#sangha fic

[slytherinshua]

BIRTHDAY GIRL

genre. fluff. warnings. none. pairing. sangha x fem!reader. wc. 422. request. no. a/n. happy birthday hannie 🥹 ur gonna be a porch grandma before u know it WATCH OUT 👹

“Y/n! It’s time to wake up!” Sangha’s sing-song voice broke through your dream. You groaned, only burying your head more into the pillow, pulling the blankets over your body tightly.

“Baby…” Sangha’s whisper came closer than his first call, a slight teasing hint in his voice. You peaked an eye open at him, finding his face dangerously close to yours.

“It’s time to wake up.” He repeated sweetly. You could see that he was already fully dressed, and you wondered how long he had been awake. The smell of fresh pancakes reached your nose, but it still wasn’t quite enough to persuade you to leave the warm bed. You’d much rather find a way to drag Sangha back in so you could cuddle.

“What time is it?” You asked sleepily, your voice hoarse from the hours of slumber. Sangha giggled at your question.

“It’s almost 10 am. Don’t you want breakfast, birthday girl?”

“Later.” You dismissed, eyes falling back shut.

“Do I have to remove the blanket?” Your boyfriend asked blankly, head tilting to the side to look at your hidden face.

“No. Please.” You clutched the blanket even tighter at his threat, pleading with the little energy you had.

“What about the curtains, then? You should get some sunlight.” He suggested. You whined out another no at his words.

“Hmm… What about the light? Should I switch it on?” He teased, a sly smile on his face. You glared at him until the smile disappeared from his face, replaced with an endearing sigh.

“If you like none of those methods of getting you up, what would you accept?” He crept a little close, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning over to move a strand of your hair away from your face. You pushed the blankets down a little so you could gaze up at your boyfriend’s face. You silently reached up, tracing your thumb across his bottom lip. He smiled, getting at what you were hinting at.

“You should’ve just said all you wanted was a kiss.” He whispered before leaning in to complete his action, softly enveloping your lips with his. 

The kiss didn’t last for long, much to your displeasure. Using the promise of more kisses once you got up and were dressed, Sangha finally persuaded you to leave the bed. You were determined to get your cuddles that you missed out later, though. Your morning wouldn’t be complete without it.

You met him in the kitchen, setting the table with your warm breakfast. He pulled you into a hug with a soft smile on his face, kissing your forehead and mumbling, “Happy birthday, baby.”

[sparkagrace]

We're finally in spring (hopefully!). Plenty of time to go outside with a nice coffee and get some reading done. I read some incredible fics this month!

april

392,534 words read over 35 fics (average of 11,215 words per fic, not including wips) 📈 20% from March

current total for the year: 1,378,159 words

a handful of fic recs

Till there were no more wolves in the West by @dharmasharks stucky | E | 71.6k

It's Time to Live by @bittersweet-in-boston stucky | E | 37k

I Need To Be Youthfully Felt 'Cause God, I Never Felt Young by sangha stucky | E | 2k

Between New York and What Comes Knocking by @dontcallmebree stucky | T | 2k

CA:TWS 10th Anniversary Ficlets (Stucky) by @voylitscope stucky | G | 3.3k

April by @xoxobuckybarnes stucky | E | 3.2k

Tried to drift but don't know how by @dharmasharks stucky | E | 10.4k

I'll hold on a little tighter (maybe you'll stay the night) by glittercake stucky | E | 10.3k

Baby Steps by @bluesimplicity73 stucky | M | 115k

series recs

E is for Escort by VenusDoom3 stucky | 3 fics | E | 21.7k

All's fair in [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] by redcigar stucky | 3 fics | M | 10k

a couple of author recs

this_wayward_life (@wayward-lives) recs: In the Light of the Candles [stucky | 1.7k], Think I Found Myself a Cheerleader [stucky | 2.4k], Soft [stucky, 2.4k]

@moodymelanist recs: but they've got planes [stucky, 1.7k], sometimes i hold you closer (just to know you're real) [stucky, 1k]

currently streaming wips started this month

Damage Gets Done by @bonky-bornes stucky | N/A | 4/7

wips completed this month

feel your heart take root in your body by @between-a-ship-and-a-hard-place sam x riley | M | 28k

be kind, rewind older fics or rereads

Feast On This by goldblooded (@duelingnebulas) stucky | E | 11k

bruise-resistant by mcwho stucky | E | 3.5k

less talk, a little more touch by @endofadream stucky | E | 2.3k

Number of Years by @missbeizy stucky | E | 8k

Deliver Me to Destiny by what_alchemy stucky | T | 2.4k

Steve's Favorite Thing by Just_a_m_ss stucky | E | 3.3k

The Fire We Make by @chiyume stucky | E | 8.8k

Sized Up by @duchessonfire stucky | E | 3k

non-mcu recs

Tuesday (Break My Heart) by pansys_goth_gf buck x eddie (911) | T | 10k

[mitsususu]

I give my hand to you with all my heart. I can’t wait to live my life with you, I can’t wait to start. Steve and Bucky are getting married! Below are my Top 5 Favorite stories:

“We didn’t need this to love each other, but I’m glad we get to do it anyway” (T, 1k) by AidaRonan

In an alternate universe where they never go to war, Steve and Bucky live a whole lifetime together.

They're near the end of the line now, but there's still time to make it official.

Or the one where same-sex marriage finally gets legalized in NY and two very old men do the thing.

+ Modern AU. They got to grow old together! Courthouse weddings and heartfelt vows.

-☆-

“My Big Fat Wolf Wedding” (T, 12k) by AggressiveWhenStartled, galwednesday, quietnight, silentwalrus, skellerbvvt

“MARRIED?”

“Basically married. Permanently engaged anyway. Weres have their own deal.” Natasha sounds much, much too gleeful about Steve’s rapidly expanding personal hell. “So you better wake your blushing bride and tell him the happy news: that it was an accident and you had no idea what you were doing.”

“I,” Steve says, strangled. “I can’t do that!”

“You can’t?”

“He thought I was proposing! And he accepted!”

“Wow, maybe he’s just as dumb as you are,” Natasha says thoughtfully.

“I can’t just promise him a ring, take him home, drink from him three times in a row and then wake him up the next morning to say oops, just kidding!” Steve casts around, looking at his wreck of an apartment. “I don’t even have any good champagne!”

+ Modern AU. Vampire Steve and Werewolf Bucky. Mistaken identity, accidental proposals, wedding planning, family gossip, and idiots in love. This was published a few days ago and if you haven’t read it yet, you MUST

-☆-

“just goddamn marry me already, for fuck's sake” (E, 6k) by newsbypostcard

"Do you," Steve says, fingers newly tugging Bucky's underwear until it starts to slide off his hips, "want to marry me, or not?"

Bucky sighs. "You know, in some circles people would consider this interrogation under duress."

+ Post CW. They’re practically married already, but Steve wants to make it an official forever. Lovely wedding vows in Central Park

-☆-

“All the things yet to come are the things that have passed” (T, 9k) by sangha

Peter gets underestimated. Everyone calls him “kid,” as if he’s not part of the Avengers. Well anyway, contrary to what the others may think, he does notice things. Being in high school is good for something. Noticing when people have crushes, for one.

Nobody else seems to notice the way Captain America looks at the Winter Soldier. Peter is still not sure how to act around Cap. He’s a little intimidating, not a very approachable guy. He always looks very severe and serious and to be honest, Peter’s arms still hurt when he thinks about the fight at the airport. But when Steve’s looking at the Winter Soldier, he looks a lot more approachable. Softer, somehow. Peter likes him better that way. Not that he’d ever dare say that to Captain America’s face. He’s not in any hurry to die again. Anyway, the point is, Cap clearly has it bad for his best friend.

+ Post CW. Very cute. Peter and Bucky friendship, proposals, and a simple wedding.

-☆-

“Brookland House” (E, 8k) by Ark

“You seem distressed, my angel. Are you not pleased with the match? The word from court is that Lord James Barnes is an upstanding gentleman, not given to the wild circles around the Prince Regent. And Steve, it was he who asked for you. The young man has kept you in mind all these years -- despite our circumstances.”

+ Historical AU. Arranged marriage, childhood friends, and a long awaited wedding night

-☆-

-☆- And a freebie! -☆-

“les voleurs de mariage” (G, 988 words) by silentwalrus

Anon asked:

Sorry if this is too much. I've been obsessed with better than to bend since I read it. I can't help but imagine if Steve was found earlier, Bucky was rescued and Steve married both of them like he wanted and lived their lives. Do you have any headcanons on this version? Details!! I want them to be h a p p y and it's too much to ask for in canon. And! In ITHLYN does the team ever find out Steve's relationships with both? I'd LOVE to see you write out their reactions. Only if you want to. Thanks!

+ Post WW2. Bucky gets rescued and marries Steve in France. Crackfic, Outside POV. Tagged for Steve/Bucky/Peggy but there’s no Peggy romance actually in the story

-☆-

+ Previously rec’d Wedding stories (x18) here

[witchingwebs]

All I want in life is some Marcella/Rav angst with a mostly happy ending.

[shifuaang]

happy ffwf! what is the easiest fic you’ve written? in other words, what is the fic that has come the most naturally to you? why do you think it was so easy to write? make sure to link it! feel free to share as much or as little as you’d like 💛 (—@avatraang.)

Happy Belated FFWF!

Maybe this is a bit of a copout because it's only 700 or so words, but Sangha was definitely my easiest fic to write. It only took me an hour or so, and I felt like I didn't have to consult a ton of references or my thesaurus as I often do when writing. I also feel like I have a really good grasp on both Sokka and Aang as characters (Sokka being my favorite from when I first watched the show as a teen and Aang being my favorite for basically my whole adult life), so capturing their dynamic was a very straightforward process, and the dialogue flowed naturally.

[liesonthefloordramatically]

would you mind explaining some of your chapter naming schemes? i can never figure them out 😫

Yes, right! Okay! Only three of my posted fics have chapter naming schemes, so let's do 'em in order:

Buddhism fic [The Buddha, The Dharma, The Sangha]: I've explained this one! They're the Three Jewels (sometimes also called the Three Treasures), corresponding to the Buddha, the teachings of the Buddha, and the community of Buddhist practitioners.  The chapter titles parallel the chapter content (first chapter is Jotaro meeting Kakyoin [and the Buddha], the second chapter is Jotaro getting to know Kakyoin better [and learning more about the dharma], and the third chapter is all about community and relationality because I’m profoundly predictable).

disjoint [The Beginning, The Middle, The End, The Beginning (Again)]: This one is honestly probably the hardest to guess, unless you are sitting in my brain and/or very aware of how invested I am in cycles. A lot of this fic is very cyclical (large chunks of chapters 1 and 3 + 2 and 4 parallel each other and many of the storylines we see early on come back again with different characters and in different guises) and includes both a figurative and literal resurrection (Bruno meeting Giorno and Giorno literally reanimating Bruno's corpse, respectively). It's also about...the extent to which so much of Bruno's narrative is an inevitable trajectory (some might say a nosedive) that's interrupted and then diverted.  Sometimes you think it’s all over and then it starts again, for better or worse.

a flower blooming, in reverse [Wither, Bloom, Bud]: This one is probably the easiest to guess because it's literally just...the stages of a flower blooming...but in reverse order... Each step parallels chapter content again! (Bud is Giorno coming into himself, Bloom is the events of VA/Giorno at peak power, Wither is reality hitting the fan in the worst way.)  Also as several folks have pointed out in the comments, the sequence implies he'll eventually bud and bloom again.  (Time eats its own tail!)

tl;dr: the pro strat for guessing my chapter titles is either 1. thinking of sets of things that will parallel the chapter content or 2. thinking of names for steps in a sequence that will parallel the chapter content.

[crimsonrainsimpflower]

Someone explain this tomfoolery

There are eight AO3 fics on Mr.Heart. 

Eight. 

Effin eight. 

This outrageous, unacceptable and blasphemous.

SANGHA AND JINWON DESERVE MORE THAN 8 FICS. 

I would have LOVED to fix this mistake, except i have no writing talent and 0 creativity whatsoever.

To all the AO3 writers here on tumblr: I implore you to fix this sacrilege. Please. 

PS:I think i lost like 3 braincells trying to come up with “implore”

[fyeahffa]

Re: 100 words of snotty/wanky academic writing

Crowley sauntered down the street with a p-value of 0.1, making it not statistically significantly different from the way he usually sauntered when visiting Aziraphale. The angel opened the door to his bookshop when he saw Crowley approaching. An angel in this fic is defined as a messenger, borrowed from the Latin word angelus which has been derived from the Greek work ἄγγελος meaning messenger (Sangha, 2015). This definition is considered appropriate since it is a more limited and clear definition compared to other interpretations of the word that rely on overly broad and therefore imprecise definitions of what constitutes an angel (see GoodOmensFan666, 2019). For this particular fic the definition of angels as “messengers” is also seen as adequate since Aziraphale was handing over a letter to Crowley, the moment he was close enough.

“Adam invited us to his birthday party,” he said, sounding happy. The positive emotional reaction of the test group after receiving birthday invitations from the Antichrist was compared to a group who has received no such invitation and was considered statically significant (p<0.001). The survey taken after the experiment has factored in other aspects that could evoke positive emotions such as a) going to a birthday party where cake would likely be served and b) going anywhere with Crowley and c) other socio-economic factors such as education, income and gender.

“That’s … nice,” Crowley said. “But how did he get your address?” Aziraphale shrugged. Past studies have shown that putting letters into postboxes with neither stamps nor any names but “To The Angel And The Demon” have an indirect correlation with letters being delivered. However one study conducted by Young A. (2019) has yielded a direct correlation. “Well, let’s get going then,” Crowley said. Despite the conclusion drawn by GoodOmensFan666 that demons do not enjoy parties in their study from 2019, this fic would argue that this was a wrong conclusion due to a too small sample size, an unclear definition of both the word “demon” and “party” and an overly homogeneous testing group that failed to account for the existence of demons who had spent the last 6,000 years on Earth and not Hell. Based on the evidence in this fic, this author would therefore argue that demons do in fact enjoy parties and propose that GoodOmensFan666 should repeat their study while addressing the formerly mentioned weaknesses. As a conclusion, this fic has shown that demons enjoy partying and angels sometimes deliver letters for birthday parties. Further fics might take a closer look at both the amount of cake consumed by angels at birthday parties and the amount of birthday presents panic-stricken miracled after being asked pointedly for them by an Antichrist. 

https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/379344.html?thread=2222498768#cmt2222498768

[slytherinshua]

SANGHA SANGHA SANGHA ‼️‼️‼️‼️

LIKE HES SO MY BABY I WANT TO NOM HIM SO BADDD BUT AAA imagine ur teasing him abt the concept photos and pretending to notice the other members more and he's just like ☹️☹️☹️ INSTEAD OF FIGHTING BACK LIKE I WANT HIM SO BAD GRRRR

sangha baby he's so adorable and soft and tiny and cute and just so cutie patootie how the hell is he the oldest like it doesn't make sense 😭😭😭 warnings: erm sad sangha :( wc: ~550

"woahh, kangsu must've worked hard for those abs." you said, purposefully a bit louder than you had previously been talking to get sangha's attention. his eyes met your face and then drifted down to your computer where you were flipping over the newly released concept photos for nomad's debut. sangha's throat felt a little dry as he watched you zoom in on the photo, carefully studying the stickers on kangsu's torso.

"awww, it's hello kitty!" you smiled– a little too widely for sangha's liking, before you flipped to the next photos. he watched silently as you complimented doeui, junho, and jiwon, patiently waiting for you to flip to his photo and compliment him as well. you eventually did, clicking over to the concept photo with the lollipop.

but, to sangha's disappointment, you only gave a small approving hum before moving onto jiwon's photo. another exaggerated reaction sounded from your mouth, compliments flowing out about the styling, the hair, the pose, even the abs.

all sangha could do was frown.

you had been curious whether purposefully noticing the other members instead of him would get your silent, reserved boyfriend to finally speak up. but you seemed to have underestimated how conflict-averse he was. he wasn't even willing to comment on it, though his eyes didn't leave your face once. it was as if he was silently willing you to stop with his big pout and sad eyes.

"are you okay, baby?" you asked softly, wondering if a little push was all he needed to voice his feelings. but he only shook his head and averted his gaze, his frown deepening even more. you tried to hold back and continue with your teasing, but it was impossible to resist how cute he was being now. you cupped his face and turned it towards you, cooing softly at his pouty expression.

"i was only teasing. i'm sorry, baby." you said, squishing his cheeks slightly between your palms. he looked away from you, now sporting a hurt expression. "don't be like that, sangha." you giggled, "i was only joking."

he huffed, "it's not funny."

your face straightened, realizing it would take a little bit more work to cheer him up from your little stunt. you had never teased him before, and you silently decided that you would never again because now you felt awful. he looked so sad, and knowing you caused it just for your own entertainment made you feel like a bit of an asshole. he didn't deserve it.

"i'm sorry. you looked amazing in the photos too." he only frowned again, his face still between your hands. "i'm serious. you looked really hot. and i'm sorry for pretending to ignore your photos."

he seemed a little happier by that answer, even letting his gaze drift from the floor back to your face. you took the opportunity to give him a kiss, ensuring that he would forget all about the little stunt. everything was always better when you were kissing sangha, and he loved it just as much as you did; always finding opportunities throughout the day to give you little pecks.

"all better?" you asked, giving one last peck to his lips. he just dropped his head onto your shoulder, mumbling to never do that to him again. you giggled, hugging him close to your chest, and promising you wouldn't.

↳ nomad taglist: @eternalgyu

[thestuckylibrary]

hey i lost this fic. it takes place right after the final battle in civil war. bucky went to a therapist in wakanda who helped him with his memories by using emdr therapy? it was a completed work but i accidentally closed the tab before i finished :(

This one?

It Will Come Back by sangha (complete |28,902 | M)

Ever since the events on the Potomac, he hasn’t had a real moment of rest, his mind constantly assaulting him with memories. Even the innocent memories are exhausting; trying to understand where each memory fits in the narrative of his life. The more vicious memories invade his mind day and night. And to make matters worse, he had to fight for his life. Only now that he finally has time to slow down, he feels just how tired he really is. The exhaustion has seeped into his bones and his muscles and it’s clouding his mind.

---

Or: Bucky is forced to face his demons now that he has nothing else to focus on, though not without a lot of help from his newfound friends and a lot of therapy.

Part 1 of I'll Find My Way Back to You

[slytherinshua]

　　　nomad masterlist ⟡₊ ⊹

⋆˙⟡ = author's pick !

　　　　sangha

birthday girl

genre: fluff. | wc: 422.

soft thoughts !

one

　　　　doeui

california love

genre: fluff. | wc: 663.

in the zone ⋆˙⟡

genre: fluff. | wc: 514.

late night kisses (req) ⋆˙⟡

genre: fluff. | wc: 806.

　　　　jiwon

pearls (req)

genre: fluff. | wc: 709.

　　　　kangsu

nothing yet . . .

　　　　junho

nothing yet . . .

[liesonthefloordramatically]

Annotations for “What the hell is a bodhisattva?”

Wow, can’t believe I’ve written more about Buddhism for this frickin’ JJBA fic than I have in seven years of graduate school in Japanese religion. Sometimes you want to make a joke that’s simultaneously so funny and so obscure that you have to write like 20k in order for people to understand it.

I’ve tried to write annotations only for things that aren’t explained sufficiently within the fic, otherwise we’d all be here for the rest of our lives.  Feel free to ask about anything that isn’t annotated or if you have further questions about things that are!  

(Link to the fic if you’ve somehow managed to accidentally stumble on this post.)

OVERALL:

The Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha - the Three Jewels, in which Buddhist practitioners are supposed to take refuge.  They refer to the Buddha (probably self-explanatory), the teachings of the Buddha, and the community of Buddhist practitioners respectively.  You may notice some parallels in chapter content.

CHAPTER ONE:

Jizō - a bodhisattva who is commonly depicted as the guardian of travelers and also the dead, especially dead children.  There are a lot of statues of him on roadsides in Japan, as well as on temple grounds.  Recurring motif in my SDC-related fics for hopefully obvious reasons.

Sōka Gakkai - a Buddhist new religious movement, (in)famous in the postwar period for their aggressive proselytization and conversion tactics.

Daikokuten - one of the seven gods of good fortune.  Frequently enshrined as a household deity.

Inari - a Shinto deity commonly associated with foxes.  It’s not uncommon for businesses (including family businesses) to have their own small Inari shrines.

sects of Buddhism - Buddhism in Japan is divided into sects (denominations of Christianity aren’t a bad comparison point)--the basic tenets are the same from sect to sect, but specific teachings, practices, or emphases may vary.  Most families in Japan are affiliated (due to complex historical factors that aren’t worth getting into here) with a particular temple (which in turn belongs to a sect), so they rely on the temple priests for any rites they may need and may have a plot for the family grave in the temple graveyard.  It is not uncommon for people to not know which sect they are affiliated with until a family member dies and they suddenly have to interact with the temple (see “funeral Buddhism”).  Kakyoin’s family is Shingon, which is an esoteric sect known for their complicated cosmology and rituals.  Jotaro’s family is Sōtō (he guessed wrong! Sorry, Jotaro!), a Zen sect that’s much more focused on gaining enlightenment through physical practices like meditation.  (“Zen” isn’t a sect in Japan--it actually refers to a group of sects that have some major teachings in common.  Buddhism: it’s complicated!)  Sōtō is a much later import to Japan than Shingon, and was also scoffed at a bit by established sects for being more populist and accessible.  Hopefully you see the joke here.

Senkōji - this sounds like a real temple name (there are temples called Senkōji), but is also a play on the fact that senkō is the Japanese word for incense and -ji is one of the endings for temples.  Kakyoin: Oh, so your family belongs to Incense Temple?  Jotaro: That sounds like it could be correct.

kōan - a story, dialogue, or question used to provoke doubt in Zen practitioners and test their progress toward enlightenment.  You could think of them as Buddhist riddles if you want to be really reductive.  (Yes, Kakyoin tests Jotaro’s knowledge of Buddhism by bringing up a thing used to test practitioners.  I warned you that these jokes were niche.)  Kōan are most commonly associated with the Rinzai sect in Japan, although other sects use them as well.  One of the most famous kōan, which Kakyoin references here, involves a student asking a master if the dog has a buddha-nature (more commonly referred to as the mu kōan).

“funeral Buddhism” - in Japan, the main thing people go to Buddhist temples for these days is funeral services or other rites of remembrance (grave visits, rites marking the anniversaries of the deaths of family members, etc.), which has led to Buddhism being identified pretty closely with death and mourning.  Thus, Buddhism in Japan is sometimes referred to as “funeral Buddhism,” although there’s a lot of debate among scholars about how helpful that term actually is.  Jotaro only associating Buddhism with funerals and death and knowing nothing about doctrine or cosmology is not unusual.

honji suijaku - a complicated medieval Buddhist theory identifying native/non-Buddhist Japanese deities with Buddhist deities by arguing that the non-Buddhist deities were actually Buddhist deities that had taken alternate forms as expedient means (see explanation of that below).  All of the combinations Kakyoin names are real combinations from the medieval period.  Enma is the king of hell and the judge of the dead, so Kakyoin thinks it’s a little strange for Jizō to be identified with him, since Jizō is supposed to save the dead from hell.  Jotaro was right--Amaterasu is a Shinto deity (the sun goddess, to be specific).  Dainichi is a celestial buddha who plays an important role in Shingon.  Honji suijaku is absolutely not common knowledge for most contemporary practitioners of Japanese Buddhism, so this is the point where Kakyoin starts really trolling Jotaro with his questions and showing off his weirdly specialized knowledge (not that Jotaro can tell).

Amida - a buddha known for his vow to save anyone who sincerely calls out to him for help (usually through the phrase “namu Amida butsu” which means “hail Amida buddha”).  The True Pure Land sect, which Jotaro’s neighbor, Mrs. Watanabe, belongs to, emphasizes the concept of “other power,” i.e. relying on something outside of yourself (Amida, in this case) for salvation.  Kakyoin’s scorn for Amida worship is hilarious and pretentious, since his opinions parallel those of established Buddhist groups (including Shingon) in the medieval period, who trash talked Pure Land Buddhism (focused on Amida worship) for being too populist and accessible.  Are you sensing a theme here?  Kakyoin is a Buddhist elitist with a lot of knowledge of medieval esoteric Buddhism specifically.

buddhas are(n’t) ghosts - Jotaro’s confusion comes from the fact that one way to refer to the spirits of the dead in Japanese is “buddhas” (仏; hotoke).  Additionally, although the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni) is the most famous, different sects of Buddhism imagine different numbers of buddhas--ranging from one (the historical buddha and no one else) to incalculable numbers of buddhas who have existed, do exist, and are yet to come.

Kannon - all Kannon facts offered by Kakyoin and Avdol are true!  Kannon really is the bodhisattva of compassion.  Avalokitesvara (Kannon’s name in Sanskrit) is male (as all bodhisattvas are), but bodhisattvas are frequently depicted as androgynous.  In China, Guanyin (Avalokitesvara’s name in Chinese) started being depicted not as androgynously feminine but as female, which has led to Guanyin being primarily depicted as female and Kannon as almost always depicted as female.  Kakyoin’s interpretation of Kannon makes sense/is supportable, but is definitely uncommon (people tend to focus on the compassion bit rather than the historical/social circumstances), thus Avdol’s reaction.  This is a common theme in Kakyoin’s Buddhism Opinions--he tends to latch on to historical/intellectual details rather than emotive/experiential ones.

expedient means - another complicated one, but basically the idea of using methods or techniques that fit the situation (rather than ones that are 100% “true” or “correct”) to gain enlightenment or guide others to enlightenment.  You could think of it as interim measures to get people farther along the path, or maybe an “ends justify the means” mentality.  Kakyoin is interpreting it as a sort of social flexibility, which is not an unheard of interpretation but definitely not the most common one.  Kakyoin’s interpretation comes from a number of stories in which bodhisattvas transform into/disguise themselves as different people in order to guide humans farther along the path--by becoming an old woman in need of assistance, for example, who teaches someone Buddhist values, or by manifesting as a known, geographically-specific deity who can better spread the teachings of the Buddha to suspicious locals (see honji suijaku).  In this fic, expedient means is leveraged in three ways: A. Kakyoin thinks of the way he engages with people as expedient means (becoming whatever he needs to be for the situation), B. you could technically count Kakyoin’s infodumping about Buddhism at Jotaro as expedient means (in the traditional sense of getting someone farther along the path) as he does manage to get him interested in learning more about Buddhism by doing it, and C. both Jotaro and Kakyoin are using Buddhism as expedient means (an interim measure) to get closer to each other.  Wow, Queenie, glad to see that you’re using your graduate education for good and not evil.

CHAPTER TWO:

Wisdom Kings - a type of guardian of the dharma (see explanation below).  Please imagine a post-credits scene in which Jotaro decides that Fudō Myōō is the best Wisdom King and Kakyoin is once more disappointed by how stereotypical his boyfriend is.

combinatory worship - practices that mix together what we now call “Shinto” practices and “Buddhist” practices.  The two religious strains were less distinct pre-1871.  See honji suijaku.  Again, this is not common knowledge for contemporary practitioners of Japanese Buddhism; Kakyoin has very clearly done a lot of reading on pre-modern Buddhism.

Kasuga Shrine - a famous shrine complex in Nara known for combinatory worship in the ancient and medieval periods.  It’s now a “pure” Shinto site, but did not used to be.  Here’s one of the famous Kasuga mandala, in which Buddhist deities are depicted floating in the sky over the shrine grounds (see honji suijaku).  Now mainly famous as a tourist destination in a park that is populated by wild deer (who are messengers of the god of Kasuga and thus are not allowed to be harmed).  The deer are a giant pain, since they’re not scared of people and will eat anything.

Four Noble Truths - extremely simplified: 1. Existence is suffering. 2. Suffering is caused by attachment. 3. However, you can escape by severing attachment.  4. You do that via Buddhist practice.  On one hand, it absolutely does not make sense to have a favorite of the Four Noble Truths (Kakyoin is trolling Jotaro real hard)--on the other hand, Kakyoin would absolutely have a favorite of the Four Noble Truths.  His favorite is the third, if you need a refresher.  (If you haven’t already figured it out, isolation and hope are the two big themes for Kakyoin’s Buddhism Opinions.)

a biography of the Buddha cannot save you - Buddhism has transformed so much in its spread throughout Asia that different traditions may look completely different--one of the most important sacred texts in East Asian Buddhism (The Lotus Sutra) is an apocryphal text that was probably written in China, for example, so it straight up doesn’t exist in Southeast Asian Buddhism.  Trying to understand Japanese Buddhism by reading a biography of the Buddha would be like trying to understand American megachurches by reading a biography of Jesus.

the six realms of existence - all facts offered by both Jotaro and Kakyoin are true!  The six realms are pretty self-explanatory, I think, other than the difference between the asuras (sometimes translated “demigods”) and the gods.  Jotaro isn’t wrong that the main difference between them is often summarized as the asura fighting all the time and being really mad while the gods just chill out and have a great time.  Being reborn as a human is often considered the best, because it’s the easiest realm to achieve enlightenment from, since you’re not being distracted by extreme suffering or what an orgiastically pleasant time you’re having.  All of the realms are still ultimately part of samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth), though, so you want to get out of them altogether, since even if you wind up being born as a god, eventually you’ll die and be reborn in another realm.  And, yes, knowing things about both Buddhism and the JJBA canon should make you feel fear in your heart.  (JJBA feels intensely cyclical to me in general, and samsara is a cycle by definition.)

CHAPTER THREE:

Kakyoin - Kakyoin really was the name of a Shugendō temple (located in Sendai) that was destroyed during the religious reforms in the 1870s.  Kakyoin the character is named after the neighborhood of Sendai, which is in turn named after the temple.  I assume that, due to geographical proximity, Kakyoin’s family is affiliated with (and Kakyoin’s great-grandfather went to work at) Jōzenji, which in real life was also destroyed in the 1870s but still exists as of 1999 in the JJBA canon.  Jōzenji, by the way, was a Shingon temple.  Please imagine me writing this fic with a massive conspiracy board, because that’s absolutely what happened.

Shugendō - a syncretic ascetic tradition that grew out of a combination of Buddhism, Shinto, and beliefs surrounding mountains as sacred sites.  It was suppressed by the Japanese government in the 1870s, as it “inappropriately” mixed Buddhism and Shinto and was seen as superstitious and backward.  Many of its temples were either destroyed (as in the case of Kakyoin) or repurposed into “pure” Shinto or Buddhist sites.  Kakyoin is correct that many Shugendō priests were given the option to become either Shinto or Buddhist priests or become lay people.  Shugendō has been revived in the post-war period as a religion separate from both Buddhism and Shinto (although it shares beliefs and practices with both of them).

How could Kakyoin’s great-grandfather be a Buddhist priest but also have a family? - starting in the 1870s, Buddhist clergy were officially allowed to eat meat and consume alcohol, grow their hair out, and get married.  (Some secretly--or not so secretly--had families before then, but it was technically illegal in all but one sect, although inconsistently persecuted.)  As a result, the majority of Buddhist clergy in contemporary Japan are not celibate (although some are), and many temples are operated by priests from the same familial lineage.  Shugendō has never had a celibacy requirement for its clergy.

guardian of the dharma (dharmapala) - a type of wrathful god that defends Buddhism from dangers.  They’re highly venerated in both Shingon and Shugendō, thus Kakyoin’s familiarity with them growing up.  Honestly?  This wasn’t a great guess on Kakyoin’s part, since the most famous of the dharmapala in Japan looks like this.  He was six at the time, though, so let’s not be too mean about it.

Kūkai (also known as Kōbō Daishi) - the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan.  Naming in Buddhism is too complicated to get into here, but the second name is a posthumous honorific name.  He’s associated with a variety of sacred sites, including one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in Japan--the eighty-eight temple pilgrimage in Shikoku.  May or may not be pretty strong.

Buddhist robes - for your reference, here’s a portrait of Kūkai and here’s what a contemporary Shingon monk looks like.  Jotaro is picturing a Sōtō monk, who looks more like this.  Also here is a recent series of memes about Buddhist robes; this has nothing to do with the fic but they did make me laugh a lot.

Tenmei - this fic brought to you by me seeing Kakyoin Tenmei and shouting, “THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE NAME OF A BUDDHIST MONK; ARAKI, WHAT THE FRICK.”  Most names in Japanese are read with the kun’yomi (the “Japanese” reading) whereas Buddhist names are read with the on’yomi (the “Chinese” reading, used for compound words)--“Noriaki” is the kun’yomi of 典明 whereas “Tenmei” is the on’yomi.

shichi-go-san - a coming-of-age ritual (performed at Shinto shrines) for children age three, boys age five, and girls age seven.  The name is literally “seven-five-three.”

Maitreya - all facts offered by Kakyoin are true!  Maitreya (called Miroku in Japanese, but Kakyoin is being pretentious and using the Sanskrit) is the buddha to come.  We are currently in the last of the three ages, with each age being worse and more degenerate than the one before as the teachings of the Buddha become harder and harder to access, achieving enlightenment becomes increasingly impossible, and the world is visited by natural disasters.  By the Japanese count, the last age started in 1052 CE!  But the last age is supposed to go on for 10,000 years, so we’ve still got a while to go.  Maitreya is thus a figure of both great fear (his coming will be heralded by the end of the world) and great hope (he’ll bring an end to the last age and usher in a new age of prosperity), so he felt like a fitting choice for Kakyoin (and a fitting way to close out the fic).

Agyō and Ungyō - guardians of Buddhism who appear in sets of two (together they’re called the Niō), usually protecting temple gates.  Their names (literally “a-form” and “un-form”) come from the shapes of their mouths, one open (a) and one closed (un).  Image here.  Hopefully you see the joke here.

[liesonthefloordramatically]

Chapter 3 of 3!  Kakyoin shares some family history.  Avdol offers advice.  Jotaro finds hope at the end of the world.

Thus concludes this inexplicable slowburn romcom about Buddhism!  Sometimes you commit so hard to a joke that it takes a large section of your brain hostage for four months, and, next thing you know, you’ve poured a tremendous amount of heart into it and it’s now a really tender fic about two socially awkward teenagers trying to figure each other out.  

Anyway!  Thanks for coming on this Buddhist adventure with me!

[thestuckylibrary]

Do you guys have any fic recs where pre-serum smol Steve tops? I didn't find a tag for that on this blog and was hoping you guys could start one? Thanks for your help!

here are some recs for you :D just make sure to check the additional tags!

Overcome by fuck_me_barnes

In which Bucky is a terrible, cocksure, arrogant tease, and Steve...well, Steve gives him a very unexpected run for his money.

Do it, Rogers by lets_get_messi

“Swear to God Bucky, when you're being such a babe I oughta be like your daddy and put you over my knee.” Steve complained.“Why don't you then?” Bucky called out, hands raised in the air.

(Or the one where Steve discovers Bucky's kinks and is totally surprised by them)

what we are is unexpected by bitelikefire (theoleo)

Bucky doesn’t know why people keep asking him for fucking favours. What’s even worse is how he doesn’t understand why he can’t say no and that’s how he ends up babysitting his nephew for his little sister and basically playing cool uncle for the next few weeks.

Your Hand in Mine by sangha

Steve is just minding his own business when he hears someone scream in the dorm next to his. Enter Bucky Barnes: arachnophobe and hot neighbor who needs to be rescued from a giant spider. Naturally, romance ensues.

[thestuckylibrary]

I need some nazi-punching, "we didn't fight WWII for this shit" stucky. Suggestions/favs??

here is some prime Nazi Punching and Nazi Killing

A Flaw in My Code (rape/noncon) by charmingcontender

“Stay with me.”

The plea is a demand, has just enough force to be an order.

“Command: accepted.“

OR, The fallout of the Winter Soldier’s acts of terror have far reaching consequences.

Ain’t No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down) by spitandvinegar

It’s six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone.

For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don’t. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It’s very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters.

I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU.

Steve sits down hard on the steps.

'cause i'm lightning on my feet by defcontwo

Bucky just wants to run out to the nearest CVS to buy some lube. Naturally, that's when the Nazis attack.

If Neither Foes nor Loving Friends can Hurt you by  Scappodaqui

Bucky sometimes caught himself thinking, about the war: is all of this happening because old men saw the raw life in young men and wanted to squelch it? It was the same thing he had thought in school. Running track. When he had worked in the crew building the World’s Fair Railroad. And especially when he got his draft letter: they want to crush us like a piece of tin on train tracks.

Begins at Kreischberg prison camp, continues after the rescue.

James Barnes, Agent of SHIELD: Deleted Scenes by Kala_Sathinee

Scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor. They didn't fit anywhere in the main fic, but I wanted to write them anyway.

The Price of Freedom by sangha

Steve watched with a mixture of horror and indignation as the election results came in. It only went downhill from there. He loved this country, always had, but he was also acutely aware of its many, many shortcomings.

---

Or: Steve reacts to the US Presidential Election and the punching of Nazis.

to memory now I can’t recall by Etharei

While on a mission storming a HYDRA facility, James Buchanan Barnes touches one of the many strange alien devices collected by the Red Skull. He does this, in fact, twice— in the past, and in the future.

Next thing he knows, Bucky Barnes is opening his eyes in the 21st century, which is full of great gadgets and coffee, and at least includes his old pal Steve. (And, inexplicably, a different Stark.) Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier finds himself in the middle of World War Two, helping Captain America hunt down HYDRA (which is at least familiar), pretending to be Bucky Barnes (which is not), and figuring out the very noisy group of soldiers who call themselves the Howling Commandos.