#And one of the few Japanese stars of his day to really make it in the US

[ayacokeandpepsi]

Pt. 2 of Fboy! Enhypen w/n1ki as requested from poll results!

Cw:, Japanese (translated) (not that much-mostly in English) -it will be in in different color and with English meaning next to it

Word count: a lot omg sorry for yapping also not proofread cause I wrote this on my tiny ass iPhone SE 😭

This is part 1 of the Niki one, part 2 coming soon

Background: you are collaborating with Enhypen for a record/album and you are an idol who is a rapper/singer. Reader speaks Japanese slightly.

You first learned of the new and hot boy group Enhypen when their company reached out to you in hope for a collaboration, so you did your research and found them to be interesting.

You first met them when you did a collab for a TikTok dance video to one of your songs that was trending, with the star dancer of the group, Niki.

He seemed weird to you because he didn’t make that much eye contact when speaking to you, but he was staring when he thought you were looking away. He also was a bit harsh when you did the dance to Sweet Venom for the other video, which was hard for you to follow since the choreography was not something you were used to.

“No no,” he said slightly annoyed when trying to teach you the movements. You let out a nervous laugh, getting annoyed at him. “No you’re not doing it right,” he sighed, he came up from behind you and grabbed your wrist and moved it the way it was supposed to go, surprising you and making you red.

He also seemed to not have noticed when he did that because after a few seconds his eyes widened and let go of your wrist, looking away.

Overall, the first meeting with him was awkward and uncomfortable.

———————-

You found yourself that evening on their TikTok account, watching the video of you two dancing over and over again. You were annoyed at how cocky he was in the videos, making it seem like he was effortlessly perfect to the world.

You scoffed. But for some reason, you couldn’t take your eyes off his. You would be lying if you said you didn’t find him attractive and charismatic. You hated that he was. It made him more annoying to you, a feeling unfamiliar to you. And you didn’t like it.

You looked at the comments. Wow Niki is so good at dancing. Niki is so handsomeeee. You rolled your eyes.

You then saw some even worse comments. Who is this girl? Wow Niki is such a good person for making a video with a fan! A fan?! These Korean fans did not know you as well as Enhypen, but you expected them to know you enough to know you aren’t some fan. That was enough to tap on the stupid clock app icon and delete it, not caring about your media profile.

You harshly turned off your phone along with the lights and slept.

Tomorrow was when you were supposed to do some recording with them for the first song in the album.

———-

You wake up to a bunch of notifications from Instagram on your posts, full of noooo why did she delete her TikTok, and what if they are dating? Comments. You cursed, knowing your manager would be mad not letting him know if advance to deleting a social media profile.

You got out of your hotel bed sheets, reaching your arms up and letting out a sigh.

You were only in Seoul for a few months, but still nervous since your Korean is limited.

Luckily you can speak Japanese slightly better, even though you wished it was another member who could speak it, it would still be helpful even if it was the one you didn’t like.

Luckily your manager was fluent in Korean as well as English and Mandarin, for when you go on tours to other countries.

You decided to pick up Japanese a few years ago so you could understand AKB48 songs when you were young, not really having any other use for it where you lived, though you still continued to learn.

———

You made your bed and opened the hotel blinds, the weather was cloudy and rainy today it seemed. You closed them again before changing into your outfit of the day, a basic training outfit, sweatpants with an off the shoulder crop sweater and Air Force ones.

———-

When you got to the studio, only the staff were there, soon to leave once the members got here. You liked to be early. Fashionably early, you like to tell yourself to make it sound cool.

You played around with the beats and samples on the studio devices, having your headphones in and being into it, so you were surprised when the members walked in.

You already met them each, not individually except Niki. You said your hellos and greetings before they asked to listen to what you were working on.

You obliged because they genuinely seemed interested, not liking your own work and being self critical though, so it took some convincing of them.

They all seemed to really like it, each of them adding on pieces to grow on the song. It must have been a few hours, and everyone seemed to grow hungry and packed up and said their goodbyes. Niki still acted a bit weird, he was closely monitoring you when you couldn’t see him, barely praising you and scoffing when you said “I don’t want the choreography to be a lot “ followed by nervous laughter from you.

Jungwon got your number and added it to a group chat with all of the members.

(Group chat)

Jungwon: thank you for meeting with us y/n!

Jake: yes good work everyone.

You: yes good job all

You: I was hoping if we could make the choreography easy since you guys are really advanced?

Heeseung: okay, we can help you as well

Jake: yeah ^

Niki: maybe if you just tried it would be less difficult

Jay: Niki be nice

—————

Niki scoffed reading his phone. Why should HE have to go easy on you because you didn’t know how to dance? You just had to show off your producing skills, and act like it was terrible on top of that! He was beyond annoyed.

——-

(Private message)

Jake: hey I’m sorry about Niki he can be a little rude at first but he’s not like this when you get to know him.

You: it’s nothing haha

———-

The next day, you came in late to the recording studio because of an accident near your route. You walked into the massive building, iced coffee in hand and your purse in the other, hurriedly walking through the halls and to the elevator.

You weren’t focused on where you were going, your glasses fell down a little too low from the bridge of your nose, making it hard to see.

You waited shortly for the elevator doors to open, not looking before entering and hitting someone.

You look up to see none other than Niki, looking concerned, you just noticed how you spilled your coffee on your top, your white top, exposing your black bra underneath.

Niki stuttered “you-um,” his eyes looked toward the ceiling. You quickly set your cup on the floor with your purse, thankfulling remebering you had a spare top in it.

You had an idea, realizing that he already saw you basically in your bra, so you didn’t care. You told him to press the close door button and quickly unbuttoned your soaked top, taking it off.

His face grew red, his words were just stutters “what are you-whoa! But,” he stammered, looking at everything but you.

You quickly pulled out the small but clean black tank top out of your purse and put it on.

“How could you just-“ he says, still not able to look at you in the eye. “Did you have a better idea?” You remark. “It’s either you see me with a bra or every staff and other member would see me after I get off this elevator.” You reason.

He swallowed. “Are you, like, good now?” He asks. You look at his eyes, his pupils were dilated fully, it was like all the annoying things he did just melted away.

He scoffed. “I’ll take that as a yes then”. The elevator doors opened, you explained to some concerned staff that you just spilled your coffee, cleaning it up. You were so glad no cameras were in that elevator.

———

Niki was quiet the entire day, his face red when you spoke with him, looking away from you.

By the time the sky was black and the city lights were shining, everyone was leaving.

You got up to leave, but tripped over a cord on the floor which caused your purse to fall and all of your items in it scatter.

Heeseung, Niki and Sunghoon were walking out when the saw this and offered to help but Niki suggested they go on and he would help you.

Niki kneeled down on the floor and helped you pick up some items. His eyes glazed over a set of Kanji flash cards and quickly grabbed them.

You didn’t notice until he stopped moving. You say his hand. “What’s wrong?” You asked. “You speak Japanese?” He asked.

“Not well,” you responded shamefully.

“Kawaii ne,” cute, isn’t it he mumbled as he teased.

You glared at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“ いいえ　いいえ、no no I don’t mean to make fun of you,” he giggled

You sighed. “Thank you for helping me pick up my stuff,” you said genuinely.

He helped you up, his hand was so much bigger than yours. You scoffed in your mind.

The two of you walked into the elevator, silent and awkward.

“You know, I don’t have a problem with you,” he confessed, his lips curling into a soft smirk.

Your eyes widened but quickly looked away. “Well I mean that’s good-we have to work together so-“ he grabbed your wrist, pulling you closer.

“That’s not what I mean,” he said playfully.

“Gosh you’re so cute,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes and looked away, but he grabbed your chin and made you look at him.

“Now you’re the one who can’t look at my eyes,” he whispered with a smile

The elevator dinged before opening, he softly let you go and walked you to your car before leaving to the groups’ van, winking at you.

—————

You took a nap on the ride to your new hotel, which was farther away.

You awoke when your manager opened the door.

This hotel was small, but discreet and comfortable. Probably for celebrities not wanting to be noticed.

You checked into your room, it was at the top floor, and your room was big, there was a bath and a separate shower, the bed was king size and you had your own kitchen.

You opened the fridge to see a note saying “thank you for staying with us, we offer a spa on this floor, to the right of the laundry room. There are massages, nail artists and acupuncture available. If you would like to visit: please text this number xxx xxx xxxx and select which time you will be visiting.”

Your eyes lit up at the thought of a massage and some new nails, your current ones looking desperate.

You texted the number listed and made an appointment for an hour later.

—-

You dressed in the hotel provided lounge clothings that they said to wear to the spa, and locked your room before heading there.

——-

You felt so relaxed, your back feeling better and your nails looking pretty. They were simple, medium long almond nails in the shade of pink that makes your skin look glowing, with some cat eye polish.

You thanked and tipped the workers and left the spa, looking at your phone to take a pic of your nails to send to your friend, not paying attention to your surroundings, also partly because you had a little to drink with the complementary champagne they offered at the spa.

You slightly stumbled before bumping into someone’s shoulder, causing you to fall over.

They quickly grabbed our wrist, not letting you fall.

You apologized and thanked them before looking up and seeing …. Niki??

“What are you doing here??”

“You need to watch where you’re going, silly girl,” he teases

“Did your manager not tell you that we would be with you in the hotel since we are all going to a new set location tomorrow?” He asks you, feeling cocky

“No, you can let go of me now thank you” you reply.

He looks at your hand and smirks. “Your fingers are so small, are these new?” He points to your nails.

“Yeah” you whisper

“きれいですね。” it’s pretty isn’t it. He traces your hand.

“Shut up” you roll your eyes.

“I mean it, they are pretty,” his gaze softens as his eyes meet yours

He let’s go of your hand. “You are so clumsy, you know that?” He scolds you

“Yeah well it’s not my fault the champagne was so good” you sigh

“Oh?” He smirks.

You scoff. “Leave me alone, silly boy” you tease back at him.

He grabs your other hand this time. “Hey, wait,” he says softly.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to my room to sleep” you reply casually

“Sleep? It’s so early though, and you need to brush your teeth after drinking” he whines

You start walking, and he follows you.

“I’m bored, stay with me” he pleas

“Why don’t you go be bored with your members?” You suggest dismissively.

“Because none of the members are cute~” he teases in a fake voice, which causes you to laugh. He smiles softly and locks his eyes with yours. Your eyes soften.

“Thank you for helping me pick up my shit today,” you whisper, not breaking eye contact.

He smiles. “It’s nothing.”

End<3 part 2 coming soon

—————-

#Spotify #niki smut #riki x reader #niki nishimura #enhypen hard thoughts #enha smut #enhypen smut

[yasmeensh]

Book rant? Anthropology, apes, and racism discussion.

I started reading a book titled "Bonobo Handshake" by Vanessa Woods. I picked it up because a) I want to learn more about bonobos since my knowledge of them is minimal. b) the author had interacted with bonobos in person so it's an interesting perspective to read. c) the book had positive reviews.

I was not expecting the author to start off telling us about the 'discovery' of bonobos in this way.

W-what do you mean, in Belgium? The author makes it clear that bonobos live in Congo and she gives us a few examples of local bonobo lore. Meaning, people in Congo know the bonobos very well. Way to go to give a colonizer the credit??? wtf. In this perspective, she is letting us know THAT was the moment when Bonobos entered western science, which is true. But I was really hoping the author would give it a more holistic view than this, but it seems she really believes in this??? And let me tell you, from what I am picking up between the lines, she ONLY accepts western science. Here is an example:

This is the page that confuses me immensely. I don't know if she is trying to come off as sarcastic or not. She sets out for us that Takayoshi Kano is the star of Bonobo research, but in the next paragraph says there is no one studying Bonobos. "there was never a Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey for bonobos." UHM NO? YOU JUST SAID THERE WAS???

[highlighting and writing over a picture of the page (32) since it's a library book and I can't write on it.]

She says Japanese researchers are responsible for all we know on Bonobos, but then starts talking about de Waal's zoo discoveries in detail, and they seem pretty minor compared to Kano's work with wild bonobos. She did point out that scientists don't take de waal's observations seriously because it's from a zoo, but she doesn't remedy that by telling us if it can be supported by Kano's work or not when compared. Kano is ignored. He does have one book available in English, so it's not like we can't ever learn about what he observed. you said western mainstream media don't want to listen to a man who only spoke Japanese??? UHM. You are too??? Why did you jump to de waal? If it's a book about bonobos, then please give Kano a little spotlight and tell about his research. (I actually want to read Kano's book now but I can't find a borrowable copy of it. It's a complicated long loop to get one. But it's possible T-T!!!!)

I very much dislike her tone in 'oh it's the Japanese that tell us about bonobo'. It is as if no one is actually researching them at all. They are 'foreign' so it doesn't count. Meanwhile, if it's a white person's discovery, it is humanity's. But if it's someone else theeennnn well we are not sure if it's actually real :/ Not until a white person observes this can we really put this into humanity's archive of knowledge. Otherwise, whatever they learnt is not very important or worth talking about.

I'm not gonna drop the book, because it does get me thinking about stuff and that's what I read books for. I guess it reminds me of University days, of how irritated I get when we are assigned a problematic reading to pick apart and present to class. I hope I'm not picking this apart too much 😭 I'm not sure if I'm enraged and reading too much into it. I might be totally wrong. idk... I think I need to join an anthropology book club to have people to talk with about this. Only way for now is to share on the internet and maybe a discussion starts. Want to see what others think of this (especially if they read the book).

#anthropology #Bonobo Handshake #apes #bonobo #racism #reading #sorry I haven't posted are in a while. It's because.... I haven't drawn kdsjghsdkjgnsj #I do have a chimpanzee acrylic painting I'm working on slowly! but i've never worked with acrylic so it's just experiments #no sharing yet #and concept art for my story... that I am also not sharing yet. #well that's all. bye!

[pinkiegiu]

so a few days ago, while looking for muzan images to use as reference, i found some ai generated ones from craiyon

so, feeling inspired, i decided to be silly and save this dude from ai hell and make him an actual oc! So behold: Hanagane Aoto

info and lore under read more :3

First name: 碧秋 (Aoto; 碧 meaning blue, 秋 meaning autumn)

Last name: 花金 (Hanagane; 花 meaning flower, 金 meaning metal/gold)

Age: 19

Gender: Genderfluid, AMAB

Pronouns: He/any

Height: 1.63m (5'4)

Ethnicity: Mixed Japanese (father) + Thai (mother)

Sexuality: Aroace

Breathing style + weapon: Iron breathing (derived from ice breathing, inspired by stone breathing) + double bladed kusarigama (think black star's weapon in soul eater)

Aoto is not an emotive person, and, despite his bluntness, a man of few words. Their face is completely neutral more often than not, and their voice flat and devoid of emotions. Not much is known of them by the Demon Slayer Corps, not even Kagaya himself could crack the young man's shell.

I usally don't give my kny ocs any ties to canon kny characters but for this one i decided to be la little Cringe™~ (/j) I decided to make Aoto Muzan's (non biological) son hehe :33 daddy issues + daddy with issues! They have a kinda complicated relationship where they don't really LOVE eachother, but Aoto sees Muzan as a father since he raised them. Muzan is very torn on how he views Aoto; on one hand they're a demon slayer, they're going against him by killing other demons, and they don't reveal anything about the corps, not to mention that they're human. But at the same time they don't talk about him to the corps, they're not aggressive towards Muzan, and they actively search for the blue spider lily.

#art #demon slayer oc #kny oc #pinkiegiu's ocs #i love making tags for my ocs <3 #demon slayer #kny #demon slayer aoto #kny aoto #oc lore #oc lore dump

[gabessquishytum]

Hob does cosplay at the conventions he attends. He's done a lot of popular fandoms and has become semi-internet famous for how good his cosplays are. He's never charged for a photo or done it professionally. It's just his hobby.

Dream is a photographer. He attends a lot of cons to snap professional pictures of the panels and is often just there to make some cash. Not that he doesn't have an interest in fandom. He just believes that a piece of media and your reaction to that media is personal. He has to really really enjoy something to get into the fandom of that thing.

They meet while Dream is taking a smoke break in between panels. Hob was trying to escape a rather touchy fan threatening to ruin his delicate costume. They chat and hit it off, Hob invites him to a room party after the con. They fuck and life goes on.

Until the next convention, some anime festival that's big for their neck of the woods. The pay is great and Dream gets to sit in on a screening of a rather obscure Japanese film that's just now being subbed. He also runs into Hob there, he's dressed as Tuxedo Mask and has drawn in a lot of Sailor Scouts who want photos with him and the real roses he's been carrying around to give to all the Usagi cosplayers.

They meet again during a smoke break and once again Hob invites him up to his room. Rinse and repeat.

But now Dream is kinda obsessed? Hob is a very good lay and a wonderful conversation partner. But alas, Hob never gave him his socials or his number. They haven't even exchanged names.

The next big con happening is Star Trek. Brent Spiner and Micheal Dorn are gonna be there, it's great. Unfortunately there's no need for Dream to attend bc they didn't hire him. They hired someone a bit cheaper than he is. There's also a massive wedding he's been approached to shoot and the money is too good to pass up.

Dream comes to the con dressed in some cheap Amazon knock-off Starfleet uniform and goes looking for his man. He finds Hob talking with John De Lancie while dressed as Judge Q. He approaches and attempts to talk to Hob, who brings up his shitty costume. Dream feels a bit self conscious about this until Hob invites him back to his room. After all he has a few costumes Dream can use <3

- 🤜 anon

Omg cosplayer Hob 🥵 I immediately imagined him as Toji from jjk (with a big plushie worm cursed spirit) and I don't think I'll ever recover from the hotness.

Dream is genuinely obsessed with this funny, beautiful, talented man. And yes, he did stalk Hob online a little bit, ok. He may have watched one (or a thousand) of his tiktoks. But he doesn't have the courage to message Hob outside of their lil meet up and fuck routine. He'd die inside if Hob didn't message him back! Meeting him in person is somehow less intimidating - maybe because he can see Hob's kind, smiling face.

And holy fuck, he's glad that he went to that Star Trek con. Hob practically drags him back to his room and they barely even make it to the bed. Hob tears the shitty uniform apart (rip, it served him well) and ravishes Dream, almost like he's been thinking about Dream every day since they last met up... he eventually confesses after fucking Dream to the point of seeing stars, that he found Dream’s website and details online but felt too shy to reach out to him...

Dream just has to roll Hob over and eat him out until he cries. He's too happy and delighted to do anything else!

A few months later they hit up a big con together, dressed as Aziraphale and Crowley. Hob made their costumes and all the accessories and Dream spends the whole day taking pics of his boyfriend and telling everyone how talented Hob is <3

#🤜 anon #the sandman #dreamling #nsft

[yuurei20]

Hi hi! I have a weird question/thought after seeing the talk about Idia's use of language. There are a lot of things that are just unable to translate from Japanese to English, and some things that get changed as short hand. The whole nerdy implications of Idia using "-Shi" are basically absent from EN, instead he seems to use "Mr." (If I recall correctly) which really doesn't give the same impression? In your personal opinion - is there anyway you'd personally localize it? Stick with the same? Remove it completely? Use "M'lady/M'lord" instead? (haha)

Hello hello!! I love your "M'lady/M'lord" solution more than I can say ♡ It is associated with the past while still being used by some people in present-day just for fun, which is just like how Idia speaks! That would have been so great for the English-language adaptation!

As you say, Idia's honorific for others has (kind of) been translated as "Mr." on EN, but only in a select few places.

For the most part it has just been removed, but the curious continuity makes it seem like he thinks that only Malleus, Azul, Grim and Riddle are (sometimes) worthy of "Mr." (the Riddle screenshots below are even both from the same vignette).

And then there is the Harveston sub-plot between Sebek and Marja, where Sebek refuses to refer to Marja with an honorific until she proves herself worthy of respect (by fixing his plushie).

At that point he awards her with an extremely respectful honorific (equivalent to "-sama," and the same word Silver uses with Lilia).

Marja, however, immediately gives him permission to refer to her in the same way he has been throughout the entire trip.

Idia is a psuedo-narrator for this sub-plot, commenting on Sebek's disrespectful way of speaking in both languages.

But on EN he then proceeds to refer to Marja in the same way as Sebek (and everyone else) does.

This has the unfortunate result of making Idia look odd for mentioning it in the first place, when the odd person is actually Sebek, as everyone else is using a respectful honorific with Marja.

Idia using "M'lady" and everyone else (except Sebek) using "Ms." probably would have been a lot more successful in getting the situation across to people who may not be familiar with such Japanese-language nuances!

As for what I personally would go with...this conundrum reminded me of this amazing joke by @anottercoffee on Twitter:

And I would be very tempted to go for the "fansubber" solution of translating everything literally, but just having the words doesn't mean that the players are going to understand the nuances, and might cause even more confusion.

If "-san" and "-senpai" are just mouth-sounds to someone, they're not going to understand the significance behind Riddle and Azul dropping it from Leona and Riddle's names in important moments, for example.

But maybe that's okay! Because at the moment, the alternative that we have is everything getting removed from everywhere, and no one has the chance to understand anything at all.

The best comparison I have come across is Lord of the Rings and Star Trek, where authors incorporated languages that are completely invented, giving no one any chance of understanding them.

Japanese is a language that already exists, so it seems like it would actually be less of a challenge to introduce world-specific terms like "-sama" and "-chan" for people to either glaze over as a world-building aspect that doesn't interest them, or to gradually adapt to through sheer repetition, so by the end of Book 6 they might have a greater-than-zero understanding of the nuances of a foreign language (much like another magic-school series did with Latin).

The manga is actually approaching the honorifics in a different way than the game and giving “Mr.” to everybody, so Azul’s “Riddle-san," Crowley’s “Trappola-kun” and Deuce’s “Diamond-senpai” are all now Mr. Rosehearts, Mr. Trappola and Mr. Diamond (more here).

So it seems that VIZ Media did not agree with Aniplex USA's localization?

What is going to be the most interesting is the novel! Slated for an August, 2024 official English-language release, the novel is also being overseen by VIZ Media.

This means that we might see "Mr." being used everywhere (to uphold continuity with the manga), but the novel goes much deeper into character relationships than the game, and relationships are what honorifics are all about.

Cater, for example, uses them with everyone:

“Usually, Cater does not ever yobisute anyone. When he calls to Trey, he always adds ‘kun’ to his name...When Cater uses Trey’s name like this, it is only when he is really serious. Only when it is important.” -Twisted Wonderland the first novel

Is Cater going to be calling Trey "Mr. Clover"? And how are they even going to localize these sections describing a feature of a language that is not being spoken? It gives us a lot to look forward to!

In the end, writing out Japanese-specific honorifics into English might actually cause more confusion than it's worth, which is why Twst (and so many other foreign-language-adapting-to-an-English-speaking-audience properties) has gone in the direction that it has.

I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they know more than we do about what is going on, and that there are important reasons behind the choices they have made.

But I also think that the sheer popularity of the "fansubber" approach to this situation is a good sign that maybe people are sometimes okay with not understanding things, as properties like Lord of the Rings and Star Trek have shown us!

While too late for Twst, it will be interesting to see how this situation continues to evolve in the years to come. Maybe, one day, we will even get an official localization that introduces honorifics directly!

If such an experiment fails it will be most expensive for the localizer, and money is likely a large factor behind why companies might be reluctant to take such a gamble and would rather play it safe and just have everyone say "Mr."

#twstask

[absolutebl]

hi there 🖐🏼 what are your recs for bl movies with great acting?

BL Movies with GREAT Acting

Specifically Movies? Do KBLs that were cut into movies count? Hum, I'm gonna make a judgement call given how few actual movies I have to work with and say if it holds as a "movie going experience" I can count it. I should say in order to really push this into the superlative acting space the BL aspect on many of these is... light.

His

Japan 2020 Viki

His is about being a grown adult and still struggling with coming out as gay. It addresses the consequences of life choices disingenuous to identity. Nagisa turns up on Shun’s doorstep with his precocious daughter in tow. This is a touch confusing to Shun since they were each others first love and ended badly. Shun has retreated from society, rejecting the world before it can reject him, already brokenhearted because without Nagisa he never had a reason to fight. Nagisa went the opposite way, tried to pretend to be something he was not and ended up with a daughter he adores and a wife who hates him. The acting is killer, Miyazawa Hio is sulky in the best possible way, the filming is beautiful and the setting unique and interesting...

I'm not wild about the ending. Moody arthouse smackdoodle is going to pretend that "ambiguous" is somehow unique and special rather than bog standard commonplace for narratives of this type. But endings are my hangup, not yours?

This is not really BL (the prequel was), so few of the tropes are used. You do not need to have watched the prequel.

Your Name Engraved Herein

Taiwan 2020 Netflix

This movie is fantastic but it is also seriously depressing. It’s a self acceptance journey that goes emotionally array on the alter of history, but if you wanna wallow in high quality acting and serious gay drama, this’ll do it. I would say it's not really BL, no real trope drops at all.

Okay those two I chose more on the strength of the acting than BL. These others are not going to be at the same standard/style.

If you want moee of the above level of drama, things get very sad in the BL world, so Love of Siam, Dew, Eternal Yesterday, Goodbye Mother, etc...

Restart After Come Back Home (Risutato wa tadaima no ato de)

Japan 2020 Gaga?

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning. The acting is a touch stiff, in that Japanese reserved way.

This is the only BL movie, as a movie, that I could pull. There are others, I jsut don't think the acting is good enough.

So here are some highly rated short bingable series that are movie length (1.5-2.5 hours) but not really movies - BUT with killer acting. So they still might satisfy the itch. I places them in order of acting and filming quality, not my own personal preference.

From Japan

Old Fashion Cupcake

Tokyo in April is...

Life: Love on the Line (director's cut)

My Beautiful Man

I Cannot Reach You

Seven Days

From Taiwan

Red Balloon

We Best Love (esp part 2)

About Youth

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

From Korea

To My Star

Long Time No See

The New Employee

Where Your Eyes Linger

More like this?

I want to shout out The Eighth Sense here too. It's longer than movie length but so well acted.

(source)

#asked and answered #BLs with great acting #movie bls #best bls #best of list #His the movie #Your Name Engraved Herein #Restart After Come Back Home #Old Fashion Cupcake

[mrxadreamin]

"Wait, I need to delete my browser history first!" – Jeon Chiaki, Son of Solomon, Circa. 2024

After a millenia(not really), I finally made an oc for WHB and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

With that, I offer you my son, Chi-chi Jeon Chiaki <3 now if you will excuse me I am going to rest my achey hands adjfgfdhd

CV: Daiki Yamashta(Ritsu Sakuma from ensemble stars)

Personality: Most of the time Chiaki is level-headed and calm, not one to jump the gun onsite. Also quite sarcastic and sassy, it’s a form of coping as well as a defense mechanism for himself. Despite his calm demeanor, he’s not the type to sit back and take things. As someone who’s quite observant, he’s the type to analyze first and act after. However, all trains of thought are gone when his loved ones are on the line and his fury will set ablaze that even makes Satan blush(literally…). Chiaki, despite having gone through enough, has carried an outlook on life that extends far beyond optimism, always the type to believe that things will turn out okay while sticking to reality. In his own way, Chiaki can be rather playful and cheeky with most and due to his charm alone, he can coax others into doing what he wants to meet his own goals– for the greater good of course! Considering his past experiences, he acts as a maternal figure for many, especially those who lacked such internal warmth, but has a spot big enough for Chiaki to hold them. Chiaki is a chivalrous pervert, but with some virtue. He tends to get distracted by his own lewd thoughts and has always been open about his sexuality. Sex positive, Chiaki indulges others in their sexual interests and endeavors! Interestingly enough, he’s also one of the densest people on Earth, so it will take a lot for his man to even get a single hint!

Confidence point: Shoulders and thighs

Favorite food(s): grilled brisket

Hobby: writing songs and reading erotica novels

Ideal Type: someone more dependable and carefree

Backstory: Chiaki had a loving childhood, his mother was a piano teacher and his father was a lawyer. Coming from a humble past, he wanted to get involved with music like his mother. Thus, he aspired to be a songwriter and musician when he grew older, but that dream was crushed when he lost his family at an early age and was later taken in by Minhyeok and his family. Chiaki had nothing left from them except for a key necklace that his father gave to him. “No matter, hold onto this, there will be a time when you will need it most,” his father urged, only a few days before he was brutally murdered alongside his wife. Chiaki didn’t get what his father meant–not until he witnessed his best friend getting hurt right before his eyes and having made a contract with the King of Fury to save him. Only then did he truly understand.

Trivia:

Is bisexual, and is a verse-switch(do not let his looks fool you!). Learned that he was bi when he was around 14 years old and his first crush was Minhyeok.

Before he went to hell, he worked at a bookstore and also read to children on occasion. Also worked part time at a music store and would teach music lessons on occasion.

Attended the same college as Minhyeok as a Music theory major, with a minor in  Literature

Talented singer and dancer. When he was still attending university, he would be seen dancing in the studio or recording songs in one of booths of the music buildings.

Knows how to play guitar and piano. Knows music theory.

Having lost his family, he learned to cook for himself and with the help of Minhyeok.

His father is Korean and his mother is Japanese. 

Speaks both Korean, Satoori, and Japanese. Satoori comes out when he’s angry.

Does in fact have a skin care routine even after descending to hell.

His favorite sanrio characters are Kuromi and Pochacco 

Before his ascension to Hell, some of his friends called him Qiqi because he used to play genshin impact(or whatever equivalent), and whenever he pulled for a character, he got Qiqi instead, losing the 50/50. They also call him Chichi due to his chest size, which he refuses to acknowledge.

Has written and composed his own songs, some of which are saucy, raunchy in their own way. He keeps them in a journal, but regrets not taking said journal with him before leaving to Hell.

Going in depth with his hobbies aside from songwriting, he collects erotica novels and manga, but doesn’t have a porn collection like the original mc, but that doesn’t mean he owns a few toys himself.

owns a light purple galaxy z flip5, but uses it for selfies and nudes. He uses the phone Satan gave him for contacts.

In terms of combat, he was able to wield various weapons during his time in hell, more specifically weapons made of Sitri's blood. He wields both a glade and a hammer.

Can make barriers out of silver/gold

Can summon large extraterritorial monsters from his coffin(given by Leviathan) and hang people on command if need be.

Design Notes:

Character inspo: Cealus and Dr. Ratio(Hontai Star rail), Epel Felmier(twst), Eiden(Nu:Carnival), Shoto(Vtuber/indie), Uki Violeta(Noctyx, Nijisanji EN), and Solomon(Obey me & WHB)

concept outfit: white v-line shirt, dark purple cuffed pants, white converse(platforms), and has a purple cardigan/jacket. 

Chiaki is a man of comfortability hence he would be seen wearing cardigans, sweaters, etc.

His main outfit as derived from Eiden(Nu:carnival) but instead of a jacket, I decided that a cardigan would fit him best due to lax personality and nature. Not to mention his previous occupation as a bookseller/keeper and a music tutor and musician.

Since his favorite color is purple, he can be seen wearing lots of cool, warm purples and sometimes blues and pinks.

Relationships

#what in hell is bad #whb mc #what in “hell” is bad? #what in hell is bad mc #whb oc #what in hell is bad oc

[desultory-novice]

what do you think of magolor soul’s true arena desc? makes me think he isn’t truly sorry.

I wanted to save this ask to write something MUCH more comprehensive about this but, um, serious RL stuff (it's positive stuff, no worries. I'm just kinda anxious about it...) popped up during my break so since I'm going to need to duck away for a few days to cool down (and because I'm currently super mega obsessed with True Arena Magolor) I decided to hit this one quickly.

So, in brief, this game has an excellent translation. Forgotten Land quality. I'd say even a little bit above that, since Magolor's writing in the epilogue is so good. (Biased?)

But there is a slight shift of TONE in Magolor Soul's True Arena description, the 2nd phase, where he talks directly to Kirby. (Honestly, this is probably just an issue of spacing. Magolor talks a LOT and you can see this screen is packed with text. Amusingly, spacing was my guess for the loss of a few details from Magolor Soul's pause screen in the original game.)

(Photo nicked from willidleaway)

Here is a quick "alternate" translation from me:

"Kirby, frankly, I found you a pain to deal with. And the way you looked at me with that blank stare even after I betrayed you? It irks me that I keep having to rely on you but... I've had enough. Kirby of the Stars, hurry up and destroy this thing on my head. When you do, I'll come back and... heheheh...I'll tease you plenty!"

The part TumblingPotatoes is referring to is probably the part I translated as "...found you a pain to deal with." The word in question can mean "dislike" as in "We've invited Magolor to dinner tonight!" "Ugh, I really dislike that guy!" but it really just means someone that, for a variety of reasons, you may struggle to deal with.

The fact that Magolor is a consummate liar but Kirby approaches everyone with honesty and openness is a quick and easy answer for why Magolor might feel that way about Kirby. Not to mention, as he says in both versions, Kirby is SO honest they didn't even react with shock or hurt when Magolor betrayed them. It's hard to say WHY Kirby didn't have that kind of emotional reaction, maybe they just knew better? Maybe Kirby figured, "Huh. I guess it's just time to beat the evil out of you like I've done with all my friends to date!"

The reason I prefer the Japanese slightly is because the English had to combine the "...it irks me to rely on you" and "hurry and break this thing on my head" into one line which, while Magolor is meant to be speaking from a place of pride (he doesn't want to admit he needs help. But of course, he really, really, REALLY needs help) it does sort of give him a cocky attitude in English. (The addition of "Ugh" does something similar. It does a wonderful job showing he's having to fight his own nature to admit this.)

But in Japanese, his desperation ("hurry") comes off better. It makes him sound a little bit more sad too (Something about Magolor using "this thing" in Japanese, 「頭のコレ」, even though it's the same phrase in English... but the context behind refusing to identify the Crown always gives me the feeling that at this point in the soul-consuming process, he's too frightened to even say it's name.)

...And this all hits especially hard because he uses the key phrase "Kirby of the Stars." Any time anyone invokes Kirby's "full name" you know things are serious.

His last line, his "threat" to toy with you/tease you is basically just the same Magolor you see in the epilogue. He can "turn over a new leaf" and still be a villainous & mischievous little egg. Saving his life isn't going to give him a personality transplant. It isn't going to mean he doesn't like playing pranks on people - or that he thinks that hitting a bomb with a frying pan isn't one of the multiverse's greatest games and definitely needs a space in his theme park. ^^

Again, he may also be trying to preserve some of his tattered dignity there. The long and short of it is... Magolor is being "tsundere" (I hope I don't need to explain that one...?)

Yes, he cares about Kirby as a friend. (Will he say it? No.) Yes, he feels bad for what he did. (Will he say that? Also no.)

...He CAN'T. It's not the way he communicates. But remember that Magolor has lied to you throughout the whole game. And it's the Liar Magolor that always tells you how "thankful" he is, how "happy" he is you two met. How "wonderful" and "amazing" Kirby is.

The fact that Magolor is willing to say "yeah, you kind of annoyed me" is a sign that Magolor is giving Kirby something he's potentially never given ANYONE before...

The truth.

So yes, this experience HAS changed him for the good and he absolutely, undeniably cares about Kirby.

--

Last Minute Addition:

It's interesting, in light of the very likely sounding theory that Magolor has already been fully consumed by the crown in this fight (his eyes disappear right as he uses "the last" of his ability to fight against the crown to leave you a single apple) and CANNOT be saved that the English text "...then someday..." and "...I MAY get to toy with you..." when the Japanese doesn't have these vagueties on Magolor's behalf. (I was influenced enough by it that even I included the phrase "when I come back" when Magolor just says "I will again...tease you")

Does he know it's already too late? It kind of gives you the feeling that Magolor is either lying to sooth Kirby from what the puffball has to do (kill him) or he's trying to goad Kirby on into finishing this. Really just makes the whole thing more heartbreaking.

#Kirby #Magolor #RtDL DX #rtdl dx spoilers #kirby spoilers #long post #...I wrote something long anyway #Dess Text Post #Speaking of the True Arena... #...my next/last post is fanart... #...yeah....

[seravphs]

ੈ♡˳·˖✶ — SAE x ROOKIE ACTRESS! FEM READER 

They call it tinseltown for a reason. Hollywood’s all gilded glamor hiding roots of deep rot, and you’re tired of acting your ass off just for your role to be given to the next pretty thing with a famous father. Itoshi Sae could be your ticket to stardom - if only he’ll agree. 

wc — 3k

tags — briefly Sae’s POV before it switches into yours, fake dating, brief mention of dieting 

Sae is sick of many things. He’s sick of the Japanese media attention. He’s sick of his little brother blowing up his phone with messages during the thirty minutes of screen time he’s allowed in Blue Lock; sick of the way he stopped by day thirty with no response. 

He’s sick of being reminded over and over that he isn’t good enough. Every interview is the same question over and over again, like if they rephrase it enough, they can catch him in his lie. He never slips. He tells them he likes being a midfielder. 

He’s sick of the way longing still surges up in his throat when he watches the Blue Lock boys play, sick of how much effort it takes to tamp it down. It took him years to come to terms with the bleeding mess of his shattered dreams, but it never stops hurting. It always aches, remembering that he’ll never be a striker again. It’s a dream he has to give up fresh each time, trying to cling to the memory of failing in Spain so he doesn’t go chasing after it again like some dumb hound. 

Football is the cruelest mistress. She always gives Sae just enough hope to want her more. He has to leash his desires so he doesn’t go running after it into traffic, eyes still only on the prize, ignoring all danger. 

Most of all, Sae’s sick of galas. 

Forget being the best midfielder, he’s probably the best player in all of Japan right now. With Japanese football at such a standstill, everyone is looking to him to lead them into a new future, as if one good midfielder can suddenly make up for a whole team. 

Sae thinks the lot of them are two faced assholes. They look down on him as someone who chose the second best option after failing at striking, but want him to become the star of their delusions. Japan’s football will never be good enough to stand at their world stage, and he was just unlucky enough to be born here, in this country that can’t offer him soil to sprout in. 

So he turns down invite after invite until finally, his manager does something that’s not allowed. He goes over his head to the one authority he’s not allowed to defy, and tells Sae’s mom. One explosive fight in his hotel room later, he finds himself standing in the world’s most uncomfortable suit, playing nice with nepo babies and elderly diplomats. 

“That’s him,” your publicist says, pointing out a man with green eyes and red hair standing alone in a corner of the room. His suit is tailored impeccably to his body. He has a glass of champagne in one hand that he hasn’t touched once, and mostly uses to wave people off when they try to approach him. 

“Don’t point,” you hiss, slapping her hand down in embarrassment. Technically everything about this meeting has already been orchestrated, but it’s still embarrassing. 

“Jeez, fine,” she grumbles, rubbing her smarting hand. “That’s the guy. Wine and dine him, do whatever you gotta do - at the very least, get a few pictures of you two acting cozy if you can’t get him interested for real. I can take it from there.” 

She makes it sound easy, but really it’s not. You’ve been circling the room for the last five minutes waiting for an opening, laughing obnoxiously at boring jokes with an overdone, “oh, you’re so funny,” and bitterly fielding questions like, “wait, who are you?”

Finally, you spot your chance. 

When Sae sees you coming over, he makes an expression that says fuck off so clearly it’s stopped multiple people before from interacting with him. It doesn’t stop you because you’re desperate. 

You're not a B-list actress. You’re not even on the tier, so below the radar in your unrecognized little roles as barista #1 or background character #12. You need him to make it big. No, you need his name. Being attached to Japan’s favorite boy genius will propel you to stardom better than your own talents will. 

At the end of the day, it’s not about how well you can act. You can cry so bitterly your director takes the day off to call his therapist. In your latest horror role, you screamed with such genuine horror they cut your scene because you, as an extra, couldn’t detract attention from the main actor. When you laugh, people giggle with you, regardless of whether or not the joke is funny. 

None of this matters when you don’t have the pull to get roles big enough to show your skill off. You could be the most talented actress in the world, but stuck in your side gigs, no one will ever know. 

You grab a glass of sparkling pink alcohol of some kind off a waiter’s try with a whispered thank you, down half of it for courage, and try to walk over to Sae in as dignified a manner as you can manage. He doesn’t seem very impressed. 

“Hey, handsome,” you give him your most winning smile. You’re dressed in your best tonight. Your agency even hired a makeup artist to bring out your best features.

He gives you a strained smile, purposefully so that you’ll know how put upon he is being here, being annoyed by people like you who all want something from him. He’s not wrong to be a little pissed. You still think it’s kind of a dick move. 

Regardless of his personality, it’s his fame you want. You sidle in closer, looking at him from beneath lowered lashes. The press is going to love this. 

“You’re looking pretty lonely,” you say, wincing at every word that comes out of your mouth. “Want some company?” 

“How lukewarm,” he says, acerbically. “You don’t seriously think that’s going to work on me, do you?” 

Your mouth almost drops at how straightforward he is. Still, you can’t give up. Your manager should’ve prepared you better - in your head, you curse her out. 

“No need to be rude,” you say. Oops. Too on the nose? You bulldoze forward. “I thought-“

“Just tell me what you want.” 

“Um.”

“If you waste my time, I’m not going to listen,” he says, already turning away. 

“Wait,” you say, grabbing his arm. “Please.” 

He raises an eyebrow and gestures you on. Clearly, his time is worth something. 

You want that. The ease of power, the casualness with which Sae wields it. You’ve wanted it your whole life, since you were singing in school musicals, craving the applause, wanting the adoration like a drug. You try to inject your voice with every drop of that desperation, hoping he understands. 

“I have a deal for you. If you’ll agree to pretend to be my boyfriend for six months, I’ll attend every single one of these galas with you and help keep people off your back. Trust me, I’m great at navigating these things. I was doing it before I came to talk to you.” 

“Oh, you’re drunk,” he laughs. 

You’re affronted by this careless reaction. It makes sense, after all. He doesn’t know anything about you. But for you, this is a career you’re willing to do anything for, and he’s insulted it with his blasé attitude. You grab him by the tie and pull him closer. 

“I’m not drunk,” you snarl. “I have wanted to be an actress my whole damn life, and I need this. Do you have any idea how it feels to know you have the skills, the talent, the dedication to do something, be something, and be denied all because you were born at the wrong place at the wrong time? I love my parents, but I will never get a role because of them. You see that actress over there? She’s talented, I can’t deny it, but her family has been in the industry for three generations. That one? Her dad paid for her debut album to sell out. The girl with the blonde pigtails? Her mom was a famous idol. You can’t become anything in the entertainment world if you don’t already have an edge. You can’t just be talented, there has to be something special about you.” 

Sae stares at you, stunned. All at once, you’re embarrassed by your little monologue, and you step away from him. 

“Sorry.” 

He licks his lips, hesitant to say something. There’s a strange vulnerability on his face, like he was just walking along, minding his own business, and here you are with the nerve to crack him open and find his deepest insecurities, all by accident. 

He doesn’t normally pay attention to sob stories, but yours sticks in his head. How many times has he wished he was born elsewhere, to some other set of parents, only to feel violently regretful at his ingratitude? He wants to say something, but he’s not sure what he would say. 

Sorry? 

Same? 

It turns out it doesn’t matter anyways, because at this point, you’ve tuned out him out in favor of the waiter you’ve just spotted carrying another tray of drinks. 

Before you can grab a fresh glass - this one’s a gradient of blue and purple, your brain registers excitedly - Sae pins your hand down. 

“We’re good,” he tells the waiter. “Wait. Leave a plate of the canapes please. Make that two. Yeah, thanks.” 

You wrench your hand out of his angrily. You can’t afford to piss him off, not when you’ve been trying to cozy up to him all night, but your brain is slightly too foggy to register the ramifications of your actions anymore. You feel delightfully warm and light and also furious he stole your drink from you. Quickly, the fury turns to disappointment. 

“Why did you do that?” You whine. 

“You’re too drunk. Eat something.” 

“I’m not-“

He shoves the canapé into your mouth. There’s a certain twist to his lips that could be amusement or disgust as he watches you chew, then swallow, then moan, which is only half exaggerated for him. 

The canapé has wagyu on it. 

You’re already reaching for the next one. Sae calls another waiter over and gets you plates of chocolate truffles, sushi, and fruit skewers. 

“Oh my god,” your eyes are practically closed in bliss as you take bite after bite. “Oh my god. Is this what you all eat at these events? Holy shit. My mouth is in heaven right now.” 

“I wouldn’t know,” he says. “I rarely come to these things. You’re not eating enough to soak up all that alcohol you drank. Get your stuff, we’re leaving.” 

You perk up. Is it that easy? Mission over? All you had to do was drink too much wine, make a fool of yourself, and devour a handful of wagyu crackers, and you’ve bagged Itoshi Sae? 

“Snap out of it. It’s not like that,” he sighs. “Can you imagine how it’ll look if I’ve been talking to you all night and you end it drunk out of your mind?” 

Your publicist gives you a double thumbs up when she sees you leave with Sae. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to notice. To his annoyance, he has to support you all the way to the parking garage. You’re dead weight in his arms. By the time you get to his car, he’s practically carrying you. 

Sae’s car is a thing of beauty. It’s clean lines and elegance and silver all over. He could not give less of a shit about your effusive reaction to it. 

“Give me directions for where you want to go,” he says. 

His car purrs underneath you when he accelerates on the highway. He keeps a careful eye on the speed limit, but it hardly matters when the ride is so smooth it barely feels like you’re on the road at all. He rolls down the windows at your insistence so the cool night breeze fills the vehicle, your hair ruffled by the wind. 

Sae’s face clearly says ‘This is not what I was thinking,’ when you arrive at your destination. Still, he doesn’t comment on it as he climbs out of his car, then helps you out of the passenger side as well. Glowing, neon yellow arches frame the sky as you throw your arms out and spin around in a circle, giggling. Your pretty dress, borrowed from a friend much more successful than you, flares out at the ankles as you twirl. Sae has to catch you when you nearly eat pavement, your balance completely disoriented. 

“Why are you surprised? McDonald’s is the hangover food,” you say. “Greasy burgers and fries are the best for nights like this.” 

His deadpan expression says he doesn’t get the hype before he chauffeurs you inside, still clinging to his arm. It’s part of the job, you insist to yourself as you hold onto him. It’s not because he’s strong and tall and broad and it feels nice pressed against his side. 

Sae orders electronically and brings the food to you on a red tray. He doesn’t get anything for himself, choosing instead to pin you under his stare as you unwrap your burger. It makes you uncomfortable. 

“Are you not going to eat?” 

“Are you kidding me?” He says. “My dietician would kill me.” 

“Boo,” you frown. You know exactly how it feels. “That’s not fair! You look great, a hamburger isn’t going to kill you.” 

You’re slurring your words at this point. “Oh! Here, you can have some of mine. I won’t tell.” You punctuate the last bit with a giggle. 

Sae takes a tiny, tiny bite of your burger, but you’re clearly not satisfied with it. You push it towards him again. He sighs. “I’ll get something.” 

That something is a salad, but small victories are victories, you guess. Besides, you’re too hungry to care anymore. You devour your burger and sigh in happiness, enjoying the delicious taste of artificially manufactured goodness. Then you groan. 

“You’re just never happy, are you?” Sae says. He’s picking at his salad, eating all the tomatoes first. 

“We missed the main course because we left,” you whine, burying your head in your arms. “It was going to be catered by Yukihira Souma! That was my one chance to try his cooking, even if I could afford it, he has a waitlist three months long.” 

“Mm-hm,” Sae says, completely distracted. He’s texting someone. 

Your excitement dims a little, and you remember why you’re here. 

“So. Did you think about my offer?”

“Your proposition, you mean?” He says, returning his attention to you. 

“You make it sound so salacious! It’s just a naturally beneficial deal: you pretend to be my boyfriend for a month, and I’ll attend all of your events.” 

“And why would I do that?” Sae drawls.

“Because I can be your buffer at these events. No one else is going to bother you if they think you already have a girlfriend, and I can do all the talking for us. I get tons of publicity, you get to ignore everyone else at these parties: win-win. You’d be a fool not to take this offer, really.” 

He makes a soft sound. 

“Is that laughter I hear?” You prod him in the chest with a finger. “No way. You can laugh? I didn’t think they programmed that into you.” 

“Don’t be a brat,” he says, shut off and remote once again. It doesn’t matter - you made him laugh once, you can do it again. It was a bad idea to reveal that to you, because now you’re determined to hear it at least once more. 

“Alright. Say I take your offer. What’s the deal with being your fake boyfriend?” 

“I haven’t figured out the details yet,” you say blithely, trying to hide the fact that you didn’t think you’d get this far. “Obviously I’m okay with touching, kissing-“ 

You stumble over the last word, having never been kissed before. There’s a twinge in your heart at the idea of your first one being fake, but acting means everything to you. There’s a lot more you’re willing to give up than just childhood dreams of romance. Everything’s fake in Hollywood, anyways. 

He’s laughing again, this time at you. You can’t even find it in your heart to be mad. “What are you getting all shy for?” 

“Hey! Fake or not, we’re in a relationship now,” you hiss. “You have to be nice to me.” 

“Nice, hm?” He gets up from his side of the booth and slides into yours. “I can do nice.” 

Suddenly, all your senses are on high alert. Every nerve ending is on fire, suddenly tuning into Sae. This close, you can smell his cologne, aquatic and clean. He leans closer, hand sliding up your neck to cup your cheek. He’s so close you can count each of his eyelashes. You’re frozen in place when he leans in, tilts his head at the perfect angle, and ever so delicately places the lightest kiss on your cheek. 

That’s when you notice the paparazzi behind him. You’ve been distracted by Sae, or you would have noticed earlier. They’re never as sneaky as they think they are. From this angle, it must look like Sae is genuinely kissing you. This is an opportunity you can’t waste - you raise your arms to drape them over his shoulders and press in closer until you’re practically in his lap. 

“Thank you,” you murmur. 

“Don’t thank me yet,” he says. “I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain. You still have to uphold yours.” 

It’s too late to go back to the gala at this point, but Sae now has your number for any other events he has to attend going forward. He drives you back to your building and insists on walking you all the way up to your apartment. He even helps take off your makeup and tucks you into bed before he dims the lights. 

“Good night,” he says. 

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” You chirp back. 

It’s too dark to see his reaction. 

The doorbell has been ringing nonstop for the past twenty minutes. You would just let whoever’s at your door keep at it, but your neighbors would complain, and your landlord is looking for any reason to raise the rent. You’re too drunk for this. 

You wrench open the door and snarl, “What.” 

“Open up,” Sae says impatiently. His words are contradicted by the fact that he doesn’t wait for you to open the door wider, he just breezes into your apartment. “I’ve been waiting for hours - god, how heavy do you sleep?” 

He’s holding a takeout container in one hand, though it’s unlike any container you’ve seen before. Even the material seems to be a grade above the restaurants you normally dine at. He notices you looking and lifts the box in one hand. 

“Oh, this? I just had an acquaintance pack a box of the main course last night.” 

“You didn’t-“ your eyes are huge in delight. 

“Nothing but the best for my fake girlfriend,” he says, smirking. “I’m looking forward to our partnership.”

#sera writes #itoshi sae x reader #sae x reader #blue lock x reader

[egoistars]

TALKING TO MY GHOST AT NIGHT reo

theres a ghost in the blue lock facility, reo and bachira are sure of it. they also aren't the most reliable sources out there but it was funny, nagi can humor them for a little longer if it means reo will finally get a partner and set him free ( wc : 2.1k+ )

warnings : crack, angst if u blink slowly, reader is a slut for money and so am i, reo is into some weird shit but it's ok they're into each other i promise

“Yo! Yo! Sei-shi-ro!” Bachira called out, once again with glittering stars in his eyes as Reo’s face pales every passing second. “You will never guess what Reo and I found!”

“Nagi, there’s a ghost,” Bachira’s accomplice muttered. “We saw them when we went to eat dinner.”

“You guys are delusional,” the white-haired boy sweatdropped, were they getting enough sleep? Probably not. Ego was absolutely insane and for the first few days Nagi was in the Blue Lock facility, he swore he was losing his five senses ( he was better when he got his phone back but that’s not important ^ _ – ). “Are you guys sure it wasn’t a janitor or cook?”

“We swear!” The dumbass duo retaliated, each one taking hold of one of Nagi’s arms. “They looked like they were our age and they even had the same really ugly dark circles and eyebags as you! There’s no other explanation.”

Nagi was too tired for this shit he just wanted to lie in bed and play mobile games like an elementary school kid. “Well, leave me out of this you guys can get haunted for all I care.”

“What the fuck, Nagi?! Even after all we’ve been through? I’m like the second coming of Jesus to you! I introduced you to the art of playing with balls!” Maybe he could have worded that better but Reo was too deep in the blistering sorrow of betrayal to care about his relationship with the Japanese language.

“Yeah! Listen to Reo! You’re one of us and plus, you and the ghost look equally exhausted so that means you should be the one to talk to them!” Bachira innocently giggled as if he didn’t just set Nagi up for a demonic ritual or whatever the fuck they were planning.

“Can we at least wait until tomorrow?” Nagi whined, his eyelids felt heavy and there was too much stupidity in the room for his brain to handle in a day. His brain was swelling and any more that came out of Bachira or Reo’s mouth would cause it to explode and somehow, his batshit insane rivals teammates will find a way to bring him back to life ( maybe even with the ghost ) and beat the shit out of him for abandoning them ( Reo ).

—

It was getting late and most of the Egoists had gone to their rooms to do whatever was on their schedule next. The reasonable ones went to rest, the weird ones went to train, and then there was the demon named Rin Itoshi who went to follow his yoga routine. Ew, that name sent shivers down Nagi’s spine. He wants to see that guy trip and fall on his ass sometime, that’d be pretty funny, he thinks. It would be even better if his brother did the same. But for Nagi, instead of playing his first-person shooters like how he would like to, the boy was being shushed by Meguru Bachira who was accompanied by an oddly serious looking Reo Mikage.

“Ghost… ghost…” Reo began making different “oOOOoO” noises to mimic ghost sounds from a badly produced Halloween movie. “We come in peace. We don’t plan to hurt you.”

“Yeah! We’re totally cool, you should hang out with us! Look! We even have some random dude who’s like the same breed of human as you! Er… as you were.”

“Bachira I didn’t agree on being a human sacrifice,” Nagi tried saying, but was quickly cut off.

“Shhh! You’re gonna scare it away! No one cares~!”

“Are you mentally well?”

Bachira and Reo let out loud ear-shattering screams, each going straight into Nagi’s head and giving him the most painful migraine he’s ever experienced, so painful that he almost did not realize it was an unfamiliar voice talking to Bachira instead of one of their own. Looking up at whoever it was, it happened to be another teenager who looked relatively normal with no seemingly ghostly features at all.

“Aren’t you guys soccer players? What the fuck are you doing out here ghost hunting?”

“Wait so you aren’t a ghost?” Bachira tilted his head and asked, his eyes blank in confusion while Reo looked like he was short-circuiting.

“No…?” You replied, pinching your skin. “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure I’m alive and well. You guys are hallucinating or something if you think I’m a ghost.”

“T-then why are you here?!” Reo pointed at you and demanded, suddenly thinking you were some intruder or hitman that was hired by one of his family’s rival companies, out to kill him while he happens to be away from home.

“‘Cause I’m that freak Jinpachi’s cousin. I need volunteer hours to graduate so I came here and honestly, I regret it. Nepotism sucks—well, at least this kind. I should’ve been born as some major actor’s kid.”

“Woah! So you aren’t here to kill me, that’s great!” Reo beamed, suddenly very giddy that a cute intern the same age as him would not be an absolute danger to his well-being. It had been years since he felt this electricity in his chest, the last time being when he met Nagi, who had been stuck with him ever since that day on. The purple-haired boy was unsure of whether the pleasure he felt from meeting you was due to a new challenge, or the fact he was genuinely interested in you. After all, he thought you were a ghost the first time he saw you.

“What—huh?! Why would I kill you? What kind of unresolved trauma do you have? Was this Jinpachi’s fault? That man is fucked in the head but he has money so don’t tell anyone about it until he dies and I get all his inheritance, ‘kay?”

Nagi did not know if you morbid words went one of Reo’s ears and out the other or if Reo was weirdly into whatever fantasies you had. Rich people. Bachira, though, was giggling like a devious troll, making squelching kissy noises in Reo’s ear as you went on and on about your plan to save yourself from the world of middle-class living and kick your cousin out of the economic elites so that you could replace him, knowing damn well that Ego could hear you.

And, he did.

A large television screen mounted to the front wall of the Blue Lock Facility cafeteria turned on almost immediately after you stopped talking, displaying a far from happy Jinpachi Ego in all of his bowl-cut glory. The man’s permanent frown was even more of a frown than what Nagi thought was humanly possible, another ew in his book. Man, his coach was depressingly ugly.

Jinpachi Ego was a tired man whose tiredness plummeted into exhaustion every time he had to interact with his hellspawn of a cousin, you. “[name], cut it out and get to cleaning. You aren’t going to get any credits or paychecks if you continue standing there wasting all our time telling people your empty plans of ‘plotting my downfall’,” Ego spoke with his monotone voice, making faux quotes with his hands.

“Oh, shut up old man. You’re literally decaying compared to me. Get to bed, grandpa,” You restored, visibly pissed off but immediately switching your facial expression to a cheery one like a lightswitch as you bid goodbye to the three teenage boys before you and running off to “beat that bowl-cut’s ass”, as you put it.

“Dude, you look like you just met an angel and fell in love!” Bachira laughed in Reo’s face, doubling over and rolling on the floor.

“I think… that’s because I just did,” Reo mumbled, awe still on his face as he blankly stared at the television screen Ego was just on.

—

Once again, Nagi just wanted to go to bed but had his plans interrupted by a very desperate Reo Mikage.

“Come on! Nagi, you just don’t get it. They’re my soulmate, I’m sure of it!”

“Why can't you go alone? Why do you have to drag me into you trying to ask them out? Aren't I just gonna be in the way?”

“Nagi,” Reo whined, pathetically dragging out his name. “I need you there for moral support. I'll piss myself otherwise, you know that.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be sure to laugh at you too when they reject you.”

“I'm gonna punch you.”

“Whatever, just this once, you hear me?”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Reo saluted his closest friend, skipping to the cafeteria to find you. To be honest, he was unsure of whether or not you’d be there but considering the fact you’ve been cleaning the cafeteria at the same times for two days in a row, Reo thought he had a pretty good chance. But of course, luck wouldn't always be on the side of the rich and famous.

Nagi and Reo walked into the large, open room only to find the lights completely out, without a single sound echoing throughout the cold. An eerie feeling took over the previous excitement that Reo felt that evening, accompanying it with a chill down both of their spines.

“They aren't here, let's go back,” Nagi urged. He would never admit it to anyone's face, but the cafeteria was starting to give him the creeps. “Bring Bachira with you next time, he’d be over the moon to help you.”

“No! Wait! This place is creepy as fuck but we haven't even looked yet! Let me just turn on the lights—”

“See? You should be more like your friend here. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I don't bite!” A voice popped out from right behind Nagi, causing him to physically jump into the air and trip over and onto his knees before violently whipping around, coming face to face with you manically cackling at his reaction. “Man, you're easy to scare!”

“Hi! You're er— [name], right? That's what Ego called you last night,” Reo greeted, “I'm Reo Mikage.”

“Yeah,” Nagi chimed in from on the floor. “He's Reo Mikage.” Reo really wished he followed through with punching Nagi in the face. “He's the heir of the Mikage Corp.”

“Mikage… Mikage… Mikage…” You muttered, trying to remember why that name sounded so oddly familiar to you. Is it the name of a restaurant you went to? No, he said ‘Corp’, that wouldn't make any sense.

“That means he's super rich by the way,” Nagi added one last time before ditching his awestruck friend in the otherwise empty cafeteria that he doubted anyone would go to anytime soon; it was almost nine in the evening.

“Oh my God, you're rich?” You gushed, suddenly very interested in what Reo had to say for himself—well, even more interested. It was like a dream for you; some really pretty dude coming in looking for you specifically, ignoring the part where he thought you were a ghost, of course. But having this same pretty boy turn out to be a super mega rich heir and also be super mega athletic? Jackpot. You won in life. It's God’s apology for making you be related to that bastard Jinpachi Ego. This is your main character moment and you will make sure that boy will be yours before any other trashy gold digger other than you picks him up and takes him away. “That's like, the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That's not the only thing you're after, right?” Reo cautiously asked. It slightly hurt knowing that you might not actually be interested in him, but only after his wallet instead. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, but it would be the first time it's happened with someone he was genuinely interested in.

“No, no! Of course not! You're pretty funny and well uh, really cute so even if you were broke I’d shoot my shot.”

If you spoke any more, Reo thought that his cheeks would fucking burst from how hot they felt and he was more than sure his face was a burning crimson red. It was suddenly as hot as a midsummer's day with the sun shining right above his brushed, violet hair, causing his entire body to sweat. “Holy shit I could marry you right now.”

“Hell yeah, let's get married, Reo!” You exclaimed with the same ecstatic eagerness as the boy whose hands you were grabbing onto while jumping up and down.

“[name], get to cleaning. You are not getting married anytime soon.” Before you could start making up your vows on the spot, a shart voice cut through the moment with the click of a button as the television in the cafeteria turned on once again, displaying a displeased, disturbed, and beyond annoyed Jinpachi Ego who was most definitely not pissed off because he can't get himself a partner like how his cousin can.

#reo x reader #reo mikage x reader #mikage reo x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #blue lock reo #bllk reo #blue lock #reo mikage #mikage reo #bllk #bllk manga #bllk bachira #bllk nagi

[morkitten]

KAMEN RIDER MEGAPOST

I've been deep in the Kamen Rider hole after taking a blind chance on it about a year ago and it's been one of the most rewarding discoveries I've had, so I'm doing a megapost where I try to convey what's so interesting and unique about this series that you can literally just start anywhere. There's a Kamen Rider series for everyone, and I hope to convince you of it and point to where you can give it a try for yourself. Click on the read more to see more!

WHAT IS KAMEN RIDER?

Kamen Rider is a superhero that rides a motorcycle who's often bug-themed, but not always. The Kamen Rider franchise started in 1971 and, with the exception of a few periods of dry spells, keeps making new yearly series to this day. It's part of Japan's many, many decades old craft of special effects-focused TV shows and movies, called "Tokusatsu" (literally, "special filming"). It was conceived and spearheaded by Shotaro Ishinomori, an incredibly famous mangaka in Japan, responsible for not only Kamen Rider, but also Super Sentai, Cyborg 009, Zubat, Kikaider, and many other TV series and mangas. The amount of works he has produced in manga and TV is incredibly huge, and his works have been incredibly influential to Japanese culture as a whole. Kamen Rider can be argued that is his biggest, most important contribution.

A consistent theme in early Kamen Rider series is that he's a lonesome, grieving hero, in which his sadness fuels his righteous anger at the evils that he's fighting against. He's been transformed into a monster against his will, and now must fight against the very forces that created him. In every Kamen Rider series, the power that the protagonist wields is the same power that fuels the evil forces he fights against. In a way, you can see it as a metaphor for Kamen Rider's production itself: It must use the evil power of mass media to carry its anti-authoritarian messages that go against the very forces that even allow it to exist. It's the tale of every artist trying to create something earnest and culturally and artistically enriching in the cynical mass media space.

WHY WATCH KAMEN RIDER?

I was never really sold on Kamen Rider at first. I remember watching a bit of Kamen Rider Black when I was very young, so I was always nostalgically curious about it. But whenever I saw the newer Kamen Rider stuff pop up on Twitter or whatever, I had always dismissed it as "eh, whatever bug bit you I guess made you interested in that". Something about the super toyetic costume designs and super fake CG just never really inspired my attention, and it was easy to dismiss it as something for kids, something in that same place in my mind as "what shonenheads are into". I guess what I mean is that I saw newer Kamen Rider as "low art". It's easy to categorize it as such, people in silly suits selling toys, doing really silly comedy, with silly CG. I've seen Power Rangers before, it's just that. It has to be cynical!

I had never done such a big 180 before. Yes, Kamen Rider is "for the kids" (with some exceptions), yes it has a ton of silliness to it, but there's also a lot of good cinematography, fantastic stunts, and really great, serious drama. Kamen Rider is seen as a cultural institution in Japan for all those reasons. It's a way to keep a lot of theater traditions alive in a modern space, a way to have many young, extremely talented actors have a big break, a way to keep tokusatsu traditions and craft (analog special effects, stuntmen, martial arts actors) alive, employed, and continuously evolving, to create something that bridges the gap across all generations in Japan.

It's difficult to explain, but Kamen Rider has the important positive qualities of extremely good older television like Star Trek and Columbo. A TV show that doesn't want to aspire to be a hollywood movie like Netflix series cheaply try to do, but that sees the value of theater and theater skills in television.

Another thing to note is that because Kamen Rider is such a huge cultural institution, if you enjoy anime and japanese video games, there's so so much about what you love on your favorite anime and games that are directly inspired by Kamen Rider. Every japanese action game you've enjoyed? Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Hagane, Bayonetta, they -all- have an incredibly huge amount of Kamen Rider in them. Nearly everything Gainax, Hideaki Anno and Studio Trigger made. Pokémon, Digimon, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh (especially on the superb monster designs), Taiyo Matsumoto, every japanese character that has ever stricken a dab. It's not just references, there are fundamental things about pretty much all of these games, mangas and animes I've listed that are directly attributed to Kamen Rider. So if you enjoy anything I've listed, you ought to give it a try.

OKAY, WHERE TO START?

One of the greatest things about Kamen Rider is that since every series is its own closed continuity (there are crossover movies but they largely don't matter), you can pretty much start anywhere you'd like. Of course, with this many ice cream flavors, one can't help but become paralyzed by the abundance of choice, even though, and I can't emphasize this enough, every Kamen Rider series I've watched so far have all been pretty good to fantastic. I'm sure there's a couple of stinkers I've avoided, but a hitrate like this feels miraculous, I don't understand how does Kamen Rider from so many different eras can keep such a consistent quality even when they can feel so different from one another and be spearheaded by such different creators. You can maybe look them all up and decide what theme you're most attracted by, or, I can maybe help you and tell you about the ones I've watched!

So, here's a list of the Kamen Riders I've watched, with short descriptions of each of them and what makes them appealing, and a mini-list of recommended episodes to sample, in case you're still not sure whether to jump in:

SHOWA ERA (1971 - 1994)

KAMEN RIDER (1971)

The original, and also the least I've watched so far, haven't even gotten to 10 episodes yet. It famously started with an incredibly small budget and it's magical to see what tricks the production employed in order to make it work and be exciting and fun while spending as little money as possible. The stunts are very dangerous but very cool to see. A long, very episode-by-episode affair, but if you get excited on cheap sets and cheap cinema tricks and special effects used very cleverly, this is going to light you up like a christmas tree. It also employs some thriller-inspired cinematography that is very exciting. The writing doesn't offer much substance, but it has this quality where it really believes in itself and in the ideals that Kamen Rider is supposed to represent that is very easy to feel wrapped up in. Might bore you if you're not already sold on the appeal of old tokusatsu.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 6: The Grim Reaper Chameleon! Episode 7: The Grim Reaper Chameleon Showdown: Old World's Fair

KAMEN RIDER AMAZON (1974)

It's basically just the 1971 Kamen Rider but the main character is Tarzan. It runs only half as long as other Kamen Rider series so if you wanna do a whole Showa-era KR series quickly, it's a very solid recommendation. It's very violent for a children's show, with Amazon often slicing and mauling his monster opponents in bloody messes, and it looks really sick. The suits and special effects are better than how the original Kamen Rider starts off, but it still has that appeal of being old and budgeted for a TV show, which in this case is a huge positive, imo. Also again, the writing isn't much to write about, so don't expect big narrative payoffs or anything like that, you really have to enjoy it on an episode-by-episode basis, which is fine, because the monsters and special effects are extremely cool, the characters are charismatic, and the little episodic plots are fun.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 4: Run! The Raging Jungler! Episode 11: The Golden Snail is the Grim Reaper's Envoy!? Episode 16: Garanda's Tokyo Sea of Flames Operation Episode 17: Mt.Fuji Big Explosion?! The Tokyo Fry Pan Operation

KAMEN RIDER BLACK (1987)

This was supposed to be a revival of Kamen Rider into public interest after being dormant for a while, so it also feels like a retelling of the first Kamen Rider in a sense, has a lot of common elements, but with slick 80s production and sensibilities all over. If you love how 80s action, sci-fi and thriller movies look like, you'll love the cinematography and production of Kamen Rider Black. It's edgier, sleeker, and even scarier, borrowing a lot of horror/thriller elements that were in vogue at the time, while still being a hopeful, heroic and uplifting presence for children. Has an overarching plot that develops over time but it's, again, really about enjoying it on an episode-by-episode basis, as the overarching plot develops veeeery slowly and in very small portions. I supremely love how this series looks, I love the special effects, I love the suits, and it has my favorite transformation sequence.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 1: Black!! Transformation Episode 2: Monster Party Episode 18: Sword Saint Bilgenia Episode 20: Rider's Grave Episode 23: Marumo's Magic Power Episode 24: College Girl's Nightmare

SHIN KAMEN RIDER PROLOGUE (1992) (MOVIE)

This doesn't have anything to do with the Anno movie, the Shin here is written differently. A movie that celebrates the series' 20th anniversary that tells its own story with its own Kamen Rider, so it feels like a "reboot" or "re-interpretation" of Kamen Rider. It's darker and scarier, with a Kamen Rider that looks much more like a monster than an armored hero, and leans more into the horror side of Kamen Rider, being more adult-focused. Very violent and very cool.

KAMEN RIDER ZO (1993) (MOVIE)

This was supposed to be a full-fledged Kamen Rider series but the 80s bubble popped and they decided to shift production into a short movie instead. Might be a good introduction point, since it's a short 1-hour watch, and has a ton of really great special effects. Everything that is great about Black's cinematography, propwork and special effects apply here, except since it's just one movie, they're really throwing everything they've got into it

HEISEI AND REIWA ERAS (2000-Present)

Kamen Rider went dormant in the 90s until it was revived back into its TV format by Kamen Rider Kuuga, which was a major success. Since then, there's been yearly new Kamen Rider series on Japanese television, non-stop.

The difference between the Kamen Rider of old (Showa era) and the Kamen Rider series past this revival (Heisei, Reiwa) is that newer Kamen Rider series, despite also being monster-of-the-week romps, tend to have a more complex overarching plot which they tend to lean more into, and less of dangerous stunts and practical effects. Episodes also tend to be two-parters, so maybe calling them monster-of-the-week is innacurate, it's more like monster-of-every-two-weeks. This shift is fine because their reliance on denser plots with a much larger supporting cast of characters, more than makes up for it. It feels less that they're stretching episodes into two-parters and more like they're filling these episodes with so much other stuff that making them 2-parters makes sense.

Also, to note, as modern Kamen Rider goes on, there's more reliance on CGI, but all the monsters (and Kamen Riders) are practical suits and there's still plenty of practical effects, so don't let the super artificial candy-colored videogamey CGI effects trick you into thinking that that's all there is to modern KR.

KAMEN RIDER KIVA (2008)

Kiva is the only "Heisei phase 1" series I've watched so far (early to late 2000s), and I absolutely love it, one of my favorite Kamen Riders. It's considered to be a bit of a black sheep of Heisei phase 1 Kamen Riders but I think fans severely overlook and misjudge Kiva. Kamen Rider Kiva is vampire-themed and is about this shut-in, extremely shy boy who, mysteriously, is also the heroic Kiva, that springs into action whenever Fangires (vampire monsters) are about to kill humans. However, it also takes place 20 years before, in the 1980s, where Fangires are also attacking, but there's no Kiva around to stop them. Instead, humans have created a secret vampire-hunting association and are developing their own technology to stop them. What's the connection between the characters from each time era? Mysteries...!! It has a large cast of characters and incredible soap opera drama and romance that'll keep you heavily invested in all of its twists and turns. It's a very narrative affair which makes it difficult to recommend episodes out of order since it can be confusing to catch things out of context. The fact that it takes place both in the 2000s and in the 80s means every episode has both an A-plot and a B-plot, which avoids the pitfall of some modern Kamen Riders of two-parters that don't have enough going on, because Kiva is absolutely overstuffed with great characters and narratives. The drama is great, the romance is great, the comedy is superb, and the fights are awesome too. I really can't recommend it enough.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 1: Fate: Wake Up! and Episode 2: Suite: Father and Son Violin (2-parter) Episode 17: Lesson: My Way and Episode 18: Quartet: Listen to Your Heart's Voice (2-parter) (I have trouble recommending more episodes out of order because this series is very narratively-involved!)

KAMEN RIDER W (2009)

W is a very well-received and loved series, and it's easy to see why. It's one of those things that if you watch it you immediately go "oh, if I watched this as a kid I would be so so into it". It has fun, charismatic characters that you want to see every week, simple to understand and easy to like. It's detective-themed and the Kamen Rider is actually comprised of a fusion of two people - Shotaro, who wants to be a tough, hard-boiled detective but is unintentionally kind of stupid and goofy and isn't seen very seriously by people around him, but has a heart of gold, and Phillip, who is an androgynous autistic introvert that basically has the entirety of Google inside his mind, and uses this to help find information to solve cases. Together they transform into Kamen Rider W (W as in "double", get it?), with each controlling a literal half of the suit (right and left), that they can switch properties of and create different combinations. They're great characters but who really steals the show is the comedy relief sidekick, Akiko. She's an immensely funny actress and character.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episodes 1 and 2: W Search Episodes 9 and 10: S Terror Episodes 23 and 24: L on the Lips Episodes 25 and 26: P's Game

KAMEN RIDER OOO (2010)

OOO is another extremely beloved Kamen Rider series, and the one I actually started with. Its themes are "desire" and "currency", and the evils and necessities of living in a world that depends on them. The main character is a lovable homeless hippie (Eiji) who's egged on by his extremely androgynous edgy greedy demon boyfriend (Ankh) to collect "medals", because said demons are greedy for them and require them for power. These medals also allow Eiji to transform into Kamen Rider OOO (pronounced "Os" or "Osu"), and different medals can be slot into his transformation belt to create different combinations. Other demons, that are not Eiji's demon babygirl, want to use humans' desires as piggy banks to generate more medals for their own greed, at the cost of these humans' lives. Eiji needs to stop them and collect all the medals before they do. Again, easy to enjoy, easy to see why it's beloved. Filled with a light-hearted fun energy that you can feel as soon as you watch the ska-inspired opening. There's a small stretch of it that feels a bit by-the-numbers, but the drama ramps up and pays off immensely well as it goes on. An extremely fujoshi Kamen Rider series.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 1: Medals, Underwear and a Mysterious Arm Episode 2: Desire, Popsicles and Presents (2-parter with Episode 1) Episode 13: A Siamese Cat, Stress and the Genius Surgeon Episode 14: Pride, Surgery, and a Secret (2-parter with Episode 13)

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE (2011)

Fourze is written by Kazuki Nakashima, the Studio Trigger writer responsible for stuff like Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill and Brand New Animal, so that may be something that's either going to extremely excite you, or make you very wary of it. I personally feel he's not a very good writer, but that's okay, because the rest of the production is fantastic, and I still enjoyed Fourze a good amount! The main character is an extremely likeable and charismatic school delinquent that wants to befriend the entire school and creates his own Kamen Rider school club after being bestowed with the Kamen Rider Fourze technology thanks to, uh, a portal that sends him to a space base on the moon? So it's a half-and-half school theme and space theme Kamen Rider. The school club has a large cast of characters but the show doesn't really know what to do with them unless the episodes focus on a specific club member. Fourze really, really drags in the middle (this is when the problem of two-parters feeling stretched out when the writing isn't very strong hits hardest), but as it crescendos to its finale it gets -very- good again. This might be the weakest Kamen Rider out of the ones I've watched, imo, but still, I think there's quite a lot to enjoy here.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episodes 1 and 2 (Youthful Transformation and Space Superiority) (2-parter) Episodes 5 and 6 (Friendship, Inside and Outside and Electric Shock, Steadily) (2-parter) Episodes 13 and 14 (School Refusal and Stinger Onslaught) (2-parter)

KAMEN RIDER AMAZONS (2016) (WEB SERIES)

Wait, didn't I review this one before?! No, no, this is AMAZONS, plural! It doesn't actually have that much in common with the original Amazon, being very much its own thing, and what it borrows from Amazon is mostly just to help frame this series as a more adult, violent affair, since Amazon, despite it being very much for kids, was back then known as "the violent Kamen Rider". It's also an Amazon Prime-exclusive series, so they did it for Branding, too. A very dramatic, violent, adult Kamen Rider show that's spearheaded by my favorite Kamen Rider director, Hidenori Ishida. He's a supremely good director that brings his A-game to this series. It follows an extermination team that hunts terrifying man-eating monsters called Amazons. There's two Kamen Riders, Alpha and Omega, that are also Amazons but they largely fight against other Amazons. Alpha is set on killing every Amazon, while Omega has just awakened into an Amazon and a Kamen Rider himself, and has to decide what he wants to do and who and what to fight for. At least this is the premise of Season 1, Season 2 I will not spoil but it is the production going "oh, Amazon season 1 did well enough for us to do whatever we want, and we'll do exactly that". It's the most well-equipped artists in tokusatsu breaking off their shackles and doing a dramatic magnum opus. It's dark, edgy, but also earnest and sentimental. It's my absolute favorite Kamen Rider show. Also, the fact that the monsters are called "Amazons" is used for extremely pointed stabs at Amazon (company), which is hilarious.

This series is completely narratively-driven, so I can't recommend episodes out of order! Watch the whole thing!

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE (2019)

Robot-themed! Zero-One takes place in a future where robots and humans live together, like Megaman or Astro Boy. It's about the struggle of humans and robots to live in harmony with one another, and it develops those themes and its world extremely well. The main character (Aruto) is very goofy and wants to be a manzai comedian but his lame puns always bomb. He is, however, also the heir of a massive company that builds all the robot people! Aruto is suddenly, unexpectedly, thrown into the company as its President after his grandfather dies. This responsibility is too much for him, but he decides to take on the mantle as he wants to bring a smile to people's faces, and that he legitimately cares about robots, as he was raised and saved by one as a kid. With this in mind, he takes on his grandfather's KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE technology and uses it to attempt to stop a terrorist robot faction (METSUBOUJINRAI.NET) that's bent on killing all humans, and corrupting other robots for that goal. All while also trying to advocate for a harmonious relationship between humans and robots. This is honestly fantastic, and may seem super goofy at first but gets very complex as it goes on. Very great balance of lighthearted comedy and serious drama, and another one of my absolute favorite Kamen Rider series, right up there with Kiva and Amazons.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 1: I'm the President and a Kamen Rider Episode 2: Is AI an Enemy? Ally? Episode 5: His Passionate Manga Path Episode 6: I Want to Hear Your Voice (2-parter with episode 5)

KAMEN RIDER GEATS (2022)

Battle-royale themed Kamen Rider, with a lot of inspiration on korean dramas and reality shows. It definitely feels inspired by, say, Squid Game. Gods select people to compete in a Kamen Rider battle royale, and the winner of the final round gets to remake the world in whatever way they see fit. The production is a bit cheap after the last two KRs before Geats underperformed, and they had to scale the production down. The fact that the series tries to convey the excitement of extremely high stakes so often only for those stakes to completely deflate thanks to how the premise works, creates a situation where you don't know what to care because anything can get undone and completely changed so often anyway. Near the end the series gets particularly bad with this. Still, it has some good characters, some nice drama and some fun comedy, so it's not bad, but definitely on my lower tier of KRs alonside Fourze. Again: No KR I've watched was bad! So, even the ones that might sound that I'm down on them I still very much enjoyed.

(Too narratively-driven to recommend episodes out of order! Try the first couple of episodes!)

SHIN KAMEN RIDER (2023) (MOVIE)

Hideaki Anno's film! Hideaki Anno is a huge Kamen Rider fan and it really shows throughout the movie, with a lot of pulls from the Kamen Rider manga specifically, while also being nostalgic for a lot of the original Kamen Rider TV show from 71. Still, it ends up feeling less like "a Kamen Rider movie" and more like "an Anno movie" with a Kamen Rider-theming to it. It doesn't put its focus on the stunts and the fight choreography that you'd see in other Kamen Rider productions, but more on Anno's style of cinematography, his sense of timing, special effects and animation. It also retreads several of the themes and elements that he's drawn from before, a lot of Evangelion is in this. It's good, I like it!

KAMEN RIDER GOTCHARD (2023)

Currently ongoing! Very Y2K nostalgic, with a Kamen Rider suit that has that Y2K aqua color to it, and is themed around... Pokemon cards? There are these creatures called Chemys, that are contained inside alchemical cards that have been let loose and need to be captured again, or at least kept away from the villains. The main character is this super earnest, almost helplessly naively optimistic schoolboy called Ichinose that has been unexpectedly thrown into the secret world of alchemy and given the power to become Kamen Rider Gotchard, as a powerful benevolent alchemist dies in his arms. As a promise to him, he vows to find the Chemys. Ichinose also believes that they're extremely good-natured beings that are only corrupted by human malice, and really believes in the friendship of Chemys and humans, while other alchemists feel Ichinose's ideas of Chemys are too naive and soft-hearted. It's, uh, I don't know what to think of it, honestly! The first couple of episodes really did not sold me on it, but it gets better and better as it goes on, though, it's also, like, a lot of Big Important things keep happening in rapid-fire in a way that I can't tell whether the show has a higher plan for all of it or if it's just throwing things for easy hype. Nearly every episode there's a new Kamen Rider transformation, it's kind of insane. Still, this is preferrable than the stretches of not much happening that plague some other KR seasons. I've been enjoying it a good amount, honestly!

RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO SAMPLE: Episode 5: Burn! Fight! Wrestler G! Episode 7: Goodbye, Saboneedle

And those are all the Kamen Riders I've watched! Something else that can help you decide on which series to try out, is that the NHK made a public popularity poll of Kamen Rider series, with the results being found here! From here, you can tell which KRs are most beloved and well-remembered in Japan, and use that as a guidance for yourself, if you'd like. But again, I must emphasize, you can really start most anywhere, so feel free to do exactly that!

#kamen rider #kr #tokusatsu #gotchard #shin kamen rider

[chishiyashoodie]

can you write some hc of chishiya and reader’s first date ? 🥺

Sure! Haven’t written anything like this in weeks so bear with me. Also, I’m not taking requests, but thought this was a cute concept! so thank you for requesting it <3

Headcanons of Chishiya’s and readers first date

+ pairing: ooc!Chishiya x reader +

+ warnings: none!

+ word count: 3400ish +

+ author’s note: I got a bit carried away and I wrote two first dates hehe. I think it’s kinda sweet but idk if I’m happy with it. Very quick proofread so sorry for any mistakes <3 This can take place before or after the borderland +

-So you guys meet after work one day to go through some work related stuff

-You go to a Japanese barbecue restaurant

-After you are done eating, he asks if you’d like to meet tomorrow again just to hang out

-“So a date?” you ask him

-“No, not a date”

-“Hmm” you say giving him a suspicious look “Pick me up at 12pm”

-Date-no date day is here and you are super nervous but you don’t get why because first: it’s definitely not a date and second you’ve known him for a long time

-He decides to take you to an exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

-You wonder how he knows you like that kind of stuff

-After you guys are done with the exhibition, he takes you to a small food stand inside the museum

-“Are you hungry?” He asks

-“No, I’m good” you say with a smile

-You sit down to wait for him to get his food and he brings you a matcha lather, which you love, and you ask him how does he know you like it

-“I’ve noticed you have this every morning at work when you start your shift”

-So he’s been observing you, which you find kinda sweet, because everything is in the little details

-After the museum date hang out, you walk to a nearby park and lay down under a tree

-You feel so comfortable and peaceful that time goes by so quickly

-“I like this” you say “but I’d rather it was nighttime so we could be looking at the stars. Don’t get me wrong, I love blue skies but stars make me curious because they are there, so close yet so far”

-He’s just looking at you with heart eyes and a soft smile

-“Maybe we could do this again tomorrow?” he suggests. “But when it’s dark so you can see them?”

-“Sure”

-Looking at the stars with him is definitely not something you’d think ever happen.

-The next day you guys meet up at the park.

-This time he brings a blanket for you guys to lay on.

-Before you realise it your head is on his chest

-You start talking about constellations and even though he has no idea what you are talking about, he’s following every word you say.

-When it’s time to go, he walks you home and you invite him in.

-You prepare some tea for the both of you and start talking about life

-“It’s so weird, I can talk to you about anything and I know you’ll just listen” you say

-“Likewise” he says before asking you. “So do you have a boyfriend?”

-“Hmm no?”

-He hums

-“I do not have a bf, sorry your question caught me by surprise” you say staring at his face without realising

-“I don’t have a girlfriend”

-“I’d be worried if you did and you were here with me, tbh”

-He raises his eyebrows at you, after all, this isn’t a date either so why would it matter, right?

-“So how come you are single? You are pretty cute” you admit, before slightly chocking on your tea at the realisation of what you just said

-“I’m cute?”

-He’s staring at you so much at this point he could literally get you to tell him your biggest secrets

-“Super cute if I may admit”

-For the next few minutes it’s just silence and awkwardness. You just told Chishiya he’s cute and by the looks of it, it seems like he thinks you are cute too

-“It’s time for me to go. I have an early shift tomorrow” he finally says

-By now you are inches away from each other like a magnet pulled you

-“Do you really have to go? I mean, I have a spare room, you can sleep here”

-He raises his eyebrows at your forwardness, not that you mean it for him to stay and sleep with you

-You can feel each other’s breaths and your lips are touching

-“Sure, I’ll stay”

#i write sometimes #nijiro murakami #chishiya #shuntaro chishiya #aib chishiya #alice in borderland #chishiya shuntaro #chishiya fluff #chishiya x reader #chishiya x you #chishiya imagine #aib x reader #aib imagines #he is the loml

[leoruby-draws]

Felt the urge to post some aqua character art after posting that Koryak art earlier, to give better insight into Koryak's life in my TrWh au. Decided to introduce a few more characters into the au and show how they interact with Koryak!

First drawing we get to see the aqua kids have a nice day at the beach. I also sketched some doodles of Delilah and Ha'Wea, really liked the becoming (esp that One Piece cameo lmao), would really recommend it! Short and fun!

Also did a mini comic showing Koryak and Jackson meeting eachother. I always thought it was interesting that Koryak was obsessed with becoming king but had no interest in the aquaman position itself. But Jackson wanted to become Aquaman, and can't be king due to not being in line for it. Thought him and Jackson would make for some fun foils in that regard.

Here's some drawings of the aqua girls, isn't it a shame Lorena and Tula never meet? ( Unless they did in rebirth?) I bet Tula would be ecstatic to have a mini sidekick of her own, I guess Lorena could be called aqualass? Took some sketches before I worked out how to draw Tula, and Dolphin's always fun to draw!

Next is Lagoon boy, thought he was fun but he has almost no comics what so ever. That's a shame, would have wanted him to meet Garth, figure they could bond over being outcasts. Seems Koryak finds him almost as annoying as Garth lol.

Also drew Miya Shimada, really enjoyed her in All Star Squadron, but liked her even more in young all stars. You got to see her rage at the injustice of what United Stated did to Japanese-Americans during WW2. Tho didn't like that they made her a cheater in the Aquaman comics, that was lame.

Also look at little Arthur Jr, he seems to love his big bro, tho Kory isn't too sure what to do with him at all. By the way, I have no idea if Arthur Jr still dies, so I'll just not deal with that for now.

And finally a short moment of Koryak and his mother Kako, hopefully she tries to visit him now and then. Can't believe she just disappears from the comics like that, must suck for him.

Anyways hope you like these doodles, later!

#DC Comics #Aquaman #Koryak Curry #Jackson Hyde #Lorena Marquez #Arthur Curry #Mera #Garth #Lagoon Boy #Tula #Ha'Wea #Delilah Inaego #Kako #Miya Shimada #Arthur Curry Jr. #Andrina Curry #Training Wheels au #my art #Dolphin

[pochqmqri]

A few months ago, when All Stars F first hit theaters in Japan, I saw some posts from the Japanese side of the fandom that Cure Supreme had a stronger form where her skin "turned brown," which confused me. Even the film director, Yuta Tanaka, and character designer, Nishiki Itaoka, acknowledge it as such in an interview:

Cure Supreme exists as a misinterpretation of Pretty Cure Q: How was Cure Supreme Born? Tanaka: Cure Supreme is a being that only takes an extremely narrow-minded view on Pretty Cure. They see Pretty Cure as only something strong and cool, simply imitating them. If she only understands those superficial aspects, then she truly doesn't get what makes Pretty Cure so strong and allows them to rise above all hardships. In her mind, isn't that all there is to Pretty Cure? By conveying this, we wanted to reaffirm what Pretty Cure has been depicting for the past twenty years....and that's the kind of image born from her existence. Itaoka: In terms of the design used in the story, we started by designing Cure Supreme, then split her off to create Puka, then into the strong Supreme ẞ, as well as her pre-transformed state Prim...other characters were derivatively designed from her. The director gave me notes to start drawing from, but I ignored it all at first. When he looked at the final thing, he had a look of "What the heck is this?!" on his face, lol. What is the "B" that Itaoka-san mentioned? Tanaka: Though it's not specifically stated in the film, the darker-skinned Cure Supreme was referred to as "Supreme ß" among the staff. The gigantic one is "T." The one we first meet is "Supreme Origin." Itaoka: Rather than appear cute, ẞ has a totally cool look, or would it be called "devilish"? The highlights in her eyes are rabbit-shaped. It was introduced as a crest on the back of Cure Supreme before she became ẞ. It's an aggressive design unique to the film.

At the time, there wasn't any screencaps or footage of this form, so I wasn't sure what to make of it. Eventually, the anime comic, which took stills from the film to adapt it, released, as well as the Blu-Ray which came out a few days ago, so I got a better look at "Supreme ß."

...Yeah. For the record, compare this form with Cure Supreme's base form.

She's usually pale as a ghost, mostly because she's an alien. So why is that, when she gets more evil, she turns brown, like a human complexion of brown? Like what are they trying to get at here? That brown skin, along with her black costume, is an indicator of her sinister power?

I get that she has a further stronger form where she's all giant, monstrous, and purplish-black, but I don't see how brown skin relates to that at all?

I haven't seen the film, so I don't know the intricacies of the plot, but it seems that the basic gist is that, Cure Supreme starts out as a villain and ends up becoming good by the end. And judging by how she's been portrayed in promotional material, her skin turns back to normal once she becomes good. What a really great message to send.

All Stars F has been the highest-grossing PreCure film at the box office in the franchise's history, and I understand why, it's a huge love letter built across 20 years, but this piece of colorism that can't be ignored acts as a blemish over it, and the franchise as a whole.

I've been a PreCure fan for about ten years now, and it's been one of my top interests. There are a lot of things I love about it, and things I don't. When "Star Twinkle Pretty Cure" first came out five years ago, I was so ecstatic to see it introduce Elena/Cure Soleil, the first Cure on a main team to have dark/brown skin, that I got to see someone like myself in one of my favorite franchises, but more importantly, that children with darker complexions in Japan could grow up seeing themselves in her. That's why I've been so disappointed that after StarPre, they seemingly gave up on continuing racial diversity, and we haven't had someone like Cure Soleil since.

That's why how they treated Cure Supreme in this film stings so much, because if their message is that brown is evil and pale is good, and that the girl who turns brown when she becomes more evil is a "misrepresentation" of what PreCure is all about, what does that say about Cure Soleil, who also cameos in the film fighting against Cure Supreme and her forces?

And Cure Supreme is not the only recent example of this franchise's colorism. They did something sort of in the opposite direction. Also last year, "Otona Pretty Cure" aired, and we got several new designs for the Cures from a few older seasons, all grown up...and their skin lightened. Most notably, this happened to Saki/Cure Bloom and RIn/Cure Rouge, and even in the anime itself they literally show a flashback scene of Saki when she's younger and more tan, and Rin as an adult de-ageing to her younger self and becoming slightly more tan. So no, you can't claim it's "just the lighting" here.

What are they trying to say here too? One could say that it's because they stopped playing sports their skin became lighter, but we still see Rin play soccer as an adult, so that doesn't apply to her. I think it's an implication that, as Saki and Rin grew into adulthood, they felt pressured to keep up with societal beauty standards, where lighter skin is "better," so they used skin whitening products. This might have been interesting if they tried to portray it as a form of criticism, but they don't even acknowledge it. Tied with the fact that Saki and Rin lose most of their sporty and tomboyish natures as they grow up, it makes it seem like being tan is something "to grow out of" for women. I find this especially bizzare when OtonaPre had several background characters of diverse skin tones/ethnicities, something I praised them for, and would like to actually see in the yearly PreCure anime.

For "Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure," we got some concept art of Manatsu/Cure Summer, and a lot of people noticed that she seemed to be slightly more tan in her beta designs. It's a little difficult for me to judge personally, but I'm including this here because TroPre also frustrates me. It's a tropical-themed season and yet almost every character is as pale as a sheet, and you take that in with the fact that this is a season that heavily focuses on makeup. Given the severe amounts of colorism in the makeup industry, as briefly mentioned earlier with skin whitening products, it just shows how little care both Toei and Bandai have about sending a healthy and positive message about skin tone diversity post-StarPre.

Going further back, in "Happiness Charge Pretty Cure," one of the main themes is a network of "international" Pretty Cure, so we have girls from all over the world, and, how the girls of non-European ancestry are depicted are generally really bad ranging from stereotypes to a lack of skin diversity. In the American Pretty Cure team, the Cure in Native American clothing is barely different in skin tone compared to her white peers. The (Asian) Indian Pretty Cure team are barely brown at all. The Egyptian Pretty Cure is as pale as a sheet. The Hawaiian Pretty Cure team is actually relatively well portrayed in terms of skin tone, and they are how the characters in TroPre should have been designed like. I will concede the fact that there are people from those nations who look just like those girls, but when the majority of your franchise is filled with girls of mostly unchanging pale complexions, would it kill the character designers to branch out more?

There are more examples of colorism in this franchise but I feel those are the most major ones I can bring up. A major theme of PreCure nowadays is that "anyone can become a Pretty Cure," from aliens, to boys, dogs, etc. But I now find that message absolutely patronizing with how most of the Cures end up having the same pale and skinny assembly-line-style body types. It makes what they did with Cure Soleil feel like a miracle, and for that, she remains my most favorite Pretty Cure. She came with her own problems too, such as the merchandise lightening her skin or even turning it orange, the amount of screentime she got in StarPre, the prejudiced fandom not buying merch of her compared to other characters, but with how she remains an anomaly, I have to continue defending her. I want this franchise to do much better, and that's why I care a lot about this issue, as well as getting more masc girls like Akira/Cure Chocolat, more disabled girls like Nodoka/Cure Grace, an actual plus-sized Cure, and so on.

#cure supreme #colorism #long post

[catsplain]

THE GROUP

Very few coed groups can touch IDOLMAKER in fame, concept ambition and of course, number! Set under the managment of MBN Entertainment and japanese game developing studio FURTA since their conception in 2016, IDOLMAKER is a franchise like no other, setting their ever expanding roster of K-Pop Idols to voice act playable chracters in their sci-fi asymmetrical multiplayer survival game, Crewmaker Battle Universe. If that doesn't already make them unique enough, the group functions under a voting system, meaning comeback lineups and asthetics get voted on by their fans, MAXIs, via their official website.

IDOLMAKER, often shortned to IDMK, defies all odds and rumors of there being no such thing as healthy competition: united like a true dream team, with some people having ties going deeper then blood amongst them, they know that while stuck inside of a trancherous money empire like MBN, all they can really do is watch each other's backs and pray for the worse won't get them.

THE MEMBERS.

1st Gen - i. Yoo Eunhyuk. / ii. Jung Eunyoung. / iii. Hong Seunggi. / iv. Baek Yoojin; 2nd Gen - v. Yuthakon 'Ring' Chaiprasit. / vi. Lee Gayoung. / vii. Yang Taehyeon. / viii. Grace Elizabeth Lao; 3rd Gen - ix. Kim Hosung. / x. Kwon Dabin. / xi. Jeon Jeonghun. / xii. Cho Yejung. / 4th Gen - xiii. Im Daewon. / xiv. Yoneno Tomomi. / xv. Chuya Yuzuriha. / xvi. Nakashima Kina; 5th Gen - xvii. Kim Ilseong. / xviii. Julia Lee, Lee Haseon. / xix. Jang Wookjin. / xx. Tabitha Choi.

THE CONNECTIONS

LOOPiN - Colleges: While the bubblying romance between Seungsoo and Gayoung is what brings the two groups together, the friendship and music exchange between LOOPiN and IDMK is what keeps them all together. Seeing Dylan's growing necessity for friends outside of his band, Ring and Tabitha attempt to take him under their partying set of wings, not without it's fair share of complications. In order to get back on the good graces of his fleeting, long distance situationship with former Boy Of The Week member Kohei, Daewon attempts to reunite him with Haruki, his good pre-debut friend, as well as get to the bottom of who sabotaged him out of the project back on the day, and why.

NIGHT CHILD / NTCD - Rivals: With IDOLMAKER's company being a subsidiary of MBN, they've had one too many sour encounters with NTCD. Yongho has the nasty habit of never letting Seunggi, IDMK's main rapper and his once boyfriend, take a step without his consent now that they're reunited; Hyunbin's obsession on pursing Tomomi has tired her and every single one for her members beyond cooling down; Josh's rising influence over the innerworkings of the company reminds Hosung too much of his deceased and despised brother.

MBN'S GOLDEN AGE SENIORS (EXTENTH & SUNDATE) - Rivals: A misguided game of 'Senior Romance Speedrun' with the founding groups of MBN, EXTENTH and SUNDATE, has left the majority of the IDOLMAKER members heartbroken, embarrassed and more importantly, pissed off. Still, Julia ignores the years of historical battles between the two as she finds herself in the middle of an office affair with SUNDATE's golden girl, Park Suhyun - a desperate attempt to subside her intese feelings for her icon, Yoojin. Little does she knows, she's not the only IDMK member that she's secretly trailing along. Recently discharged from the military, Grace's never forgotten first love and ex-boyfriend, EXTENTH's Changmin, asks her once for her hand in marriage, as well as for Grace to retire from daunting Idol life with him.

[REDCATED] - ???: After [REDACTED], a private country club in center Seoul -- one that deems itself as a 'place for connection between former child stars' -- gets a grip hold of Taehyeon, suspicion of their members real intensions, motivations and face of leadership rises in Eunyoung and Yuzuriha. A spiralling Hosung takes dangerous inspiration in [REDACTED]'s 'detachment' and 'healing' methods, to Dabin and Jeonghun's utter horror.

#&& ⠀ [ . . . ] we bite and scratch and scream all night ⠀⸻ idolmaker . #fake kpop group #fictional idol community #kpop fanfic #kpop oc

[vashtijoy]

a karisuma X is not "a charismatic X"

So while I am often not sure about much regarding my reading of Japanese, lol, there are a few things I am pretty positive of, and this is one of them:

karisuma X does not mean "charismatic X".

That's right. Akechi is not "a charismatic detective" (certainly not the Charismatic Detective). And Kamoshida is certainly not "a charismatic teacher". Akechi is not screaming in the engine room about how charismatic he is, funny as that might be.

It's tricky to find references for this one, because カリスマ karisuma does mean "charisma"; it's a straight loanword from English. That's its primary use, even. But that's not always how it's used.

This article goes into the usage we're talking about:

Charisma is a word that means a strong charm that attracts people's hearts and a person who has that charm.

When you want to express a person who has ability and talent in a specific field and is gaining popularity, you can use expressions such as "[karisuma X]" and "[X no karisuma]". This is the case with the “charismatic hairdresser” [karisuma biyoushi] that helped spread the word in Japan....

As for usage, phrases such as "[karisuma X]" and "charismatic existence" [karisumateki sonzai] are common. It is used when you want to express that [someone has] excellent ability in a certain thing.

Note the use of カリスマ的 karisumateki in that last example. That does mean "charismatic": "having the quality of charisma", "in a charismatic way", "an X which is charismatic".

So what do we call someone like that? Someone who's rapidly gaining popularity in a certain field, for their talents and abilities? Someone whose ability "attracts people's hearts", and becomes known across the nation? Someone like a cute boy detective, or an Olympic gold medallist?

Well, we just say "celebrity". And the usages are pretty close; Gordon Ramsay, for instance, is a カリスマ料理人 karisuma ryourinin—a celebrity chef.

Akechi is a celebrity detective. Kamoshida is a celebrity teacher. They have charisma because of their force of personality and their reputation, but that's not what they are.

And sure, there are other words in Japan for that concept; there are likely specific nuances to the different words that I'm missing here. But for a translation, please don't ever call anyone "a charismatic X". Not unless that's what you really mean to say.

examples

IDK, that sure sounds like something someone would say on the news to me, what do you think? "This guy has been exposed for all sorts of horrible crimes against the students in his care, let's focus on how charismatic he was"? No way.

Make no mistake: Kamoshida was a celebrity. That's why he brings credit to Shujin. It's part of why he has so much clout; it's part of why Kobayakawa sucks up to him so much. You can hear a radio announcer talk about how they were one of his fans, back in the day when he was in the Olympics; the Aggressive Reporter on Central Square refers to him as "a former star athlete". You can hear passersby talk about how "he was supposed to be a hero".

He was a celebrity. And that's how he's supposed to be described.

"charismatic detective"

"karisuma tantei" nante iwareteru mi toshite wa—"as the one they're calling a celebrity detective". He's preening about how people have certain expectations of him now; it's not a title that's accrued to him, like "Detective Prince" is. Which is why we never hear it ever again. Or rather, we do:

We get one use of karisuma meitantei on 11/21—"celebrity ace detective" or "celebrity great detective".

Are you noticing that Akechi is the only one who ever describes himself this way? And even he only does it like twice. It's not a title, is why. It's just a description of his role: a celebrity detective.

And, just like with Kamoshida, it's mistranslated at almost every opportunity. Here's one when, thank God, Jesus, and all the little fishes, it's not:

I've seen people claim that this is the mistranslation, but no. This is like the one time where, looking back at his previous uses, they actually get it right:

Akechi 俺は名探偵で⋯カリスマだ! ore wa meitantei de... karisuma da! I am an ace detective... A celebrity!

"I'm at the top and everyone loves me for what I do! How can you be better than me?!", I think is essentially what we have here—because the idea of being charismatic is not really separable from this use of karisuma. There is a grey area; karisuma da can mean "[they're] charismatic". But then, celebrities are charismatic by nature—or they wouldn't be celebrities at all.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #japanese language #goro akechi #suguru kamoshida