#ANYWAY i could talk about my decisions on why i think japan depicted as a woman is best but i wont here

[junotter]

Legitimately can't explain what caused me to get just get really into this hetaliaAU that exists solely in my brain but I couldn't stop

At first it was just imagining like a Japanese woman in kimono in like 19th century New York and then I started thinking about how amazing fem japan is and like then ameripan came in and now I'm like losing it

#amepan #ameripan #nyo japan #hws japan #hws america #hetalia #hetalia fanart #historical hetalia #my art #no one gets nyo japan like me (i hate “canon” nyo japan and will rebuild her to be a complex character) #i did start thinking about how epic nyo japan would be when learning that like super pre history japan #like women were religious and social leaders #theres also that one chinese record of the kingdom of wei #which to be clear historical accuracy of thst is unclear but it does seem to link to modern day japan #and in the record its like “the people here saw male rulers were causing problems so now only women rule” and theres princess himiko #ANYWAY i could talk about my decisions on why i think japan depicted as a woman is best but i wont here #also its embarrassing posting hetalia on my main #it ferls like i need a secret account #suggestive cw

[pastel-odette]

Revenge- A Banana Fish Fanfiction

This is a fic written for @emi-joanna. Sorry it took so long, I started work and college this past month. I hope it's as angsty as you requested!

(tws are properly tagged as tw _____)

“Eiji! Hurry up! We’re gonna be late!”

Eiji came rushing out of the house, locking up before making his way to the car. “What took you so long?” Aslan asked. Eiji opened up his satchel to reveal various snacks and sweets. “I had to grab the essentials,” he said with a smile. Aslan chuckled. “You really think we’re gonna need them?” “Yes!! During last year’s shrine visit you whined and whined about being hungry, so this time I thought I’d come prepared.” “How do you even remember that?” “Magic, my love. Now enough questions! Let’s go already!” It had been seven years since the couple had moved to Izumo. The first year had been the toughest. Despite being months out of the hospital, Aslan had still been reeling from the attack from Lao. The realization that even after Dino was dead, even after he thought he was finally free, someone still wanted to kill him had hit him extremely hard. He had felt foolish for thinking he would ever be anything other than what Dino made him. To hunt and be hunted, was that really all there was left for him? He had almost wished he hadn’t survived. He didn’t even understand why he survived in the first place.

The decision to move to Japan with Eiji did not come easy. Almost every part of him was screaming at him to abandon that hope that he could ever have a normal life. The physical distance made it seem more unattainable, too. However, Eiji was persistent. He would text every day, and call as much as he could. He was determined to make sure Aslan saw their original plan to move to Japan through.

Eventually, Aslan caved in. He said goodbye to New York, and started a new life with his soulmate. It wasn’t until he laid in bed that night, Eiji sleeping peacefully next to him, that what he did hit him all at once. An entirely new country with nothing to protect himself with.

For a while, they stayed at the Okumura family house. Eiji’s father was still in the hospital as he learned, so it was just the two of them, Eiji’s mother, and his sister. He felt surprisingly welcomed, like he was truly part of the family. It was strange to him to meet people so truly kind and hospitable upon first meeting. It wasn’t long until it started to feel like home.

But it still didn’t feel safe. He would lay awake at night, Eiji beside him, terrified of every little noise he heard. On the rare occasions where he did sleep, he would have terrible nightmares, and when he would jolt awake he would reach for a gun that wasn’t there.

The Okumuras noticed how fidgety and cautious he was. So, they installed a security system in their house. They did everything, big and small, to help him adjust to this new life. When Aslan and Eiji moved out into their own house, they took a lot of these things with them. The security system, the protective charms, the little statues of gods that could protect them. It stunned Aslan how… good he felt to be living this life.

Izumo is where Aslan had found peace and happiness. “We’re here,” Aslan said.

They made their way through the rows of trees together, surrounded by other people also dressed for the chilly weather. Some wore their traditional kimonos, some wore more casual winter clothes. As they approached the torii gates they saw a familiar person standing there. “Mari!” Eiji shouted as he waved to his sister. She waved back as she walked up and gave them both a tight hug. “How are your studies going?” Aslan asked with a soft smile. “Well, just as tough as last year. But I’m glad to finally be visiting again!” She beamed.

When Aslan moved to Japan, Mari was right there alongside Eiji to greet him. She was thrilled to meet him, and sympathetic when she realized Aslan had lived a much different life than her and her brother. It wasn’t long until she felt like his own sister. When she moved to Tokyo for college, he nearly cried with how proud he was.

“You’re not wearing mom’s kimono this year,” Eiji pointed out.

Usually, Mari would wear a deep blue kimono with a stunningly complex design depicting a soaring phoenix and a gold-colored obi. It was passed down through many generations until it was owned by their mother, and now her. Now she was wearing a pale yellow kimono with a much simpler chrysanthemum pattern and pink obi with a chrysanthemum obidome to match. Mari gave a sad smile. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I just didn’t want something so… connected to her anymore. So my friends took me shopping and I found this. Don’t worry though, I didn’t throw away the other one or anything. It’s still in my closet.” “I think it looks good. Suits you,” said Aslan. Eiji nodded his head. This time, Mari beamed.

Being the very first day of the New Year, the temple was crowded with all sorts of people. The chozuya was completely packed, and it took them a few minutes before they were able to purify their hands. Ash always wondered if his hands could ever be truly pure, but he tried not to think about that as he poured the water. It was supposed to be a day of celebration and good luck. He didn’t want his thoughts to ruin that.

Every year, Aslan wished to the gods for protection. Protection from violence, from grief, from assault, from everything that made his life miserable for so long. This year was no different. However, there was something else this year he needed extra luck for. He prayed for that too.

Next, they went to exchange their omamori. Aslan chose the protection charm, as he did every year, and Mari chose the education charm. Usually, Eiji would get the protection charm just as Aslan did. This time he chose the success charm. “What goal do you want to be successful?” Mari asked.

“This year, I’m determined to have my own photo gallery.” It was a goal he had for a while, but this year he was going to have the luck of the gods on his side.

Finally, they needed to pull their o-mikuji.

“I’m a little nervous,” Mari jokes. Most of the time she had negative fortunes. However, this year, she would apparently have a future blessing (and small luck in her romantic relationships). Aslan was given half-blessing with lots of luck in travel. Then it was Eiji’s turn.

“Curse…”

“Well, it could be worse,” Aslan said, “at least you’re not super-mega-cursed.”

Eiji just sighed and folded up the paper.

“You’re not gonna read the rest of it?” “Nah. Not really a point.”

As they left the shrine, Eiji trailed behind and sulked.

Aslan gave Mari a nudge.

“You talk to him, you're the psychology major. I’m no good at this stuff.”

Mari nodded and went to walk beside Eiji.

“Listen, if it’s just a regular curse, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. It’s mostly just little everyday inconveniences. The worst I’ve experienced with just a regular curse is that really bad breakup I had with Yui.” “With who??” “Hush, Aslan, this isn’t about you. Anyways, I don’t think you have anything to really worry about.”

When they get to the parking lot, they have to part ways. Mari made plans to go visit some of her old friends, and Aslan and Eiji had to return home, as they were going to host dinner that night.

When Aslan and Eiji arrived home, they were greeted by a very excitable golden retriever. They had gotten him about a year ago, when he was just a year old, from a local shelter. Even then, he still acted a little bit like a puppy.

“Hey, Bud,” Aslan said as he knelt down to pet Buddy. The dog jumped up to lick his face.

“Should we start dinner now?” Eiji asked as he put down his stuff and made his way to the kitchen.

“You can. Might as well. Just in case someone comes early or something.”

“You can’t just spend all afternoon petting Buddy, you know.” “I know, I know! I’ll help you in a minute.”

Buddy didn’t seem to mind all the extra attention he was getting, though. But eventually, Aslan had to go help his partner.

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” asked Aslan as he put on his apron. He didn’t always help in the kitchen, his skill level was limited to basic survival foods, but over the years he got better and better at it. It felt very domestic, to cook alongside someone.

“How about you start on the datemaki? I’ll make the ramen.”

Aslan nodded, and they both started getting their ingredients. The kitchen was large enough that they could work around each other comfortably, and it wasn’t long until the kitchen started to smell delicious. Buddy noticed this, and trotted over to beg for treats.

“I have nothing for you,” Aslan said. Still, Buddy sat beside him, wagging his tail and giving him an expectant look. Aslan tried to ignore him as he started to whine, focusing on mixing the ingredients together.

“Here, Buddy!” Eiji called the dog, waving a large bone. Buddy instantly jumped up and ran over, wagging his tail furiously. Eiji then gave him the bone, which Buddy took to the living room happily.

“There we go, that’ll keep him occupied,” Eiji smiled. Aslan couldn’t help but smile back.

They continued cooking nonstop into the evening. As time went on, the more dishes they completed, and the more it started to look like a full meal. However, they were still pretty far from done.

Aslan sighed as he stretched. There was enough time to just take a tiny little break, he thought. He leaned against the counter and looked over at Eiji. His partner seemed distracted by something as he stared off into space.

“Hey.”

“Ah!” Eiji jumped, fumbling the bag of flour he was holding before dropping it on the counter.

“Ohhh no!” he exclaimed. Aslan chuckled slightly before helping his partner clean up the mess.

“Looks like your bad luck has officially begun.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Eiji said as he smacked the other with a floured towel. Ash looked down at his arm then back up at Eiji with a smile.

“Really? You wanna start this?” He dipped his thumb in the flour before smudging it across Eiji’s cheek.

“You’re on!”

And that’s how it started, a full-blown flour war.

Nothing was spared. Flour was thrown, smudged, and flew everywhere. The counters, the floor, their clothes, their skin, their hair and skin, all of it was covered in at least a thin layer of flour.

It was stupid, it was childish, they had wasted an entire bag just making everything dirty. But they didn’t care. It was fun. They were having fun and messing around together. At that moment, they weren’t thinking about having to clean up and get back to cooking, they just thought about each other.

The couple just laid on the floor together as Buddy sniffed around them before licking Aslan in the face.

“No, Buddy!” Aslan squealed, pushing Buddy’s face away. The dog just wagged his tail as his owners helped each other up.

“You’re a mess,” Eiji laughed.

“Speak for yourself! You’re even dirtier than me! Go take a shower, I’ll clean this all up.”

Eiji kissed Aslan’s floured cheek before going to wash himself and his clothes.

Once everything was all clean, both of them included, they had to work faster in order to get everything done by the time their guests would arrive. Occasionally, though, they would look over at each other, and laugh silently before getting back to work.

Eventually, they had a complete New Year’s Day dinner. Eiji set the table while Aslan arranged the food into the boxes.

“Well, I’d say it looks pretty good,” Aslan said.

“We make a pretty good team!” Eiji shouted from the dining room.

When everything was all set for their guests to arrive, they high-fived to celebrate their hard work. It was the first time they cooked for New Year’s all on their own, and it was the first time they would be hosting.

The first to arrive were Ibe and his wife, Namiko. They met shortly after he returned to Japan, and she was a very kind woman, the kind that got along with all her neighbors and would check in on them from time to time. The couple greeted their hosts warmly with hugs and a bottle of sake.

Buddy was thrilled to have guests, and quickly ran over to receive pets from two of his many favorite humans.

It wasn’t much longer after that when Mari arrived, and the party officially started. Chatter filled the house as they ate. They talked about everything that had happened during the past year, everything they accomplished, and everything they hoped to accomplish this year.

“Well, I have no complaints,” Ibe said, “We traveled a lot this year for work.”

“It was great! So many fun new places we visited,” Namiko said.

“Mine was just another normal year of classes. I made a new group of friends, and they’re really great," Mari said through a mouthful of food.

“We adopted our dog,” Eiji beamed. Buddy was resting in the living room. After a while of whining for food, he had finally given up, and they knew if they mentioned him by name he would come over and start begging again.

The party went on late into the night as they continued to chat and drink. Everyone’s spirits couldn’t be higher as they celebrated the past and welcomed in the future, giving a toast for good luck. Eventually, though, the night had to end. They said their goodbyes to each other, and the guests went home, leaving Aslan and Eiji to clean up.

Aslan felt content as he washed the dishes. It was a great night, surrounded by people he loved. Seven years in Japan. He hadn’t felt like Ash Lynx in so long. He felt like he had control over his life.

A partner, a house, a dog, a legal job, friends, a little sister. The old ladies on his street fawned over him as if he was free from sin. The local coffee shop knew his face and order by heart. Nobody feared him, they were all friendly towards him, and treated him as if he really was normal.

Oftentimes it felt unreal. But as he sat on the couch, Eiji nestled into his side, he knew it was.

“Thank you,” Eiji murmured.

“For what?”

“For helping out today. For everything you do. You’re so good to me.”

Aslan smiled softly.

“I should be the one saying that to you.”

“How about we’re both good to each other?”

“Yeah,” Aslan whispered, “I can agree with that.”

The next few days of the New Year were spent with Mari. The plan was for her to go back to Tokyo on the fourth, when the holiday was over, so they wanted as much time with her as they could.

During the Japanese New Year, businesses are closed for the next three days. They couldn't go to restaurants, shops, or the market. So mostly, they just spent time at Aslan and Eiji’s house. Watching TV, playing board games, and video games on the SNES they got a few years back. They could also go to the beach.

Izumo was a coastal town, with cliff sides to the north, and a long, thin strip of beach to the west. When the three of them stepped out of the car, they were glad they brought thick coats, as there was a cold breeze.

“Come on Buddy!” Eiji said as he opened the car door. The dog jumped out of the car, wagging his tail happily.

The beach was an important place in Izumo, something Aslan had learned shortly after he moved. On the northern shore of the beach, there was a very large rock with a small shrine on top, too high for humans to reach. Every October, the gods would come to Izumo, and convene at the beach and its shrine.

Aside from it being a spiritual place, the beach was also just beautiful. It reminded Aslan of when he was younger, when he and Griffin would run across the sand and splash in the waves. Sometimes, when he and Eiji would take a walk along the beach, they would see children or a family, and he would feel a bit of nostalgia.

Now, he walked this beach with his new family.

It was late in the afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky. They were only planning for it to be a relatively short walk, and would return to the car not long after the sun fully set. It was just nice to get some fresh air.

The trio walked in silence, aside from Buddy’s pants, until Aslan broke it.

“You know, Mari, you got a pretty interesting fortune this year,” he said.

Eiji caught on to what he meant. “Yeah! Are you excited for it?”

“For the future fortune? I guess so. It’s better than I get most years,” she said.

“No no, I mean about your romance fortune,” Aslan smiled.

Mari became slightly flustered, glaring at the couple. They just laughed in response.

“You should really get back out there again,” Eiji teased, “You’re not still heartbroken over Yui are you?”

Mari lightly punched her brother in the side.

“Of course not! That was the beginning of high school! Butt out of my love life!”

“But you, dear sister, are the one that butted into my love life when I went to America.”

“I shall have you know, dear brother, that I have matured since then. Besides, the charm I gave you worked, didn’t it?”

Eiji looked over at Aslan with a smile and squeezed his hand.

“Yeah. It did.”

The sun had begun to set at this point, halfway across the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, soft pinks and reds across the sky. The three stopped to admire it, Buddy sitting beside them.

“I think this is a moment worth capturing,” Eiji said. He got the polaroid camera from around his neck. They all posed close together, Aslan picking up Buddy so he could be in the shot, with the sunset in the background.

“Smile!”

Click.

The photo printed slowly, and Eiji shook it so it could develop faster.

It showed the four of them, happy in smiling, in the place they loved so much. They waited for the sun to set fully before returning home.

Instantly, the photo went up on their wall.

Unfortunately, the fourth eventually came, and Mari had to leave. At the train station, they said their goodbyes.

“Be sure to write!” Eiji said as she waved.

“I always do!”

With that, the train doors closed, and she left Izumo. Since it was the first day of the new year that businesses were open, Aslan decided he might as well go run some errands.

“See you at home,” he said as he pecked Eiji on the cheek.

“Mhm, see you.” Eiji waved goodbye to him.

The first stop was the coffee shop. Why not, right? It was a very cozy little shop and the majority of the patrons were locals and regulars. When the barista noticed him, he smiled.

“The usual?”

Aslan nodded, and the barista got to work. The coffee shop was relatively small compared to those in America, and it was warmly lit. As Aslan sat at the counter watching the barista he felt the chill of the mid-winter weather.

“Here’s your coffee,” the barista said as he placed the mug in front of Aslan. Most people see Aslan as the type of person to drink straight black coffee. And for a while, he was. As soon as he was “old enough” to drink coffee, he would drink it without sugar or creamer. It fit the persona he had and made him seem more mature to those around him. Now he didn’t care about any of that. He made his coffee super sweet. Tons of sugar, tons of creamer, because that was the way he actually liked it.

Usually, he would take the time to stay and chat with the barista for a bit. He was a funny and friendly guy, most of the reason Aslan liked this coffee shop in particular. However, today he had the odd urge to get home as much as possible. Maybe it was just because of the chill, he thought.

The next stop was the grocery store. They only really needed things to replace what they had used to cook dinner on New Years, including the flour that they had wasted.

He absentmindedly went through the small store until a voice called out to him from behind.

“My dear Aslan!”

He turned around to see his neighbor, Mrs. Tanaka. She was an old woman, kind as can be like almost everyone else in the neighborhood, who loved to garden in her front lawn and chat him up whenever she saw him. Aslan greeted her back and smiled.

“How have you been? How’s Eiji? Did you have a good new year?”

“Everything is good. How was your trip?”

The two chatted for a bit, catching up on things that happened since the last time they talked. Most of his neighbors he could strike up a conversation with just like this. It was the kind of neighborhood he could see himself and Eiji growing old in. It was a weird thought, to grow old with someone in a small town, but it was right.

They said their goodbyes, and Aslan continued shopping as normal.

When Aslan came home, the front door was unlocked. Huh. Maybe Eiji just forgot. However, when he opened the door, he was met with a horrible sight.

There lay Buddy, unmoving, in a pool of blood.

Aslan dropped his bags and rushed to his dear pet. He picked him up gently as tears began to fall.

How did this even happen? When? Why wasn’t he here to stop it?

That’s when he saw it. The wound on Buddy’s neck. A bullet wound. Someone… shot Buddy. There was no way. He was supposed to be safe in Japan. He was supposed to be safe with Eiji. Eiji... “Eiji!” he shouted. No response. He shouted again. The house was silent. Aslan gently placed down Buddy’s body. He had to make sure Eiji was okay. Eiji had to be okay, right?

Aslan crept through the house silently, listening for any sounds that might lead him towards Eiji or the intruder. As he approached the kitchen, he saw a pot on the stove bubbling over, so he turned off the stove. This whole thing must have happened fairly recently. A knife was also missing from the drawer.

Finally, he made his way to the bedroom.

What he saw terrified him.

Eiji. Sprawled across the floor, next to the open closet doors as if he had been pulled out, a knife in his hand. A bullet in his forehead. His eyes were wide open, and his cheeks were stained with tears.

Ash fell to his knees. This couldn’t be happening. Eiji couldn’t be dead. He was dreaming, he was hallucinating, this was some kind of joke. What separated him from his old life now? What stopped him from being Ash Lynx again?

Ash sobbed, and sobbed and sobbed. His love had been murdered. The bastard shot his dog, too. Why? He didn’t do anything. Neither of them did anything. It wasn’t fair.

He reached into the closet and pulled out a small box. Inside was a silver engagement ring. He picked up Eiji’s greying, cold hand and slipped the ring onto his finger.

“I know that we could never get married legally. But I still wanted to think of you as my husband. After all we had been through, didn’t we deserve that much?”

Eiji didn’t respond. His glossed-over eyes stared at nothing. Ash closed them.

“My soul will always be with you.”

--------

This might turn into a chaptered fic

Thank you to @syanara for betaing!

Tag list: @mycatshuman

#banana fish #banana fish fanfiction #ash lynx #aslan jade callenreese #eiji okumura #tw death #tw murder #tw guns #tw animal death #tw dog death

[risukadarlin]

[dear♥vocalist evolve] vol. 2: joshua - track two

tw: depictions of self harm

2; someone to believe

listen along・masterpost

                                                                                          ✿

Thank you.

That should be fine for the framework.

But… How do I say this?

Do you think you can make it a bit wilder?

No, I don’t mean that rough.

No, it doesn’t matter.

That was really good.

Let’s go with that.

No, there’s nothing wrong.

Next is the real thing.

Let’s take a break before then.

Yes, see you later!

Why am I holding back?

I should just tell it straight, like I always do!

I should say “That’s wrong.”

“This is the song I want to make.”

This is no good.

I need to be more decisive.

I keep thinking about things that don’t matter.

Now I can’t say the things that do.

The most important thing should be my satisfaction.

That’s what makes our music what it is.

If they don’t understand, then I’ll just find new support members.

That’s what I did until now.

And it went fine.

As long as I’m here, we can make songs for Brave Child.

I’ve been alone up until now and it’s been fine.

                                                                                           ✿

Thank you everyone!

It’s going to be a great track, thanks to your help.

I’ll do my best with the arrangement!

I’ll contact you all when I’m ready to start the second track.

I’m counting on you all!

Yes! Good work today!

What do I mean “it’s going to be a great track”?

I keep lying.

I’m not happy with it at all.

My priorities are all over the place!

Shit!

It’s not their fault.

They’ve done nothing wrong.

It’s my fault.

It’s because I wasn’t honest.

Because I couldn’t tell the truth!

I have to fix it.

I’m the one who’s wrong.

I have to do something myself!

                                                                                           ✿

Hello.

Yes, we finished on time.

Everyone has gone home now.

I’m still in the studio, though.

Yes, that’s right.

It’s going well.

Oh, about that…

I still have some work left.

Is it okay if we move it to this weekend?

I want to arrange it as fast as I can.

I’m sorry, I know I’m the one who invited you.

I’m really sorry.

I’m going to hang up now.

I have to hurry home and start editing.

Bye.

                                                                                           ✿

This is no good.

I can only do so much without rerecording everything.

At this rate, I’ll never be able to make the song I wanted.

I thought I could finally do something I’ve never done before.

I wanted to give Brave Child a new sound.

That’s why I decided to make this song.

I finally got this chance thanks to everyone’s support.

I need to show everyone how far Brave Child has come.

They’re waiting for me.

The Devils have so much hope for me.

Even she…

I can’t carry on like this.

Not at all.

But…

The recording’s over…

It’s not their fault.

It’s mine.

I didn’t say what I was thinking.

Of course it didn’t go the way I wanted it to.

I can’t carry on with these members if nothing changes.

I forced them to change their schedules for me.

If this is this track that comes from that…

On top of it all, I lied to her too!

It’s all my fault.

I haven’t changed at all.

It’s all my fault again.

It’s because I’m useless.

                                                                                           ✿

Hello?

I thought you might come.

I’ll unlock the door for you.

I’m sorry for the wait.

Come in.

What’s wrong?

Sit down.

I know.

I know you’re trying to believe in me.

And that I’m making you worried.

I should be the one apologising.

I’m really sorry.

But…

I didn’t do it.

I mean it.

Look.

If I’m being honest, I thought I might…

I found myself reaching for the cutter without even realising I was doing it.

But I stopped myself.

I thought, I can’t do this again.

I don’t want to hurt you again.

Just making you worry and lying to you makes me feel like the worst person on earth.

But thinking about how I’d me wasting the sacrifices you made for me…

It made me feel pathetic.

I know it’s stupid.

It’s all because I’m so weak.

Everything keeps going wrong because I’m such a coward.

Even I was shocked by how hard it was for me to voice my opinion while we were recording.

Now our new song isn’t going anything like the way I hoped it would.

I was too scared everyone would hate me.

That’s how I’ve always been.

The more I care about a person, the more I think about things that shouldn’t matter.

Normally, that’s okay.

There’s nothing more important than being able to value other people’s thoughts and get along with them respectfully.

It’s not like I’m going out of my way to please other people.

It doesn’t upset me at all.

It’s only when it comes to music…

Stifling my own opinion just means I can’t make the song I want.

No matter what happens, I can’t make compromises.

If I’m not happy with the song we make, it’s not a Brave Child song.

But that just makes it harder for me to say what I want.

I’m scared I’ll hurt someone without realising it.

Even someone important to me.

That’s why all the members left when I was in LA.

I knew I couldn’t make a song as a team.

That’s why I decided to work alone.

But…

Making this new song made me realise something...

I really do love these members.

If possible, I want to work with them forever.

The problems with the new song aren’t their fault.

Not one of them slacked off.

They’re all trying their best to do exactly what I want.

My directions just happened to be useless.

We’ll never be a real group if I can’t tell them how I really feel.

We’ll never be able to make a track I’m happy with.

I know that…

But I still…

Is that really true?

I feel like I haven’t made any progress at all.

I’m just stuck on the mistakes I made in the past and doing the same thing over and over.

What do you mean, I won?

My arm is proof?

I see. I didn’t give in this time.

I didn’t lose to the weak part of me who does nothing but make you sad.

You’re right.

I finally… proved it to you.

Proved that I’m making progress.

It’s just like you said.

The person I need to believe in most… is myself.

These members are different from the old ones.

The same thing might not happen again.

And you’re here too, now.

Everything is different to when I was in LA.

I can do it now.

I believe that.

Okay.

I won’t be able to finish that song at this rate, anyway.

I’ll be honest with them.

I’ll tell them what I’m thinking this time.

No, I’m sorry.

I was just thinking no one knows you better than your childhood friends.

You’re always really kind and usually a bit reserved.

But you always go for my throat when you need to.

It’s fine.

Nothing has saved me more than that part of you.

I’m really glad I came back to Japan.

Thanks to CR, I found what I wanted to do and met so many new people.

I even have people supporting me.

More than anything, I have you by my side.

I should be the strongest person on earth.

Nothing could ever go wrong.

I was crazy to think it would.

I’m glad.

Thank you…

For reminding me what’s important.

                                                                                           ✿

Everyone’s here.

Shall we start?

First of all, I have to apologise to you all.

We were supposed to talk about the second track today.

The track we recorded recently…

I wondered if you’d let me re-record it.

I’m sorry for taking so long to say this.

But I really had a vision I wanted to achieve with that song.

I should have told you all while we were recording the first time.

But I couldn’t.

I don’t want to just arrange it half-heartedly.

You all did your best so that Brave Child can succeed and wasting that effort would be nothing but rude.

I know you’re all busy.

I know it might be difficult for you to change your schedules for Brave Child.

But I want to make this new song with you guys.

I know I can make the best song ever with you.

The song I want the Devils to hear is--

Huh?

Then…

You already knew that I wasn’t happy with the track…?

That’s true.

It’s been a year since we started working together.

Really?

You guys…

Thank you.

Thank you so so much!

#dear vocalist #dear♥vocalist #dear♥vocalist evolve #dearvo #dearvo joshua #dear vocalist joshua #rejet #drama cd #drama cd translation

[dreamersleeps]

Hawks and the Biblical Archangel Michael

(Another look at BNHA Vol. 27’s Cover)

This is my first attempt at writing an analysis/interpretation piece for BNHA and in general so please feel free to comment or add on to what I have written below. I hope I didn’t miss explaining something properly.

This post was inspired and influenced after reading through @/cutiesableye ‘s interesting analysis and interpretation of the cover of Vol. 27 which is linked here and looking at @/codenamesazanka ‘s post comparing the cover art to a painting called “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Baroque painter Luca Giordano which depicts the Saint/Archangel Michael defeating a group of demons (the original post is linked here).  If we are comparing Vol. 27’s cover art to these paintings, then Hawks is in the position of the Archangel Michael while Jin is in the position of the demons.

By now, I’m sure that a lot of people are aware of the references of the Greek mythological character of Icarus in Hawks’ characterization. However I want to draw attention towards the possible allusions Hawks may convey with another winged figure: the Biblical Archangel Michael.

Despite the fact that Horikoshi is a Japanese author and that the story largely relies on contextualization that is based on Japanese culture, that does not mean that he can’t be inspired by Western ideas and faiths from outside Japan. When it comes to other Christian references, I think you can look towards All For One/Shigaraki and Ibara Shiozaki from Class 1B who have more explicit references to Jesus Christ and other Biblical references. If Horikoshi wasn’t inspired by this Biblcial figure, this piece or similar art pieces then please take this post as an interesting take on the cover. However I think this take on the cover adds to the narrative. There are some interesting similarities between Hawks and the Archangel.

After a quick search on Google, I realized that quite a few pieces of art of the Archangel from the 1500s - 1700s (not quite sure about the time frame) depict him triumphantly standing atop a pile of the enemy/demons/sinners, wings spread out wide, dressed in a red or blue robe and with his right arm wielding a sword lifted in the air, sometimes with the sun or a bright light shining down on him from behind his head. 

Here are a few examples: 

“Archangel Michael punishing sinners” by unknown Austrian artist (1700s)

“Saint Michael Archangel” by unknown artist (1490s) 

So who is the Archangel Michael? 

First of all in the hierarchy of angels, Archangels are those who are at the very top. The title comes from the Greek words “arche” which means prince, and “angelos” which means messenger and they fulfill a number of important purposes. I think which angels are considered an archangel is debated based on holy scriptures between the Abrahambic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) however because the paintings above were produced by those who were of Christian and Catholic faith, I will focus on looking at the Bible. In the Bible, Micheal is the only angel who is explicitly labelled as an Archangel. He is an angel of supreme power and the leader of God’s army. 

Based on the information I found online and from my own knowledge, the Archangel Micheal had four main responsibilities based on what is found in the Bible and in Christian tradition: 

Combat Satan.

Escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death.

Be a champion of all Christians, and the Church itself.

Call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgement.

For this next portion, I’m going to try my best to show how they connect back to Hawks. 

First, the Archangel Michael is the enemy of Satan. 

In the Biblical “end times” which is depicted in the book of Revelations, it is written that Archangel Micheal will lead God’s army into a final battle against Satan and his fallen angels and be victorious. 

A hero’s enemy is a villain and the villain’s enemy is a hero. This current war between the heroes and the Paranormal Liberation Front is happening largely due to Hawks’ role in infiltrating the PLF and the information he gathered. It’s a great clash between the two major forces BNHA society deems as “good” and “evil.” Although Hawks may have not led the heroes into battle but he played a major role in starting it. We have yet to reach the outcome of the war. 

Second, he comes at the hour of death and presents a last chance at salvation.

During a period of time before someone dies, the Archangel Michael descends to those who haven’t yet connected to God and gives them a last chance at salvation before their time to decide runs out. He gives them one more chance to essentially redeem themself before passing. After the individual dies, Micheal and other angels escort those who are saved to heaven. 

In chapter 264, Hawks says that he believes that Twice/Jin is a good person and offers him a chance to leave quietly and have the opportunity to have a fresh start in life, telling him that he’d even help him. Very simply put, from Hawks’ point of view, this is a ticket out, a chance to be “saved.” Twice chooses to fight for his friends and the LoV instead and dies by Hawks’ hand shortly after Dabi comes to intervene. 

Third, he is the Guardian of the Church.

His name, Michael, means “one who is like God.” Throughout early Church history, he has been called the “chief of Israel” and the “Prince of all angels.” One of his major responsibilities is to protect the People of God. To protect the Church, Michael leads angel armies into battle against its enemy, Satan and his fallen angels. 

This one might be kind of a stretch but I think you can connect Hawks’ position as the Hero Public Safety Commission’s tool to this role. He is one of the Commission’s valuable weapons, and they will utilize him in order to achieve a certain outcome. Hawks views himself as someone who has the responsibility of protecting others. In this case, his infiltration mission forced him to bear the weight of the safety of Japan’s population on his shoulders. As a hero he had a duty to protect and save.

Fourth, he weighs people’s merits on Judgement Day. 

(I could not find the title, artist or year for this painting.)

In the Christian religion, the Day of Judgement, is the day in the future when all people who are living or who have ever lived will be judged by God. In the Bible, the Archangel Michael helps measure people’s good and bad deeds on Judgement Day. In art, he is also often depicted holding scales and people often describe them as the “scales of justice.” Going back to the war during the “End of Times” that the Book of Revelations talks about, the weapon that Michael uses to defeat the enemy is often described throughout Christian history and tradition as “the sword of justice.” 

The subject of Twice’s death is a touchy subject and I don’t have the ability to carefully word what I want to convey but harshly written, based on the situation that Hawks was put in and after assessing the possible impact/outcomes of Twice’s role in future events, he makes the decision to kill Twice. He acknowledges Twice to be a “good person” but in that moment he judges him based on where his loyalties might lie and on his past/history. Hawks kills Twice using one of his blade-like feathers that he fights with like a sword. Another interesting thing to note is that the sub-heading of Vol. 27 is “One’s Justice.” 

In Conclusion 

The event portrayed in these paintings depicts a major clash between God and Satan, and ultimately what is good and evil. In the Bible, there is no gray area, only black and white. So if we take this into consideration, is Horikoshi saying that Hawks is the righteous, holy hero and that Twice is the evil, morally upside down villain? No. 

If Horikoshi indeed was influenced by these paintings of the Archangel Michael and his enemies, I do not think he’s portraying the black and white themes the good triumphs evil message it boldly gives off. 

In their post, cutiesableye points out that “In comics, a hero at the bottom and a villain at the top mean the hero is losing and conversely, a hero at the top and a villain at the bottom means the hero wins.” On the cover, Hawks is depicted at the top and Twice is depicted at the bottom. Then they ask an interesting question: “But who is the hero here?" I’d think that someone with no context of the story would find the cover to be somewhat ambiguous. Cutiesableye has a lot more great analysis and interpretation about the cover and especially on Hawks’ and Twice’s facial expressions and body language so I highly encourage you to go read their post if you haven’t done so already.

Anyways, back to the question: “But who is the hero here?” 

Well on this manga page, Hawks looks more like the villain than Twice does. I think that grayness is what Horikoshi was going for. Both Hawks and Twice are gray characters. That is why so many people have their own strong opinions and interpretation about what happened between Hawks and Twice. Neither of them can be labelled comfortably as “good” or “evil” or in general, “hero” or villain,” and I think that is the point. I’m not going to go in depth about their character and morals but simply stated, Hawks is a hero who now has blood on his hands because he believed that the decision he made would save more lives and Twice was someone who was further categorized as a villain because he found community and family with the League of Villains and later died trying to defend them. However this grayness does not excuse any crimes that were committed on either side. It just makes the conversation more complex.

Another way you can portray this is that Hawks is not an angel and Twice is not Satan or a demon. Like you and me, Hawks and Twice are both human. BNHA is a story about humans and we are not perfect. Although we can show the best and worst in humanity, we can be very gray characters as well. On the surface level, you can say that the heroes represent the “good” side and the villains represent the “evil” side, however if you take a closer look that is not the case. It’s more complicated than that. Through the current (Paranormal Liberation War) arc, Horikoshi is really exposing the gray areas that lie between the black and white. 

#bnha meta #bnha spoilers #takami keigo #bnha hawks #bnha twice #jin bubaigawara #mha meta #bnha volume 27 #hawks meta #luna writes #my post

[dabistits]

To talk about Twice and villainy is to talk about class and criminality (I)

(Masterlist)

In contrast to the fantastical world that surrounds him, Bubaigawara Jin’s backstory, revealed in chapter 229, is completely unexceptional. Jin’s backstory is about class. Throughout this series, a sci fi fantasy where almost all the cast have superpowers, we are introduced to characters who’ve struggled with their Quirks, whether having one or not having one, whether having one that’s powerful or weak, whether they have Quirks that are stigmatized or not. Most of the series handles its sci fi prejudice in this way, by substituting real life characteristics like ethnicity (hero Ryukyu is of Ryukyuan ethnicity and from the colonized Ryukyu islands [source]), gender-based discrimination (including misogyny and transphobia), ability (Aoyama, Dabi, and other characters to a lesser degree have physical difficulties using their Quirks), and stigmatized physical traits (as several mutant characters mention being discriminated against) with Quirk conflicts. Ryukyu’s ethnicity, Rock Lock’s race, Magne’s transness, all the misogyny, and the real life disabilities of many characters who are missing limbs are given minimal or no attention, as these conflicts are replaced with Quirks-as-metaphor.

In this fantastical world, where we’ve supposedly left behind our prejudices about race and ethnicity, gender, disability, and so forth, and replaced them with prejudices about Quirks and Quirk compatibility, Horikoshi made the decision to make Jin’s backstory about class as we understand and live under it today. His backstory stands out as one that is utterly banal. Although Jin’s Quirk comes in later, it’s hardly the driving force of his struggle, because what he’s faced with is simply the unfeeling machinery of capitalism and the state apparatus. There’s no involvement from Quirks or Quirk society here; the world that starts Jin on his downward spiral is one that’s inextricable from our own, one that any of us (some more than others) are vulnerable to. That is to say, he didn’t become a criminal because he had an awesome Quirk that made him egotistical (or whatever people think criminals are motivated by), he became a criminal because his circumstances left him with few other ways to seek fulfillment, and possibly to survive. His Quirk was only a balm to the harm already inflicted on him by the economic realities of futuristic (and simultaneously contemporary) Japan.

A quick recap of Jin’s backstory from chapter 229: His parents, due to a villain attack, died when he was in an unspecified year in middle school (it seems ironic, and another example of BNHA’s cyclical events, that Jin himself eventually dies at the hands of a hero). At 16 years old, Jin was already working. He got into a traffic accident, although he was obeying the speed limit, and broke someone’s arm. His case was prosecuted and likely resulted in a record, but the officer in charge suggested that he may be able to “bounce back”; however, the person injured in the accident turned out to be one of his workplace’s clients, and the clients’ outrage resulted in his termination from his job. Eventually, isolated and lonely, Jin used his Quirk to become a villain, and it’s implied in the depicted panels that he mainly stole. An indeterminate amount of time after becoming a villain, Jin’s clones turned on one another, resulting in a bloodbath that traumatized Jin and resulted in split personalities. After this incident, he turned to Giran for help, who in turn introduced him to the League of Villains.

Systemic barriers

So why couldn’t Jin bounce back, as suggested by the officer? The reasons are many and diverse, not all of them stated in-text. I believe Jin’s specific circumstances merit some evidence from real-world Japan today, since there’s no statement nor implication that these things have changed in these respects, and because this is the frame of reference that Horikoshi and many of his readers are working with. In order to tap into the spirit of the work, it requires an examination of the circumstances and conditions under which the writers are creating, a recognition and acknowledgment of the social issues that may have shaped and influenced their outlooks. Thus, I think it’s important to contextualize Jin’s past not simply as a self-contained example of inequality in BNHA, but as a narrative that ties into the societal concerns of real-world Japan.

The alternative care system.

This describes the system of institutions and fostering that cares for children who are unable to live with their parents (whether it be due to circumstances like neglect and abuse, or because of the parents’ deaths). In 2014, nearly 90% of children in alternative care lived in residential facilities as opposed to with foster parents (which has its own issues); these rates are much higher than in other industrialized countries, which mostly rely on the foster care system. Residents of the residential facilities report strict rules, child abuse, and bullying. [source] Usually people age out at 18, or even earlier at 15 if they choose not to attend high school. Requests to extend alternative care until an individual reaches 20 are usually denied. [source]

The economic outlook for individuals aging out of alternative care is not optimistic. “Once individuals lose their access to staying in an institution, combined with low wages for menial entry-level jobs, many young people cannot stay on the same job that the institution helps them find when they leave institutional care. If they leave that first job, they struggle to find another[...] Those who start working straight after graduating from junior high school and are forced to leave their institutional care facility may be at a particularly high risk of becoming homeless.” [source]

What does this mean for Jin? Since his parents died when he was in middle school, it could have taken place any time between the ages of 12 to 15. Jin was already working at 16 years old, which according to our information means he dropped out of school and no longer has government-provided accommodations. Depending on when during that middle school time window his parents died, he could have possibly not even entered into the alternative care system at all, entailing that he started to work right after their passing. Either way, Jin most likely quit school and started to work to support himself at 15 years old, forgoing high school and college, taking responsibility for his own shelter, food, bills, clothing, and so on. At an age when the UA kids are just beginning the best times of their lives, making friends, staying in the school’s dormitories, Jin was literally trying to survive on his own.

Criminality. 

This is a bit harder to pin down, and there aren’t many English-language sources regarding criminal justice studies, and very little that thoroughly breaks down the process. For details that we might want to know about, such as arrests and convictions according to race, ethnicity, class, mental illness, etc., those are even more lacking (possibly also in part due to Japan’s low crime rate). I’ll do my best to sum up what I do have, and maybe someone can correct me on this. Anyways, starting from the basics:

The motorcycle accident that Jin was involved in, which injured another party, is a prosecutable crime punishable by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to one million yen. [source] Just to cover all my bases, yes, at the time of the accident, Jin was indeed a minor under Japanese law (although within an age bracket where he theoretically could be assessed and/or tried as an adult), [source] [source] but we’re not sure if/to what degree that was taken into consideration. Either way, the outcome is that Jin likely ends up with a record, according to the officer (or possibly prosecutor) who’s speaking to him. From what I can make out, getting a record from a traffic accident with injury means he was charged and probably went through summary proceedings in the lowest court, [source] though I’m unsure how this whole process would work if his status as a juvenile was taken into account.

There are a few things to point out here:

Arrest and detention (which I’m assuming is the lead-up to that conversation with the officer) are notoriously lengthy and pretty rough. [source]

Prosecutors have significant discretion in what gets pushed through to see charges and what gets dropped. This is one of the reasons, possibly the main reason, for Japan’s 99% conviction rate—prosecutors usually only press charges in cases that can bring about conviction. They can even take into consideration someone’s age, character, circumstances, etc. when deciding whether to prosecute or not. [source]

During this process, when someone is hurt in an accident, there’s a pretty big deal made of apologizing and offering compensation to the harmed party. These actions are viewed favorably when it comes to case review and sentencing, while arguing over fault and general disagreeableness hurts the case. [source] [source]

(PS: The line “you’re to blame as well” makes sense in the Japanese legal system as a facet of comparative negligence.)

(PPS: Given the ongoing debates over juvenile justice—the likes of which inspired Battle Royale—I wonder if the rather harsh results of Jin’s first encounter with law enforcement are also meant to be read more deeply?) [source; cw for child murder in link]

At this point, we have the question of whether or not Jin’s possible record impacted his inability to “bounce back.” This was also pretty difficult to find information about, and the answer is... maybe. While criminal records are held by the police, and prospective employers cannot access them, this is usually sidestepped by asking applicants to provide information about their own criminal records on a CV template (whether or not people do, or can even legally lie about this, and whether or not they can choose not to answer without impacting their chances of getting hired is not information I was able to find). [source] A certain stigma towards convicted criminals does exist, despite the criminal justice system’s prioritization of reintegration over punishment, [source] though as for further information about whether a record impacts someone’s employability and quality of life doesn’t seem to have been studied. Real world Japan’s declining recidivism rate, though not declining as fast as first-time offenses, seems at least to suggest that even individuals with a record can successfully reintegrate into society, [source] hence the officer’s suggestion that Jin can “bounce back” is not totally bizarre, although it proves short-sighted.

These details illustrate the odds of what Jin is up against. They raise the question of why prosecution didn’t go differently, and they highlight the vulnerability of a parentless child up against the legal system. Jin, again, a 16-year-old (who also doesn’t appear to have legal counsel in the depicted panels), obviously argues his responsibility in the accident; furthermore, he’s unlikely to be able to fulfill the social graces required of a lenient case review. As a teenager who’s already working to support himself, without any family to lend a hand, he likely wouldn’t have been able to muster up the finances for compensation, medical expenses, property damage, etc. at a moment’s notice, and even in installments the payment probably would’ve been a strain. For example, the possible fine of one million yen is half the annual income of Japanese households which fell below the de-facto poverty line in 2008. [source] It seems plausible that his inability to see through the proper courtesies resulted in an unfavorable assessment, and a prosecution carried through to the end. We don’t know for sure how he was sentenced—judging by his return to work, it’s likely he didn’t do jail time—but even assuming a lenient sentence, this accident quickly catches up to him. With no one to fall back on, and no one to cut him some slack, a stumble quickly becomes a fall.

Employer-employee relations.

The relationship between an employer and employee is one rooted in a power dynamic, where one side controls the time, the wages, and often the health of the other. A job and its benefits are usually the deciding factors of someone’s quality of life, so employees will work overtime, work while ill, and suffer any number of abuses to keep their jobs. Overwork, and the resulting health problems from overwork are enough of a crisis in Japan they’ve been named karoshi—death from overwork. The effects range from general, stress-caused health problems, to heart failure and suicide; what gives rise to these conditions are a complex mix of work culture, company culture, and common hiring practices. Essentially, workers are encouraged to present a loyal face to their company, and because of the structure of the job market, changing jobs isn’t easy. [source] [source] These facets of work culture also contribute to power harassment, an issue that has received growing visibility in the past decade. In 2019, 37.5% of surveyed workers reported suffering power harassment, often from bosses, including receiving excessive demands, degrading treatment, invasions of privacy, and sometimes physical abuse. [source] [source] 

This drastically imbalanced relationship only receives a few panels in Jin’s backstory, but that’s all it takes to make the power dynamic clear. Within three panels, Jin’s boss assaults him, berates him, and takes away what he knows is the only source of income for a working-class 16-year-old with no family. An accident that happened is equated to an act of disloyalty because the wrong person was injured, which reflected poorly on the company Jin was working for; however, a double-standard exists. While Jin’s loyalty to the company is expected, there’s no reciprocal expectation for the company to care for the wellbeing of its own workers, instead prioritizing its image and its bottom-line. Employees can be fired at their boss’s whim, leaving the terminated party without an income nor benefits, looking at breaking into a job market that is intolerant of repeat job-seekers—even more so if the individual is someone without a lengthy employment history and without a higher education. This short interaction highlights the precarity of financial stability, where a termination from one job on one man’s authority can leave someone—even a kid—without any way of coming back and achieving a steady living.

#bubaigawara jin #jin bubaigawara #bnha meta #the exhaustive meta about i love twice

[thecrazydragonlady]

My -not requested- thoughts on the new Godzilla vs. Kong Trailer

So... 

It’s here.

The trailer that I think a lot of people might have been waiting for. The official Godzilla vs. Kong movie trailer and BOI was it a ride. 

Before you read this post, please be aware that these are only my initial feelings/ thoughts on the trailer after taking a look at it. This does not reflect my ideas or beliefs on the franchise as a whole. These are going to be subjected to change once I get a chance to see the full film. 

That being said, I’ve got a couple of thoughts on the trailer which are below:

1. Kong in chains? Really guys?

Let’s face it, the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to King Kong are probably the popular stereotypes: Climbing a tall building, carrying a scantly clad woman, oh and don’t forget about the chains. 

Seriously?

Look, if Kong really does this listen to this little girl, or at least trusts her enough to defend her, the chains aren’t needed. Seriously. Just ask the girl to help convince Kong to sit on the boat long enough to get to wherever the hell Godzilla is. It would be nicer than falling back on a rather racist mentality where “dangerous things” have to be held down while in transit. Sound familiar? 

Or the writer’s could have done the odd thing and given Kong a reason to willingly work with these humans, like say, Godzilla showing up one day to Skull Island, wrecking everyone’s shit, pissing off Kong, and then ducking out. Kong’s good, but he’s not an aquatic lizard. He’d definitely need help getting back at the Big G then. What better than with the tiny humans in the big ass boat? He’d probably go sit on it himself and tell them to hurry it up. 

TL;DR the trope is out dated and racist. 

2. Battle on the ocean is cool and all....

But if you’re going for realism, those boats, no matter how big, don’t stand a chance. Realism has been the goal of these versions of the movies. Godzilla was specifically designed to be as realistic for what a large, water-dwelling monster, could be if it ever stepped into our universe. All of the kaiju have been designed this way so far. 

“But Dragon,” you say, “They’re kaiju movies. They can’t be realistic.”

To that, I say, touché. Correct in that regard. 

However, each of the monsters, Godzilla, Kong, Mothra, Rodan, Ghidorah, Skullcrawlers, Warbat, the Mutos, and so on, were all designed with realism in mind. Their main purpose was to be designed in such a way that there was no question that they couldn’t exist in our world. The creative team behind the movie is banking on the realism to give these movie an edge that a lot of rubber suit Godzilla movies don’t have. These affects are part of why the only other, hyper-realistic Godzilla movie, Shin Gojira (Godzilla Resurrection in America) did so well in Japan. There was no question that Shin Gojira couldn’t exist, and wouldn’t come out of the ocean to destroy all of Tokyo. 

3. Godzilla changing sides wasn’t out of nowhere. We knew this was going to happen. 

They totally foreshadowed that at the end of KOTM when the plane/airship flew away. Their whole conversation was pointed out for this main reason. They were setting up for the Big G to be the bad guy in this movie. 

Not that that’s unusual. Godzilla has flipped sides a lot in his time. Shin Gojira, for example, depicts him as an obvious villain. The Showa Era movies see him more as a relatable hero of humanity. Heisei has him flip a bit back and forth, or at least hold a neutral tone. Millennium Era was roughly the same with movies like GMK having him as an obvious villain while movies like Final Wars gave him a more neutral tone. 

Now the American versions have been aiming for him to be a friend to humanity that suddenly turns with only a small handful of stubborn characters (Millie Bobby Brown’s character for example) absolutely believing that someone, or something, has caused Godzilla to go on a rampage against humanity. Another movie that made this switch? Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). Godzilla starts out as a dinosaur living on an island that saves the Japanese forces during WWII, only for him to be essentially reincarnated in a new form after the shenanigans of the movie, turning him into humanity’s enemy, further forcing them to revive King Ghidorah as Mecha KG to fight him again. 

No where in Godzilla’s history, has he ever been 100% friend of humanity. Even in the Showa Era movies, which were altered to be very child friendly, one could place a lot of argument for neutrality, at best. 

4. But all of this doesn’t mean that we as viewers can’t be frustratingly upset about this fact. 

Godzilla and Kong both have ardent followers. There are probably many that are upset over the sudden turn. Finally, here, we have the best American versions of the Big G depicting him as a hero of humanity, only to be suddenly hit with the idea that he’s now the big bad and will lose to Kong. 

Kong people, you’re awesome. 

But I’m rooting for Godzilla. 

Of course Big G fans are going to be upset. If history has taught us anything, it’s that Godzilla is about to have his tail handed to him by Kong. May I remind everyone of this gif? 

Unfortunately, this point is going to have to sit until the movie comes out. Until we can be certain of the storyline, there’s no way to say, one way or the other, who the victor is going to be. 

As viewers, we’re allowed to feel betrayed by this change in storyline and characterization. They better have a damn good reason why they’re suddenly making G out to be the villain. The writing is going to have to be on point for this movie to be a success. 

5. This movie is going to have to choose between two endings: Alternative endings OR  a Combined ending. 

Buckle up. This is my longest point/ section so far. 

Here’s the thing: When the original GvK (depicted above in gif form) came out way back in the start of Godzilla’s long and storied history, Kong was the winner. Plain and simple. For years, there’s been a false story or rumor going around that this version of the movie had two endings- one where Kong won (which was presented in America) and one where G won (presented in Japan). 

But that’s not the case. 

See, Godzilla had just become a thing a few years before hand. He only had, like, twelve or so years in existence at the time. Kong had been around for around thirty years and was wildly more popular to viewers. Therefore, Toho made the executive decision to save Godzilla by having him fight Kong, and have Kong win. There never was a second ending where Godzilla won. He didn’t have the follower numbers, yet, to allow that to happen. Even then, the numbers of box office tickets for each of the Godzilla movies shows how up and down his stardom has been. This can even be seen in the ten year gap that happens between 1975 and 1985 where no Godzilla movies are made; the Showa Era ends in 1975 with Terror of Mechagodzilla and the Heisei Era doesn’t even begin until 1985 with The Return of Godzilla. 

Now, Monsterverse is going to have to make a tough choice: script, write, and create two alternative endings where Godzilla and Kong win in each, ultimately making the other a loser, and then having a continuity issue that they’re going to have to deal with in all subsequent movies OR combine the two by making Godzilla and Kong chill on each other and fight a different kaiju all together. 

Honestly, as cool as the alternative endings would be, I just don’t see it being feasible to do. 

Therefore, I’m under the impression that we’re going to have a third kaiju enter the ring. One that is going to be powerful enough to get the two most powerful kaiju on planet Earth to team up with each other. 

You’ve got three (four if you’re digging) options for this particular villain: The new Warbat kaiju, King Ghidorah (and subsequently Mecha King Ghidorah, making number four), OR MechaGodzilla. 

Warbat seems to be the more obvious answer as some of the smaller ones were presented in the trailer, and Ghidorah/Mecha and MechaG may appear random. 

Or maybe not. 

Some leaked toy images for figures that are/were released for the movie, depicted a MechaG as part of the set. I do not know how reliable that information is. They could have pulled it for all I know and, no, I don’t have time to research it now. If you’re at this point in the essay anyway, might as well read to the end. 

Here’s the deal: if MechaG exist then so can Mecha KG. I’m not talking about realism at this point (number two if you skipped that part), because neither could technically exist in a more “realistic” version of kaiju movies. The science just wouldn’t be there in this civilization that mirrors our own specifically. I haven’t heard anything about free fighting, giant robots being a thing in this world. No, the giant Gundams in Japan don’t count. These movies have been rather strict in following the “laws of reality”. Everything in the them could feasibly happen if, and only if, kaiju were real in this world. That is what makes them appealing to viewers. It only makes sense, then, that if they’re willing enough to break their own rules over realism, then both options would be viable candidates for a combination baddie that gets G and K off each other’s throats. 

My question then would be- who’s controlling them? 

Is MG and MKG going to be controlled by aliens again (as depicted in both of their origin stories)? If so, that would help to heal Godzilla’s relationship with the humans and force him and Kong to work together. It would also open the Monsterverse all the way up for new storylines that involve space like, say, SpaceGodzilla or even Biolante (my absolute favorite who I would love to see in the Monsterverse, but, I digress). If not, then humanity is going to have two very pissed off kaiju on their hand. Godzilla for being betrayed by them again and Kong for being dragged off his island, forced to fight, only to get backstabbed by them. It definitely wouldn’t help that they are, quite literally, the two strongest kaiju on the planet. 

More than likely, the space angle won’t happen. Monsterverse will probably make MG Monarch’s creation, but then make MechaKG/KG Alan Jonah’s creature since we saw how he was so gun- ho on getting that KG head at the end of KOTM. However, it doesn’t stand to reason that Jonah’s character would have the resources or know-how to build a Mecha out of nowhere. While resourceful, that information wasn’t provided at all in KOTM. 

Monarch, on the other hand, could say out of nowhere, “Oh, yeah. We’ve been studying these kaiju for so long that we figured out their weaknesses so we built a giant robot to beat the shit out of them all, but we kept it secret because the Government cut all connections with us and we didn’t want to lose our ace just yet.” See, unlike Jonah’s character, they have the resources. They have the know-how. They have the people to do it. That storyline would be more believable than what they’re attempting to do with Jonah, which is somehow giving him control of Ghidorah. 

I have better chances of teaching my cat to tap-dance than Jonah has of controlling Ghidorah. 

I doubt anyone on this planet would be able to control KG. After all, it was very pointed in his origin story in KOTM that KG was a space alien, sent to Earth for some reason. To change it? To control it? Who knows, but it definitely didn’t come with good intentions. If KG in the Monsterverse is a space creation, much like in his origin story for the Toho branch, then it would stand that only the aliens who created it would be able to control it. Meaning that, unless he has the override passcode for the genetic mutating the space creeps have to do to control such a large kaiju, Jonah’s character is going to be the first one squished once KG has time to revive. I’ll eat my hat if he manages to figure it out. 

As of right now, we can’t be certain how long it has been since the end of KOTM. Millie Bobby Brown’s character appears aged but that could just be her growing in real life since the last movie came out. There’s no real way to tell right now. Nothing that I saw in the trailer at least would be helpful. I would imagine that it would take KG a long time to come back since all that remained after that final battle was one pretty dead head that had been at the bottom of the ocean if his regrowth factor is going to even be considered here. It would have to regrow its other two heads and its complete body again. Honestly, I just can’t determine how much of a threat KG is going to be in this movie, if at all.

My money’s on Warbat being the big bad with possible MechaG undertones. 

*****************************************************************************

There you go. My unsolicited Godzilla movie trailer thoughts. Remember: these are only the initial thoughts on the trailer that came out today. Some of these will be changed as soon as I possibly can when the movie drops. 

#long post #godzilla vs kong 2021 #movie trailer #unsolicited thoughts #tw racism #if you gonna chat #you better be polite about it #I'm not playing any games with clowns

[joyofcrime-elinorhigh]

Watamote Review: (Oh, The Cringe)

"Beware that, when fighting cringe, you yourself do not become a cringe lord yourself.. for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche: 1886 -(Probably) -(Don't Google it)

 Hello there, everybody. My name is JoyofCrimeArt, and the word "cringe" is definitely thrown around a lot these days, to the point where some say that the word is starting to lose all meaning. "Oh, you like some band or movie that I don't like? That's so cringe, lol." No, Damn it! I'm sick of all of it! I'm looking for true, unadulterated cringe, in it's purest form! The type of cringe that makes you unsure if you should laugh or cry. The type of cringe that makes you question if our species evolutionary process is going backwards or forwards. That is why I am on a quest to find this cringe, for the good of science! So today in my journey to find the most cringe thing ever created (other than myself, obviously) we will be diving head first into the deep end of the cringe pool, as we head to Japan once again to talk about the 2013 anime series Watamote. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWOTQRduHeA

(Yes, I'm using the ending credit song here. I know people love the shows opening, and while I think that the song on it's own isn't that bad and the visuals are really nice, the heavy metal doesn't really match the show in my opinion. Couple with the clever lyrics here, I find this song a better representation of the show, and much catchier.)   Watamote (Aka: No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular! Aka: No Matter How I Look at It, This Series Really Needs a Shorter Title.) is a twelve episode anime series based off of the manga by the same name written by two writers who both go by the pen name Nico Tanigawa. The series follows the misadventures of main protagonist Tomoko Kuroki, a very socially backwards teenage girl who's about to enter her first year of high school. Being unpopular in middle school, Tomoko decides that high school is going to be a fresh start for her, as she decides that she will not only become the most popular girl in school, but will also get a boyfriend as well. Things do not turn out that way and hijinks ensue. Seems like a fairly standard, if not somewhat bland premise, right? Well you might assume that at first, but what if I were to tell you that this show handles the subject in such a unique and creative way, that it was actually able to became one of my personal favorite animated series of the decade so far? Why is that, you ask? Well, let's dive in and find out.  Let's start by talking about our main character, Tomoko Kuroki. Tomoko is a first year high school student who dreams of becoming popular and getting a boyfriend. However, there are two big things that makes this hard for her. The first thing is that she is not a very friendly person. She's bitter, cynical, and even a bit demented at points. She has her soft moments, but in general she tends to assume the worst in almost anybody, and holds a lot of resentment for people who are more socially skilled than she is. The second thing is that Tomoko is HEAVILY implied to suffers from a surprisingly fairly realistic depiction of social anxiety disorder. At the start of the series Tomoko is completely unable to talk to anybody outside of her own family. These two facts, particularly the latter, are what makes Tomoko's goal of becoming the most popular girl in school such an enormous challenge, and Tomoko trying to break out of her shell serves as the main arc of the series. Social anxiety disorder is not a topic that I've seen covered very much in other forms of media, and I can't think of any other series that covers it in the way Watamote does. But I'll get to that a bit later.  There are some other side characters, but honestly there aren't that many. There's Tomoko's younger and stoic brother Tomoki, who has to put up with Tomoko's annoying antics. There's also Yu, Tomoko's only friend from middle school who now goes to a separate high school. While she too was unpopular in middle school, unlike Tomoko she actually was able to reinvent herself when she entered high school by dying her hair blond and hiding her love of anime. She acts as a good contrast to Tomoko as a reflection of what Tomoko wants to be. There's also one other character who comes in near the end of the series, but I can't really talk about her to much without getting into mild spoiler territory. All of these characters are good in there own right, but other then them the show is mostly about Tomoko. This is clever as by keeping the cast of side characters small, it helps drive the point home about how lonely she really is due to her social anxiety. Resulting in about eighty five to ninety percent of the shows "dialogue" to actually be Tomoko's internal dialogue, as she talks to herself about whatever situation she is in. I've never seen a show do something like this before and it's really an interesting thing to do. It ties the audience much more into Tomoko's struggle by truly making the series her story, and her's alone. However, this means that the entire series does rely on you liking Tomoko as a character. If you don't than there isn't much else to latch on to.    Episodes of the show are pretty formulaic. They almost always center around either Tomoko coming up with some kind of hare brain scheme to get more popular or involve her being forced to act in some kind of social situation. Often times the plots do not act as much of a "linear plot" as much as a series of short vignettes that center around a theme. Like episodes four, where the plot is that "it's raining" and we get several different segments of Tomoko doing stuff while it's raining. Or episode seven, where the whole plot is just Tomoko doing several things during her summer break. It's a pretty unique format that I haven't seen many other times before and makes the episodes feel less like a coherent stories and more like just moments of Tomoko's life. I really enjoy this way of storytelling, as it makes the stories seem a lot smaller. That might sound like a bad thing, but I think it helps ground the world and the characters, and makes it feel more relatable. It makes the stories feel like something that could actually happen in real life.  Now despite how depressing this show might sound from my description of it, it is still a comedy. It's just that it's a very dark comedy. Most of the jokes in the series coming from Tomoko's failure to understand the way that people are suppose to act socially, or the leaps in logic she makes when it comes to her schemes to become more popular. This often results in what is known as "cringe comedy" or as what I like to call it "Oh God, please stop." comedy. This is a style of humor that this show has perfected to a t. Every situation that Tomoko finds herself in is uncomfortable to watch, in the best of way. It's actually a great show to watch if you are socially awkward, cause then you can say, "Well hey, at least I'm not THAT bad." Unless of course you are that bad, in which case you really need to question your life decisions.

THIS IS THE STUFF WE'RE DEALING WITH, PEOPLE!  Tomoko's plans are always doomed from the start, to the point where failure is an inevitability. This actually provides an interesting viewing experience in a strange kind of way. Most of the time in good stories a character will think of a plan that is just crazy enough to work. You as the viewer will be unsure of whether or not the characters plan will work or not and that's how the series builds suspense. But Watamote's plot structure doesn't work like that. The plots of Watamote function less like conventional stories and more like a car driving into a brick wall. What I mean by this is that whenever Tomoko comes up with any kind of plan to become popular you know form the very beginning that it's going to fail. The schemes are so disconnected from any kind of reality that it's obvious to anyone who isn't Tomoko that the plan won't work. An example of this in the episode six where she tries to become more attractive by playing dating sims game, due to the fact that she believed that by being aroused by these games, her body would create more feminine hormones, and those hormones would make her more attractive. And that's not even her dumbest plan she has in this series! You know from the start that this plan makes absolutely no Goddamn sense, but then you have to sit there for the next six to ten minutes and watch it fail. You have to watch the metaphorical car crash unfold. The show definitely has a niche style of humor that won't be for everyone, but I personally can't get enough of it.  Now, while the show has gotten mixed to positive reviews from fans and critics, those who do dislike the show site a major problem with the series being how it deals with the topic of social anxiety. Many say that the show does not tackle the topic with much tack or grace, as the series is basically about laughing at how miserable Tomoko is because of her illness. Not to mention the fact that pretty much no adult in the series tries in anyway to actually help Tomoko through her problem. Not even her parents. Many argue that this show is taking the subject to lightly. Honestly though, I disagree with this analysis, and honestly I have no idea where they would get this idea from.

Oh, Tomoko! You're so CRAY CRAY! Ha Ha! You see, it's funny because social anxiety is hilarious!  Okay, in all seriousness, I can get that complaint. Heck, now that I think about it, I honestly don't think this story would have been able to air if it came out in America due to the way it handles the issue. So the question becomes "is this show offensive to people with social anxiety disorder"? Well, I don't think so. The show does play a lot of the social anxiety stuff for laughs, but it is also played for drama as well. Tomoko's whole character arc is about her learning to cope with her condition while also trying to conquer it. And while I don't have social anxiety disorder (Though I am EXTREMELY introverted, so take of that what you will.) I think that the story would be very inspiring for someone who does have it. Watamote is a lot like an TV-MA rated version of the comic strip Peanuts, (hear me out, here!) Like Charlie Brown Tomoko is a character that the world is just out to get. She tries her hardest, but from the very beginning we know that failure is inevitable. But Tomoko never stops trying. And when she does have even the smallest of victories it feels all the more satisfying. Because Tomoko does change over the course of the twelve episodes. The change is very gradual, but as the series goes on she does become more and more confident speaking around other people, and it feels like a real accomplishments, even though it's clear at the end of the series that she still has quite a way to go. Even her motivations change over the course of the series, going from "Wanting to be the most popular girl in school and having a boyfriend" to "Just wanting a boyfriend" to "Just wanting to have a friend." It shows the struggles that comes with anxiety, but it also shows that with hard work you can rise above it, even if it's only one step at a time. For a comedy driven show it actually has a lot of heart behind it. And it's this heart that I think keeps the show from being just a show that uses social anxiety as a punchline, into a series that really treats the issue with the respect it should be treated with, albeit in a comedic way.

 The show treads a careful line into dipping into "torture porn" territory (Which, for anyone who is not aware, is a term often used to describe a show that features one character suffering over and over again for no good reason. BTDubz, we also learn is one of Tomoko's kinks.) What I mean is that as an audience member you want to watch the main character succeed in there endeavors. However, Tomoko fails ninety nine percent of the time. The series could easily dip to far and end up becoming too depressing and mean spirited. But luckily there able to carefully avoid this my making almost of Tomoko's suffering is caused by internal forces, not external. No one actually bullies Tomoko for her condition, or anything. it just that most people don't know she exists. If Tomoko could actually just talk to someone instead of overthinking things she wouldn't have a problem making friends at all. This stops the series from coming across as overly mean spirited. Because it is Tomoko, or more specifically her condition, that makes her life hard. Not anyone or anything else. Tomoko life is separated from all of her peers, and the show cleverly illustrates this by having a lot of the background characters being drawn without faces. Because, to Tomoko, there just a faceless mob. That and it probably helps cut cost on the character design budget-

 Also, the fact that Tomoko is such a jerky character also helps the series feel less like a torture porn. Cause while obviously you don't want Tomoko to suffer, it is a lot easier to watch a lovable jerk suffer compared to someone who did nothing wrong. I mean seriously, look at the way Tomoko talks about her only friend Yuu in her internal monologue!

She's such a jerk!  But because we know what she goes through it stops her from becoming to unlikeable...For the most part.  That leads me into some of the flaws with the show. While I do really love this show a lot, I believe that everything has pros and cons to it, and it deserves to be talked about. Just keep in mind though that many of these flaws are kinda nitpicks, that don't distract too much from the series as a whole.  Sometimes Tomoko can come across as to mean spirited and unlikeable. The bit before the train scene in episode four is probably the worst of it, though there at least she does learn that she was wrong. The show also has a tendency to reuse music from previous episodes, which while not that bad does get fairly noticeable as the series goes on. The series also has a lot of references to both Japanese pop cultural references and references and Japaness culture in general. For some reason a lot of the Japanese brand names or anime series that are names dropped in the series are censored out in the sub? It's weird because there not removed like they are in the dub, but they'll have one or two letters blocked out. I don't get the point. But yeah, a lot of those jokes went over my head, and would probably work better if I knew more about day to day life of a Japanese youth.  Also the ending of the series is kinda lackluster. I'm not going to go into spoilers, but Watamote is based off of a manga. A manga that is still running today, so they didn't really have an ending they could adapt. And it's kinda clear from the feeling of the finale that the people behind the anime didn't really know what to do when they got to the end of there twelve episode run. The finale isn't really that bad to be completely honest, but it does feel like a very abrupt end written by people who where just kinda guessing what the ending of the manga might end up being like.  Also, while I don't see this as a flaw, this show will not be everybody. This show will make you feel uncomfortable. A lot of scenes are really hard to watch, just due to how intentionally awkward they are. I kept out A LOT of the really cringy moments from the show out of the review as not to spoil them, but trust me. It gets truly hard to watch at some points. This is Butch Hartman's YouTube channel levels of cringe! (Okay, that's a lie, nothing is that cringe. Sorry Watamote.) It's both the shows greatest strength and greatest weakness. The humor is both very unique but also very niche, which is why while this show was fairly successful when it came out, I would find very few people other than myself who would call it one of there favorite anime series.  Now, it's time to talk about the age old debate. How should you watch the series, Dubbed or Subbed? Well, honestly, I don't really care. It's your life man, As long as you're not hurting anybody what do I care? But if you wanted my opinion, I'd be happy to share it with you! Since most of the lines come from Tomoko she'll be the big deciding factor. For the sub we have the performance of Izumi Kitta. Ms. Kitta nails the role of Tomoko in my personal opinion. She has such a meek and high pitched voice that it really sells the emotional scenes in the series. When Tomoko is forced to talk to someone in the sub her voice is at a near inaudible whisper, which really does help give you the sense that Tomoko is truly unable to communicate with most people. In the dub Tomoko is played by voice acting legend Monica Rial. Her take on Tomoko's voice is less cutesy and is a lot more nasally, which does work as an interpretation. She captures the comedy moments really well too. However, I feel like she isn't as good at capturing the moments of anxiety as well as Kitta, and due to Kitta managing to pull of the comedic and the touching side I think her take is the better version.  No offence to Monica Rial though. I do love the fact that her version of Tomoko sounds like a cross between Renge from Ouran High School Host Club  (Who she also voices in the dub) and Peridot from Steven Universe. THAT'S A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN I TELLS' YA!

 So in the end, should you watch Watamote? Well, I think it depends on who you are. The series won't be for everyone. It's brand of humor is very unique, and will likely turn a lot of people off. But I think if you're the type of person who likes weird, uncomfortable humor they'll be something for you here. ESPECIALLY if you're shy or introverted. There will definitely be a part of you who will be able to relate to the show, even if you're not exactly proud that you related to it. The series is also only twelve episodes, so it isn't that much of a commitment. It's really a shame that it's only twelve episodes though, as they only ended up adapting about three and a half volumes out of the still ongoing ten volume run. They could of done more if they wanted too. But then again, leave them wanting more as they say. (That way you can force them to buy your manga set...) The series can be found subbed on Crunchyroll for free, or on Hulu if you already have an account. Unfortunately the only way to find the series dubbed legally is on DVD or blu-ray sets, and those are about thirty bucks on Amazon here in the US. However, depending on your financial situation it may just be worth it...(But God knows I don't have that kind of money!) If this review got you at all interested consider checking the series out.  So that's my review of the anime series Watamote. What do you think of the series? Which moment was the hardest to watch for you? Tell me all that in the comments down bellow. I'd love to start a conversation, even if you don't necessarily agree with all of the points I've made. Please fav, follow, and comment if you liked this review, or if you have any suggestions for any other reviews in the future. Have a great day. (Interesting fact. Whenever I'm at work during my lunch break at work I will either go to the bookstore that's right by my work establishment or I'll just sit in the break room reading my volumes of  Watamote mangas by myself while trying to make it so my co-workers can't see what I am reading. THIS SHOW IS SO ME AND THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING-) (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Watamote-REVIEW-Oh-the-Cringe-698766244 DA Link

#Watamote #no matter how i look at it it's you guys' fault i'm not popular! #anime #review #cringe

[courtingstars]

Notes for The Vanishing Prince, Chapter 1

I can’t believe I just typed that title… I’M FINALLY POSTING THIS FIC. Anyway.

This story is going to be a little different from the first two in A Spark of Light. Because of that, I have some really important stuff I need to say first! I’ll start with those things, then go into my usual notes about culture and timelines and KnB canon, etc. So, THE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF…

(Cut for a whole bunch of warnings and info about dissociation disorders, family dysfunction, Japanese culture, spooky stuff, and lots of other bits and pieces)

1. This is a story about a very misunderstood mental illness. It’s not going to be perfect, but I’ll do my best.

I’ve alluded to mental health issues in the first two stories, specifically that Furihata has anxiety, and Akashi has an undiagnosed dissociative disorder.

This story focuses a lot more on the latter, which is a deeply misunderstood and stigmatized mental health issue. I’ve tried to do as much research as I can on these disorders, and on how the human brain processes trauma—which is connected to dissociation, a survival mechanism. However, I do not have a dissociative disorder myself, so I want to emphasize that I’m not an expert, and this is not based on my personal experience. I did consult first person accounts, and used them as inspiration. But in the end, this is a fictional story based on the canon of Kuroko no Basuke, which is imperfect and can be misleading/confusing, when it comes this part of Akashi’s character. (I’ll try to explain why as I post more of the fic.)

Also, not all people who have more than one self state consider themselves to have a disorder… I’ve sometimes seen the term “multiple” used for this. In addition, some people want to keep their different self states separate, and live as they are. I chose to depict Akashi as having a disorder because of his arc in KnB canon—specifically, how Last Game ends. So like in canon, this series is about Akashi coming to terms with having a disorder and making the eventual decision to integrate his selves. (Some fans were disappointed with that aspect of Extra Game/Last Game in part because psychiatry sometimes pushes integration as the only valid treatment goal for dissociation, which it isn’t. But since I felt Akashi made that choice for himself in KnB, I went with his decision in my fics as well. For a thorough article about some of the issues surrounding the integration process, I highly recommend this site.)

So I’m going to do the best I can, to make Akashi’s portrayal nuanced and positive, and use current knowledge about dissociation. But I know it won’t be perfect, and I’m going to make mistakes. (Especially since the experiences of these disorders can vary a lot, so what is true for some people may be very different for others… Since I based it on canon, Akashi’s experience definitely diverges from what tends to be described as “typical.”) So I want to apologize for any issues in advance, and I’ll do my best to address and/or correct them. The fic also deconstructs some stereotypes and misconceptions. (Especially as they relate to Bokushi.) One of the reasons I wanted to write this story was because I wanted to explore Akashi’s experience in more depth, and try to fill in some things we don’t know about him. On that note…

2. This story will include depictions of family dysfunction, emotional neglect, and some (mostly implied) abuse.

I’ve talked before about my portrayal of Akashi’s family in this series. But I think it’s worth mentioning again that I’m writing about Akashi’s parents—and his extended family and caretakers—as flawed people, who made some very misguided decisions about how to raise a child. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t go into more details yet. But I wanted to make sure to give a heads-up that this story will go to a darker place than the previous two. (Which I tried to imply near the end of Storming the Castle.)

For anyone who’s concerned that it might be too intense, I’m aiming to keep everything in this story to a solid PG-13 rating, at most. I’ll also provide content warnings for any intense scenes, so you can skip or skim them if you prefer.

That said, I intentionally avoided going with the darkest possible interpretations of Akashi’s family life. I don’t want this story to be overly disturbing, or make any of the characters out to be truly evil. But I did want to show that sometimes, caretakers make decisions they intend to be loving, but that cause real mental and emotional harm in the long term.

3. This story has paranormal elements. A LOT of paranormal elements.

On the note of getting darker, I should probably mention that this story will also have more spooky/paranormal stuff. While Storming the Castle took most of its inspiration from fairy tales, The Vanishing Prince includes some inspiration from ghost and horror stories, particularly Japanese ones. That being said, I didn’t want readers to have to stop the series early because it got too scary! So just like in StC, I’m aiming to keep the spooky parts to a PG rating, and to have a more “fantasy” tone overall, kind of along the lines of a Miyazaki movie. (As in no super gory descriptions, any past violence related to the paranormal will be implied instead of shown, nothing too creepy or viscerally gross, etc.)

Still, expect plenty of allusions and/or depictions of Japanese spiritualism, ghosts, youkai, Shinto beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, Japanese funeral rituals, graves, temples etc. There are also a few concepts borrowed from Western mysticism… That’s mostly Reo’s fault. Because, uh, tarot cards? Which is canon and I did not make that up.

As always, please note that I’m not an expert on Japanese culture! I try to make sure that what I include in my fics is as accurate as possible, but I’m not Japanese, so it’s better to assume that it includes at least some Western misconceptions and/or errors. (Plus there are probably about a million Westerners who know more about Japanese ghost stories than I do.)

4. This story includes some sexual tension, but it’s mild/implied.

One other thing I should mention… The characters’ sexuality is addressed more directly in this fic, so there are allusions to sexual tension. That said, because the characters are still teenagers, I’m going to keep it at a PG-13 level at most. (Basically, arousal is implied, no explicit mentions of body parts, etc.) You can see examples of this in Furihata’s scenes in Chapter One. I went with this approach for multiple reasons. But a big one is that I want people who were most comfortable with the ratings of previous fics in the series to be able to keep reading if they want to!

Okay, that’s it for the serious “here’s what you’re getting into” kind of stuff. Now for less important things…

Timeline of the Fic

This series takes place in the spring and summer after the Winter Cup in Kuroko no Basuke canon. The first three stories also takes place before Last Game, which happens in August. The Vanishing Prince starts right after Storming the Castle. Which means it’s set mostly near the end of July, partly during summer vacation in the Japanese school calendar. I wanted to mention this because this is a story about Oreshi and Bokushi, so establishing where it fits in the canon seems like important background info! And speaking of Bokushi…

Oreshi’s Point of View vs. Bokushi’s Point of View

So if you’ve already read the chapter, you know that this fic series finally has a third point of view! (YAY. I’M SO EXCITED.) Originally, I wasn’t sure if I was going to include Bokushi’s PoV… But once I started writing it, I was having way too much fun, so yes, it’s happening. XD

The one tricky thing is that both Oreshi and Bokushi like to use the same full name. (Which is not always the case with dissociation, by the way… It’s an interesting part of both of their characters, I think!) So I decided that for the scenes that are written in Oreshi’s point of view, Oreshi will continue to be called Akashi. And when a scene is in Bokushi’s point of view, Bokushi is referred to as Seijuurou. (I based this off of an aspect of his character that he’ll bring up later.)

So hopefully that wasn’t too confusing to read! Also, Oreshi and Bokushi will both refer to their other self as “my other self,” or sometimes “my brother.” (Which is a headcanon based off of that one line in KnB where Oreshi compares Bokushi to “a troublesome little brother.”)

Therapy and Dissociation Terms

This note is pretty serious again… This story will contain depictions of psychiatry and therapy. I’m not an expert on either of these things, and the culture around therapy in Japan is different than it is in Western countries. (I talked about that in some of my notes for Storming the Castle earlier.)

So while I’ll do my best to strike a balance between realism and fiction, this story is going to take some fictional license with the therapy process. The main reason is that I wanted Akashi’s situation in the story to seem unusual in certain ways, because the power he wields in terms of his family background is so unusual. Hopefully I conveyed that the psychiatrist in the story is choosing to go out of her way in Akashi’s case, and possibly making some exceptions that she wouldn’t make otherwise.

(That being said, from everything I could gather, parental permission is not strictly required by law for teenagers to receive therapy in Japan… Unlike where I live in America, where it is in a lot of states, though the specifics vary a lot.)

And on that note, I should mention one of the terms I used… When it comes to dissociation disorders, having more than one self state is often referred to as having “alters.” Not everyone uses this term. (I’ve seen some people say they dislike using it because it sounds clinical, for example.) On the recommended site I use for general information about dissociation disorders, they do use “alter.” So that’s why I used it too. (Also, the fic takes place in 2010, and I believe alter was standard back then as well.) But please keep in mind that some people might not use that particular term!

Oreshi and Bokushi’s Headspace, and Co-Consciousness

I also wanted to briefly bring up the “room” inside Akashi’s mind, where Oreshi and Bokushi talk… I based its appearance off of that scene near the end of the anime, where Oreshi confronts Bokushi inside their mind:

My headcanon is that Oreshi and Bokushi use this as a space where they can both communicate with each other. This is based on something common among people who have dissociation, sometimes called headspace, which you can learn about here. In my fic, Bokushi and/or Oreshi’s presence in this room represents that they’re conscious at the moment. Meaning that they’re aware of what’s going on in the world around them, even though the other self may be in control of their body. When two alters are conscious at the same time, it’s called being “co-conscious.” In KnB canon, it’s implied that Oreshi and Bokushi are co-conscious at least some (and possibly most, or all!) of the time. I’ll talk more about that later, and why I went with the interpretation of canon that I did.

Also, I wanted to quickly mention these lines in the chapter:

“[Akashi] didn’t recall losing track of events against his will. But there used to be many instances where he would let himself drift away, on one level or another. He would lose a few minutes of time, while his brother would talk in his place.”

This is based on one of the Teikou scenes when Midorima noticed that Akashi seemed to have “another Akashi inside him” that said things that were different from his usual personality. This happened before the scene where Bokushi took complete control. So I headcanon that before Oreshi ever let Bokushi fully switch places with him, he sometimes let Bokushi speak in his place, temporarily. I also headcanon that he started doing this while interacting with his dad. (There’s a part in the manga that implies that Oreshi had feelings of being “separate” before Teikou, too.) So that’s where that theory came from!

Fast Train References

Also, just a quick reminder that Akashi’s promise to show Furihata around Gion at night is from The Fast Train to Kyoto! (And I’m very excited that Kyoto is going to be a setting again. <3) Also in that fic, I introduced the Akashi family estate in Kyoto for the first time. In my headcanons, this is the area where his family originally lived centuries ago, and they acquired the mansion in Tokyo later. Furihata hasn’t visited the Kyoto estate yet, but he will. ;)

And that’s it for now! Wow, this was a looong post. ^^; Kudos to anyone who read the whole thing! And I really hope you all enjoyed this introduction to The Vanishing Prince. I’m so excited to be sharing it, finally. <3

(And unlike in Storming the Castle, I don’t feel nearly as bad for that cliffhanger in Chapter One… Because that’s exactly how it’s been in my head for three years, and Bokushi makes no apologies. //laughs)

#long post #really long post #good lord #kat writes fanfic #kat writes about basketball dorks #the vanishing prince #text post

[beanymachine]

A Post About Fairy Tail (Series)

Warning:

This post will mention the word “porn,” and ”nudity”. If you want me to tag as #nsfw I understand, but please understand I am not describing anything and am simply having a discussion. If this post makes you too uncomfortable and/or mentally triggers you and you wish for the post to be deleted, I understand and will immediately delete it. I do not want to do any harm on anyone.

Hey, I know a lot of people are loyal to Fairy Tail and I get it, I’ve been there. But I just wanted to talk about and ask some stuff to you the community. So please know I’m not trying to be rude or mean. With that being said, I will start.

I used to like Fairy Tail a lot. I loved it. It helped me during middle school and had everything I loved: Magic, friendship, adventure, and transformations (like Erza’s armor). And as I kept watching the anime, there were some inappropriate parts (like when some female characters didn’t have anything covering their boobs or barely had anything on there). Looking back, I see I always tried to look around it, deny, or just say to myself since because there was still a little clothing left, it still wasn’t nudity. In truth, I was just trying to find a way to look around it to stay loyal and read what the story had to offer.

It had a good beginning, much better than the end. And when I caught up with the anime, I read the manga. It was right before the last chapter of the series I found out something.

You see, during the Tartarus Arc (I think that’s what it was called) I skipped the part where Lisanna and Nastu were tied up naked. There was a time before I caught up to this arc that while I was on the wiki for Fairy Tail, I heard of this and maybe saw a photo of them being naked, but I couldn’t believe it. I told my mom and she told me it might’ve been fake, or it was my decision if I wanted to stop reading. I can’t remember which was which, but I think I forgot at the time and took a break from reading it. But after hearing numerous people who read the manga talk about it, I decided to skip the part. After all, they are just naked and nothing inappropriate was going to happen right? Just jokes right?

Looking back at it again, that was also denial. And them just being naked and making jokes was inappropriate in that fact.

But what I also skipped was the torturing scene for Erza.

Apparently, (and I think they censored it in the anime which is good) Erza is tortured while naked, and some tentacle creature also tortured her. And I remember once watching an Anthony Bourdain documentary on Japan that there is apparently some genre of manga or illustration of tentacle porn. And I remembered this when I discovered what happened to Erza.

That was the moment I really opened my eyes. I think Hiro Mashima sexualized torture.

Women have whatever opinions or feelings on how women are depicted in media and their thoughts on feminism. At the time I discovered this, I thought as a woman I was disgracing what pride or self respect I had. I shouldn’t read or support something that a person created that’s demeaning to women, and sexualizes them. Not only that, but this is a shōnen manga. Women and girl teens can enjoy it, but this manga is aimed at male teenagers. These teens shouldn’t be taught it’s okay to sexualize women like this, or see what’s going on is okay. I mean sure in Fairy Tail it was shown wrong, but I don’t think the writing did a good job on showing the everlasting effects the torture did on Erza. Also, maybe it’s different in Japan, but in the US, young men or male teens can interpret this wrong. Also as a woman I am disgusted. But those are my thoughts, you can have your own opinion.

So for some weeks I dropped the manga as I felt it was my duty as a women. Which today I think it shouldn’t really be a duty. It just depends on how it affects you. And maybe it didn’t affect me as much as it did to others because I was still REALLY curious on how the story ended. Because that’s what really kept me going.

I liked some of the art, and I also wanted to know what would happen to the characters. Would Lucy and Nastu end up together? Or would the become very close best friends? Would Gray have a moment telling Juvia his feeling towards her or no? How will the story end? But I think I mostly held out because I still had hope that maybe, somehow, Hiroshima would turn around and start writing well and actually give accurate character development to he characters. It also helped me realize I really like character development.

The manga taught me on what not to do when writing or drawing a story. Because there was so many ways I thought on how he could make some good out of the last arc, or how he could’ve written it, or ideas on using the logic of the manga and it’s magic he could somehow make a somewhat well written or at least good ending.

But he necessarily didn’t.

In the end Nastu was the one to KO the evil dragon guy and not all the dragon slayers. Lucy and the rest of the group had there moment, but it was mostly support. Also, the manga made it seem like one day Lucy would end up with all the celestial keys and become a powerful wizard. BUT IT DIDN’T HAPPEN (I guess it’s my fault for hyping up myself).

Back to the topic, I finally decided to read the last chapter to stop making myself curious and just finish what had helped me out all the way in middle school. I felt bad and disappointed in myself since I failed my duty as a woman, but eventually I got over it. I also see how it shouldn’t really be a duty.

So when I read the last chapter after my break I finally saw... how bad the manga is.

There were a lot of things tied up sure, but maybe it would’ve been better if there was a longer time skip and Levy and Gajeel were a bit more older and had children. But it’s fine if that’s what they decided. But another thing is how Mavis and Zeref got reincarnated and Mavis was still in a little girl’s body! Let the lady age man! Let her finally be an adult. Not only that but it made me realize how creepy it was for Zeref and Mavis to have a kid. I mean sure she was an adult stuck in a kid body but maybe Hiroshima could’ve said that they combined their magic to make a child but... that’s not what happened. Also Gray shouldn’t say Juvia’s body is his. People aren’t property, and that is not how love works.

This was also the last chance for Lucy and Nastu’s relationship to finally show how deep it is. And I’m not saying anything shippy. It can just be deep best friend stuff. But when Lucy got emotional, you know what Nastu did? He just stayed in character and basically said “it doesn’t matter since we are always together!” The thing is, it does matter. Best friends who have been together in times near death should talk and be emotional and comfortable Around each other to talk about each other’s feelings. How did they feel fearing the other one possibly died in the war? And I know it’s Natsu’s character to not be too deep but, every person is deep. They are deep in something, at least slightly. Natsu just stayed as a 2 dimensional character and dissed on Lucy’s feelings. 

So you are probably wondering after reading all my feelings why I have brought you here. I just wanted to ask some questions and see how you feel about all this. Did anyone ever ask if Hiro Mashima thought he was sexualizing women too much? Or did anyone tell him what he draws and writes might be offensive too some or many? Did he ever apologize for anything he might’ve done and has done wrong? Did fans ever ask or confront him about this?

And how do you, as a former Fairy Tail reader, feel about all this?

So yeah, that’s really what I wanted to ask for this post. It’s always been in the back of my mind how things didn’t end well with this series for me. A part of me always wanted to rewrite or redraw it, like a reboot kinda, but you shouldn’t change the original source. You aren’t really fixing the problems it has. It’s just I loved all these characters so much and I saw how it could change and make things better. But that wouldn’t change the situation in reality. I also am now wondering if it’s because I live in the US that I feel differently than some women may feel in Japan and if it’s more of a cultural difference.

So I guess I just wanted to ask if I’m missing something or don’t have enough information on stuff, and how you feel about all this. Anyways, thank you for reading. Have a nice day.

Good bye!

P.S. I remember that there was a spin off series called Fairy Girls. It was focused on obviously the main female characters. It was nice and gave them moments to shine, kick butt, and actually do stuff. I don’t recall it being as fanservice-y as Fairy Tail. So if you still like Fairy Tail despite all its flaws I recommend reading it.

#fairy tail #ft #nastu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #my text

[zephyrthejester]

Let’s talk at length about NGE episode 15′s final minute

After Episode 15 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, everything changed. Everything! And the idea of moving straight on from it with such little fanfare didn't sit right with me. Not when nearly all my theories were tossed out the window, not when many past events got re-contextualized. Not when I've obtained some entirely new theories...! So today, in an effort to gather all my thoughts in one place so you readers are on the same page as I am as we move forward, I'm going to write an essay on the final minute of NGE's fifteenth episode... and also some other details I haven't talked about yet.

Ready for some words? Click "Keep Reading" to continue.

Part 1: Adam and...?

We need to talk about the big, white, seven-eyed elephant in the room first thing. Adam, the First Human. Adam, the First Angel. Adam, the Enemy. Crucified and skewered by the Lance of Longinus, as I've been informed, in the exact same manner that Christ himself suffered. So what is his deal?

My first thought here was that the Angel attacks on Tokyo-3 haven't been to destroy the city and Nerv HQ, but to rescue Adam and bring him home. Or maybe to trigger Third Impact... But then I remembered that there were multiple Angel attacks on the city well before Adam was delivered to it, which greatly complicates that theory. I've nothing to continue with concerning this matter, so I guess I'll have to move on to talking about his origin.

Misato identified Adam as being the cause of Second Impact. There was the briefest flash of the roof of a building being torn apart by the winds of the incoming explosion, which I remember from the flashback to Second Impact we had a few episodes ago. That's proof enough for me. It is very reasonable to assume that Adam is indeed the First Angel that was discovered and experimented on by a team of scientists, Misato's father among them. And as we'd recall, it was specifically human meddling that incited Second Impact.

But what happened to Adam immediately afterwards? When Kaji handed him off to Gendo, he was encased in an amber-like substance and in the form of a fetus. The fetus form, I'm guessing, being a default state that all Angels are born/created in before emerging from their Chrysalis and taking their true shape. Remember Clusthulhu's initial similarity to Adam? I can only assume that Adam reverted to fetus form and was flash frozen following Second Impact. I think that the folk at Nerv let Adam take his true shape, then crucified him.

And now Gendo wants to kill him. But is that all? Kill him with the Lance of Longinus, and no more Angels appear? Humanity is saved? Is he slowly dying after being stabbed with the Lance, or are further plans in store? Is the Lance even killing him, or doing something else entirely? Is this the Human Instrumentality Project? I guess time will have to tell. Right now, all I can do is speculate.

Moving on, I'd like to note that Adam is probably very, very special among Angels. He bleeds golden blood, for one thing. I know that the other Angels are identified as having "blue blood type," even though they bleed red. Weird. Furthermore, he is probably the progenitor of Humanity, if the humanoid growths on its lower half are any indication. They aren't moving, so maybe the Lance put a stop to that... Oh yeah! Remember how Angels share 99.89% matching DNA with humans? Now we know why! In a sense, is the being called “Adam” closer to “God?”

Finally, we need to talk about something really big. Like, really important. 'Cause man, there's still one Angel unaccounted for. The Second Angel. And you know it, man, you just know it... Where there's an Adam, there has to be an Eve.

And I speculate that "Eve" is none other than Evangelion Unit 01.

Why else would Gendo place extreme importance on the safety of Unit 01, even beyond the other two Evangelions? Why else would the intro of this show prominently depict Unit 01 sprouting golden wings that strongly resemble those that Adam sprouted during Second Impact? And you just know it'd be the juiciest drama for the show's main character to one day discover.

Following this theory, I'm going to have to assume that the other two Eva units are purely artificial. After the Simulation Bodies were shown to us, it seems likely. Or, just maybe, Eve was really flipping huge and all three Evas are made of her flesh, too.

Part 2: Gendo and Seele

I'm grateful to have been informed that the HIPC is really just Seele. Those other bigwigs at the council in the dark room? They're Seele. At least, that's what I've gathered. I get the sense that Gendo is sort of lone-wolfing it... Though the others speak down to him like they're his superiors, Gendo is self-assured because he holds all the cards. And that is true. Something tells me that if it came down to it, Gendo would be willing to totally screw over Seele just to do what he thinks is right. But for now, it seems they're all working towards fulfilling the Human Instrumentality Project. Though there's no telling if Gendo and Seele's vision of the HIP are identical.

One big mystery is what Gendo was doing in the Antarctic a few episode ago. It was well after Adam was delivered, so it couldn't have been related to that, right? For some reason, Gendo personally payed a visit to the site of Second Impact... But to do what, exactly? Why did he need to be there?

I'd also like to mention the strange long, thin object covered by a tarp in the Moby Dick episode. Looking back on it, that was probably the Lance of Longinus, yeah? That really confuses me. Is the Lance man-made, then? What's so special about it that it's apparently needed to kill Adam? Was it picked up from Germany along with Asuka and Kaji, or did it come from somewhere else? Still a lot of mysteries here.

Part 3: Rei and Shinji

It's pretty clear that Rei is indeed genetically engineered now. To pilot an Evangelion, certainly. To wield the Lance of Longinus and stab Adam, most probably. But what comes next for Rei? Does she have more business with Adam in the future? Why is it that she and Gendo are so close? Rei is definitely intentionally keeping secrets from Shinji, not that the boy asks any questions anyway.

If it comes down to it, I won't be surprised if Rei sides with Gendo over Shinji and Asuka if some sort of conflict arises.

Furthermore, the vat Rei was floating in was hooked up to a giant machine that looked a lot like the Magi. Did the Magi help create her, then? (Does that mean Rei is technically Ritsuko's sister?) And furthermore, what was Rei doing in that vat, anyway? Regenerating, or something? Undergoing further DNA modifications? It's really weird!

Part 4: Misato and Kaji

I haven't said this yet, but Misato is my favorite character on the show. I really admire her calculating, razor-sharp decisiveness during Angel attacks, and outside of those situations, she's truly the only person who shows Shinji any true kindness and warmth. I've only just realized it, but her conflicted feelings for her father really does make her like Shinji. The two are far more similar than I've given them credit for. And the thing is, because Misato sees so much of herself in Shinji, she can really offer just the right words of encouragement to help him out. She’s a great character.

Then there's Kaji. I didn't mention it at the time, but we learned who he's really working for: Japan's Ministry of Home Affairs. So he's working for just some standard-fare government thing? How boring. Still, I guess I should be grateful that the scale of wackiness doesn't go beyond Seele.

When it comes to Misato and Kaji's relationship, well... If Misato loves him, knowing full well the sort of man he is, I guess it's kinda okay? I just hope the nature of their jobs don't land them in deep trouble down the line. Things could really turn dangerous and nasty if stuff hit the fan, y'know?

Part 5: Asuka and Shinji

Let's end this on a happy note, shall we? I can't believe I'm only now realizing it, but Asuka is just a straight up tsundere. I've even noticed her many attempts at showing off for Shinji's benefit and her many gripes that Shinji isn't more interesting. Heck, there was even the synchronization training! But it's only now clicked...

So what prompted the kiss? I'd wager that spending a day out with some boy from school on an arranged blind date was what did it. She probably spent all that time thinking about a certain someone she'd much rather be with! Claiming to be bored, that she did it just for fun, is her way of making an excuse so she could back out of it and maintain her self-perceived dignity.

Shinji being a lonely, horny teenager who was already attracted to her, yeah, I'd guess that he'd be more than willing to pursue Asuka. He almost passed out holding his breath for the kiss, after all. If Asuka said "Shinji, we're dating now," I guarantee you he'd say "O-okay." Though I can imagine that the shipping wars in this fandom must have been... intense... during its heyday.

So yeah, guess that's all the thoughts in my head vomited out. Not sure how to end this, so... See you with more Evangelion tomorrow!

#Neon Genesis Evangelion #NGE episode 15 #Neon Genesis Evangelion Liveblog #Liveblogging #Liveblog

[graminjapan]

Japan

Traveling Alone: This trip, unlike all others I’ve taken abroad, was a solo embark. I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with nobody shadowing me to judge, react, postulate, question, scoff, nor groan at my decisions. I could (and did multiple times), at any moment, walk down the sidewalk and for no reason what so ever completely turn around and start walking the other way because I felt like it. The first couple times I pulled the surprisingly satisfying maneuver I instinctively started jumbling words and sentences together I’d use to defend myself from the obvious and expected reaction of “um ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?”. But they never came. Nobody there to raise an eyebrow nor quiver a lip. No defending myself. How many times can you remember for 12 days straight when you were so free of responsibility except for hopping on a few trains and checking into hostels that left you with such a blank slate? I spent much of my time just turning around on sidewalks. Now, just to check in, this first paragraph is not some document for you to print out and laminate, thus causing you to breakup with your significant other and explore the amazon rainforest via a one way flight, only to refer to my words every so often as a mantra. The idea of responsibility is only so gratifying upon losing it in the first place….and sometimes for 12 days in Japan. Here are my observations:

Signs: The first barrier I encountered was the fact that Japan doesn’t speak English. No shit. I’m not here to waste your time telling you I didn’t know why the Japanese waitress at the bar wasn’t responding to me when I continually screamed HARD CIDER at her for 3 minutes with no results. I’m talking about signs. Japanese signs need to be translated into English so idiots like me who make minimal effort to learn essential Japanese and later wonder why locals don’t invite me to their intimate karaoke nights can get the correct directions on a day hike. I was hiking up Fushimi-Inari-Taisha temple, the famous one engulfed in red gates so you feel like a game of thrones prince until the end of hike or until you look into a mirror and realize you’re still a little overweight despite a half ass juice cleanse 4 months ago that included ‘milkshake weekends’. I came upon a sign that made me do a double take. There were a good amount of Japanese characters and under it was the English translation: 'there’s boars". The first thing that caught my eye was the ratio from Japanese characters to 2 English words. It was like when you have a Spanish translator for something and after a Mexican woman speaks for 45 seconds the translator just says, “she says she is allergic to applesauce but will eat it anyways”. Like there’s no way that’s all she said. You know what I’m talking about I’m sure. All I could do was prepare myself for boars, which I didn’t even know what that preparation fully looks like.

Another sign I found while exploring an island in Kamakura, a costal town south of Tokyo. One review said this place was like the Malibu of Japan, but I didn’t see any failing rehabilitation centers. Nevertheless, a sign depicting a kid with a backwards hat being pushed by a VERY large hand, which I assume to be the Dad, all with a big red X behind it was placed on the top of a staircase. I looked to find another sign with the same kid minus the hat saying it was now OK to push him down the stairs, but quickly realized that’s wasn’t the message. How many Dads with hand abnormalities push their children down these stairs for the business to be like 'guess we gotta tell these Dads whats up’

And this last one just speaks for itself. This was actually one of the first things I saw in Japan. It was in the Tokyo airport right when I arrived. 

Transportation: Japanese transportation is perfect. I know you probably just whispered out loud that nothing is perfect, but before you develop any other signs of early onset schizophrenia, let me repeat myself. Japanese transportation is perfect. No metro, train, cablecar, subway, or bus was ever late, not even by 1 minute. BUS. THE BUS WAS NOT LATE. I am screaming this in the hostel lobby as I dictate it onto my iPad. Bus in German literally means 'late’. Its insanity. The 4th bus I waited for I knew, despite the other 3 being perfectly on time, was in no shape or form going to be on time. Because that just doesn’t happen with the bus as we all know. Guess what? It was on time. I cursed involuntarily for a while until I found out the man of Asian decent waiting with me was from Seattle and spoke English.

I loved the bullet trains. Japanese people love to smoke though. When I hopped on my train from Tokyo to Kyoto I overheard an announcement saying: smoking is not allowed on any of the 16 cars on this train except for the designated smoking cars, which are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,9,11,12,13,14 and 16.

Manners: It’s polite to slurp here. I wish you told my ex girlfriend that because not only would I probably still be in that relationship, I’d be a role model. These type of things are generally learned through trial and error. There’s not some wise old man waiting for you right when you step off the plane and even before you go through customs whispers in your ear: `slurping is encouraged, have a good vacation`, then winks and sends you on your way. No. I figured it out when I was at my first ramen shop trying not to make any noise when some successful business man walked in and slurped away for a good 15 minutes right next to me. I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering what kind of rich asshole does that to people. It wasn’t until I passed multiple restaurants with slurpers and talked to my hostel manager when I realized its a polite thing to do. It means you’re enjoying the meal. That is hypocritical when you deconstruct it. Slurping shows you enjoy the food and is good but when I burp really loud on a date because I like the beer the girl leaves immediately.

Cleanliness: Much like black rhinos or Chinese tigers, trash cans are an endangered species, at least in Japan. Much of my time was spent walking around trying to find a place to throw my ice cream wrappers away.

Activities: My 12 day trip consisted of 2 nights in Tokyo, 2 nights in Hakone, 2 nights in Kyoto, and 5 nights on the coast in Kamakura. One of my favorite things I did was in Hakone, a vacation spot for locals of Tokyo. It was visiting the hot springs, or onsen as they’re called. Before I say anything else, I think there should be a sign at the exit that reads: the number of people who have seen you naked has officially tripled. Anyways, naked and sitting in natural hot water outside while its raining with many other Japanese men wasn’t exactly what I had in my event calendar when I woke up, but I found myself there very much enjoying it. My tourist instincts kicked in and next thing I knew I had my camera out, but then I imagined it was a photo opportunity that would be a one way ticket into the Japanese sex offender jail cell, and even though that place would probably have more room for me than the capsule hostel bed I had waiting for me back home, I didn’t take many chances. Except for this one:

Japan, after all, is probably my favorite country. There is nothing funny about some good food, but I want to end this with some of my meals. heheehe