#rich characterization

[cinderella-ish]

Momiji, Kyo, and what it means to protect the ones we love (part 5 of 5)

From the beach arc onward, we see Kyo intentionally spending more time with Tohru. He asks her to hang out in Kyoto, he eventually agrees to be in the play, they spend the New Year together, and he does little nice things for her when he can, like washing her scarf, or giving her the paper flower when he sees how upset she is.

This isn't wildly different from S1 Kyo, of course. He's done little nice things for her right from the beginning, like going to pick her up from work in E2. But he's more intentional with it now, and he's aware of his feelings for Tohru and desire to spend time with her. He may still feel unworthy of her, but he finally accepts that his presence makes her happy, so he's willing to quash his self-hatred enough to spend time with her, for her sake.

And we see Momiji work at protecting Tohru, most notably in Ask Him For Me, when he tries to accompany her on her mission to find Kureno, and when she insists on going alone, he draws her a map, tells her to stick to the bushes and give his name if she's caught, and tails her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble as she searches for Kureno. (Just look how worried he is! And look at him getting Tohru out of there!) He sees that Tohru feels very strongly about being involved, so he does absolutely everything he can to make sure she can do so as safely as possible. We even see his memory of the night Akito scratched Tohru's cheek, just to make his worries crystal clear.

He also doesn't try to distract or manipulate Tohru when he realizes she's upset. He asks her what's wrong and listens, and he even cries with her.

Takaya also connects Momiji and Kyo in the structure of Ask Him For Me/manga chapters 74 and 75. Momiji's section of this episode is almost bookended by two appearances from Kyo.

Near the beginning, Tohru asks Kyo about Kureno, and he warns her not to go looking for trouble. And at the end, we have that rooftop conversation.

Tohru: It's only natural to want to be with the person you love, to want to be by their side, right? Kyo: What is it? Are you in love with some guy? Tohru: N-n-n-no! It's not about me! Kyo: Don't worry. When you do fall in love, you'll have my full support.

So, in this episode, we have Momiji trying to protect Tohru, and Kyo trying to cheer her up and spend time with her, a complete reversal from where they started relative to each other.

And then, Momiji grows up.

After Golden Week, a bunch of the kids gather at Shigure's house for dinner, and when Tohru notices that Kyo isn't with them, Momiji volunteers to go get him (Momiji really is always the one to invite Kyo to join everyone). In the manga, Tohru starts crying when she notices that Kyo's not with them, no doubt thinking of Kyo's upcoming confinement.

When Momiji arrives in Kyo's room, they have this exchange:

Kyo: You guys are gonna eat here, too? Momiji: It's okay, we settled on curry. Kyo: Whatever. You grew a lot, huh? Momiji: Right? Pretty soon I might be taller than you, and better looking! And then, and then... maybe Tohru will accept my proposal? Do you get that if you give up, something like that might happen? So you shouldn't give up. I'm gonna stop going, 'There's no point in thinking about this,' and giving up. Wouldn't it sting if some other guy took Tohru from you? Well, look at the time! We better go help make curry! Come on!

In the manga, it's made clear that Kyo is horrified that everyone knows he loves Tohru. He stands separate from the rest of the group at the barbecue. In the manga, he and Tohru share a cute moment of blushing eye contact.

I love how Momiji says he'll stop thinking it's pointless, too, after he encourages Kyo not to give up. In a conversation where he could have focused on the fact that Kyo is his romantic rival, he instead focuses on the fact that they both might have futures worth fighting for. They're fighting beside each other, even if they can't both be the one Tohru loves romantically.

Later that episode (or a few chapters later), Momiji's curse breaks. He now has a real future ahead of him, but he sees how Tohru looks at Kyo, and he knows that his own future won't be at her side like he wants.

Kyo: Momiji? Jeez, you're here of all places. Tohru and them are inside looking for you, so- Momiji: What? Kyo: Huh? Uh, nothing. Did something happen? Momiji: My curse is broken. Would it surprise you if I said that? Kyo: What? Listen, you- Momiji: Yours breaking would make Tohru happier than mine breaking. I'm sure she'd be happy. I mean... you know, right? I'm the one this stings. Kyo: Shut up. I don't wanna realize that. It's too...

Gosh, this scene breaks my heart every time. On both of their behalves. Momiji is dealing with his first real heartbreak, and Kyo is dealing with his extremely complicated feelings about loving Tohru, his guilt over Kyoko's death, and his upcoming confinement in the Cat's House.

It's clear Kyo cares for Momiji in this scene, and Momiji really tries to put on a happy face for Kyo, but he can't. Megumi Han does an outstanding job as Momiji in this scene. The way her voice breaks when Momiji smiles and says, "Would it surprise you if I said that?" is just crushing.

The visual storytelling is stunning, too. The wide shots, emphasizing how lonely both Momiji and Kyo are. The way the scene is composed to emphasize the distance between them. The close-ups on their faces when they're each grappling with the thing that's gutting them. The way Momiji's smiles are always immediately followed by the saddest looks. The way their solo shots mirror each other's, at the beginning, middle, and end. We also don't see Kyo's eyes between the moment Momiji says his curse is broken and when Kyo is saying, "I don't wanna realize that."

Before the beach arc, I don't think Momiji would have watched that sort of interaction from a distance, and I don't think he would have let it stop him from making plans with Tohru. He would've just wanted to make her smile and spend as much time with her as possible, even if that meant ignoring her feelings. And he definitely wouldn't have let himself feel sad. Momiji's pain in this scene is evidence of his growth.

That night, Momiji goes to speak to Akito, after having dismissed her the night before. His speech to her might be my favorite moment of the whole series. It's the climax of Momiji's arc, at the very least.

Momiji: I'm sorry I sent you home alone yesterday. I spent the whole day thinking. Wondering why my curse is gone... only mine. I couldn't think of anything that would cause it. But I can say this: Akito, I can't stay by your side for the rest of my life. And you can't tie me down anymore. [Akito slaps Momiji] Akito: Monster! Traitor. Traitor! [Akito beats her fists against Momiji's chest] Akito: If you leave here, leave me, you've got no place to go! Your mother and father won't just welcome you back! No one will! You'll never be happy! Momiji: I know. I've become so free, and so lonely. The curse breaking doesn't mean I'll get the girl I want. And the bonds that unconditionally connected me to everyone are gone. It's too late. I can't go back to before things were broken. But... but don't tell me that not having those things means I can't be happy! Don't just decide that! I feel vulnerable being free, but a happiness might exist for me! It might be somewhere in the future, waiting for me to catch up! I'm going to finally start walking along my own life's path. What about you? How long will you stay here? The person most afraid that if they leave this place, they'll have no home and no happiness... Akito: Shut up. Just shut up. Get lost. Momiji: Okay.

It's almost the credo of the whole series, isn't it? That it's better to make your own way, with no guarantee of love or happiness, than to cling to bonds that have become a burden and wish for things to never change. What Momiji's saying is what Akito needs to accept in order to be free herself.

And Momiji, despite all the loss he's suffered, despite having his heart broken that very afternoon, he's still determined to keep going.

I love this as the climax for Momiji's arc because it showcases the ways he's grown while also showing us the things that have always made him such a special character. He's standing up for himself and his future, not afraid to make Akito angry or say things she doesn't want to hear. He's acknowledging that it hurts, and that he might never have the family he so desires. But he also might.

It's a waste of time to think about loss or life getting harder. The traveler never thought about that stuff.

He still has hope, even as everything seems so dark. And he still tries to help Akito, even after everything she's done to him.

The parallels between Kyo and Akito in this episode/chapter are so well done. For both of them, the pain of moving forward is just too much right now, but Momiji still wants to see them both move forward anyway, and he's telling them this in a straightforward, mature way, rather than manipulating them.

And Momiji's not done affecting Kyo's arc.

After Kyo asks Tohru if she loves him, we see Momiji's face and hear him say, "I mean... you know, right?" Once more, it's Momiji whose voice Kyo hears at such a crucial moment.

It's painful for Kyo to finally accept that Tohru loves him. He doesn't know she already knows about his confinement, and worse still, he knows he has to tell her about the day of her mother's death.

But again, it was Momiji who led Kyo to realize that he loves Tohru in S2, and now it's Momiji leading Kyo to realize that Tohru loves him, too.

After Kyo unloads his guilt on Tohru, and Tohru falls from the cliff, it's really Yuki who gets Kyo to take the final step toward accepting Tohru's love, so I won't say much about that except to point out that Yuki says making Tohru smile was protecting her, and that only Kyo could make her smile like that.

I think this scene, where Momiji and Kagura team up to tease Kyo, is the last time we see Kyo and Momiji together. But they're still affecting each other's arcs all the way to the end.

After Kyo and Tohru get together, they visit Kyoko's grave, and Kyo asks Tohru to move away with him.

It's selfish, and it's going to take Tohru away from everyone else, but he still asks anyway. It's a very Momiji-like thing for him to do.

And then, he says this:

I'm taking her with me. You good with that? I'll keep my promise. I know I'm really late, but... I'll protect her for life. So, we're good, right?

He's taking her with him, and he'll protect her for life. He's learned from Momiji, but he's still Kyo.

As they get ready to leave, Tohru starts reminiscing and starts to cry because she'll miss everyone so much.

Kyo: Clearly you don't get it. Listen up: everyone loves you more than you think they do. So it'll be okay. This isn't the last time you'll ever see them. It's the start of a new banquet, right?

In his last appearance, Kyo hugs her and cheers her up and offers a healthy dose of optimism for their future.

And the last time we see Momiji, he's sitting at the dojo with Haru and Rin.

Momiji: More importantly, how dare Kyo take Tohru with him! I bet he just wants her all to himself. I wanna pinch him! Really hard! Haru: Why not pinch him tomorrow? Momiji: Nah, I can't do it in front of Tohru. Oh, but thanks to him, I have another dream. I'm going to find an amazing significant other, and we're gonna go visit them just to show off! So Tohru had better stay happy. She'd better keep on smiling, or I'll be disappointed.

He's complaining and getting annoyed at Kyo (and threatening light physical violence!), but he's still dreaming of a bright future for himself. And he's trusting Kyo to keep cheering Tohru up in their new home.

When I started thinking about writing this series, the point I thought I'd be making was that Momiji functioned as Kyo's mentor in Fruits Basket. But after putting these posts together, I really think it'd be more accurate to say they were each other's mentors. Their relationship has a mutuality from the start. I hope they remained close as adults.

And I really hope Momiji found an amazing partner.

Momiji and Kyo: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Here's a plug for my fic, Bloom Within Us. It's a canon-divergent AU where Tohru dies after falling from the cliff. I've really enjoyed exploring Momiji and Kyo's relationship in that story. If you've enjoyed this series, I hope you'll check it out!

[joncronshawauthor]

Why Fantasy Readers Should Dive into Historical Fiction: 5 Must-Read Novels

As a fantasy reader, you might be drawn to the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, and other masters of the genre. You revel in the magical realms, mythical creatures, and epic battles that define the world of fantasy literature. But have you ever considered exploring the equally enthralling world of historical fiction? Historical fiction novels share many of the same qualities that…

[cinderella-ish]

And it’s so layered!! I keep seeing details in new ways on every rewatch/reread!

Not to derail the Aziracrow train I've been on but this is Fandom-Madness69 so

Let's talk about Fruits Basket.

Let's talk about this wonderfully painful anime. Let's talk about everything about it. The way the tone is almost always shifting but never at a moment where you don't want or need it to. From serious discussions about people's lives, behaviors, bad habits, toxic traits, the whole Zodiac Curse, etc. To joking. Laughing. Bent over with tears in your eyes and your lungs burning to draw another breath but you can't because let's face it what Momiji just did was too cute and just stupid enough that you won't stop laughing anytime soon.

In fact you're going to end up going to that mode where you're silently gasping for air and clapping like a dumb seal. Anyone who has seen this anime knows I'm not exaggerating. And then it will shift again and shatter your hopes, your dreams, everything you thought was going to happen. It will rip your heart out, tear it to shreds, and stomp on it. And then it will come along five minutes later and sew your heart back together, heal those bruises and then hand you back your heart. Like

"Here see all better. It's worth it right?"

And you'll be tempted to say no. Because after all that's abuse right? But the hope will take over and your inner Tohru will win out. And you'll take your damaged heart back with a promise that will be broken. And just when you thought you'd had enough something finally snaps.

Something finally gives and changes for the better. And you fully embrace your inner Tohru as you watch these characters struggle with something ancient weighing them down in a modern world. Tying them to promises they didn't make and that no one could remember. I could go on for days about this anime.

I've made grown men sob their eyes out over this anime.

This is a good starter anime because you get a feel for a lot of the incredibly popular tropes in anime, all the obligatory arcs, the silly moments. But you also get gut punching, heart wrenching, literal back stabbing pain. And it's beautiful. It's sad. And it's so fucking worth watching again and again.

[natjennie]

the way lou has fabian's character perfectly down immediately like I LOVE him the "what's the difference between luck and skill" "five hundred gold pieces" or w/e and trying to jump on the tables and then stealing the hangman and not knowing what ants on a log is. he is just so thoroughly fabian. instantly. do you get it.

[hozaloza]

SBG Cowboys AU but it's William (Ben's dad) and Daniel (Aiden's dad) beefing in the background having their own side story while the gang have their main story going on upfront

[hunxi-after-hours]

Hello! I love your ORV posting. I do have an embarrassing question; can I ask how heartbreaking the ending is? I've tried reading it a large number of times, but have had trouble getting past the chapters in the 300s; I'll reread it up til that point over and over again, but can't continue. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because I get so swept away by the emotions, and all the characters go through is agonizing. I know it's not real! But my heart aches all the same, in a way I've never experienced this with a novel before, and I feel like a child LOL (It's also extremely funny-frustrating because I realize how thematic this is to the story itself). I'm not worried about the characters Kim Dokja is fighting for, but given the patterns in the story and how it seems to be told, I'm too afraid to keep going. I know I could just look it up, but at the same time, I don't want to spoil all the mysteries; just if my heart can rest easy. TLDR, if it's not too spoilery, is there any light for kim dokja in the ending? or is it a tragedy through & through?

(If this is a dumb question, please feel free to ignore this)

oh boy anon, I've been sitting on this ask for a hot second because it's hard to answer! so I will attempt to talk around it in a way that will hopefully (?) avoid spoilers

as I see it, the nature of orv's ending (broadly writ) is additionally complicated by the fact that there are approximately four(ish) endings:

1) the ending at chapter 516

2 + 3) the ending(s) at chapter 551

4?) the side stories

the ending at chapter 516

this is probably what many people would characterize as BE, but I'd personally compare it to the ending of my love, my life, 《琅琊榜》 Nirvana in Fire, in that the ending may be "sad" (broad air quotes to vague-ify whatever "sad" entails) but it feels earned. it feels right. it feels like the logical conclusion of what the entire book was building up to. some may consider it a tragedy, but it's not a hollow, meaningless tragedy — it feels correct. this is the note that the novel officially ends on, but is then over(?)written by the existence of—

the ending(s) at chapter 551

Kim Dokja's Company looks at the ending of ch. 516 and says "aw hell no" and sets out to rewrite that ending. after 35 chapters of epilogue, we've unlocked an OE — an open ending, that concludes the moment before the HE/BE ambiguity will be resolved. schrodinger's ending, except you, the reader, get to choose what you believe — and I do think the epilogues are written beautifully to get you here (they implicate the reader in a wonderful and deeply empathetic way). and from what I've seen, the vast majority of the fandom chooses to take the offered HE option and run with it; everyone lives happily ever after together in a big house, a million domestic post-canon fics will attest. this is the closest, I'd say, that would come answering your question of whether Kim Dokja has light in his future with an emphatic, loving "yes"

(I also think it's worth mentioning that the epilogues add a lot to the story; they fill in narrative lacunae and tie up loose threads that aren't answered in the original 516 chapters, so I don't consider the epilogues as "separate" or "extra." the epilogues aren't a fix-it tacked onto the end of the narrative; they serve and enrich the narrative in a way that would actively reduce the luster of the story if lost)

the side story

a few years down the line, Sing-shong have returned to the text to tie up "a few more loose ends." the side story is currently being serialized, and more or less picks up from where chapter 551 left off. this necessarily chooses among your OE options as detailed above; whether the side story will end happily, or with "light for Kim Dokja," currently remains to be seen as it is still ongoing. I've fallen off the bandwagon and have been meaning to catch up, but from what I've read so far I think the side story is an interesting and worthwhile addition to the text. Sing-shong continue to innovate and develop upon the worldbuilding and narrative they have already created, and we have met a new cast of characters that have rapidly become as dear to us as the old (the old cast of characters are also here, don't worry). if I were a betting person, I would say that the side story is headed in a more-or-less HE direction; the side story is currently engaging with and complicating themes of (self-)identity and (self-)worth through the many lenses of Kim Dokja, and while it remains to be seen how it resolves, I am tentatively optimistic that it will, if nothing else, be satisfying

TL;DR the ending(s) of ORV can be variously construed as HE, BE, or OE, and the elements of tragedy woven into the narrative and characters are inherent to the text. however, no tragedy is meaningless in ORV, and all of the endings feel earned

[witchhakuba]

I love how sweet and boyish Hakuba looked when he was overwhelmed with relief and joy when his old lady butler was alright. Even his frustration and embarrassment at being fooled by Kid was cute.

HES SO SWEET HE FLEW TO CANADA LAST MINUTE JUST TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS OK!!! he's just a teenager here making sure his nanny is ok!!! no second thoughts about a potential trick or a dead phone or maybe just calling the hotel to make sure she's ok, just doing the most drastic measure first!! he's such a dumb teenager i love him

[lollytea]

The Blight family are so interesting IN THEORY. In execution they are....😬

[navree]

"can we stop pretending the evil stepmother trope is bad and boring" oh my FUCKING GOD just reread the book!!!! just reread the fucking book!!!!!! if you want the book canon so bad it's right there, go read it!!!!! you've got to have it in your possession since you talk about it all the fucking time and i'd be astounded if someone this fucking pressed hasn't actually read it!!!!!! the change to rhaenyra and alicent's relationship has been known since they first cast the fucking show!!!!! it's been there since episode one!!!!!!! if you don't like it don't watch the show and just REREAD THE FUCKING BOOK!!!!!!

[bittersweetresilience]

I love the great care you give to symbolism, exemplified in the director’s commentary of watership down & The Renjing Fic !!! I love the metaphors your choose, especially relating to hands, birds, and the usual void-like gutting that comes with abandonment, loss, or fear. I love that your prose is both very poetic but succinct at the same time, something honed by doing poetry for so long! love sunny writing 🩵

W... WOAOOAWOAOAOAOOAOwoAOWA?/?!?!!?!?!?! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 AUTUMN... CAN I KISS YOU...

[cinderella-ish]

Momiji Sohma and his beautiful, complex relationship to Kyo (part 1 of 5)

So, if Yuki is my favorite character of the main trio, Momiji would have to be my favorite of the large cast of secondary characters. He may even be my favorite character outright- a hard pick, as there are so many characters to love in Fruits Basket!

When it comes to Yuki and Kyo, their relationship to each other and Yuki's relationship to Haru (which is beautiful and now I want to do a post on them, too) are perhaps the two most obvious dynamics among these four boys. But I think Momiji and Kyo have their own important, deep relationship, with huge significance to the plot and to Kyo's arc in particular.

In many ways, Momiji and Kyo's stories are parallels.

They both lost their mothers at a young age. Kyo watched as his mother stepped in front of a train, and Momiji watched as his mother's memories of him were erased (though it's worth noting Momiji's mother was also suicidal). Both watched their mothers suffer for years because of the curse.

Both had a parent who viewed them as sub-human. Momiji's mother referred to him as a "creature," and Kyo's father called him a "monster."

Both also had fathers who put responsibility for their mothers' mental health issues on them and ultimately abandoned or neglected them. And both had loving surrogate father figures who took them in out of guilt, Kyo in Kazuma and Momiji to a lesser extent in Hatori (it does seem like Momiji's father was somewhat present in his life, though Hatori was much more present for him).

They also both had reputations as a bit of a wild child, Kyo because of his short temper and aggression (and stereotypes about the cat), and Momiji because of his id-driven hedonism and frequent lack of supervision. They're both impulsive to a fault, Momiji in pursuit of maximum fun, and Kyo out of extreme self-hatred and a desire to protect the people he cares about (mostly from himself). They each lean into people's misconceptions about them - Momiji encouraging people to underestimate him due to his small size because it allows him to get away with more, and Kyo willing to let people see him as a monster because he believes that's true (and therefore using physical intimidation as his main strategy for protecting people he cares about).

They're also both quite good at reading others - for Kyo, this is remarked upon several times in canon, and for Momiji, he's often cited by fans as possibly the most emotionally mature character in the series.

And they both are at their best when they act a bit more like each other, Kyo when he lightens up and lets himself have fun, and Momiji when he stands up for himself and the people he cares about.

I would even argue that Kyo is the main driver behind Momiji's character development, and that Momiji is the main catalyst for Kyo to understand and accept his feelings for Tohru.

So, with all that in mind, let's look at Momiji's first appearance with Kyo at the first culture festival.

(An aside: Hiroshi's reactions in this scene will never not be funny to me.)

So, the first time we see Kyo and Momiji together is at the first culture festival, when Momiji is officially introduced to Tohru and thus to the reader (after a brief appearance 1 chapter/3 episodes earlier, where we're not entirely sure who he is). In quick succession, Momiji proceeds to:

jump on Yuki's shoulders and tell him he looks like a girl

get scolded by Hatori for running off on his own

excitedly introduce himself and Hatori as relatives of Yuki and Kyo to the crowd of students, making sure to mention that he's half-German

climb on top of the rice stand, frightening everyone, eating a rice ball he probably didn't pay for

get dragged away by a grouchy Kyo, laughing all the way

It's quite a memorable entrance!

But a closer look at this scene suggests that Momiji was causing a stir for Yuki's sake as much as for his own desire to have fun.

he jumps on Yuki right when Yuki's feeling extremely self-conscious about all the attention he's receiving, immediately after both Tohru and Kyo have made comments about his appearance

he climbs atop the riceball stand right when Yuki looks ready to murder Hatori

One could argue that this is just Momiji being his typical wild-child self, especially since he tells Yuki he looks like a girl right when Yuki's at his most self-conscious about his feminine appearance, but it fits with a pattern we see repeated throughout the series: Momiji is willing to make a spectacle of himself if it helps him achieve his goals, whether they are to have more fun or to protect someone he cares about (all the better if it's both!).

I do wonder about that comment - Fruits Basket can be very subtle, so I think there are multiple ways of interpreting Momiji's comment to Yuki. It's possible he made that comment because he didn't know what Yuki was so upset about, or to remind Yuki that of course people are going to talk about what he's wearing when its unusual for him, or maybe for another reason altogether. But what I think is most telling is that he says it without any judgment - it's simply an observation of fact. That, in and of itself, might be enough to help Yuki feel less self-conscious about the whole thing, whether Momiji intended that or not.

As Momiji is dragged off, Hatori reveals to Yuki that they're here because Momiji brought home the flier Tohru dropped when they met 3 episodes/1 chapter earlier. He also reveals that Akito wanted to come, to Yuki's terror, but was too ill, so Hatori is here in her place.

After Kyo drags Momiji away, we see the first iteration of their play big-brother/little-brother dynamic. Kyo's been trying to scold him this whole time, and Momiji fake cries that Kyo "hit" him, but he immediately beams when he realizes Tohru is right behind them.

Kyo probably gave Momiji a light rap on the head or something while scolding him (we know Kyo's a skilled martial artist who knows better than to fight people without training), and Momiji overreacted because teasing Kyo is fun and that's their "thing." But what's super interesting to me is that the only other person Kyo has scolded up until now or given a knock on the head is the only person we know he cares about and wants to protect: Tohru. So, even though outwardly, Kyo seems angry and annoyed at Momiji, he's treating him the way he treats people he cares about and wants to protect.

Momiji then goes over to Tohru, where he:

tells her he came specifically to see her

FLIRTS WITH HER IN FRONT OF KYO ("Ja! Fate brought us together that day, huh?")

tells her his papa owns the building where she works and he likes to hang out there

and confirms she knows the Zodiac secret before announcing his plans to hug her

Kyo physically prevents Momiji from hugging her and they have this INCREDIBLE exchange.

Kyo: "Hold it, Romeo. Remember where you are." Momiji: "Keeping Tohru all to yourself just because you like her? I bet you hug her every day!" Kyo: *blushes* "As if I'd do that!" *drops Momiji* Momiji: *jumps into Tohru's arms* "Gotcha!"

At this point in the story, I doubt that either Kyo or Momiji feel the deep, romantic love they both feel for Tohru by the end of the series. But if we accept that they both have at least a crush on her by now, they're going about it in completely opposite ways. Momiji openly wants to hug Tohru as often as possible and spend as much time with her as he can, whereas Kyo wants to avoid making Tohru uncomfortable and avoid any semblance of impropriety that could reflect poorly on her.

So, Momiji hugs Tohru and transforms, and Tohru's classmates pull back the curtain and start asking questions about what happened. How do they get out of this situation?

Well, Yuki takes a lesson from Momiji's earlier actions, making a spectacle of himself to protect the family secret (and therefore Tohru).

So, in summary, in Momiji's first appearance:

he shows Yuki it's okay to play up the aspects of yourself that make you different in pursuit of a goal

we clearly see that his crying at Kyo's scolding is an act

he immediately notices and calls out Kyo's feelings for Tohru to trick Kyo into letting him go

he generally just does whatever he wants, including hugging Tohru, in stark contrast to Kyo, whose approach to life seems to be all about denying himself what he wants because he doesn't believe himself worthy (which is the exact opposite of the advice he gives Tohru, that it's okay to be selfish sometimes)

We see that Momiji is much smarter than he lets on, but also that he has a lot of growing to do, and that he and Kyo are opposites in many ways.

I'll leave you with these cute shots from S2 (because they didn't fit with any of the other posts), where we see their big brother/little brother dynamic was already in place in elementary school. (Also, poor Yuki!)

Momiji and Kyo: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[blueiight]

will never not be endlessly fascinating how people attach their identities or sense of selves to fictional characters to where when u actually talk about the story people get all in their feelings and shit bruh tighten up

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Random insight into my commentary from when I started reading the Phantom of the Opera novel the other day

[high-guardian-herbs]

So, modern AU anyone?

Just sm I’ve been thinking about lately, cause in my opinion there is two basic ways to go about modern au, either change the character to how they would realistically act in a modern world, or change the story around them so that they act exactly the same way

What am I trying to say with this you may ask?

Well, thyme is a chuuni is what I’m trying to say here

[fereldanwench]

BOLD THE FACTS ft Valerie Powell

→ Tagged by the wonderful @corpocyborg--Thank you so much! ♡♡♡ → Answers are based on her status during the in-game events

✧˖°. PERSONAL

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non-applicable / would be in great shape if not for the brain worm

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other

✔ Education: qualified/ unqualified / studying / other

✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / commits more crimes (bribes law enforcement) to avoid charges / yes, but charges were dismissed

✧˖°. FAMILY

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / abandoned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent(s) / not applicable  

✧˖°. TRAITS + TENDENCIES

♦ extroverted / introverted / in-between

♦ disorganized / organized / in-between

♦ close-minded / open-minded / in-between

♦ calm / anxious / in-between / highly contextual

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in-between

♦ cautious / reckless / in-between / highly contextual

♦ patient / impatient / in-between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in-between / highly contextual

♦ leader / follower / in-between

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in-between

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in-between

♦ traditional / modern / in-between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in-between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in-between / unknown

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

✧˖°. BELIEFS

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic

☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know/ don’t care / in a manner of speaking

✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care / in a manner of speaking

❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

❀ Philosophical: yes / no / highly contextual

✧˖°. SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

❥ Sex: sex-repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

✧˖°. ABILITIES

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor/ none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✧˖°. HABITS

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic / former borderline alcoholic turned sober

☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

✿ Recreational Drugs: tried some / never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess

☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gamble

Tagging: @medtech-mara, @vayneoc, @themermaidriot, @itzsassha, @elfjpeg, @morganlefaye79, and @vox-monstera ♡

dividers by @saradika | masterlist here (awesome resource--thank you so much! ♡)

[chocolatepot]

The new Sense and Sensibility is Not Very Good, but tbh I'll take its simple sincerity over Persuasion (2022)'s high-budget shittiness.