#lots of sorta existential discourse in this

[mxtxfanatic]

Book of the Week: Replacing the Evil Way

Author: Cat Tea Beaver (猫茶海狸)

Genre: sci-fi, modern setting, murder mystery, danmei

Rating: T (though there is a few places of implied sex)

My Synopsis: Two cops in parallel universes investigate each other's murders in their own universes. Alternatively: everyone is in love with He Wei, a source of both much help and hindrance. Also, they were roommates.

My Review: If you enjoy stories like Mist and Time-Limited Hunt, then this should fit right up your alley. Imma be honest, I think the author was feeling themselves a little too much with those crime investigation science details (listen, I am not smart in non-physics sciences, y'all) but I at least eventually got the hang of the time stuff and the science details drops off after a moment. There are also a lot of characters on both ends, but I'm personally bad with names. If you are like me, remembering one or two people to ground you is helpful. The comedy with the character interactions—particularly the main couple first navigating thinking they're being "haunted" is great—but then later on when the suspense starts taking over, I think the author did a good job in making the readers feel just as paranoid as He Wei. (Tbf tho, I was right about just about everyone I thought was sketch 😌) I have a few content warnings for the novel: there's genre-typical violence and death, (attempted coerced) incest, and homophobia from family (in the extras but gets resolved) but I think the most landmine section is a serial murder involving an intersex woman (cis, XY chromosomes) murderer. The narration does in fact make it clear she is intersex, but the characters who do not have this insight originally assume she is trans, and the words used to describe her as trans go from neutral to fetishistic (the story does not make comedy out of this, so idk if this was a translator choice or there are multiple different words used).

The translation... could be better. It's not that there are simple grammar or spelling mistakes that may jar you but are easily dismissable, but moreso that the type of grammar mistakes that happen can throw off your understanding of what's happening. In a novel with alternate versions of characters intersecting and interacting, changing a pronoun from "he" to "they" makes a huge difference!!!! Somehow, this is the most common error that happens, so sometimes I have to read paragraphs multiple times to understand what is actually happening and who all is present. (Also at one point, the cat "barked"...) It also doesn't help that there is no distinguishing when the narrative switches between universes mid-chapter until a character appears to ground you, which becomes confusing towards the later, more hectic chapters. If this ever gets an official license, I hope they do something about that.

Translation: complete

[makeste]

I saw this take on twitter about Hana & Kacchan having “reverse parallels” and since they both have apologised to Tenko/Deku (but one was more or less sincere and the other was absolutely sincere) and they said that, while Hana moved away from Tenko, Kacchan ran to catch Deku. There was also more to the thread abt Kacchan & Hana’s differences. They were sorta trying to argue that this is a clue that Hori intends for Bkdk to be sibling-like/brotherly. As a bkdk shipped, I’ve accepted that it makes sense.. cause it’s an established fact that Tenko & Deku parallel each other. Tenko having his own “Kacchan” makes sense. Tho yes I am a little sad since I’ve held a little bit of hope for romantic bkdk becoming canon. I just wanted to ask your opinion if Hana was really meant to foil Kacchan or was it just a reach?

okay so I have a couple responses to this.

1. while it's true that Horikoshi has woven a lot of deliberate parallels between Deku and Tenko's characters, that doesn't mean every single thing about their lives and every single person they interact with is a part of those parallels. which is to say that no, I don't really think Hana and Kacchan are meant to mirror each other in any kind of significant way. Hana's apology to Tenko was under completely different circumstances than Kacchan's apology to Deku; I really don't see any connection between the two situations. you might as well be trying to compare Hana to Endeavor, or Deku, or Hawks, or Aizawa, or any other character who's apologized to anyone over the course of the story.

2. please pardon the forthcoming rant, anon -- and I hope you know that none of this is aimed at you in particular -- but for me personally, this whole obsession with ships becoming canon is one of the most exasperating types of discourse there is. like, don't get me wrong, I totally understand people wanting to see their favorite ships validated by the author, and not to mention there's also the issue of having more LGBTQ+ representation. but speaking as someone whose own orientation (aromantic) has almost no representation in fiction whatsoever, it gets frustrating to see so many people dismiss non-romantic relationships as being an inferior type of ship, to the extent that calling a relationship "sibling-like" is now a commonly-used attack in ship wars. so many people view romance as this completely transformative element, to the point where two characters can literally tick every other box on the intimate personal relationship checklist, and none of it will matter to some people unless they actually confess their love and kiss.

and again, I'm not saying I don't understand it, especially since queerbating is a thing. it's one thing if a writer is genuinely just trying to portray a close friendship, especially in series where romance isn't really a focus. but it's another thing entirely if a writer is deliberately hinting at a romance in a blatant bid to attract a larger queer audience, while all the while having no intention whatsoever of having those hints lead anywhere. the issue, I guess, is that it's not always easy to tell which scenarios are the former, and which are the latter. and of course, you also have people who think that the former is a type of cop-out as well, because the thing is that romance is always viewed as the default. so for a lot of people, allosexual and alloromantic relationships are the only ones that get considered as far as representation goes.

but you know what, I'm just gonna say it; even knowing where people are coming from, it's still discouraging to know that so many people are so dismissive of aro and ace relationships that the thought of a favorite ship not becoming romantic in canon is considered a profound disappointment. and it's even more discouraging that the thought of a rival ship becoming canon is considered such an existential threat to some that they will literally use "oh, they're just like siblings" as an argument against the ship, rather than a point in favor of. because siblings are a downgrade. friendship is a downgrade. any kind of close relationship that isn't inherently romantic or sexual in nature is less important, and that's just how it is.

so yeah, that's kind of a pet peeve, ngl. especially since the truth is I actually do think Bakugou and Deku's relationship is very akin to siblings. and so I do sometimes get weary of not being able to just outright say that without having to first pepper the statement with all kinds of disclaimers so that people don't think I'm invalidating the ship. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells if I ever want to talk about their relationship in terms that I can personally relate to.

but I mean, here's how I look at it. they've known each other since they were small children. they call each other exclusively (or almost exclusively) by childhood nicknames. they have an openness and an unspoken, almost taken-for-granted trust in each other to the point where they'll share closely guarded secrets ("I got my quirk from someone else") and personal vulnerabilities ("why was I the one who ended All Might?") with barely a second's hesitation which they would never share with anyone else. they have a comfortable little bickering type of rapport ("I'm getting stronger"; "well I'll just have to get even stronger then"; "you'll never surpass me"; "we'll see about that") which they can fall into with ease and which looks weird af to outsiders, but is "normal" to them and something they're both grateful to have.

they're so intimately familiar with each other's personality and behaviors that they can predict them with perfect accuracy. they're so in tune with each other that they can whip up elaborate coordinated attacks right on the spot in perfect sync. their admiration for each other is so strong that they each think of the other as being the epitome of winning and saving, respectively. their mental images of each other are so vivid that they subconsciously mimic each other's speech patterns whenever they start falling into a particularly strong Win or Save mindset themselves. they take no small amount of pride in showing off for each other. they go apeshit any time the other is in danger or hurt. and each of them would literally die for the other if it ever came to that.

all of that is already canon. on just about every metric imaginable except for "now kiss", the two of them already have a canon intimacy that rivals just about every other great relationship out there. and so to say that none of it actually counts unless there's an actual love confession involved frankly just boggles me. again, maybe it's because I have no personal vested interest in romance myself, though. I'm literally just not wired that way, and so I'm really not the best person to vent to when it comes to these kinds of concerns.

but look, no matter what happens from here on out, these two care about each other on a very deep and personal level. they're going to continue to be a part of each other's lives no matter what. and each of them, no matter what, will continue to occupy a space in each other's lives that no other person can fill, regardless of how we or Horikoshi or anyone else choose to label and define that space. and so in my book, that's already a win.

anyways, apologies again for the impromptu rant. again, this wasn't particularly directed at you in any way; if anything it's mostly just a generic response to the constant shipping discourse in this and every other fandom, and a more detailed explanation for why I personally don't like to get involved in it. this is just one of the myriad reasons why I try my best to stay very far away from BnHA twitter lol.

[tomatograter]

Two things, first do you feel like john/june and Dirk would get along together? I feel like they're personalities compliment each other nicely and secondly if you haven't listened to it, wow wow by Neil cicierega along with cabinet man by lemon demon are some great Dirk songs if you're ever lookin for some more!

i like neil’s work a lot! he’s basically a staple on shuffle at this point. and this is a complex question to me bc i feel the answer is... “not much”, but in an interesting way - for june, dirk is a downgrade version of vriska + terezi + rose and an edgier dave, far more invested in putting up elaborate displays of hypermasculinity and shutting out the slightest hint of public weakness to go on a textual deluge about a bazillion shitpost academic topics she could frankly find funnier sources for. Karkat is the only troll boy june references as ‘not lame’ in the entire comic and that’s because he was so easily, boisterously outraged at everything he delighted her, purely as a chatty bounce-off target. The way i see it, she probably takes conversations with dirk as a gesture of extended courtesy for hanging out with the other strilondes, but has better hangout options on the top of her list that don’t include pumping up her agonizing existential dread. Probably takes the chance to try wiseguy jokes and tricks to derail the more sluggish subjects. 

For dirk, both june and jade exist in this “i pretend i do not see” null space as jane and jake’s family (sometimes more awkwardly, their daughters) and people he just doesnt have the correct drive in mind to get to know but is dying to impress, for further establishing his reputation. But his definition of making “a good impression” doesn’t always quite match with theirs. Jade probably earnestly debates him on robotics and is interested to hear some of his more engaging musings on theories, but she’s got an historically intimidating resume on her alpha self, one he’s well aware of. (i think its p funny to think about them going over shared subjects, in terms of art & furries & botanics & mechanics, it wracks his nerves). June is on the flipside here of having less common ground to positively play with, because she *likes* to push back and poke fun at you (sometimes in a mean spirited way) even if he’s got his funny clown pants on, and sorta looks like shes tuning out or trying to distract him into losing sight of the discourse when he has his business outfit put instead. Can easily make a dude feel more frustratingly self-absorbed than usual, like whatever he does her sim points won’t really go up & are always in the verge of tipping to negative. I always think of them as the awkward connections in big family parties, which can end up funny sometimes but have you wistfully wishing for a saving grace.

[demonphannie]

dan and phil - june 2017

6/12

first week (1-7): dan wants to eat and be alone for his birthday. phil likes snuggling with cats. politics and pizza and chill. new gaming video: ARE GAMERS NERDS? - Google Autocomplete Game! dan puts the succ in succulents. barbecue becomes floorbecue (context but dan and phil have barbecue with dan’s grandparents). phil is recognized as the dan and phil guy! dan and phil release a shirt to support manchester. phil relaxes with some attack on titan. dan liveshow! (highlights: new webcam, gonna make a new youtube banner, loved the one love manchester concert, at his all boys school when they got shots they all punched each other because it would hurt more, his grandparents visited, his grandma brought an or-rey-o cake, cake scene whom, he and phil and friends played dungeons and dragons and dan was a fucking edgelord, he went to the gym and jogged 10km and couldn’t move the next morning, he went because phil wasn’t there and he was bored, cavemen over dinosaurs existentialism over nihilism, he has nothing against wearing dresses, he’s practicing piano more, he has ten succulents) + bonus thumbnail. new gaming video: MOTION CONTROL VIOLENCE - Dan vs. Phil: ARMS.

second week (8-14): dan wants you to VOTE. phil wants you to VOTE. edward snowden and jeremey corbyn interact with dan on twitter. obligatory democracy selfie. phil liveshow! (highlights: listened to a sexual podcast when going to the gym, he ate very unhealthily as a child, beauty tips with phil: dry shampoo in hair before you go to sleep, toothpaste on pimples, don’t drop things on your feet or they will bruise, daddy cleaned us, cake scene whom, the ampersand is broken, he was gonna live in the gaming room but decided they needed more space for the gaming so now he lives in a broom cupboard under the stairs, martyn moved, he’s been watching love island, his bday gifts for dan are things phil wants, he has two coffees a day). jeremy corbyn is one thicc bih according to dan. new gaming video: THE MOST FRUSTRATING GAME EVER MADE - Dan and Phil play: I Am Bread. dan loves wonder woman. dan and phil went to wahaca (food for before dan’s bday). DAN’S BIRTHDAY!!! phil posts a pic of dan playing mariokart and it’s like pretty cute. “i don’t feel 26 but when you consider i have a 16 year old’s body and the crushed soul of someone aged 36 it kinda makes sense” (does dan know how to do math). bryony posts some cute pics on her insta story confirming they went to a sushi place and a sky bar (1+2+3). rare birthday boye pic. it stops the bees tweets from cat for dan’s birthday. phil bought dan (himself) a fidget spinner. new amazingphil video: TRY NOT TO CRINGE - My Dating Emails (tinder ad). phil almost blinds himself with the fidget spinner. dan’s life is on hold now that nintendo is releasing a pokemon switch game (and also he’s going to leave dead animals on nintendo’s doorstep if they do not make an animal crossing game). dan changed his twitter icon from this to this. dan liveshow! (highlights: birthday, comic sans, phil’s used the fidget spinner more than him, also got a weather crystal thingy from phil, dan also got sunflowers, dan HATES sunflowers, i HATE dan, terrarium of the day, his family has a pattern of giving dan colin themed gifts this time being a tshirt, friends got him a skull filled with vodka, he loves the babadook, phil is away, no phil liveshow, dan is phil’s pr agent, pokemon gotta catch em all, rant about how annoyingly perfect chris pine is, steven universe discourse, he cringed at phil’s video). also dan’s tweet for his liveshow mentioned (and friendzoned) phil for no reason. also here is some weird shit dan thought he would make his icon. wow young people these days and their exam memes. phil is a finger guns kinda guy. new gaming video: DIL GETS PREGNANT - Dan and Phil Play: Sims 4 #41. 

third week (15-21): when phil is away dan will post irrelevant sceenshots of what they text each other and it’s sorta sad sorta cute. angery wasps. dan’s houseplants are thriving. phil craves that mineral. new daniel howell video: The Memeing Of Life. centipede drama with documentarist phil lester (also phil doesn’t have wooden floors in his room but ok). dan wishes happy fathers day to dil? phil liveshow! (highlights: thank you for all the fathers day wishes, strong air conditioning in his “room”, he got his dad jams and hacksaw ridge, he has a big family and a lot are in australia, dan was scurred of the centipede, he’s trying to get louise to name her new baby phil, dan is worth £6, he hurt himself with the fidget spinner, not watching love island anymore, chris pine is distracting, some beauty tips, flat earth). “england more like fuckimmeltingdeargodhowcaniescapethisunbearableheatimsweatingoutofmyeyeballswhereisallthebloodyrainweresupposedtohaveland.” some limited edition merch. dan and phil appear in an anthony padilla video. new gaming video: THIS GAME IS TOO BLOODY HARD - Dan and Phil play: Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes #3. oh no phil almost went live in the bath. wow going to america (or are they). phil likes topless guys showering horses. dan and phil appear in #youtubers4grenfell livestream. 

fourth week (22-30): dan and phil #spotted at the airport. dan and phil at vidcon! night of community where dan and phil have a bicker about whose fault it was that they missed their flight to la (run down: dan lost his passport and phil booked the car late and they almost missed vidcon). also the try guys do a funny impression of dan and phil. dan explains. nice pics of the night of community.��pics of dan and phil leaving the night of community. phil slept nice. youtube water. dan and phil and tyler. dan and phil meet and greet (not all the pics but some highlights: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten). lil peek into a markiplier vlog. dan and phil @ a party just eating and playing ddr (one + two + three). dan and phil with cute doggo. new gaming video: HELP WE ARE SO LOST 🌎🤔 - Dan vs. Phil: GeoGuessr. dan apologizes for being extra even tho he’s always extra. dan’s an edgelord. dan and phil are jean jacket boyes. dan and phil on the fine bros instagram story + on twitter. dan and phil and badly drawn models. dan is angery on facebook. phil is going to another dimension. new amazingphil video: DAN CURLS MY HAIR! fine bros video: YOUTUBERS REACT TO NICKI MINAJ CHALLENGE (#NICKIMINAJCHALLENGE). dan is an edgelord pt 2. they are on cat’s insta story. ACurlyPhil selfie. dan and phil in a tomska vlog (@ 22:57 and 33:00). just touched down in london town. new gaming video: WATCH US WRECK SOME LOSERS ONLINE - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. dan and phil play with cat’s new pup in this video which made my entire body tingle. wow crash bandicoot is out.

the floor is my undying love for dan and phil.