#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.”

[eternalgyu]

bf texts with nomad !!

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ genre: fluff, crack ig a little suggestive if u squint

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ notes: guys I love nomad sm AAAAA LIKE MY BABIES also these r for @slytherinshua BCUZ zanna has been feeding my brainrot to the max.

hong doeui

park sangha

kim jiwon

shin kangsu

jeong junho

[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

[likealittleheartbeat]

Welcome. Collected a lot of my original writing below for those interested. The longest meta is 12 pages on a word doc. The shortest is two sentences. Most are 3-5 paragraphs. Fics are also here. Enjoy.

ATLA Meta

Zuko & Aang The Queer Platonic Love of Aang & Zuko (the longest meta I've written)

Aang's Traumatic Processing

What Do Aang and Zuko 'Understand' w/ the Firebending Masters?

The Theme of Emotional Isolation

On Fandom's Resistance to Zukaang

'A New Drive:' Desire vs. Connection and Zuko's Inner Fire

Touch: Zuko and Aang Don't Construct Intricate Rituals

Aang, Self-Hatred, & The Blue Light of Compassion

Jeong-Jeong's Wisdom: The Pain of Fire

The Negative Capability of the Blue Spirit

Contextualizing Ozai's 'Abuse'

Zuko's Interest in Spiritual Practices

The Avatar and the Firelord: Reincarnation for Zuko & Aang

Are the Firebending Masters Heart-Shaped and Why Does It Matter?

Aang Ran Away (A Response to NATLA)

Why Zukaang?

Post-Colonial Feminisms The Impact of Yue's Sacrifice on Katara

The Girl in the Iceberg: Katara's Winning Move w/ Azula

Ophelia and Katara: Women of Waters

The Implications of an Unconsensual Kiss in Emerald Island Players

Katara as an Indigenous Female Storyteller

Kyoshi and Pacifism

Resisting Romanticism in ATLA

ATLA Resists the Pocahontas Complex, but You Don't Have To

Symbolizing Colonial Rape in ATLA

ATLA Actually IS About the Ships

Context: History & Fiction Sokka & Wan Shi Tong: The Limits of 'The Archive'

Aang's Coming-of-Age: On Rites and Community

Atomic Bombs in ATLA: The Avatar State & Sozin's Comet

Aang's Not the Fictional Orphan We're Used To

Do These Characters Need Therapy?

ATLA's Trope Subversion

A Quick Note: On Bryke and Privileged Creators

Skin & Race in ATLA

An Indigenous Deus Ex Machina

Japan, Monarchies, and Resistance to Euro-American Imperialism

Zero Relationships Are Made Stronger Through Conflict in ATLA

A Follow-up to 'Zero Relationships': Reciprocal Relationships in Times of Oppression

ATLA's references to animated works on Imperialism

The Iceberg as a Novel Visual Icon of Survival

Visual vs. Oral Cultures in the Water Tribes

How Guru Pathik's Voice Actor, Brian George Embodies the Themes of ATLA

Aang as Hamlet

A Theory on Why the Series Ends in Ba Sing Se

The Tragedies of Jet and Hama

Aang & Katara Subverting Romeo & Juliet

Buddhisms and Spiritualities in ATLA On Defending Aang's Character

Death in ATLA

Avatar Alone: On Solitude in ATLA

The Block of Ice and the Crystal Palace

Breath, Air, and Abrahamic Connections in ATLA

The Gaang, Not A Found Family, But a Sangha

ENERGY BENDING

Queer Readings The Masculine Shift in Gay Coding

Queer Rep vs. Queer Themes

Alternatives to Queer Metronormativity in ATLA Tags To Browse My Blog With:

#atla meta, #buddhism, #colonialism, #imperialism, #indigenous, #queer history, #the world is wide (cultural diversity), #history is long (historical connections), #platonic love #likealittleheartbeatrecommends (for works with similar themes to atla), #fanart, and of course #zukaang

Fanfics (of the zukaang variety): Warning Sign: (modern au, 2 chapters, completed); The Gleaners:  (modern high school au, one-shot) Water:  (post-series, 19 chapters, completed) Fluff Fanfics Can Get It: (modern college au, WIP) What Is It Like to Be Full of Lightning?: (missing scene oneshot) The Strength of My Self-Discipline:  (missing scene, rated M, one-shot) False Pretender: (post-series, rated M, one-shot)

Ficlets: “I will seek your light, Aang”

“It’s not that Aang wouldn’t confide his feelings.”

“Right, friend.”

“I know you know this isn’t working”

“The True Blue Spirit”

“In the velvety night, a spark burst”

“If you walk down the spiral staircase”

"I give my secrets to Appa"

“So this is what peace sounds like”

“We didn’t have this whole idea of love back then”

"Zuko finished reading Aang's manuscript"

[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.

[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

[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

[casuallyimagining]

kiki 🥺🥺🥺 I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I love this fic so much, and there's so much fun stuff still to come!!

I love yoongi and jk as similar but opposite characters in all media. jk just always has this youthful energy to him, even though he's still quite introverted, and yoongi has always seemed like an old soul. I love putting them together. they're best friends and they get each other, but they also fight and disagree constantly.

and yesss poor yoongi is a victim of sanghae's crap. he would never admit it, but he spent some really formative years being brainwashed by an actual lunatic. he was 28 when he was turned into a vampire. that's still really young, especially when your worldview changes so suddenly like it would when you get turned.

he really is best toothy boy. I'm so excited for you to read more about him. these last two chapters are some of my favorite things I've ever written 💙💙💙

Human Masterlist

Vampire!Yoongi x female reader; BFF Werewolf!Jungkook x female reader; Platonic Roommates Yoongi & Jungkook

Summary: Yoongi is a monster, but there’s always something worse lurking in the shadows. When that something threatens everything he loves, Yoongi is forced to choose: embrace his humanity, or give in to the monster? Genre: “dark fluff,” hurt/comfort, vampire au, werewolf au, supernatural au, roommates, little bit of a slow burn Word Count: 12,959 Rating: T Warnings: (everything may not appear in every part) blood, alcohol consumption, creepy dudes and catcalling, fighting, drinking to excess, implied assault, manipulation, murder

Notes: Thanks to @eatjeanjin, @moccahobi, @magicshopaholic, @madbutgloriouspond, and @imperiussexrex for beta-ing and helping me plot out some of the later chapters. And thank you to @missgeniality for the amazing banner.

Teaser Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Series begins posting July 16

As always, your feedback is appreciated. Please feel free to pop into my ask box with questions or comments about the series!

Tag List: @suhappysuho, @cuteipat, @toostressedtothink, @osswinterr, @anjoellamorte, @janeelizabeth1216, @ghostkat23, @veronawrites, @lovelgirl22, @xthefuckerysquaredx, @borahae-reads

[slytherinshua]

NOMAD AS ROMANCE TROPES

genre. fluff. angst. headcanons. warnings. toxic friends in doy's part. jiwon's is pretty angsty + alcohol mention. slightly angsty in rivr's?? playful bullying in junho's. junho's was written first so it's slightly different than the rest and i'm too lazy to rewrite it to match so just ignore that. not proofread. pairing. nomad x fem!reader (separate). wc. 3.3k. (600-700 per member). request. no. a/n. been cooking this up for a while and i'm pretty happy with how it game out hehe :D (literally just written for @eternalgyu basically cause who else is reading for nomad). net. @kstrucknet @chrimatanet

HONG DOEUI ﾐ ENEMIES TO LOVERS + CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP

“How much are you going to pay me to pretend to be your boyfriend?” Doeui asked with his arms crossed, teasing you with a lift of his eyebrow. He knew he was in the better position, and he revelled in seeing you embarrassed and having to beg for his help. 

Maybe you shouldn’t have lied saying you were dating a guy for over a year now to your friends. And maybe you should have found some other person to fill in, but the truth was, you didn’t know anyone you could ask other than Doeui. Sure, you hated the fact that he knew almost all your secrets, and there were no fond feelings you kept towards the guy. But he knew your boundaries and respected them, unlike other past ‘friends’. Whatever dirt he had on you, he had enough decency to make sure it never spilled past his lips.

“100,000 won per day. Every time you piss me off, a deduction of 20,000. Okay?”

The corner of his lip jumped up, a self-satisfied smirk taking over his features, “Make it 150,000.”

“Deal.”

God, what had you gotten yourself into?

Although you spent 3 days regretting and dreading your decision, on the first day of the contract, Doeui showed up right on time. Instead of his usual zip-up hoodies and beanies, he had adorned a simple cardigan and jeans. His earrings, rings, and chains were all gone, and even his hair was styled neatly. When you questioned him about it, he just gave you a shrug and a slight smile.

“Thought I could sell the act better if I didn’t look like a jerk.”

“Oh, so you admit that you did before?”

“You hated when I dressed like that, and that’s why I did it.” His eyes stared at you as the words fell from his mouth, and something twisted in your chest at the look he gave you.

Something about hearing that he thought about you enough to know about what would make you pissed and what you liked. As stupid as it sounded, no one had given you that much thought before. Even your friends who you got into this contractional mess for didn’t think about you that much. You knew they weren’t good people to hang around. You knew that deep down, they would drop you in half a second if they got tired of you. But you were scared of losing the only people you had in your life, even if they weren’t truly there for you. You didn’t want to be alone. You didn’t want to feel like an outcast again.  

The meeting with your friends went well. They seemed impressed that you could actually pull someone like Doeui. If they knew you were lying, they would definitely drop you in an instant. It took an uncomfortable amount of convincing for them to believe that he was actually in love with you. Kissing him in front of your friends was awkward. 

Not really the kissing part, but the watching. Something about Doeui’s lips felt right. You wished you didn’t have 5 pairs of watchful eyes on you the entire time. You couldn’t memorize the feeling of his skin when you were so aware of the gazes on you two.

A week went by and the same routine stayed. 150,000 left your bank per day, just as you had promised. Each day, you found yourself trying to delay meeting up with your friends, if only to spend just another few minutes alone with Doeui. It was becoming clearer that something had switched. The man who used to piss you off was the very same one who provided you with any comfort. 

He seemed to catch onto you although you had tried to hide it for a while. And when he asked you to tell him the truth, you found yourself spilling all your feelings without a second thought. Your fears, your doubts, your secrets. He knew them all by the end of it. But unlike your fake friends who would’ve surely laughed in your face, he soothed you with a kiss and promises that you knew held a weight you could rely on.

PARK SANGHA ﾐ CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS

“Remember our first day of middle school?” You ask while staring at the ceiling. The break between each sentence was so quiet you could hear every breath Sangha took. But it was comfortable. Everything felt like home when you were with him.

“Yeah?”

“I was so anxious that you wouldn’t be in the same class section as me. I almost cried looking at the list of names cause I missed yours the first time I looked at it.” You giggled, reminiscing about your childhood.

“You know I’d always find a way to be with you in class.” Sangha stated as a fact, rolling his eyes playfully. He shifted over to his side, cheek squished against the pillow. Your gaze fell to look at him, eyes meeting halfway. You both giggled.

It had been so long since you had a sleepover like this. They were almost every other night during elementary, and still at least once a week during middle school. You were always inseparable. High school was hard on you both, but you got through it together.

“Remember when you forced me to do a scary movie marathon with you on Halloween?” He smiled.

You grinned, “How could I ever forget that? You screamed like a teenage girl and hugged me the entire time.”

“It was scary!”

“It was literally Coraline.” 

“So?! I kept thinking about buttons getting sewn on my eyes.” He shuddered and you let out another laugh, wrapping the blanket tighter over your body. 

It was a bit chilly, and you were ever aware of the heat radiating off of Sangha’s body. It was just slightly too far away for you to benefit from, though. As Sangha continued rambling about horror films and his squeamishness towards the genre, you could only focus on the chill that ran up your spine and how you wish you were wrapped up in his arms instead of the blanket. 

That was weird. You had never wanted to cuddle with Sangha before. Sure, he was your best friend and you loved him, but you barely ever hugged him.

“Are you shivering? I told you to turn up the thermostat.” Sangha laughed, pulling on your arm. “Here, you can leech off of my warmth.”

Your eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around you, the chill immediately fading as you felt his body warmth. You shifted, head resting on his arm like a pillow. His face was close to you, and the blanket comfortably rested over both of you. 

You’d never been this close to him.

“Thanks.” You said quietly, gulping down a nervous lump in your throat. He was so pretty up close. Was he always this pretty?

He was your best friend— you shouldn’t be feeling nervous around him. You grew up with him. But you hadn’t been this close in years, and it was starting to affect you all too quickly. He brushed a strand of hair out of your face, and it had your heart racing a mile a minute.

“Still cold?” 

You shook your head slowly, feeling quite the opposite temperature you had a minute ago. You could feel heat creeping up your neck and spreading to your cheeks. 

“This feels… different.” You mustered your voice, although it still came out in a hesitant whisper.

“Do you not like it?” Sangha questioned, loosening his arms around you.

“No, I like it.” You caught his wrist before he could pull back from you completely, guiding it back to your waist. He breathed out, a smile growing on his lips. 

“I think I like you, you know.” His words were soft and sweet. You could feel the honesty in them. Of course, Sangha would never lie to you. You smiled, and despite your racing heart, you leaned in to press your lips to his. 

It definitely wasn’t what you had originally planned to happen on your first sleepover with your best friend in almost 2 years, but you couldn’t say you were disappointed with the results. He wasn’t just confined to that label anymore either, and now you could proudly call him your boyfriend. 

KIM JIWON ﾐ FALLBACK

Jiwon knew that he was your second choice. Someway or another, there always seemed to be a reason you wouldn’t choose him. He was tired of it. Tired of being thrown around and played with. Tired of being used when you needed it and discarded when you were done. He knew you were bad for him, but he couldn’t find a way to leave you for good.

His heart betrayed him, racing whenever he heard your voice, throwing all logic and sense out the window. He went through the same cycle, convincing himself that he needed to leave you, that you were no good for him. But he always failed. All you had to do was look into his eyes, ask him to stay, and he would. 

It was another one of those nights, where you had crashed at his place after another fight with your ex-boyfriend. You’d probably still choose your ex over him given the choice, wouldn’t you? He wished that he could say he wouldn’t choose staying with you over leaving, but that would be a lie. He was too hung up on the what if’s, dreaming about what could be instead of facing reality. 

He rinsed a washcloth under the sink in the bathroom, making sure the temperature was cold. Wringing it out, he shuffled back to the couch where you were passed out. You had shown up drunk, Jiwon could tell that much, and fell asleep as soon as your head hit the armrest. 

He placed the cool cloth on your forehead, adjusting a blanket over your frame with a sigh. What was he doing? Why was he caring for you so gently when you would just leave him when the morning came? He took a seat on the floor beside you, staring at your sleeping face as a million thoughts ran through his head. The answer to his questions stared right at him. He was still too in love with you to let you go. The pain you made him go through was incomparable to the pain of letting you go. He wasn’t strong enough to live his life without you in it.

God, he knew it sounded beyond pathetic. 

You woke up a few hours later. Your earlier headache from the alcohol had subsided. As you sat up slowly, taking in the sight of Jiwon’s apartment, you felt a pang in your chest. You always ended up here when something went wrong. Because you knew Jiwon would make things feel right again. Deep down, you knew it was wrong for you to keep relying on him. What was he even getting in return? 

“You’re awake.” 

Your eyes flicked up to his frame, standing in the kitchen, filling a glass with water. You forced the lump in your throat down as he walked over to you and gave you the glass.

“I’m sorry.” The words fell from your lips before Jiwon could say anything. You looked up to his face, eyes glossy with regret, “To make you have to work so much— I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to take care of me.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t.

“He’s not good for you.” Jiwon said, looking at your tired eyes.

“You don’t have to remind me of that.” You whispered quietly, guilt drowning your frame. You sipped the water, trying to ignore the uncomfortable tension that had settled in the room.

“Do you still love him?” 

“I don’t know how to stop loving him.” You said honestly. 

Jiwon's eyes fell. Everything made sense— he understood it all too well. How could he sit there and tell you what to do when he couldn’t even take his own advice? He didn’t know how to stop loving either.

SHIN KANGSU ﾐ RIGHT PERSON, WRONG TIME

You missed Kangsu. So badly. Every night you spent alone in your bed, surrounded by the empty walls that used to hold memories of him, you missed him more. Your breakup hadn’t ended on bad terms, which, ironically, made everything worse. 

You were just in different stages of life. A relationship wasn’t sustainable in the midst of graduating university and finding your dream career. While you were burdened with the stress of endless choices, Kangsu was struggling with rejection and finding himself. You knew that had you continued your relationship, the turbulence would’ve turned into countless fights and a worse breakup in the end.

But you still believed that Kangsu was the one for you. He felt so right. And you would give anything to have him back now that your life was more stable. You still had his number, although you were afraid to call. You had both promised to cut off contact so you could focus on yourselves. Were you in a good position to ask him to come back? What if he wasn’t ready? What if he didn’t want to? What if he had found someone else?

While you were busy overthinking it, staring at his contact with the old contact photo and heart that you had never deleted from his name, you accidentally pressed the call button. He picked up after the first 2 rings.

“Y/n?”

“Kangsu?” His name felt like deja vu on your tongue. You had repeated it so many times in your head, but saying it out loud brought you back to 3 years ago. 

“Why’d you call?”

You closed your eyes, hearing his soft voice root itself in your head, sure to not leave your mind for the next week. 

“I miss you.” There was no need to lie or pretend like you didn’t. You had always been honest with Kangsu. He never judged you, so there was never a need to conceal yourself or your feelings.

“Really?”

The small lilt in his tone made a flurry of butterflies rush to your stomach. A need to know everything that had happened in his life over the past years invaded your entire body. Before you knew it, you were standing up from your bed and shuffling to put your shoes on.

“Really.”

“Are you free?”

You hummed in affirmation. 

“30 minutes, our spot… Okay?”

“Okay.” You slipped on your coat and opened the front door, hearing similar shuffling from the other side of the phone. You hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would sound too desperate, but in the end you decided you didn’t care. “I need to see you.” 

There was a pause on Kangsu’s end, as he took in the yearning of your voice. “You’ll see me. I’ll be there, I promise.”

The 30 minutes spent getting to the park that you used to spend every evening at with Kangsu was both fast and slow at the same time. Impatient, anxious, worried, bittersweet; you couldn’t place exactly what you were feeling. You wanted to be back in his arms, the place you craved for years after you broke up. 

You found him sitting on the bench you always sat at, staring at the little bridge running over a small pond. When he saw you, he stood up instantly, eyes glued to your figure. 

He looked different. A good different. You could see the confidence in his face and more wisdom in his eyes. He seemed sure of himself just by the way he held his head on his shoulders. You could tell from just a look that the years apart had been well worth it. He had needed it, and now an even better version of him was facing you.

He pulled you into his arms before you could even run to them, and it all felt the same. His arms wrapped around your body, squeezing you gently. Your perfume hitting his nose, intoxicating his brain with everything he missed about you.

“I missed you.” His earnest words flooded your heart and you buried your head into his chest. Right person, right time.

JEONG JUNHO ﾐ ANNOYANCES TO LOVERS

Junho was always like a splinter in your finger, a pebble in your shoe, or a stitch in your side. Annoying, but never harmful enough to do any real damage. You both messed with each other for your own entertainment, only because he was the oldest friend you knew.

He was easy to play bully when you were younger. He was always shorter than you, with a wimpier frame and a squeakier voice. As six year olds, your harmless bickering and teasing never cut too deep. You’d make fun of each other’s toys in elementary school, or your outfits in middle. You groaned in annoyance whenever you were paired together for projects, spending the whole time bickering and ending up getting a low grade for it. 

By high school, you teased each other for getting a low score on a test, competing to see who would place lower in the class ranking (not that either of you were in the running for the top spots). But you both still ended up sitting together in the canteen when you found yourself friendless the first week. Junho was the only familiar person around you, despite the less than friendly dynamic you shared. While you certainly still bickered and annoyed each other, you could barely throw the low blows you used to. 

Puberty had hit Junho like a truck, gracing him with a tall muscular figure, and a much deeper voice. You could truthfully only admire how he had come into his own. But that didn’t mean you would stop getting a reaction out of him, although you couldn’t ignore how a certain fondness was starting to grow in your heart for him.

When you joined the soccer team, he showed up to practice to laugh whenever you tripped over your own two feet, only for him to be the same person to walk you to the nurse’s office. When he joined musical theater, you made fun of him whenever he was off-key, only to bring him flowers after his first show as the lead role. 

Your quick comebacks to his every teasing remark was a sense of familiarity that he didn’t want to lose. When feelings got into the mix with your regular banter was something neither you or Junho could pinpoint. What you did know is at some point, your eye rolls held all the fondness in the world and your playful smacks on the shoulder were a bit softer than usual. At some point, a sense of pride flooded your body when you looked at Junho and his accomplishments, and you started to voice how proud you were of him.

Whether small pats on the shoulder or tousling his hair (if you could reach), the message seemed to get across to him. The boy you had known since you were little had grown into the man you wanted to be beside you for the rest of your life. Him asking you out officially one late night on a walk surprised neither of you. You knew the feelings had been mutual for a while.

The shift to dating was natural as well. Maybe you were both a bit more caring and attentive than before. You were no longer too shy to hold his hand whenever you wanted (nor did you dismiss the thought whenever it came up, under the delusion that you could never like someone as annoying as Junho). He no longer debated whether bending down to kiss you was overstepping the boundaries of friendship (he had long since lost the war of fighting how much he adored you). But poking fun at each other would always be your love language, and that was a reality you were both more than content with. 

↳ nomad taglist: @eternalgyu,, @hursheys

[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

i'm yours (req) ⋆˙⟡

genre: fluff. friends to lovers. | wc: 938.

　　　　junho

nothing yet . . .

　　　　other

nomad as romance tropes ⋆˙⟡

starring: ot5 nomad. | genre: fluff. angst. headcanons. | wc: 3.3k.

[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!