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neonscandal · 11 months ago

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Hello, again, Neon...How are you? Sorry I have not log in tumblr for almost 2 month. I'm surprised you got quite a lot of interesting asks when I read your blog....

So, first thing first, now I'm in the middle of watching "Fushigi Yuugi", thanks to you. Now, I'm not really interested in the romance but I really love the story and worldbuilding. It's isekai but so good....Thanks for your rec, Neon....🌻🤩

I always love sorting characters to Hogwarts Houses, and because you said you don't mind, can I ask for : Miaka/Tamahome (classic trope done great), Narumi/Nifuji (cute couple), and Vash/Wolfwood (I'm depress after reading their story), Reki/Langa (just read BL that remind me of them)?

Last question (sorry for this long ask, feel free if you don't want to answer all), because you love Hermione, do you ship Hermione/Ron or Hermione/Draco or other? Why?

Hope you have a wonderful day, Neon. And sorry for late in saying this : Happy Belated Birthday, wish you all the good things in life 💐😄

Hello old friend, welcome back 🌻💛 Never a need to apologize! I dare say you and your many questions may have emboldened others to reach out haha so I suppose I should say thank you for that. And for your kind words always! 🥺❤️

For it to be an older series, I'm glad to hear the worldbuilding holds up! I always loved Tamahome, Chichiri and Nuriko because they were so funny to me when I was younger. I feel like I should revisit the series with you!

Of COURSE I'm gonna address your whole ask in one go. Just remember, fuck TERFs!

ROMIONE vs DRAMIONE

As a smooth brained child, I didn't really ship Hermione until there was more obvious signaling that she and Ron were end game. The books were coming out when I was literally the age of the characters and kids are easily influenced and don't think critically. Not even going into comphet shipping at that age. I also loved redheads or maybe just the Weasleys? As an adult, Ron kinda sucked as a partner for Hermione. He took Hermione for granted, wasn't really supportive of things that meant a lot to her (SPEW, though clearly she changed his mind based on his later concern for the elves), was generally harsh with his words regarding her until the cruft of their adolescence was really broken away but, in my opinion, Hermione outclassed Ron and Harry in a lot of ways. In this pairing, it feels like Hermione made Ron better but Ron didn't reciprocate that improvement where Hermione was concerned. We can say he made her more approachable but that was him and Harry and just general socialization. It's been awhile since I've read the books so I may be selling my boy Ron short here. But also, as an adult, I see brilliant, amazing women end up with mediocre (but somewhat earnest) men all the time so I guess we were adequately prepared in our childhood.

As an adult, I'm not going to say I ship Dramione but I definitely see the appeal more. Especially where fandom fills in the gap because, contextually, we see them at odds and how Hermione is bold enough to challenge Draco. She (similar to Ron in the above), isn't the only reason the Draco undergoes his necessary character development we see through the story but her audacity, I think, humbles him in a way that's different from Harry. This dynamic is also more aligned with ships I tend to gravitate toward where they're a little antagonistic with a soft underbelly. I'm not saying this question justifies sharing this beautiful animation by @lyrablack1883 but… an excuse is an excuse. 👀

Onto the neon Sorting Hat, I guess!

Bear in mind, I'm largely of the mind that where the other houses are fixed, Gryffindor is open to anyone brave enough to ask/insist so, if you don't agree, that's cool, too. I give the primary i think they'd be in otherwise.

Miaka Yuki (Fushigi Yuugi) - Gryffindor with Hufflepuff underpinnings. It's important to note that the tenderness that Miaka exhibits is not without an edge. She may not be strong but she isn't powerless. She is kind and accepting of others and fair with a sense of purpose when chosen to be a priestess and rises to the occasion. She's still stubborn and, in fact, the flaws that more prominently make her a Gryffindor is what endears her to others (and sets her at odds with Tamahome because she's a brat, let's be serious). Still, with the whole world on its head, Miaka doesn't shy away from her duty and grows a lot along the way.

Tamahome (Fushigi Yuugi) - okay this is a bit of a toss up but only because it's been so long since I've seen Fushigi Yuugi that I'm torn between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, for obvious reasons. Tamahome is loyal to a cause and is subsequently very logical about the means to satisfy that end. Character wise, I just can't determine (or recall, rather), whether he could justify any means to that end. I'm leaning toward Ravenclaw with the loyalty to his family and then the Suzaku Warriors but I'm open to your interpretation as someone who may have seen it more recently.

Narumi Momose (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Ravenclaw. Intuitively, Narumi had a goal in mind and creatively deduced camouflage would be the best means to be successful socially and at work. It's a little dishonest but with earnest intentions. But Narumi is a Ravenclaw in the daffy way the Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw. That's not to suggest neither lack intelligence but their focus tends to be elsewhere. Whatever the special interest, they know it all, you know? Good luck trying to be a normie, Narumi.

Hirotaka Nifuji (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Bear in mind I have one season of Wotakoi under my belt. But the biggest indicator for my determination is that Hirotaka managed to hide his crush on Narumi for the full duration of the season. Cool, and nonchalant but the frenzy when his brother almost blew his cover? Slytherin. Mans had a goal all along and while Narumi seemed to fall in line with that out of convenience, it suited his purposes all along and we only see an aberration in his behavior when that was potentially jeopardized. Harmless as the circumstances were, it's giving Slytherin.

Vash the Stampede (Trigun) - Hufflepuff to a fault with sympathy for the devil. He will do what is right, damn the consequences and the risk of personal injury to himself. He was given a life and seeks to protect the lives of others at all cost. This sunshine boy isn't without shadow, driven to offset his brothers' misdeeds, for sure. But Rem, I think, is a stronger guide in how Vash lives his life. He doesn't do it for the glory, it's simply what must be done. He certainly doesn't go looking for trouble the way a Gryffindor might. It just finds him and he tries to resolve it as amicably as possible with a moral compass always pointing due North.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun) - SLYTHERIN. Hat's barely rested upon his head and definitively we know that Nicky D will do whatever's needed to get his desired end. Not saying Vash won't make him question himself but, ultimately, Nicholas will do what Vash can't. His morality rests upon a razor's edge and he's learned that the only way to protect the people he love's are by doing the dirty work necessary. With Vash's influence, he may be tortured about it, though.

Reki Kyan (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a strong Hufflepuff alignment (is this why Miya warms up to him?). Not only is he earnestly hardworking and kind, the glue that brings everyone together. But he's also brave, punching well above his weight class to stand up to Adam and protect Miya and, ultimately, to triumph over him because of his own brilliance and ingenuity.

Langa Hasegawa (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a spice of Ravenclaw. ✨ Naturally skilled and adept skater (after some serious hard work as a boarder), I think Langa wouldn't have wound up pursuing skating at all had he not gotten swept up into it through the series of events as outlined. But, in the new environment, he's able to leverage his previous expertise critically and playfully and ascend to awe inspiring heights. Doesn't mean he's not still a bit of a himbo. Affectionately, Reki and Langa at their core are idiot 🤝 idiot and we love them for it.

Anon, a BL that reminds you of Reki and Langa!? Drop the rec, bestie! How could you not include? Do I need to make a rules page? Pay the troll toll, guys!

#neon asks #anon asks #anime #manga #harry potter #hogwarts houses #fushigi yuugi #wotakoi #wotakoi love is hard for otaku #trigun #sk8 the infinity #sk8 #trigun stampede #dramione #romione #harry potter au

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romancemedia · 1 year ago

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Miaka says goodbye to Tamahome (1x20)

#Fushigi Yuugi #video #Anime #Miaka x Tamahome #Miaka Yuki #Tamahome #Chichiri #Yui Hongo #Tasuki #Hotohori #Nakago #My Videos #Break Up

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mystical-flute · 6 months ago

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Checkered: Chapter 2

Was this supposed to only be a one shot? Yes, yes it was. But when a plot bunny bites you have to listen.

Also on AO3 || Buy me a ko-fi

The thing about KaibaCorp was that it had no political power in Domino. Not on the surface, anyway. None of the employees had ever been council members, or mayors, or governors, and nor had any of the executives. If you asked a resident of Domino who held the power, they would answer the same way - whoever had won the last election, of course.

That did not mean KaibaCorp didn’t wield political power anyway.

When Gozaburo Kaiba said to jump, the only thing you asked was how high and how much money he needed. Everyone in Domino could feel the invisible eyes and the pressure of Gozaburo’s thumb against the backs of their necks, even if they were nowhere near the towering building at the center of Domino.

Which was why, when five KaibaCorp cars pulled up to five different Domino high schools, no one, not security, or administration, questioned it, and sent the notice to each teacher like they would do if it were an actual parent taking their child from school early.

“Miss Mutou, it’s for you.”

Reika Mutou looked up from her textbook as the slip dropped onto her desk, and then felt her heart stop when the only thing written was the kanji for KC. Reika clenched the note in her fist as she stood up and grabbed her bag, sliding her book inside it before heading out of the room without a word.

To her great surprise, it was Kemo who had come to collect her, not Lector, and despite the air of neutrality on Kemo’s face, there was an air around him that warned her that something was wrong.

“Kemo, is everything -”

“I was instructed not to say anything until I got you to KaibaCorp, Miss Mutou. I’m sorry.”

Reika’s stomach twisted in nerves, and she stared out the window, counting the clouds in the sky for something to do.

“Your mother is fine, I will tell you that.”

And she exhaled in relief, though the nerves didn’t go away completely. “Thank you.” Whatever had happened was likely still bad, but her mother being safe was the most important thing.

The flickering white, red and blue lights was Reika’s first sign that something was terribly wrong.

“I’m going to let you out at the front door. Once you get out of the car, do not stop until you’re inside the building,” Kemo instructed as they neared the parking lot for KaibaCorp. “And go straight to your meeting room.”

That was the second sign.

But Reika did as she was instructed to, bolting out the door of the car and ignoring the reporters (why were there reporters here?) that were gathered in the press area by the front door, heading straight inside and for the front elevator, but as she passed through the bobby, she could see the pale, worried faces of the secretaries and other employees who were on the floor.

Oh no.

When she got up to the meeting room, she found three Young Five members, and each of their parents at the table, waiting for her.

“Mom?”

“Just sit down, Reika,” Miaka Mutou said quietly, patting the empty chair next to her. “Mr. Kaiba will explain.”

Her mother’s voice was never so soft, so unsure, but Reika took a seat and looked at the other Young Five members, who looked just as confused and concerned as she was.

When Mr. Kaiba arrived a few minutes later, it wasn’t the Mr. Kaiba the Young Five were expecting.

“Seto? Noah? What’s going on?” Hideo asked. “Where’s - ”

“Gozaburo is dead. I am the one in control of KaibaCorp.”

The words and tone of his voice were cold, but Reika could see a glimmer of something - relief, maybe? - in Seto’s eyes as he scanned the room.

“What happened?” Mei asked.

“The window in Conference Room 10 happened,” Noah said. “Father was a sore loser, and he jumped out the window.”

Noah’s tone echoed Seto’s - cold, uncaring, but again, she saw the same look of relief in his eyes.

Reika took a deep breath and addressed Seto. “I suppose you have been considering what to do about the Big Five and the Young Five.” Both groups were a relic of Gozaburo’s time - Gozaburo’s closest confidants, and the children that had been chosen by said confidants to be the faces of the future - but that had been Gozaburo’s future for the company, not Seto’s, and if Reika had learned anything about Seto Kaiba over the past four years, it was that Seto had a very different vision for the future.

“Yes, naturally that has been on my mind. And I have made the decision to allow you to stay on as the face of KaibaCorp’s next generation. You will still be invited to attend all of our events and learn from your mentors,” Seto explained. “However… this will not be the KaibaCorp you are used to. We are moving into the future and leaving the past behind. If that isn’t something you can handle, then leave.”

But no one moved, and she could see the pleased smiles on the BIg Five’s faces as they fanned out behind Seto and Noah.

“We will be going into a period of mourning. All employees will have the week off for the funeral and so we have time to plan out KaibaCorp’s new direction,” Seto continued.

“We do expect you to be at the center of the funeral with us, as a show of solidarity. Gozaburo was the weak link in KaibaCorp, not you or anyone else,” Noah added.

Hearing Noah call Gozaburo by his first name was a little startling. He had spent so long trying to fight for his place in the company, fighting against everything Seto had done so far, and now here they were, in solidarity that their father was dead and the world was better for it?

She wondered how much of it was a mask and how much of it was real. This whole situation was making her wonder if she’d ever known the real Noah - or Seto - at all.

It was then that she noticed there was someone missing from the group. “Seto, where’s Mokuba?”

“He’s with Ichika. You can go see him if you want,” Seto replied, turning to the door. “I’ll be in my office. Everyone else is dismissed for the day.”

Reika bowed, and the others quickly followed.

“No. None of that. Not from the Young Five,” Seto said, and Reika stood at her full height in confusion. “I do not want this to change the relationship we have already built. Do not bow to me when you see me.”

He was given five nods of understanding before he left the room, Noah trailing behind him.

“Did you need us for anything else, sirs?” she heard Sora ask.

“No. Do as Master Seto said. Go home and rest up. The mourning week is bound to be a very long one,” Nezbit sighed, and Reika could see him over by the cabinet where they kept the Singleton Paragon of Time whiskey and Cohiba Behike cigars - treats for the adults that were only pulled out during positive news for KaibaCorp.

“Reika,” her mother said, breaking her from her thoughts by putting a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

And Reika followed her mother downstairs and around to the private employee parking lot.

“Mom… did he really jump out the window?” she hesitantly asked when they were in the privacy of her mother’s car.

Her mother nodded. “Yes, he really did.”

“So we’re really free from him?”

Another nod. “Yes.”

“Is it bad if I say good?”

Miaka shook her head. “No. It’s not bad at all.”

“Okay, good.”

“We’re still having dinner tonight, as planned. Your uncle can’t reschedule.”

Though they were free from Gozaburo’s reign of terror, she was stuck with Takeo for the rest of his life, and she was seriously wondering which was worse - dealing with a megalomaniac with a desire for war, or a man desperate to climb the political ladder.

“A sixteen year old can’t run a multi-billion yen corporation, it’s absurd!” Takeo said as he burst through the apartment door, Aunt Kumi, Yugi, and Grandpa shuffling in behind him. “Miaka, surely something can be done about this!”

Her mother didn’t even flinch as she spoke. “Takeo, would you want to go against Gozaburo Kaiba’s will? He stated he would hand control of the company over to Seto upon his death, and here we are.”

Uncle Takeo was a fascinating anomaly in the Mutou family. Her grandfather, Solomon, had been an Egyptian explorer in his younger years and had a deep love of games that ran so deep, he owned a shop dedicated to them. Her father, Genji, worked as an engineer, long hours, same as Takeo, but her father also wore leather jackets and kept his hair long, down to his shoulders as opposed to in spikes like the other Mutou men, and while her father didn’t enjoy games the same way as Reika, Yugi, or Solomon did, he did actually have a sense of humor.

Takeo on the other hand lived in Tokyo most of the time and was desperate to gain power and influence in Japan, and tried to get Yugi to forget about the games he so loved.

He had nothing to say though, in response to her mother’s warning about Gozaburo’s will, and instead frowned at her.

“Come on, Takeo, give the kid a chance,” her father said, rolling his eyes as he handed him a drink. “Gozaburo is dead, and he named a successor. Don’t write off Seto Kaiba just because he’s young. Honestly, if I didn’t have my big project going on at work I’d put in an application to Kaiba Corp just to see what the future’s gonna hold for it.”

“Is Noah alright?” Yugi asked. “I mean, that was his dad, even if Gozaburo wasn’t exactly a nice guy.”

Reika pressed her lips together. “I didn’t really get the chance to talk to him today but… he looked like he was at peace with what happened.” It usually wasn’t hard to tell what Noah was thinking, but he had masked something when they’d come in to inform the Young Five of what happened.

“I hope he’s okay,” Yugi murmured. “What about Mokuba? Did he…”

“No, Mokuba didn’t see anything. From what I understand, one of the Big Five grabbed him before Gozaburo went through the window,” her mother said. “Thankfully.”

“That’s good,” Kumi said with a small sigh of relief. “It must have been traumatizing enough for Noah and Seto to see it, but Mokuba is still so young…”

“I’ll be inviting him over whenever he wants, so I can keep teaching him piano,” Reika said with a small smile. “He’s quite good, especially for someone who hasn’t had the level of tutoring I had.”

“Yeah? Does he like Duel Monsters? Maybe I can teach him to play!” Yugi asked with a bright smile.

“Duel Monsters is more Seto’s game, but I’m sure now that Gozaburo’s gone Mokuba will be allowed into the game shop.”

That had been the stipulation Gozaburo put on Mokuba being able to spend time with Reika outside of Kaiba Corp related events - Mokuba wasn’t allowed to go into the game shop. The assumption the Young Five had was it was because he didn’t want Mokuba getting any ideas for gifts to Seto.

“He will be welcome with open arms,” Solomon said with a bright smile. “He seems like a good boy.”

Reika smiled in return. She couldn’t help but wonder just how much love Mokuba actually felt at Kaiba Manor, besides from Seto. She hoped he was supported by someone on the staff, or multiple someones.

“I think Mokuba likes Capsule Monsters Chess… I heard him talking about it to Seto once,” she said. “Did you get anything new in the shop for it, gramps?”

“Why yes actually! I got a new shipment of boards in. I haven’t put them out yet. Was told not to by the company until next week but… I suppose they would understand someone with the last name Kaiba getting an early look.”

Reika gave him a smile of relief. “Thanks gramps…”

“ - the funeral is on Thursday, Takeo, if you can make it.”

“I will speak to the governor. I’m certain he’ll want to be there, but I will make sure I am there too.”

Reika resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he would want to use a funeral to try and get his name and face out into the business world. But Gozaburo Kaiba would get his grand farewell, but it would all be a show, just hundreds of puppets dancing on strings, and a grave that would only receive visitors because his predeceased wife shared the same one.

On Thursday, the whole Mutou clan arrived at a temple for the wake. Their heads were bowed as the offering of condolence money was handed to Kemo, before they entered the room where Gozaburo’s body was.

“Thank you for coming,” Noah said smoothly, though his eyes were hiding the annoyance of what must have been having to perform this performance of a distraught child. “It means so much to our family.”

“Are you okay?” she murmured to him.

“I’m ready for this week to be over,” he muttered in reply, stepping to the side to allow her parents room to light incense. “It’s exhausting having to pretend I care, and having to deal with so many people who are upset.”

Reika frowned. It seemed like such a quick heel turn against his father, that she wasn’t quite sure she believed he wasn’t upset at what happened.

“You’re on the same page with Seto? For sure?” she asked. “You’re really okay with the company not being for war machines of death?” She really hoped it was true, but he had been so focused on getting Gozaburo’s attention she couldn’t be sure.

“I’m sure. Seto put me in charge of designing VR for the company. He’s even using a design my father ignored,” Noah said. “I really do believe this is going to be for the best, Reika. I was just too blind to see it before.”

“I know it will be. You’ll be able to do some good in the world now.”

There was a lot she was leaving unsaid, but the funeral was no place for it. Not with so many ears - friendly and not - around her, and to be honest, not all of it was for Noah or Seto to hear.

She stood to the side and bowed to the owner of Yamazaki Industries when he approached, the mask of sadness evident on her face before making her way toward Seto and Mokuba.

Mokuba looked uneasy, unsure of his place here, while Seto, at least in Reika’s opinion, looked like he was attempting to fight back a smirk.

“Hi Reika,” Mokuba said softly. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s not a problem.” It was an obligation. “But hey, I heard from a very reliable source that the new Capsule Monsters board has been delivered to stores.”

Mokuba’s eyes widened. “Really? Seto, can I please go to Kame Games so I can see the new board?”

Seto looked over at her, his face passive, unreadable. “After the mourning period is over. We will contact you when Mokuba is available.”

“Of course. We eagerly await your call.”

“Miss Reika.”

She glanced up at Lector and nodded once. Time to be with the Young Five.

During the funeral ceremonies, the Big and Young Five sat behind the Kaiba brothers, as the closest and the most valuable people to Gozaburo. They chanted and prayed, and Reika could see Lector’s Catholic Rosary clenched tightly in his fist. He was mouthing his own prayers in the downtime between Buddhist rites.

The funeral itself was much the same, though mourners lined the streets before and after the funeral itself, giving solemn looks toward the Kaiba brothers, yet didn’t seem to shed tears in the direction of the hearse as Gozaburo’s body was loaded into it to take to the crematory.

For them, at least, it was over. They had done their duty as the face of KaibaCorp’s new generation, and now they could relax - or as relax as much as they could being around the business world. There was still the large luncheon that had been planned by Sora’s family, to be held at their manor, but that at least would keep the adults distracted with alcohol.

“Just because Gozaburo is gone doesn’t mean we can trust Seto. Or hell, Noah for that matter, with the way they were able to get everything out from under Gozaburo. There’s no telling if they’ll do the same with the Big Five,” Katsuo said as they settled around a table, his eyes darting over to their mentors to make sure they were occupied.

“Don’t be stupid, Katsuo. Seto can’t afford to get rid of the Big Five right now, if ever.” Mei replied. “The world is watching him now. Everyone is waiting for him to fail, and people like Tanaka Industries would be more than happy to take control of the company and turn it back to where Gozaburo had it.”

None of them were fools - Seto Kaiba had never been interested in war, and arguments between Seto and Gozaburo had been hard to miss despite the closed doors. Everyone knew the era of war technology was gone from KaibaCorp.

“We all know Seto isn’t going to let that happen,” Reika said, leaning back against her chair. “He’s too prideful. None of us are going anywhere. Besides, a new era of KaibaCorp goes perfectly well with the aims of the Young Five.”

“The world might be watching KaibaCorp as a whole, but it’s watching us too. We were just in the Domino Times last week. Seto is going to need us to make it seem like KaibaCorp is still business as usual. Even if the business itself has changed,” Sora said with a nod. “It’ll be nice anyway. I don’t know how many more war machines I could see Nezbit come up with. Gozaburo might have been a monster, but let’s not kid ourselves, the Big Five are just as bad. And we have benefited from that destruction.”

Given what the Big Five had done for them over the years, money, notoriety, and, more recently, access to whatever university program they had their hearts set on after graduation, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but a true one. Blood stained their hands, whether they wanted it to or not. But now they would be washing the blood off, and Seto Kaiba was going to lead them.

“Let’s just agree, the five of us, that no matter what happens, we stick together as a team,” Katsuo said, lifting his glass in a toast. “To the Young FIve. Long may we reign.”

-----

Maximilian Pegasus looked up as his computer chimed with the sound of a new email. It had been a long day already, and while it was tempting to curl up with a Funny Bunny book and a glass of wine, it was probably important enough to warrant his attention.

He didn’t get surprised much anymore - not since before Shadi had given him the Millennium Eye to see into people’s minds - but this email had caught him off guard.

Dear Mr. Pegasus,

I would like to set up a meeting with you regarding the future of Duel Monsters. My company has created holographic technology that will revolutionize the gaming industry, and I want Duel Monsters to be at the forefront of it. Please reply to this email with the earliest date possible that we can meet.

Regards,

S. Kaiba

Pegasus couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “Oh my, young Kaiba-boy, you sure do move quickly… Croquet! Set up a meeting with KaibaCorp, immediately!” When Croquet had disappeared from the room, Pegasus smirked a little.

“Well now Seto Kaiba, let's see what you can do.”

#yugioh #fanfiction #seto kaiba #mokuba kaiba #maximillion pegasus

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fishylife · 11 months ago

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when i was in middle school i was kind of obsessed with fushigi yuugi but i hadn't actually watched it lol. i was just super fascinated with the fantasy lore.

anyway, i'm finally getting around to watching this anime now. i've just finished episode 12 and here are some thoughts.

miaki is very similar to usagi. however, their paths are not the same. usagi's story line is more to do with using her own power to fight against evil, whereas miaka so far...hasn't really done much. unfortunately she requires a lot of rescuing and her story line is mostly to do with romance.

when i was young i thought tamahome was hot but now that i'm older, i'm more drawn to the interesting pairings rather than individual characters. tamahome is kind of whatever to me right now because he and miaka's relationship is very whatever. it's just them going hot and cold. there isn't really that interesting of an arc to them right. on the other hand, i am far more fascinated with hotohori/nuriko and nakago/yui.

nuriko said that on the inside she's a woman so i interpret her character to be trans. anyway, nuriko's thing at the beginning was that she didn't like that everyone paid attention to miaka and meanwhile, as a consort, she was constantly ignored. i can't tell if she actually likes hotohori or if she wants the power, but i think there's potential between the as emperor and consort :P i don't think it's going to go anywhere because hotohori has said that he's in love with miaka. but idk i feel like nuriko trying to get hotohori to notice her is possibly a cute story line.

hotohori as a love interest of miaka is kind of boring though. he doesn't really do anything other than fight over miaka. he's more interesting as an emperor who actually has to protect the country.

nakago and yui was the other pairing that has potential. it's potentially kind of toxic. it looks like nakago is trying to isolate yui so that she'll stay and be the priestess of seiryu (and won't run away to tamahome or to go back home). on the outside, he acts very loyal so yui thinks she's in charge, but nakago's in charge.

yui being in love with tamahome is kind of weak because she literally saw him for two seconds, so miaka was right to think that yui wouldn't be angry at her for only that. that being said, yui has maintained that she wants to take tamahome away from miaka. i think she just hasn't thought it through and is still resentful towards miaka.

taiitsukun is kind of a weird character. it's implied that she created everything, including bestowing the scrolls upon the characters with the powers? but it's clear that she's acting a mentor to the suzaku seven. i'm just wondering if she's supposed to be a more neutral character.

i will say this series is surprisingly watchable? like i haven't found it grating enough to drop yet. miaka's voice acting is kind of annoying tbh. but i think the melodrama isn't as grating because the rest of the story is moving. we are going places, the lore is expanding. the show is also pretty bingable. each episode covers like two events.

some of the animation threw me off and i had considered dropping the anime because of it. there has been some incredibly lazy animation. there have been many scenes where a static picture is shown and the camera just pans across it so that it's moving. but really it's just a picture. and i was considering dropping it because like, the manga artwork is nicer than this.

i'm kind of team yui right now, not because i think she has a point, but i think that the story and relationships surrounding her are a bit more interesting than the one surrounding miaka.

seeing as how i'm kind of team yui right now, i am hyped to meet the rest of the seiryu seven. i vaguely remember some of them. like were there a pair of twins? my middle school memory is coming back to me lol.

also miaka's brother is surprisingly involved in this? lol.

anyway hopefully i can speed through this anime pretty fast lol.

#thinking out loud #animanga #fushigi yuugi

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stampstamp · 2 years ago

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Finished re-reading F*shigi Y*gi part 1 and the first and final arcs still spark joy so I'll keep my collection but volumes 9-11 were so frustrating that I'm gonna roast them a little under the cut (and be a bit critical of other aspects that don't hold up 30 years on)

Major spoilers and references to SA in the series under the cut! (And it's a super long rant!)

The dip in quality from 9 onwards was such a shame! The plot just turns into various enemies trying to rape the 15-year-old protagonist for three volumes! Not to be a pearl clutcher but Watase says the target demographic is middle school - junior high students and there's just a whole arc where:

It's implied that Nakago raped Miaka. It's later revealed he didn't manage to penetrate her and everyone is like 'oh phew! 😄' and her traumatic nightmares about her memories of him stripping her and pinning her down before she fainted just stop. 🤦

Also, in the author note alongside that part Watase comments that things are getting dark but points out that we've just learned that Yui didn't actually get raped by strangers so it's not all bad. Mate, your protagonist is being assaulted?? We can't take much solace in that revelation right now!

Then there's a bit where Amiboshi climbs on top of her while she's sleeping naked and kisses her without her consent (his parents had drugged her).

Meanwhile, Soi disguises herself as Miaka and tries to seduce Tamahome. I know it's a product of it's time but ughh the way Tamahome almost getting raped is handled so differently to scenes where Miaka is assaulted - it's awful. And there's also a 'gag' parody page where it replicates the scene where Tamahome found Miaka after she's been assaulted by Nakago but makes it look like one of the gay characters had raped Tamahome.

After his comrades have failed to take her virginity and stop her from summoning Suzaku, Tomo, who Watase confirms is gay, also tries to rape Miaka. 😑

In the last volume, Watase shares the ideas that there wasn't space for and they were so good 🥲 maybe you could have removed one of the SA scenes or one of the twenty times Miaka or Tamahome breaks it off and runs away to protect the other?

I used to like the author notes but this time they kept rubbing me the wrong way. Watase would say things like 'too bad we HAVE to spank our tiny terrier puppy to discipline it 🫤' or share racist travelogues about trips to China.

But it's kind of funny that in the author notes, Watase hinted at shipping Tamahome and Nakago 😂 never really gushed about how much she loved Tamahome/Miaka as a ship though. I quite like Keisuke/Tamahome as a ship - they got on well.

I was thinking about ranting about how Nuriko is handled but that's hard because 1. 90s 2. Another culture 3. Watase later came out as X gender so the offensive character notes were probably well intentioned and might be regretted now? 4. The translators had to do the usual thing of deciding which pronouns the character that's almost certainly trans would use, while also translating jokes that implied Nuriko is simply crossdressing for funsies and deciphering whatever the hell happened in vol 8 where Nuriko decided to be cis and in love with Miaka for a chapter or two.

I started shipping Tasuki and Nuriko this time and I was delighted to see 20 whole fics on AO3 but almost all of them misgender Nuriko. Maybe the anime subbers used different pronouns or Nuriko's backstory was different in the anime? Watase said someone did a Tasuki/Nuriko doujin and they wanted to read it. Same!

I used to think I wasn't attached to most of the Suzaku warriors beyond Tasuki because I'd re-read the first few volumes way more times than the rest but Watase really didn't give the others much to say or do! 😬 I feel sorry for the fans of Mitsukake(?) Apparently there were lots of Hotohori fans but I always found him creepy; despite his gentle actions, he never seemed to listen to Miaka's wishes. Yandere behaviour. Lucky for me he wasn't in it much (I also feel sorry for his fans lmao)

Forgot how much character death there was towards the end. It's impressive that Watase included characters from the Genbu and Byakko arcs decades before they were written IRL. I don't think I'll read those since FY suggests they ended badly? I wonder if much was retconned.

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rachi-roo · 2 months ago

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Ignore me. Fushigi Yugi talk.

YUI YOU BITCH HOW FUCKING DARE YOU SAY NO-ONE CARES ABOUT TAMAHOME BECAUSE HES A CHARACTER IN A BOOK I WILL ELIMINATE YOU THERE ARE MORE CHARACTERS IN BOOKS THATBID DIE FOR THAN PEOPLE I KNOW IRL HOW STUPID ARE YOU.

Miaka is getting a little too real with all this talk of characters only existing in books and how she's from the real world. Got me looking at my manga all emotional like. Stop being so accurate fuck-

#rachi roo #spoilers #fushigi yugi #fushigi yuugi #fushigi yugi spoilers #anime #90s anime #romance anime #isekai

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rwizakakiza · 5 months ago

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Somo: MAJIRA NA NYAKATI ZIMEBEBA MAISHA YAKO. (Part 10: REJESHA). Pleas...

youtube

Somo: MAJIRA NA NYAKATI ZIMEBEBA MAISHA YAKO

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Fuatilia YouTube.

Https://youtube.com/@Rwizakakiza

Sehemu 10:

‭""Kwa KILA JAMBO kuna MAJIRA yake, Na WAKATI kwa KILA KUSUDI chini ya mbingu""

.....Mhubiri 3:1.....

4. JE KAMA NIMEPOTEZA MAJIRA NA NYAKATI NIFANYE NINI ILI KUFIDIA NA KUTOKUPOTEZA TENA?

4. 2. REJESHA MAJIRA NA NYAKATI

Somo lililopita tuliona kama umepoteza majira na nyakati njia mojawapo ya kufanya ni KUKOMBOA MAJIRA NA NYAKATI. Leo tunapozungumzia swala la UREJESHO WA MAJIRA NA NYAKATI ni kama vinafanana lakini vina utofauti mkubwa.

Nini maana ya UREJESHO?

Urejesho ni hali au kitendo cha kukomboa kitu au mtu na kumrudisha kwenye NAFASI yake.

.....Maana NITAKURUDISHIA afya, nami NITAKUPONYA JERAHA zako, asema BWANA, kwa sababu wamekuita, mwenye kutupwa, wakisema, Ni Sayuni, ambao hapana mtu autakaye.

......Yeremia 30:17.....

Kwenye andiko hilo unagundua wazi mtu anaweza akaponywa, lakini akabakia na majeraha au makovu ya ugonjwa. Urejesho unakurudisha kwenye nafasi yako ya awali. Labda uliugua Ukoma ukakatika mikono, utaokolewa na ugonjwa wa Ukoma na utapona lakini haimaanishi mikono imerudi, ili mikono ilirudi dai Urejesho wa mikono.

Swala la Ukombozi (Wokovu) ninaweza kusema unalenga sana kuanzia Rohoni, lakini Urejesho unalenga sana kuona kwa macho ya kawaida. Hivyo Usikubali kuishi kwamba nimeomba na naamini yametukia nayo ni yangu, hakikisha unayaona kwa macho ya kawaida (upate majibu ndio unyamaze)

Watu wengi Wanaongoka (wokovu) lakini maisha yao hayana radha, utakuta hali yake, Uchumi wake, mipango yake inazidi kuporomoka badala ya kustawi. Wokovu sio ufukara ingawa unaweza kupita, Furaha ya MUNGU urejeshewe kila kitu ulichokipoteza hata awali.

....Nami NITAWARUDISHIA hiyo MIAKA ILIYOLIWA na nzige, na parare, na madumadu, na tunutu, jeshi langu kubwa nililotuma kati yenu.

....Yoeli 2:25....

Lengo kuu la MUNGU kukurudishia hata vilivyopotea hataki uhuzunike na kujutia Kwanini ni Mkristo, bali ndani ya nafsi yako pawepo raha (Haimaanishi hutopitia changamoto, utazipitia lakini furaha ya MUNGU ndani haiondoki)

.....Jitieni nira yangu, mjifunze kwangu; kwa kuwa mimi YESU ni mpole na mnyenyekevu wa moyo; NANYI MTAPATA RAHA NAFSINI mwenu.

......Mathayo 11:29.....

Nafsi yako ikifurahi na ukatajirishwa kwa kila kitu (sio pesa tu), utakuwa na ukarimu wa kuwasaidia wengine, na watu watataka kumjua YESU wako uliyenaye.

.....MKITAJIRISHWA KATIKA VITU VYOTE MPATE KUWA na UKARIMU WOTE, umpatiao MUNGU shukrani kwa kazi yetu.

.....2 Kor 9:11......

Tunakosa ukarimu kwa sababu na sisi tuko hoi, hatuna kitu na kama huna kitu kuna watu hautowafikia au hawatakuelewa. Lakini unaweza kuamua kuanza upya na MUNGU akabadilisha hali yako.

.....‭Badala ya aibu yenu mtapata heshima maradufu, na badala ya fedheha wataifurahia sehemu yao; basi katika nchi yao watamiliki maradufu; furaha yao itakuwa ya milele.

.....Isaya 61:7.....

Usiishie kusema nimeokoka, Mimi ni Mkristo wakati maisha yako hayamtangazi YESU bali yanamwaibisha YESU kuanzia kwenye HALI yako, MATENDO yako, na maisha yako kiujumla, yakupasa urejehe kila kitu chako na uongezee na ya sasa ili MUNGU atukuzwe kwenye kila majira na nyakati zako zote.

......Kwa sababu hiyo BWANA asema hivi, UKIRUDI, ndipo mimi NITAKAPOKUREJEZA, upate kusimama mbele zangu; nawe UKITOA KILICHO cha THAMANI KATIKA KILICHO KIBOVU, utakuwa kama kinywa changu; nao watakurudia wewe, bali hutawarudia wao.

......Yeremia 15:19.....

Unaweza kutoa kitu kizuri kwenye kibovu, hata kama ni mdhambi kiasi gani unaweza kuamua leo kumpa nafasi BWANA YESU awe BWANA na Mwokozi wako binafsi na YESU KRISTO atakuokoa na kukurejesha. Hata kama ni Mkristo unaishi kwa majuto na maangaiko, unaweza kurejea kwa MUNGU upya na maisha yako yakabadilika, Amina.

4. 3. LINDA SANA MAJIRA NA NYAKATI.

....Tutaendelea....

Rejea

“Therefore, thus says the LORD [to You], “If you repent [and give up this mistaken attitude of despair and self-pity], then I will restore you [to a state of inner peace] So that you may stand before Me [as My obedient representative]; And if you separate the precious from the worthless [examining yourself and cleansing your heart from unwarranted doubt concerning My faithfulness], You will become My spokesman. Let the people turn to you [and learn to value My values]— But you, you must not turn to them [with regard for their idolatry and wickedness].

.....Jeremiah 15:19.....

Ev. Erasmus Pascrates Kakiza

+255 782 546 914

@2024 The year of my shining.

#Youtube

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multi-facets · 1 year ago

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Anime Rambling.

[Warning: There's a lot of improper language, upsetting statements, misogyny, and references to violent acts in this post.]

I recently had a short chat with @und8e2ff (hi there [waves]) about misogyny in anime and anime fandoms, and they encouraged me to say more from my point of view. So since it's a Sunday and there's not much else to do now that most of my chores are completed (aside from working on my novel), I figured "eh, why not."

Fair warning: I'm coming to this subject with my own experiences and biases. If you want a truly smart commentary on this, I'm not the right person to ask.

I was a younger teen when the North American Anime Boom of the '90s hit. I'd seen anime before and simply never known it ("Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid" on VHS, "Grimm's Fairy Tales" on Nick Jr, and "Warriors of the Wind" on VHS at five or six, for instance), but now shows like "Sailor Moon," "Ronin Warriors," "Dragonball Z," and "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing" (to name a few) were taking over the airwaves, and audiences hadn't seen plots or animation like theirs before.

Magical girls. Giant mecha. Transforming boys. Screaming warriors. It was all a massive hit, transforming American entertainment and art in ways that could never have been predicted in the '90s. Several webcomics kicked off by imitating their style. Conventions started become more varied in what they could offer. Dubbing looked like a viable career. Fansites sprang up, the fanfiction scene that had been around for ages suddenly exploded thanks to newbies, and fan reactions ranged from "That scene was so moving!" to "I did some research, and that symbolism is compelling," to "I love everything about the art and the style," to "The politics are hard to follow, can anyone explain?" to "How was this phrased in Japanese, does anyone know?" to "Holy crap this is a lot more censored than I realized," to "OMFG I FUCKING HATE MIAKA/RELENA/CHIBI-USA/MIA THEY'RE SUCH BITCHES WHORE SLUTS CUNTS I'M GONNA KILL THEM ALL THEY'RE ALL SO USELESS THEY DESERVE TO BURN IN HELL HEERO/RYO/PICCOLO/TAMAHOME/DARIEN/KURAMA IS MINE ALL MINE DO YOU HEAR ME MINE!"

.... wait, what?

Yeah. That- That was a thing. It was disturbing to see the sheer vehemence, vitriol, and sheer HATRED female characters in anime were getting. There were sites slamming them at every turn for their behavior, their clothing, their skill sets, their roles, and personalities. No female character could do anything right. If they were modest homemakers who were genuinely happy to be married with kids, they were reeling feminism back a hundred years. If they were action girls, they were stealing the show from the men. If they were outclassed in any way, they were useless crybabies. If they were aloof political figures trying to survive a rocky political climate, they were frigid bitches.

And most of this was coming from girls and women.

Now, folks more articulate than me have pointed out why these reactions happened, and the essays are varied and well thought out. But back then, in the thick of it, I only saw an insane amount of immaturity, insecurity, low self-esteem, jealousy, envy, rage and hatred against fictional female characters for the "crime" of being cute girls or attractive women around adorable boys and hot men.

I could be wrong, of course: Like I said, I'm talking about this now through several years and my own experiences and biases. But when you find posts saying (for instance) characters like "Fushigi Yuugi's" Miaka deserved to be raped because she's such a stupid bitch and doesn't deserve Tamahome.... yeah, that sticks with you. Back then, I don't think any of these people had much perspective or understanding, or even empathy. I didn't even fully understand just how fucked some of these characters' lives were until much later, but I still wasn't advocating for their deaths.

Like- okay, I'm sorry, but there's still lots of sexism in anime. Female characters always had to be less powerful than men in combat, or they were non-combatants. Setsuna Mudo of "Angel Sanctuary" flat-out tells the demon princess Kurai, an impressive dragon-summoning sorceress despite her relatively young age, that women are supposed to be beautiful so men will want to protect them. Some female characters don't get a chance to shine unless there's a minimal male presence. Go Nagai's first run of the "Devilman" manga was cut short, so he took it out on Miki Makimura by having her killed in the story, and ever since then, there is barely any incarnation of her that doesn't get murdered or just have lousy luck, and she almost never truly has a chance with Akira Fudo, the boy she loves. Admittedly, I don't know if Nagai-sensei wrote it all like that because he thought it was the only way the story could go, or if he really did make Miki the target of his disappointment, but he has hardly ever thrown her a bone, either.

As for what the characters were going through, Chibi-Usa was over nine hundred years old, but she'd been stuck as a child for that long and was clearly suffering from survivor's guilt and PTSD. Usagi herself was FOURTEEN when she saw the scope of evil she was up against, and heard she was caught in a tragedy in her last life. Saori Kido of "Saint Seiya" was admittedly a spoiled brat, but got a severe reality check when her grandfather died and she learned she's the incarnation of a GODDESS with all the attached responsibilities that go with it at what was originally thirteen years old! But guess what, that lead to character development!

Relena Darlian saw her father get caught in an explosion, and before he died of his injuries, he told her she was adopted, which is a hell of a thing to tell your shell-shocked kid before you croak. And Relena would later be yanked into politics as a puppet while struggling with her lost innocence and attempting to uphold ideals too big for her to handle alone. Hell, how do we know she wasn't suicidal when she yelled for Heero to come kill her? I'm not saying she didn't make some foolish choices, but hell, she was what, fifteen when her life went tits-up? It's not often we make good decisions at that age!

Nasute Yagyu/Mia Koji of "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors" was seventeen when Japan went to Hell, and instead of freaking out, she stole a policeman's bike, pedaled to the epicenter of the crisis, protected a lost child, and demanded that the heroes stop competing against each other and work together. And it worked! And when her poor grandfather died as a result of the Youjakai's/Netherworld's forces targeting him, Mia got to work through her tears to become the expert the Troopers/Warriors needed. Ryo even tried to tell her that she really should take a moment because of her loss, but she kept going because she was still badly needed and her grandpa entrusted all his work to her.

These are just a few examples, but I kept seeing fans, especially girls, who had absolutely no empathy about any of it, insisting they could be stronger, better, smarter, more helpful, more powerful. (That's called hubris, y'all.) The fanfiction scene reflected this, in which female characters were treated like shit, tortured, raped, murdered horribly, drastically misrepresented to make the self-inserts look better, or just written out entirely so the fans could write themselves in and.... usually do exactly what the female characters did. Or they would die heroically cradled by the hero they coveted. Or they would write reams of yaoi that still forced the male characters into heteronormative roles. (Again, just a few samples.)

I'll pause here to say there's nothing wrong with wanting to be part of a story that means a lot to you. I just rarely saw any well-done, non-hateful examples of it in those days.

And y'know what? These fans wouldn't even HAVE their pretty boys in giant mechs if female fans in Japan hadn't set a precedent! When "Mobile Suit Gundam" was CANCELED during production (we nearly had a world without Haro!), a letter-writing campaign saved it, and who wrote the majority of those letters? Girls and women from fifteen to twenty-five! They saved "Mobile Suit Gundam," and it became a franchise that is still a worldwide hit!

I was very, very confused about all this as a teenage girl, and now that I'm forty-one, I still don't really get it, especially since sexism is still a problem in media and reality. (This was all happening during the "Girl Power!" trend, too. It was so counter-intuitive. Why weren't we banding together to support the female characters and try to get more women in media? Why weren't the fans inspired to try writing their own things if they were so disappointed with female characters instead of lashing out?) There are even male content creators who get upset when their work is aimed at men, but also draws a large female audience that gets them paid.

But it does make me wonder what those hateful fans would think if I was able to go back in time and tell them "Hey, there's a series called 'Gundam: The Witch From Mercury' and it has a lesbian couple as pilots. Yeah, no pretty boys front and center this time, we got some awesome young ladies showing their stuff instead."

And I also wonder if, now that we're all older, they'd have the experience, perspective, knowledge, and empathy to look back at their behavior and say "How embarrassing. I wasn't being kind at all."

Because hell. Like I said: It's not always easy to make good choices as a teenager.

#old auntie multi #old school anime #holy crap did I have a lot to say

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starcrossedjedis · 1 year ago

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Read your post about anime and manga - what are other populuar or unpopular opinions you are having about those? (can be positive or negative) Personally, I watched anime in the 90s but somehow grew out of it. I still love the "old stuff" but the newer ones often won't do it for me, whereas I'm still watching cartoons now and then if I find something that interests me.

IDK...? 😅

I guess "they don't make 'em like they used to" would be a very unpopular opinion 😂

And I don't necessarily think that's true.

It's just that after a while I didn’t find new mangas/shows that touched me in the same way the ones who had gotten me into it had. And that was an expensive hobby to begin with in the early 2000s, so I wasn't gonna spend money on things that didn’t catch my interest and eventually I stopped.

That's not to say that even the things I liked weren't full of tropes/elements that ticked me off.

eg obsession with purity, while at the same time those teenage protagonists were all super sensual/sexy/intimately inclined - literally Chiaki's plan to stop Maron on Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne was to seduce her and sleep with her, so that God found her yucky and don't let her transform into Jeanne D'arc anymore. Fushigi Yuugi had literally every male character in love with Miaka (which is fine, go get it girl), but no one could have her, because if she isn't a virgin the big burning god bird can't be summoned by her - so one time the enemy tried to rape her, just so that she can't do the summoming. At least half the "defloration scenes" I read in that time had the female protagonist shed pretty tears like "forgive me god/father/entity of the lore... but I love him... How can this be wrong when I love him...?" and just...

No thank you.

That being said, as much as I suppose (and hope) that things like this have improved in modern stuff, I don't enjoy most styles these days. I had a circle of mangaka I really adored, but them aside... eh 🤷🏻‍♀️

There's a time for everything and I just think my season of the weeb is over 🤗

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little-de-vil · 5 months ago

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oh backpacks YOU GET ME! Gonna yell down below. I also realize I never mentioned the title of this greater fic: Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus

Also tagging @kald-dal-write for the Victors OC post

re: slip name post- the sophro children being capitol, but also living in d2 for the first few years of their lives, then being forced to move back to the capitol through adolescence(? - if i'm understanding that correctly by them leaving the capitol & being on tv)

You fucking get! YES THAT'S EXACTLY IT! There's a 5 year gap between each of the kids, with a 10 year gab between the oldest (Wren/Madon) and the youngest (Marina[she has a D4 name bc she was born in D4 & she really resents that & goes by her middle name in the Capitol, named after her maternal grandmother: Livia]/Topaz). They all are Cutter kids by and large, but Madon is the most dedicated to both the trade & the tradition, whereas Harlow is the most...spiritual, I'd say. Topaz knows the traditions, but she isn't as dedicated as her siblings. The whole family does go back to D2 each year for the Games since Vance can't stand being in the city while they're going on, it's hard enough as it is living there. The kids also go to the districts (plural! For more lore, ask nicely & I have the time) during the Tour, sometimes Vance stays in 2 throughout the entitreity of the time between the post-Games celebrations to the Tour.

the concept of a "cutter by blood" is very interesting! what age was darnanius when he moved up north? he still has a home name, so not super young, but also if he volunteered...hmm...

Dani and his parents, Miaka and Ajax "Basalt," moved when he was 8, in the summer of the 65th, along with a giant population of the southern city Adobe after the destruction of a mica mine.

cassia/harlow carving a stone version of dardanius while they're in the cave 🥺🥺

YES! The final piece is a rather small stone, highly detailed, but it's always good form to start bigger and get your bearings on what will ultimately be the final piece, so Harlow is doing that with a much larger stone. Also she goes by Harlow exclusivley in the arena, like how her father went by Ashlar (Deadname) in his. All the kids go by their SN in the Capitol & their HN in the districts. Madon is the most aggressive with this for lore reasons & prefers his HN. As for the Saying your Stone bit, this is actually a piece of lore I made, so uhh here it is:

The following is set a month after the 44th Hunger Games victory, so around late August to early September. This tradition actually started with Vance’s Games. He felt such guilt over killing his district partner in the final two that once he was clear headed (as much as you can be after surviving the Games), he practically begged Celeste to take him back to the arena, knowing that it will be well kept for posterity as future vacation spots for Capitol citizens. The two of them scour the arena, made to resemble a giant, endless, dark rubble of a building, with patches of light coming through gaping holes on the side. As arenas go, it’s on the smaller side, but it was no doubt made with a District 2 victor in mind, as this year has proven. They walk for hours until they finally reach it, the place where Vance Sophro became the Victor of the 44th Hunger Games, the first of the masonry sector of District 2, and the only one to be so open in his guilt for his final death. The space is open, the Gamemakers wanting a grand finale outside for all to see, with the building angling over them, giant pillars of gypsum still crumbling over the bloody stones of the final three. The boy from 1 who gave Vance the scar that drips from his temple to his chin in an effort to cut his face off, the girl from 2 who held all that District 2 fight and terror for the both of them, and the lone Victor, who’s skin still rots in the sharp edge of a nearby rock. Though, that rock is not the one of importance, but the one beside it is. A large marble stone, half of it jagged in all sorts of manners and the other half so smooth your head may slip off if you try to rest against it. This is the stone that he takes, rolling it around on the ground, whispering all types of sorrows and apologies to it. Over the next 5 months, that stone is his muse. He spends hours of his newfound freedom tirelessly working on it, trying to find a way to honor her and her family. And suddenly, a revelation: he chips away at it, slowly encircling the stone so that the smoother side takes over the rougher one. And inside those jagged edges, he makes a smooth convex, and carefully, very carefully makes a portrait of her, her name and the year of that Games. On the final day of the Victory Tour where they celebrate in his native District 2, he hands this creation to her family, placing it in the hands of her younger brother and says, “This is her Final Stone. I wanted to honor her in the best way I knew how. Stonecutter or not, she deserves to be remembered. Honored.” He spends the next 31 years creating giant statues of his fellow tributes, massive and victorious, and sending them to their remaining families, as if they too have won. And each year, regardless of a victory for District 2, and hoping the climate of the arena is good, he and his children create Final Stones for the fallen tributes of District 2.

also, her brother's chisel? was that something she was allowed to bring into the arena as a token? or maybe sent to her as a gift during the games? 👀👀

No, her token was a small leather stone bag that has her families birthstones. Her chisel (& hammer, that's a matched set) was a sponsor gift, the sponsor being her brother. His note read "I except to have these back in mint condition."

AAAA !!! there's so much lore in this one bit of dialogue and i am very invested in how they know each other !! dardanius knows her brother?? was that why he volunteered? did harlow know him before this? (then again she refers to him as "her district partner" rather than a friend or something that would indicate a history, and doesn't use his home name either...)

Dani doesn't know Madon personally! But he confronted Dani at the start of the Games, on the train to the Capitol. Dani volunteered on his own accord. Harlow and Dani have not met personally, but Harlow recognized Dani once in the arena when she mentions its her cousin, Andy's birthday. Andy and Dani know each other from southern meeting groups in Pike, passing each other in the south, but really connecting up north.

i like her musings on how her comment would be playing out back in d2 between the cutters and keepers & what her father must be thinking from his perspective as a victor. what does the phrase "saying her stones" mean? (i love that d2 has its own sayings)

She is someone who is keenly aware of perception on multiple fronts because she is both a Snow and a Sophro. As for the "Saying her Stones," another bit of lore:

Saying Your Stones The concept of religion is nonexistent in Panem, so much so that when Katniss sees cherubs in the frescoed walls of District 11, she calls them “fat children with wings.” Religious Christian imagery that Katniss notices is seen as only decoration because religion of any sort is so against the norm. Only cultural, district related traditions. "Designs of fruit and flowers are carved into the molding and small, fat children with wings look down at us from every angle." The concept of prayer is reduced to hope or telepathic wishes of safety, like Finnick when Annie is in The Capitol. No gods of any kind, but not pure hopelessness. There is community without religion in Panem; with the struggle of survival and the knowledge of the district trade. The need to live for others betterment rather than individualistic whims.

Enter an old tradition of the Cutters. As old as their district, and just as tangible as their older traditions. It’s not a prayer in the actual sense of asking some higher power to intervene in for the betterment of one or another’s life, but a symbolic journey of growth tied to their birthstones. Each stone has some sort of symbolic significance tied to that persons birth month, and is believed to be how they act or who they will become. Say someone’s birthstone is travertine, a stone that signifies confidence, stability and durability. If that person is generally shy and unsure in their way of life, others around them will say that they will slowly become like their stone.

Birthstones are defined as markers of character for the community, but not stereotypes because they know that stones have the propensity for change depending on the force given to it. Too little and nothing changes, much and they crumble to dust. But there’s always an opportunity for change, to become one’s true self. The tradition itself is — in our eyes — like a late night prayer. Each night, the birthstone is taken in their hands and the symbolic meaning of the stone is murmured in continuum for however long the person wishes, with a certain meaning repeated more than the others as a wish for what they hope to become.

This tradition has shifted from being done in private at one’s own time to a family evening ritual where the whole family gathers and says their words over and over, regardless of the other people and their “conflicting” stones. This change was made shortly after the war in an effort to not only continue the traditions, but to make it a ritual within the family and tie it to their community. Every night, the oldest Sophro child takes his travertine stone that lives on his nightstand and murmurs “confidence” until his voice nearly gives out. The middle Sophro child has only recently returned to the tradition after her Games, realizing how much she has become like her own stone, carnelian. The youngest Sophro child has a faint idea of the tradition, but has very rarely done it herself since her family hasn’t openly practiced it in years. Nonetheless, she still takes her stone, a shinning topaz like her Home Name and wishes not for who she will become, but for what she would like to impart onto her family. Topaz’s stone still sits atop her nightstand, as if taunting her for abandoning her heritage.

Hawk Sophro has not practiced Saying his Stone since his daughter won her Games. He still keeps his marble stone on his nightstand, spinning it in his palm and asking for the strength of his stone. I also wanted to continue this idea of the culture becoming weaker with each new generation becoming more and more assimilated to Capitol Culture. Madon has continually been doing that tradition, Harlow has recently returned to it after a traumatic event like The Games (in a sort of “She found religion” kind of thing) & Topaz has had very little interaction with it, so much so that when she goes back to it, she misunderstands the purpose and asks for the best for others, not herself.

Madon Sophro is so Sejanus coded that I just decided that when he left to District 7, that's when Topaz stopped Saying her Stone. He was at the core of her cultural practices, his passion for keeping their heritage alive rivaling their fathers. Once he left, she lost more and more their practices. Hawk had begun to Say his Stone privately, Harlow became more focused on studying the stones than saying them, and Celeste only says hers a handful of times after Madon left to humor Hawk. The only traditions from the masonry district that remained in practice were Home Names, a few Cutter songs, and the occasional pre-harvest traditions.

also the breadcrumbs tradition still persisting to the 73rd hunger games!! bread being sent as a joint gift between the master mason and head peacekeeper!! (omg the implications behind that are so interesting as well...)

YES! There was massive debate going on in 2 when this came up. Everyone still uses this tradition regardless of loyalty, but in secret. Because this is so public, there was heavy tension in the district whether is was a good idea for their respective leaders to do something so brash and dangerous.

AND NOW FOR THE CASTING, WHICH NONE OF YA'LL ASK FOR BUT I DON'T WANT YA'LL OUT HERE BEING WRONG! (The Bollards will only appear in the 73rd series, don't get too attached. If I can convince my friend to make this a mini-series, I will)

Vance Sophro: Daniel Dae Kim

Celeste Snow-Sophro: Charlize Theron

Madon Sophro(he prefers his HN): Charles Melton

Cassia Sophro: Adeline Rudolph

Marina Sophro: Anna Cathcart

Dardanius Bollard: Tom Sutherland

Maika Bollard: Carla Gugino

Ajax "Basal" Bollard: Chris Messina

As recompense for me taking forever to respond to @tumblingghosts, I offer you My Ficlet. This is my first time posting about my Silly OC Thoughts, I'm terrified so please be nice!

This takes place during the 73rd Hunger Games, the main characters in this fic are Cassia (Slip Name) "Harlow" (Home Name) Sophro, an 18 year old tribute reaped from District 2 and middle child to Vance (SN) "Hawk"(HN) Sophro, the Victor of the 44th Hunger Games, and Dardanius "Dani" Bollard, another 18 year old tribute from 2, but a Volunteer. He's originally from the south, but his family moved up north after a tragedy. He's what's called a Cutter by Blood, someone who still holds onto the Cutter traditions but works (or in this case, his father) as a Keeper. He's trained as a Career, whereas Cassia has been trained by various Victors, those from 2 and not. @thegreatmelodrama let me know if I did your baby Dani justice! She's also a Snow but that's a topic for another day!

Sand continues to trickle into the cave as the storm destroys the supplies at the nearby Cornucopia. What a rarity, for the whole lot of Career tributes to be cornered and beginning to starve. Starving softly, unlike the chronic harshness other district children are so used to. Like the pair from 3, who are tangled together in wires and sparks bleeding out from a corner most camera.

“Why can’t we just destroy each other?” Dardanius asks Harlow softly.

The question throws her off and she’s been so focused on perfecting the nose of the stone version of her district partner that it takes a moment for his question to register. She is, however, certain that he’s broken his nose more than once.

Who is the “we”? The pair from 1? The lone boy tribute from 4? Certainly not the ones from 3, who no one can really tell why they’re still alive, let alone with the Pack.

Or does he mean himself and Harlow? Are they the “we”?

He must mean them. Because if the years of watching District 2 pairs reach victory has taught her anything, it’s that those from 2 are loyal to their community. Of masonry or military. And that it’s the worst part of watching The Games in District 2, how much the animosity grows amongst the crowd at even the slightest difference in trade or birthplace is put to question the chance of triumph as one tribute falls.

But is the answer so simple? A mere difference in industry? In home? The Cutters: hewer and layer masons, quarry-folk, stone and crystal miners, blacksmiths. The Keepers: soldiers—the common grunt and almost unheard of 2 born general—, cadets in schools, Peacekeepers stationed throughout the country never to return for 20 years, the hundreds working in The Peak. The southern desert folk and their blunt nature, intrenched in tradition that mirrors what it was before. The northern mountain people and their river sweet ways, creating new rituals after living so close to their invaded neighbors.

No, nothing as simple as that. Their mutual destruction is not an echo of past rivalries, but of present vows.

A small piece of granite crumbles under the light tap of her brother’s chisel, and she looks back to see that Dardanius’ stoney eyes match his own. “Because we both made promises that work against each other. You promised my brother that you’d protect me. And I promised my father that I wouldn’t become him. Those two don’t work well together.”

He nods, but his brow tightens in concentration, mind locked deep in thought. His voice is soft and filled with sadness or maybe remorse, unlike its usual deep, assured cadence, “So what will we do if it’s just us?”

She blinks, having not considered this point until this very moment. But something deep inside her quickly finds the answer, “I give you permission to kill me.” She says sternly, mirroring his typical tone.

That comment can’t be playing well with the audience. What sponsor would back a tribute so unwilling to see their own victory? Hasn’t the Capitol been so generous to give these poor tributes the opportunity to better their life? And her especially, who has grown up in the greatest Capitol family of them all her whole life? What joy comes from watching someone fight who will never want the crown?

But this also must be playing horrifically among the Cutters back home. Self-sacrifice isn’t a Keeper trait, but Cutters aren’t known to back down from a fight when it comes to dishonoring their people. By allowing even this possibility to happen, she’s just repeating the cycle of those loyal to the Capitol can claim victory, and those traitors are always bound to fall at their hands.

But her father must be proud of her for lasting this long, for sticking with her partner, for still Saying her Stones? Was he proud of himself when he was in her position 29 years ago, or did that pride diminish once his partner crumbled in his arms and the trumpets of victory rang? She wonders if he will still be proud of his eldest daughter when she returns cold and lifeless, sprinkled with hard tact bread given to her by a joint sponsor of the Master Mason and Head Peacekeeper of 2, spread generously at the end by her partner. Or will he be filled with disdain and fury for defying his one wish to not become like him, like her cousin of the 66th, like her neighbors of the Village who practically raised her. Only time will tell, she supposes, to whose promise will be kept. Or if District 2 will have two tributes sprinkled with bread.

#HOLY SHIT WE GOT TOO MANY WORDS I'M SO SORRY #this took me an hour to even SAVE thank god it's finally here #BUT IT'S HERE TEEHEE YEAHHHH #Anyway meet my babies ig #I'm only scratching the surface with this tho #Snowfall Upon Sophroniscus #me #my post #response #the hunger games #the hunger games fanfiction #THG Lore #district 2 #d2 #d2 ocs #d2 Lore

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