#where fellow haters can find each other..

[blradley]

By popular (ish) request: a WIP intro

KING OF THE WORLD (Adult romantasy/comedy, m/m)

Meet MALEVOLOTH (Loth to his friends. If he had any - ), a tyrannical dragon-king who reigns over the realm of Krazuk with a fire-filled fist. Has burned millions. Will do it again. A proud human-hater, for reasons (no, he won’t talk about it), he lives by the doctrine that only the strongest can rule.

...Which means that he spent the entirety of his five kids' lives subjecting them to horrific abuse. He pitted them against each other constantly, almost killing them to ‘make them stronger’, encouraging them to fight for power and privilege and never displaying affection unless it’s part of a ploy.

…....And then he wonders why he gets brutally assassinated and deposed.

Because he spent 0 time on building any sort of political stability and +1000 time on WAR and TORTURE-MURDER and BEING HORRID, his kingdom crumbles the minute he can no longer terrorize everyone into order. The vultures are circling, as his five children splinter the army to form their own factions and fight each other for the crown, and the surrounding kingdoms throw their collective hats in the ring in a bid to piss on Loth’s legacy as much as possible.

In short: womp, womp, no bitches.

Loth tries to project a personality that is cold, calculating, and oozing menace, to the point that he glamours his body to look far more imposing than he actually is – but he’s the sort of loser who starts screaming internally whenever things don’t go his way. When he can no longer control the actions of everyone around him, he becomes a shaking wreck, constantly catastrophising, refusing to believe that anyone could ever be kind to him without ulterior motive.

Loth spent his whole life (except for. Some very bleak formative parts.) as the despotic ruler of this kingdom. He has completely lost touch with anything outside of the prison he built for himself within his own mind, where everyone is an enemy.

MALEVOLOTH SONGS: You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead (Saint Motel); To Ashes and Blood (Arcane, Woodkid); King of Disappointment (Echoes)

Enter AZRAEL DE LIONHART, a young human man who’s been on the run from Loth his entire life (he was prophesied as a baby to be the one to eventually slay him. Loth, unable to be Normal about anything, has been hunting him ever since).

He’s thoughtful. He’s kind. He’s warm-hearted, and seems to actually care about the endless human collateral of the wars sparked by Loth’s heirs as they bicker over the crown. Despite the absolute hell Loth’s put him through, he doesn't succumb to trauma and darkness. Instead, he makes friends everywhere he goes, and genuinely does his utmost to help anyone who needs him.

Obviously, this is all a cunning act to gain the support of the people, so he can steal the throne for himself.

Or so Loth tries to convince himself, with increasing desperation. No one can be that kind. That forgiving. That… handsome. It’s not possible.

Right?

In fact, there’s only one person in the entire world that our noble hero seems to hate… and that’s Malevoloth himself.

Whoops.

AZRAEL SONGS: Dear Fellow Traveller (Sea Wolf); New Eyes (Echoes); Me and the Devil (Soap and Skin); Thus Always To Tyrants (The Oh Hellos)

Thankfully (?) following a near-successful assassin attempt from his kids, Loth is stuck in the body of Azrael's beloved tutor: the erudite imp RIVVEN of VARRUN, who has been teaching Azrael how to fight a diverse menagerie of beasts.

Unthankfully, Rivven is very, very dead, and it's 100% Loth's fault. And all of Loth’s once-legendary powers have been lost to him, much like his corpse, which has been locked in his old fortress to prevent resurrection attempts by his dedicated cult.

If Azrael finds out that Rivven… isn’t Rivven anymore, things will get very, very bad for Loth. If Loth can con Azrael into returning him to his cadaver, where Loth can reverse his accidental bodyswap (and, um, rebuild his exploded head), things will get exceedingly bad for Azrael.

All Loth has to do is get this trusting, naive idiot to guard him for the duration of one eensy-weensy cross-continental journey. Then it's all over for humanity's so-called hero.

…Only what’s that voice in the back of his head? The one that sounds like a cross between Jiminy Cricket and a certain tortured-to-death imp?

And why, with each passing day, does the prospect of killing Azrael become less appealing?

RIVVEN SONGS: Liar (The Arcadian Wild); The Devil Within (Digital Daggers); The Whole Being Dead Thing (Alex Brightman & Beetlejuice Cast)

TL;DR: ‘we’ve gotta kill this guy, Steven.’  ‘okay but. hear me out. what if I romanced him instead?’ ‘but you’re prophesied to kill him??’ ‘…your point is?’

(note: I have no idea how long this concept will itch at my brain, and I'm mostly focusing on my vampire imperialism story & my YA at the moment! but it's a fun background project for me to poke at when I get bored of the others~ intro for the Vampire project will be coming soon!)

[persistentplums]

i love love your venture bros posts. youre really attentive to the vibes

a character dynamic i think was underexplored but had potential was billy and gary. what do you make of it?

Omg thank you so so much!! I’m really glad you think so! my post are mostly me spitballing hoping I’m getting the vibes right!

I actually made a post about this here! I should tag my posts tbh but I always got more thoughts I just think that post is a better summary of my thoughts. But here’s some more it’s VERY long:

They agree on most things except for the core idea of their livelihood. Which is wild because out of many characters I think Billy and Gary get along VERY well. They speak the same language and love the “game”. (I call it a game but the entire cape business) I don’t think they agree though on everything outside of nerd stuff.

I have this thought in my head maybe it’s a scale or a graph or something but it’s basically Believers, Nonbelievers, middlemen when it comes to this hero stuff and Gary and Billy are definitely Believers. But I think after Gary whole journey as a henchman, now a second/arch himself I think the idea of what makes something “Heroic” very firm in scale for him vs Billy who’s still sorta new at the whole thing but flexible.

I hope this makes sense but despite appearances Gary is rigid and Billy is flexible. I think while the morpho arc was sick (def loved the entire plot unfolding) Gary definitely had a hard time being on a grey area. He is either a hero (Sphinx!) or an arch. He feels haunted by killing all his fellow arches. He’s loyal af but doesn’t like the middle ground (his relationship with shelia, being a hit man, even 21 death you can say)

Billy is “flexible” in that sense that good is no small or big act. I’m forgetting the episode but the one where they fight Cloud over the ball, Monstroso surgery, especially Pete White as a person. Billy like superman genuinely would do good, it’s an oath it doesn’t matter to who he would. That comic run where Lex Luther is dying and gets superman to help him find a cure is VERY Billy. To Billy he is so firm to that one thing (two technically, hippocratic oath?whatever ykwim) it makes him apply it to literally everyone regardless of where he is. While Gary is very set on the us vs them side, that’s why he made such a good henchman leader.

I think when they interact it’s that trope of people in a mineshaft on their carts having a great time then an abrupt turn separating them, then they meet up again. Which I think deeply defines both characters despite being incredibly similar.

If I was summoned to a universe where I was told by Doc and Jackson that I could write a VB season but only when Billy and Gary interact aside from writing a Bromance for the ages that would get avid 21/24 fans mad at me (I think Gary and Billy would become like really REALLY into each other big “oh wow how come we never hanged out before?” “Idk!” Vibes) i would like to write them fighting a little because I think their small disagreements would be very telling about who they are as characters because they are the most genuine fan part of either side.

Gary is for every person who LOVES a hater ass villain (I cheered when green goblin killed aunt May in NWH I think Gary would, but still have issues with NWH ik I did anyways!) and Billy is for someone who LOVES a good wins no matter what (voltron, power rangers, he-man etc)

To me it’s not how Billy and Gary agree that’s interesting (big 2 nerds just in a mind meld moment, they’re also too similar ik why they were written to NEVER interact now, too alike) it’s when they don’t that is fun and I think it would happen the most at their dnd nights and when they watch shows together. Which pisses off everyone else (Malcom, shelia, white) bc they can’t hear anything as an argument is happening.

Also Billy wins most of the trivia stuff they do because he’s a bit older than Gary, this is Billy rodeo. I think Gary having someone as a friend who gets him is good for him honestly, he’s a third? Sorta? To his bosses/not boss anymore and I think he needs friends that he can really nerd out with.

Other fun things they do:

Hang out at each other places so often others remember the dates they see each other due to arching schedules

Follow each other blogs/have a podcast (movies, tv, and shows of influence throughout the ages guest star Pete white is on for music. Malcom calls in also surprisingly about music) either in podcast format or blog format doesn’t matter which but they work on it together

Have a show they follow together/watch together

Try to get Dean and Hank into stuff not intentionally their energy is infectious

ESPN announcers when on the field (when it’s not about them they’re doing commentary on the arch/protag tactics or at least commentary about Rusty and Malcom)

Wave/greet each other when they aren’t “on” in an arch or enjoy it too much when they’re “on”

Small acts of arching did happen between them. Cloud felt cheated on, Pete got freaked out, Billy and Gary settled on being friends instead. Malcolm thought it was Billy flirting with Gary, (confused but that’s his boy! Who wouldn’t flirt with Gary!) and Rusty thought Billy was going through a rough patch with White again but this time he really lost Billy (Awkward 1on1 where Rusty talks about cherishing and appreciating people while White gets so freaked out he runs to Billy)

They had a vibe, I feel like they would’ve hooked up or something once maybe bc I’m gay but I want to believe that. But in general they got a vibe together!

That’s all I got for now, if you read all this again thank you for your ask and I’m gonna tag all my VB thoughts once I think of a good tag!

[griseldagimpel]

John Gaius, Lyctorhood, and the Permeability of the Soul

This is an excerpt from Nona the Ninth, from John's conversation to Harrow at the end, about why John didn't tell his friends about perfect Lyctorhood. (I typed the excerpt, so any mistakes are my own.)

[John] looked at [Harrow], squinting his eyes against the white and merciless sun. "God must be able to touch all of creation," he said. "I don't-" "You said it yourself. I can't die if [Alecto]'s alive; she can't die if I'm alive. Why would you let something like that run around, Harrow?" Why would you let someone go - away from you - untouchable - two people? I couldn't - I loved them too much - I saw the face of Earth and choked the life out of it and ate it whole. Oh, I knew I was on the clock for the Resurrection Beasts. I pretended she was the only one, but I knew the others were coming. I needed my loved ones to be something I could touch...needed them to be my hands...my fingers." "But-" "There can be no forgiveness for those who walked away," he said. "Just as there can be no forgiveness for me - even though I rip the very fingers from my hands...throw them into the jaws of the monsters who hunt me...as I run from them across the universe, end to end. Something will satisfy them eventually, but nothing satisfies me. Nothing."

Alright, my fellow Jod fans. What the fuck does all that actually mean?

Okay, breaking it down.

I think John's got to know that the soul is permeable. He talks about hiding himself in Alecto and Alecto in himself, and Nona the Ninth describes him and Alecto getting, like, hungry at the same time. Perfect Lyctorhood, to John, means all that, plus his life and Alecto's being intertwined, where neither can die if the other lives. (Perfect Lyctorhood here defined as 'what John and Alecto have'.)

Does John know that Standard Lyctorhood - what Augustine and Alfred have, what Mercymorn and Cristabel have, what Ianthe and Naberius have, etc - is also permeable? "The Unwanted Guest" suggests that eventually Standard Lyctorhood looks like the Greater Lysis that Camilla and Palamedes have in Paul. However, it sounds like John didn't want his friends entwined in each other. So, did he think that Standard Lyctorhood would prevent that?

John needed Lyctors to be able to fight Resurrection Beasts. But why would Perfect Lyctorhood have gotten in the way of that?

What is it about Perfect Lyctorhood that would have put them out of touch of John? Why does he think that this would have resulted in them leaving him? Is this John's abandonment issues coloring his perception again?

Why does John perceive Perfect Lyctorhood as something he couldn't permit because he loved his friends too much? He immediate transitions from that to talking about him killing the Earth. Does John find Perfect Lyctorhood to be abhorrent? Worse than letting his friends who are necromancers kill his friends who weren't and eat their souls?

Let me know what you think.

(This post is for Jod-enjoyers only. I don't want to hear from Jod-haters.)

[vlovers19]

Tae didn't even say a word about Jimin. Why make a public post in the manner he did for Jk, but not his soulmate, bff, the one he said he likes the most and can't live without. I feel so sad. I been sitting here crying for days hearing Vmin were gonna be separated and Tae doesn't even say a word about him. He's just focused on Wooga and Jk. I really thought Layover rekindled something in Vmin. But now I am thinking maybe not. They are just friends. Jimin is getting massacred cause he's enlisting with Jk, while Tk is trending. And now Vmin are being dragged by both jkk and tkk, cause Tae just ignored him. This is the worst I have felt in a long time. Even worse then paris.

Its not like I was expecting a Vmin live or selfie or public goodbye in the first place, but now that Tae has done it for others, it just really feels empty. I even lied to myself and said maybe its just too hard on them and they are struggling with saying their final goodbyes, but I don't think I even believe that anymore and that is what hurts. At this point I'm just gonna say I wish them safety and happiness. I'm just lost with everything else.

I know it's quite annoying. I even felt a bit irked when Taehyung didn't do anything to commemorate his relationship with Jimin publicly especially at such a critical time, knowing they wouldn't be able to see each other in a long time but then, choosing mostly to show his interactions with Jungkook, his Wooga friends and his high school friends. But he didn't disclose pictures of him with his family. He chose to keep that to himself. Again, he didn't tell anyone when Park seo Joon had to live in his house because he was renovating his own home. It was Park seo Joon who disclosed it himself.

Actor, Park bo gum who is his very close friend and fellow Celine ambassador was silent during Taehyung's entire enlistment process but nobody drags him about it because at the back of everyone's minds, we know he must have wished him well off camera. Rm's sister posted pictures of their family during his enlistment but there were no pictures of Taehyung with his family. Why? Because he chose to keep them private which I believe he also did with Jimin and if they are close the way I think they are, then it's understandable the reason why.

The members all had a joint live and judging from vmin's interactions, where they were so giggly and interactive with each other especially with Jimin finding it difficult to restrain himself from touching Taehyung, I wonder how it's possible for them to suddenly become so cold to each other so soon after wards? It makes no sense.

Now as for who is going with who to the military, i wonder why it's distressing people. The only thing I hate about the whole situation is that Jk has to go to the military when he still has a few more years left. He is doing this to keep up with 2025 bts reunion when even his fellow 97 liner friends aren't even thinking about it yet. That is sad. I had thought the members would all go one after the other. However, that was not to be.

Funny enough, the moment I heard that Jimin and Jungkook used the buddy system to enlist together, I became more convinced that they're not a couple. It won't be easy to hide a gay relationship especially for people as famous as them. Let's say the soldiers don't care but they do have family members who are fans of them, who would want to know every detail about their lives. Sure enough, all eyes would be on them to get juicy scoops. There will even be haters looking for an opportunity to take them down. They have to be extremely careful. They can't make a single mistake and that alone is very exhausting. If they were in a relationship, this situation could even put a strain in it. Life isn't fantasy, it's a cold hard reality. I believe Jimin and Jungkook decided to use the buddy system to make things easier. Enlisting in the army for introverted shy people like themselves can be a nightmare. At least, the fact that they can be together makes the whole experience more tolerable. But being stuck to one another also makes them a target of people's eyes because the entire country is well aware of their controversial ship. If they're in a relationship which I doubt, then they made a really risky move.

Anyway, people who are busy making an issue out of this should simply get a life. They have nothing better to do with their time which is why they decide to hate on celebrities hoping to control their lives since theirs isn't going well. Tomorrow, Jimin and Jungkook will enter the military and we won't see them again for a very long time. We should only focus on making their departure a fulfilling one.

[cornytheclown]

It’s late at night and I’m thinking about the villain trio from FE Fates. The one in particular that I love so much (Iago, Hans, Zola)

They’re not the most developed, especially compared to other villains in the series. Some would even say that they are mostly 2 Dimensional! And they’re correct!

But despite that, they all got this sort of unique vibe to them, and through the interpretations of their text and actions in Fates + Heroes + other media that I find them in, plus some personal headcanons, I feel like I could give a decent read on the three of them.

I’m gonna segment these out into different posts so that they’re not too long winded. Also I don’t know the word limit on Tumblr posts, I’ve never made a post this long before.

Iago

Right off the bat, it can be agreed upon by everyone in the jury today - Iago is a asshole. Not just any asshole though - but a smart ass. A smug ass smart ass. He would lord over someone about his intellect and capabilities, taking great pride in it.

He’s incredibly gifted in strategy and intelligence, one of Nohr’s best tacticians. However, he’s also incredibly paranoid and over analyzing. Almost like he’s constantly strategizing both on and off the playing field. Which, given that he’s the head advisor to the King, and having a very key role in the court, makes sense. You never wanna let your guard down in that kind of environment.

But he takes things to a whole new level. He’s paranoid and distrusting of everyone whose not King Garon. He’s the kind of guy who plans out how to kill whoever he meets. And while surely he has his formalities (natural of someone in the court like him), he looks down upon just about everyone and suspects everyone around him of suspicious behavior by almost every action they take.

He has little respect for anyone who isn’t above him in some kind of way. Peasants are as good as dead in his eyes, just simple casualties in war (even if they’re not apart of it). Hell, it wouldn’t even be surprising if he used some of them as experiments for his Faceless. Everyone else who works under him or is below him in power is simply just to control or monitor with suspicion. And anyone who steps out of line for him is as good as gone (unless stated otherwise by his King)

Honestly, he’s just such a hater, he would be more than happy just to cruelly toy with someone he was spiteful against in particular. Not the kind of guy you’d want to be on the bad side of, as he certainly seems to take glee in the misery of others.

Anyone who seems like they could overpower him or be of a higher status however (such as a King), he seems willing to follow along with. So as long as he knows they’re on his side - and unless it’s King Garon - he’s still always a step ahead in case they inevitably betray him in his mind. Or better yet - he’ll be the first to betray them.

Hence why he’s so weirdly nice to Kiran in Heroes. Because his King is now under contract with Kiran, by extension, Iago now also serves Kiran. It’s easy to forget that Kiran, in the circumstances designed by the Order, is in charge of everyone. Including Gods. It’s stated in a Forging Bonds event that they literally cannot kill each other due to the magic of their binding contract to Kiran. The same would most likely apply to being unable to harm Kiran.

So Iago is doing what he can to kiss up to Kiran and give helpful advice for strategy, as a fellow Tactician. I don’t think much of it is anymore than sweet talk and advice to improve. At least until their Lvl 40 conversation, where Kiran earns his respect. Even offering to aid them, if they so wish to do evil.

Now I keep mentioning Iago’s constant devotion to Garon. I actually have a personal headcanon that’s probably not canon but I’m going to make it my canon, because Fates is a complete mess (affectionate). There’s gonna be spoilers btw.

My theory is that Iago’s devotion actually lies within Anankos more than anyone. Who, as you know, is possessing Garon the whole damn time. I don’t think Iago lacks devotion to Garon, but his heart is for Anankos.

I actually am in the camp that believes Iago is related to Mikoto, possibly her brother. And he is from Valla. And a devoted follower of Anankos, who might be a little bit extremely bitter about him choosing Mikoto. And having a child - Corrin. The reason why he has such a vendetta against Corrin is because they are the child of Mikoto and Anankos, and given their softer, kind nature growing up, he sees a bit of her sister in them (whom he hates). And doesn’t see them fit to be Anankos’ heir because of their softer nature.

Despite his spite, he follows Anankos to the bitter end, by all of his orders given. Being too blinded to realize just how far gone his God has become due to their madness, brought about by the death of their close friend (the original King of Valla). Or possibly even not caring about morals and such, and just doing what his beloved God asks of him, regardless of consequence. Probably a mix of both.

Iago is a bitter, spiteful, manipulative snake of a man who needs to have everything masterfully under his control, and following the orders of both his King and his God. He serves the higher powers, and spits at those below him. Happily willing to let innocents die if it suits him. He will do anything if it means getting one up in a situation. He knows how to manipulate others and does so happily for his goals. He won’t hesitate to backstab almost anyone whose not above him. He’s smarmy and strategic, always planning his next move and watching everyone else’s every move to ensure that he’s always ahead of them.

There’s not much that’s very likable about him and I think he enjoys that! He wakes up every day extra early Just to be a hater. I also headcanon him to be a Theater Nerd, a lover of theatrics and literature. A classy, cultured man who brings out the same energy of a Musical Villain into his daily life.

Honestly, being the way that he is, naturally he has very few real friends. Between being sus of everyone and just being a generally nasty person, I think it’s kind of why he leans into the whole “cartoon villain” vibe. He has power over almost everyone, he’s an advisor to the King! And in the environment that he’s from, Nohr especially, as well as because of his status, it’s no wonder why he’s on edge and calculating. There’s bound to be a lot of targets on his head from those from opposing sides, or even others who would want to get ahead of him and take over.

Rather than risk something terrible to come out of putting his trust into someone, or even being anywhere near vulnerable with anyone, it’s much safer and easier to push everyone else away and become an infamously unpleasant sort. What does it matter if everyone hates you? You’re the King’s advisor! You have the power and you can control how everything goes, and you’ll always be a step ahead!

And when he’s lost that control…in the moment where he is at the mercy of the Heroes…he becomes a begging, pathetic mess! The man is a cowardly weasel! There’s a good reason why he wouldn’t scoff off Hans, and other then a mutual love of being horrible people and killing others, that’s because Hans could happily break him like a KitKat.

When you take Iago out of his element, where he’s Not ahead of the game like he thinks he is, and he’s left in a powerless state, he’s not too proud to beg for his life or flee if he can. If things are getting out of hand; he’s quick to get the hell out of dodge. Screw everyone else. And if he can’t do that, then well…best he can do is cry and beg and give fake apologies, hoping the other party won’t beat his ass.

Which is another reason why he’s most likely as nice as he is to Kiran - he’s at Kiran’s mercy! He can be sent home and back into his timeline whenever they want him gone. Best to avoid that by being a kiss ass and doing well for them.

Some other Misc. HCs about Iago:

Mentioned it before, but he’s a Theater and Literature Geek. And a terribly pretentious one at that.

The mask he wears, aside from being an aforementioned Theater Nerd, is meant to represent Anankos, and is from Valla. A bit of his golden accents are also common from there.

Being Mikoto’s twin brother, he is also Corrin and Azura’s evil uncle. Is in his mid 40’s, and despite being the same age, he looks 10 years older than Mikoto.

It was that thing of like, he felt like everyone liked his sister Mikoto more, because she was sweet and openly friendly. And when even the God he worshipped for so long favored her more, that’s where he crossed the line into pure hatred for her.

He joined the court and became Garon’s advisor not too long after Mikoto had Corrin. It was very tempting to want to kill baby Corrin, but by his King’s orders, he refrained. But he’s held contempt for them even when they were very young.

I HC him to be Gay, but I don’t think he’s devoted to anyone more than Garon and Anankos (neither one share those feelings).

With that being said, I firmly believe that he and Hans have something going on.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Both Lucas Broussard and Andreas Nordeback have said Shoma is their favorite skater (Andreas said Shoma is his favorite Japanese skater), and both paid attention to their presentation and are really promising performers, I'm proud that Shoma have top juniors looking up to him. Haein Lee is also a Shoma fangirl, and the influence is felt in how she always fought to perform 100% until the end of her program regardless of the falls. There's a young Japanese skater named Sena Takahashi who was a great novice performer at the NHK Trophy and Japan Nationals gala... and he's also a Shoma fan. In general skaters who I notice are great performers or skate beyond their years tend to look up to or love Shoma, I remember even Alena Kostornaia before she started winning JGPF said her favorite skaters are Shoma and Javier.

I think aside from the performing style, Shoma influenced other Japanese skaters in terms of work ethic. Masakazu Kagiyama (Yuma's father) has mentioned in an interview before Beijing that he was impressed vy Shoma not being shy to show his falls and failures in front of Yuma when they trained together, because in his experience senior skaters tend to "only show the good sides" in front of their juniors. Shoma also gave a lot of competitive advice to Kazuki, and Kazuki is also now using the same skating blades as Shoma. He tends to be really observant of his fellow skaters and is ready to give them advice whenever necessary imo, I remember him commenting on Sota's jumps a couple of times this season.

Thank you for your input! 😊

There are definetly a couple of skaters who named Shoma as their favorite skater.

I also remember an interview with Kaori from late 2017 where she said she was looking up to Shoma. (let me search in my archive and I reference it when I find it😅)

I just dunno if it really translates into their skating or attitude in that sense you can say "see that's because of Shoma" but they definitely all saw something worth admiring and taking to heart.

I can wholeheartedly agree about work ethics in that sense in how you approach stuff and how hard you work to achieve a goal. That's why I always get so mad when haters say "Shoma is lazy" like have you ever listened to other skaters who trained with Shoma (who were not Eteri students)?

I think Shoma showed that you can be real friends with your direct competition. He trained with his friends and lend all of them a helping hand in terms of advice for their mentality or approach to competition, technical advice on jumps or being an emotional support like Koshiro just said at 4CC that he performs better with his friends around. Sota, Kazuki, Yuma, Koshiro and more can all call Shoma a friend and rely on him. It's not a common thing in sports to help your rivals even if you are friendly with each other. I just remember an interview with a Russian skater who said: "There are no real friends among competitors in the same discipline" but I think Shoma is the example to show you that it doesn't need to be true.

[asknarashikari]

I'll admit, I've been trying to avoid these heated conversations because of the natural fear of it escalating to the point where someone's life/career can be ruined forever. I tend to keep out of Twitter drama altogether (I don't even view over 300 tweets each day anyway and neither does my friends.) and purely focus on the fanart, memes, and keeping up with my favorite J-Pop artists and interests.

Anyway, Riders (Particularly the Saber cast) react to seeing this vile hatred towards Keiwa and his actor? (Likely finding out about the latter through Tsukasa.)

Lmao I never even got twitter to begin with. I'd always been wary of social media in general, so I never made an account.

Honestly, my main social media these days is tumblr. I only have Insta for simping purposes (and the Pokemon insta page), and I rarely dip into Reddit (though I am there, also as narashikari). I don't even use Facebook anymore, just Messenger.

Anywho...

I think they would understand the hatred towards Keiwa, somewhat, because his behavior is unacceptable, even though his current state of grief and rage explain them.

Thing is, people can't control how they feel, so hating Keiwa for what he's doing isn't wrong per se. It's how they're acting on that emotion that should be criticized.

Which, ironically, is the same thing with Keiwa. He can't help what he feels- the grief of losing Sara, the anger at all the people who he holds responsible in some way, his frustration over not having his wish fulfilled. But how he acted on those emotions- especially in regards to Tsumuri and Ace- isn't okay.

That said, I feel like some of them would be protective of Keiwa, especially fellow Secondaries, since they think he's a good guy at heart and he's bound to come around if people just reached out to him and he starts healing from his trauma.

On the other hand, pretty much everyone would not approve of Ryuga Sato being hated on and even harassed. They're all mature and smart enough to separate an actor from the character they're playing. At best they'll think the haters are idiots. And at worst, assholes.

[chelseaaasmileee]

0: Height- 5’3 ish 

1: Age- 14!!!

2: Shoe size- normal

3: Do you smoke?- no

4: Do you drink?- no

5: Do you take drugs?- no

6: Age you get mistaken for- I don’t 

7: Have tattoos?- no

8: Want any tattoos?- maybe. There’s nothing I can think of that I’d want on me forever. Also placement would be a hassle for me to decide on. 

9: Got any piercings? My ears 

10: Want any piercings? I want lip piercings but I probably won’t end up getting them pierced. Also I think I’d mess with them too much.

11: Best friend?- idk she’s cool. We’ve known each other sense were but wee children 👍

12: Relationship status- single 🫡

13: Biggest turn ons- people turning towards me when we speak. Small domestic things like fixing my necklace or offering to braid my hair.

14: Biggest turn offs- hatered of any kind, also not being self aware.

15: Favorite movie- The Thing (1982) 

16: I’ll love you if… you give me a long hug that’s CONSENSUAL (hate it when people don’t ask) and not uncomfortable. My head gotta be on your chest SORRY ✋😔✋

17: Someone you miss- my bestie 💔

18: Most traumatic experience- bit too personal for me.

19: A fact about your personality- I’m very self aware. I try my best to accommodate people’s feelings before my own 

20: What I hate most about myself- my fucking hair, ALSO my stupidly wired brain 

21: What I love most about myself- how cool I am. I’d be friends with myself so hard.

22: What I want to be when I get older- too personal 

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)- it’s okay. Sometimes I’m pulling out her hair and other times we do rap battles 

24: My relationship with my parent(s)- not great. They don’t give a rats ass about me as a person. They don’t even know my favorite color. Bffr

25: My idea of a perfect date- we both bring a record or two and listen to them while we cuddle/talk on my bed 

26: My biggest pet peeves- people not holding the door open for others 

27: A description of the girl/boy I like- ngl he cute asf he has this emo ass haircut and his style is so good. I like me an emo boy fr

28: A description of the person I dislike the most- he bald and ratchet asf. He’s annoying and the most horribly hate filled person I know. If I was his parents I’d send him to a Russian prison camp in Siberia 

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend- to protect their feelings

30: What I hate the most about work/school- middle schoolers on my damn bus also homework bc I’m terrible at working

31: What my last text message says- AAAAAHHHHHHHH

32: What words upset me the most- hateful ones. Even if they aren’t directed at me, it just shocks me how some people can be so evil hearted

33: What words make me feel the best about myself- they like spending time with me.

34: What I find attractive in women- everything. The smalls details.

35: What I find attractive in men- I don’t even know. They just are sometimes 

36: Where I would like to live- somewhere were it rains all the times and is foggy

37: One of my insecurities- my hair. I don’t like it. 

38: My childhood career choice- unemployed 

39: My favorite ice cream flavor- mint chocolate chip

40: Who I wish I could be- Gerard way so I could get those damn ticket prices down for my fellow mcr lovers 

41: Where I want to be right now- a rainy pine tree forest

42: The last thing I ate- crackers 

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately- 2007 Patrick stump. Stfu 

44: A random fact about anything- we live in a society 

Ik nobody asked maybe I should tag some moots to do this too

@miranalvjy @evilrobertsmith @roughbuddy

@pumpkin-peasy2010 @cr33p-a-z01d @cemetary-romance

Only if yall want too bc lowkey this one is rlly long and personal

nosy anons let's go

0: Height

1: Age

2: Shoe size

3: Do you smoke?

4: Do you drink?

5: Do you take drugs?

6: Age you get mistaken for

7: Have tattoos?

8: Want any tattoos?

9: Got any piercings?

10: Want any piercings?

11: Best friend?

12: Relationship status

13: Biggest turn ons

14: Biggest turn offs

15: Favorite movie

16: I’ll love you if…

17: Someone you miss

18: Most traumatic experience

19: A fact about your personality

20: What I hate most about myself

21: What I love most about myself

22: What I want to be when I get older

23: My relationship with my sibling(s)

24: My relationship with my parent(s)

25: My idea of a perfect date

26: My biggest pet peeves

27: A description of the girl/boy I like

28: A description of the person I dislike the most

29: A reason I’ve lied to a friend

30: What I hate the most about work/school

31: What my last text message says

32: What words upset me the most

33: What words make me feel the best about myself

34: What I find attractive in women

35: What I find attractive in men

36: Where I would like to live

37: One of my insecurities

38: My childhood career choice

39: My favorite ice cream flavor

40: Who I wish I could be

41: Where I want to be right now

42: The last thing I ate

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately

44: A random fact about anything

[0613magazine]

200522 Billboard

BTS’s SUGA Reflects on Triumphant Return of Agust D on ‘D-2’ Mixtape

BTS's SUGA dons his Agust D persona once again for the release of his new D-2 mixtape, and spoke with Billboard about what it means to him. 

In August 2016, BTS’s SUGA released his first mixtape, Agust D. On it, the rapper-songwriter rawly reflected on his career and life, taking on the identity of Agust D and frankly sharing his musical identity as an individual with the world just as his band was at the precipice of its career. The following years found BTS make history with one record-breaking release after another. Now, he’s back four years later with the surprise release on Friday (May 22) of his D-2 mixtape.

Fronted by “Daechwita,” the collection crowns SUGA as a king triumphant who has gone from nothing to the top of the global music game. Accompanied by a video that fittingly sees SUGA ascend to the highest heights as a king of Korea, the 10-song mixtape spends its length sharing the artist’s viewpoint on his current place and perception of the world.

Throughout D-2, from the very start with the reflective, jocular, “Moonlight” to the wistful closing power ballad “Dear my friend��� with Nell’s Kim Jong Wan, SUGA’s second Agust D mixtape serves as a sonic reliquary for his present state of thoughts and emotions. Whether it’s posing the bellicose query of “What do you think?” at haters as he shrugs at the way others might try to see or use him, pondering the state of the world alongside fellow BTS rapper RM in “Strange” or ruminating on moving on from past regrets alongside MAX on “Burn It,” each song offers up a fresh take on what it means to be SUGA in 2020.

Ahead of the release of D-2, Suga spoke with Billboard about the impending arrival of the mixtape and what it means for him and his identity as an artist. 

It’s your first time reviving your Agust D persona for a solo release since your first mixtape in 2016. How does it feel to revisit this side to yourself and share new music with the world in 2020?

It’s fun. I hope everyone enjoys the documentation of myself from 2016 onwards.

You’ve mentioned this mixtape’s release in the past, why is now the right time to release D-2?

I found time to work on my music since self-quarantine and I was able to compile 10 full tracks for the mixtape.

Do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since the release of Agust D and your return with D-2?

I think that’s up to listeners to decide. I’ve tried a lot of things, and hope they’ll enjoy it.

How, if at all, has your approach to song creation changed since your prior mixtape?

It’s all more relaxed. I was a bit intense back in 2016. Everything was at full force, full strength. I actually listened to my previous mixtape again while working on the new one, and if I were asked to do it again, I can say I wouldn’t be able to. I’m very glad that it’s documented as it is. My previous mixtape focused more on being better at rap, better at making music, sound, mix, master and so forth. I’ve worked on a lot more projects since then and didn’t really try to become perfect. Perfection is an elusive term. I simply just did my best.

Is there a meaning behind the album’s title D-2 beyond it being the second Agust D release? It almost feels like a countdown, which is how it was promoted on social media.

I like surprises, so I came up with the release promotion myself. I didn’t want to release it on D-DAY, and also wasn’t satisfied with just Agust D 2. So I wanted to release it on D-2 to surprise the people who were waiting for it to drop on D-DAY.

From start to finish D-2 is an intensely emotional experience that shares both your thoughts about yourself and your thoughts on the world. What do you hope listeners take away from the overall experience of the mixtape?

“This is how I’ve lived since August 16th, 2016.” If the previous mixtape focused on telling the past, the new one is about the present.

Where did you find inspiration musically for this album?

The answer to this question is always the same: every moment and every incident. It’s a habit of mine to record and take notes, so sometimes, I get a pleasant surprise when I dig through and rediscover lyrics. Some of the lyrics I scribble without thought have, at times, become real precious.

Do you feel there’s a difference between SUGA and Agust D, and also these two with Min Yoon Gi?

You could say there is and there isn’t [a difference]. “Me” and “Me” and “Me.” They are different and the same.

The lead track on this mixtape is “Daechwita,” during which you incorporate traditional Korean military instrumentals along with pansori into modern hip-hop sounds, and describe yourself as a tiger, the historic representative creature of Korea. These are themes that many BTS songs have also incorporated re traditional Korean music elements and references to Korea’s identity and your identity as Korean. Why do you keep returning to this narrative in your songwriting, and what about daechwita made you want to incorporate it into this song and album?

It all started with the ceremonial walk of the King. Daechwita is played during the military march and I was inspired to sample its beat, and since the track includes a lot of traditional Korean musical elements, it made sense to also shoot the music video on Korean historical filming sites. It wasn’t necessarily my intention to purposefully include Korean aspects. It was more a natural process that had interesting ideas spring up along the way.

You worked with several artists on this album, namely RM, NiiHWA, MAX, and Nell’s King Jong Wan. What was the overall experience like?

It was a fun experience. I actually wanted to collaborate with a lot more artists but some were unavailable due to personal circumstances. Hopefully, I’ll be able to work with them next time. One of the artists I did get to collaborate with was Kim Jong Wan of Nell, who let me know he enjoyed my mixtape from 2016. I appreciated it a lot since he was my idol when I was young.

What is a line or thought you share on D-2 you want listeners to be left thinking about?

“So what, if we live like that, so what My distinction is your ordinary My ordinary is your distinction” – “People”

Source: Billboard

[6ebe]

do you ever see a blog you don’t like receiving hate anons and you’re just like. I want to be their friends ..

[clockworkspider]

*gets on my soapbox again*

So one of the things that's been happening since fandom migrated from scattered forums and LJ communities to socmed (early 2010s) is that fandom has gotten more centralized.

This isn't a bad thing, as it means smaller fandom have an easier time finding each other, and newer fans have an easier point of entry and can find fanwork easier.

This does, however, means that big name fans gets even bigger. And once an someone reaches a certain degree of popularity on the internet, they will inevitably hit critical point of "can never do anything right ever again".

I've seen this happened to fan artists, fan translators, cosplayers... they can be the most unproblematic person and someone will be like "you once said you hate X character and I take that as a personal attack against me" or "you drew this character marginally paler/skinnier than other people and therefore you must be racist/fatphobic" or "you made an information/summary post and one part was WRONG and therefore you should delete your account and never make these summaries again".

I mean... it doesn't matter if the issue is more or less legitimate. The point is, normally, a big name fan is still, at the end of the day, just someone who's very passionate about their fandom and has dedicated a lot of hours on it. They're not doing it for profit. They're not a public figure or celebrity with a PR team. 99% of them can't even be counted as influencers. They're people and they just wanna do their thing and enjoy fandom the same way you do. And sometimes they wanna take time out of their day to provide a valuable service for the fandom, like making fan tls or running an information archive.

But if they reach a certain point of popularity, for every 10 followers they gain they will get 1 hater who's 10 times more vocal about it. And eventually it gets too draining to manage and the only viable solution is to lock their account (only available on twitter, not tumblr) or never engage with the rest of the fandom ever again. They lose their community, the fandom loses their fanwork/service. Nobody really gains anything from it. Net loss.

So like... just... be generous to your fellow fans. Let people make mistakes or have bad opinions about fiction. (You know I'm not referring to deliberate bigotry, don't derail.) Let people ship their garbage ship (subjective). They're just someone on the internet. If they've really gotten something factually wrong and you're making corrections, do so in good faith (skip the insults and the name calling) and uh... see if someone else has made the same correction already in the reblogs or QRTs.

I promise you, we don't really have anything to gain from bullying people off the fandom for innocuous things. I know it feels good to be "right" or whatever, but it's a really shitty thing to do to ruin someone's passion. It's a really shitty thing to do to take away a place where someone can belong.

Just. Be kind.

[donpa2483]

Im not even gonna dignify this with anon bro, why are people being so rude to you?? as a fellow asian i say mcscuse my mcbad language but what the hell? why do people think its okay to bully each other just because they have nothing better to do? ok? get a job? dont bully people? i get it youre bored but you cant try to make other people feel bad about themselves just because youre bored go away

<3

and also i hate to break it to you that one anon but as someone who lives in america currently (yes asians exist in america get a life), there is unfortunately no such thing as racism towards white people. because most (MOST, i've met a few nice ones) white people have this mindset where they think theyre better than everyone else and therefore have the right to degrade others and take away minorities' rights and bully people of not-white backgrounds, etc etc etc

anyways donpa i dont even care if im late saying this it needed to be said but anyway youre a sweet person dont listen to them <3

I don't know... I feel like maybe I don't understand the cultural things in the US, that's one of the reasons why I get so many hate comments.

And sometimes I get really weird comments like: Oh no you did this character wrong, shame on you! I remember there's one time I posted one of my Blackfire fanarts and said she's my favorite character, someone commented and said: your fav is shi*t! At that time I did not know English like I do now, so I went to google translation and... I was like 14 or 15 years old, imagining how sad I was.

I just don't know... It feels like no matter what I do, ppl can always get triggered and they want to use their keyboard to kill me. They just assumed that a 15 year old kid who's not even living in the US should know everything like a real US citizen. That's why I stopped posting on Tumblr for a while.

I used to do many Steven Universe fanarts, I loved making the gems into humans, and I got bunch of hate comments saying that I white washed Connie, which I understand why ppl were acting like that now,but I swear I did use a much darker skin tone to draw her.

Until now I still don't understand what the standard is. I've seen ppl making white characters black or draw then with darker skin tone, everyone just seems to be okay with that. But once you make a black character with a lighter skin tone, you're a racist.

I drew Blue diamond with her hair splitted for one time, I got a comment saying that I did her hair wrong, even though I've done so many Blue diamond fanarts with her original looks already...

I did an AOT fanart and ppl think I support nazi...

I'm speechless lol, the haters can always find a new ridiculous reason to hate me.

Anyway, thank you so much for this message, you're a really sweet person too! And you didn't even use anon, that really means a lot to me😭😭😭

[fyexo]

221209 LAY ZHANG IS FINDING HIS WAY

A young Lay Zhang had a clear goal in mind: in 2005, he enrolled in a talent competition, the Hunan-based Star Academy. Zhang Yixing (as he was known back then) did it for 50 RMB — an incentive that his father had promised him if he got through the first round of auditions.

He did, but more importantly, the achievement meant that he went on to become a finalist on the variety show. “I never dreamed that I would become an artiste,” Zhang reminisces. But the experience unlocked something inside him, as the creative teenager found himself continually drawn to the allure of the stage. He’d go on to make cameos in other shows in China, and each time he gained even more confidence and experience. It helped that Zhang was an easy crowd-pleaser; he was charismatic, and bubbled over with youthful exuberance. Plus, he could sing, rap and dance — he had all the makings of a teen idol. Not surprisingly, he ended up at a global casting by SM Entertainment, held in Wuhan in 2008, and was soon headed to South Korea to train as a performer at the age of 17. In 2012, he debuted as part of EXO — the wildly successful South Korean-Chinese boy band that has topped music charts worldwide since its debut.

Now, at 31, an older Zhang has a different goal in mind: to create works that speak to his roots, and that are unapologetically his. After 10 years with EXO, the Chinese pop star will be focusing on his solo career. But the experience of condensing years of hard work into mere minutes of an intense performance alongside his fellow members is something that Zhang continues to hold dear to his heart today. “I feel that it’s because I’ve gone through all that back then that I developed this awe for the stage,” he says. “It’s just so unforgettable.”

A hand-written note on Zhang’s social media account says: “It’s time to say goodbye… It’s also my new beginning.” That fresh start would see Zhang venturing into uncharted territory, where he melds Chinese classical poetry, traditional instruments and historical facts with modern musical influences — adding cultural elements into songs, raps, music videos, and more. “I want to share my music and my culture with my fans from all over the world,” he muses. West, his latest five-track EP, is a widely anticipated sequel to 2021’s East — and continues to be a heartfelt ode to his Asian heritage. When sharing how he blends and finds harmony in melding Eastern and Western influences, Zhang gets particularly animated. “That makes the sound feel very unique,” he says. “There’s something different, yet the same.” In the lead single “Veil”, what starts out as dreamy chords from the erhu, a Chinese traditional instrument, quickly segues into slick trap beats. The same Oriental motif can also be detected in “I Don’t Care”, a song about cyberbullying, and how it is important to stand up to the haters.

Most of his songs can feel vastly distinct at first; the groovy, flute-fuelled “NAMANANA” stands in stark contrast to the heavy, rap-driven “Lit” (the music video is a vivid reimagination of Xiang Yu in the historical Chinese opera Farewell My Concubine). But a common thread that runs across most of Zhang’s discography is a duality in terms of the language used. He flits comfortably between Mandarin choruses and English verses, connecting the dots, sonically, between seemingly distinct cultures — and thus bringing into full force his entire vision: of finding a higher purpose (and platform) for Chinese culture and folklore. He calls this Mix-Mandarin pop, or M-pop for short (not to be confused with Mandopop).

His music has certainly got everyone perked up, and tuned in. “Different languages help achieve different effects,” Zhang shares. Beyond cementing his popularity back in China, the pop star has also started to gain the attention of audiences elsewhere. His first solo performance in the States saw Zhang joining Alan Walker in a 2018 Lollapalooza set. The Chinese singer also lent his vocals to “Love You More”, in a collaboration with Steve Aoki and Will.I.Am. Diplo was impressed by the work ethic of Zhang when they met backstage, and referred to him as “the truth” in a tweet. In recent times, he sang — in both Mandarin and English — alongside American rapper 24kGoldn in “Dawn to Dusk”. “Through music, we can overcome language barriers,” he says in an Instagram post. Not that Zhang has ever let any obstacle get in his way. “Every small setback is a great opportunity to toughen you up.”

This might explain why the multi-hyphenate never shies away from a challenge — from his role as Er Yuehong in the action series The Mystic Nine, to voicing the sleek and chic Jackson Storm in the Chinese-dubbed version of Disney’s animated film Cars 3. Not one to be satisfied with the status quo, Zhang says: “I keep raising the bar on myself, on my music, on my dancing, and more. When I reach a certain level of quality, I raise it even higher — to make myself better.” In this continual pursuit for more, the entrepreneurial creative has embarked on yet another new path, as the founder of Chromosome Entertainment Group, where he, in turn, hopes to identify a new generation of superstars — and nurture in them a “respect for the stage”, the same reverence that got him performing in the first place.

These days, Zhang finds himself dreaming a new dream. He didn’t set out to become a global phenomenon — but along the way, he gradually found and settled into his own voice and identity. Zhang now wants to be remembered as a musician “with guts” — one who is unafraid to take risks, and make bold moves. “I hope to leave behind a spirit of not giving up, of chasing a goal regardless of the cost,” he says. It seems fitting that Zhang uses a quote from an ancient Chinese poem, A View of Taishan, to describe his journey thus far — “that at the summit, look beyond your feet, and everything else in the scenery will look small in comparison”. The stanza holds a huge amount of literary significance, but its essence, to put it loosely is be ambitious, trust the journey, and reap the reward. “I feel that the world belongs to the adventurous,” he says. And it’s clear that Zhang is embarking on the grandest adventure of all.

source: Fabian Loo @ Elle Singapore

[sketching-shark]

I think we should start a protection squad (although they don’t need it because they can protect themselves) for Sun Wukong and Guanyin

“Begone monkie kid fandom trying to down grade these really interesting characters with interesting personality’s and backstory ( the both of them like seriously Guanyin backstory is so cool) to a villain wile trying to justify your angsty backstory (that are no where near as cool as monkey who fights gods and Person who has 1000 arms and heads to help people in need) for the actual villain”

So who wants to join

Me:*raises my hand*

Ps: sorry if I got Guanyin backstory wrong am not an expert on it.

Haha okay so some critiques on the jttw & associated media western fandom & fandom in general coming up, so please skip this upcoming text wall if you don't want to encounter my undoubtedly ~devastating~ words (i.e. don't like don't read as people love to say, & if I have to be inundated with images of my notp every time I go into the sun wukong tag then I imagine people can be chill with me expressing my opinions & giving people fair warning that I WILL be critiquing common fandom trends, but no need for you to see that if you don’t want to. Cool? Cool.)

-----

PFFFFFTTT oh man there are many times when I feel like signing up for such a protection squad...when it comes to the current western jttw & Sun Wukong fandom I do feel like I'm often swinging at a rapid pace between "well it's fandom & people are allowed to make the stories they want" & "I am once again begging my fellow monkie kid enthusiasts (& sometimes creators) to do more research into the og classic/show it more respect so you can avoid any potentially offensive/off-the-mark misunderstandings of the status & cultural context of the characters in their country of origin (I promise it's super interesting & I can provide you with links to free pdf copies of the entire Yu translation, i.e. the best one ever created, so feel free to ask!) & maybe also stop constantly stripping away all the nuance of Sun Wukong's character for the sake of either making him an entire asshole so your little meow meow can look completely innocent in comparison and/or making the monkey king's entire life & character revolve around said meow meow."

Like I get that fandom's supposed to be a kind of anything-goes environment, but one thing that honestly seems to be true of a lot of fandoms--and the western one for Sun Wukong & co. is certainly not immune from this--is that there often seems to be a kind of monoculturalization at work in what stories are created & what character interpretations are made popular. Across a multitude of fandoms, you frequently see basically nothing but the exact same tropes being made popular & even being insisted on for the canonical work (especially hasty redemption arcs & enemies to lovers these days), the exact same one-dimensional character types that characters from an original work keep getting shoved into, the exact same story beats, etc. And I get it to an extent, as fandom is generally a space where people just make art and fic for fun & without thinking too hard about it & without any pressure. 

This seems to, however, often unfortunately lead to the mentality that it’s your god-given right to do literally whatever you want with literally any cultural figure without even the slightest bit of thought put into their cultural, historical, and even religious context, even (and sometimes especially) when it comes to figures that are really important in a culture outside your own. For such figures--even if you first encounter them in a children’s cartoon--you should be a little more careful with what you do with them than you would with your usual Saturday morning line-up. It of course has to be acknowledged that there exists a whole pile of absolutely ridiculous & cursed pieces of media that are based on Journey to the West & that were produced in mainland China, but for your own education if nothing else I consider it good practice for those of us (myself certainly included) who aren’t part of the culture that produced JTTW to put more thought into how we might want to portray these characters so that at the very least (to pull some things I’ve seen from the jttw western fandom) we’re not turning a goddess of mercy into an evil figure for the sake of Angst(TM), or relegating other important literary figures into the positions of offensive stereotypes, or making broad claims about the source text & original characterizations of various figures that are blatantly untrue, or mocking heavenly deities because of what’s actually your misunderstanding of how immortality works according to Daoist beliefs. Yet while a lot of this is often due to people not even trying to understand the context these figures are coming from, I do want to acknowledge that the journey (lol reference) to understand even a fraction of the original cultural context can be a daunting one, especially since, as I’ve mentioned before, it can be really hard & even next to impossible to find good, accessible, & legitimate explanations in English of how, for example, the relationship between Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque is commonly interpreted in China & according to the Buddhist beliefs that define the original work. 

That is to say, I do think it’s an unfortunate, if unavoidable, part of any introduction of an original text into a culture foreign to its own for there to be sometimes a significant amount of misinterpretation, mistranslations, and false assumptions. There is, however, a big difference between learning from your honest mistakes, & doubling down on them while dismissing all criticism of your misinterpretation into that abstract category of “fandom drama.” The latter attitude is kind of shitty at best and horrifically entitled at worst. 

Plus, as I’ve discovered, there is a great deal of interest and joy to be drawn from keeping yourself open to learning aspects of these texts & figures that you weren’t aware of! I can say from my own experience that I’ve always really enjoyed & appreciated it when individuals on this site who come from a Chinese background--and who know much more about the cultural context of JTTW than me--have taken the time to explain its various aspects. It often leaves me feeling like woooooaaaahhhhhHHH!!!! as to how amazingly full of nuanced meaning JTTW is like dang no wonder it’s one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. 

And I guess that right there is the heart of a lot of my own personal frustration and disappointment with the ways that fandoms often approach a literary work or other piece of media...like don’t get me wrong, a lot of the original works a fandom may grow around are just straight-up goofy & everyone’s aware of it & has fun with it, yet the trend of approaching what are often nuanced and multi-layered works in terms of how well they fit and/or can be shoved into pretty cliche ideas of Redemption Arc or Enemies to Lovers or Hero Actually Bad, Villain Actually Good etc...well, it just seems to cheapen and even erase even the possibility of understanding the wonderful complexity or even endearing simplicity that made these works so beloved in the first place. Again, I feel like I need to make it clear that I’m not saying fandom should be a space where people are constantly trying to one-up each other with their hot takes in literary analysis, but it would be nice and even beneficial to allow room for commentary that strives to approach these works in a multi-faceted way, analysis & interpretations that go against the popular fandom beliefs, & criticism of the work or even of fandom trends (yes it is in fact possible to legitimately love something but still be critical of its aspects) instead of immediately attacking people who try to engage in such as just being haters who don’t want anyone to have fun ever (X_X).   

----

Anyway, I know I didn’t cover even half of the stuff you brought up in the first place anon, but I don’t want any interested parties to this post to suffer too long through my text wall lol. I was asked to try my hand at illustrating Guanyin, but as with you I’m nowhere near as informed as I should be about her, so I want to do more research on her history and religious importance before I attempt a portrait. I’ll try my best, and do plan to pair that illustration with my own outsider’s attempt to summarize her character. From what little I do know I am in full agreement that her backstory is so incredibly amazing...just the fact that she literally eschewed the bliss of Nirvana to help all beings reach it, and even split herself into pieces in the attempt to do so (with Buddha granting her eleven heads and a thousand arms as a result)...man, I can see why she’s such a beloved & respected deity. 

----

 As for what western fandom commonly does with everyone’s favorite god-fighting primate...I can talk about this at length if there’s interest, but for this post I’ll just say that I guess one lesson from all of this is that for all the centuries that have passed since Journey to the West was first completed, literally no one drawing inspiration from the original tale in the west (lol) has come even slightly close to being able to equal or even capture half the extent of the nuance, complexity, religious, historical, and cultural aspects, and humor that define Wu Cheng'en's story of an overpowered monkey who defied even Buddha.

So thank the heavens we'll always have the original.

[jamaiskookie]

can i request a soft fluffy little drabble of fanboy yoongi and idol reader?

soundcloud rapper meets professional idol- myg

it’s #starrieselcaday !! where everyone posts their selfie in the hopes of their bias replying to them! alternatively, yoongi is a shy fanboy and you’re an idol with an undercover account where you stalk your fans. 

masterlist

listen

min yoongi is not a liar

HOWEVER, if you happen to ask him what kind of music he likes to listen to..... that’s a rare exception. 

he’ll probably reply by rattling off some of his favourite hip-hop rappers etc etc (emInEM!!! KANYE!! THE CLASSICS!!!!! beyonce)

which,, is not entirely a lie, okay?? he DOES listen to those artists! but his greatest guilty pleasure is this ... idolgirlgroup UGH he feels lame just thinking about it. 

not that it’s a pathetic thing, ya know? it’s just that he’s ~min yoongi~ jin literally told him once that he would be re-born as a rock and he AGREES WITH THAT. 

it’s not like he’s ashamed of saying he’s a fan of your group, it’s just that it’s not expected of the stone-cold soundcloud-rapper yoongi. 

but secretly, he winds down by watching your fancams, mass streaming your albums, screaming about your debut anniversary, the list goes on... the day in a stans life never ENDS GOD.

he literally screamed at his laptop and bursted into tears for a good 4 hours your last comeback.

he even got jimin and namjoon to end up liking his ult group!!!

seokjin refuses to ‘lower himself’ to their standards but everyone knows he secretly has all of your albums downloaded 

the group (lomls) called dreamcloud consists of five members- yoona, jisoo, lia, chae, and y/n. the fandom name is called starrie, even though nobody knows how that came about??

(his favourite single is their newest song called cloud 9)

three guesses to who’s his bias gO!!

if you guessed y/n congrats you’re CORRECT. other stans say that the bias they started with is NEVER the bias they have no but you’ve been yoongle’s ult bias since debut and it’ll forever be that way!!!

he’s been bias wrecked approx. 30 times but we don’t talk about that. 

like lia is THIS close to stealing the bias spot but you’ll always have such a special place in his heart :,-)

which is why when he sees the hashtag #starrieselcaday which was trended by you when you tweeted out a selca he POUNCES ON THE CHANCE TO POST A SELCA

on his secret fan account of course.

oh boy he really hopes nobody from uni is going to see this..,,, he’ll deal with it if the time comes. 

he definitely spends 30 minutes with jimin trying to figure out where the best lighting in the dorm is and then an additional 30 minutes just taking the damn picture. 

he ends up taking the photo in his black bucket hat (the e-boy one) with this slightly awkward half smile plastered on his face. 

he kinda hates it but it was also the best shot out of the 2000 he just took so that one it is!! (he’s also pretty tired of jimin telling him to ‘pOSE’)

he just posts it on his twitter with nothing but the #starrieselcaday hashtag. it’s the first time he’s participated in these so he’s kinda ~nervous~ but whaddya know!!

other starries are already hyping him up in his mentions!! [proud tears] gosh he loves this fandom so freaking much. he links jimin’s selca below his, telling his followers to go hype jimin’s picture too. 

it’s slightly concerning how big of a following yoongi has on his stan account. 

#STARRIESELCADAY! ✨@/liabby

replying to @/ynssuga

you look so cute suga!!!! ur bucket hat omg where did you get it send LINKS!!!

dreamcloud D-14!!! 🍬@/starriejoonn

replying to @/ynssuga

so THIS is what you spent an hour doing with jimin. owo looking good my friend! 😎

jade 💜ot5 @/vitaminchae

replying to @/ynssuga

omg you did #starrieselcaday !!! congrats on 50k by the way!! we’re all anticipating your album review (keysmashes) <3

awhhhh

how cute!

see? best fandom. 

honestly he wasn’t even aware that he hit 50 thousand on his stan account what the FRICK that’s insane!!

the only thing he does on this stupid account is give album reviews (which are quite useless at this point it’s always a 10/10) and scream about the comeback stages. 

occasionally he’ll go on to remind his fellow starries to drink water and take breaks from streaming- because contrary to popular belief he can be soft. 

☁️STREAM #CLOUD9 ☁️@/yoonsoohearteu

replying to @/ynssuga

hOOOOOOOTTTT!! woohoo!! why didn’t you tell us you were attractive irl?? 👀 ru single bby? 👉👈

yoongi snorts reading that comment, replying to tell @/yoonsoohearteu that he’s far from attractive and is unfortunately, single. it’s all y/n’s fault, he jokes in his reply. dreamcloud has raised his standards too much. 

y/n ✅@/dreamcloudy/n_official

replying to @/ynssuga

💞💞💞

[blink]

[bliiiink]

[?????????]

wut.

are his eyes deceiving him? WHAT? 

yoongi checks again, and sure enough, the little checkmark verifying your OFFICIAL twitter account lays next to your handle,.,, WHICH IS BELOW HIS POST. 

he takes a deep breath, trying to recall whatever breathing exercise his therapist taught him just last week. 

it doesn’t work. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- “

💤☁️.

“y/n!“ yoona calls from the kitchen. in your large XL hoodie, you step in, humming a ‘hmm?’ to your leader. all the other girls are camped out in their rooms, preparing for the comeback coming soon. 

yoona’s scrolling on her phone with a confused look on her face. 

“why is hashtag starrie-selca-day trending? did you tweet something or was it chae?“ she asks, and you hide a slight smile. 

“oh yeah,“ you reply. “i tweeted my selca this morning. you guys can tweet out yours too.“ 

yoona raises her eyebrow. “okay,” she asks. “just be careful.” you blink. 

“be careful... of?“ 

“make sure the agency doesn’t find out about your secret account you use to stalk the starries.“ you sputter, spitting out a random excuse. 

“you’re too obvious these days, y/n,“ yoona says, not unkindly. “i figured that your comment wasn’t intentional... was it on that guy suga’s page? anyways, your official account didn’t reply to any other fan’s selcas, so maybe you should comment on some other fans twitter accounts too.“ 

huh?

what on earth is she talking about- OH NO. 

you scramble to take your phone out, immediately clicking into your twitter notifications. 

you groan when you see ‘y/nsuga’ is already trending. you should’ve double checked which account you were on before commenting, for god’s sakes!

this is amateur stuff, you scold yourself. how could you forget?

like yoona said, you begin commenting on other selcas, so it doesn’t look like you’re singling just one fan out. 

(except you kind of already did that.)

yoona stifles a laugh. “so,” she says. “we’re not going to talk about how you commented three heart emojis on this guy’s selca on your secret account... right?” 

your cheeks heat up. “please don’t tell the other girls.” you plead. jisoo unnie would never let you live this down. 

it’s not your fault some of your fans are. like, really cute, okay? 

this guy- ‘suga’. well, that’s the name you’ve been calling him in your head- since it’s the alias he goes by on twitter. 

he was one of the first fan accounts opened on twitter- just when you debuted! he posts these detailed and insightful reviews every time you have new music, and he’s always been such a loyal fan!

(plus, it’s super fun seeing him shut down your haters!! he always comes up with the most awesome comebacks)

((your personal favourite is ‘y/n could single handedly step on you with the heel of her five inch stilettos while she continues to do the choreography perfectly. shut your bitchass mouth up’))

so is it a crime to check up on a devoted fan’s twitter page every once in a while... on your secret twitter account??

he still hasn’t replied to your comment, which you’re slightly down about. he’s just busy, you reason with yourself. it’s not like you can expect his world to revolve around you, you scold. 

yoona nonchalantly waves her hand. “i already screenshotted the evidence though, so that’s going in my y/n blackmail folder.” 

you let out a multitude of complaints, noises that mostly consist of various versions of ‘fuck you uwu’ 

at least it was yoona who found out first. she’s the most gentle in the group... even though she has blackmail folders for each of the members. 

you reassure yourself by telling yourself that she’d never actually use the folders for real blackmail purposes.... probably. 

looking down at your phone, you frown. 

cute boy suga still hasn’t replied. 

you don’t know it, but the only reason why is because he’s still screaming. 

“AHHHHLHFH*HDFGLHHHHH?&$5FLIQJARSODFILJQWOI?!!!?!?!!”

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 7

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Back to the second game we go for The Return of the Great Departed Soul! (Part one, this is another two-parter case)

Episode 2-3: The Return of the Great Departed Soul

So now, chronologically, six months have passed since The Unspeakable Story. Susato returned to Japan at the end of the first game and hasn't returned yet. Ryu was reprimanded for all the perjury and the questionable McGilded defense, so he had his right to stand in court revoked for now and instead had to focus on studying English law some more. He's done so quite patiently and now he feels he's ready to return. He just needs to get Stronghart's permission first. Meanwhile, the Great Exhibition is happening in Hyde Park, pulling in visitors and scientists from all over the world. Exciting! (S)Holmes hands Ryu a newspaper with an article on the exhibition, talking about how the brighter things shine, the darker the shadows cast behind them. By now, Ryu is fluent enough in (S)Holmes speak to know this means he should flip over the newspaper. There, we find an article of an entirely different sort.

So not only was Van Zieks apparently attacked, Ryu shows horror and concern at the notion. No hard feelings from our wholesome boy! (S)Holmes explains that London's finest criminals often find ways to get acquittals from trials through bribery, threats, sham witnesses... We saw this in McGilded, of course, so we know all too well how dangerous that can get. But since the Reaper and his curse are immune to such tactics, when a ringleader or fellow ends up being 'taken' by the curse, retaliation can occur. So it's established that this isn't the first time Van Zieks has been attacked by a group of thugs. Fortunately, Van Zieks is an “accomplished combatant” who doesn't take these attacks lying down. Unfortunately, the thugs were carrying guns this time. Uhoh.

This warms my heart, it really does. Van Zieks has been a terrible scumbag, but Ryu doesn't think he's gotten his comeuppance at all. He's genuinely concerned for this man and intends to find out more about his condition. So since he was planning to meet with Stronghart and ask for attorney permission anyway, it's the perfect opportunity to also ask about Van Zieks! Iris decides to tag along because she wants to visit the Great Exhibition. Let's shove the newspaper in Stronghart's face as soon as the game allows it.

The phrasing of “number one prosecutor” is interesting, but then... We never learn of any other (living) veteran prosecutors in this country, so of course Van Zieks would be number one. Stronghart says there's no need for concern; Van Zieks would not be so easily dispatched. Street ruffians are no match for him, since he's a very capable fighter. Seems like that sword he carries around isn't just for show after all. As for why he was attacked this time... Well, a month ago Van Zieks prosecuted a leader of a criminal organization. Nice to know he didn't just return to retirement and instead got back to work like a normal person without cherrypicking his cases based on what Ryu's doing. The defendant was acquitted, no doubt thanks to large sums of money being shifted around behind the scenes, but he still met a dramatic end just yesterday during an accident at the Great Exhibition. The man in question was Odie Asman, and the one now being detained on suspicion of murder without a defense attorney is Professor Albert Harebrayne. Albert's case has just been assigned to Ryu, so we're sure to find out more about Asman as we go. As as final touch, Ryu asks Stronghart why he continues to use Van Zieks as a prosecutor. Since the criminals are becoming fearful of the curse and attacking him, it's dangerous to Van Zieks himself. Stronghart explains that he has two reasons: Firstly, Van Zieks is the best prosecutor in the capital, bar none. And secondly, any deaths that have occurred outside the courtrooms after his trials have nothing to do with him. (S)Holmes alluded to the same thing, saying that Van Zieks had a rock-hard alibi for each and every mysterious death.

“So he will continue to prosecute on behalf of the Crown. ...Unless he wishes otherwise, of course.” With that, Stronghart admits he needs to get going since he's already 11 hours late to his next appointment (fsdkjfls). Ryu asks where he might be able to find Van Zieks and is told to head to his office. So even after being told that Van Zieks is just fine, Ryu is still concerned and wants to discuss the matter with the man himself. Let's gooo! Naturally, the first thing out of Van Zieks's mouth when he catches Ryu and Iris in his office is to wonder what the heck they're doing here.

So there's several things of interest in the office, with the game automatically addressing the biggest one: Van Zieks has an apprentice now! It's a mysterious, rigid dude wearing a hood and a mask who is absolutely not familiar to us, nope. We don't know him. Gosh, what a mystery. Van Zieks doesn't seem to know who he is either, instead just referring to him as his apprentice and nothing more.

Ryu sees this as an opening to ask about the attack on the Reaper that was in the newspaper. Van Zieks admits that he too is very interested in the true identity of the Reaper. “Assuming, that is, such a fabled fiend genuinely inhabits our great courtrooms.” The conversation halts for a moment so we can examine the office and this is the best opportunity for humanizing traits we've gotten so far, so LET'S DO IT! The enormous portrait in the back is the first thing to peek at.

Iris says whoever painted it exaggerated the subject's handsomeness, which in turn is reminiscent of Napoleon ordering the painter to make him look more attractive. That's super vain and not an attractive quality in a person at all. I laughed the whole way through that bit of dialogue and Van Zieks, who was in earshot the entire time, gets his feathers ruffled.

When Ryu asks who it is then, Van Zieks doesn't reply. BACKSTORY ALERT! Examining the chalices and bottles on the left leads to Van Zieks explaining the hallowed bottles are filled with the finest grapes from the finest vineyards he visits (so it is grape juice!!!) and he personally oversees the chalices being made by the finest crystal craftsmen in the world. Right, so not only is he filthy stinkin' rich, he's a perfectionist. Iris points out that Van Zieks throws the chalices and bottles around like they're worthless, to which Van Zieks says:

“Before you open your mouth next time, you should consider the poor artisans whose work you defile.”

As it turns out, passive aggression is contagious now. Ryu replies with a “So it's my fault? Silly me! How could I ever have thought otherwise?” and honestly I love that he's got enough guts to say this out loud. Our boy is growing a spine. Examining the wine casks has Ryu and Iris theorize about how there might be dead bodies in there, which once again ruffles Van Zieks's feathers.

Snrk. Examining the big diorama in the middle of the room has Ryu and Iris wonder whether Van Zieks can't go to the Exhibition in person and this is his way of dealing with that, which has Van Zieks snap that it's obviously an investigative aid.  He even has pets of sorts in his office, in the form of a couple of bats hanging from the curtains. Alright, so the game's definitely humanizing this poor man now. No matter how many crazy stories Iris and Ryu come up with about him, there's usually a very innocent explanation to debunk the eerie myths. Something particularly interesting happens when Ryu shows Van Zieks his defense attorney armband. Van Zieks asks what the reason is for showing it to a British prosecutor, to which Ryu admits that he doesn't quite know. Van Zieks is silent for a bit, then says that he understands. “There's merit in reminding yourself of who helped you become what you are today.”

As he says it, he reaches for his prosecutor's badge and if you're aware of the backstory, you'll know he's thinking of Klint. More importantly, this conversation puts Ryu and Van Zieks on the same level. Ryu is always thinking of Kazuma, who 'helped him become who he is today' and the armband signifies this, along with the sword. Similarly, Van Zieks lost someone very close to him and he's walking the path of prosecutor in his brother's memory. Ryu thanks Van Zieks for understanding and it's very significant that Van Zieks understands in the first place. Remember, in the first game he was under the impression that a Japanese person could never understand a British person and vice versa.

Showing Van Zieks the newspaper article has him looking a bit embarrassed, pointing out that a reporter must've been nearby and he'd been careless to let himself get photographed. Either way, all the thugs responsible have already been apprehended. The investigation into Odie Asman's activities meant that their arrests were already imminent anyway, and some hoped to kill Van Zieks before that happened. Much like McGilded, Asman used his wealth to buy his way towards an acquittal in court, but “he got his comeuppance in the end.” Which is strange, right? Very suspicious. Van Zieks asks whether Ryu believes he has some sort of divine ability to make an accident like that happen. Ryu admits that would be far-fetched, and thinks to himself that even if Van Zieks were the Reaper, he'd have to be innocent of this particular death. We also learn that Van Zieks is familiar with Professor Harebrayne, the suspect in the Asman incident. When told that Ryu will be taking on the defense, Van Zieks is shocked.

Van Zieks goes on to explain that he knows Albert quite well. They were at university together. While he's lived in Germany for quite a few years, Albert is actually from a respectable British family. And despite Albert being in the science faculty and Van Zieks in law, they got along quite well. Now he's in pretty hot water for that Asman accident.

Hm. I don't quite know what to make of this reaction. I think what's going on here isn't that Van Zieks is rattled because Albert is being defended by a Japanese person, but because he's being defended by a rookie attorney who was just disbarred for six months for accidentally encouraging perjury, false witness and crime scene tampering in a court of law. Yes, Ryu has won his trials every single time, but it came at a price. Aside from this, there's one other thing Van Zieks knows about Ryu: he'll pursue the truth, no matter what. This means that if Albert indeed didn't succeed at inventing teleportation, it'll be revealed in court because exposing shams is Ryu's whole deal.

We learn that Van Zieks will be the one to prosecute Albert tomorrow, which is curious to say the least. Ryu wants to know why he'd do something like that, with Iris pointing out that so long as the Reaper is the prosecutor, Albert is doomed. Van Zieks replies that he's a Crown prosecutor and a mortal like any other; he's no demigod. In other words, he doesn't believe the curse to be a real curse. Iris points out that everyone who's been prosecuted by Van Zieks has died (which is already objectively wrong), to which Van Zieks replies that he usually prosecutes the vilest wretches of society.

… Harsh. Ryu points out that Soseki wasn't a vile wretch though, with Iris chiming in that Gina's also turned her life around and she's working very hard now. Van Zieks admits that things have changed ever since meeting Ryu- which of course has to do with Van Zieks's need to face Ryu in court even in mediocre trials rather than pursue his usual corrupted targets- but the point is that if any of those vile wretches died in mysterious circumstances, it was “at the hand of their own kind”, not Van Zieks's. So basically, he believes that they were killed because they were dubious people engaged with dubious activities, not because of the Reaper's curse. Not only that, but ever since the rumors of the Reaper began, the number of serious crimes in London has decreased significantly. Even the most hardened criminals can be made fearful of their lives. Therefore, if his pseudonym of the Reaper can serve a useful purpose, he'll “adopt it gladly and with honour”. Ryu repeats that which he already told Stronghart; that it's putting Van Zieks in danger.

He really is a prosecutor on the edge with nothing to lose, huh. So what Van Zieks is basically saying is that he doesn't care if he dies, so long as he spends the rest of his life serving the 'useful purpose' of carrying the Reaper moniker to intimidate the vilest of society. But is that really all there is to it? (Spoilers: It's not)

There's a bit more talk about the mysterious apprentice here, with Van Zieks explaining the man was placed in his care under Stronghart's orders. He's wearing a mask on Stronghart's orders and also doesn't speak to anyone from outside the office on Stronghart's orders. HM. Van Zieks claims that Stronghart isn't one for “meaningless follies”, therefore he must have a good reason. This implies that Van Zieks believes in Stronghart's judgment almost blindly. To round up the conversation, Van Zieks asks about “that Nipponese man. The one arrested twice in succession six months ago. With the stoop. And the moustache. And the jitters.” Looks super offensive at first glance, but I gotta admit, after six months I wouldn't remember Soseki's name either. Better to describe him than to guess the name and get it wrong. Still though, just because it's not super offensive doesn't mean it's not offensive. Just saying “the one you defended six months ago” would've done the trick. Either way, Ryu says he's doing just fine and a letter from him arrived by post just the other day.

So this is interesting. Earlier, Van Zieks claimed in his own words that he doesn't believe in the curse and those who died had it coming to them, but he's still inquiring after Soseki. Perhaps not so much because he's worried about Soseki himself, but because he's curious whether this man has successfully escaped the curse so far. He would know that for a fact about Gina, but the only way to verify Soseki's status is to ask Ryu about it.

Time to leave this glass cage of exposition and meet the defendant in person! Albert spouts a whole lot of dialogue about how his machine is treated differently depending on whether the case is treated as an accident or as murder. If it's murder, it can be examined up close and that's what Albert doesn't want. It has to be treated as an accident so that it'll be protected from prying eyes through The Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act (wow that's a mouthful). Of course, that's not entirely what we're interested in. Let's ask about his friendship with Van Zieks! Ryu asks what he was like back in his university days and the answer surprises him.

HAH, wonderfully written exchange, this one. Albert goes to describe him as “the little darling of the Van Zieks family, with all its great aristocratic origins”. So Van Zieks has some very noble blood in him. We could've already guessed this from his title of Lord, but apparently it's a bit more serious. I could derail here with wild theories about his family originating from the Netherlands and having migrated to the UK around the time the first king of the Netherlands, Willem I van Oranje Nassau, rose to power in 1813. Willem changed the way nobility works to some degree in the country and not all noble families would've agreed with his way of doing things. But anyway, point is, Van Zieks is a big shot. Albert says that it was kind of a shock to him when he came back to Britain and discovered 'what Van Zieks had become'. He heard that there was 'a very big event' that completely changed Van Zieks after his graduation, but doesn't know what it was because he was already in Germany at the time. So here we have some more traces of that backstory and we have enough pieces to start sticking some things together. We know Van Zieks was once betrayed by a friend and we now know he was a very modest, pleasant gentleman when he was young. Whatever happened must've been very harsh indeed to turn him into such a sour lemon. Either way, Albert doesn't seem to know yet that Van Zieks will be the prosecutor and Ryu doesn't have the heart to tell him.

So let's investigate the crime scene! Here, it's confirmed that Gina Lestrade is indeed just fine and now in training to become a detective with Gregson. Cute! So eventually we get to talk to Gregson about Van Zieks and how he's acquainted with Albert. Gregson is overdramatically shocked to find out that the two of them are old buddies.

Remember when Van Zieks took a five year hiatus and nobody had to mysteriously die from the Reaper's curse? Those were the days, eh Gregson? Now he's even prosecuting his own friends willy-nilly. Gregson states he has no idea what goes on in Van Zieks's head  (a sentiment we've heard before in 1-4) and goes on to bring up the newspaper article about Van Zieks being attacked. When told that our good old pal the Reaper is just fine, Gregson utters a very uncomfortable “glad to hear it” which honestly had me wondering whether he'd preferred Van Zieks to die.

Up until a certain someone gets killed and stuffed into a suitcase, I'd reckon. Gregson says that Van Zieks is a top class prosecutor, but not even he can always push the right verdict through. “Sometimes justice can't win.” Gregson explains that naturally, Scotland Yard suspected Van Zieks at first and assumed he was taking matters into his own hands. There was a very thorough investigation and the outcome was that Van Zieks was in no way related to the mysterious deaths. So that's three people now who all insist Van Zieks couldn't possibly have committed the murders. Gregson says he's willing to stake his reputation on it, even. Of course, Gregson would know for sure, wouldn't he? But the narrative is telling us over and over that Van Zieks himself isn't the Reaper, with even Van Zieks himself implying he'd like to know just who the Reaper is. There's a conspiracy happening that Van Zieks is the centerpiece of, with the narrative really pushing the mystery aspect of it. The writers want us to care about the truth of the Reaper for sure.

OOOH that's meta! Ryu, being nosy and overly invested in Van Zieks's life, asks Gregson whether he knows about the 'incident' which changed Van Zieks after graduation.

Okay he clearly knows. Even a first time player can tell from this single reaction that Gregson's lying. The mystery thickens! At the end of the conversation, when Gregson's gone off, Iris recommends asking (S)Holmes about it instead. Safe bet, since (S)Holmes continuously knows more than he's letting on. To the house of wax we go! When asked about it, it's clear that he does know something (and is described as suddenly clamming up), but before he can explain there's a distraction in the form of Madam Tusspells and we have to sit through a mostly-unrelated Joint Reasoning segment. It leads into a conversation about a mass murderer known as the Professor. Ten years ago, there was a series of murders which rocked the capital right around the time Van Zieks graduated from university. Five people were killed before the man was caught and executed. This fifth victim was Klint van Zieks, Barok's older brother.

I really, really dislike this phrasing because Van Zieks was already studying law to begin with. He'd just graduated as a prosecutor; his brother's death had nothing to do with him pursuing that path. Anyway...

OOOH that's meta! So remember way back in the first essay when I said the backstory is optional? Well, here it is. The Great Ace Attorney is going all in for it. It's being tied to the ongoing plot, just as pretty much all the main prosecutor backstories are. Edgeworth's backstory is tied to Von Karma being the final boss, Godot's backstory is tied to the Fey lineage, Klavier's backstory (I say this lightly) is tied to Phoenix's disgrace... Now Van Zieks's story is tied to the serial killer who ruined so many lives a decade ago. And technically, we already have all the puzzle pieces we need for the next twist; we know Van Zieks was betrayed by a Japanese person who was his friend. So really, we can now say with absolutely certainty that the man arrested and executed back then was a Japanese buddy of Van Zieks.

The investigation segment is pretty much over, but the game has one more scene for us. This is something Ryunosuke won't witness, but the scriptwriters deemed it so important that we're ignoring Ryu to focus solely on the two characters involved. And cutting away from our main character is something that usually doesn't happen in Ace Attorney. Even when characters like Phoenix or Ryu are out of commission for whatever reason, a new 'main character' takes over for a second and we see everything from their point of view. I can think of only one other scene viewed without Ryu there, which happened in 1-5 just before Susato had to leave London. So what we have here is a very private moment between Van Zieks and Albert.

AWWW... The scenes in the office were great and all, but this right here is perhaps the most humanizing exchange we'll ever see with Barok. The reason for that, I think, is precisely because Ryu isn't there. He's alone with an old friend now, which means he can let his guard down more than he usually would. Even so, it's worth noting here that he doesn't look directly at Albert. He stands with his back to him the entire time and I'm certain this is intentional, because they could just as easily have rotated him into that sideways view that's often used in dialogue and courtroom scenes. He made his way down to the gaol to speak with his friend after ten long years, but is reluctant to look right at him. The conversation itself feels rather distant as well. Albert is delighted to see Van Zieks, but the sentiment isn't returned vocally. Van Zieks points out that they're meeting again “in prison of all places” and that the court will decide Albert's fate tomorrow. When Van Zieks raises a warning, Albert says he already knows his friend will be prosecuting and doesn't appear bothered at all at first. He does try to raise a question in the form of “Are you really...?”, but ultimately drops it and says that he knows Van Zieks has his best interests at heart. Van Zieks says he wouldn't entrust the trial of his friend to anyone else, and Albert thanks him for that. So my first guess upon taking in that dialogue is that Albert wonders for a brief moment whether Van Zieks really is the Reaper/really is cursed, only to shake it off because he considers the man his friend. Van Zieks seems to know it's risky to prosecute Albert, but deems it more important to handle the case himself than to let someone else do it. This, as we learn later, has to do with the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act and the protection of Albert's scientific secrets.

Next day, we're at the Old Bailey! In the defendant lobby, Ryu is once again told by Albert that the true goal to aim for in this trial is to protect his scientific hypothesis. So hypothetically speaking, the ideal outcome here would be to prove the death was accidental and that the kinesis was a success at the same time. (S)Holmes and Iris don't believe Albert's theory to be sound though, instead saying it couldn't possibly be done. In the courtroom, Ryu faces off against Van Zieks once more for the first time in six months! The judge is quick to point out that Odie Asman is a name familiar to him; a man who was prosecuted only a month ago by Van Zieks. When he asks whether this death is the work of the Reaper, Van Zieks instead describes it as “divine retribution”, but also “a direct result of the actions of the accused, Professor Albert Harebrayne”. The prosecution asserts that the instantaneous kinesis demonstration was a success. He himself can't say for certain whether it's a sound theory, but it's being investigated by the British government since it was deemed to have potential and the prosecution's case aligns with the notion that there was indeed instantaneous- You know what? Let's just call it teleportation. That's easier to type.

Unfortunately, Van Zieks doesn't want to follow the accident angle. Instead, he outright accuses his old friend of murdering Asman using the totally-functional-teleportation-machine-which-totally-worked to be the sole benefactor of a scientific grant. Harsh. Very harsh. I don't entirely understand why he didn't pursue the accident angle instead, but then, I don't quite know enough about law. My guess is that as the prosecution, he's not allowed to. Scotland Yard found enough evidence at the scene to substantiate a murder plot, especially that damning screwdriver that Ryu so graciously handed to Gregson, so that's what the prosecution has to go with, maybe? It's up to the defense attorney to debunk that down to an accident, then, so in essence Van Zieks is counting on Ryu to 'defeat him' and prove the murder aspect wrong. It would align with the conversation Albert had with Van Zieks in prison, where he said that 'it was a terrible accident and the young Eastern man acting as his defence assured him that he can prove it'.

So speaking of that screwdriver, Albert tries to discredit it himself by saying that if he had stabbed Asman on the stage, there would've been a whole lot of blood. Van Zieks pours himself a glass of wine and 'congratulates' his friend on a good rebuttal.

“Here's to you, Albert!”

Albert laughs it off sheepishly, saying he's nothing compared to “Barok” (awww, first name basis), but a chalice is immediately flung. Van Zieks says Albert neglected to mention one crucial possibility, which is that the lack of blood is explained by the notion that the screwdriver remained in the victim's chest to plug the wound. Therefore, since the demonstration was totally a success, the screwdriver was teleported along with the victim. Ryu thinks to himself that he had no idea the victim had been stabbed and wonders whether Van Zieks kept that information to himself to keep the upper hand on purpose. This whole thing jars me a little, because the screwdriver is brought up relatively early in the trial during the very first cross-examination. Is not mentioning it during the opening statement and waiting for Gregson to bring it up three minutes later really the same as 'keeping it to himself to gain the upper hand'?

Either way, Ryu counters, saying that the screwdriver was found at the stage and therefore didn't teleport at all, with Gregson serving as an official witness to this location. It's pretty clear from the next dialogue that Gregson never told Van Zieks where that screwdriver was found.

“That you contravened the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act?”

Gregson is immediately up in arms, but it's fine. There was no investigation needed to find a screwdriver lying in plain sight. So now Ryu decides to tighten the screws. He claims that if the prosecution can't explain the inconsistency (the screwdriver being found on the stage but no blood being there so clearly it must've plugged the wound), the testimony is unreliable. Van Zieks doesn't reply and Ryu thinks to himself that he looks stumped, but uh...

He just looks annoyed to me. The person to object next is not Van Zieks, it's Albert. He says that metal can't be teleported with the machine, so it only makes sense the screwdriver stayed behind and there's no inconsistency at all. Van Zieks suggests: “Clearly we should hear the accused's explanation. … Or should I say, this brilliant scientist's explanation?” And I think here in these two sentences we have the crux of the issue. Albert wants to be treated as a legitimate scientist above all else. Even if that means he's branded a murderer, so long as his hypothesis is protected and the confidentiality stands, it makes no difference to him. This was likely discussed with Van Zieks the night before as well. Albert is apparently willing to die for the sake of his scientific principles and... Well. I'm sure Van Zieks can understand. He's willing to die for the sake of serving the Reaper purpose. In a way, this means the defendant and the prosecution are in cahoots together, which is another first in Ace Attorney history. The two of them are fighting to keep the hypothesis of teleportation intact and if Ryu manages to prove that it was an accidental death, then great! Unfortunately, the second that screwdriver was discovered, the chances of that became slim to none. It was murder, plain and simple. On a sidenote, I found this little gem:

I'm counting this as humanization, because the underlying sentiment here is that despite his haughty better-than-thou attitude, Van Zieks is still friends with someone so very scatterbrained, his name is forgotten sometimes. Even Ryu is taken aback by the purity of the friendship.

Heh heh... Time to cause some more havoc by informing the court that Asman's metal-rimmed glasses were still on his face and since Albert already said metal can't be teleported, his hypothesis is a load of tosh. The jurors go up in arms about it, saying the machine should be stripped down and examined. The game gives Ryu the option to either raise an objection or 'wait and see', but this is another one of those fake choices. Waiting and seeing just leads to a bit more dialogue between the jurors before Ryu steps in of his own accord. He says Albert would have no reason to build such an elaborate fake machine and put on a public display for murder, but Van Zieks counters with the very good reason: Money. The jurors are even more outraged, calling him a fake scientist who's only in it for the guineas, and Albert begs them to believe that his science is built upon a sound hypothesis. Van Zieks comes in to 'save the day' (sort of).

“The fact remains that the victim was transported instantly to the Crystal Tower. Which means that the experiment... was a success.”

And I gotta say, this next bit is just very enjoyable to me. The way it's written is so great.

HEH HEH.... Van Zieks has some more witnesses to summon who saw the incident from some 'very special seats', but let's end the essay here for now and pick it back up next time!