages aren't dialects but real languages, don't you? You know that you can't ignore culture and history when learning these languages, right? Because, yeah, otherwise you reinforce the sentiment that they're "lesser" languages and that the people who speak it are "lesser".

Alright, most of you people are from the U.S., so... Your indigenous people. Their languages. It's the same here, prohibition, seen as "lesser" people and "lesser" languages. I think you get it by now, right? There was discrimination, there still is discrimination, and the minority language can't be separated from that discrimination because the language itself was discriminated against.

Now... Most sign languages are real languages that developed naturally, did you know that? Most sign languages aren't constructed languages. These languages developed over time just as oral languages did. That's why they're so different from country to county. And most sign languages, just as most oral minority languages, were prohibited at some point because they were, and still are, seen as "lesser". In my country, native sign language speakers were forced to learn to speak with their mouth. There was and is a lot of oralism going on. People speaking sign language were discriminated against and seen as "lesser". Sign language wasn't considered a real language, even though it developed naturally.

And this is still happening, this is still going on today.

Do you see my point? Learning a minority language for fun while ignoring the discrimination native speakers faced and still face, while ignoring the culture that can't be separated from this discrimination, while ignoring the history of that language... reinforces the sentiment that it's a lesser language and that native speakers are lesser.

And this goes for sign languages too. Especially for sign languages, to be honest, because people usually can understand this when it comes to oral languages, but somehow not for sign languages.

That's why it's insensitive to say that learning sign language is fun because it's a "secret language". In doing so, you ignore the culture and history of a minority language.

[ninapi]

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Mine ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Not everyone can be the strongest sorcerer, Suguru knows this. Not everyone can have it all, no matter how hard they try. But there was one thing he wasn’t wiling to give to his best friend just like that, and that was you the only one who could made his demons go quiet…

Word count: 3691

Warning: spoilers of the original manga timeline~

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Summer months were your least favorite of all.

The air was hot, and breathing was unbearable, there was no trace of a single breeze, the mood around you always the worse. Not just you, but your teammates hated the season and not just due to the weather, but the excessive number of curses parading around, left barely any time left for you to even shower and scrub the stickiness of your skin off.

Being a first year in the Jujutsu academy wasn’t easy. The missions were tough, you were being tested all the time, your wit, your physical strengths, cursed energy levels, individual rites and skills; not just that, but you were constantly in danger specially being their new addition, they would always throw your team around for cleanup missions, messy back-up harsh ones and even sent you out to fight a special grade curse on your own once by mistake when they gave you Gojo-senpai’s mission instead, sending him to fight a lesser curse in the country side in error, one that almost got you and Nanami, who came after you when he realized what had happened, killed, though that’s what you signed up for.

Having to back up the two strongest sorcerers in the campus surely didn’t help.

Your party consisted of the very much constipated, moody Nanami Kento and the very opposite of that Haibara Yu. You got along with both of them just fine, they were both very different though, Nanami would always help you get your head straight, help you train, strive to be better, while Yu was always there to cheer you both up, always bright and smiley, a lovely man. But somehow you always ended up flocking around your seniors instead of your own group, regardless of the rumors of you and Nanami being actually a thing, your interests were some place else.

Shoko was a wonderful model figure, you wished to be like her one day, she’s still so young yet so powerful, being able to cure others was a noble task, much better than having to go around chasing ugly stinky curses. So you were seen around her often wanting to learn as much from her craft as possible. In all truth, she didn’t like having others snooping around, but you were helpful, having you there helped her with her experiments and helped her develop new techniques, having you around was far more useful than having her own teammates invading her personal space.

As for Gojo, he had an open crush on you. There was no soul in the school that didn’t know about the intense flirting and shameless looks he threw at you all the time. But then again, he does the same with almost every girl around, or so you thought, that’s what he leads on anyways.

You on the other hand, had a crush on his partner. The beautiful, kind, loved by many, Geto Suguru. A year your senior, yet the coolest guy you’ve ever seen in your entire life.

Unlike Gojo, he wasn’t as interested in you, as a woman at least. He’d give you the same attention he’d give the rest of your party. He was kind, gentle, always offered his advice, he did a great job taking care of his juniors and his own party, he was what every sorcerer wanted to be, powerful, known for and feared from, yet not cocky in the slightest.

It was impossible not to have a crush on him.

Though, as time went on, you noticed his demeanor change. He had bags under his eyes, his smile seemed shallow, fake even, his body thinning as days went by, his peaceful aura disappearing into oblivion. His attitude was very unlike him.

While everyone fuzzed about Gojo being the strongest sorcerer ever, all your worries were on his counterpart.

He wasn’t as needed anymore and his whole set of values were being challenged at that very moment. His sleep deprived self, had been overly consuming curses and he couldn’t think straight any longer, now unable to distinguish what was bad from what was good, it was a subjective concept after all.

“Geto-senpai! There you are! I’ve been looking for you all over the place.” he was leaning against a tree, seemingly lost in his thoughts when you found him. You could see he was coming back from a mission, his uniform and a good part of his face still covered with someone’s blood and remains of some kind of goo.

“(Y/N)? Sorry did you say something?” his smile didn’t reach his eyes, you could see how he was trying to avoid worrying you, he always dotted on your team and didn’t want his existential crisis to affect sweet little you, who was constantly checking up on him, unlike his friends.

“Just that I was looking for you. Here! I got you a souvenir from my last mission!” placing a small tin on his hand you smiled up at him, waiting for him to discover its content.

“Oh, for me? You didn’t have to bring me anything. Thank you. Let’s see, what could be hidden in this small box~” a little of the old Geto could be seen on his features every time you talked to him, it was nearly impossible for him to keep sulking in his insecurities when you smiled so sweetly up at him like that, your eyes shining with excitement, it was almost contagious. Maybe not everything was lost for him just yet.

“Cinnamon candy? Never tried them before, are they good?” he tilted his head, seemingly analyzing the treats. Normally Satoru was the one that received this sort of gifts, he didn’t know what to think about it. Did you perhaps confuse the two of them? He didn’t want to believe that was the case, you’d always been on his side unlike the rest who clearly preferred the strongest of all in their presence instead.

“I was just thinking about the last mission we had together. About how cool you looked while you were consuming that evil giant curse. But then it occurred to me, it must taste disgusting, poor senpai. Then! I saw these candies in a shop on my way here, cinnamon candies aren’t really what I would call sweet, they’re more like a cleanser, spicy even. It might make your job easier.” he was speechless, in all these years nobody ever thought of the consequences of his technique, nobody worried about him, it stirred something within him that he didn’t know he could feel. You were always this kind and not just towards him, but right there, a few minutes ago, he had been hating on humanity with all his might, hating on all those looser monkeys, good for nothings, hating on his own friends even, how they left him behind, how they didn’t care about him as much anymore. And now there you were, being as selfless as one can be, thinking about him even during one of your missions. Getting distracted like that while fighting curses could get you killed, it was a worrying thought, but one that filled his chest with a warmth he didn’t know it could shine so brightly within him.

“Senpai?” you reached inside your skirt pocket to look for your hand towel, gently dapping the blood away from his handsome face.

“Sorry, I’m spacing out a lot today. Thank you, you’re a sweetheart, nobody really cares about good old Geto and his disgusting technique these days.” his smile was more genuine this time, making your cheeks tinge with different shades of red, you hadn’t seen him smile like this in quite some time, it made you feel proud of still being able to pull smiles out of him unlike the rest.

“It’s not disgusting! I actually think is cooler than Gojo senpai’s.” you whispered the last part making him chuckle. To think he was on the edge of despair a few minutes ago.

Maybe not all was lost just yet.

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His self-doubts kept growing oddly quickly, Satoru’s success rate and popularity fanning the fire of his loneliness even more.

There were few moments now where he got to be with his teammates, most of the missions were now handed to Satoru alone without questioning and that was taking a toll on every sorcerer there was in the school, not just him, the mood around the classrooms was grim, some of the upperclassmen didn’t even attend to classes often anymore. What for? They weren’t necessary any longer, not with the heir of the Gojo clan and his almighty technique at their beck and call.

You wandered around the training grounds looking for the apple to your eye when a wild Gojo jumped at you from some side bushes. “Jeez senpai! You almost gave me a heart attack, what the heck!” you were panting, trying to calm your racing heart from the jump scare.

“Your fault, how do you pretend to be a good sorceress when you can’t even notice ME, the great Gojo Satoru, the best there is out there~” he leaned against you, snaking his arm around your shoulders, a full confidence display that you weren’t comfortable with.

Shrugging him off, you walked over to Shoko, who you spotted not far from the offense zone reading a book on her own while trying her best to ignore her annoying teammate as usual, Gojo trailing behind you like a wounded puppy, “You’re so mean to me (Y/N), you’re always hurting my poor heart. Maybe a little kiss from those pretty lips of yours could help it heal~~” Shoko could physically feel your frustration irradiating from your body from where she was sitting, sighing in shame and about to puke at his antics she got up, facing you. “He’s over there, (Y/N).” she pointed over to a set of stone steps to the side, hidden by some trees. You couldn’t see him, but he could see you and the entire scene unfold, a proud smirk shining at the way you rejected him so easily.

“What? You didn’t come to see me, sunshine? I could swear you came to ask me on a date. But don’t worry, I won’t make you go through it I know it can be embarrassing, let me ask you out instead.” the lust filled eyes he was giving you made Geto get up from his seat, walking over to you faster than he intended to.

“Senpai!” your eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as he was in your line of view, causing Gojo to scuff.

“Hey, were you looking for me?” he addressed you and you only, infuriating Satoru who had tried really hard to get your attention and that had now been lost to his best friend.

“I was! I haven’t seen you around much lately…I was worried…” he reached over for one of your hands, looping it around his right arm. “Shall we go get something to drink then, catch up maybe? I’ve missed you too...” the soft tone he was using with you made an entire swarm of butterflies move permanently to your guts, Satoru’s look of disbelief causing Shoko to snort. This was very unlike Geto, he’s never hitting on girls, that was Gojo’s role in the team.

“What? You seriously didn’t know they were like a thing, sort of? You’re ridiculous Gojo, and you dare to call yourself his best friend? Have you not seen the way they look at each other? Even I get it and I don’t give a damn about anybody’s love life.”

“What do you mean a thing?” his eyes were glued to your bashful smile, the way your eyelashes fluttered oh so beautifully for another man, for his brother in arms, his best friend, he didn’t know how to feel about the entire situation, specially not now that he saw the way Suguru returned your smile, honey dripping from it just as it was from yours.

He did have an honest crush on you, he loved how sweet you were and how cute you looked when you were being all shy. He wished you’d smile for him the way you were smiling right now for his friend. And the truth is he didn’t really know you were interested in Geto, not romantically at least, he thought you were just being nice as usual with your seniors, maybe he was just always too busy and failed to notice both of you slipping through his fingers.

Geto had never been interested in dating anyone, that was a known fact, it was just not in his plans for the near future. But having you around made him feel calm, made him forget how desperate he felt, made him feel understood. Your smile could drown his doubts and sorrows, just like your candy could kill the nasty taste of death from his tongue.

Suguru knew Satoru was serious about you, he knew him well after all, but so was he. Satoru didn’t need you the way he did, he was already the strongest, the most wanted dead and alive, the one every woman drool for. He loved his friend, that was never a lie. But he wasn’t willing to share the only ray of light he had in his life with anyone, not even with him.

A possessive hand landed over the one you were resting on his arm as he walked you to the closest cafe to the school, his guard going up almost creating a bubble around you, separating you two from the rest of the world.

To you it felt endearing, to others, Shoko and Satoru included, felt dangerous.

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The night Yu died in your mission, you lost a part of yourself.

Nanami was just as broken, blaming himself for what happened while you just couldn’t stop crying. You knew this could happen at any time, your job was dangerous, and you were still new to the arts of sorcery. But you didn’t expect to lose the center of your team, everyone loved him, even Nanami was nice to him. It was a hard blow for the two of you and the school in general.

What was even more unexpected was the fact that the events had triggered Suguru to commit an atrocious act.

You were all broken, confused, hurt.

Nothing made sense to you anymore.

Not only had you lost your friend and teammate, but the man you loved committed treason and killed a bunch of harmless humans without a documented valid reason to do so.

The news hit you like a train, it had to be a misunderstanding, he’s the kindest man you’ve ever met, you decided not to believe in anyone but Suguru himself, you wouldn’t form an opinion on the matter until you had formally talked to him, he did have a different view on the world, not everyone understands him the way you do.

That night, the window to your room opened from the outside, waking you up from your restless sleep. “S-suguru…?” it was pitch black outside and all you could see was the outline of his hairstyle illuminated by the moon shining on your wall, but you could recognize him with your eyes closed, his scent, his presence, you knew it was him.

“Yeah…can I…?” he walked over to your bed, clearly distraught. Understanding what he wanted you moved to the side, making space for him to join you under your blanket, waiting for him with your arms opened and a warm welcoming smile on your lovely face.

“Is it true…?” he buried his face on your chest at your question, letting you untie his bun and run your fingers through his long hair. You’ve gotten closer over the past few months, yet you weren’t officially a couple, not to others at least. You kept things private, late night secret meetings, stolen kisses behind trees, an unnumbered amount of quiet cuddling sessions in your bedroom when his thoughts claimed the best of him, but this was all just for the two of you, the world didn’t need to witness your relationship to give it any sort of worth or weight, you two were the only ones that mattered in the situation.

“Yeah…I killed them all. They…were torturing these little girls just because they are like us, even had them locked up in a cage like if they were some type of wild animal in a circus…they all deserved death… Didn’t they, baby?” he looked up at you searching your eyes for your approval, he knew in his heart he did the right thing, but a side of him was uncertain if you would cast him aside for his actions and go to Satoru instead.

“Hmm…I trust your judgement. If there was no other choice, I would have saved the girls too. You did great, love.” your soft smile filled his chest with that familiar warmth he grew addicted to, he knew you’d be on his side, there’s just no one like you.

He wanted you, needed you.

Right now.

Always.

“Come with us, babe. The girls don’t have anywhere to go, they’re my family now. I was thinking maybe you could come too? Go away, never look back…Make this world a better place…together….” his head was back on your chest, satisfied with the way his day was going. He didn’t even need to see your face, he knew he would win you over even without trying hard to convince you.

He wasn’t manipulating you, he truly wanted you by his side, wanted you as his queen, as queen of the new world, a world where everyone would be part of his family, where nobody would ever feel lonely again, where he didn’t have to eat more curses, where sorcerers wouldn’t be treated like pests, or worse, like government toys.

“Are you asking me to be the mother of your new daughters, Suguru~?” you giggled, joking around to lighten the mood a bit.

“That’s exactly what I am asking you, yes.” he placed a loving kiss on the middle of your chest bone, his hand rubbing circles onto your hips.

You knew he wasn’t joking; this was serious, but he was now a criminal sentenced to death, Gojo would be sent out for his head. Was that the life you wanted? The life of a criminal on the run?

It wasn’t ideal, but a life without Suguru in it was even worse, he was all you wanted, regardless of the implications of that decision.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go before Gojo-senpai senses you in my room.” the smirk he gave you made heat pool in your stomach; you weren’t really trying to give him any crazy idea…

“Oh, but why? That would be so much fun…shall we make it known to him before we leave, how much you enjoy having me in your room…?” his mind had twisted even more as of recent, his possessiveness growing constantly with every little look Satoru gave your way. The thought of him knowing how much you desire and love each other instigating fire within him.

The night was long.

Satoru did feel his presence, but Suguru wasn’t stupid, he didn’t allow that to happen until you two were about to leave. He wanted him to know about your passionate encounter, he wanted him to realize you had gone with him, that you had chosen him, even if he was now a wanted criminal, a murderer, you still preferred him over Mr.Perfection.

When Satoru arrived at your room it was too late. All your stuff nowhere to be seen, your bed in disarray, the smell of mixed arousals and sweat hitting him right up his nose the moment he got in. He did it on purpose, and he knew it, made it clear for him he had claim you in every possible way, that you were his and his only.

Satoru was the one broken now, he lost his best friend, his teammate, his brother. And he also lost the only girl he’d been genuinely in love with. All in one night, without the chance to fight for any of you.

══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿══

Satoru went after Suguru many times, never being enough of a man to actually kill him, but he hadn’t had the chance to see you after you left.

Suguru kept you and your adoptive daughters safe in his newly acquired secret mansion, gave his queen everything and then some more. His family was a top priority for him, even if it wasn’t the only one.

Though, Satoru knew you’d come out of your hiding place if he dared to touch your man, and so you did.

He had attracted Geto releasing high quality curses within a secure invisible barrier, not even other special grade sorcerers would realize there was one to begin with, knowing he wouldn’t be able to pass on the feast. He knows how you always worried when he overconsumed them, and you would insist to tag along to keep your man in check.

What he didn’t expect to see though was how he consumed curse after curse, after curse, all high grades, with you in his arms. You kissed him deeply while the curses were still mingling inside his mouth, both laughing hysterically as you both indulged the curses as if they were carnal pleasures. A very different picture from the one he had in his head for his sweet innocent love and his best friend.

A grotesque scene, to him that is. To you and Suguru it was nothing but exhilarating and arousing. The taste of death mixed in with your deliciousness, it was addictive, to the both of you. Satoru was about to leave, disappointment sipping within his broken heart, his best friend turned wicked, his cute love lost her mind. That’s when he saw a little girl running towards you, panic almost dragging him to the scene.

“Mama! Are you done now? Mimiko is falling asleep!” Suguru kissed one last bit of curse out of your plush lips before indulging his daughter, quickly getting to them and lifting them both in his arms.

So this is how it was now, there was nothing left to save.

Nothing made Suguru happier than having his very dysfunctional and broken family gathered in his arms. You were all happy, satisfied with your current life.

Yeah, he definitely made the right choice…

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

Masterlist

[melminli]

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿 - 𝟬𝟭

pairing: neuvilette x fem. reader

summery - fontaine was known for being the nation of the element hydro as well as the nation of justice. however, the people were known for their love of gossip. though, sometimes rumors turn out to be true, don't they?

word count: 1.5k

content: lawyer reader, lots of fluff, crack, romance, akward reader + neuvilette

series masterlist

Fontaine. The nation under the supervision of the Hydro Archon as well as the element Hydro itself. With its many waterfalls, wide seas, and many bodies of water, its aquatic space is widely embellished. Of course, this is not a big surprise, and yet the brilliant landscape never ceases to amaze new and old visitors and residents alike.

"Mademoiselle Rivière, please excuse me for disturbing you during your break, but the reports you requested have finally arrived," a soft female voice woke you up.

You slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Even when you just wanted to lean back on the couch in your office for a while, you couldn't seem to get any rest. You had to get to work when it was calling, and it always did. A healthy work-life balance was something unknown to you. "Don't worry, Marie, thank you for your work." You mumbled sleepily and reached for the file your assistant had brought you.

As you went through the pages, she looked at you a little worried. Even after all the years she had known you and worked under you, she couldn't stop frowning at your workaholic lifestyle. "Have you pulled an all-nighter again? How many days have you been here? You haven't forgotten to eat again, have you?"

Your eyes were fixed on the paper so that you could decipher the information inside as quickly as possible. "I'm fine, don't worry, really. I just don't have any time to waste since I have to be at the Opera Epiclese the day after tomorrow, and the defense isn't going to build itself."

Marie just sighed and made a mental note to order something to eat as soon as she left the room. "I'll get you something to drink. Who knows when you last got any time to do that." She said hopelessly and interrupted you before you could interject. "And I'll get water and nothing else!"

You didn't dare to say anything else to that. So, no coffee for me then. Maybe it's better this way. It would be a bit embarrassing to dehydrate in Fontaine. You leaned back in your chair and looked out of the window for a while, just watching the water surrounding the city for a bit. "Maybe I really should take a break. It's been a long time since I've been to the beach..." You continued to think, "...or even just the shore for a bit."

You sighed once and stretched a little to clear your head and get back to work. After all, you still had some preparation to do since Fontaine was not only the land of the element Hydro but also the land of justice. You were confronted with this not only as a citizen of this nation but, above all, as a lawyer. The best in town.

The case you were currently working on was about the unjust firing of your client from the Fonta development team. You had gathered the necessary evidence and testimonies, which was the lesser of two evils. The thing you still weren't really sure about yet...was how you wanted to present your case.

This was the Opera Epiclese we were talking about. Of course, everything was decided by the presentation. Getting the audience on your side was a must because only when you've kept them satisfied with a spectacle can you achieve great success. Simply bringing the truth to light was not enough in this country. Justice and reputation were very closely linked, and in order to keep your face, you not only had to be right, you also had to entertain. This made it possible for the result to have an effect. For making a change in the right direction, which people would remember.

You hated the system. Some days more and some days less since the need to entertain usually meant gossip, which in turn diminished the seriousness needed in court. As a lawyer, you were, of course, part of this, but you know the saying, hate the game and not the player. You did your best to bring justice, and your morals were not related to recognition or anything else. That's all that mattered for now.

Now that I've been thinking about Fonta so much, I feel like drinking it. Maybe Marie will let me have a bottle since there's no caffeine in it.

Quite a while later...

"I'm completely exhausted..." You sighed and could hardly wait to sleep in your own bed again. As much as you love Palais Mermonia, you really should spend less time there and your office. The world always felt so small when you spent so much time in the same four walls, and then as soon as you stepped out of them, the world suddenly seemed bigger than ever.

Though you missed your home, you didn't want to go from one room to the other. That's probably why your feet almost automatically carried you in the direction of Vasari Passage. You loved walking past the many stores and greeted the owners and various other people on your stroll. Your destination, however, was in the middle of the plaza because one of your favorite things to do in the city, was to sit near the fountain and simply watch the endlessly spinning mechanisms of the sphere.

Lost in thought, the scream of a certain nickname confused you greatly at first. "If it isn't the Ice Queen of Court herself! Today must be my lucky day!"

You turned to the voice only to see a certain reporter. She really won't stop calling me that, will she? I noticed that some other people started to do it, too. The cryo vision dangling off your outfit made it sound a bit cliché in your opinion. "Ah, it's you, Mademoiselle Charlotte. I didn't expect to find you here at this hour." You admitted.

She had a big smile on her face. "Well, I did! Rumor has it that you're usually here in the evening, so I sometimes come by when I have time, hoping for a little chat with the most famous lawyer in Fontain." She said without any shame and already had her pen and paper ready. "We never get to see you except in court, and getting appointments is super difficult. So, I thought I'd give this a try."

You couldn't help but smile slightly in disbelief at her efforts. "I see. So you switched to stalking after you ran out of your more professional resources."

"Guilty!" She exclaimed, and you raised an eyebrow at the circumstances. When Charlotte realized the context of the situation, she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I'm just kidding! Please don't get me wrong, I would never resort to foul means for my work, really!" She suddenly clarified very nervously.

You reassured her. "I'm always up for a bit of humor, and I would also say that we're not complete strangers, so it's not a problem." You assured her. "But I would advise you to be a little more careful with the way you get people excited about your work. You might scare off some of the gentler people."

Stars formed in her eyes as you offered her your advice. I'm not a stranger in her eyes? That almost makes us friends then! "As you'd expect, the best lawyer always knows exactly what to say! Very impressive, I'll take note of that." She said in a good mood. "To get to the point, I was wondering if you could give me some news about your next court case!"

An apologetic expression came over your face. "I fear I can't, Mademoiselle Charlotte. I don't share any information regarding my ongoing cases. Keeping statements concerning my clients strictly to myself is very important to me." You replied and could see from her expression that she wasn't too disappointed. She had probably already anticipated this answer from you.

"What a shame, but of course, understandable." She expressed with a cheerful spirit. "Then perhaps you could comment on the new rumors about you?" She asked you intently as she leaned a little closer to you, finally revealing the true reason for her interest.

More rumors? You were aware of how talkative the people of Fontaine were, but you didn't realize that they were the same when it came to you. "What kind of rumor would you like me to address?" You asked a little curiously yourself.

"Well, the rumors about a secret romance with you and our Iudex, Monsieur Neuvilette, of course!"

You were rarely completely blown away by anything, but this? That was the first time you ever heard anything like that. It sounded even more absurd than the thought alone. People - people are talking about me and Monsieur Neuvilette...?

To Be Continued...

[mochinomnoms]

Out of all of twisted wonderland and the magic and stuff Rook really is the one i cant wrap my head around, after reading his backstory of how he ended up in pomefiore (which is pretty well … Rook) I just really want to peek more into his brain and backstory especially his family. There’s so many different directions that his family could be like, secret agents , zoologists, monster hunters (or some twisted wonderland equivalent), or maybe just a pretty normal loving traveling family with a very eccentric son (or plot twist Rook is considered the least eccentric). (PS I can totally see a curve ball being thrown that Rook indeed doesnt have a French accent and just fakes it)

-🧀

I want his accent to be fake so bad you don't even know!!!! Do you even know how funny it would be? How ridiculous it would be? They won't tho, they'll keep Rook french and I'll have to suffer with that...

But I also think it would be really really funny if Rook's family was a bunch of relatively normal people who love and support their eccentric son. I think that they have to have some well paying jobs, as they own several villas in different countries. And those villas are very nice based on the beginning of chapter 6. I think that the most likely case, with them owning several homes and estates, they are probably real estate agents/real estate developers! I hate landlords, but I suppose they still have to exist in some capacity in TWST lol. I think this works well with them being very wealthy and owning several properties, but one of his parents could also be heirs like Kalim, but maybe on a lesser scale.

I'd be interested to hear what everyone else thinks, since Rook canonically does not like talking about himself and is actually private regarding his personal life. Maybe that's for a reason?

[blughxreader]

I don't know if you've answered this or not, but in the Purge au, how would the batfam react to reader not being in the country during the purge? Like, say, they left for week so they weren't there during the Purge.

...or is this Yandere hunt a global event? In which case... good luck to them 😂

I think the Purges vary between countries!

In this AU, there are three very distinct classes of people, with lots of movement between the classes: Yandere, Darling, and regular people. Humans are more animalistic and adhere to their more basic urges, especially yanderes.

The Purge was started so that Yanderes could have a legal reason to take their darlings, which resulted in an overall reduction in crime and Darling murder/suicide (due to strict rules protecting Darlings in captivity).

Some developed countries use the Purge, while others don't / use variations of it. Lesser developed countries allow Yanderes and Darlings free reign, sort of like a natural pecking order.

That said, if you were in a different country during the Purge, then Batfam would find ways to lure you out/outright kidnap you if its legal.

It's definitely within Bruce and Tim's abilities to take the phone of your family/friends and beg you to return because of an emergency (using text and text-to-voice bots using someone's voice.)

I can also see them staging a human trafficking kidnapping and then "saving" you, before escorting you to a country where its legal to kidnap you.

There's not an obstacle in this world that could keep them from bringing you home on Purge day, so look out! <3

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

I just want to clarify that I've read your posts and your answers to questions and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of the situation, my reblog is only meant to bring more information into the dialogue and point out the racism and microaggressions taking place while using your animal conservation as a shield.

I realized once I posted my reblog it may seem like I am targeting you specifically I am not, as screenshotting the amount of discrimination I have been weeding through ever since this post has enraged me as someone from a "lesser developed country" myself.

I wish you well in your endeavors, and I'm sorry your well intended message is being hijacked by racists.

Hi thank you for reaching out! Looking back I would definitely have re-wrote that post and definitely do some more research before posting it.

I do see some really nice habitats there too and I know that there is a genuine care for the animals despite the questionable handling - I didn't want to imply that the reason for the poor handling was purely because of country, poor welfare happens regardless of country, even with animal welfare laws in place.

Sub cultures and cultures with the zoo itself are usually what I've found to be the most detrimental to welfare. When I was brought in to help improve welfare and training for marine mammals in two different facilities - one in the Pacific Islands and another in a "western" modern facility - both places had their own major issues with lack of education/up to date knowledge, relience on outdated practises and cliques that formed as a front against any attempt to change things.

This was quite surprising to me considering the company I worked for in the western facility definitely had the resources and the money but had simply gotten stagnant and stuck in the "this is how we always do it."

The facility in the Pacific stagnated because of the culture too - but lack of resources and consistent funding was a huge factor in attempting to improve things (I had to buy enrichment for the animals out of my own pocket so that was fun lol)

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that the post was never suppoed to be implicating the fact that the zoo was in Thailand for the reason for poor handling.

And, you can see on my blog, I have been singing the praises of multiple facilities in Asia. I'm highly critical of any intense handling of exotic animals, especially in the US. When autonomy and the ability to leave the interaction is taken away for an animal, the interaction is more likely to become dangerous or cause stress to the animal.

But anyway I appreciate you letting me know your thoughts and I do not support any of the people leaving any sort of racist generalisation about South East Asia on that post. Especially because it is tourists coming in from western countries that are some of the biggest drivers for animal welfare issues in Thailand - such as the Tiger Temple.

If westerners were truly so "englightened" on animal welfare, there would be no profit gained from tourists participating in unethical animal experiences. But its not exactly shocking to see this, especially from Americans, who also actively participate in exploitation of exotic animals in their own country (the exotic pet trade is a nightmare there).

Anyway culture and people are complex and so are perceptions of animal welfare - thank you again for sharing your thoughts!

[crazysodomite]

when people add -stan to names of countries to imply them being less developed/lesser. you need to die like actually

[ginnyrules27]

Look, I know right now it's probably annoying to deal with all these posts about American politics if you're not an American, but I have to say this to any and all of my American followers.

Vote. VOTE. If you are 18 or older, unless you are in a motherfucking coma or worse, VOTE!

Following the recent SCOTUS decision, it's crucial to acknowledge that a Trump re-election could seriously jeopardize the return of our democracy. With the potential for a national abortion ban and a rollback of hard-fought rights and protections, the stakes are incredibly high. We cannot afford to overlook the possibility of Trump appointing replacements for justices Alito and Thomas, both in their late 70s.

'Oh but Biden didn't cancel my student loan debt despite canceling others-' and do you think a Trump White House will do anything for student loan relief?

'Under Biden, we lost Roe' -Do I even need to explain that it was the Trump justices who gave the conservatives the power to attack the established law of Roe with unparalleled audacity?

Listen, people need to remember this: Biden's international policies may be criticized, but let's not forget that Trump admitted on national television that Putin informed him about the invasion of Ukraine before it even happened. Ukraine took place in 2022, and remember, Trump was out of office in 2021!

'Oh but they started developing a vaccine for COVID under Trump and Biden's just taking the credit-' Biden wasn't the one who defunded the department of the CDC that Obama set up after the Ebola crisis to prevent a pandemic from happening in the US. And Biden wasn't the one who told the American people to drink bleach to prevent themselves from getting COVID.

Progressives, listen up! Some of you are thinking of voting for Stein, but I need you to hear me out. If fewer people had voted for Gore over Nader or for Hillary over Stein, we wouldn't be in this mess. Progress is not always straightforward, but do you really think we'll be closer to a progressive movement if we let Trump regain power?

Biden's age is a fact that can't be argued against. Born in '42, he belongs to the Silent Generation, not the boomer generation. Trump, born in '46, is a boomer. Despite his age, Biden still garnered a significant number of votes in 2020, with 81 million people seemingly unconcerned about his age. Until we address the need to raise millions of dollars to run for president, we shouldn't expect to see many younger faces in politics.

This isn't a 'pick the lesser of two evils' scenario. This is a 'if I want change to be possible, I need to elect the team who will make change possible' scenario.

To the millennials and Gen Zs on this site: We often complain about the ways in which boomers have negatively impacted future generations by neglecting pensions and allowing the cost of living to rise while wages remain stagnant. If we eventually have children, do we want them to believe that previous generations had the opportunity to prevent a worst-case scenario but didn't take action because of personal preferences?

Last thing because this post is getting far too long, in 2017, white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. After it happened, Trump made a speech where he stated there were 'very fine people' on both sides. I can't believe I have to say this but please let's not allow the man who said that and then tried to gaslight the country that he didn't say that even though there's video of it!

[fanellifest]

Who Was Joe Fanelli?

The Joe-verview

Joe Fanelli (c. April 12, 1954 – June 3, 1993) was an American from Franklin, Massachusetts; an ex-boyfriend of Freddie’s; later, his very dear friend; later still, his nurse/caregiver.

Joe and Freddie met in 1978, and their relationship lasted until they broke up some time in 1979. Afterwards, Joe continued to live in the UK—working as a professional chef in several London restaurants, including September and Provan’s—with his residency arrangements as a non-UK Citizen (likely via a work visa) being secured in effort by Freddie himself.

Likely stemming from the stressful nature of his relationship with Freddie—which included uprooting his entire life to a foreign country—and also the prevalence of drinking in the culture of professional chefs, Joe developed an alcohol dependency as a coping mechanism. According to Peter Freestone, by the time Joe had been hired full time to reside in Garden Lodge in 1985, he had gotten sober and sought new solace in regularly going to the gym. He also was “a dedicated vegan” as written by Brian in Queen in 3-D.

Consider this the Hot Girl Comeback that follows the Bad Bitch Fumble.

In addition to his professional culinary training and workout habits, Joe also found a hobby in computers, teaching himself how they worked, how to write programs (including coding a version of Countdown which could be played at home), and familiarizing himself with the internet during his efforts to research HIV/AIDS information.

Said research was of particular importance as Joe, along with Peter Freestone, became one of Freddie’s caregivers all the while dealing with his own HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

With regards to personality, Joe is described by Peter Freestone as “highly intelligent,” having “a positive nature,” and “prepared to argue anything, stand up for whatever.” Jim Hutton wrote in Mercury and Me that Joe had “a cautious approach to people and life,” and recalled the following event which possibly provides insight to the dynamics of Freddie and Joe’s working relationship/friendship, and definitely gets a laugh:

Joe was standing by the sink in the kitchen and Freddie was sitting at the table looking very stern. ‘And you’re fired, too!’ Freddie snapped at me. ‘Pardon?’ I said. ‘You can’t sack Jim,’ Joe told Freddie with a gloriously smug expression. ‘Why not?’ he snapped. ‘Because he doesn’t work for you!’ he said. ‘Oh, no he doesn’t, does he?’ Freddie replied.

There are several anecdotes about or involving Joe in many of the published memoirs written by those close to Freddie, and we’ll hopefully be able to share some of those here soon.

More in-depth posts about many of these topics—Joe’s relationship with Freddie, his job with Queen on tour, his role at Garden Lodge—will be coming with more specifics!

It says a lot regarding Joe’s character, about the type of person he was, to make several life changes and to also reconnect with an ex after a less-than-ideal falling out, repairing a friendship that lasted the remainder of their lives. As one of the lesser-known people in Freddie’s orbit, we hope this post helped you get to know Joe Fanelli a bit better.

What is remembered lives.

[nomhano]

Hinata is so underwritten/develop rant

Hinata is often described as kind, gentle, and compassionate. She dislikes competition and conflict, and although she becomes more "shinobi-like" in Shippuden, her care for her friends and comrades remains constant (Third Naruto Databook). According to the First Naruto Databook, "Although she is the heir to the renowned Hyuga Main House, she is full of compassion and dislikes competition and fighting: such is Hinata’s personality." She is also referred to as "The kind and gentle dancing fighter with feelings for Naruto" (First Naruto Databook). While these traits are admirable, they are not typical of a shinobi. In the Land of Waves arc, we learn that becoming a shinobi requires following strict rules in the field, where emotions must be suppressed to prevent them from interfering with the mission. The shinobi's primary duty is to be a tool for their village and country, even if that means sacrificing personal relationships or friends. Naruto, however, rejects this traditional idea of a shinobi and vows to follow his own nindo, or ninja way. Hinata, deeply inspired by Naruto, adopts his nindo of "never giving up" and "never going back on your word," hoping to grow stronger and more assertive. However, her adoption of this nindo seems more rooted in her own internal struggles than in a desire to become a shinobi.

During the Chunin Exams, it’s revealed that Hinata feels trapped by the immense expectations placed on her as a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan. She battles low self-confidence and feels inferior to her younger sister, Hanabi, who is more skilled in the Gentle Fist technique. Hinata resents her inability to be assertive, a quality she wishes she could change. Her father, Hiashi, essentially gave up on her, favoring Hanabi and showing little concern if Hinata were to die on a mission. As the First Naruto Databook states, "It can be said that Hiashi possesses an even callous strictness concerning the protection of the Hyuga’s dignity, and so he completely abandoned Hinata, who was of lesser ability, and gave thorough training to her younger sister, Hanabi." Additionally, "Currently, her father has given up on her, and she is assigned to difficult missions as a Genin. Even being in that dire situation hasn’t broken her; she hasn’t lost that kindness of hers, and that’s because Naruto was there, inside her heart. And now, Hinata is strengthening herself, soundly and steadily" (First Naruto Databook). Hiashi’s harsh motto, as described in the First Databook, is: "No place for the weak."

This motto only adds to Hinata’s struggles: "Shackled by the strict laws of the Hyuga clan, and further weakened by her inferiority complex towards her younger sister, Hinata is always seeking strength and power. Hinata is never assertive about anything, something she tends to hate about herself" (First Naruto Databook). She admires Naruto so much because he’s the exact opposite of her. Naruto is overflowing with strength, courage, and self-confidence, qualities Hinata aspires to have. She wants to become like him, which is why she applies for the Chunin Exams—to prove that she too can become strong, just like Naruto. Though she dislikes conflict, she fights fiercely against Neji, driven by her desire to change herself.

From my perspective, Hinata’s desire for strength seems more introspective than driven by the need to defeat enemies or gain glory. For her, strength is a path toward self-confidence, self-worth, and faith in herself, rather than a tool for combat. This raises the question: did Hinata truly want to become a shinobi? While I love seeing her in action, being a shinobi doesn’t seem to fully align with her character.

Being a shinobi isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In this line of work, one may have to take another's life. It’s not entirely improbable that Hinata, despite her gentle nature, would face a situation where she had no choice but to kill in order to protect herself or her comrades. As a member of the Hyuga main branch, Hinata possesses the Byakugan, a highly sought-after dojutsu, which could easily place her in dangerous situations. Given the harsh realities of being a kunoichi, it’s difficult to believe she never took a life throughout her career.

For someone like Hinata, who values kindness and compassion so deeply, how must she have felt in those moments? The emotional toll of taking a life, especially for someone with her personality, would likely be profound and deeply conflicted. I can only wonder how she reconciled that with the path she chose.

It would have been fascinating if Hinata's story had explored the darker aspects of the shinobi system, where children are forced to become soldiers for their village. Given the weight of her clan’s expectations, Hinata had little choice but to follow the path of a shinobi. Perhaps she secretly yearned for a normal life—one free from the constant weight of clan politics, her obligations as the firstborn of the head of the clan, and the pressure to earn her father’s approval. She might have longed for the simple joys of friendship, acceptance, and genuine love from her family. I personally like this idea because it connects back to Kishimoto's original concept for Hinata as a regular city girl, which I just find cute haha. In this idea, Hinata doesn’t walk the path of the shinobi. I don’t think it’s impossible for her to walk the path of a shinobi, but her motivations for doing it will have to change.

I believe Hinata is the type of person who fights primarily to protect her loved ones. However, being a shinobi often means fighting not just for those closest to you, but for your entire village and country. While protecting your village may include safeguarding your loved ones, the broader duty of defending your nation extends beyond them. Hinata's kindness and compassion seem to be what drive her as a shinobi—her desire to protect her comrades, family, and others around her. Growing up feeling unwanted likely fuels this need to protect. As someone who was overlooked and abandoned by her own father, being able to feel needed by others may have given her a sense of purpose as a shinobi. But I still wonder how Hinata will feel if killing someone is a means to protect the one she loves. How would she process the emotions of taking someone's life?

I guess what I want to know is what you think about all this? What path would be more interesting to explore with Hinata’s character?Anyways, thank you for reading this long rant about a side character I have a bit of an unhealthy hyper fixation for lol. 💜

[insertdisc5]

The tumblr q&a is over, but I was curious! I love all the different phrases the characters in isat/sasasa:p use--If it's something you can say, where did inspiration for "gems alive" and other phrases come from?

THANK YOU FOR ASKING BECAUSE I GET TO TALK ABOUT WORLDBUILDING AND SWEAR WORDS AND BRANDON SANDERSON

long post ahead

ok so when I was figuring out the world, I found this lecture on worldbuilding by Brandon Sanderson (go watch it, and also go read his books), and (im gonna paraphrase heavily here) one thing he mentioned is that, to make a memorable world, one thing you can do is pick a couple areas of culture, and go real deep with it. So like, pick fashion, and architecture, and interior design, and develop those a bunch, and bam! you convinced people you have a whole dang world, even though you only developed 3 areas of this world. hollow iceberg everyone thinks is a real iceberg.

he also mentioned the idea of like... getting weird with it? and develop based on a weird detail? for example, in his book The Stormlight Archives, one detail is that women have to hide their left hand at all times. ok, so what does that mean, whats taboo about a left hand? is the left hand shameful, or lewd somehow, the same way ankles were for us? what about fashion, what does women's fashion look like? and how do you live your every day life, knowing you can't show this hand, can you carry things the same way? etc

SO, for me, one of the Big Worldbuilding pillars i picked was, uh, swear words lol. or language and common expressions, more generally. i went on a whole journey where i was like... ok swear words in a LOT of languages (including french and english, both languages i speak fluently) are either sexual, or about gross bodily discharges. you know what words i mean!!!!!

and, well, i also didnt want the game to be full of those words, mostly because i think its a tightrope to use those words without seeming cringe, and also because i have a Core Memory of showing a comic to a colleague and she said "well i wouldve liked to show it to my kids, but you said fuck 12 times in there" and i didnt show my face to her for a week. family friendly family friendly family friendly

so what swear words should my characters use, that arent the same ones we use? and could those swear words actually tell us something about the world they live in? could i actually use those swear words... to show the characters come from different cultures???

and what COULD swear words be like, if theyre not about sex or body stuff? well irl they're usually about religions or belief. "oh god", "goddamnit", etc. as a sidenote, stuff like "oh my god" or "geez" arent used, because jesus christ is not canon to the ISAT universe. alright

i decided very early on i wouldnt have those in the game either, but i COULD have them be about the religions specific to this world. and for insults, i could have them be about stuff those beliefs would see as lesser.

anyway instead of talking about "gems alive" lets talk about "crab"

isabeau+mirabelle+bonnie use "crab" as a swear word because they follow a religion all around change, bettering yourself, evolving, and, the crab meme,

for those who dont get the joke, its about carcinisation, and about how a bunch of non-crab-like forms somehow evolved to a crab-like form. which would be horrible, for a religion all based around change!!! you mean we change and evolve, but theres a chance we might all become crabs??? CRAB!!!!!!!

anyway having "crab" kinda reads as 1. swear word 2. thats funny and weird (sets the tone) 3. tells you they know what crabs are (world not that different from ours, AND means they live close-ish to the coast, aka not land locked) and 4. crabs are somehow hated/feared, even if as the player you dont get why, it shows this country has its own culture (even if you dont get the crabs joke, which uuuh apparently doesnt work as well in countries that dont have this specific meme. WHATEVER!!!!)

(a few people came to me saying "heh, i get it, because crab and crap are very similar words" and um actually i did not think about that. crab is just a funny word on its own, and also i am a comedy genius without even trying)

anyway tldr: swear words as a worldbuilding tool. soon in theaters

[pricechecktranslations]

Hi so is it okay to read novels and start from lust arc, then gluttony arc ect. Instead of reading pride arc novels first? Because my friend wants to read the novels but the time line is confusing for her and I know know in which order I should tell her to read the novels because I don't want her to get even more confused than she already is.

It's "okay" in the sense that this is a fictional series meant to be enjoyed casually and no one should be shamed about their choices regarding how they consume it (even if I do think it leads to a lesser reading experience), but if your intention is specifically to make the series less confusing then I personally think you're going about it the wrong way.

Issues with the timeline aside, Evillious as a series has a lot of concepts and worldbuilding to learn. Who certain characters are, how magic works, how demons work, the nature of the world, its countries, etc. The Daughter of Evil series (the Pride novels) introduces these concepts gradually. The plot of Cloture of Yellow can be easily described as "Fantasy French Revolution with some magic elements on the side"; the demons are barely even mentioned in them. It's mostly a political and character drama. Wiegenlied of Green, being an alternate perspective of Cloture, is able to explore more of the worldbuilding and fantasy concepts while still having the familiar setting and characters (and mostly being a romance, besides). Praeludium and Praefacio are then able to take the same setting and characters in a new direction that introduces yet more mechanics and character development for the bigger players in Evillious overall (like Elluka and Irina, the demons, etc).

The Lust novel then assumes you are already familiar with these concepts and just drops you immediately into how HER works, demonic contracts, etc.

To put it another way--the Pride novels prime you for the rest of Evillious. You build upon the foundation of your knowledge as you go. Like, I'm not going to judge someone who skips them because they find them boring or just aren't interested but I personally don't find "this book is a prequel to X" to be so difficult a concept that it's worth going out of order.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Hot take—I was looking back at Appendix A again, and Gondor really hit the ally lottery with the Northmen/Rohirrim because I’m not sure I would have put up with Gondor early on if I was a Northman myself. The whole relationship between the two kingdoms only started because Gondor was looking for a buffer between themselves and the Easterlings (“hey, let’s use these blonde guys as a human shield for our own protection!”). Then when individual Northmen distinguished themselves and got a foothold in Gondorian society, the “high men” (ugh) of Gondor “looked askance” at them as a “lesser and alien race” (double ugh). And when King Valacar of Gondor married the daughter of the Northman King Vidugavia, the Gondorians FOUGHT A CIVIL WAR rather than willingly accept Valacar’s totally legitimate half-Northman son and heir as their leader. Just exhausting.

Relationships between countries are never uncomplicated, and some people in Gondor were always accepting and respectful of the Northmen. And over time, Gondor as a whole proved itself as useful and loyal to the Northmen/Rohan as the reverse. The alliance between the two is so incredible in its fully developed form, and Gondor and Rohan as little best buddy nations are so sweet. But how lucky that Vidugavia’s people didn’t watch that civil war way back in the Second Age and just think to themselves, “to hell with this.”*

* I say this as a citizen of a country that is frequently an overbearing bully to its own best buddy nations (Sorry, Canada! Every American loves you!), and I’m constantly grateful that they haven’t all just decided to write us off for good!

[manawari]

SL characters as movie stars AU!

Sung Jin-woo

has been acting since he was a teenager. Though, he only gets lesser roles until he grows in the acting industry, thus earning the "glow up" as well the more he takes on roles. By the time he's in his twenties, Jin-woo receives lead roles and has never left ever since due to the impact of his performance that is hard to be seen as a supporting character. His movies range from drama, adventure, and action — though, he spend most of his time in the action genre. Jin-woo does his own stunts as he does martial arts and working out as his hobbies. Whenever he gets partnered up with someone, dating rumors always spark up, so he tends to avoid having a partner for the sake of protecting his zone. He improvises some of his lines and is very professional.

Cha Hae-in

a former athlete to one of the country's biggest stars. Due to her sweetheart persona, she often gets roles in soap operas, dramas, and romance, though she wants to take on the action genre to hone her skills. Her management got her stunt doubles, much to her dismay, until they trusted her enough to do her own stunts. Hae-in's skills are very realistic that every time she cries in her scenes, several of the production cry as well, thus allowing her to earn many awards. She gets along with her co-workers and is even said to be that some of her leading men develop a crush on her. However, she has not dated at least one of them, even outside her career, as she chooses to focus on her job.

Woo Jin-chul

a star who has been featured in international movies, hence becoming a multilingual because of his passion in learning new languages before his departure from South Korea. He is usually stern, but is very friendly to his co-workers, as well as his fans. Jin-chul takes on both protagonist and antagonist roles, although he secretly likes his villain roles more than his hero ones. He does his own stunts and is skillful with holding guns.

Choi Jong-in

most of his roles are those wherein he's the son of a millionaire or just a rich person who owns a big company. He hardly gets main roles, but the impact in his performances even as a supporting character are what made him prominent in the industry. Jong-in also has roles where he's an antagonist, which his fans prefer more; it is also said that some of his castmates or co-workers feel quite intimidated by him.

Baek Yoon-ho

a prominent action star who does his own stunts. Not once he has appeared in movies that are anything but action. Despite being in his twenties, Yoon-ho receive roles where he is a single father who will do anything to protect his family, thus capturing the hearts of the young actors and actresses he works with. He also helps his castmates in training for fighting scenes, thus forming a bond with them as well. Yoon-ho has his own charity that he donates a sufficient amount of money in for helping tigers and other wild animals.

Lee Ju-hee

one of the industry's dearest sweethearts. Her movies are mostly in the slice of life genre, specifically romance. Regardless of what she believes, Ju-hee never fails to create chemistry with the ones she works with, especially to those who have partnered up with her. She receives both main and supporting roles. Lee Ju-hee may have appeared in horror and action films, but she prefers to stay in the slice of life genre despite not minding to step out of her comfort zone.

Lim Tae-gyu

a actor whose roles are primarily supporting, yet has many main roles as well. His skill ranges from drama, comedy, and action. Tae-gyu mostly does his own stunts, always allotting his time in training once he receives the script. He's charismatic, yet isn't necessarily great when it comes to romantic chemistry because of the vibe he frequently gives out. He's friends with many famous stars such as Baek Yoon-ho, Choi Jong-in, Ma Dong-wook, Min Byung-gyu, Sung Jin-woo, and Cha Hae-in, and has revealed of his wish of being able to be in the same film as them together.

Min Byung-gyu

an actor who has shown up in various genres. When it comes to slice of life, Byung-gyu mostly gets leading roles, and sometimes, he gets the "second male lead" roles, which brings more impact to the viewers. But as for other genres like action and horror, Byung-gyu takes on supporting roles; he is one of the actors who has a stunt double and still gets to do certain stunts depending on his capability. And when it comes to the historical genre, that is when Byung-gyu gets most excited and believes he does his roles better in period dramas than the rest, partly because he is a big fan of historical dramas which he views his other roles differently. Byung-gyu is great at improvising his lines that the director only has to tell him the background of the scene and Byung-gyu knows what to do next, which somehow makes some actors feel challenged as they are not sure if they can go along with Byung-gyu's improvised lines. But, Byung-gyu always does his best to help his co-stars and not make them feel pressured.

Eun-seok

one of the country's lesser known actors who is known for getting background roles. Eun-seok hardly appears in films, yet is friends with a lot of big stars in the industry. The reason being that he got severely injured in set once, which has scarred him and chose to no longer show up in filming unless he feels like doing so.

Yoo Jin-ho

a supporting actor who is well-known for being Sung Jin-woo's "sidekick" as he had been acting alongside him for years. Yoo Jin-ho specializes in roles that are comedic relief — he doesn't mind it since that means he doesn't have a lot of lines to memorize. Despite being an actor himself, Jin-ho is not afraid to unleash his inner "fanboy" when it comes to expressing his support in actors and actresses he admires.

Park Hee-jin

an actress who is known for her background or supporting roles. Hee-jin excels from soap operas to action movies. Her roles are usually helping the main character and defending them from the antagonist(s).

Ma Dong-wook

a versatile actor in his fifties who has different roles in various genres, whether it be a father or someone the main characters seek help from. He shares his experiences to his fellow stars as his way of helping them in filming and has a lot of actors/actresses wishing to act in the same movie as him; not because of his talent, but also his kind nature that he treats everyone younger than him as his children.

Liu Zhigang

China's rising action star. A likeable and charming actor whose roles are both protagonist and antagonist. Zhigang does his own stunts and likes to go to the extreme where no editing shall be involved. He's one of the faces in the industry whose management cannot simply allow to be part of a film unless the paycheck is immense and does not tarnish Zhigang's talent. In every film he is in, it receives many awards that reach up to internationals. Zhigang has acted in international films, which makes him fluent in English after being casted alongside stars in different countries.

Thomas Andre

a powerful actor in the USA who is popular for his antagonistic roles. Thomas enjoys playing the bad guy. And what makes him likeable is that he donates half of his money to charities and has his own foundation for children with special needs and disabilities. He is funny and tends to joke around in set, along in conventions where he gets to communicate with fans and gives them the best time in their lives.

Laura

an actress who excels most in the action genre. She films her scenes effortlessly and smoothly without needing a second take. Laura learns martial arts off-screen and knows how to hold a gun; she is also sassy and has the kind of humor that makes her co-stars adore working with her despite her stern and cold demeanor.

Goto Ryuji

a versatile actor in Japan who appears in dramas and action. His roles are mostly in the villain side, which what makes him intimidating to other actors. Goto prefers to work with those who are professional and hardly messes up more than twice otherwise he thinks they are wasting his time. However, he is usually gently to those who are younger and new to the acting industry, he looks out for them and won't hesitate to scold the production if the first time actors ever get hurt in set.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you think they should have made Colt a good father to Felix? Or are you fine with him being a bad father?

I don't think that Colt should have been anything. He died off screen before we even met Felix and Felix is a minor character. Why is he getting more backstory development than Kagami when Tomoe is alive and actively involved in the plot? Wouldn't it have been far more interesting if the play was her story?

But if we must include the mustachioed cowboy man, then I would make him a good father or, at the very least, a mediocre one. I'd do this for reasons that have nothing to do with me wanting Felix to have a happy childhood. I'm fine with him having a tragic past! The problem is that this is a story and, in terms of story telling, there is no reason to give him a tragic past. It adds nothing to the story. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that it detracts from the story, but we'll get to that in a minute. First let's go over why it's a pointless addition.

In his titular episode, Felix is a brat who tries to destroy Adrien's life. Those actions actually made more sense when we thought that Felix loved Colt and was acting out over Adrien not coming to Colt's funeral. Now that we know the full story, we're left asking, "Okay, so, why did Felix do any of that?" And don't say that it was to help him get the ring because it didn't help him get the ring. He got it from hugging his uncle and there were far simpler ways to get a hug.

And why did Felix even want the ring? That has yet to be explained because, in Strikeback, he was planning to go out of the country as "Adrien" without ever offering to exchange the ring. He simply stole the fake peacock and got out of dodge. He had no possible way to know that Ladybug would come to him for help, allowing him to offer up the miraculous and use the ring to sweeten the pot. I also don't believe for one second that he needed to sweeten the pot. He could have offered up the miraculous and nothing else and Gabriel would have gone for it. So once again, what was the plan with the ring, Felix? What was the plan?

While we're on the topic of Felix getting the peacock, Colt being abusive adds nothing to that plot either. Whoever has the peacock can snap any sentimonster out of existence. Felix could have the best damn childhood on the planet and it would still make perfect sense for him to want the peacock!

The only reason to make Colt abusive is if you want to explore that and use it to develop Felix's character, but I have absolutely no faith that they're going to do that. Colt is the Jagged Stone nonsense all over again. They're introducing a very serious issue that would dramatically affect the psyche of most people and then acting like it's no big deal. I think I saw someone say that Colt was only introduced to shut up the people calling Gabriel and Emilie abusive by showing us "real" child abuse as if abuse was an Olympic sport and you need to qualify for the team. I'd buy that theory, but I wouldn't bet money on it.

Even if I'm wrong and they are going to explore Felix's trauma, I still think it's a bad move. There's a thing called compassion fatigue. It's commonly experienced by health care workers who deal with traumatic cases day in and day out, resulting in thing like the inability to feel compassion for your patients because your compassion meter has been rung dry. You can experience a lesser form of this just from watching the news. Story after story of people in need to the point that you're desensitization to these events evoking horror or sorrow.

When you're telling a story, you need to keep this phenomena in mind and be very careful when introducing multiple sources of trauma. The more trauma you introduce and the quicker you introduce it, the less impactful that trauma will be for your readers. If you're a good writer, then it will also be less impactful for your characters. Allow me to explain with a quick example.

I had a brief Marvel phase and, while I never wrote anything for that fandom, I made up a few stories in my head. A lot of them revolved around my favorite character, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). Tony becomes Iron Man after being kidnapped by terrorists and I love confessions of traumatic backstories, so I was working out how to do one for him and the Avengers to help bond the team. Then I realized that his teammates are all orphans and that the majority of them were raised in poverty. Most of them have also gone through scientific experimentation of some sort and not all of it was voluntary. In other words, in the world of the Avengers, Tony's trauma isn't really special. His team might sympathize with him, but they wouldn't be deeply impacted by his story the way I wanted them to be because most of them have gone through equal or worse trauma.

Circling back to Miraculous: they keep heaping trauma on these kids and it's a terrible move. When Adrien was the only character with a messed up home life, things were interesting.

Now? Well, this is the current list of characters with a messed up home life: Kagami, Zoe, Chloe, Adrien, Felix, Luka, Juleka, and probably Lila. Add in Rose's serious illness, Mylene's mother abandoning her, and Marinette's traumatic past dealing with a straight up hate campaign on top of all the trauma introduced over the course of canon and I just don't care anymore. I am drained dry. They have introduced way too many serious elements without exploring any of them in depth and that is a massive writing faux pas.

Generally speaking, when telling stories, you should default your characters to whatever a happy home life is in their universe unless you're going to do something with the non-happy home life. Non-happy home lives complicate stories and you don't want to introduce a complication if you're never going to explore it. This is why I think that Colt should have been at least a decent parent. It's also why you'll see me say that Emilie should be at least a semi decent parent even though canon has made that option impossible unless you ignore a lot of the unpleasant implications found in Adrien's backstory.

While I love evil villain couples, Emilie is in a coma, so she can't be Gabriel's co-conspirator and I personally have no interest in her waking up to start a new villain arc. When she wakes up (or finally dies), the Agreste's story is over and so she basically has to be nonthreatening for that ending to work. It also circles back to the issue of keeping the trauma tight and focused so that the trauma you do include really pops!

Reminder that the above is a discussion of story telling, not a commentary on what makes real people interesting or the commonality of home life issues. There's also nuance I didn't get into because this was already really long. Writing trauma well is a really fascinating and complex topic.