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gojorgeous · 4 months

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"business or pleasure?"

pairing: gojo x fem!reader summary: the gojo clan decides it’s time to secure an heir… and you’re the lucky woman selected for the job… content: HEAVY breeding, arranged marriage, language, praise, dacryphilia, p->v, fingering, mating press, a lil’ blood (if you squint), pet names, implied multiple rounds, gojo just generally being a menace, no established relationship, reader and gojo literally just met, reader is literally there for the purpose of getting pregnant, positive pregnancy test at the end, ideas of women as baby incubators :x, consent king gojo. wc: 3.7k a/n: I HAVE RETURNED!!! Hey!!!!!! Long time no see, babes. I was looking at my account and I haven’t posted a fic in *cough* TWO YEARS. There is simply no way that’s real 😭 Anyway, I’ve returned with something slightly different: A Gojo fic. You’re welcome. Mwah. Also, please send messages I miss y'all. happy new year bbs. and remember, AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED!

It’s only your third time in Japan. The first had been to visit family friends when you were eight, the second for a girls’ trip after you graduated college. You liked it. Tokyo was bright and busy and full of shops and things to do. The countryside always offered beauty and peace. But this third time was different. No shopping, no temples, no amusement parks. You were here for business, not pleasure.

You run a finger along the edge of a mahogany bookshelf. Your feet are killing you, a flick of your ankles tossing your heels across the room. Your nose wrinkles when you land on a particular title. The Art of War? Interesting choice… You scan the other books, and your brows rise when you find a strange combination of academics, young adult, manga, and high fantasy? A multi-genre reader, then…

You absentmindedly rub at the arch of your foot, pushing out the ache as best you can. A day so full of stress has left you weary. Your mother hadn’t stopped hovering until the moment you’d escaped into your car, a new husband on your arm.

You sigh. You could still hear the shower running along with said husband humming loudly to a tune you didn’t recognize. At least your groom wasn’t shy.

A glance toward the bed has your brows raising. Were those… squishmallows? One looked like a shark, the other like a… sushi? You press your lips together, avoiding a laugh he would surely hear. You make your way to the mattress, sighing when you finally get to sit. You pull the sushi into your arms, hugging the pillow to your chest, but it no longer seemed so funny anymore. You had bigger things to think about. Your legs press together in a mix of anticipation and anxiety. All the way from America you’d come to marry the Gojo heir. It had been a rushed arrangement. Apparently, the Gojo clan had finally put their foot down and decided their heir should finally get to the business of making another heir. There’d been a search far and wide for the best match and somehow, they’d settled on you. An accomplished sorcerer yourself and abilities in your blood that only strengthened those of the Gojo line, you’d been an suitable pick. It didn’t hurt that you were young, healthy, and (upon a trip to a renowned fertility clinic) proven to be very fertile.

Your parents had been oh-so eager to accept the Gojo clan’s proposition. The Gojo heir’s power hadn’t been matched in nearly 400 years. Any and every family would jump at the opportunity to be tied to them, especially through marriage and heirs. You were surprised you’d been chosen considering all of the options there must have been.

Satoru seemed… fine, you thought. You hadn’t had much time to talk with him privately. The first time you’d met had been on a phone call with both of your sets of parents present and the next had been at the altar. At one point in the night he’d asked a waiter to refill your wine glass and he’d been a rather good dancer. Other than that, you’d been pulled apart at all odds and ends until you’d come back here: his apartment.

You’d expected something a little more lavish for your wedding night, especially considering the spectacle that your wedding had been. Ice sculptures, thousand dollar bouquets, and diamond encrusted wedding rings had turned to an elegantly decorated bachelor pad. A glance around revealed a space that was obviously lived in, with odd mixes of $10,000 dollar chairs and… squishmallows.

You sink onto the edge of the bed, eyes peeling over the half-moons of your nails and the heavy gems that now sit on the fourth finger of your left hand. They are a weight you feel the pressure of. A pressure to live up to expectations, to produce a much-desired product.

A door opens down the hall and you realize the pounding of water and the lilting of a hum has ceased. Your husband is done with his shower.

A few seconds later he reveals himself, prancing down the hallway and into his bedroom like it’s just another Tuesday and not his wedding night. A plush blue towel is slung low around his waist and from the rivulets of water running all over his body you judge that he hadn’t even taken the time to properly dry off. Not that you mind.

You’d known your new husband was beautiful but you’d never imagined he’d be so… so goddamn seductive.

Washboard abs, toned arms, sculpted back, wet hair and icy eyes… he was the image of a god.

“Sorry for making you wait. I really needed that.”

Gojo prods at his temples, eyes squished shut in what looked like a moment of pain. You’d heard of this problem from the clan. He hadn’t worn his blindfold all day for the sake of the wedding. It was no wonder the effects were catching up with him.

“No problem.”

A small smile reveals just a few blinding teeth and you could swear your vision went out for just a moment.

“You hungry?”

You arch a brow. The man had eaten two full plates and practically half the cake not yet an hour ago.

“Can’t say that I am.”

“Hm.”

He nods and you watch as he plucks a stray candy off his bedside table, tossing the wrapper to the floor.

“So, uh-” You watch the butterscotch bulge in his cheek. “You really wanna do this?”

You glance at your half-naked husband who is practically a walking temptation. You take a breath. He’s standing so casually, as if this is a normal conversation to be having and not something life-altering.

“You don’t?” you ask.

All that gets you is a shit-eating grin.

“Never said that.”

You can’t help the smirk that crawls across your lips.

“Well, we might as well get it over with, no?”

Another flash of pearly whites.

“Get it over with, hm?”

You miss his meaning, pulling at a loose thread on the bedspread.

“It shouldn’t take much effort. I’m on so many fertility meds you could probably spit on me and I’d get pregnant.”

You pick at the thread a little more, biting your lip when you realize it’s one of those strands that’s infinite.

“That so?”

You jolt when a speck of wetness lands on your cheek. A quick glance reveals a fuzzy blue towel far too close for comfort. A half-naked Gojo is a whole lot closer than he’d been just seconds ago. How is he so quiet?

Blue eyes bore into yours, water dripping down white strands and onto your skin. He’s so damn tall. He has your neck craned all the way back just to meet his gaze.

“Yes.” You swallow. “It was part of our prenup.”

Dazed. You’re absolutely dazed.

“Well, we probably shouldn’t risk breaking a legally binding contract, hm?”

Closer. He’s coming closer. Too close.

You lean back, scooting yourself up the bed in a feeble attempt to get a little more space, your emotional support sushi tumbling to the floor. He follows right after you.

Something primal thrusts through your veins at the sight of a man, sopping wet and smirking, crawling after you, some mix of teasing and pure drive hidden in his eyes. Gojo doesn’t stop, not until you’re nearly pressed against the headboard and his arms cage your waist. Close. Too close.

You’d thought he would have dried a bit by now, but water still slicks off his skin and hair, showering you lightly. You shiver and your husband notices. His tongue darts out to lick his lips and you get a breath of the sweetness of butterscotch and mint toothpaste.

“You say stop,” he breathes, “and we stop.”

He leans closer, so close you can smell the eucalyptus and myrrh of his shampoo, the musk of his body wash, the candied sweetness of his breath. Those piercing blue eyes flit to your lips and back up again.

A breath, a pause.

“Stop?” he asks. His eyes are piercing.

You shake your head.

“Go.”

Lips, teeth, tongue. All of it hits you at once. For a moment you’re too shocked to respond, but then his weight is leaning on you and his hand is on your waist and his mouth tastes like candy and- and then you’re kissing him back.

A heavy hand digs into the flesh of your waist and your hands find a patch of damp white hair to tangle in.

He tastes good- too good and when a deft hand guides you down to the mattress you start to think that this whole baby-making business might not be so bad after all.

Teeth knock, tongues touch, and you are on the edge of what would have been a particularly throaty moan when he pulls away.

His attention shifts elsewhere, kisses trailing down your neck and hands straying to your hips.

“Have you-” a kiss to your collarbone. “Done this before?”

You freeze.

“What?”

Gojo raises his head a bit and the most irritating kind of smirk plays on his lips.

“Don’t know- thought maybe this was a virgin for your super rich husband kinda thing?”

You shove his head back down.

“Shut up.”

He chuckles and the sound vibrates against your skin.

“Okay, sp no need to go slow then…”

His lips continue their assault, brushing and grazing over your skin until it lifts with goosebumps. Your breaths come a little faster, a little heavier and you gasp when his hand curls beneath the hem of your skirt.

“Oh? What’s this?” His fingers brush against the garter that rests at the top of your thighs. Your cheeks heat. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why had you agreed to wear the damn thing? You reach down, hoping to quickly rid yourself of the scrap of fabric before you can become oven more mortified. You’re just about to clamp down on it when Gojo catches your wrist. “Ah, ah. No need to be so hasty.” Your hand is easily pinned down to the mattress and, for some reason, you don’t fight it.

Your breath catches when your skirt lifts only for Gojo to dive beneath it without a second thought. You feel his teeth grazing across the skin of your thigh.

“Gojo-” you breathe, squirming.

His head reappears suddenly, another one of those mischievous grins gracing his lips. “Satoru when I’m about to be inside you, baby.”

He disappears again and you gasp and wiggle when you feel his tongue laving across the inside of your thigh.

His teeth graze you again, but this time they clamp down on the garter and you feel it slowly sliding across your skin, down, down, past your knee and eventually to your ankle where Satoru finally yanks it past your foot with a final tug.

You stare at him, wide eyed and lustful. That had to have been one of the hottest things you’ve ever seen.

Satoru plucks the garter from his teeth and dangles it in front of his eyes. It’s a white, lacy little thing that matches the shade of his hair. He’s grinning again when he slides it onto his wrist like a bracelet– no, like a trophy.

“Thanks for the present.” He’s still grinning, still staring, his fingers still fiddling with the hem of your skirt. “How attached are you to this dress?” he asks.

You blink, swallowing nervously, unable to break away from his gaze. It’s too strong, too mesmerizing. “Not… attached at all,” you manage. It’s true. Somebody else picked it out, and you’ve only been wearing it for about an hour– and it’s not like you can’t just buy a new one now with access to the Gojo bank accounts.

His grin somehow grows even wider. “Good girl. Just what I wanted to hear.”

There’s a splitting sound and suddenly your dress is tearing straight down the middle. It’s slow and controlled and you wonder if he’s practiced at this or if his strength is just that regulated. You find yourself hoping it’s the latter.

The dress is ripped from your skin and you see it land somewhere across the room. You hear something shatter along with a thud, but Satoru seems anything but worried, so you ignore it.

You’re bare in just your undergarments, a lacy white set that you’re now half proud of and half embarrassed by.

Satoru whistles and his hands settle on your waist. “Damn, baby. Why’d you keep all this hidden for so long?”

You scoff, your confidence surging. You reach for him, grabbing a scruff of hair at the back of his neck and pulling him close. “You’re the one taking your sweet time, Toru.”

The sound of the nickname on your lips makes him shiver and you smirk triumphantly.

“Hmm…” is all he says as his fingers trail lower, lower, lower, until they’re dipping beneath the band of your panties. It’s somewhere between tortuous and ticklish and you squirm. “Ah, ah. Hold still for me, now.” He presses one hand to the valley between your breasts, holding you down as his other hand continues lower. When his thumb finds the wet spot on your panties and presses down your back arches and your breath escapes.

He chuckles. “Little needy, aren’t you?” His thumb moves a little higher, grazing your clit, and you whimper.

With one deft movement he unclasps your bra, tossing it aside. You register for just a moment that your chest is now completely bare, but soon enough his mouth is closing around your nipple and all else is forgotten.

“S-Satoru!” you whisper. Your voice feels hoarse, even if it has no reason to be.

His thumb continues its assault between your thighs. “So wet already, baby…” He sounds ecstatic. The grin on his lips makes you whine. “Let’s get these out of the way…” Before you know it, you hear more tearing and then cold air hits your cunt. You cry out when Satoru’s thumb returns to its ministrations, but this time there’s no cloth barrier to dull the sensation. Your hands push out and your nails curl into his bare shoulders. You need him closer.

“Satoru…” you breathe. “Kiss me…”

That shit-eating grin returns, but he follows your command. “As my wife wishes.”

When lips meet yours it’s hot and messy. Your nails claw down his back and you’re sure you’re leaving marks. If he minds, he certainly doesn’t show it.

His thumb continues at your clit as a finger prods at your entrance. When he slides in slowly, you gasp. He murmurs something about you being so sensitive, and proceeds to quickly find that gummy spot inside you that makes you see stars. Before you know it he’s adding a second finger and soon your hips are rocking against his thrusts, meeting his pace as you chase your high.

“God, you’re so wet.” he whispers against your lips. True to his word, he’s been kissing you, never letting up in his attack on your mouth. “Bet you taste like fucking heaven.”

You whine, your hips stuttering against his hand. “G-Gonna… I’m–”

He grins again, and pulls away just enough to meet your gaze. “Go ahead, baby. Cum for me.” Your eyes flutter shut, your head rolling back– “Nuh, uh. Keep those eyes open. Wanna see every second.”

Your breaths flutter and you whimper loudly, the sound bouncing on the walls. You’re not sure why you listen, why you fight to keep your eyes open, locked on him, but you do. Maybe you’re afraid he’ll pull away and leave you wanting… or maybe you just want to please him.

You feel your muscles clenching in your stomach, hear the sloppy sounds of Satoru’s fingers thrusting in and out of you, see the gleeful anticipation in his eyes. His thumb rubs a particularly delicious circle around your clit and you feel yourself thrown over the edge.

You can’t help but be loud. You hold his gaze the whole time, whimpering and whining his name as you gush all over his sheets. Your cunt spasms around his fingers, clenching, holding him inside, desperate to be filled. You hear him panting above you, like watching has somehow taken his breath away.

“Good girl,” he whispers and you feel a second wave of pleasure ripple through you.

You feel weak by the time your orgasm leaves you. Your muscles are limp and your cunt is so sensitive that you flinch when Satoru removes his fingers. He brushes a tear from the corner of your eye and you watch as he brings his sopping fingers to his mouth, sucking your juices clean. He moans, a deep throaty sound, like it’s the most delicious thing he’s ever tasted. You watch his eyes roll back in his skull, watch his throat bob as he swallows. Your lips part at the sight.

His fingers fall from his mouth with a pop and his grin returns.

“Just like I thought,” he says. “Heaven.”

He’s back on you in a second, licking a stripe from your collarbone to just beneath your ear. His hips slot between your own and a strong hands hook around the backs of your thighs, pressing your knees to your chest. You whimper. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so completely and utterly exposed.

“On to the main event, yeah?” The twinkle in his eye has your heart racing even faster. His fingers catch the towel that is somehow still wrapped snugly around his waist. With one tug, it’s gone and your mouth is watering in anticipation.

Your jaw drops lower, if it’s even possible. He’s… huge. Long and pretty with veins that you know are going to rub just right. His tip is pink and leaking, ready.

“Satoru, it won’t–”

His lips connect to your pulse, licking and sucking when you feel him prodding at your entrance. “It’ll fit, baby.”

He slides himself through your folds, gathering your juices and torturing you every time his tip bumps your clit. By the time he’s finally lining himself up, you’re practically begging.

The first push is heaven. You’re both moaning when he prods past that first tight ring of muscle and you’re gasping, crying out his name and clawing at his back. He keeps pushing, filling you inch by inch until he’s pressed snugly against your cervix. You thank him aloud when he pauses, giving you a moment to adjust to his size, to the feeling of being filled to the absolute brim. He only kisses the tears from your cheeks.

The first thrust has you seeing stars, little white spots clouding your vision. The second has your nails embedding in his skin hard enough to draw blood. He doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, it has him moving faster, grunting in your ear and whimpering your name.

“Sooo… f-ahh-ucking t-tight…” he whispers.

A hand slides between your sweaty bodies, a thumb rubbing familiar circles against your swollen clit. You cry out, clenching down like a vice.

“F-Fuck, princess.”

His thrusts rock your body and the sound of skin slapping skin echoes in the air. You feel that familiar coil begin to form, to heat at your core. Your muscles tighten and your legs begin to shake.

“Atta girl. Cum on my cock, baby.”

You whimper at the praise, at the incessant rubbing of your clit, at the relentless pounding of your cervix. It’s all too much, too good.

“Satoru…” you cry. Your legs burn and ache. Satoru has your knees pressed so tightly to your chest you’re afraid something might snap. It only adds to the tension beginning to unravel at your center. You feel as if you’re burning, as if you’re going to snap– and then you do. Heat unravels beneath your skin and your mouth falls open in a silent cry. Your legs tremble and your toes curl and you vaguely hear your husband whispering a mix of curses and praises in your ear. You’re still lost in the sensation when he starts groaning and you feel him flooding your insides with shallow thrusts close to your cervix, filling you with rope after rope of his hot cum. You’re still panting when you finally regain your mind. Satoru’s still on top of you, completely limp with his head buried in your neck. You curl a hand into his hair, silently holding him close. That was some of the most mind-blowing sex you’ve ever had. You smirk. Yeah, maybe this baby-making business wasn’t going to be so bad.

You shiver when you feel Satoru licking and sucking at your skin. There’s a tenderness in the action that makes you pull him closer. He hasn’t even pulled out yet, but you can already feel him hardening inside you, ready for another round.

“Think it stuck?” he asks. You smirk and answer with a breathy laugh.

“Don’t know.” Silently, you think that there’s no way it didn’t. You can feel his cum dripping down your thighs and there’s just so much of it.

He lifts his head, eyes bright and sparkling even in the dim light. He grins. “Guess we’d better make sure.”

With the rate at which Satoru fucks you it’s no surprise when you get two positive little pink lines a few week later. You tell Satoru by unceremoniously dropping the test in front of him while he’s drinking his morning coffee. He only grins and kisses you before he bends you over the counter, whispering something about needing to show you how appreciative he is when he slides inside you. The next morning you wake to Satoru’s lips on yours, a brand new credit card, and a new car in the driveway, fitted with all of the newest safety features (only the best for his wife and baby, he says). You sigh and smile when you see it. Yeah, this whole baby-making business definitely wasn’t so bad.

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#jjk smut #gojo smut #jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #satoru gojo #jjk gojo #jujutsu gojo #tw: breeding #bree’s fics

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noonblight · 1 year

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Nemona, Female Neurodivergence, and Good Representation

Spoilers for the plot of ScarVi ahead, but here’s my full analysis and breakdown of Nemona!

So, I know what you’re thinking, ‘Game Freak making an autistic female main character? You must be out of your mind. This is clearly projecting!’

I’d like to preface this gently by saying that this is obviously just my personal conclusion based on subtextual analysis, but also, I’d like to call attention to the fact that Japan isn’t like the west when it comes to neurodiverse representation, and there isn’t a lot of Japanese media that explicitly uses the word autism. It’s a little unrealistic to expect Game Freak to call it by name, especially considering they make games for children and topics such as neurodiversity are often viewed as a more ‘adult’ thing to discuss. You are free to disagree with me, but please be polite in the replies of this post, as I only wish to have a constructive conversation about a writing decision that has been made.

Anyway, on to the good stuff and I must apologise in advance for this post being long, but I wanted to be thorough!

I played through all of ScarVi and I’m actually very pleased with Nemona as a character. I feel like despite the game’s technical quality, there was a real effort made this time around to flesh out the named characters. Nemona is one of my favourite examples of this, because her arc isn’t solely about being autistic, but it’s clearly a large part of her character and affects her life in a lot of ways.

Nemona is a battle fanatic, and it’s very likely one of her special interests. It’s how she connects with other people such as the main character, and it’s something she devotes her entire being and effort to. She never says she does so in order to impress others, but rather because it’s something she heavily enjoys.

Right from the start, Nemona is a successful champion rank trainer and wants you to become a trainer who can rival her in skill, and feels like it would lead to a better friendship if you could do that. Nemona’s priorities always centre around battling, and doing as much of it as possible. She’s the one who asks Geeta for permission to bestow a Tera orb upon your player. She gives you tips about the battle courts at different gyms. She even raises a new team of Pokémon throughout the game just to have an excuse to battle you at your level and watch you improve.

Nemona even loves battling so much that she finds it a little strange when others aren’t as enthusiastic about battling as she is, below is a quote I found particularly interesting because it really does show that she can be socially oblivious at times when it comes to societal expectations about what is an appropriate place or time to have a Pokémon battle.

Accompanying this, multiple times throughout the game she exhibits impulsive or oblivious behaviour and asks you to have another battle with her straight after another battle you’ve just had, usually due to being excited. Sometimes other characters will need to remind her that your Pokémon require healing first, or that there are other things that need doing. She doesn’t always understand how things should be handled in a conventional manner, despite being an expert on the topic of battling! (Or, she gets too excited and can’t help herself.)

In post-game, there’s even a scene where she doesn’t seem to understand that another student is reluctant to battle her and makes an excuse to leave early because she’s so far from being a casual trainer that it intimidates him. This is, in my opinion, actually quite a sad scene. She genuinely continues to think that he will challenge her to a battle at a different time, not realising that her ‘unusual’ enthusiasm and skill has scared him away, and that he has no intention of returning. A situation I’m sure a lot of neurodiverse children would connect with because it so accurately depicts what it’s like when others don’t share your interests to the degree that you hoped they would. This scene also hints at Nemona’s trouble with reading the emotions and intentions of others.

Nemona’s final post-game scene (which please, I BEG of you to go watch, it’s so good) confirms this outright, and also gives one of the most relatable lines in media about what it’s like to be neurodivergent in any way, especially as somebody who is younger:

Something I like about Nemona is that despite being socially oblivious and pushy with her interests, she is still a very sympathetic and friendly character. Not only does she cheer you on throughout the game, but she doesn’t only do it for the sake of serving only her own interests! She’s genuinely caring about others around her too.

(Nemona, congratulating the player when they beat her at the end of her storyline after she goes full-out. She is thrilled that you beat her! I love this moment.)

Throughout the last chapter in the game, there’s a lot of great moments with Nemona that show how caring she is. I think the best moments however, are where she tries to understand and support a scared Miraidon, and where she tries to help Arven.

Initially, she is misunderstanding and expects that the second Miraidon will be friendly and that it will be a family reunion, but once she realises this is not the case, she immediately switches to trying to support your Miraidon in any way she can. Despite not understanding why Miraidon is so afraid of returning to the Crater and facing the other Miraidon, she can be observed multiple times attempting to encourage it during the final battle, and can be seen in the final cutscene of the game with her arm around it as the group walks back to the academy.

(Nemona, displaying an implied struggle with visually judging the emotions of others.)

Nemona is also the one who suggests after a very heavy story ending that everyone goes home, and that they take the scenic route back to town. She clearly doesn’t know what to say to Arven about what he’s just been through, but she attempts to make him feel a bit better regardless.

I think this makes for particularly good representation, because not only is she less feminine than previous female rivals with her more sporty style and interests (something very common with autistic women) it also shows depth. I’ve seen autistic characters before that fall into the stereotype of coming across as emotionally detached or cold, or far too over-reactive. But I think Nemona strikes a lovely balance of caring, emotional, and socially lacking.

Now, on to a smaller detail that I want to point out that I really like the inclusion of is that glove. I could talk about how Nemona displays memory issues at times or other smaller symptoms of autism, but I really want to talk about the glove. I made a post on this subject the moment Nemona’s design was revealed on the official website, but I like that the game content openly confirmed that Nemona has motor issues with her dominant hand.

(Nemona, needing to support her arm when about to throw a Pokéball, or when she is about to terastalise her Pokémon. The burst of energy from the tera orb must make things a bit more difficult for her. A lovely small detail in her battles.)

(Nemona, confirming that she has trouble with Pokéballs. Something her website entry also stated.)

Now I’ve saved this until last because this is, in my opinion, a smaller detail that they didn’t need to include to make Nemona read as neurodiverse, but I’m thrilled they did. Nemona is the only character who wears an arm brace, something I picked up on immediately in the trailers before the games released. No other trainers wear one for the terastalisation mechanic, unlike the Z-bands from Alola. And even though Pokémon battling is her bread and butter, she still struggles with certain aspects of it! Not only is this trouble with motor skills realistic, but it’s also a very accurate portrayal of motor dysfunction that a lot of neurodiverse people experience in their day to day lives.

To bring this all to a close, I think that even though it isn’t stated outright, I believe Nemona isn’t just representation of neurodiversity in women, but I think that she is also GREAT representation. She knows that she has problems, and tries her best regardless! She is kind, and caring, even though she has difficulties with reading the emotions of others and understanding social expectations. Her entire story may be about making friends with you through the medium of battling, but it’s also a story about how she’s struggled in the past to connect with others because of her love of that medium.

I truely do feel like she’s a lovely depiction to be in a children’s game, because she is a very positive depiction of something that a lot of kids go through, and in the end, she gets to be herself and she gets to be happy by being true to that self. She is never forced to change to make friends, and instead befriends you and the other characters simply by remaining as she is.

#I’m sorry this post is so long I actually could have analysed it scene by scene but I wanted to be nice to everyone #and have a semblence of conciseness!#pokemon 2022 #nemona #pokemon #pokemon scarvi #autism #pokemon scarlet and violet #miraidon #arven #analysis #character analysis #actually autistic #representation

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absolutebl · 8 days

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Hi! apologies if you've answered this before, but can you recommend some bls that deal with homophobia, be it internalised or external? or more generally, bls that are not set in the bl bubble where gayness is 100% accepted?

Thank you very much <3

Ooo, sure thing!

BL's Not Set in The Bubble

BLs that deal with homophobia (internal or external) and rough coming out sequences

Began Beginning from Myanmar is all about this. It's not a BL I would necessarily recommend but it is interesting for many reasons. Both leads are dealing with massive internalize homophobia, among other issues.

Similarly: Like in the Movies and Tie the Not from the Philippines.

And Goodbye Mother and Nation's Brother from Vietnam.

From Thailand

To Sir, With Love - witnessing his family's massive homophobia that results in major tragedy as a child is what drives our main character's whole personality and self hatred. Massive trigger warning.

Until We Meet Again - the pair in the past, of course, it's the driving trauma of the relationship reincarnated. Massive trigger warning.

I Feel You Linger In the Air - fear of being caught is a through line in this drama.

More modern set stuff:

City of Stars deals with having to leave the closet as a super star. So does Close Friend Season 2 a little. The OhmFluke pair also deals with coming out to parents. Love Stage!! (Thailands version) contains one couple that chooses to remain closeted for the good of a career and another that risks it.

Moonlight Chicken - mostly about self hatred and difficulty in being out, to the point where his young nephew challenges him on it and provides a foil.

Also, ya know, TharnType and Why R U. Both have self hated and challenging coming outs because of trauma and daddy issues.

Dark Blue Kiss - Kao is terrified of being outed and it's used to blackmail him.

Similarly although he is out of Ae, Pete is being abused and blackmailed because he is gay in Love By Chance. Also Ae doesn't manage to come out... yet.

I Told Sunset About You - of course.

My Gear and Your Gown final episodes contain homophobic (or are they?) parents.

Second Chance heavily implies that there is something going on with Paper's inability to accept Fah.

Similarly Gene accepting Sib in Lovely Writer.

I'm pretty sure there's a ton of homophobia at the back end of My Tee, but honestly it's been years sicne I watched that mess.

Charming little pulp 21 Day Theory deals with quite a bti of this, but our main character has a lovely gay uncle to guide the way.

"Punch the homophobe" my favorite trope of all time, happens in Oxygen. But otherwise they neatly circumvent the patriarchs objection by defacto adopting a child to inherit.

TonhonChonlatee is all about one characters inability to acept his own queerness as encouraged by his homophobic family and various other evil characters.

My Only 12% actively tackles and calls out cultural homophobia and damaging misrepresentations.

"Why does everyone think that both of them are strange? If it's not wrong, why does everyone hurt?"

The show he's talking about is Thailand's first proto-BL, love of Siam and it is about an inability to come out.

From Japan

Life: Love on the Line - it's parental disgust and personal self hatred and paranoia that breaks them up (they get back together but he as to get over it)

Similarly His - is a kind of reunion romance after self-homophobia drove one half of the pair to marry someone else.

Actually the original series with the same characters, His the series, also deals with self acceptance around gayness, and it's subtle (Japan) but it's pretty clear one of them was kicked out of/ or left his previous school because he got outed. (Light on Me references a similar situation, but it's ultra subtle.)

If It's With You also kinda falls into this category. Not sure these can be called "dealing with" it tho, more side stepping and alluding to it.

Tokyo in April is - yeah it's kinda the whole thing from one half of this pair

What Did You Eat Yesterday also has a coming out to the parents thread throughout, and a coming out at work thing, but it's not really the point of the show.

From Korea

Most Korean BL are gonna be out. The specialize in the bubble. Although a case could be made for Love For Love's Sake and Love Class. And, see comment, Jazz for Two.

One noted exception is Just Friends which is a short piece about coming out to mom while on leave from the military. This is one of Korea's earliest BL pieces and not strictly BL, but it's fascinating in that neither theme (military nor coming out) would reall be reused again.

From Taiwan

My Tooth Your Love - has a kinda different take and we aren't sure, as viewers whether it's because he's gay or because he's not doing what the Patriarch wishes. But trigger warning for [physical abuse.

DNA Says Love You deals with this and other forms of queerphobia during the later half. Slow start but I do love this show.

Faded is a propaganda piece (pro marriage equality) which is all about coming out to a parent.

In H4CTY Xing Si (of the side couple) is having a hard time coming out but that's complied by the fact that he's fucking his stepbrother, it's a mess, bit I enjoy them - v problematic couple tho.

Papa & Daddy actually has a coming out sequence (GASP!) where the parents don't take it well as does Love is Science? (sides) - but the later is mostly because disaster bi is also baby daddy.

Red Balloon, of course, and it's sibling movie Your Name Engraved Herein are kinda all about self loathing and suffering because of gayness and lack of acceptance.

Unknown is certainly tackling some of this.

In which I talk about some of my favorite coming out sequences:

He's Coming to Me has my favorite series of coming out sequences to both friends and mother.

A few more that I really don't like (Promise) and probably Together With Me should be here, but I willfully can't remember them.

(source)

#bls with angst around coming out #bls that deal with homophobia #bls that are not set in the bl bubble where gayness is 100% accepted #mostly thai bl #thai bl #japanese bl #taiwanese bl #historical bl

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umlewis · 23 days

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lewis hamilton is interviewed on media day, japan - april 4, 2024 (transcript under the cut)

Kravitz: "On the car side of things, the car's not as fast as you'd like it. It's also now not particularly reliable, or as reliable as you'd like. Have you kind of come to any conclusion as to why, in your time with the team, they were not able and have not been able to master this ground effects set of rules as well as, say, Red Bull or, even now, it seems, Ferrari?" Lewis: "Do I have the what, sorry?" Kravitz: "Any conclusion as to…" Lewis: "Ah, no, I don't-" Kravitz: "Well, because they won through different rule changes in your time with the team in the past, so it seems strange they could never master this one." Lewis: "Yeah, I think… Well, we just haven't yet, so it's not over yet, and so… But, with this sport, I think it's just naturally difficult. If you start on the right foot and you continue to… If your first brick down has got a good foundation, you can just continue to build on it, and I think that's what we had experienced in the past years, as when we started with this generation of car we started with five bricks, good weight. We had to knock it down and try again, knock it down and try it again, and take off that performance, basically. And we've made all thse changes, we've tried everything. Sometimes lost our way, sometimes they've found it and then lost it again. I think it's just very complex."

#lewis hamilton #f1 #formula 1 #japanese gp 2024 #fic ref #fic ref 2024 #japan #japan 2024 #japan 2024 thursday #ted kravitz

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thornswoggled · 27 days

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on chises family, "a storm brewing in the east," and future arcs

hello im back from two years of not posting on this sideblog to spitball a theory thats been burning a hole in my brain since i caught up with the manga. all loose speculation, id be extremely interested to hear thoughts on this

now that fumiki is back in the picture, id like to theorize that yuuki hatori will soon follow. for the purpose of this theory im going to skip all the reasons why yori is absolutely fumiki. imo theres no point addressing all the evidence here, but id be happy to summarize if not. more attention being paid to chises life in japan, chise wondering why her father "abandoned his role," and elias expressing curiosity over the circumstances that led her to meet seth are all hints towards yuukis story coming to light

one thing TAMB does that i love is how tertiary characters are facsimiles meant to help us understand our main characters. for example, all the "toxic" pairs we see in season 1 that we are meant to compare and contrast elias and chise to, all in various ways that help us understand the ways their relationship might evolve. these minor characters may seem unimportant, but are preparing us to accept developments in the main cast. i believe there are two characters in the college arc that are prepping us for yuuki hatoris story - seth noel and adam sargent

lets first address fumiki, who ill just call yori. yori seems to have mastery over his eyes, which "have the power to bind [fae]" according to gabriella. this is a power both he and yuuki have, which protects chise and chika for a time. however, chika implies in chapter 19 that he didnt always have this ability, or perhaps didnt have the sight at all until he became involved with her. which is strange, considering yori has a "family business" important enough to require he study abroad to train for:

lets run with the idea that yuuki started off with weak or nonexistent powers. have any other men in this series been booted from their families because they lacked the skill?

its possible that this "family business" (assuming yuuki didnt found it himself, and that yori doesnt just mean the church, which i dont think he does because he seems specialized in exorcism) eventually learned that yuuki acquired his binding powers, as well as a child with the same ability. again, are there are other men who are forcibly dragged back into their family, to the detriment of their young daughters?

theres a few reasons why i think such care and time was put into the backstory of philomelas family. chise has done much of the character growth thats possible for her at this time, and attempts to "fix" philomela as a way of fixing herself. she projects on her, and for good reason too, since we are meant to compare them almost 1:1. i believe that the amount of time sunk into adam sargents story is meant to warm us up to understanding yuukis situation, regardless of whether we are meant to forgive him for his abandonment. seths story, too, introduces us to the idea of magical families booting their unworthy kin. which leads us to:

going back to the screencap for the beginning, lets give yuuki the benefit of the doubt and assume hes being truthful when he promises hell be back for the girls one day. this phrasing is really interesting, and i feel like it implies yuuki knows the place hes going is too dangerous for them. assuming hes returning to his family, or to some sort of organization (which i say because yori is part of the conclave/church), perhaps hes afraid that theyll be taken advantage of. or... maybe he was just lying! there is very little we understand about the church, so there are all manner of reasons why yuuki and yori may have ended up involved with them

so, great, okay. fumiki is here, and yuuki may be coming soon. under what context might he show his face? i have some ideas, but this soon into the arc everything is too subject to change. im also not convinced any of this will be addressed in the fiendbane arc. after all, yori was first introduced at the beginning of the college arc, and is only now becoming relevant. so all of this may only be laying the groundwork for yuuki to return in another arc, if not this one, which appears to have a lot cooking already with the dragon, the new mage, etc. but then again, we get oberons little prophecy:

i think we all understand this is japan, right. like, it has to be. it doesnt seem that oberons phrasing in the JP text matches what the great wall of china is called in japanese, but i dont think we are meant to interpret it any other way. what else could it mean, hadrians wall? cmon

all of this focus on chises family, past, and meeting with seth are perhaps warming us up to these people and places becoming relevant when the storm breaks. and i believe yori and yuuki will be the ones to involve chise in it all. now, at this point its clear yori doesnt know who chise is, and is just as likely to not know he had a sister at all. but i think this guy knows:

now... i double checked, and im almost certain this is not seths bodyguard. they have similar hair and fashion, but seths bodyguard parts his hair to the side. its been so long since yuuki has appeared in the manga that its impossible to know for sure if this is him, and im not confident at all that he is. they share some qualities for sure, but that doesnt mean much in this medium. he certainly has yoris swooping hair, at least, so if hes not yuuki he might still be related to him. in the same family business, perhaps? all we know is that hes been here before, and may have been keeping tabs on them in the same way the church does

the use of "wrest" in the above panel is notable here. to wrest is to forcibly take something, and what kind of "blessing" would they want to seize from elias' possession? maybe a useful slay vega that yuuki failed to disclose? if, IF this is yuuki, his demeanor has changed much over the years, and perhaps he is more willing to put chise to use now that he knows where she is. its possible yuuki is making good on his promise, and really is coming back for his daughter like he said he would. we have, after all, seen in chapter 99 how liam and isaac are both unwilling to return to their homes, and the sudden development of philomela being taken in by the scrimgeours. again, philomela is meant to be a near 1:1 chise dupe, so its compelling that we are just now seeing her spirited away to join another family without warning. again, developments among secondary characters prep us for developments among the main cast

again, too soon to tell, and the next chapter is coming soon, so theres a chance this will all immediately blow up in my face. however, we have already seen chise get scouted by another mage, and elias considers how frightened he is that chise will desire something "he cant provide." so how catastrophic would it be if she was also compelled to rejoin her family, searching for answers and closure in a way elias cannot understand? personally id love to see it, though itll be a long way off

do you think yuuki is coming back? do you think yori is a red herring? let me know. ill leave you with this

#the ancient magus bride #mahoutsukai no yome #tamb #mtny #this took like two hours to write im gonna go eat dinner now #original

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phenomenalgirl9 · 9 months

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Kim Seungmin x Reader: You'll be okay

Summary: Being with Seungmin was probably the best thing in your life. But, he's been spotted quite a few times now, and JYP has finally called you to "talk". What do you decide?

A/n: I love this guy!

W/c: 2.4k

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"Jisung! You have to promise me you won't tell him" you told Jisung who had tears in his eyes almost mirroring yours. "But- Seungmin, he-" He tried to speak but couldn't complete. "He'll be fine Jisung, he needs it, I need you to keep him at the dorm tonight" you shifted you gaze to the other who has been standing beside Jisung all this long, silent and his expressions like a stone. "Please Lee Know, do anything to keep him at the dorm and I'll clear out by tomorrow morning. I can't see him, or I won't be able to do this" you said. "Where will you go?” he asked in a soft voice, "I won't tell you that" you said smiling through your tears "I'll have to do this, I'll miss you guys. Don't tell anyone" you said. "What will you tell him?" Lee Know asked again, you could see the sadness in his eyes, hear it in his voice. "I'll figure it out" you said, "Bye" you said and rushed out, you can't bear to cry anymore, not in public at least. Lee Know and Jisung watched you leave. Jisung tried to run to the practice room but Lee Know stopped him. "Don't. You heard what she said, right? We can't afford face the consequences, we can't tell Seungmin"

"Are you sure you'll do this?" Your best friend Ema asked as she rushed around the apartment gathering the stuff you must need. "Yes Ema I'm sure, I can't let anything happen to him or his career. I have to do this" you tried your best not to cry. It was almost 4:00 pm the next time you were done, you two were up all night as you knew you will have to leave before it's 6pm as Han had told you that was the time they all got off today. You quickly booked a cab. "One last thing, you said and picked up a photo frame from the shelf. It was the one you took this year on your anniversary" you sighed as you and Ema started to pile your 2 suitcases into the cab and as you left you started to type out the message you had been preparing since the moment you left the JYPE building. It's around 5 pm now, he'll be done and would read it within an hour. He would probably get angry, rush home and try to call you, well, he wouldn't be able to. You just hoped he didn't feel too bad, well it's Seungmin and he's pretty immovable.

Dear Seungmin, I can't do this anymore, I'm so sorry things have turned out like this. Lately, I have been feeling strange, people and feelings have changed I guess, I think I fell out of love. So, I'm leaving, for good, I'll deactivate this number by the time you see this. I know you'll do great things in the future. All the best. This is Goodbye.

*Send*

You tapped the button and switched off your phone. "You've blocked all their numbers right?" You asked Ema who nodded looking sadky at you. "Are you okay? Y/n please stop holding back" she said and you broke down, earning side glances from the driver. "It hurts so bad Ema, I really love him and I have to do this for him" you sobbed as Ema held you, she refused to let you be alone. Hence, as you decided to move to Japan for a job she immediately decided to move with you, that was her home country anyway. "You really didn't have to come with me" you had told her, "Who said I'm going with you? I'm leaving Korea and going back home and you just happened to be leaving during the same time" she had replied, you however knew very well she had no plans of moving back until you had decided which was just 24 hours ago.

_____________________________________

"Seungmin are you going back to the apartment or the dorm?" Felix asked Seungmin. "Let's go back to the dorm and eat some chicken" Lee Know said grabbing his bag (he is nervous too okay). "No" Seungmin said snatching his bag back, Han had hoped, he hoped Seungmin would open his phone, not that it would make things better but well. "If I stay out like this my girlfriend will forget my face" he said laughing and brought out his phone. 'Oh fuck' Han thought, and he watched the day light get drained off him, his eyes were wide as he seemed to prabably read the message you left again. While the others were busy deciding what to have for dinner tears almost threatened to leave his eyes as he hurriedly called you. Once, twice, thrice the call isn't going through 'the number you are trying to call is unreachable, please try later'. "CHAN HYUNG! PLEASE DRIVE ME TO THE APARTMENT QUICK. YOU ALL TRY CALLING Y/N PLEASE AND EMA TOO" he said and ran as Chan rushed after him no questions asked. "Fast Hyung Fast" Seungmin said as they pulled up near the ally your and his apartment was, while the rest of the Straykids tried to reach you. Han and Lee Know were more desperate than the rest, to stop you, to ask you to 'just come back and we'll figure the rest out' but they could get through you, not even Ema whose phone was switched off. Jisung was fidgeting and Minho knew that he held his hand and shook his head a No, they can't help in anymore, it's too late.

Seungmin rushed to your floor and quickly punched in the passcode and entered and called you out "Y/N! I SWEAR IF THIS IS A JOKE IT ISN'T FUNNY!" he screamed your name and looked around. "Most of her things are gone" he said, his eyes fell on the bookself that was partially empty, along with the missing frame. "She took a frame" he said and Chan looked at his maknae with sadness filled eyes as he ruffled his hair. "She lied, there's something else going on" he said, "what do you mean? What is going on?" Chan finally asked and Seungmin showed him your last message. "But she took out picture, hyung Y/n never looks behind if she decides to leave something or well someone" he said. But what could he do? They had a comeback and he couldn't find a sign of you didn't even use your social media profiles anymore. Where will he find you?

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"Seungminie? Would you go to the dorm today? It's late" Lee Know asked the younger boy in a soft voice. "No" he answered in a small voice as he got his things. "Seungmin, it's been 2 months, why don't you just come back to the dorm. With us, you can't bring back the one who just left. If they-" Changbin was interrupted by Lee Know even before Seungmin tried to speak up. "Let him do it if that gives him comfort! We are nobody to judge here" Lee Know glared at Changbin, who scratched his head as Bangchan looked at Lee Know quizzically. Seungmin left the building to go back to the apartment he used to share with you. He'd get dinner from the nearby soup shop. He never skipped meals as he knew how much you used to hate when he did that. He always came home because what if you decided to come back. He feels so cold some nights without your body clung to him so he takes your blanket too. He won't lie, did cry a few nights too, and to Chan that evening. It's just that he misses you and he couldn't imagine living like this without you.

_____________________________________

"Y/n let's go out, you can't just go home to work and back home for all your life" Ema said. "Watch me" you said, not even looking up from the drama you were watching. "Y/n you haven't been to one place outside work its been 2 months" Ema said. "It hurts, that I'm so far away and I can't even use my phone without seeing him" you said "even the drama has his ost" you said and finally broke down and Ema hugged you. "Why don't you stop watching this?" She asked and you shook your head. "This is the least I can keep in touch with him, I can't bear to look at him. What I did was terrible but I had to. I couldn't let JYP take actions, I can't let people tarnish him or the group. This is for the better" you said.

It was difficult to ignore the existence of someone like Seungmin. But everytime you looked at his videos or pictures you felt an ache in your heart. You knew you hurt him and that thought alone killed you. Along with the additional fact that you can't have him in your life and you yourself put the last pin to the coffin.

_____________________________________

1 more month passed (3 months since the break)

"Do I have to go?" Seungmin asked and the staff nodded, this appearance was necessary for the group and he had to be there so he obliged. He looked into the mirror, fixing his smile, he has to do this for the stays.

_____________________________________

"No, come on. Lets go" Ema pulled you by your arm, she will make you leave your house today, take a stroll through a park then get drinks and dinner. You really felt bad for her, she's been beside you all these days as you wallowed in self-pity. She deserved to go out and if you have to do the same then so be it.

You felt the heat of the sun on your skin after ages. You had forgotten how beautiful Japan actually is. You both walked through the park when you noticed a lot of a cluster of people in one specific area. You didn't think much of it until you saw two very familiar figures staring at you in awe.

"Fuck" you muttered as Lee Know and Han came running to you. "You were here in Hokkaido?" Lee Know asked as he tightened the mask and cap. "What are you guys doing here?" You asked. "We're here for some schedule but it's not started yet so we're currently under cover" Han explained. "We'll leave, don't let anybody know" you said and were about to leave when you heard a voice say "know what" he said and you looked at him. "Chan?" You said in disbelief. "I thought I saw you, so what's going on?" he said. "Either you tell me or I'm calling Seungmin" he threatened and you shook your head and looked at Ema for help, but she was speechless. So you had to explain everything to him. "Pd nim told you all this? Seungmin will receive hate if the relationship gets leaked and you should leave? You couldn't come to me? I am responsible for Straykids and their people" he said almost hurt "and you two let her be stupid?! Why didn't you drag her to the practice studio?" He asked, Oh god, Chan was angry. "How could he even pressure you, I-" Chan was furious but you stopped him. "Chan no. It's fine, everything will be okay soon enough. Seungmin might see us. Ema?" You called "yes?" She spoke hesitantly "ye-yeah lets go" she added. You speed walked towards the exit and as you were leaving, you stood stunned, right there in front you stood Kim Seungmin, eyes wide open in shock. "Y/n" you name left his lips. He took a step towards you and "Fuck" you cursed under your breath and did the first thing that came to your mind. Yes, you ran at full speed back into the park, "Y/n?!" Ema called out at your stupidity, but you were too deep in your mind to listen to her. And Seungmin ran after you, still calling your name. People were watching the scene unfold, at least he was wearing a mask. "Y/n, stop talking to me!" He said, "No!" You called back, he picked up his pace and in no time caught you by the waist and pinned you against a tree. "You really had to chase me this hard" you said as you tried to catch your breath". "You really had to run away this hard?" He asked inreturn. "I- '' before you could complete, you felt two lips against yours. It's like your body remembers his touch and the way you react is engraved in your body. Your lips moved against his on their own. You pushed him and he pulled his mask back up. "Why are you doing this? Why are you lying to me!" He asked, that was when you noticed his eyes and the tears in them, threatening to fall. He cried? "Seungmin I-" you hesitated and suddenly you saw Ema come running and she started telling everything.

"How dare that geyser. Why didn't you come to me? Did you think you can just leave like that! Y/n! You thought you could get rid of me that easily?" He gladed at you "I will always find you" he said as he grabbed your arm and pulled you into himself, he initiated a hug. That was enough for you to break down "should I feel fluffy or creepted out" you said sobbing.

A very out of breath Straykids arrived all clapping. You looked around and pulled away and said "I'm sorry guys. I'm specially sorry to Han and Lee Know" you said as they explained that they knew and also told you the same thing they had said that day "it's wasn't your fault"

"Y/n, protecting you and our relationship is a part of my contract with JYP" Seungmin said. "I confirmed, pd nim had to pay off some reporter who got pictures of you two. But that is a part of his contract. And we stand together in this decision. You should have talked to us" Chan said, shaking his head as Seungmin pulled you into him "It's okay, you did what you thought was best. Please just don't take on everything on yourself." He said and placed his palms on your cheeks and said looking into your eyes "Your it for me. I won't let you go" as he kissed you sweetly, pouring all those words he couldn't say, into it.

"I will fix this, just trust me" he said atter parting and you nodded.

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Masterlist

#imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids seungmin #straykids scenarios #straykids seungmin #straykids x reader #skz seungmin #skz scenarios #straykids x you #skz x y/n #skz x you #seungmin x reader #seungmin x you #seungmin fanfic

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muqingapologist · 3 months

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Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "muqingapologist "?

i go through phases with fanfiction, wavering between never reading any and then reading it consistently over a period of time. so my ao3 account only has bookmarks from the last year or so, so i’ll just include those! i did read some reeeally good fics for pairings that i was really into in the past, but i won’t include them here

as for my username, i used to have the apologist format with another character for my finsta, and i because obsessed over mu qing in my recent read through of tgcf. so i’ll defend him from the haters heh.

ok fics. no particular order.

1. Resurrection by heyholmesletsgo

one thing about me is that im going to eat up every songxiao fix-it fic i come across. this one i think follows the logic of the untamed rather than just mdzs, but i don’t think it’s a big change either way. this fic is so beautiful i thought about it for weeks afterward. it’s pretty short, but the slow, gentle pining as xiao xingchen returns to the world, the way they figure out communication, it’s all so good.

2. some new beginning by liesmyth

i got into good omens after season 2 being released this past summer, and i have to say the fics have been very hit or miss for me. the characterizations in fics are always some strange combination of characterizations of season 2 crowley and season 1 crowley and book crowley. this is post-season 1 though so this isn’t really an issue. i loved this one. i think my favorite form of aziracrow is when they’re both just idiots following the momentum of their feelings without really realizing the significance of their actions until, well, they live together hahah. highly recommend this one for that dynamic! it’s also pretty short.

3. Protagonist Rehabilitation Programme by cinnamonsnaps

this one i actually read entirely on my flight from japan last week after randomly stumbling across it. it’s an SVSSS AU where the original luo binghe transmigrates(?) into shen yuan’s world. im not usually a fan of AU fiction because i think much of the time, the events of the source material are very much what shape the personalities of the characters, but this one works for me. it’s so good at matching the tone and writing style of mxtx while being funny in its own way too.

4. hometown comforts by nyoomerr

this is another bingqiu one, post-canon, and it’s an identity reveal. it’s my ideal identity reveal fic because it’s incredibly low stakes and binghe is just curious about shen yuan’s world. no system warnings and stuff. just bonding. im a simple gal.

5. still waters by marichen

went through a beefleaf phase where i read a bunch of fics. this was the best one by far. unmatched. beefleaf, imo, is a very difficult couple to write for. there’s so much to unpack. it’s hard to make their relationship feel genuine because so much care needs to go into shi qingxuan trusting he xuan again. in this fic, it is the classic he xuan lingering around, but also we see sqx building his own life back up on his own, as well. it’s he xuan pov. so good so good.

6. Bring it back, bring it back [don’t take it away from me] by wednesdaisy

another good omens fic, also post-season 1, aziraphale pov. in this one, crowley fucks off to new zealand because he thinks his relationship with aziraphale is fantasy and it’s too painful to keep seeing him after everything they’ve been through. and aziraphale tracks him down and has to convince crowley that he does indeed want him in his life and loves him and ah, it’s really sweet.

7. the round moon by orphan_account and the hazy sun by orphan_account

this is a 2 part quanyin fic (pre-canon qyz for part 1, post-canon yin yu pov for part 2). i’m also incredibly picky about quanyin fics. this one was so beautifully done. it didn’t make quan yizhen feel overly-childish as an adult like many others do, and it made yin yu’s conflicting feelings about him so vivid and believable. highly recommend for quanyin nation out there.

8. This Is Me Trying by Piper_Emerald

another post-canon identity reveal. this one is a little more angsty than the one above but also so well done! a deep part of me needs an identity reveal to happen for them at some point hahaha…like binghe is smart ok…he suspects already.

9. some good mistakes by Lise

everyone forgive me for not really having any wangxian recs. my post-untamed fic phase was on my old ao3 account i can’t find. anyway, i remember this one being really good. wei wuxian goes missing. jiang cheng pov, teaming up with lan zhan to find wwx. post-canon untamed. personal preference but i love post-canon untamed wangxian fics the most because i just reading about all the ways they might get together.

10. Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream, WhatAreFears

(i keep getting error when i post the link but it’s on ao3)

i’m including this one because i’d be lying if it wasn’t always in my top 10. i never think about stevebucky these days and cannot stand marvel, but damn this fic holds up like 8 years later!! 3-parter, AU where steve never gets frozen but bucky is still the winter soldier. told over decades. some cringe US cold war propaganda but ignoring that…a beautiful story. if you ever carried any attachment for these two, worth the read.

so that’s my very inaccurate too 10 fics. thank you for asking so i have an excuse to discuss hahaha.

#svsss #tgcf #good omens #the untamed #mdzs #songxiao #aziracrow #wangxian #bingqiu #quanyin #beefleaf #stevebucky #fic rec #fanfic #ask

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yyumemika · 2 months

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The Thrill That Emerges: Episode 2

Characters: Shu, Tsumugi

Season: Winter

Shu: —You don’t need to apologise so much. I understand the situation well.

If you feel sorry for me, end the call now, return to the site and make an effort to solve the problem.

Yes. That's fine. Well, I'll be waiting at the usual café.

(More than anything, it's hard to believe that problems would arise at work for a small girl only on the day that we're making arrangements for the feature live.)

(Oh well, if I read a book, the time will pass quickly.)

(Moreover, I haven't been to that café in a while and I'm looking forward to eating the soft bread.)

(Although the patronage has changed after the shuffle unit project, I just hope that it doesn't become so noisy.)

Tsumugi: ...

Huh? Is that Shu-kun?

Shu: ...

Tsumugi: It's Shu-kun isn't it? Why are you ignoring me?

Shu: ...

Tsumugi: H-Huh? Can you really not hear me? Shu-kun, it's me! It's Tsumugi Aoba~!

Shu: ...I don't want you raising your voice so close to my ear, Aoba.

Tsumugi: Ah, you finally noticed me...! Thank goodness.

Shu: I'm not good at all... I never thought I'd bump into you in the middle of town like this.

Tsumugi: Fufu. I was surprised too. Even though I knew you wanted to return to Japan.

Are you going to ES from here? Or is it something else?

Shu: I'm on the way to the café from when we were in a shuffle unit together.

Tsumugi: Aah, it was promoted as BLEND+...

But... I thought for certain that café was closed today?

Shu: ...What? I thought that café was only supposed to be closed during national holidays?

Tsumugi: Yes. That was originally true but...

Because the café now has a reputation for being familiar with ES rookie idols, the business structure has changed a little bit.

But, it very rarely has days off. I remembered it's closed today because it's so rare.

Shu: Ha. The café is closed and there's trouble at the girl's work... Today must be my unlucky day.

Tsumugi: Is Anzu-chan in trouble?

Shu: Ah, you don't need to worry. The problem isn't as big as it seems.

But... She did just contact me to inform me we she wouldn't make it in time for the feature live briefing.

Tsumugi: I see. I guess it's Shu-kun's turn next.

Does that mean the bag you're holding is a present for Anzu-chan? And my souvenir... I don't expect you got me anything?

Shu: You know very well. Of course not.

Tsumugi: Uh. I thought so but, you say it so bluntly...

Shu: I question why you thought I would give you something in the first place. I have no intention of gifting you something as though we're friends.

Tsumugi: Eh~ I though we'd become close after forming the shuffle unit together...

I'm shocked, Shu-kun.

Shu: You're being awfully troublesome today.

Haa... If you really want a souvenir, feel free to have some of the pastries I left in the Starmony Hall shared room.

Tsumugi: Are they a souvenir for everyone at Starmony? How strange, for Shu-kun to do such a thing.

Shu: I suppose. Since I return to Japan to often, if I bought souvenirs every time there would never be an end to it.

...However, I once had someone help me pick a souvenir for a friend in Paris.

It's late but, I just thought I should show my gratitude.

Tsumugi: ...♪

Shu: ...What. I don't want to see that disgusting look on your face.

Tsumugi: I just think Shu-kun really has changed♪

No, you were always like that, but it's started to come through recently.

In any case, take my word that I'll be very thankful when I go back to Starmony Hall.

Shu: Hmph. Do as you wish.

Tsumugi: In that case, I'll be on my way. I'm looking forward to Shu-kun's feature live♪

Shu: You really haven't changed, Aoba...

(Right, I'd better inform the girl we can't use the usual café for our meeting.)

Shu: Over here, girl.

I've had enough apologies. I've heard all about the situation and it's no fault of yours.

Then I won't blame you for this matter.

...Aside from that, I'm more concerned about your appearance.

It's a meeting, but it's also work. Although we're familiar from our school days, it's not good to lack manners.

...Of course. I know that you hurried over to not keep me waiting.

I'll give you time to adjust your garments a little... Hm?

Shu: You're curious about what's on the table?

This is a gift for you. It seems to be new product released by a popular pastry shop in Paris.

I purchased this on the recommendation of a friend in Paris. I'm not sure if it will suit your taste but...

"Is it okay if I have some"?

I bought it for you. Rather, what are you holding back for.

You've been looking after Kagehira. Take it as an everyday courtesy.

Also, I have one more thing for you.

It's an art book. It summarises every piece that has caught my eye in the past year.

...Although the feature live is my solo live, I'll need your cooperation to build that stage.

I appreciate your ability, but that doesn't mean you fully understand the art that I create.

That's why I've gifted you this art book.

By knowing about the works that I feel comfortable with, perhaps you can get closer to my point of view.

If you do that, we can come to an understanding about what my ideal performance is, can we not?

We can both envisage the same perfect form.

That is very important in a collaborative production.

Although, you can't come to understand the world of art in only a day.

At the very least, I hope it helps you expand your perspective.

You seem to enjoy it... Yes, give me your best effort.

However, you're eating more than I expected. Well, if you're happy don't feel bad.

Right, lets begin the meeting for the feature live right away.

Hm? You're asking what we should do about the pamphlet photography?

...That being said, what do you think about a photoshoot in Paris.

Although I return to Japan occasionally, my current working location is Paris.

In that case, it would make sense to take the off-shots in Paris, and above all, that would allow Shu Itsuki to demonstrate his strengths as an artist.

"I'll check my schedule"?

...You can come to my group exhibitions sneakily with Kagehira, but you can't just reply to my invitation?

Don't worry, I'll act as your guide.

There's no lie in the words that we will create a stage together. This time you'll accompany me until the end.

In order to strike the world as the artist, Shu Itsuki.

#ensemble stars #enstars #shu itsuki #tsumugi aoba #english translation

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dropintomanga · 9 months

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Kowloon Generic Romance - A Perspective from a Cantonese-Speaking Person

After reading Mangasplaining’s great interview with Jun Mayuzuki and hearing a lot about the series, I jumped into the 1st 3 volumes of Kowloon Generic Romance. As someone who’s been to Hong Kong and whose mother lived there for a short while, the series’ grand theme about the persistence of nostalgia does make me think about Hong Kong culture.

The series focuses on a potential romance between two real estate agents who work together in Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. Reiko Kujirai and Hajime Kudou both live their daily lives working, eating, and contemplating the status of the dystopian metropolis they live in. What starts off as an interesting romance drama suddenly becomes an ongoing mystery regarding identity and what it means to live as someone who feels strangely out of place, but deserves love as much as anyone.

I won’t go into too much detail about the plot, but I will talk about the area that the manga covers - Hong Kong. I’ve been to Hong Kong twice and I find it to be one of the most interesting places in the planet. I went to Mong Kok Shopping Center for anime goods, walked around Kowloon (the Walled City is not there anymore), saw the Avenue of Stars at Victoria Harbor, ate at Causeway Bay and much more. Before moving to the U.S., my mom lived in Hong Kong for a period of time all while getting help from a friend. Although Mayuzuki hasn’t been to Hong Kong, her recreation of it in Kowloon Generic Romance does make it feel like I’m there - or maybe an old part of Hong Kong that’s trying to fight constant change.

An East Asian island filled with so many people living in tight quarters, all balancing the need to move forward versus taking the time to stop and connect with family and friends. For those who are unaware, Hong Kong was ruled by Great Britain from 1841-1997. From around post-WWII until the 1980s’, Hong Kong found itself and become a thriving country. It has a very interesting mix of East and West aesthetics. While one can argue Japan mixes East and West very well today, Hong Kong was the king of showing the beauty of both sides of the world. The Society for East Asian Anthropology has a wonderful essay about “Old Hong Kong” and the nostalgia for it.

What’s funny is that there’s characters in Kowloon Generic Romance that mention how people in Kowloon have nostalgia for it a la Old Hong Kong vibes. Like it’s the same as love. A while back before reading the manga, I watched a video of a woman who left Hong Kong and she talked about how much it’s changed. One thing from the video that stood out to me was the mention of the Cantonese Chinese dialect (which is widely spoken in Hong Kong) possibly becoming an afterthought compared to Mandarin Chinese (the most popular Chinese dialect and one of the top languages in the world). She said she’s committed to keeping the Cantonese dialect alive in the U.S, where she currently lives, for the Chinese communities there.

There’s a scene in Volume 3 of the manga where an antagonist character laments on how the citizens of Kowloon seem stubborn in promoting their traditions in the face of urban development. They think nostalgia as an emotion that’s annoying. I figure that this character would find the woman I just talked about who’s trying to save Cantonese out of a sense of nostalgia to be annoying. It’s funny because some people might argue “Why study Cantonese? Mandarin is spoken everywhere where Chinese is spoken.” I speak Cantonese conversationally, but I find it to be fun. I have fond memories of interacting with fellow speakers of the dialect. Once upon a time, I made some friends due to learning Cantonese from anime. Speaking Cantonese helped me get closer with my parents as well. Lately, the dialect has helped me come to terms with being a person of Chinese descent.

I think about my fellow Cantonese speakers all over the world. I wonder how they would feel if no one spoke it anymore. Would they fight to keep the dialect alive? Would they just don’t care due to the demands of modernity?

I’ve also thought about what Hong Kong residents felt during the 1980s’ and early 1990s’. I was exposed to so much Hong Kong cinema as a child, which was really popular around that time. Although I didn’t understand the themes beneath the surface due to my age, I got to see how filmmakers expressed their thoughts and views on life in Hong Kong before the big handover to China and shortly after.

Kowloon Generic Romance has taken me back to those films and an appreciation of Hong Kong culture in some way. The manga does remind me of the 1994 Wong Kar-Wai film, Chungking Express. Both are love stories based in Hong Kong featuring individuals struggling with loneliness, finding themselves and learning to cultivate love in a fast-paced world.

I’m nostalgic about many things - especially things from the 1990s’. But when it comes to anime and manga nostalgia, I remembered that I got into anime due to Hong Kong culture. I watched Cantonese dubbed episodes of Dragon Ball Z. That’s how it all began for me. Chinatown was my source of video games in the late ‘90s as a teen and everyone selling them spoke Cantonese. It was also a source for Chinese-translated manga when English-translated manga was about to hit its boom. Reading Kowloon Generic Romance made me think about those days of discovering fandom in the Cantonese Chinese community.

It also makes me wonder about my place in the Chinese hierarchy in the future. I already struggle with thoughts about belonging and now with so many Chinese speaking Mandarin as their main dialect, I feel like I’m being phased out. Maybe I’m Reiko Kujirai herself.

I do know that a lot of propaganda use nostalgia for nefarious purposes due to its emotional nature. But I don’t think nostalgia has left me in despair. Some traditions definitely need to pass on to newer generations. Yet I never found myself trying to chase the past to a huge extent. Maybe that’s it. Let nostalgia come naturally. Be like the citizens of Kowloon/Hong Kong and don’t let an entire outside institution define nostalgia for you.

It’s important to have treasured memories that YOU own, good and bad, because they help to cultivate the person you want to be. I appreciate what I have now because of certain nostalgic memories that I personally chose to experience. They unlock our vulnerable selves and tell us that our experiences with our loved ones make life worth living.

That way, nostalgia can help you go forward, whether you want a generic yet satisfying life or a romantic one.

#Kowloon Generic Romance #manga #Jun Mayuzuki #nostalgia #Hong Kong #Hong Kong culture #psychology

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jenyifer · 2 months

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Pit Babe ep 6 initial reaction

So I recently got back from a trip to Korea and Japan in January (which is why I’m watching everything late cause couldn’t watch it there). Hardcore studied Japanese for 7 years Koran for 3 years. Can read to a decent level in both. Now started my Thai Bl stuff? Maybe 2 years ago when I watched KinnPorsche. I have not actively tried to learn Thai. So why is my auditory understanding of Thai at the same level as Korean. I keep hearing changes from the subs on iqiyi. This is why when I was in Korea and Japan I kept accidentally speaking Thai? 😭😭 anyways onto the photo review.

Is it crazy babe is that good without his abilities? As far as I can tell he hasn’t been using his skill since he started seeing Charlie. Also feel like this is great meme potential.

Very very very harsh Alan. He doesn’t really give Dean any advice on achieving his goals. Also I think Dean was angry when he was racing Babe and Charlie. Seems like if Alan had more practice maybe he’d feel more comfortable

Way is moving through the stages of grief. Acceptance of the enemy. Way kept treating Charlie like he was replaceable. Also babe was looking hella tiny in this scene. Specifically when he was going down the stairs

Couple things that annoy me about this scene.

1. Jeff doesn’t eat or drink. Look at that milk shake and cake. Come on a tiny nibble? It’s good for the baby.

2. Love Actually in my opinion is one of the weakest romance films of all time. It’s sad the porn couple Martin Freeman and Johanna Page were the sweetest one. But the paper holding scene I found fucking creepy? Her husband kids etc are inside and that’s why the guy is doing the paper signs. Romantic? No. Traumatizing kids on Christmas? Yes.

3. Is Jeff a Uni student? Because… I think Way said he’s known Babe for 7 or 10 years. Which means Alan has to be in his 30s and Babe Way are 25 or 28? Idk concerning age diff at least for Jeff and Alan. Also Alan has a bad case of No means No, but I guess very abo.

Babe’s actor is so Beautiful and convincing at being in love with Charlie. He’s so soft and cute. However suggesting babies is fucking weird Charlie. Maybe it’s cause I don’t want any but seems a bit strange but no kink shaming babe and Charlie can have a mommy kink if they want.

“Why don’t we do it in the road?” By The Beatles

I think I’m just too American South brained because my reaction to this is it’s not cute. A rural road would definitely have road kill splatters and broken glass. Also I’d be worried someone would come out of their house and shoot me to death and that’s before they find out I’m of the LGBT+ variation of human.

I actually think the one I like is called Sonic. Oddly not the one who wears blue? But anyways style icon legend got checked by Dean for doing work? They didn’t seem to be doing the social media thing but helping in the garage so not fair he is taking his frustrations out on them. Also Sonic and North should have an opinion on Charlie joining. Wish we could know if they are friendly with Charlie or not. We do see them also at the party but Charlie is so babe focused I guess they don’t exist but they should be closer to his age.

Awwww Babe is taking the boyfriend title seriously trying to look out for Jeff now. But Jeff sees some bad shit but he just doesn’t share it with us. What’s Charlie’s ability? I guess something with his mouth and that’s why he can by pass Babe’s no’s

Babe was a bit heartless to Way. I mean Way made it clear what kind of simp he was for Babe. I get that Way was Babe’s first friend and he’s very attached to Way for that reason but Babe does have Alan too. I feel like when Way asked for Babe’s necklace then Babe should have said hey just so we clear besties. But then again idk how socialized Babe was at that point.

#pit babe the series #pit babe bl #pit babe #pit babe ep 6 #pit babe episode 6 #charliebabe #alanjeff #Jenny’s watching

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nagisasstunningpersonality · 1 year

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What kind of relationship do you think Karma has with his parents ?

In canon: in the manga itself I believe his parents are only mentioned twice - chapters 37 and 89. In 37 (my TL from Japanese) Karma recognises the henna that Sugaya did on himself, and says his parents are crazy about India and come back with a henna tattoo every time they go on a trip. In 89, all he says is he likes his name because he inherited his parents' weird taste. Karma is 14 when both conversations take place.

He doesn't seem upset or bothered by particularly the chapter 37 mention, however... Maybe it's best if I fully translate what it says in roll call book:

"His parents make a killing as daytraders, they're both free spirits and weirdos. They spend more than half of a year away travelling. They have the regular saying 'you can fulfill anything you set your mind on if you don't bend your heart', and even when they're not at home, this is strongly reflected in Karma's personality."

So we basically have confirmation that Karma's parents willfully leave their 14 year old (and most likely this started when he was much younger) son home alone most of the time.

We also have the detail that Nagisa's the only one who's been to his house which is "strange because of his parent's hobbies" (roll call book) and that it often smells like Indian incense (graduation album).

Now let's unpack what day trading actually involves. It's not really a 'job', they basically just trade stocks over and over each day. This isn't the same as investing long term in companies you think will grow, it's keeping a constant eye on market movements and quick profits. If they're making a lot of money, enough to pay private school fees and maintain a lifestyle in an expensive area of Japan ar least, then they're reasonably good at it. This means basically constantly monitoring and analysing the stock market movements in any given day.

Their trips can't be mistaken with business travel then. The vocabulary used also implies it's more a trip for pleasure.

This is where the direclty canon stuff ends and I'll add my own opinion on this.

Karma has never said or implied anything about being upset with this. It's definitely implied that he looks up to his parents in some way - he enjoys that he inherited their weird taste at least, and he clearly takes their teachings to heart. Then again I feel like a lot of 14 year old boys would have an absolute field day if regularly left alone without parental supervision.

That being said, I can't help but feel like their relationship must be a little strained, especially if they're just straight up not there. Also their son being suspended from school for attacking another student, and then wrecking a teacher's office, isn't enough to make them think they should keep a closer eye on him?

I think it's definitely possible he has a bit of a lowkey complex about it. You could read his distrust of teachers as an authority thing, but I think it could be a variation of abandonment issues. I also think that's part of why he struggled with friendships and letting people get close to him in general.

It's also very interesting to me that despite taking his parents' words to heart, he chose a career in the civil service. Kind of seems like the antithesis of them. Honestly they give me the vibe of hypocritical hippies, as in acting like they're all anti establishment yet clearly fully engage with and profit from capitalism.

So yeah, I think strained, especially as an adult when interactions happen less naturally. I feel like they wouldn't even really 'know' each other.

#assassination classroom #ass class #ansatsu kyoushitsu #karma akabane

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dark-side-blog3 · 2 months

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From "Phantom Blood" to "Stone Ocean", which JJBA part do you think would be the best to be isekai'd into, and which one would be the worst?

Thanks for sending in the question anon! I've been thinking about it all day and going down a bunch of historical rabbitholes to make my choices (which, after typing out several hours later, I realized wouldn't be much fun for anyone to read).

For me personally, I’d say the best one to be isekai’d into would be Diamond is Unbreakable (part 4), and I think the worst one would be Battle Tendency (part 2).

I give my reasoning below, with some heavy editing, which may make it sound a bit strange. I have a tendency to talk too much, so I've tried to edit it down. It's still a bit long.

++++++++++++++

I can't see any benefit to phantom blood, considering Dio is at full overpower with abilities we never see again in other parts, and everyone else would simply be too easy to force into backing off. Johnathan is easy to manipulate, so is a young Erina. Speedwagon can settle for less than he wants in a relationship if he feels Johnathan will judge him for it. And Zeppeli... Is kinda the only threat, but I can't really fathom what a relationship (platonic or romantic) would be like with him. In any case, not the best, but not the worst.

Battle Tendency has my ass beat. I do not run, I will not run, and what would even be the point when more than half the characters in this arc are superhuman/cyborgs? I can't outwit, lie, cheat, or gross out any of them and expect to survive. Even the ones that wouldn't kill me like Suzie Q just have an impenetrable state of delusion. I cannot win this one. Having a horrible time here. Dare I say, the worst time actually.

Because yes: Vento Aureo is all about the mafia having superpowers, and it's well established that they can be some crazy, creative fucks when it comes to torture and murder. And they should be the absolute worst, because organized crime can do way scarier shit than anyone can in Stone Ocean simply because resources and time aren't hard to get.

BUT! I think since there isn't a world war going on, with cyborg Nazis-- Which is a low bar, but such is life when you overthink-- is what makes Vento Aureo better than battle tendency.

And Stone Ocean is... Bad but tolerable. I'd just try my best to mind my own business, and crumple like a paper ball when someone pulls possessive/obsessive shit. It probably wouldn't even connect in my brain the characters are acting yandere, I would just assume they're doing standard prison things since I got isekai'd into the prison arc.

Now that narrows done the best choices between prt 3, and prt 4.

I'mma go ahead and say it: I'd prefer a small town in Japan to crossing countries and continents.

Diamond is Unbreakable has it all. Modern-ish technology, the original pop culture yandere herself, reliable access to medical care (good luck finding my very specific pills in the middle of a desert), and thankfully: A much smaller cast. Keeping track of all the characters in Morioh? Infinitely easier than keeping track of all the characters in Stardust Crusader. Even if we're including those one-off villains, and random background characters, a-la those twisted wonderland isekai.

Though considering JJBA is a franchise that's mostly manga and anime, it's not likely the multiple characters would become interested in the isekai'd victim, since the mechanics would be fundamentally different. A reader or a viewer isn't really a god, they're more of a prophet, if even that. Or just really good at cold reading someones personality. To continue this tangent just a smidge more, I think if you said you got isekai'd, the only people who would both understand what you're saying and believe you is Toshikazu, and maybe Koichi.

What the hell am I supposed to do being dragged place to place, or sitting in a house for three months? With the tech from the 1980's?

#would you rather ask game #ask game #yandere ask game #yandere jjba #yandere jojo's bizarre adventure #yandere jojo

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noxiatoxia · 8 months

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@pumpkinmetaphor HII ur asks are off and tumblr DMs are a nightmare to navigate so I will respond here to spare poor poor op

soo I have quite a bit written out actually, but idk if it'll ever come to be ...? I think I actually made a post abt it a bit back. It's just one of those many many things I write in my downtime for fun that will prob never get finished. Anyways the concept revolves around werewolves because I love stories of protags having some deep secret they cannot reveal for fear of rejection or worse. In the story, Kaoru has been infected with lycanthropy after being attacked badly by a werewolf. He lies about this encounter to everyone, doctors and his brother included, as he genuinely believes he must have saw wrong. He was attacked at night when he couldn't see well, the animal seeming to be a wolf...but there aren't any wild wolves in Japan. So Kaoru believes it must have been something else. (side note idk how the disease spreads as of yet. Think either saliva in the bloodstream like rabies or it's a thing of if you get killed by a werewolf you come back as one not knowing you technically died...)

Soso Kaoru beings acting strange after this event. After weeks recovering physically, coming back home, his personality shifts unknowingly to himself. He becomes a lot more restless at night, much more snappy and rude, generally kinda acting like his brother more lol. He just seems to be losing his temper easier and being more aggressive and physical, even with Hikaru, who he also becomes more snappy with. Obviously he doesn't understand why he's acting like this, neither does anybody in the club.

Then the big thing happens...full moon baybeeee. Up to this point Kaoru would feel more awake/elevated heartbeat when looking at the moon, but when the full moon comes around, he feels fucking crazy. Like manic and uncontrollable and he starts to freak out a bit. However he sticks it out because the club is hosting a prom event like episode 2, so it's like, whatever, go home and sleep later.

Until he makes the mistake of forgetting to keep himself busy, which leads to him compulsively staring at the moon, and then he finds he can't look away, and well.

And the transformation thing sort of has him black out. In my head, I imagine the werewolves look like regular wolves, just a tad bigger with bigger paws that may be more human-like. Definitely makes him lose all cognitive ability, and by the time he snaps back to normal, he doesn't know where he is, his clothes are tattered, he's in so much pain, and there's blood, and he's like whaaat the fuck happened here...

He's able to hide these facts, not wanting anyone to know how he found himself when he woke up bc that shit cannot be good. quickly through talk he finds that morning that haruhi got hurt last night, so of course hikaru (who is doubly worried about his brother who disappeared for a chunk of the night) urges that the two of them along with the rest of the host club check up on haruhi (who is at home trying to tell them "im fine guys gooddd")

but like, ofc its the club so they knock the door down lmfao. and tho haruhi plays it cool, she is obviously a little shaken about whatever happened. she has some bandages but nothing awful.

turns out, as she explains, an animal attacked her last night (cue tamaki wailing) and she scared it off by blindly slashing a pocket knife at it ("WHY ARE YOU CARRYING SUCH A DANGEROUS WEAPON AROUND!?!? IF YOU NEED BODY GAURDS KYOYA CAN DO SOMETHING IM SURE-" "i use it to open packages senpai.")

kyoya of course takes the idea of a wild, vicious animal on school grounds very seriously, and so inquires on the appearance of the animal. haruhi pauses but admits it looked like a wolf. of course kyoya tells her that can't be right, it must have been a stray dog, but haruhi insists it did NOT look like a dog.

anyways, the club are in uproar about this, arguing back and forth about this wolf-not-wolf that nearly killed haruhi, and kaoru is silently watching from the back as a terrifying realization dawns on him. he remembered waking up with there being blood. namely, blood on his hands and under his nails, and a nasty cut he got on his cheek which he assumed he acquired by tripping and hitting something sharp. But if he pairs that with what haruhi says, it seems INSANE, but also...it would make sense. everything to this point would make sense.

and it terrifies him. it terrifies him more that hikaru swears up and down that he's going to "kill that filthy mutt" that hurt haruhi, and it terrifies him that kyoya says he's going to bring this up with school staff about increasing security. he wonders if he told them that it wasnt just a wolf, it was HIM, that if they would be merciful, or if they would still hate him. if hikaru would want him dead still. and the fact is, he HURT someone. his friend. this is his fault and he cant even blame his friends if they wanted to go as far as kill him if they found out, now that he is literally a monster that can kill people.

this, finally, is where the carriage thing comes in (took long enough!) the story functions as an elaborate ass metaphor, where kaoru's lycanthropy is a physical metaphor for his anxieties about the person who he's supposed to be, the harm he thinks he's causing other people, the harm he's causing his brother. he's running around, trying to find a cure while keeping everyone in the dark, praying no one finds out before he can fix this and fix himself. and if he cant, his only option is likely a grim one, but he CANT let anyone know, it's too risky, he has to do this by himself. his self-destroying obsession with keeping everyone safe and doing the right thing for his friends causes him to push them away from fear of hurting them or getting hurt himself. there's that part of him that's convinced he won't be able to solve this.

it basically drives him to his lowest point mentally and physically. he avoids all his friends so he can't hurt them with his uncontrollable temper or possible transformation, he's doing tons of shady shit in an effort to cure himself. he goes to nekozawa bc if anybody knows how to solve this fuckery its nekozawa and nekozawa treats him like a little lab experiment lmao bc of course he is enraptured by kaoru's newfound form and the physical changes it has made to his body (sharper canines, faster-growing hair, possibly an inch taller, newfound silver allergy). but of course as news of the wolf attack on campus spreads so do rumors, some "crazy" rumors about werewolves being real, of course rumors that are mocked by most of the kids as being nonsense scary stories, but this does NOT help kaoru's paranoia...

as for how this story ends WELL it's unfinished so you can guess (i have no ending.) i do want some part of hikaru obviously finding out at the worst possible moment, probably a very unfortunate circumstance where kaoru is unable to escape transformation on a full moon and hikaru is there. and he probably begs and pleads for hikaru to leave him alone but of course his brother won't do that, and obviously he is fucking stunned to see his brother turn into ?? a wolf. like erm *marvel voice that just happened..... and since kaoru has no control in this form, he tries to attack and even kill hikaru. hikaru would obviously not fight back, bc he doesn't want to hurt kaoru. that and he is stunned silent.

there are other elements of the story i want. for example, if i ever finish this thing, i do have ideas of ayanokoji being involved somehow. probably a witness to kaoru's odd behavior/actual transformation and thusly being able to use this against him cuz Fuck Da Host Club. or even try to kill him herself bc he's a fucking wolf dude idk. i also had this scene in my head with arai being involved bc the night kaoru attacks his brother he wakes up far as fuck away from tokyo with no memory except knowing A) hikaru was there and B) there is blood all over him he can only think of the worst possibilities so he kinda wanders in an unfamiliar back road in a fugue state until some lady almost accidentally hits him with a car and is like. who is this child covered in wounds and blood......and very sane thing to do she is like. hey do u need like. a lift. you look like ur gonna die. you have like 3 stab wounds. and kaoru is like. floor it chief. anyways turns out it's arai's mother ! woah. which is funny because after helping Kaoru and hanging out with him she admits she's like, "oh i helped you cuz you remind me of my son. you seem about his age" and kaoru is like oh ha ha that's nice of you....and then fuckin arai shows up a few hours later and kaoru is like "ohhhhhhhhhhh............................uhoh."

to which since kaoru doesnt have his phone on him arai offers to phone haruhi for him since he has her number and of course 5 minutes later the host club is at their location in a fucking helicopter or some shit bc ZOMG KAORUUU WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOUUUUU WHERE DID U GOOOO (hikaru withholding information)

it's an incredibly "fan fiction-y" story i admit. but that's the fun of it. it could get soooo dramatic too. cuz like yeah duhh hikaru wouldn't want to kill kaoru ofc not but OTHER people ? there's a guy who is a werewolf. umm. can't see that going over well. and the general attitude kaoru would hold and the way he attempts to figure everything out on his own. the day he and hikaru reunite after hikaru finds out the truth could go so many ways, from silence to yelling to crying to awkward laughing to kaoru just blankly asking what hikaru plans to do with him now, like he's a prisoner accepting his execution. sorry i am a fan of introducing trauma between the toxic codependent twins. and like the other members of the club? i can see people like tamaki being quick to try and help kaoru (despite what he did to haruhi) and haruhi being like "this may as well happen welcome to Ouran Fucking Highschool" but people like Mori or Kyoya may be more hesitant, pointing out kaoru, while not malicious, genuinely CANNOT control himself in his canine state and has shown multiple times that can and WILL kill people, including his friends, and that can't be ignored or brushed off. maybe they put a muzzle on him idfk. either way, it's also a great metaphor for stigma bc once his friends start finding out, they are obviously treating him differently. Even (or especially) hikaru. he's being treated like a different person now. it makes him feel more inhuman than ever. they only see this awful monster he can become now, he feels, and honestly, maybe they're right. it's not all of who he is, but it's a part of him, a part of him that has hurt two people he loves most, and so he can't help but judge himself based off that too.

well ermmmm yes! that is my funny funny story that i have like 6k written down in a word document of that i may or may not finish who fuckin knowwws

#noxia and his cringe fan fiction #ive got another one that i ACTUALLY plan to finish that is the ''died and came back wrong'' trope....again with kaoru.....#not like ACTUALLY dying but its an amnesia story and *rubs hands together have i got SO many ideas.#again a good chunk is written already duhhh...#;shortstory #ohshc #;noxiatalksia

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apirateslifeforbudgie · 2 months

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I'm having a bit of a rough time lately...Can't really focus on any writing or one single piece of art for too long - I just keep jumping all around and it is exhausting. So...I just decided to talk about my main character since I'm feeling more comfortable with sharing things about her. And be warned, this will be all over the place as well.

Here is her SBS trivia:

And below the cut are lots and lots and lots (and I mean, a lot) of details of development, fun facts, and further info on my girl.

🌙 Carmen is incredibly morally grey - I place her very firmly as a chaotic neutral.

🌙 Some cute, lighter things before I get in too deep with her character: As a child, she was very much a daddy's girl. She loves to make things; especially jams, wines (jet fuel, save for a lavender wine that is surprisingly pleasant), suncatchers, jewelry, and the occasional tambourine. She can read the stars. She really likes sweets - her favorite flavors being caramel, honey, and cherry. And she really loves peaches - her Devil Fruit was once a peach. As mentioned above, typically in a real-world setting, her mother is from Japan, so Japanese is usually a second language for her, but it hasn't come in One Piece. But she also really loves miso soup, especially when it reminds her of her mother's cooking. Her mother brushing her hair is a very fond memory for her, and she grew it out for her mother - playing with hair is a major sign of affection for her. She really likes the ocean and she misses swimming.

Anyway...

🌙 She won't hesitate to become violent - there's confidence in her abilities that can even overflow to arrogance at times. In fact, Carmen was so similar to Kid, I had to tone some things down. For example, in Gundam, she had the short choppy hair (which she gets at some point in every insert, but more on that later) and she always wore goggles either on her head or around her neck. She was a mobile suit pilot and she loved working on her machinery, so I took the tinkering and mechanic aspect away from her. Although...I do still have an old mechanic pin-up drawing I did a few years back...

🌙 Carmen still thinks robots are cool, though! Didn't take that away from her. She also likes dinosaurs, dragons, comics. Since the only one I'm aware of in One Piece is Sora Warrior the Sea, she's an avid Sora fan and goes straight to the strip whenever the paper drops. She also really likes anything considered scary and strange. She likes to catch spiders, lizards, insects. As mentioned above, she has a fascination with Thriller Bark. Her favorite holiday is Halloween - she loves all things Halloween. In the real world, the Monster Mash is one of her favorite songs.

🌙 Also...in a real-world setting, she fucking loves ALF??? (She's watching ALF all the time in Gundam)

🌙 Beyond her interests and sense of humor, she herself is also incredibly...weird? Strange? Off-putting maybe? Franky will describe her as sketchy earlier on (Wandering Star, episode 5), even as she warms up to everyone, I'm not sure that opinion really goes away.

🌙 Very much a trickster - it's her base for how she functions even later in work and play. If you've read any of Wandering Star, you know she absolutely cannot be trusted - not unless you truly get to know her, at least. But before that, she knows how to read people due to her job and absolutely will use it to her advantage.

🌙 She has ridiculous willpower when it comes to reaching her goals. Originally, she wasn't going to have Conqueror's Haki, but after reading more about it, I realized it would be absolutely fitting for her.

🌙 I kept with my other rules though. No Future Sight, she can't hear the Voice of All Things, and she is not a "D". Her middle name for well over a decade has been Dolores, so I removed it entirely for that purpose. While she is good with Haki because of her upbringing in a powerful kingdom with a Haki-based military and her family being personal friends with the Captain of the Guard who would train her from a young age, she is far less reliant on it now. However, she does often pair observation Haki with her powers, and has pretty much ceased use of armament. Her whole thing is just "don't get hit", which usually works out for her with her speed and precision - but is absolutely not always the case.

🌙 She doesn't like to use shields or wear helmets, even in battle. That was a big thing that came up often in her insertions for Berserk and Gundam. With armor, she just likes to keep everything light.

🌙 She doesn't like to wear shoes. That's just always been a thing with her. She will compromise with some black flats or comfy sneakers though.

🌙 I've noticed she's always incredibly nomadic. In AOT, it was the Survey Corps. In Berserk, she was a mercenary. In Gundam, she was Airborne. She holds rank across the board, too.

🌙 On that note, I'll say she feels very much like a natural-born leader. While she can be crude and cold (often) she still always very much cares for her men, and they give love and loyalty in return. In One Piece, you'll see what she was willing to give just to be sure her men had adequate training (for victory and survival), food, clothing, and shelter. Her and her men are always like a family, that's across the board. They like to sing a lot, especially around their campfires.

🌙 Singing and dancing is something that has carried over for her since I was a child. As much as I hate it, it is a major part of her as a character and has been from the start. In One Piece especially, after certain events you'll see she'll use singing to kinda self-soothe (also I've noticed when she sings, unless she's performing, it's always sad songs or love songs???), and dancing is very freeing for her. In stories across the board, she's always working at a club of some kind that leads into the main story. For Berserk, it was pretty much the same as One Piece when the Band of the Hawk came through. In Gundam, she was working in a far sleezier little place, stole a cop car to attempt to drift it to try to impress a guy and got arrested - with current world events, they gave her the option of prison or military. She chose military and went on to become a Major, and yes, at least one war crime was committed on her part. To further illustrate her brand of violence even from back then, there was one scene after she had just lost one of her men where she stepped on ground soldiers with her mobile suit, smearing a few of them.

🌙 The pilot thing always carries over in some way shape or form. If it's not a mobile suit or an aircraft, it will be a black Jeep or a black horse. In One Piece, she will come to find she adores sailing ships.

🌙 Another really big thing that will always carry over across the board is at some point, she will lose her hair. In Berserk, she willingly cuts it off out of grief. In Gundam, her hair is already short for the main story, and you get the event in a backstory OVA. For One Piece, I know exactly when it happens. Which, across the board, it is devastating because of how special hair seems to be for her.

🌙 Also for appearance, her weight can tend to slightly fluctuate as well. In the main story for Gundam, her stomach has a bit of softness. During WS, she's very toned, bathes often. Post-WS she's still fit, but her stomach is softer, she doesn't bathe as often (maybe every 3 days). Some TMI, she's not a dancer anymore, so she doesn't have to keep everything clean-shaven down there, and she doesn't. In WS, her scent was like a sweet spicey vanilla amber on her skin and flowery/fruity for her hair. After WS, she just smells like sea salt and her captain. Even though she has a pretty bad scar between her shoulder blades (that's new for her) she will probably get the moon phase tattoo down her back that she had in Gundam.

🌙 Aside from appearance, there are plenty of core story elements that have always and forever carried over and translated to the worlds, but I think that's all I'm willing to give for now while I'm actually posting Wandering Star.

🌙 For some more character development info: If you've been following me, you've probably seen me mention a handful of times I've had Carmen since kindergarten. My first memory of her is on the playground and she was a VeggieTales OC at the time (can you believe???) But her first full, actual insertion was Sonic the Hedgehog when I was in second grade. Fun fact: her eyes are still purple to this day because of her Sonic insert.

🌙 On that note, while she's gone through many changes and developments over the past couple of decades, you will see plenty other artifacts still shining through from her inspos. Esmeralda from Hunchback of Notre Dame was one to the point where it permanently affected part of her style (fully, depending on the world. But I love her One Piece insert because it somehow let her two distinct styles come together and kinda fuse).

🌙 If you've read episode 2 of Wandering Star, her meeting everyone was based off Esmeralda's dance, and even her family house words "Let Justice Be Done" spill over from that character. And those house words have been used in multiple inserts. Though I will say, over the years I've noticed she's developed her own darker sense of justice. Oh, also the Thane family crest carried over from Berserk (it's just Skull Knight's sigil - don't tell anyone).

🌙 Another huge impact for developing her to who she is today was Lara Croft (I was just...so into Lara Croft as a child...all the Tomb Raider games...man) - that whole 'tough girl' thing has stuck, but more importantly, it was the beginning of her dual wielding that was solidified with her Attack on Titan insert. Between the two, I've had her current fighting style for a while and was delighted when I saw how similar it was to Killer's own fighting style. Fun fact: when I make her in video games, I play as her - go for the choices she would make, the armor she would wear, the weapons she would use. In my thousand plus hours of Monster Hunter World/Iceborne and Rise/Sunbreak, I have only touched dual blades for serious gameplay.

🌙 Beyond dual-wielding, duality is a major character element of her I have picked up on over the years - how she's incredibly cold-blooded and brutal with enemies, but how she has such a sweet and devoted loyalty and a gentle heart for those she loves. I noticed duality even manifested itself with her power use in the world of One Piece, even as far as the attack names themselves in the form of a big scary word and a really pretty word (i.e. Eschaton Aurora). That's how it goes for all of her attacks, except one that isn't an attack - it's the softer, loving side of her power use and it's called Honeymoon, though it's never really said. So, there ya go.

🌙 Even further, she always has twins - Rae and Ciri (Raemond and Cirilla). BUT! Interestingly enough, if (and that's a really big IF) she reproduces in the world of One Piece, it'll just be a boy instead of the twins that's she's been having for over two decades. Which...i can't figure out why...But! I do have a name chosen for him! However, I came into this planning to kill her off before she reproduces - it was a rule when I gave in to her insertion. Think I'll just let things play out like I always do.

Anyway...that's enough for now. If you made it this far...wow. All I can say is I hope you like her! I realize she won't be for everyone, but that's okay! Her and her stories keep me going.

#one piece #one piece oc #one piece original character #my oc #original character #wandering star #carmen amsel #oc: carmen #one piece fanfiction

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sevenkittensinatrenchcoat · 5 months

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The Moments of Happiness and the Meaning of Rhyming

Yeah, weird title, I know.

Also, I know I don't post much here anymore. I have other hyperfixations. But, I still occasionally have Cats-related things to say.

I have some things to say about The Moments of Happiness, the number that opens the second act of the show. Since it's not a dance number and not very catchy, it's often ignored. Some people find it boring. Strangely, I think the fact that it's slow, not catchy, and hard to follow is kind of the point.

What's happening in the story here is that, after the Jellicle Ball at the end of act one, Grizabella shows up and gets rejected by the tribe again. Everyone runs away and hides for a bit, except for Old Deuteronomy, who sits on his throne in the back while Grizabella sings the first part of Memory. Being the Big Good of the show, Old D already likes Griz and wants the tribe to be nice to her. As the leader, you'd think he could just tell the others to behave, but he wants them to understand why they should except Grizabella. A lot of the respect the tribe has for him probably comes from the fact that he doesn't just tell them what to do.

So, after intermission, all the cats come out of hiding and gather around Old Deuteronomy and he tries to explain the themes of Grizabella's role in the story. You experience moments of happiness throughout your life, but your memories of them are something else, and that something has value and...it actually doesn't really matter if the human audience gets it or not. The lecture isn't for us.

But, nobody's getting it. Well, it kind of depends on the production and interpretation here. In replica productions, the way the story usually goes, nobody's getting it. Old D knows that he needs to simplify the message somehow, but it's not really what he does. Honestly, he's just been thinking out loud this whole time and has no idea what he's doing. He basically simplifies the message by sending it through a simpler brain. Coricopat and Tantomile, the most telepathic of cats, help him out here. They sort of connect his mind to Jemima's mind. Jemima is the youngest cat in the tribe. Her mind is not complicated and very open, so it's easy to speak through her. She falls into a trance and delivers Old D's message in her own words, simple words that everyone can understand.

I'm writing this mainly to talk about a detail of the number that sort of allows the audience to feel what the tribe is feeling throughout this, though this isn't exactly universal.

Basically, though not all English language poetry rhymes, it usually does. This is especially true with songs lyrics. Songs in English that were originally written in English almost always rhyme. This is also the case for most European languages. I say that it's not universal because Cats is very popular in Japan and Japanese songs usually don't rhyme. It's just not a priority there. If you listen to Japanese dubs or translations of English songs, you'll notice that the rhyme scheme isn't followed. It's not something Japanese listeners would probably notice. Meanwhile, when Japanese songs are translated into English, you might actually notice that it doesn't rhyme. Listening to the song in Japanese, it sounds normal. But it sounds weird in English. The best English translations of Japanese songs tend to add a rhyme scheme into it to sound more natural in English.

Yeah, I'm getting a little side-tracked here but it's a cool thing I noticed.

So, in English, and a lot of other languages, songs usually rhyme. Why's that important? If you primarily listen to music in a language where songs rhyme, you begin to intuitively expect it. The lack of rhyming starts to mean something. It doesn't mean that the song is bad. There are situations where English song lyrics not rhyming works. The example I usually think of for this is Strawberry Fields Forever. Try to find Beatles songs when explaining music and lyrics. Everyone's listened to the Beatles. Anyway, though the chorus sort of rhymes (fields/real), the verses don't. If you look at the lyrics of the song, this actually makes sense. When you have lyrics like:

I think, I know, I mean...a yes, but it's all wrong

That isn't a coherent sentence. It sounds like someone's thoughts unfiltered. It works as an expression of emotion, but it's not carefully composed. It's raw. It's stream of consciousness. And you're thoughts, raw, unfiltered, don't rhyme. When you're writing rhyming lyrics, you have to think carefully about the words. A lack of rhyme conveys "I'm talking without really thinking through what I'm going to say. This is all off the top of my head."

Old Deuteronomy's part of The Moments of Happiness doesn't rhyme. Every other song in the show rhymes at least a little. Old Deuteronomy is just thinking out loud here. He's still figuring things out as he goes. That's why it's so hard to follow. It's harder to follow the lyrics, so the audience tends to get lost here, which is exactly what's happening to the characters listening.

Then you have Jemima's "Moonlight" bit. We go back to rhyming. There's clarity there that there isn't in the rest of the number. The words have been rephrased in a way that's easier to understand and follow. When you're used to songs rhyming, your brain sort of maps itself onto the rhyme scheme. You follow the lyrics by picking up on and anticipating the rhyme. So we go from something that's hard to follow to something that's easy to follow. Even if you don't get the actual message of what's being said here, the feeling of confusion and clarity is still there.

So, that's pretty cool, I guess.

#the moments of happiness #old deuteronomy #rhyming is cool #i learned about poetic meter from a video with beatles songs they are very good for teaching things

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