#the last part is actually about tachi

[note-boom]

Links! 1 2 3

I feel very called out right now.

You can check out the rest on Popopretty's twitter

[tachiharastanacc]

Hi! So I think a lot about Tachihara as well, as a fellow super fan, which kind of leads to something I thought of:

What if Fyodor took Tachihara into the Decay of Angels before he robbed the Hunting Dogs safe? And uses him against the Armed Detective Agency and Port Mafia? ADA, since Yosano is an indirect reason for his brothers' suicide, and Port Mafia, because Mori is a, if not the, main factor for his brothers' suicide?

What do you think Tachihara's role would be? What do you think his relationships with the other Decay of the Angels would be?

I’ve honestly thought of this a bit before bc brain rot is strong :)

I think Tachihara is already relatively easy to manipulate. We directly see Mori do it in chapter 90.

Tachihara really wants to belong somewhere. He wants to be part of something in a way that lets him be his own person and not just his brother’s shadow.

We also know that he values orders above himself.

Both of those things mean it’d be simple for Fyodor to get younger Tachihara as an ally by appealing to that sense of wanting a family- telling him he’s proud, encouraging him to build connections with the other members, etc.

Bc we all know Tachihara will fight to his last breath for the groups that he cares about.

As for his role, I think he’d basically be a glorified attack dog if I’m being honest. He has, as admitted by Fyodor himself, a strong special ability. Not that Fyodor necessarily needs another assassin, but I think he’d also recognize Tachihara’s value as a spy.

I don’t think he’d still be a spy, because I think Fyodor would acknowledge Tachihara’s weakness would be him getting attached and, according to Dazai, Fyodor doesn’t trust anything he can’t control. But I think Fyodor would still see his value in that regard.

So yeah, bro is a secret weapon Fyodor points and shoots at enemies (specifically without using his ability until the time comes bc that element of surprise made it especially difficult to counter the first time).

I also don’t think he’d spare Yosano in this universe. I think Fyodor would know that, at least for a while, if Tachihara gets what he wants and isn’t fully loyal, there’s a risk of him backing off.

Anyway, manipulation of a teenager aside, the fun part!

He’s probably seeks Fyodor’s approval a lot. He already does it with Jouno and even a bit with Fukcuhi. I think Fyodor’s mysterious personality would make praise from him seem even more powerful.

Tachihara constantly gets dragged into Nikolai’s schemes. Like it’s almost a full time job and he’s kinda given up resisting it at this point.

Nikolai finds it incredibly fun to use Tachihara’s ability to mess with the other members, much to Fyodor’s chagrin.

I doubt Tachi would really know about Bram, but I think he’d be nice to him. I think Bram would consider him trapped as well, just in a different way and at least be willing to converse with him.

Fukuchi is much colder to the DOA members than the hunting dogs, so I don’t think he’d pay Tachihara much mind other than as something to watch out for.

Saving the best for last, I think Sigma and DOA Tachihara would get along really well. I actually think they’d be good friends in the canon universe if things were different (or maybe in the future pspsps) BUT, I think as the only sane DOA members, they’d be a lot closer.

Both of them would complain about Nikolai’s shenanigans. They also would have a few serious talks about belonging and what a home is. If either of them ever left the DOA, I think the other would join them.

So yeah, hopefully that was fun to read bc it was fun to write. Ik it was a bit long, so sorry about that, but I have Thoughts abt them all.

:)

[norcumii]

Balance: A Last Hope: Closure, 2/5

Loose Ends

Chapters: 2/5 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Siri Tachi, Sabé (Star Wars), Jango Fett, Qui-Gon Jinn, Cad Bane Additional Tags: canon typical discussions of slavery and politics, Alternate Universe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, GFY, Don’t copy to another site Series: Part 9 of Balance

Summary:

Qui-Gon tries to track down a missing figure from his past - the results are not quite as expected.

Sample:

[SECURE TRANSMISSION, TATOOINE TO THEED ROYAL PALACE] [ROUTE TO PADMÉ NABERRIE] Hey Padmé, just wanted to say we got back safely about an hour ago, and I’m already THIS CLOSE to heading right back. Apparently when we were gone Qui-Gon had some kind of breakthrough and now he’s got his dick in a twist about finding some old friend of his (and bitching about he doesn’t REALLY and she’s not his friend anyways but everyone knows he actually does and if the entire room does the collective eyeroll again I’m just walking out into the desert and screaming for a bit). If Artoo wants any upgrades RIGHT NOW, please please please let me know. ~ Ani

[aiura-stan]

This panel never made sense to me, and I finally took some time to pick it apart after buying Saiki k vol 25 in physical form.

during the last PSIHOWDOWN panel where kusuke takes off his telepathic canceler, here’s what Kuusuke said in Japanese, transcribed from my physical copy of volume 25 because I couldn’t find it online:

first speech bubble

そんな者達の為に何で…

(sonna mono tachi no tame ni nani de…)

second speech bubble

かわいい弟が犠牲にならなきゃならないんだってね

(kawaii ototo ga gisei ni naranakya naranai ndatte ne)

which I broke down like this:

そんな者達の為に何で…

(such) (person) (counter) (possessive article) (word ‘for’/sake) (why)

translation: but for those other people’s well-being why…

かわいい弟が犠牲にならなきゃならないんだってね

(cute) (younger brother) (subject marker) (sacrifice) (for?*)(if it doesn’t**)(must not***)(I heard)(emphasis****)

* ni= particle indicating something about the word right before it

**gisei ni naranakya = won’t be sacrificed (if…)

***naranai = must not, should not, cannot resist, cannot help (doing)

****ね (ne) particle can also be asking for affirmation, like using the word ‘right?’ in English

the entire phrase naranai ndatte ne might just be “there’s no need to (it seems?), right?”

translation: should my cute younger brother be made a sacrifice (if it’s unnecessary)

^

really not sure how accurate this is.

originally I thought this part was saying that Kuusuke thought it was necessary for Kusuo to be a sacrifice but also he personally thought he shouldn’t. I was wrong; naranakya translates as “could not be sacrificed,” as in conditional negative, not “must be sacrificed” as google translate says.

The root verb is なる(naru), to become/attain/reach etc.

Idk here. someone who actually knows Japanese, please feel free to comment. I can only get so far for now.

Here’s what I put in the notes of my last fanfiction on the subject of this panel:

After years of being confused by the meaning of the panel where Kusuke admits the reason why he disabled the device that would broadcast kusuo’s powers globally, I finally get it.

It has nothing to do with Kuusuke being selfish/weird; it’s actually the opposite. He’s trying to tell Kusuo that his actual motives for making the right device were selfless (to benefit humanity) and be honest with him about the fact that he personally doesn’t want it to happen, but he thought it was best.

For whatever reason the original Japanese there seems to be pretty different than the English translation.

I’m not sure if I am translating it exactly right (probably not…) but Kuusuke’s wording makes the statement way more ambiguous in Japanese. There’s no emphasis on the word “strangers”; as a matter of fact, from what I can tell, what he says is just “people” or “those people.”

He doesn’t say “I” at all; it’s what would be considered passive tense in English. There’s no possessive “my” little brother either; it’s implied. So it comes across as a lot less controlling (it’s not about Kuusuke, instead it is about Kusuo.) And I still can’t quite figure out what he meant in the second half of the speech bubble (two conjugations of the same verb in succession) but i think he’s making the distinction between what he doesn’t want to happen (kusuo to be sacrificed) and what he feels is unavoidable (kusuo being sacrificed.) which is basically exactly what Kusuo said a few panels earlier; that it was unavoidable. And Kuusuke also said the previous panel that he still thought it would be best for humanity if his powers were globally known. So the conclusion here is that the original Japanese seems to make a lot more sense.

There’s a lot of instances in the manga where I was just confused by what was written because it doesn’t quite make sense in English. So I plan on revisiting the most bothersome ones when I can.

[pochqmqri]

So, the biggest reveal of Episode 8 is that Sanae, Honoka's grandmother, exists in the OtonaPre universe and is a renowned local historian of the town.

This of course seems to imply not only that Futari wa Pretty Cure and Max Heart take place in the same universe as the other seasons directly leading into OtonaPre, but also that Nagisa, Honoka, and Hikari apparently lived in the same town as Nozomi and the others.

That last point is a bit hard to swallow, since the setting of Yes!5 and GoGo!, which is also where OtonaPre takes place most of the time, has a very distinct European architectural feel to it that the setting in Futari wa Pretty Cure and Max Heart do not.

Even in OtonaPre, which homogenized the setting a bit more to resemble a typical Japanese urban area, has some of those influences, the most notable one being the clock tower.

Speaking of which, the clock tower has been in the town ever since it was bombed, even being one of the only things left standing in the aftermath.

Sanae, like she was in Futari wa Pretty Cure, is a survivor of the WWII bombing on the town.

Of course, as you might expect, when Sanae recalls her story of surviving the bombing to Nagisa and Honoka, she doesn't mention a clock tower, since it wasn't established yet in the story. Obviously this is a retcon, and doesn't really matter much in the long run.

But what I find more interesting is that, in OtonaPre, when Sanae talks about how the people were giving up hope after losing everything, she doesn't mention anything about how she personally heard "a voice" coming from the Card Commune that encouraged her, like in the flashback from Futari wa Pretty Cure.

Of course, that "voice" came from Mipple, Honoka/Cure White's fairy who came to Earth about a century prior to the events of Futari wa Pretty Cure, and since the 40s, stayed in a shed at Honoka's house until Mepple arrived decades later (time dilation stuff).

Maybe it wasn't relevant to Sanae's version of the flashback in OtonaPre, but I find this omission interesting, since it's like, one of the more important bits of her character. As mentioned earlier, Sanae's inclusion in the anime implies that Honoka, Nagisa, and Hikari exist somewhere, so possibly, we might see Cure White, Cure Black, and Shiny Luminous. But will we actually? If the Blu-Ray listing was correct, OtonaPre only has like 12 episodes total, assuming no second cour, and we're approaching the 10th episode already, so would they really fit those three as a last-minute entrance? Maybe, to compromise, they would appear, but only as their teenager Pretty Cure selves, much like how Nozomi and the others deage when transformed.

Part of me thinks that the staff aren't fully committed to having Nagisa and Honoka all grown-up, since they're "legacy characters" so to speak and they're afraid of doing that much change to them, so they're willing to have Sanae appaear as a nod to the original PreCure, but not much more, hence why Mipple was removed from her flashback.

On the other hand, there's also this comment from Masako Nozawa, Sanae's voice actress, when she came back to voice the character in OtonaPre:

"I am very delighted and nostalgic to be playing the role of Grandma Sanae again for the first time in years. Grandma herself hasn't changed much in appearance, but I'm deeply moved that her grandchildren are growing up, I feel exactly like a grandmother myself, looking forward to seeing them grow."

So there's two things to take from this quote. One is that it might be a hint that, at least Honoka, is going to appear as an adult. The other is that she says "grandchildren," plural, like in the original Japanese it's "孫たち" (mago-tachi) with "-tachi" being the pluralizer. Honoka was an only child the last time we saw her...unless, this is like a cousin we never saw, but more realistically, she's either misremembering/calling Nagisa a grandchild, or it's about whoever Honoka married that would make them a grandchild-in-law. Make that of what you will.

[kcrabb88]

Last Line Challenge

I was tagged by @ninjigma! <3 This is way more than a line, but I liked this when I wrote it last night, so I figured I'd share it in full. This is a snippet from Blood Makes Noise, my QuinObi AIDS Crisis AU that I'm working on.

“You for sure will be keeping an eye out moving in here.” Siri gives him a wry grin despite their shared grief. “This is a one-bedroom apartment.” “And that”—Quin points to the new sofa—“is a pull-out.” “Rightttt.” “Tachi, shut up."

“You guys were supposed to be holed up and domestic by now," Siri points out. "Married, if it were fucking, you know, legal." “I know.” “You know?” “Yeah, of course I do. We've had the should we officially be a couple talk at least twice. I just … I want to talk to him about it again. Actually be his partner if he’ll let me. I’m sure in light of the news he’ll say it’s impossible because he doesn’t know how long he’ll live. Like it’ll be worse losing him as a partner than as a best friend who I consider when I make basically all of my decisions and who I’ve seen naked. It’s just … semantics, mostly.”

"Well." Siri sniffs and wipes at her eyes. "We'll all be there for him. But ... you two should be together together like you're meant to be. For however long."

“I just”—Quinlan shakes his head—“need to figure out … what he’s scared of. Virus aside, I mean." “Something,” Siri says softly. “Because he’s been in love with you forever. And it’s not like the two of you haven’t fucked. So, it’s not that he’s worried that will change the dynamic. I’m sure it’s an Obi-Wan thing that he’s convinced himself is true. Part of me hopes that stubbornness will keep him alive until they find better drugs for this goddamned virus. Actually, all of me.”

I will no pressure tag a few folks! @hellotemporaryuniverse, @ihathbenobiwankenobied, @darthplodder, @heliza24, @ooboowoonkoonooboo

[whumpdoyoumean]

A/N: I was not planning on writing this, but here is a lil part 2 to my Fire Country tag! xxx

“Bode? Bode, c’mon. Come on, Bode!”

Jake pats at Bode’s face, shakes his shoulders, but nothing works. He just watches helplessly as Bode’s lids flutter, and then his eyes roll back in his head, his face going slack. 

“Oh my god, Jake is he--” Freddy begins, and Jake waves him off with the hand that’s not currently at Bode’s neck feeling for his pulse. He knows how that sentence ends and he doesn’t want to hear it, doesn’t want to even think it. 

He feels the thump thump of a heartbeat a second later, just like he knew he would (hoped he would). 

“He’s alive,” he says, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Freddy nearly collapse with relief. “But he’s tachy.”

“Tachy? What does that mean?”

Jake looks at Bode’s sheet-white face, at the sweat beading his forehead and the paleness of his lips, and his stomach knots with worry. 

“Jake?”

Jake looks up at Freddy, who’s staring at him wide-eyed. He looks like he might burst into tears at any second, which is how Jake is how Jake would be feeling if he stopped to let himself think anything. 

“It means his heart is beating too fast. It’s his body trying to compensate for blood loss. He needs that ambulance, Freddy.”

“Is there anything I can do?” the man asks helplessly. 

“Actually, yes. I need you to go find Captain Perez and ask him for an update on the ambulance. And bring me some blankets!” 

Freddy nods and jogs off toward the smoldering fire camp. Jake turns his attention back to Bode. 

“Alright, Bode, come back…” He makes a fist and rubs his knuckles firmly and quickly against the man’s sternum. Bode groans, one hand reaching up to bat weakly at Jake’s, and Jake lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Good, Bode, you with me?”

“What th’ hell?” Bode slurs, one eye opening and then the other as he glares up at Jake with an expression that’s equal parts confused and pained and that’s a million times better than unconscious. 

“You passed out there for a sec, B. You’ve lost some blood but you’re gonna be okay. Ambulance is coming. You need to stay awake though, okay? Don’t--don’t do that again. You scared me.”

“‘m sorry. I…I screwed ever’thing up.”

There’s a part of Jake that agrees, but a bigger part that knows if Odin had gotten away then he would’ve gone on to cause more damage, hurt more people. 

“Naw, Bode. You had to stop him. He was dangerous.”

Bode puts one hand over Jake’s, and Jake can’t help but notice that his hands are clammy and trembling. 

“‘s not what I mean.”

Jake frowns slightly and Bode continues. 

“Back when I…left, I--” Bode swallows thickly. “I should’ve--should’ve said somethin’, I should’ve…”

“Hey, that’s all in the past now,” Jake says. He thinks the blood has finally stopped, but he’s afraid that if he takes any pressure off then it’ll just start again and Bode will bleed out, so he keeps his blood-slick hands over the pile of reddened gauze. 

“And I’m--I’m sorry about Gabriella.”

Jake sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. Freddy comes jogging up right then, and Jake is grateful for the disruption. 

“Here,” Freddy says breathlessly, his arms piled high with blankets that smell like smoke. 

“Good, drop ‘em here. We need to get one on him, and use the others to prop up his feet.”

Freddy nods obediently, dumping the blankets onto the floor. He piles all but one next to Bode’s feet. 

“I won’t hurt him if I move him?” he says. 

“‘m okay, Freddy.” Bode’s voice is low and scratchy, not at all convincing, but Freddy nods seriously. 

“K, I’m gonna lift your legs up, now.”

Bode’s brow furrows as Freddy lifts his legs, jaw tightening, and Jake is glad that Freddy can’t see the pain on his face. 

“There we go, buddy. Jake, is that good?”

Jake looks over and nods. “Yeah, looks good.”

“Here.” Freddy holds out the last blanket. 

Jake still doesn’t want to move his hands, but he’s certain now that the bleeding has stopped and Bode needs to stay warm, so he carefully lifts his hands away from the wound, watching for any fresh blood and, on not seeing any, takes the blanket and drapes it carefully over Bode. 

“What’d Cap say about that ambulance?”

“He called again, said they’re getting close. Maybe eight minutes out.”

Eight minutes. It’s not a long time, usually. An eight minute wait at a restaurant, or eight minutes until kickoff of the big game, even eight minutes on hold isn’t too bad. But there are other times when eight minutes feels like an eternity. Eight minutes in a bad fire can feel like an eternity. 

And so, it turns out, can eight minutes waiting for an ambulance to come for your ex-best friend turned rival turned whatever the hell is going on now. He still doesn’t know exactly where they stand, still has a lot of anger and hurt over a lot of things, but he does know, is absolutely certain, that he doesn’t want Bode to die. 

“How we doin’, Bode?” he asks.

“Pain’s not…not so bad anymore. Gettin’ cold.”

Jake feels a spike of concern, and he feels Freddy move closer to him. 

“That’s bad, right?” he whispers.

“We’ve just gotta keep him talking,” Jake says. 

“Hear that, Bode? Keep talking!” Freddy encourages.

Bode’s breath is coming in in fast, short bursts now, his skin ashen, and Jake guesses that if he could see better, he’d see a bluish tint to his lips. He’s obviously struggling to stay awake, but he’s fighting and that’s what matters. As long as he keeps fighting…

“Come on, Bode.”

“If--if…”

Jake has the sick feeling that he knows where this is going. 

“If I don’t--”

“Don’t talk like that,” he says gently. 

“No!” Bode says it with surprising strength, then winces. When he speaks again his words are quiet and halting. “Jake, if I don’t…if I don’t make it I need…I need you to tell my mom that I. I tried. I just w-wanted to keep her safe. ‘n tell my dad I just…I hope I made him-m proud.”

Jake reaches under the blanket, finding Bode’s cool, clammy hand and gripping it tight. 

“You’re gonna be fine, Bode. You can tell them all of that, and more, alright?”

“‘n tell Gabby…”

Jake feels a stab of jealousy and guiltily shoves it down.

“Tell ‘er thank you. For savin’ me. And--and thank you. For not turning me in.”

“It was nothing,” Jake says. “I…probably deserved that punch.”

Bode’s mouth turns up in something approaching a smile and he nods once. “Yeah.”

“Do you hear sirens?” Freddy says suddenly, and Jake looks up toward the road. He can hear the faint sirens, and distant red lights are visible through the trees. 

“They’re here, Bode! They’re almost here, you’re gonna be okay. You hear me?”

“Hear you,” Bode breathes. It’s obvious he’s getting tired, though, his eyes getting a distant look to them that Jake doesn’t like. 

“Hey,” he says firmly, reaching up with both blood-caked hands and taking Bode’s face between them. “Stay with me now, I mean it this time.”

He doesn’t pay much attention to the ambulance as it pulls up, focused as he is on trying to keep Bode awake. He barely hears the sir, we’ve got it from here. Hands he doesn’t know reach for his arm and he pushes them away. 

“Sir!”

“Jake!”

It’s Gabby’s voice that finally reaches him. He turns to see her cutting through the small clearing, face twisted with sadness and worry. Her dad is hot on her heels.

“You have to let them do their job,” Manny says.

Jake blinks and stands slowly, letting himself be jostled out of the way as the paramedics kneel on the ground next to Bode and get to work. Gabby stands near them, talking tearfully to the barely-conscious man. Manny takes Jake by the arm and leads him off to one side, and then pulls him into a hug. 

“You did good,” he says. “They’ve got it from here.”

Jake doesn’t return the hug, standing stiffly and staring off into the darkness. 

“Hey, you good?” Manny says, pulling away. “Jake?”

Slowly, Jake shakes his head. 

“I didn’t say it back,” he finally says. “I didn’t tell him I was sorry.”

xxx 

[codenamesazanka]

There's not as much level of hate in JP spaces because they read the original dialogues in the way as intended by the author and not the shitty localised version by a biased translator. Idk if you are on twitter but the translator has ruined the last 2-3 chapter translations. And also when Tomura escaped AFO's control and when Hawks lost the quirk. And that's why JP fans understand the themes better than the English fans.

Not gonna say Caleb Cook has never gotten anything wrong, but I generally think he gets it right more often than not. I've seen when fans try to correct the translations, and sometimes the nuance is captured, sometimes not at all. And as if fans can't be biased as well.

I distinctly remember when English-speaking fans tried to claim that Dabi in chapter 306 was saying something along the lines of 'the exposure of Endeavor's abuse was not enough for people to care'. That was completely wrong. Caleb's translation of Dabi saying 'he didn't go far enough/Endeavor needs more bullying' was the correct one. I know this because I took a look at it myself. However, my translation could be flawed too. So I look to the Japanese tweets that quoted that sentence saying things like “Dabi-kun, are you taking lessons from demons (in sadism)?" or "You've tortured your family enough... stop it," or cheered him on, wanting to know what horrible moves Dabi will think of next. What the author intended here was to show Dabi wants to completely break Endeavor's spirit and soul, but English-speaking fans point blank said 'no, that's not how I want it'.

Meanwhile, English-speaking fans are very eager about Caleb's translation of Yoichi saying Shigaraki was groomed to be full of hatred, or Shigaraki telling AFO that he knows AFO groomed him. The original japanese is actually "that was how he was raised/brought up," and "that was how you raised me/brought me up". With context, yeah, Yoichi and Shigaraki is saying that AFO raised him up in a negative way, he was raised in malicious conditions - 'groomed' is indeed one possible translation, but I personally think that word is loaded with connotations that makes it more charged than the original japanese. I would've gone with 'brought up', maybe 'trained'.

I'm not defending Caleb here, exactly. I think he did a disservice when he translated Toga's line about Saito thinking she's not human as 'Saito will think I'm a freak'. The gist is the same - Saito will be repulsed by her - but for me, 'not human' better fits the context of Toga's life's journey to be seen as normal, as a regular human being. I have no idea what he was thinking when he translated Spinner's 'Shigaraki-tachi' (Shigaraki and the others/Shigaraki's group) as only 'Shigaraki' when Spinner woke up Kurogiri.

For the most part, Caleb's just trying to capture the feel of things, then make sure it's convey in a natural sounding manner. Lots of potential for disagreement in the process. As someone once puts it, you are guarantee to fail when translating, so what you're doing is deciding how to fail. And failure also means different things to different people.

Caleb gets things right, and gets things wrong. From my observations, English-speaking fans think Caleb gets things right when the translations fits into their pre-existing conceptualizations and never question it; and English-speaking fans think Caleb is so terrible he should be fired when translations don't fit their pre-existing conceptualizations. Where does the bias come from? Trick question, it's in everyone.

So is the hate because Caleb's translation isn't accurate and people misunderstood bnha's themes? I gotta say, not really. Is the hate because people have a vision of what bnha should be like in their head, and get angry when canon goes a different path? I think this is more likely. I don't think it's the whole reason. But its contribution is there.

Whether or not this is the reason why Japanese fandom spaces seems - to me - to have less hate than English speaking fandom spaces, I don't know. Like I said, maybe the hate levels are the same because I'm just looking at the nice things that floats at the top as I wade through Japanese fandom, but haven't dive down into the deep sea hate, while I enter a submersible to be crushed by the high pressure hate every time I return to the English speaking fandom.

Thanks for the ask!

[causewhywouldnti]

My thoughts as I’m watching 24 seasons of law & order svu:

Season 9

9x01 her waiving her Miranda rights, does not seem legal… it was highly entertaining though. Kathy’s face when Janice talked to her is priceless. Benson and Stabler putting their silent communication to good use is always great. Love the twist at the end!

What order did they shoot these episodes in? Because Benson's hair is very different in 9x03 than it was in the first two episodes…

9x04, those are slow chest compressions… And good on Elliot to admit that his anger isn't helping and that he is not proud of it.

I thought there was something in the pizza box in 9x06, but I was thinking body part, not bomb. That Olivia would be attacked once she got home was pretty clear, but I'm glad that she got her anger under control.

9x07, after Stabler gets his head bashed into the window, he has glass all over his shoulder, which is practically the first place Benson puts her hands. Him panicking after not being able to see is some great acting. Benson looking out for Stabler was really sweet. Also, her catching him when he tripped after court. The confrontation between Casey and Benson: loved that Casey asked her if she wanted the perp tried because of the girls, or because of what he did to Elliot. Benson pretty much confirms it’s about Elliot when she states, "he’s my partner". And later on, where she fully admits that she wanted revenge for him. At least Benson concedes that she was wrong. Sam Waterston is back! The episode also made me realize we don't really know anything about Casey's private life (or I just wasn't paying attention).

9x08, I feel like they could have tried harder to stop the suspect being crushed in a garbage truck.

The kid clinging onto Elliot is really cute in 9x09. Oh, Elliot… that's the worst way the father could have found out that he's not actually the father. Don't get me started on how Benson put that IV in, cause nope. Don't know why, but that birthing scene had me laughing out loud (Until she got Tachy…). The first Benson Stabler hug is everything though!

9x10, Olivia's face whilst Elliot is talking to his "friend" is priceless! Plus, we got our first mention of an iPhone.

9x14 Elliot has a way with words, not in a good way though, yikes. Poor Olivia, the lack of kids is really getting rubbed into her face in this episode.

9x15 must have been the first episode after the last writer strike. The scene in the basement got pretty graphic. Them talking disparagingly about the captain’s size is petty, and I am here for it.

9x16 Tucker's back… yay… Benson saying she would never leak to the media when she actually did that in season 7 and the journalist is still being held in contempt for it (at least I assume he is, not like we got a follow-up). That scene between Benson, Stabler and Moss is so awkward. Also, least romantic kiss ever. That was also a one episode relationship. He wanted to move in, she broke up with him.

9x17, a sheep named Elliot on Morning Joe, well that's new. Munch enjoying himself in the pillow fight is great though. I feel like there's a scene missing. One moment Benson is taking Rook into custody, the next second Stabler is panicking, and then we find out Benson is missing. Stabler's gonna need a new pair of handcuffs.

9x18 did not see that ending coming.

9x19, TV shows always forget, that when you disconnect an IV, there’s gonna be a lot of blood… Not quite sure where the Fin/Stabler conflict is coming from, but here we are. Poor Casey, but probably fair. Lake… never really warmed up to him, but that’s just a sad ending.

Familiar faces: Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Melissa Joan Hart, Jayne Atkinson (Madam Secretary), Aidan Quinn (White Collar), Steven Weber (Studio 60), Shannon Woodward (Malcolm in the Middle), Jarred Harris (Fringe), Ayre Gross (Perlmutter on Castle), Gaius Charles (Friday Night Lights), Adina Porter (The 100), Mark Valley (Fringe), Jeremy Jordan (The Flash), Mae Whitman (A:tla), Braeden Lemasters (House), Meredith Eaton (House), Mark Moses (Scandal), Bailey Chase (Castle), Bill Pullman (While You Were Sleeping), Robin Williams, Joe Scarborough, Matthew Davis (Legally Blonde),

Favorite episodes: 9x01, 9x07, 9x09, 9x12

Favorite lines:

"Try and behave yourself." - Cragen 9x01 (as if that would happen)

"You know, wherever you are, you're almost never more than 6 feet away from a spider." - Janice 9x01 (well ain't that a comforting thought…)

"She’s not supposed to be pregnant. (turning to Kathy) You're too old, I’m in college, people will think it's mine." - Kathleen 9x01

„You took an oath. You don't get to take a time-out because we're at war. Because it's difficult to uphold. The oath was written for times like these.“ - Waren in 9x04 on the Hippocratic oath

"It's my job to look out for him." - Benson about Stabler 9x07

[note-boom]

I'm curious, who are your favourite bsd characters ?

Oh, thank you for the ask, Anon! And my fave bsd characters, huh?

Man...I have absolutely no idea because it changes based on my mood and which arc I'm currently screaming my head off over AND what characters suddenly decide to be deeper than they actually are in my head. But to be concise, why don't I just give a run down for favourite character(s) per group? And uh...buckle up cause I'm gonna ramble as I usually do.

Lengthily

ADA - Fukuzawa, Kyouka, Atsushi, Kunikida, Yosano....I'm gonna stop now before I start listing them all.

To be honest, if I had to pick one out of all of them, it would currently be Kyouka. I just....*hugs her tight* I love how her arc is basically like a mini light novel within canon. I love how her arc isn't completed when she joins the light side and manages to pass the entrance exam but when she finds out the truth about her ability and her parents because it's such a GOOD narrative callback to where her story started. You think her story began with the PM and Akutagawa and ended in saving the ADA and Atsushi, right? But no...those were just very important parts of her journey. Her story begun when she lost her parents and became burdened with something out of control that seemed only good to kill...and ended when Kouyou (who had taken her in after that loss) let her go and took steps to reveal that this cursed "only good for killing ability" that Kyouka had was her mother's last expression of love. Kyouka thought her ability killed her parents but instead it was a result of a love for their daughter that didn't die with them and I just go INSANE thinking about the cyclical nature of it all. Blah blah blah tragedies may be repeated but you know what's also repeated and what also lasts? A parent's love for their child.

Probably also why I love Fukuzawa. Something about middle aged characters who find themselves becoming the parent of one child and suddenly finding they can't stop adopting kids.

But lest I get carried away, I'll let the other three speak for themselves

PM - Chuuya, Akutagawa, Gin, Hirotsu, Odasaku...stopping myself again

I actually don't have a current favourite but man, I tell you, Anon. I was hoodwinked and bribed and dragged into loving Chuuya. My reaction from the anime and its adaptation of fifteen was, "oh, cool, that's EPIC....but can we get back to the present?" Then I read a quick summary of his backstory somewhere and just....yeah.

Akutagawa and Gin I just have soft spots for, even though we barely know anything about the latter (part of me believes there HAS to be a light novel about the Black Lizards set somewhere between the beginning of canon and the doa arc because look at how close Tachi and Gin and Hirotsu somehow became??? Like when did that happen???). Also, Akutagawa is my pathetic, sad, feral, unhinged bloodthirsty boy who cares so much but has always been told he doesn't. It's the tragedy that he cares about Gin, that he did care to some degree about Atsushi and Kyouka, but that for some reason...he believes that the only thing he does care about is Dazai's approval (which is more of an obsession), which is EXCELLENT but also heartbreaking

I think Hirotsu's sort of the same with Fukuzawa. Older characters who find they have teenagers under their custody (first, Chuuya and Dazai...now the Black Lizards...the man just does not get a break)

And Oda.....is self explanatory, too. Haunts the narrative, haunts the characters, haunts the plot (you can't tell me the space time sword isn't a little bit of a call back to Flawless), haunts the meta-narrative....and also just was another tragic character that I think Dazai is trying to not make tragedy of, I don't know

Guild - Lucy (beloved, adored, precious), Poe (just as beloved, precious, adored, and raccoon owner), and Lovecraft

Come on you guys...how can I hate Lucy? How can I not love her? She's a narrative parallel or foil (however that's used...or both) to Atsushi but she's had to learn prematurely how to survive and struggle and think for herself and save her own skin. She's got one of the scariest spacial abilities in BSD because it combines both a pocket dimension and her own imagination (and I really want to see her and Akutagawa interact). I love LOVE for her so much that after the whole Guild business, she was just like "screw ability organisations" and went to work for a cafe BUT that she still can converse head on with people like Atsushi, Fukuzawa, Kyouka, and has zero fear of the government. She's Canadian (I think), she's got a cool ability, and I love her somehow simultaneously subtle but pretty obvious importance to the narrative (the queen in the chessboard)

Poe is basically similar. I just love his ability (I would misuse it SO much...that and Louisa's) and I love what a dramatic, violent theatre kid he is and envy his ability to focus on one project until it's completed and then move on like it didn't just consume months (or, in ranpo's case, years) of his time. And again his subtle but pretty obvious significance to the narrative (eyes covered, author in a manga of authors, like Lucy...he can help in all places)! It's kind of interesting to me how a lot of the western authors' abilities are a bit....off when it comes to their names. Poe's combines two of his stories, Lucy's makes her title slightly more dramatic, Fitzgerald just adds his name XDD. But that might be for copyright reasons, I have no idea how significant it could be.

As for Lovecraft? I find him relatable, that's all...all he wants to do is jump into the sea and sleep for a thousand years but accidentally got tied down by capitalism and I can hardcore relate.

Hunting Dogs - I like all of them, and yes even Fukuchi...but favourite is Tachihara no question. Pre-planned defector of the PM and managed to fool everyone more than Ango? I could ramble more about him but this is already getting really long....

DOA - I'll be honest with you guys....I still don't know much about them beyond the anime. But I am absurdly fond of Bram. Immortal vampire lord who also just wants to sleep and maybe listen to good tunes....yeah, mood.

And non-organisation/other characters? Aya, Mushitarou (technically, he was part of the Rats but that's a moot point), and Ango. I won't rant about them but just know they sometimes live rent free in my head...or, more like they cycle around in there like my brain's their vacation home

But I guess, currently, if I HAD to choose my top three out of all of them, it would be Kyouka, Mushitarou, and Poe

Now I'm done...

[kagaminelen]

okay last episode EVER

I have seen this before but that is purely my fault XD

I never understood that liminal space that they were in to begin with. Why is there a bunch of floating furniture.

Satoko you fucking child. You hating studying. So you were gonna kill your friend. What. Ever.

I wonder if Hanyuu is alive.

I got my answer.

blah blah blah never give up yadda yadda this is all so boring for the amount of drama happening. At least Hanyuu is gonna kill this lady.

Bro stop bringing up Keiichi-tachi man. No one in this series gave a fuck about them. In Kai they were FRIENDS and played a part!!! They were just background characters here. Wasted potential. How about we have the original crew minus Keiichi and have Satoshi instead uwu

okay so the whole time I thought it was weird that Hanyuu was a little girl, but apparently that was due to her horn.

why did they change the art style. this is so unserious

Rika does not need to be the one apologizing. This is so stupid. "Sorry for leaving you on your lonesome" AFTER TRYING TO REACH OUT TO HER AND BEING DENIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sounds like Satoko needs to keep her looping powers and use it to study cause my god how is she so stupid. Whatever. They need to go along with my original plan and just transfer to a school that isn't so difficult. I'm sure Rika would be willing to compromise

I FORGOT ABOUT KEIICHI'S DUMB ASS SWEATER DSFAL;KJASDFKJLLK;SADJFFSLADK;JNKMLSDFANKLSXCFNLK;SDAFKLJSDAFLKJSDAFKLJSDF NEVER CHANGE BABY NEVER CHANGE

as much as I talk about replacing Keiichi with Satoshi I do really love him. Also Mion is so me coded, being like "oh my goddd we're all friends can you just talk it out"

so this was all about drifting away from friends and how that's okay.

I'm so fucking sorry I cannot take a word this boy is saying seriously. Dumb ass prep outfit. Also Mion is so fire emoji she is soooo attractive in that outfit

WHY ARE WE ACTING LIKE RIKA NEEDS TO LEARN ANYTHING??? SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG

I CAN'T OH MY GOD KEIICHI LOOKS SO DUMB IN LITERALLY EVERYTHING IT'S SO CUTE

I didn't mention Rena but she's always cute :3 that pink outfit she has on is soooo cute

Okay good so Rika did not fucking compromise for Satoko. Cause she was never wrong to begin with.Satoko is just not gonna graduate from middle school ig. Since she hates studying and allat actually she'll probably just graduate from Hinamizawa

I don't get this ending. What is this nonsense. I thought they didn't loop anymore. Why would they still be looping. What is all this about running away from each other

NOOOO WHY IS THIS SONG MAKING ME CRY I PERSONALLY HAVE NO CONNECTION TO IT SINCE IT DOESN'T REPRESENT THE SERIES FOR ME REALLY

IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL EVEN IF THESE TWO SEASONS WERE GOD AWFUL I AM NOT SAD THIS IS OVER SINCE I CONSIDER THE SERIES OVER SINCE KAI

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY SATOSHI YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY BEST DAY OF MY LIFE JUST KIDDING THIS SERIESZ ISN'T A SACK OF TRASH

ALSO WHY IS TEPPEI SO NICE?????? HE WAS ONLY NICE BECAUSE HE REMEMBER PREVIOUS LOOPS????

YAAAAAAAAAAY SHION MWAH MWAH MWAH GOOD FINALE GOOD FINALE GOOD FINALE I GOT EVERYTHING I WANTED!!!!!!!!

HOW IS SATOKO NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS LIFE???????? actually nevermind the evil is leaving her body we're good.

I absolutely did not need Dear You playing as Satoshi woke up. That was far too much. Also Teppei, Shion, and Satoko getting along <3 in a different life she hated that bitch so much she wanted to (and probably did) kill him.

why am I crying at the end of this?????????? these two seasons were the worst anime watching experience I had in my life????????? I hated damn every near second of it???????????

ooooh they are so lucky I love this fucking characters and therefore still have an emotional attachment to them despite this nonsense.

Fuck you Gou, fuck you Sotsu. What a waste of my time. We would all be better off if there was just an OVA of life after Kai and it was just this last episode. I'm so serious. Who needs Kira fanservice when you could legit just have that. I would almost be willing to give up bunny Satoshi if it meant I just had this as an OVA and Gou and Sotsu never happened.

I think I will actually never ever watch anything but the original Higurashi and maybe Kai again. I barely remember Rei aside from Saikoroshi-hen. Like the first episode was some stupid pool shit and the last episode......was it Hanyuu finding little Rika? Was there a single meaningful thing in Kira? Or was the little Rika episode a part of Kira? idk. in any case, Nekogoroshi-hen is also completely skippable.

I wouldn't have listened to this advice, but watching just the OG and Kai is all I recommend. I never want to skip stuff or whatever cause I am just curious and want to know everything. I am so serious when I say those two are the only thing worth watching (now I know absolutely nothing about the games or manga, so don't quote me on that).

And then watch the back half of the final episode of Sotsu and ignore the weird talk that Rika and Satoko had on the train. Like that is literally it when it comes to the anime.

back on the higurashi after a hiatus

finally remembered read mores existed teehee

episode 7 of sotsu, here we come

interesting eau (I always forget the order lol) refers to Rika as a cat. It reminds me of Onikakushi where Keiichi referred to him and Shion as cats when confessing to Rika about going into the storehouse

I think the story would be better if Satoko felt even a little bit bad about doing this to Rika. She sees it more like a necessary evil, but an evil she enjoys participating in. Like, she is smiling and thinks it's fun. If she felt bad about it the entire time, even midway through being like "I don't want to do this to Rika anymore!!!! She's my friend!!!!!" would be enough for me, tbh

Also, interesting rule that Satoko can't die before Rika. idk why it even matters

I sure hope Rika isn't actually listening to the hogwash Satoko is spouting because Rika knows damn well that Hanyuu wanted out of there as well. It wouldn't make any sense for Oyashiro-sama to punish her for wanting to leave, if Oyashiro-sama ALSO wants to leave.

Unfortunately I'm getting better at identifying which loop we're in.

In fact, it hardly makes sense that the same two week period would create this many different situations, no? If most of the characters have no idea they're in a loop, shouldn't they be acting the exact same in every situation?

In any case, it honestly was better the OG had several different arcs because having the exact same loop only works for a movie, not something with 26 episodes

I think taking a break between answer and question arcs in this series is best because I'm now only vaguely aware of what's supposed to happen and I'm not totally bored out of my mind watching it

I think if I accept Teppei as a different person in Sotsu than he was in the OG I can live with liking him. NYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SATOKO IS GONNA FUCKING GET THIS GUY ARRESTED FOR NO REASON AT ALL

okay I think I actually detest this girl. She abuses the one person who she loves because Rika doesn't want to stay with her. And she manipulates everyone into seeing Teppei as an abuser. It's not even just that she brought him back here, she also acts like she's been abused whenever she's out in public. This man is truly full of sorrow and pain for her and she lets him get his reputation ruined. If he didn't act all rough and tough to everyone by default, people might not do anything or even believe Satoko is lying. But because he acts like that, she just lets everyone assume the worst.

I just genuinely don't like her anymore.

I forgive Shion because she had Hinamizawa Syndrome and was acting on behalf of what she thought Satoshi's wishes were. She usually always does, but in that timeline she just thought Satoko being punished is what he would have wanted. In most worlds she adores Satoko and is willing to put her life on the line for her. Satoko is just being a selfish piece of shit. Like there is no rason for her to be this messed up. No logical explanation. Everyone else has the excuse of Hinamizawa Syndrome. There's just something wrong with that girl

[midwinterrmemento]

(**Major BSD manga spoilers below!**)

Okay but like… now I’m really curious what’s going on in Teruko’s mind, and what she’s going to do next.

Let’s talk about her a little bit. 👀

Since the Hunting Dogs were first introduced in the story, I would say she’s been the hardest for me to figure out—but even though she came right out and said in this chapter that she knows the truth about Fukuchi and still sides with him, that only raises more questions for me.

Of course, Teruko has always been obvious about her affection for Fukuchi, but ngl sometimes she was so obvious about it that it made me doubt her sincerity a little bit? Take this panel from Chapter 60, for instance:

I don’t know if it’s just me, but honestly, this panel has always felt a little odd to me? Especially the look on her face on the top left? Jouno doesn’t seem to think she’s lying, or at least he didn’t say so, but if that really is the case, then where exactly does Teruko’s intense devotion to Fukuchi come from?

If she knew that he was the mastermind all along, then what was she thinking when she heard that her comrades in the Hunting Dogs were kinda going off the grid one by one? Would it really make no difference to her if she knew what Fukuchi did to Jouno and Tachihara? Especially Tachi, seeing as they seem to have a particular bond, which we saw from their teamwork during the Sky Casino arc. What must’ve gone through her mind when she watched the video Tachihara made, defending the Agency?

Because obviously, she does care. And I can’t be convinced otherwise.

Think about the shadow that falls over her eyes when she’s done watching Tachihara’s video.

And then, not long after, how dull her eyes look when she reports to Fukuchi that she’s lost contact with Tecchou.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time we’ve seen that kind of look on her face? Like… to me, she seems kind of jaded, almost resigned. And that leads me to wonder.

We still don’t know much about Teruko’s past or her motivations, but she clearly takes her role as a Hunting Dog very seriously. Does she show… sadistic tendencies? Sure. But, kind of like Jouno, she seems to find some satisfaction in protecting the innocent—and punishing the villains in order to do so. Just look at her conviction here:

The Teruko we’ve seen in the last few chapters has been very different than the Teruko we see here (at least in my opinion). Part of me wonders whether something happened between then and now—like, if she actually didn’t always know that Fukuchi was the mastermind, but somehow found out later on? What if he approached her at some point and invited her to join the Decay of Angels, like he did with Jouno?

In any case, I really wasn’t expecting things to take this kind of turn with her, and right now I can only think of a few possible explanations.

If she really is loyal to Fukuchi, as she claims…

It’s because of her genuine respect for him (which seems more and more unlikely to me with time idk), or at the very least, because she believes that his plans really will stop the world from becoming the “garbage” that she describes up there in Chapter 76.

It’s because she fears his power, or maybe something has prompted her to come to the conclusion that trying to defeat him—or evil in general—is pointless. Imo, the way she got so upset with Atsushi in this most recent chapter for saying that there was still enough time to stop him kinda supports this.

But I also don’t want to rule out the possibility that she’s lying, and that she really isn’t as devoted to Fukuchi as she has seemed all along. After all, she’s already proven that she’s capable of surprises. If things continue to get worse, and if her teammates continue to get hurt (or… y’know), I wonder if that would be enough to push her to action.

I think the key factor here is how much she knows. Clearly, she understands that something bad has happened to Tachihara and the others, but does she know the extent of it? Would it change her mind if she were to encounter one of them in vampire form, and witness exactly what Fukuchi did to them? Because we all know whose side Tecchou would end up on if he knew the whole truth.

So, then there’s secret option #3, and the one I’m hoping for the most: all of this, such as her open adoration for Fukuchi since her very first introduction, has all been an attempt for her to gain his trust. Because it really doesn’t seem to me that Fukuchi would be expecting her to turn on him at this point, it would be a hell of a twist if she was the one to take him down now.

All in all, Teruko is such an interesting and under-analyzed character, and this chapter has me questioning everything I thought I knew about her. I don’t know about anyone else, but when the BSD manga resumes in the fall, I’m hoping that we’ll finally get a better understanding of who she really is. As it stands right now, she’s in a very unique position, since she’s basically the last Hunting Dog standing, and I’m really excited to see what she’s going to do, knowing that.

[raini-day]

Blue flag spoilers! my thoughts after finishing the series & about the ending

just finished reading blue flag and it's a great series! I was interested in it at first because of the love triangle actually being a love triangle. It pulled me in from there, but the ending really cemented my love for the series.

I saw a lot of people complaining that it came out of nowhere and didn't make sense for the characters but I STRONGLY disagree. Blug flag isn't about how Fubtata, Tachi, and Touma fall in love with each other and how their relationships progress - it's about these teenagers learn to love themeselves (literally. that's their arcs! every one starts off hating themselves and admiring the others and grows to have more confidence.) and the core message of the story is the idea things don't always turn out as is 'normally expected' and that's ok!!  

So the ending, where things suddenly (for the readers anyway but these characters have had years to grown and change since we last left them) change course and characters end up in places you don't expect is EXACTLY fitting in with that message. Plus it felt super realistic to the experiances I and other queer people go through, with strangers making assumptions of how we should live our lives and how we fit into certain boxes because of our identities when that’s often not how it goes. Masumi who you thought was a lesbian ends up with a guy? Is that so unrealistic? Maybe she’s had a bi awakening since high school. Maybe she’s still closeted (a whole part of her character was being unable to come out after all) and her growth and journey with her identity isn’t complete yet, things generally don’t get wrapped up all neatly in high school and you can still be figuring yourself out your whole life. Maybe her partner isn’t a guy at all. The point is we don’t know and we shouldn’t be trying to judge or make sense of her story and her experiance based on our own assumptions. Tachi literally comments in the last few pages that other people may not understand his choices but that’s just how life is, you’re constantly changing and growing and even this end isn’t an end. Things will still continue to change.

[secretsofdbz]

Now let's talk some honorifics and ways to address each other in Z ^^

I did a part 1 about how some of them say "I" and what that says about them, please read it!

We all know Japanese culture has a whole lot of emphasis on how people speak to and about each other (it's also pretty common to not say "you" or "he/she", but directly the name of the person, which is a godsend for manga readers as it really helps memorize the names of a vast cast of characters).

Now in Z, honorifics, last names (or lack thereof) and "you" really say a lot about the characters and their relations, sooo here goes a little preview of the whole study (because this will take ages lmao).

First, some "yous". Omae is informal and very guy-like, and either super-close-friendship (Tenshinhan-to-Chaozu), or plain superior/intimidating (Piccolo-to-Gohan, Vegeta-to-Nappa, Nappa-to-gang (omae-tachi for plural)). Kisama and Temee are both used as "you bastard!" rather than actual pronouns in most of DB.

Obviously the most famous use of honorifics in DBZ is Gohan-to-Piccolo: it's always Piccolo-san. Oh and Kami-sama of course.

It's important to note that most characters who consider each other peers at some point drop the honorifics when talking to/about each other (Tenshinhan, Goku, Krilin, Yamcha and Piccolo dropped honorifics about each other early on, but Chaozu still uses -san for Ten-san). Future Trunks gets included in the "no-honorifics" gang early on by experienced fighters, (except Gohan who does call him Trunks-san as he's part of the adult group, and keeps the difference in Super; Trunks-san is the future one, and Trunks-kun is the present one) but he himself tends to keep the honorifics with everyone (including Gohan-san who's only like, 8 at this point!), keeping an "not-belonging" feel.

Speaking of "yous", Vegeta talks to Trunks as kisama (which is also super insulting/derogatory; Piccolo uses it for Goku too) but Gohan uses anata (the polite formal you, when he didn't know his name). When talking about him, but not -to him- Bulma says "this kid" (kono ko), but Gohan says the polite "this person" (kono hito), while the rest of the gang mentioned "aitsu" (that guy), which is more familiar. Clearly establishes dynamics to come!

Speaking of early days, in Dragon Ball, Bulma is angry that Goku calls her Bulma plain and simple (and even adds "omae" to it!), and "since she's older", he should call her Bulma-san, which he does even if it's hard to pronounce at first. But Bulma herself says Son-kun for Goku, which she carried all through to Super (which implies "longtime childhood friends", I mean, Goku's far from a -kun kid at this point). Goku and Krilin both say Bulma-san. And because Goku says Bulma-san, Gohan gets to say it too (and kept it).

Goku and Krilin are both good martial arts students and using proper honorifics for all their teachers and deities (Goku's very consistent with the -sama of Kami, King Kai and so on).

Piccolo is an absolute savage who never uses honorifics, with the notable exception of Shin (which is a big thing, because he doesn't do it for King Kai who complains that he "worked hard to earn the title"). Piccolo calls Goku Son (as he does with everyone else), plain and simple, and calls Gohan just Gohan.

Bulma also shows her magnificent balls by calling Vegeta Vegeta-kun when back from Namek, which is big dick move. They switch to first-name-no-honorifics later on (tbh Vegeta mostly calls her "Woman", but he does straight up say "Bulma" a few times).

Chichi calls Goku, Goku-sa (dropping the n), as per rural customs; it's common for married couples to still use honorifics (especially in arranged marriages).

In other "let's fuck with Vegeta some more", the Ginyu force calls Vegeta Vegeta-chan, which is the humiliating ever; both because they knew Vegeta as a kid, but keep considering him as such. Recoome absolutely destroys him by doing this.

In other "Gohan and Bulma raised Trunks" news, Future Trunks says he's here to meet Son Goku-san, but first addresses him as Son-san then switches to Goku-san, and keeps -san for just about everyone, including his present-parents (father/mother; tou-san and kaa-san, dropping the o- at the beginning; saying "mom" and "dad" is absolute heresy). This contrasts with present Trunks who says papa/mama (and calls Goku, Krilin and co "uncle" (oji-san) as, "older family friend").

And for some other cuteness moments, Gohan is Gohan-kun to Videl, but Videl remains Videl-san for Gohan, because he's polite, awkward and respectful (tho Goten calls them both "big bro/big sis" (with -chan)); Goten also calls Vegeta uncle (oji-san).

That's about it for now, I'll dig in other sections further down the road (especially with the elder characters!)

[beldaroot]

before reading chihayafuru chapter 246 i was definitely a “‘se’ will be the winning card” truther lol. but during my reread of the final arc, i noticed that shinobu has a very distinct relationship with the ‘se’ card that may have foreshadowed that ‘se’ would not be read at the end and therefore, shinobu was destined to not win. 

in the first queen’s match, the ‘se’ card is the winning card. shinobu gets 'se’ though the referee had to call it her take since chihaya got the card at the same time. / chapter 219

immediately after her first win, shinobu encounters emperor sutoku-in, the author of the ‘se’ poem, as a foreboding presence behind her reciting the first verses of the poem. / chapter 220

for the second match, shinobu yet again takes the ‘se’ card. this time indicating that she is the one who knows the gods best while chihaya is being “mean” for placing the cards of the three vengeful spirits of japan, which sutoku-in is a part of, together. / chapter 223

for the third match, shinobu has the ‘se’ card on her side but it is never read and she questions whether sutoku-in will call out to her. / chapter 229 

after this match, watarai-san has a conversation with imada-san explaining how shinobu doesn’t appear to “really pay attention to [the ‘se’ card]” but “lost focus” towards the end, which appears to be the opposite of how chihaya looks at the ‘se’ card. / chapter 230

for the fourth match, shinobu again gets the ‘se’ card after chihaya tries to use it as an “uki-fuda.” however, this chapter shows that shinobu has “never understood” or actually heard sutoku-in’s voice through the ‘se’ card. regardless, she is still able to take the card even without sutoku-in calling out for her. / chapter 234

finally, for the fifth match, chihaya sends ‘se’ over to shinobu for the luck of the draw. given her past experience with the ‘se’ card, shinobu is betting yet again on ‘se’ and is now confident that she will win. even though in the last match it was discovered that sutoku-in has never called out to her, she believes that he is “choosing” her now because they both have felt isolated. shinobu thinks that by taking ‘se’ and winning, she might still be alone at the mountain top but she will at least have sutoku-in by her side in that loneliness. however, in the end, ‘se’ is not called and shinobu does lose her queen title, but she is able to reach the mountain top hand-in-hand with chihaya. / chapter 246

i think i was so focused on chihaya’s (and arata’s) relationship with the ‘se’ card and that i didn’t realize that shinobu also had a complicated relationship with the card via sutoku-in. 

i also find it extremely fascinating that the two matches where the ‘se’ card is not read, the winning card ends up being a taichi associated card: ‘tare’ for the third match and ‘tachi’ for the final match. this makes me feel like suetsugu has been purposefully showing shinobu’s lonely motif through the ‘se’ card. it might be a card about “meeting again” but it seems like for shinobu, it was always meant to emphasize her division from others. so, it’s almost reassuring that the ‘se’ card wasn’t read. it is the one card she never heard a voice for and drove her to further loneliness. it remains the 100th poem of the final match, alone on the playing field, which is the opposite of what shinobu herself is at the end of the match :’)

[saudade-mayari]

Anonymous asked: 💜Could I request service 2 room 20 with itachi?Also nsfw, thank you 🙏

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💳—Hēdonē VIP [33] || Goddess

⇥ Itachi Uchiha x fem!reader || wc: 0.7k

⇥ warnings: 18+ content, established relationship, shameless smut, body worship, minors please dni

⇥ a/n: I accidentally deleted the actual request

Stars lit up, and the moon shines brightly under the Uchiha district. It was a festive night. A prosper, and new growth of the growing clan maintained power and stability since the warring states era.

The raven-haired man crossed his arms and legs while watching your graceful and sophisticated dance as you captivate the audience gathered around.

Your e/c hair is tied with heavy kanzashi. Its intricate cane and tree designs of your lightly padded hem hikizuri kimono created weight that allowed your skirt to trail along the floor stood out of the crowd. Even the way your fingers softly held the fans while dancing along with the rhythms of shamisen made everyone watch in awe.

Like a goddess dancing under the moon.

Itachi let out a small smile. Feeling proud not because of people congratulating him for being the next clan head but rather your performance remarkably made him delighted. That you are his.

As the sound of shamisen slowly disappeared and did your last pose, clapping hands surrounds the area whilst you gracefully smile in front of everyone.

Itachi had a hard time leaving the banquet. Families giving him imperial Burma Jadeite feels endless. He was not on the seat as the head yet, and they're already making a ruckus about it. He thanks himself that his best friend, Shisui, helped maintain the situation.

He wants to go home and feel your warmth.

The raven-haired sighs as he opens the door. His eyes are landing yours who was preparing a tea. You gave him a sweet smile.

"Have some tea, tachi. You look tired." Itachi just let out a tired sigh, spooning himself on your chest as he smells your kimono.

"You look so beautiful tonight. You're like a goddess." He murmurs. The raven-haired man's well-defined face starts to trace your neck and jaw while his hands are going behind to loosen all the tight knots of the kimono.

"Itachi" You moan as he fully got access to your breast, making your kimono fall on your arms.

"Truly a goddess, bewitching." Now he puts his hands to cup your face. Felt a warm sensation that triggered your system when his lips met yours. You both groaned and swallowed the moans. Pressing his tongue to your lips to ask an invitation in which you gladly and wholly gave.

It was steady but fast. You both continue going through the living room and now your shared bedroom. Itachi gently lays you down, carefully removing the rest of your clothes while you loosen his hakama's knot, revealing his toned body that he had gained over the years as shinobi.

Founding your sweet spot, you moan in bliss, his calloused hands start to massage your breast while he leans closer to suck your neck. Appreciating every sensitive part of your body.

"I need you now.. Tachi.." You moan again, but he just responded with a husky chuckle, going back to kiss your forehead and lips with a smile.

"Goddesses, don't beg, sweetheart." He whispers as he slowly penetrates your sex, making you arch your back and inadvertently pressing your chest against his.

The things he did to you are boundless. It was pure bliss and pleasure while he slowly adjusts his length inside. His groans and grunts are enough to make cum, the way he starts his relentless pace while he continues to watch your lewd expressions below.

"Such a good girl.. Taking my cock well." He growls, burying himself deeper that made you scream his name.

"Tachi… I- so big ah!" You murmur. Doing your best to construct a sentence to let him know your presence, and Itachi just smiles. Pounding harder as your femininity keeps dripping down with your juices.

"That's it, my goddess… cum around my cock." He says, sloppy thrusts taking over as you feel your second orgasm coming. Feeling his warm body falling to yours added more pleasure, he knows what he is doing, and Itachi just kept pounding hard, making you cream all over his cock with his juice mixing and dripping down to your thighs.

He let out a proud smirk. "Look at you…" He whispers

"You look much better with my cum around your cunt and thighs."