No matter how you feel about Mikoto, you have to give him credit for Mappi.

Hi Panda! I saw a post mention that the reason why MXTX has LWJ and WWX say they are "husband and wife" is because there's not another noun for married couple in Mandarin. Is that really true?

Hi there! That’s a topic that was the subject of much controversy and misinformation that spread like wildfire... I’ve seen ExR being accused of pushing an agenda for translating 夫妻 (fuqi) as “husband and wife” (ch.112, 119) and people claiming that the proper translation is supposedly the gender-neutral “married couple”. That’s not how Chinese works, that’s not how translation works. One-to-one correspondences between languages do not exist and words come with a linguistic and cultural context, not from a vacuum.

夫 is “husband”, 妻 is “wife”, together they mean both “husband and wife” and “married couple”. It is extremely common in Chinese to form compound words by juxtaposing or opposing two characters to refer to a broader concept encompassing the individual characters. To quote a few examples, 父母 (father+mother) refers to “parents”, 大小 (big+small) means “size”, 荣辱 (honour+disgrace) is “reputation”, the list goes on and on.

Having “husband+wife” as “married couple” and “father+mother” as “parents” is of course heteronormative but it’s also a reflection of what society was and still is to this day. New words were coined to refer to same-sex couples such as 夫夫 (fufu, husband+husband) but that’s modern terminology. It might be worthwhile to bring up the fact that 夫夫 is used multiple times by MXTX to refer to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji outside of the novel itself. It’s on the webnovel frontpage as well as several chapter blurbs:

夫夫双双把山下 “The pair of husbands leave the mountain” (chapter blurb 20)

夫夫齐斩辣鸡洋，星岚箐尘埃落定。义城篇，完。”The husbands chop up trash [Xue] Yang, aftermath of [Xiao] Xing[chen], [Song] Lan and [A-]Qing, end of the Yi City arc”, there’s a pun in there as “trash” (垃圾 lājī) is written as the homophonous “spicy chicken” (辣鸡 làjī) (chapter blurb 42)

夫夫吃糖日常, ”Husbands eating sweets everyday”, eating sweets is internet slang for public displays of affection. (chapter blurb 116)

These are all written in a humorous and light-hearted way as you can see. This kind of tongue-in-cheek author notes don’t make it in physical copies when novels get published but they’re representative of the very casual tone full of slang allusions on webnovel platforms where novel recaps sort of sound like shitposts. With that said, I would be remiss not to mention that the blurb of chapter 7 is 霸道含光君的疯癫小逃妻？？？, “The overbearing Hanguang-Jun’s crazy runaway wife???”. This sounds terribly awkward but it’s referencing stereotypical characters in het romances such as the pushy CEO and the young woman who is wary at first but then fall madly in love with him. You know the type. There are plenty of those in novels written by Western authors as well.

While Chinese is not outwardly a particularly gendered language (no grammatical gender with distinct masculine and feminine forms as it is common in many Indo-European languages and other language families), it is a language in which social roles and positions are heavily codified as seen through the use of honorifics and this social divide intersects with male/female differentiation. For instance, there is a number of characters that can be used to signify “to marry”, like the gender-specific 娶 or 嫁 depending on whether the subject is a man or woman, the first character is composed of “取 take+ 女 woman” and the second of “女 woman + 家 home/family”. As I mentioned here, marriage was not equal in ancient times as the bride was leaving her family and entering her husband’s household. At the end of the novel, Wei Wuxian effectively marries into the Gusu Lan Sect, thus holding the social position that would traditionally be the wife’s part. What is interesting however is that the story and the main characters deconstruct typical gender roles. As I was saying, the Chinese language itself might not ostensibly gendered but Chinese traditional society certainly was. There’s a saying that goes 男耕女织, “Men plough and women weave” to describe pastoral life. That should remind you of Wei Wuxian’s dream (ch.67, 117), he has no qualms imaging himself as the one working the fields and doing outdoor labour while Lan Wangji stays in their little cottage and does the housekeeping.

I’m finally coming back to your original question after a long-winded detour, are there other ways to refer to a married couple in Chinese besides the “husband+wife” 夫妻? Of course there are but 夫妻 is the most commonplace denomination. You have the similar 夫妇 (also “husband+wife”). 配偶 (”join+mate”) means “spouse” but that’s a term mostly used in the written language and not in the vernacular. There is the more literary 伉俪 (“matching+couple”) but that’s even more out of place in everyday speech (even if it were to be said by someone as articulate as Lan Wangji). If we want something more figurative, we have 鸳侣 (”mandarin duck+companion”), the equivalent of “lovebirds”. I’m sure there are many, many more synonyms. Then why is Lan Wangji using 夫妻 and not a more overtly gender-neutral option? Why doesn’t he say something like 我们已经结婚了, “We are already married” (this “marry” is written as “to unite/to form+wedding” and is not gender-specific)? Because what he says is context-wise appropriate and not problematic in the original Chinese.

Job Benefits. (Part One)

new beginnings ‧₊˚✩彡. - chapter one.

you can find part two here : part two : undesirable

pairing : ceo! gojo x female reader

warnings : cursing

wordcount : 1960

a/n : something that i’ve been working on for a while now. this is self indulgent as all hell and i’m starting a new series n idk when it’ll end necessarily but ceo gojo is all i need in my life. also i have like 300 million requests to go through but i PROMISE i’ll get them done! i just need to finish my valentines event thingy and i’ll be open! 

it has come to my attention that gojo is his surname and i’m too lazy to fix anything other then the first name basis part im so sorry LOl

         It’s no secret that you like working the office.      Even as a child you enjoyed the formal atmosphere when you walked into your parent’s workplace, and even better, you enjoyed organizing stuff. Growing up, your favorite pass time was cleaning and organizing which caused you to excel in school, coupled with your natural smarts. Your peers would constantly tease you, telling you that you were a boring kid- but hey, you’d be making lots of money, and what better job would there be for you, aside from being someone’s secretary?      Those were the first words that came across your mind as soon as you stepped into the prestigious building, heels rhythmically hitting the stainless floor, suitcase in hand. It was also the first lie that you’d tell yourself in there.      You had known about this company even as a child. One that sold just about everything, the most notable being luxurious clothing, but something the company was also well known for? How attractive the family was.      Sure it was a bit weird, but in defense of the general public their appearances were rare, only once in a while you’d see the family on TV. Waving in their limousine, blowing kisses and doing things rich people do, or maybe ignoring the cheering crowd of journalists and news reporters, hell like you knew.     Catching glimpses of the wildly white haired family was something every paparazzi threw themselves at, and picking up a magazine or going to search something on the internet would be sure to be chock full of pictures of the esteemed family. The highlight of the family being the son, just because of how handsome he was, and also happened to be the most publicly known and fawned over family member-     Gojo fucking Satoru.      Luckily for you, he was your boss, so you could probably reveal the tiniest of secrets and make major bank. Unluckily for you, he was childish as all hell, not to mention you found childish people incredibly annoying. The worst thing? You were his secretary.      That could only spell out doom for a man like him, and a woman like you, who only wanted to get business done and nothing else. You two truly did not mix.     Two months prior, you had gotten the job and was finally excited to have stable income after graduating. Your hirers didn’t tell you anything about having to babysit a manchild though.     And so, that’s how you found yourself sitting in the comfortable plush leather office chair, fumbling under the piles of paperwork and fan letters, cursing your boss’s name under your breath for being so unconcerned with work. Scheduling appointments, interviews, sending e-mails of unacceptance to eager authors asking to write an auto-biography, that was your life.      You’d be content with it if your boss was normal.      As soon as the thought crosses your mind, it’s like he heard you think.     “(Y/N)-chan~!” you hear a familiar sing-songy voice down the rather short hallway. Your office resided right next to his, and it would only take him 30 seconds or so to walk down to your door, presumably to annoy the hell out of you. You grunt, blowing a stray hair out of your face.     This also meant that you could hear him sing from his office, even through the thick walls.      Choosing to ignore it, you instead furiously typed to another business executive’s secretary who had just emailed you about a meeting between Gojo and- well you weren’t quite sure who.      “(Y/N)-chan~ I know you hear me, don’t you know it’s disrespectful to not listen to your seniors?” his playful, deep voice was growing closer, and you straighten your back, sighing. You didn’t sign up to be a daycare worker, yet this was what you found yourself doing most of the time.      “I’m sorry, Satoru-sama, please instill me with your great knowledge, oh wise one.” rolling your eyes and rubbing your temples, you glance up from your laptop, bracing yourself for whatever would happen next. Gojo leaned on the frame of your door, head ducking slightly. He was way too tall to walk under it without any issue.      He was unnecessarily calm though, normally he’d be jumping around your office, making a mess of things, but his body language told otherwise. He was slacking off from his duties, obviously, so you weren’t too sure why he’d be acting so... Chill.     With his arms crossed, he gave you a mischievous side eye.     Growing impatient, you stand up, your knuckles grinding against the tabletop. Your brow knitted together as he peered down on you, almost tauntingly, and you hated it.  “Listen, boss. I have a lot to do today, for you, might I add as I am your secretary- and if you’re going to sit around I don’t think I’ll get to these emails and phone calls and everything fast enough. May I kindly assist you with anything? If not I’ll have to ask you to go back to... Whatever you were doing.”      Gojo looked at you, wide-eyed and unblinking, like he didn’t expect such a sassy remark. “Oh my, sweetie. Someone has a naughty mouth... To your boss of all people? How mean! I don’t think I remember putting, ‘allowed to be rude to the Satoru clan’ down on the job benefits.. What’s with the formal tone as well? So unnecessary, just be yourself when you’re talking to me.”     He sauntered closer to your desk, and your breath hitched, this was one of the first times you’d seen him up close like this, and you swore that you could hear your heart beating rapidly inside of your chest. You don’t know what that could mean; but what you did know was that you wanted to slap him or punch a hole into the glass window right behind you and throw him off the 15 floor building. Leaning in close to your ear, he whispered:      “Or, if you wanna stick with the business voice- call me sir. Got that?”     You nod before looking down at your desk, feeling your body heat up for seemingly no particular reason. Did this guy have any knowledge of a private bubble? Whatever, this was your superior. If it was any boss you’d probably be fired by now. You were lucky to be forgiven.     “Yes, sir. May I comment on something... Er, sir?”     “I’m all ears.” standing back up from leaning over your incredibly messy desk, you looked up at him, he looked down at you in response, with beady little “innocent��� eyes through his circular shades.      “I didn’t mean to be sassy, I only wish for this relationship to be professional and nothing else.... I, um, truly do apologize and I ask for your forgiveness.” you studied the wall as you say this, fidgeting with your hands and the hem of your pencil skirt. It was a bit awkward to talk to him as if he wasn’t a kid, but it did feel certainly refreshing.      “Is that so?” you turn your head to look back at him as a sign of respect, an eyebrow of his is raised, and a smug smirk is playing at his lips. He talked with such an aura of arrogance around him, you instantly regret being respectful. Yet, you restrain yourself from slapping that stupid smirk off his stupidly handsome face.      Why did all the handsome ones have to be so annoying?      Fuck, no, that wasn’t meant to be a compliment. Even though it was only in your mind, you felt so embarrassed, and had no idea why. It wasn’t like he could read your thoughts, and it was just a mindless compliment, nothing flirtatious about it.       Finally, he spoke. “Aw. (Y/N), I knew we picked well when we hired you. So respectful and professional! What more can I ask for out of a secretary? I humbly accept your apology- but first please do something for me.” he whistled in the other direction as he picked up one of your cute stationary pens, hastily sliding it into his blazer’s pockets.     “Yes, sir?” you brace yourself for impact yet again. Not noticing that he stole one of your favorite pens.     “Slack off a little. None of my secretaries ever worked this hard. I’ll slide in an extra hour for lunch, you can go watch a movie or something-”      “No. Satoru. Contrary to your other secretaries, I actually enjoy work.” standing up now, you stomp over to Gojo, who was now giggling like a 7 year old girl. You hadn’t realized that you had called him by his first name, but honorifics wasn’t on your mind right now.     Your chest stuck out as you shoved him out of your office with your bare hands, maybe as a way of looking more threatening, as if that’d ever work against him.     “Get out of my office!” You hope your eyes are staring daggers, if he ever looked back at you.     Gojo looked at you like he was shocked, tipping his shades down just slightly as you were pushing him out into the hallway. As if he didn’t believe what he was seeing, so he had to see it with his actual eyes- but eventually laughed before accepting his eventual fate.      “On a first name basis now, aren’t we? You’re straightforward! I like straightforward girls though, it works out in your favor.”     “Shut it.”      He made sure to stiffen once in a while just to piss you off so that you couldn’t push him as easily, and before long he was back to his office.       “Cya (Y/N)!” giving you a wave and a wink, he grinned. “I’ll be sure to visit you again, your office is fun!”       That was just one of the unusual interactions that Gojo Satoru had with you, but you knew now that it certainly wouldn’t be the last.  ‧₊˚✩彡.      It didn’t take you long before you realized your favorite pen was gone.       Almost immediately, you figured out who the thief was.       It was evident by now that your relationship between you and your boss wasn’t normal, to say the least. You just couldn’t quite wrap your head around why he stole a cute carrot pen, it certainly wasn’t his style. Well, you weren’t quite sure honestly, but the way the magazine front covers posed him was... Sexual.       Maybe the hot guy liked cute carrot pens and was too scared to buy them by himself, but, it was 2021. Toxic masculinity was basically extinct.      This wasn’t on his mind when he stole your pen, though. Gojo Satoru was smart when he wanted to be. To be quite honest, he just wanted to annoy you more. It made him curious, how could one enjoy work? And be cute at the same time?     The logic made no sense to him. Attending meetings, doing interviews- this was all very boring work to Satoru, and he couldn’t wrap his head around that you enjoyed that. He hadn’t asked to inherit the company, but yet here he was now. Shit, maybe he’d ask you if you wanted the company.      He yawned before drinking his coffee, just how he liked it before taking a sip he straightened his tie, just to make sure he looked extra clean and fresh when you busted down the door, ruffling his fluffy white hair as he did so.     Gojo hated the work environment, just to be straightforward. One thing he did enjoy was the complementary luxury coffee machine, alongside several sugar packets. Placing his impossibly long stick-like legs onto the table, he sighed happily.      Cute girl being his secretary, drinking yummy coffee, the sun rays warming up the back of his head, he was truly living the life.     And then he heard it.      Loud steps against the tile floor.      And then, his door flung open.         

When it comes to kpop fanfic

What is your opinion of the usage of honorifics, Hyung, noona, unnie, Oppa. it's strange I've seen people say "Yeah of course they should" to "No its annoying don't'" Some people assume characters are saying hyung because they know the idols ages already.

The only thing that twists my tits is when two Chinese members of a group are alone and use the term "hyung" when the younger is talking because it should be "ge" or "gege" It makes no sense fr two native Mandarins speaks when a lone to be using Korean honorifics when talking to teach other.

--

I'm used to seeing those. I think they're all right. It's part of a broader question about translation aesthetics that comes up in most English-speaking fandoms of Asian media.

Basically, it comes down to two opposing problems:

It's misleading to use them because they sound like awkward translation-ese, not the natural speech the characters are supposed to be engaging in.

It's misleading not to use them because English doesn't have any equivalent terms of address, and switching to characters' names erases important dynamics.

As a translator, I favor a more idiomatic approach and think the fannish thirst for "authentic" literal translations is xenophobic poison caused by excessive monolingualism and general stupidity about language. A literal translation is inherently inaccurate. However, I'm in favor of keeping the original language terms of address in many cases. I think it tends to be tidier. Often, those convey important information, so you can't just get rid of them, but translating them would produce something even less natural and more distracting for the English-speaking audience.

There's also the question of who the audience is.

Was it Netflix that inflicted that "stygian tiger seal" bullshit on fans of The Untamed? It's like nails on the chalkboard for me, but I can respect what they were trying to do. For a Western audience that is starting from zero, they need a name that implies some things about this metal and its association with darkness, etc.

However, a lot of the English-speaking audience, Western or otherwise, is not starting from zero. The concepts of yin and yang are pretty well known under those terms, and it's a hell of a lot clearer to just call it what it is: the yin tiger seal. The more the audience learns about yin, the more it will understand. Removing this connection is like renaming the first Harry Potter book because apparently Americans are too dumb to have heard of the philosopher's stone??? (As an American, WTF.)

So should people use 'hyung' in fic? I think it's a genre convention at this point and readers of that fic will be surprised not to see it. Should people use 'hyung' in original stories about Korean characters that they are writing in English? Possibly. It's going to depend on the exact story. Should they use it in subtitles? I'm going with yes in most cases because we can hear the person saying that. I'll also say yes for many comics and things of that kind because the economy of language is such that if you remove the forms of address, you can't easily add that flavor back in elsewhere.

But what about a novel translation where there's plenty of text to convey the sense of how characters relate to each other? What if it's a novel in Korean but the characters are white people in a Regency romance? Or Chinese people in the Tang Dynasty court? I think I'd generally come down on the side of adjusting forms of address to whatever would normally be used for those characters in English. In the case of the English characters, that's relatively easy. In the case of the Chinese ones, it might make the most sense to translate titles and forms of address into English instead of transliterating the Korean ones or trying to figure out what Chinese term the Korean author meant. If it's a Korean novel about Koreans, the appropriate translation will depend on how much the translator thinks the audience knows about Korean. If 'hyung' would be familiar and sound normal, fine. If it would be distracting and unknown, not good.

There is no such thing as a good translation, only a translation that is good for something or good in a specific context.

Honorific and Humble Language 尊敬語と謙譲語

こんにちは皆さん！私はサクラです。For today's post, we will be talking about honorific and humble verbs in the Japanese language. I am pretty sure everyone has been gotten onto for not speaking appropriately at some point in their lives. Like English, in Japan you have to consider how to talk to others, especially in a formal setting. Unfortunately, because Japanese contains countless verbs and variations of how to use a verb depending on the situation, knowing the right way to say something based on formality can be difficult. However, the best way to start learning how to speak Japanese regarding formality would be to learn the appropriate verbs. Here are some of the necessary verbs one has to know when considering formality.

1.いる (iru)

いる means "to be" or "to exist" for animate nouns. When the Japanese say that someone whom they respect is somewhere, they would use the verb いらっしゃる (Irassharu). However, if a person were to humbly speak about where they were, they would use おる (oru). Another important thing to note is that when using te forms for both honorific and humble language, both these verbs are used at the end of the verb. For example, if you were to say "I am studying," you would say 「私は勉強しております」(Watashi wa benkyoushiteorimasu) Examples

先生は授業にいらっしゃいません。

Sensei wa jyugyou ni irasshaimasen.

My teacher is not in the classroom.

私は図書館におります。

Watashi wa toshokan ni orimasu.

I am in the library.

彼女は本を読んでいらっしゃいます。

Kanojo wa hon o yondeirasshaimasu.

She is reading a book.

デートがあるので、レストランを探しております。

De-to ga aru node, resutoran o sagashiteorimasu.

I am finding a restaurant because I have a date.

2.行く (iku) and 来る (kuru) 行く means "to go" and 来る means "to come." However, in formal setting, a single verb can be used for both meanings. When talking about a higher-up, one uses the same いらっしゃる. However, if someone were to say, "I'm going to the convenience store" in a humble way, they have to say 「私はコンビニに参ります」(Watashi ha konbini ni mairimasu).

Examples

社長は建物にいらっしゃいました。

Shachou wa tatemono ni irasshaimashita.

The manager came to the building.

私は本屋に参りました。

Watashi wa honya ni mairimashita.

I went to the bookstore.

先生は駅にいらっしゃいます。

Sensei wa eki ni irasshaimasu.

The teacher is going to the train station.

3.食べる (taberu) and 飲む (nomu)

The former is "to eat," and the latter is "to drink," but when speaking formally or humbly, a single verb can be used for eating and drinking. When speaking about someone who has a higher status than you, you have to use 召し上がる (meshiagaru). But if you were to say you ate something in a formal setting, you have to use いただく(itadaku), which actually sounds like what the Japanese would say before eating their meal. It is also the formal way to say もらう (morau), which means "to receive."

Examples

私は晩ご飯をいただきます。

Watashi wa bangohan o itadakimasu.

I am going to eat dinner.

先輩はお弁当を召し上がっています。

Senpai wa obentou o meshiagatteimasu.

Senpai is eating a bento.

先生はよくコーヒを召し上がります。

Sensei wa yoku ko-hi o meshiagarimasu.

Oftentimes the teacher will drink coffee.

4.する (suru)

する means "to do" and there are two different verbs used for formal setting. If talking about a higher-up doing something, なさる (nasaru) is used, whereas いたす (itasu) is what we use when speaking humbly about ourselves.

Examples

私は勉強いたしてよかったです。

Watashi wa benkyou itashite yokattadesu.

It's a good thing I have studied.

先生は料理をなさったことがありますか？

Sensei wa ryouri o nasatta koro ga arimasu ka?

Has the teacher cooked before?

私はそれをいたしました。

Watashi wa sore o itashimashita.

I have done that.

5.言う (iu)

言う means "to say." If you were to state what your boss said in Japanese, you have to use おっしゃる (ossharu). For yourself, you must use 申す (mousu).

Examples

彼はちょっと遅れているとおっしゃっていました。

Kare wa chotto okureteiru to osshatteimashita.

He said he would be running a bit late.

サクラと申します。

Sakura to moushimasu.

My name is Sakura.

先生はおっしゃったので、お聞きしました。

Sensei wa osshatta node okikishimashita.

Because the teacher was speaking, I listened.

6. Other Verbs

In the Japanese language, there are many other verbs that are used in place of typical verbs when speaking formally. However, some end up being formatted differently. For example, if one were to say "Mr. Tanaka was reading," they would say 「たなかさんはお読みになりました。」(Tanaka san wa oyomininarimashita). However, for yourself, the ending of of the verb should be します (shimasu) rather than なります (narimasu).

Examples

先生はよくお泳ぎになります。

Sensei wa yoku ooyogininarimasu.

Oftentimes, the teacher swims.

アメリカにお帰りするつもりです。

Amerika ni okaerisuru tsumori desu.

I am planning to return to America. 私はスピーチをお作りしました。

Watashi wa supi-chi wo otsukurishimashita.

I have created my speech.

One of the reasons why Japanese is a complex language is because of the fact one has to be really cautious when speaking in a certain setting. It is one of the most frustrating things about being a foreigner. However, with good practice, it can lead to a less awkward and more pleasant conversation. Here are some other verbs that can be useful when speaking in a formal setting.

Honorific Verbs (When talking about those who you highly respect)

ご覧になる (goranninaru)-to see, equivalent to 見る (miru)

くださる (kudasaru)-to give to you/someone else, equivalent to くれる (kureru)

お休みになる (oyasumininaru)-to sleep, equivalent to 寝る (neru) Humble Verbs (When talking about yourself)

ござる (gozaru)-to be or exist for inanimate objects, equivalent to ある (aru)

でござる (degozaru)-something is, equivalent to です (desu)

差し上げる (sashiageru)-to give to someone or do something for someone, equivalent to あげる (ageru)

That’s it for today’s lesson! これが終わります！ありがとうございました。 

Illustration was made by yours-truly

PS: My apologies for not posting in a while. The past few weeks have been a bit eventful and there is a chance it might get busier for the next month or so. However, I will try to post every week if I can. ありがとうございました。

For You | Tenma Sumeragi

@chewie-santatoast​ says:  Merry Christmas! How about ‘secrets’ with Tenten? ❤️💚🤍🧡

Aimee replies: Hello! Thank you so much for requesting! Sorry I couldn’t greet you ‘Merry Christmas’ during that time :< That’s why I wish you a very advanced Merry Christmas! Also, stay safe and healthy!

This fic really took me a while to finish mainly because I needed to revise/shorten lots of parts. But surprisingly, I didn’t stray away from my initial idea when I thought of secrets and Tenma.

Anyway, the story takes place before Act 2. I hope this story will make you smile :D

For ‘A December with You’ event.

Today, Summer Troupe made sure to have the living room for themselves.

Fairy lights hung on the walls, painting the living room with an orange glow. Blankets and pillows surrounded the coffee table with a plate of onigiris on it. However, a winter’s night would never be complete without steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Muku delicately placed three mugs beside the onigiris, Yuki setting down the other two.

“Mr. Triangle!” Misumi grinned at the familiar triangle drawn on his cup of hot chocolate.

Muku grabbed his cup and giddily sat on his star-patterned blanket. "Mine's a crown!"

"The bear's almost like mine.” If one looked closely, a small smile dangled on Yuki’s lips.

Tenma reached for his mug and peeked at what Kazunari drew for him. "Is this a bonsai?"  

"Yep yep!" Kazunari sat on his spot in the living room. Then he winked and made a peace sign. “Kazunari Miyoshi’s latte art, everyone!”

Tenma's lips curled upwards. "Not bad." 

"Yippie! Now everything's set," Kazunari clapped his hands, "Operation ‘Tenten Living as a Non-Celeb: Christmas Edition,’ start!” 

But before Kazunari had the chance to show off his plans, the doorbell rang. Muku, being closest to the door, set down his mug and stood up.

"Who is it?" Muku said as he opened the door.

A brunette man wearing a gray suit smiled at him. “Good evening and advanced Merry Christmas, Muku-san.”

“Ah, Igawa-san! Likewise." Muku politely bowed.

Igawa set down an enormous sack on the ground. It looked like it was about to burst at any moment. "Please accept these gifts for the MANKAI members. Sumeragi-san and I chose them with utmost care." 

Then Igawa placed a thick scrapbook on Muku’s hands. "Also, please give this to Tenma-kun."

Muku obediently nodded. "I will! And thank you so much, Igawa-san!"

Igawa bowed and bid farewell before driving off. Muku secured the scrapbook under his armpit. Then he rolled up his sleeves. Pulling the sack with all his might, he trudged towards the living room.

“Mukkun, are you- Woah! Where did that super-duper big sack come from?” Kazunari’s eyes became as wide as saucers when he saw the boy set down the sack beside the Christmas tree. 

“It’s from Igawa-san and Tenma-kun's parents. They're gifts for us," Muku said in between pants. Tenma made a mental note to call his parents later.

Misumi put a familiar yellow triangle with a Santa Hat on Muku’s palms. “I'll give you Mr. Triangle Claus!”

Muku giggled and said thanks. When Muku returned to his spot, he presented the scrapbook to Tenma. “Tenma-kun, Igawa-san said this scrapbook was for you."

Tenma looked at him with confusion. Igawa always dropped off gifts from fans at his house while he delivered the important ones to the dorms. The gifts for the members were certainly one of those. However, the scrapbook was questionable. He was sure his parents did not make this; their careers always ate almost all of their time. Igawa was possible. However, Tenma knew managing his schedule was currently hectic. He always received more offers for both acting and modeling during the Christmas season. 

Suddenly, another potential person popped inside his head. With wide eyes, Tenma said, “Muku, who did it come from?"

“Um…” Muku flipped the scrapbook. He stumbled upon some initials at the far corner of the scrapbook. “There’s (First Letter of First Name) (First Letter of Last Name) written at the bottom.”

Within a blink of an eye, Tenma grabbed the scrapbook from his hands. All of the Summer Troupe members looked at each other in mild bewilderment.

Kazunari was the first one to recover as he playfully nudged Tenma’s arm. “Hey, Tenten, who’s (First Letter of First Name) (First Letter of Last Name)?”

“S-someone I'm close with!” 

Yuki suspiciously eyed Tenma as he drank his cup. “Hm…” 

Tenma fidgeted under his gaze. “Wh-what is it?”

Yuki placed his cup on the coffee table. Then with a menacing look, he said, “If you don’t tell us who they are, I’ll make you wear that rabbit costume again on Veludo Way. This time, alone.”

Misumi grinned. “I want to see rabbit Tenma again."

“That was supposed to be a one-time thing!” Tenma protested.

“Maybe the money-grubbing yakuza will increase the budget for costumes if I tell him the hack will advertise MANKAI Company this Christmas.” Yuki tapped his chin in thought.

Tenma grumbled. He was always careful to not expose your relationship with him when he was barely prepared. But now that his reputation (dignity) was on the line, he could not remain tight-lipped. Letting out a defeated sigh, he said, “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

Tenma breathed in before saying, “The initials stand for (First Name) (Last Name). It’s my girlfriend’s name.” 

“Someone managed to date the hack, huh," Yuki said.

“What do you mean by that!” The man in question violently reacted.

"Hold up, fam. Since we're on this topic," Kazunari wrapped his shoulder around the orange-haired man and shot him a grin, “we should look at the scrapbook together!"

Tenma glared at Kazunari. “No way. And this isn’t part of your operation or what in the first place!”

"It's fine, it's fine!" When Tenma still had a scowl on his face, Kazunari clasped his hands and pleadingly looked at him. "C'mon, Tenten! Please!" 

Tenma hugged the scrapbook to his chest. He knew he was doomed to be teased once he showed the scrapbook. Knowing you, you put lots of pictures he was unaware that you took them. Nevertheless, this was a risk he would rather take instead of wearing a rabbit costume for the whole Veludo to see. Besides, he trusted that his members would never leak his and your private lives to the public. 

Tenma unwrapped his arms from the scrapbook and placed it on his lap. “Fine. But no taking of pictures or videos.” With that, everyone sat closer to Tenma. 

Tenma’s heart pounded as he opened the scrapbook. A photo of a smiling couple sitting on a flowery meadow filled up the upper part of the first page. Below the picture was a handwritten caption that said, "First date planned by Yours Truly ☆." Then at the bottom of the page, there was a colored drawing of the meadow. Tenma's eyes widened in astonishment. Your illustration looked the same as he remembered. The difference was you put a dried sunflower at the center above the flowery meadow and drew its stem.

"(First Name)'s drawing and design are totes amazing! Kudos to her!" Kazunari said, which Tenma replied with a proud 'of course!'

Muku turned to the orange-haired man with excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Tenma-kun, what did you do on your first date?" 

"Did you find triangles with her?" Misumi asked.

"Only the Trianglian will do that there," Yuki commented.

“We had a picnic, talked and took some photos. Then, uh...” Tenma scratched his head, trying to remember any fascinating but not too embarrassing moments from his first date. "We also played Twenty One Questions.”

“So what do you do?” Tenma asked the moment you proposed this game.

“We just alternately ask each other twenty-one questions and answer them. The questions can be about anything at all!” A mischievous glint passed your eyes, which you covered up with a smile.

Your boyfriend seemed to be unaware of it as he smirked. “I’ve handled many interviews, so this one’s easy.”

“It’s still your first time playing this though. That’s why I’ll start asking you.” You intertwined your hands with his. Then with the most serious face you could muster, you said, “If you meet an alien who lands in Japan, what is the first thing you will give them?”

You tried to hold back your laughter when you saw his dumbfounded face. He was so confident seconds ago, and now, he was a flustered mess. 

You brushed your thumbs on his hands to help him relax. “It’s only a hypothetical question, Tenma-san. You don’t need to think too much about it.”

“Still, how did you even come up with that question?”

You wagged your index finger. “It’s not yet your turn to ask a question.”

“I can’t ask at all?!”

“That’s a question, Tenma-san.”

Tenma groaned, making you laugh. Then he scratched his head. “I’ll give the alien a map of Japan, I guess.”

You frowned. “I don’t know if they can understand our language though.” Then you shook your head. “Well, a map’s still a good choice!”

You squeezed his hands. “It’s your turn to ask a question, Tenma-san.”

Now that Tenma paid attention to it, you still used an honorific for him. It was progress compared to the early days wherein you called him by his last name. At that time, it was so awkward for him; it felt like you two were co-workers instead of lovers. But even now, he wanted you to be comfortable with him. With those thoughts, he said, “You know you could drop the honorific, right?”

You nodded. “I know. But I can’t just casually call someone who I really respect and admire.”

At the corner of your eye, you saw a pair of bloomed sunflowers near your side. You unclasped your hands from his and plucked the sunflowers. Giving one to him, you said with a tender smile, “To my sunflower who I adore.”

Muku tightly hugged his pillow to his chest. “That’s so romantic of (First Name)-san!”

“Yeah… but then she asked another random question for the game.” Tenma sighed at that. Then he looked at the next page. Red painted his cheeks as he saw a stolen shot of him eating your homemade sandwich.

“The sandwich is a triangle!” Misumi grinned.

“You’re right, Sumi! It is!” Kazunari patted him on the back. 

Meanwhile, Yuki pointed at the picture and said, “Hack, you eat like a kid. Look at the crumbs on your mouth.”

“It only happened during that time! Besides… (First Name)’s sandwich was delicious,” Tenma murmured the latter part as he munched on an onigiri.

As Tenma continued to tell what happened in the other photos, his gaze softened. He never thought that he would enter a romantic relationship and last this long. After all, school and his career demanded so much of his attention. But this scrapbook proved him wrong. It carried the many memories both of you made. If he had to choose his fondest memory of you, it would be you watching his performance. Tenma beamed with pride whenever he saw you laughing, crying, or overall getting hooked alongside the audience. It meant that Summer Troupe’s efforts paid off. Moreover, he got to express his gratitude towards you through his acting. Nonetheless, the ambitious actor would never stop improving and showing you the best performance. 

As Tenma flipped to another page, a photo fell out and landed beside Kazunari’s lap. The latter looked down and picked it up. Kazunari stopped chewing his onigiri, his jaw dropping in surprise. 

“OMG! Tenten, you look super cute!” Tenma had no time to react as Kazunari shoved the photo to his face. Tenma grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand out of the way. 

“Kazunari, what-” 

The orange-haired man froze. Out of all the pictures, why did you include this one in the scrapbook? It was a photo he definitely could not show to anyone without stripping his dignity away. But you were an exception since you begged for it as your birthday present. Still, you owning the photo did not mean you could put it without letting him know first! Anyone else could see it the moment the scrapbook landed at the dorm. And news traveled fast in a dorm with many people.

Misumi giggled. “It’s baby Tenma.”

“He doesn’t have the ‘Ore-sama’ air around him yet,” Yuki said as he stared at the photo.

Tenma snapped out of his trance and snatched the picture from Kazunari. "Oi! You don’t need to see it!” 

Misumi tilted his head in wonder. “But it was in the scrapbook.”

"Yeah, but still!" 

Then Muku noticed the black ink on the back of the polaroid. Tugging on Tenma’s sleeve, he said, “Tenma-kun, I think there’s something written at the back.”

Tenma begrudgingly flipped the photo on its back. He immediately recognized your handwriting that wrote the following message:

I hope your true friends will see all of your sides that I love, including this one. 

P.S., Merry Christmas, Tenma-san! I hope you like my gift ♡ 

Tenma covered his face with his hand, trying to fight off the smile forming on his lips.

High School Crushes

AU: High School Au

Words: 1576

Rating: General

Pairing: Sakura/Lee

Warnings: None

Summary: Sakura and Kakashi are setting up for the LGBTQ+ club when an unexpected guest shows up, and Kakashi’s forced to watch awkward high school flirting.

Completed with help from @cryptic-summons

Counting the chairs that Sakura had set out, Kakashi wondered to himself if it would be enough. Surely there would be more than five people showing up today. Even if he stood, that only left four open chairs for new arrivals.

“You’re thinking too hard about it, Sensei,” Sakura tossed a plastic cup at his head, giggling when he shot a glare towards her. “I triple-checked the signup sheet. The only people coming are Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, Choji, and Tenten. We don’t need any more chairs.”

Four people. Surely that couldn’t be it.

“I feel like I’m forgetting something,” his brain was telling him that there was someone else he should be expecting, but no matter how hard he tried to remember a name wouldn’t come to him. “Oh well, I guess if an extra shows up we can just pull out another chair.”

“An extra!?” Sakura gave him a scandalized look. “Sensei! I bought just enough snacks and drinks for the people who were scheduled to come!”

Oh, right. The snacks and drinks.

Glancing towards the table, Kakashi sighed. There were exactly Six cups, and enough pizza to feed about six people, so Sakura wasn’t lying about having just enough for the people she was expecting.

He certainly had gone and picked the most organized person in his class to lead the LGBTQ+ club. At least he knew for sure that she would always have things under control, even during those days he might not be able to be there to help her with.

Still, his brain refused to let him rest. Trying desperately to remind him of whatever it was he was forgetting.

A sharp knock on the door forced him to forget about his memory struggles and turn to greet whoever it was that had arrived first. As he raised a hand and opened his mouth to say ‘hello’, the answer to his question finally hit him.

There he was, standing at the door.

The person he had forgotten to add to the attendance list so that Sakura could account for his arrival.

Rock Lee.

“Shit.” He muttered under his breath, cringing when Sakura glared at him.

“Language, Sensei,” she scolded him before turning her attention back onto the new arrival. “Hello, Lee-kun. Are you looking for something?”

Lee-Kun? Since when did Sakura refer to any of the other kids with an honorific? Usually, she just called them by their name, or in Naruto’s case there was a fond ‘Baka’ attached to her sentence whenever she mentioned him.

“Well,” burying a hand into his short black hair, he beamed at Sakura. A small hint of a blush painting his cheeks. “I was hoping to take part in the LGBTQ+ club that you were having. I tried to write my name down on the list, but by the time I confirmed with Gai-sensei that Taijutsu practice was on Thursdays now, the sheet was gone.”

Right. Gai had mentioned changing the day of his Taijutsu lessons so that Lee and Tenten could attend the LGBTQ+ club that Kakashi had finally managed to get approval to organize. He even mentioned that Lee was afraid he wouldn’t be welcome to join after missing his chance to add his name to the list that Sakura had put up just outside of Kakashi’s classroom.

Sakura was going to be upset with him for forgetting. She had put so much effort into making sure that everything was perfect for the club so that they could all sit down, share stories, and have a fun relaxing time.

And here Kakashi was, forgetting to inform her that there was actually one more person to expect.

“Oh,” Sakura’s voice cracked, and Kakashi couldn’t help but notice that she had brought her right hand up and started drumming her fingers against her left arm. Almost as if she was embarrassed. “I didn’t realize...Kakashi-Sensei we have another chair, right?”

Usually, he’d complain about being asked such a dumb question, but he was already thinking about all of the ways he could tease the poor kid about this later. He was willing to cut her some slack.

For now.

“I’ll find a chair, you two keep chatting.” with a wave of his hand he turned his back to them and headed towards the closet for an extra chair. Though, if Sakura thought they were getting some sort of ‘alone’ time because he happened to be across the room she was wrong.

They weren’t even bothering to try to keep their voices down.

“I didn’t realize that you would be in charge of the club. Sakura-Chan,” Lee’s voice buzzed with excitement. “What made you want to volunteer?”

“Volunteer,” Sakura huffed, and Kakashi was pretty sure she was throwing a glare his way at that exact moment. Thankfully, he was focused on getting a chair out of the closet without dropping something on himself. How Sakura had done it so easily, he would never know. “Kakashi-Sensei told me that I had to do it. That there was no one else suited for the job as well as me.”

And he stuck by his words.

“Well, I think Kakashi-sensei made the right choice,” He could just imagine Lee doing the signature ‘Maito pose’ that Gai had taught him. It was cringy and horrible and he loved that Gai had passed it down to his student so that future generations would have to suffer seeing it. “You’re the most organized person in our school. Plus you’re easily the friendliest.”

Kakashi snorted.

“What was that, Sensei?”

“Nothing,” turning his head, he smiled at the pair innocently. “I was just clearing my throat. Lots of dust in this closet you know.”

There was no doubt in his mind that Sakura didn’t believe him for a second, but he considered it a small victory when she didn’t press him for a better explanation.

“Well, I hope that I’m able to contribute something to the group tonight,” Lee continued as if Kakashi hadn’t interrupted him. “I’ve never really been part of a group that doesn’t have to do with Taijutsu or Soccer.”

“You’ll be an amazing addition,” Sakura smiled. “Well we wait for everyone else why don’t you have some pizza or a drink? You’re always working so hard so I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Finally wrestling a chair free, Kakashi turned just in time to see Sakura leading Lee towards the table she had set out with snacks.

“I thought you said we didn’t have enough for any extra’s.” he teased, a playful smirk on his face until Sakura smiled back at him with such innocence that he knew only the worst of thoughts could be running through her mind at that moment.

` “You were saying you needed to start a diet anyway, right Sensei?” A diet? What a rude little shit. “I’m sure you’ll be fine if Lee-Kun eats your share of Pizza.”

Great. Now he had to rely on Gai having made something actually edible for dinner after he had told him he would eat Pizza during the club’s get-together. Hopefully, he hadn’t made his signature ‘curry of life’ or Kakashi was going to bed hungry.

“You really are the best, Sakura-Chan,” Lee complimented her again as he picked out his Pizza slices. “Thank you.”

“You know, you should try out a new outfit one of these days, Lee-Kun. I mean, if you want to of course.” Kakashi wished he could disappear when he saw Sakura poke Lee in the side and giggle. This was not the Haruno Sakura he was used to. The girl who always teased him over his relationship with Gai, or had to speak her mind about whatever was happening around her. This Sakura was...timid. It was concerning.

“A new outfit?” Lee blinked, clearly confused by her comment. “But why would I…”

“The green tracksuit is cute, don’t get me wrong,” She corrected herself quickly. “I just think, you know, you’re always wearing the same thing. Wouldn’t it be cool if you tried on a new outfit?”

“A new outfit…” Looking down at his green tracksuit, Lee smiled slowly. “I guess i could try. Then I could just wear this when I’m training in the morning.”

Well, at least Sakura was improving Lee’s sense of fashion.

“I think I have some clothes at home that I haven’t gotten rid of yet. If you want you could come over and try them on. See if there’s anything you want.”

Kakashi felt like he was witnessing the worst attempt at flirting ever. Was this how kids asked each other out these days? Was there really no romance left in the world?

“You do have the best fashion sense,” Lee whispered, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “I think I’d like to take you up on that offer, Sakura-Chan.”

Kakashi was desperate to scream. To demand an explanation for how that worked.

He held his tongue though.

Seeing Sakura smiling proudly and Lee already starting to discuss the type of clothes he liked was well worth having to witness whatever messed up version of flirting it was that the two of them were doing.

“Hey!” Glancing towards the door, he sighed when he saw Tenten walking into the room, followed closely behind by Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Choji. Finally, his suffering could end. “Sakura, Lee! I hope the old man hasn’t been bothering you too much.”

Right, never mind. Tenten was here.

The bullying had only just begun.

Neo: The World Ends With You - Thoughts So Far

I’m on Day 6 of Week 1 and I want to compile my thoughts so far — not in a formal post, but at least all in one place, especially since I feel that jotting down what I think / feel as I go through will help me write my review when I’m done. Spoilers under the cut, obviously — and while it should go without saying, do NOT comment on this post with spoilers from later in the game, so help me. Even if I pose a question that gets answered later on — hell, especially if I do — don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I will find out in my own time.

With that said . . .

So obviously, I’m really enjoying it so far. You can tell that the writers / devs haven’t lost their touch despite it being thirteen years since the first game was made. You can also tell that a lot of love went into this; this isn’t something they churned out just to make money (if they thought this was a moneymaker we wouldn’t have had to wait 13 freaking years for the sequel), but rather something they really, really wanted to make. Not a total passion project, because those aren’t allowed in the world of capitalism, but there is still a lot of love there. 

That said, more specific thoughts:

THE MUSIC. It doesn’t really come as a surprise given that TWEWY’s soundtrack was phenomenal, but god, they brought it right back for this game. The remixes (“Someday”, “Three Minutes Clapping”, “Transformation”, “The One Star” etc) are all excellent, but the new tracks are phenomenal too. Tbh I’m not sure how any of the Players get any fighting done when the music makes you want to just bust a move right there in the scramble. It’s so good.

Most of the characters are great too. Of the Wicked Twisters, I think Fret is my favorite; he is pure of heart, dumb of ass, and I love that for him. I do like Rindo too, of course, and his habit of overthinking everything (since Fret has zero brain cells, Rindo has to make up for it), but him being standoffish / socially anxious and snarky makes him feel a bit like a toned down Neku, so he doesn’t catch my interest quite as much. And while I do like Nagi, the way she speaks in like . . . medieval-esque language is a bit off-putting. In particular it’s weird that Rindo didn’t tell her to knock it off with the “Lord Rindo” stuff since using such an honorific would be considered awkward / embarrassing in Japanese. I guess he’s just too socially anxious / awkward to tell her to stop, but it’s still a bit distracting.  Other than that, I’m really not a fan of Kubo (one of the Reapers) or . . . Susukichi, I think his name is? The leader of the Ruinbringers. I find them both to be pretty annoying, haha. But I love Shoka, as well as Kanon, and Motoi is a good bean, too. As for the Deep River Society . . . those nerds have issues lmao. Especially their leader. Although I can’t fault him for breaking down sobbing when he realizes that he now stands a very good chance of getting erased, which reminds me . . .

HOW ARE WE ON DAY SIX AND THE WICKED TWISTERS STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT BEING ERASED IS?? We have kind of an inverse situation where where Neku knew right away that he would get erased if he failed the missions / didn’t win the Game, but didn’t find out until later that he was dead. Here, the Wicked Twisters learn that they’re dead fairly quickly (and Fret has some realistic denial going on about it at first, though he gets over it pretty quickly), but they’re still completely in the dark about the fact that their souls will get wiped from existence if they lose despite erasure being mentioned at least a handful of times. Like I guess it was never spelled out for them, but especially as someone who played the first game about a million times, it’s a bit maddening to see them be like, “Why is he crying like his life is on the line? lol whatevs no big deal la di da!” Since the Wicked Twisters aren’t aware of the stakes, a new player wouldn’t be either, and so it rather tones down the urgency that was felt in the original game where everyone was very much aware that they were fighting for their right to exist.

Since I brought up Motoi, I want to say that I just played past the part where he reveals that he was An0ther, who is apparently Rindo’s favorite blogger / poet. I feel like this is meant to be similar to how Hanekoma was CAT, Neku’s favorite artist, but it doesn’t carry the same impact because a.) as far as we know An0ther didn’t have anything to do with how Rindo died; b.) we haven’t seen Rindo bring An0ther or his poetry up that much, much less have anything An0ther said be his entire life’s mantra; c.) we haven’t gotten to know Motoi that well either. Like we met him once before this revelation. That said I’m not sure it was supposed to have the same impact as the Hanekoma = CAT reveal, but if it was then it did fall short. (Also I saw it coming the second Motoi quoted An0ther lmao.)

Speaking of Hanekoma, WHERE IS MY MANS??? I know he has to show up at some point because if I’m not mistaken we saw him in the trailers. And if I am mistaken then he still has to show up at some point because he played a central role in the “A New Day” epilogue chapter of Final Remix, what with Coco being unable to control him and him knowing what was going on, plus he was testing Neku for something in “Another Day” and that has to be whatever is going on in this game. I’m sure he’ll come in for some big reveal later, but like, we have a new street artist in this game (MKN) with no mention of CAT as of yet, and I’m just like . . . where is he. Where is my mans. What is he doing. Bring him to me.

That said, we already got to see my #2 mans (Kariya♥) so I am happy about that at least. 

Back to my mans for a hot second: I actually erased my demo save data and started fresh to remind myself of everything when I got the game, and idk if it was in the demo or not, but regardless—at the end of the demo portion there’s this shot of the sky and then this nameless voice is like, “It’s finally starting. I hope you wake up soon. I don’t want you to miss all the action.” My current guess is that the speaker was Hanekoma, speaking to Joshua. Joshua being “asleep” would explain why the Game is as screwed up as it is right now, what with it having been going on for a year and people able to choose to play again and again and again while the rest of the Players—who tbh should also be counted as winners if they survive the week!—are trapped in limbo.

Because that’s the thing: I know that it was partially a lie to cover for the fact that Joshua’s game with Megumi was set to last three weeks, but at the end of the third week Megumi told Neku that a new rule was being put in place that wouldn’t allow repeats of the Game anymore. But even setting that aside, in the original Shibuya UG rules, anyone who survived the Game could get a wish at the end, whether that was to be brought back to life or made into a Reaper. This is why at the end of Week 1, the three winners were Neku, Shiki, and Beat. However, here the Ruinbringers are able to keep everyone trapped and they have been trapped for at least a year, given what Motoi said. It’s completely different rules and I’m sure that this has something to do with the fact that the majority of the Reapers we’ve seen so far are from Shinjuku (at least going by the spoilery trailer, and iirc it was confirmed in “A New Day” that Coco was from Shinjuku actually, but it’s been a while so I could be wrong about that).

Speaking of, has anyone noticed that the possibly-Shinjuku Reapers don’t have wings? No?

ALSO speaking of Coco, at least tangentially: Coco was the one who revived Minamimoto at the end of “A New Day”. However, he’s definitely not how I would have expected. Like despite Coco using the Taboo Noise sigil to bring him back, he’s clearly not in his Taboo form. He’s using psychs as a Player would, rather than a Reaper. And while it’s clear he’s up to some form of nonsense, it’s unclear exactly what form of nonsense he’s up to. I know that he’s here for fanservice and that him looking like Nagi’s bias from Elegant Strategy is a tongue-in-cheek nod to that, but I have too much faith in this series to think that’s all this is. I’m wondering if being revived for a second time fixed whatever screws were loose in his head before? Or if he was revived as a human Player by like, Joshua or something? (Although why Joshua would do that I have no idea. Maybe Hanekoma instead?) Hmmm . . .

Small aside, but we all know that Nagi has put herself into hundreds of thousands of yen in debt for Tomonami merch lolol RIP Nagi. (I’m also interpreting that she’s not actually older than Rindo or Fret, but she just skipped a bunch of grades. Like I feel like this might have been lost in translation a bit, and that she’s a senpai to them because she’s in uni but she’s not actually older than them. I could be wrong but that’s how I’m interpreting it right now. She just doesn’t look or act older than them.)

Oh another minor annoyance, but whether it’s due to the partial 3D environment or something else, I’m SO ANNOYED that some of the streets aren’t connecting as they should now. Like, how going in the direction of Molco spits you out at Spain Hill or 104 or whatever? I don’t remember exactly what area it was, but it wasn’t Molco!! I’m sure if I hadn’t played the original a million times like a loser this wouldn’t be such a big deal to me, but I have and it is lmao. Also, they’ve had the Shibuya Underpass / Cat Street blocked off this whole time and I’m like :( let me go to Cat Street :( let me see my mans

I’m relieved that Ken Doi is still making delicious food and I look forward to his ramen curry fusion. I was really upset about RamenDon being gone at first but as long as Ken Doi is still around I am happy.

My dinner just arrived so this is all I have to say for now, but I will update more as I play more. I love this game and I’m so happy to be back in Shibuya, even if the characters pronounce it wrong sometimes (saying “ShiBOOya” like pls . . . you are supposed to be Japanese . . . get it right . . .)

Disobedience - Dhawan!Master x Reader ~smut~

The Master has rules. Rules you shouldn't risk breaking. Or maybe you should.

MASTERLIST

Requested by anonymous with the scene prompt Heavy spanking

(a/n: first time writing smut, let me know what you think! (I’ll get better, I promise!))

Warnings: Smut, BDSM, spanking, hair pulling, honorifics, praise kink

You fucked up. You really fucked up.

You could hear the Master yelling at you in your mind as you sprinted down corridors away from the beastly aliens that were chasing you. Telling you how stupid you were, how reckless.

It was his fault really.

The two of you had been exploring the seemingly abandoned space station when they had appeared – the reason it was abandoned. Ravenous, bloodthirsty creatures so massive that their backs scraped the ceilings as their claws dragged along the floor, acidic saliva spilling past razor-sharp teeth. The Master didn’t recognise what they were which made them exponentially more dangerous. They were stalking you through the halls, tracking your scent, your fear. Their only weakness – they were stupid. At least that’s how the Master put it.

So there you were, pressed against each other inside a far too small cupboard while they prowled only metres away. They knew you were nearby but couldn’t figure out where. Usually, you would have enjoyed being so close to him. Your chests pressed against each other, breath mingling in the air. You could practically hear the drumming of your single heartbeat against his two. But the threat of imminent death was a bit of a turn-off. “Please tell me you’ve got a plan,” You whispered, your voice barely audible. “I will.” He didn’t sound certain. And you could only wait so long before they found you. “I’ve got an idea.” He frowned down at you. “Do you trust me?” “Yes,” He spoke begrudgingly, “But what -” “Meet you at the TARDIS.” He barely got a word out before you were throwing the cupboard doors open and running out, past the creatures who you yelled at before darting down a random corridor. You hoped that you had managed to get them all on your tail and that the Master was making his way to the TARDIS. If he wasn’t, you were doomed.

You heard doors slamming in the distance and veered your path towards them, glancing back only to see that they were right on your heels. You pushed harder, faster, adrenaline pumping through your veins.

There it was. The TARDIS. At the end of the corridor you had first arrived in, blending into its surroundings as a service elevator with an out of order sign on the front. “Master!” You yelled, praying that he was there and that he would hear you. The door swung open and you saw him standing there, hand outstretched. The final metres seemed to stretch into an unending distance, time slowing as you tried to reach him. Finally, you did, his hand pulling you inside and slamming the door behind you. The door shook as the creatures rammed against it; you could hear them howling. Now that the threat was gone you stumbled on your feet, unsteady. “Go sit down,” He growled. “What-?” “Sit down, now.” You rolled your eyes but did as he said. There was no point arguing with him when he got into a mood like this. The console room was traditionally round, the console itself raised onto a platform, and benches were pushed against the rails. You sat in one of those and leaned your elbows on your knees, watching him pace and huff his way through taking off. When the sounds of dematerialisation at quieted, leaving only a gentle hum, he leant against the console and glared at the central pillar. An awkward silence filled the room which seemed to last for hours. You kept going to speak, even opening your mouth and inhaling to start, but you couldn’t figure out how to break the tension. He was angry, angrier than he had ever been. And you couldn’t quite figure out why.

Finally, he spoke. “What was the first thing I told you when I invited you to join me?” “I don’t -” “What was it?” “You told me not to put my life at risk, because you wouldn’t come to save me.” But he had already proven himself wrong countless times already. You didn’t see how this was different. “You never listen, do you?” He sighed, dragging his hand down his face in exasperation. “You could have gotten killed.” “We both would have died if we had stayed there.” You stood up and stormed over to his side. “I saved us.” “You disobeyed me.” “I didn’t know there were rules.” For every glare and snarl he sent your way you had something to bite back with. You wouldn’t let him talk down to you. You refused. “Well, there are!” He yelled. The sudden shout made you flinch back, almost afraid of him. He inhaled deeply, trying and failing to calm down. “There are rules, (Y/N), and you will follow them. Or else.” “Or else what?” You challenged, chin in the air defiantly. “You don’t want to know.” He looked away from you in an attempt to quell his anger. “And what if I do?” You stepped closer, lowering your voice. You were tempting fate, you knew that, practically begging for whatever twisted consequences were running through his mind. But you didn’t care. “Don’t test me.” He pushed away from the console and walked around it, away from you and towards the door that leads to the endless corridors of the TARDIS. You huffed, deflated, almost disappointed that he hadn’t followed through. “Can you at least tell me what the rules are?” You called after him, not expecting an answer. He glanced over his shoulder at you, glare still fully fixed in his eyes. “Rule number one: when I tell you to do something, or not to do something, you listen.” And with that he turned and left, leaving you to ponder what he’d said.

*

You were bored stiff. The Master and you had been avoiding each other since your fight, and while the TARDIS may have whatever you could desire, it couldn’t solve your problem. His words kept repeating in your ears, and other things as well. The way his voice sent a shiver down your spine and straight to your core, the heat that you had only started to recognise as being caused by him.

It was time to put his promises to the test.

You found him in the library. It was lit dimly by a small lamp that sat on the corner of the desk which his feet were propped up on. A book written in a language you didn’t understand was in his hands. You realised you didn’t actually have much of a plan – maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. But that ache reminded you of what you wanted, and what you were at least going to try to get. Sure, he might kill you; but it was worth the risk.

Usually, you would have called to him, announced your presence, but not today. No. Today you strolled quietly past the towering shelves to perch by him on the desk, unable to disguise the slight smirk on your face. “What do you want?” He growled, immediately tensing. He didn’t look at you. “Nothing.” You shrugged before reaching for the switch dangling from the light and turning it off. Now the only light in the room came from the doorway. The Master’s face was barely visible, cloaked in shadows, but he looked furious. Maybe you had read it wrong. Maybe… “Turn it back on, (Y/N).” Now or never. Last chance. You stretched your hand back out, playing with the switch but not turning it on. Instead, you leaned forward to whisper in his ear:

“No.”

“That’s it.” He growled, standing, the book discarded, and his now free hand wrapping in your hair, close to your scalp. “You want to push me? Fine.” He dragged you from the room as you yelped and struggled, clutching his hand with both your own. You stumbled over the feet as he strode through the corridors, leading you who knows where. Some kind of torture chamber? The idea shouldn’t thrill you so much.

He releases you only to throw you through a wooden door onto plush carpet. You hear it shut behind you, a lock clicking. Oh shit. You pushed yourself onto your feet to find yourself in a bedroom. Ordinary enough. A four-poster bed pushed against the wall with red sheets. You had never thought about the Master having a bedroom. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe the TARDIS had made this on his whim. “You want to know what happens when you break my rules?” You spun around to face him. He was breathing heavily, practically panting, looking you up and down. “You might not like the answer.” That was it. The final warning. Your way out. After this, there would be no going back. “Show me.” Show. Not tell. You both knew what was coming. Something dark flickered behind his eyes, something you recognised, something that stirred inside you as your imagination began to run free. You were daring him, daring him to take the bait, just like he was daring you. In two steps his hand was gripping your wrist and he was forcing you towards the bed. His bed. He stopped you and stood in front of you. “Now, you are going to listen very carefully.” You nodded, unable to stop the tremor in your hands from the anticipation. “Do everything I say, when I say it. I know that’s difficult for you.” It was a joke, but you weren’t meant to laugh. Another nod. “Use your words, darling.” “Okay.” “‘Okay’, what?” “Okay… Master.” The word sent a shiver through you, but he almost seemed to shudder when he heard you use his name, his title. “Turn around.” You did so, goosebumps rising at the feeling of his breath against your neck as he pulled your hair out of the way. Rough hands ran down your body and you had to resist the instinct to jump away. He wouldn’t appreciate that. You could practically feel his eyes examining you. Taking in every inch of your body, every flaw and imperfection, every curve, every joint, every scar and every freckle. You felt naked in front of him. “Now, what kind of punishment do you think you deserve?” His voice in your ear was low. It made your eyes flutter shut. “I… I don’t… I don’t know.” Now that the question was laid before you, you couldn’t name what you wanted him to do to you. There were too many ideas, too many images, all flying through your mind. “I suppose that means it’s up to me then.” You nodded, then remembered his words from before. “Yes, Master.” He circled you, like a shark; when your eyes linked for a brief second the hunger in his made your skin tingle. Once he was done he rolled up his sleeves and sat on the edge of the bed. “Come here.” You stepped to stand in front of him, uncertain, shaky. “Get those off.” He nodded to your jeans and your hands immediately flew to the button, fingers struggling to move fast enough. You shoved them onto the ground and kicked them away, a flush rising to your cheeks as you realised you were almost completely exposed in front of the Master. “You know what to do.” The image was clear in your mind. Maybe he put it there. So you did as you were told and bent yourself over his lap, steadying yourself with your forearms. It was embarrassing, humiliating – or at least it should have been. Instead, it sent a rush of heat straight to your core. You could feel how hard he was already, his bulge pressing against your stomach, and you had to contain your slight gasp. So you weren’t delusional. You hadn’t made up the tension between you for your own entertainment. When you felt his hand rubbing your ass you let out a moan, and he chuckled darkly. “Already so excited and I haven’t even done anything.” “Says you.” You rolled your hips against his and he groaned at the friction, making you grin. Your smugness is short-lived though as he grabs you by your hair again and pulls you up, making your back arch, to whisper in your ear. “Behave yourself.” He released you, letting you fall back down. “Now, you’re going to count each and every one of these. Okay?” “Okay.” A crack sounds through the room as his hand smacks against your ass, making you yelp. “Okay, what?” “Okay, Master.” “Good girl.” The praise sent a shudder through you, and you realised you would do anything to hear those words again. “Now, count.” The initial stinging was already starting to fade, but it was only the start. The anticipation set every nerve in your body on fire. This time the sound was duller, the pain less sharp, but the ache immediately set in. “One.” Another. Sharp, biting, sending spikes of pain through you. You gasped at the strange mix of pain and pleasure. “Two.” Again. You clung to the sheets below you. “Three.” “Four.” “Five.”

By the time you reached twenty your ass was raw and shaking. Tears welled in the corners of your eyes but you refused to cry. You had asked for this. This was your choice. And the pain still didn’t outweigh the arousal that was constantly building. The Master rubbed your tender cheeks and laughed at the way your body instinctively tried to move away from him. “I did warn you,” He tuts. You can hear the smirk in his voice. His hand drifted lower, thumb tracing light circles, before he dragged a finger down your pants, feeling how soaked they were already. Your heart was racing. “Really? Just from that? I haven’t even touched you yet.” Yet. The words were shameful, making you blush from embarrassment, but they didn’t change anything. Without warning, he pulled your pants to the side and his fingers dived into your wetness. You couldn’t contain your moans and gasps as he started to circle your clit furiously. There was no easing into this. Nothing gentle about the way he touched you, nothing sweet or caring. He wanted to make you suffer. And that very thought just turned you on more. When he went deeper you whimpered, gasping at the sensation of his fingers inside you, filling you, curling inside you. They thrust in and out rapidly, building up the tension in your lower stomach, pulling you towards the edge, until he pulled out, making you whine pitifully. He forced you to your feet, which you stood on shakily, chest heaving. “Open.” Your jaw dropped obediently and his fingers were on your tongue in an instant. You began to suck on them, tongue swirling, tasting yourself. His eyes were fixed on your face, dark, intense, watching and analysing your every move. So you closed yours, focusing on the sensation in your mouth. All too soon he pulled his hand away and grabbed your jaw. Your eyes snapped open and fixed on his. “Now,” He was breathing heavily, his own anticipation and arousal almost too much to bear, “Show me what else you’re good for.” You were on your knees before he had finished his sentence, pulling at his trousers. He chuckled at your eagerness and wove a hand into your hair. Your hands hesitated as you reached for his underwear, eyes flicking up to meet his before you pulled them down.

Fuck.

The sight of him hard in front of you sent a rush of heat through you. You instinctively wrapped a hand around the base of the shaft, pumping it and revelling in the slight groan that escaped his lips, before you inhaled shakily and wrapped your mouth around his head. You began to move your head and hand together, feeling him twitch under you as you worked to take as much of him into your mouth as possible. As you felt him hit the back of your throat, your gag reflex telling you to move back and gasp for air, his hands wrapped tighter around the back of your head and held you in place. You pushed at his thigh, struggling as the lack of oxygen began to dull your mind, filling it with cotton wool. Tears began to fall. Finally, he pulled you away, strings of drool hanging between your mouth and his dick as you coughed and wiped at your chin. “I’m almost impressed.” He pulled you back to your feet and captured your mouth in a biting kiss, all tongues and teeth and anger and heat. You almost didn’t notice him manoeuvre you so your back was to the bed. When he pushed you down you landed on your back with a bounce, scrambling so your head was resting on the plush pillows. “Strip.” Your top was discarded first, thrown to the floor with your jeans, and then your bra. You shivered at the feeling of cool air against your breasts, and at the way the Master stared at them, with a dark hunger. He straddled you, his own waistcoat and shirt discarded so he was fully naked, and dropped his head to wrap his lips around one of your nipples, sucking and biting while he pinched and twisted the other with his hand. You yelped and moaned at the mixed sensations of pleasure and pain, hands threading through his dark hair and holding him close to you. You felt his length bump against your leg, impossibly hard. When he rose his chest was heaving as he hovered over you. Fingers wrapped around the waistband of your pants and they were torn from you, the ragged shreds discarded. The Master balanced on one arm as he knelt between your spread legs, eyes fixed on your pussy, exposed and vulnerable. With his free hand, he began to rub his cock against your folds, making you shudder. “Please…” You couldn’t contain the plead. “Please what?” He was enjoying this. Enjoying your vulnerability, all for him and only him. He dipped in further, brushing against your entrance and then your clit but not giving you anything else. He wanted you to use your words. “Please, please just fuck me, please, I’m desperate.” You begged him, the words streaming from your mouth in one whining gasp. “Please what?” He hissed, leaning down so there was barely an inch between your faces. You stared deep into his eyes and spoke. “Please, Master.” The moment the words left your lips he pressed into you in one swift movement. In an instant, you were impossibly filled. He groaned into your ear as he began to thrust, slowly at first but speeding up quickly. With every movement, tiny gasps and whines escaped your lips. Your hand lifted to cover your mouth, embarrassed, but it rested there only a second before he grabbed both your wrists and held them above your head. You tried to bite at your lip, anything to contain the sounds, but it only made him thrust harder and faster. “I want to hear every sound you make for me. They’re mine. You’re mine.” He growled. The possessiveness just turned you on even more, if that was even possible. The room filled with your moans of pleasure as the tension coiled inside you grew tighter and tighter. You were getting close. You could feel it. And so could he. Suddenly his free hand was wrapped around your throat, squeezing just tight enough that your brain started to go fuzzy, somehow intensifying everything else you were feeling. And it pushed you over the edge. Your body tensed and shook, mouth agape in a silent scream of pleasure as he kept going through your orgasm. As you crashed back down your body was limp, pliable under him. His hand released from around your throat and he attacked the now exposed skin with his lips, sucking and biting and pulling more moans from you. His thrusts started to grow faster and sloppier. You laced a hand through his hair, tugging at it and pulling his lips to yours, the only dominance you could manage over him. He pulled away as he came, driving deep inside you as he filled you up, swearing under his breath. You were both gasping for air and he collapsed on top of you, naked bodies colliding. You whined in disappointment at the empty feeling as he pulled out of you. Curling into his side, he started to play with your hair absent-mindedly. The gesture made you grin – for all his roughness and aggression he was affectionate really. “You know,” You murmured under your voice, and you felt him look down at you, “If that’s what disobeying you ends up in,” Looking up, you smiled at him and the soft look in his eyes, “Maybe it’s not such a bad idea.” The hand in your hair tightened to the point of pain, making you wince and gasp. Still a turn on. “I wouldn’t risk it, love.”

Oh, you definitely would.

MASTERLIST

BTS when you call them "oppa":

Kim Seokjin:

You met Kim Seokjin when you were chosen to be Bangtan Seonyeondan's new stylist. It was the biggest, best paying job you've ever had, and after a few months of being with the boys, you were very close to all of them, particularly to a tall, handsome, broad-shouldered one.

You and Jin started dating barely a year after you began working for Bighit, and you've been in a happy relationship for nearly five months now.

Being a foreigner and living in Korea for less than a year and half, learning Korean wasn't a simple task, and your vocabulary was still very limited. Additionally, you were still studying the Korean culture and the different ways to address people, depending on their position and so on.

Lately, you noticed that a lot of the younger female staff members were calling some of the members "oppa". After researching a bit, you understood that it was a nickname for an older guy, literally meaning "older brother".

You found it awkward calling any of the members that way, especially your boyfriend, so you stuck with "ssi" most of the time, or just their regular names when you're alone. But today you decided to do a little experiment.

You tapped your foot impatiently against your carpeted parceut floor, waiting for Seokjin to arrive after a day of grueling practice. It was your day off, so you had lots of extra time to freak out over your ridiculously easy, yet terrifying, plan.

Scrolling through your Instagram mindlessly, you let out an anxious sigh when you heard the familiar sound of keys turning in the keyhole, turning off your phone and getting up to greet your boyfriend.

"Hey, sweetheart", Jin said tiredly, walking through the door with a small smile. His eyes, dull from exhaustion, seemed to light up when he saw you, and he reached forward to pull you in for a warm hug, lips pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

"Hey", you responded gently, wrapping your own arms around your lover's strong torso and letting your eyes slip shut, basking in the comforting smell of Seokjin as you press your ear to his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat against your ear.

The two of you stood there just like that, embracing each other, for a few more minutes. You could have stayed there forever, wrapped in your boyfriend's arms, hidden from the world, but Jin had other plans, gently detaching himself from you, smiling slightly when you whined in frustration.

"I have to go make dinner, sweetie. It's late.", Jin explained, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear lovingly. You turned to look at the clock, frowning when you realized that it was, indeed, late. Your stomach rumbled at the mention of food, suddenly remembering that you hadn't eaten all day, too occupied with thoughts about your little social experiment.

Grumbling, you let Jin take your hand with a victorious grin, and lead you to your small kitchen, already waiting for the two of you, shiny and squeaky-clean.

Jin starts making your dinner, the two of you making small talk as you sit on top of the counter, despite Jin's protests and complaints, swinging your legs as you watch your boyfriend cut vegetables and juicy pieces of meat expertly.

You start feeling restless when the meat starts to cook, the delicious wave of smell coming from the fried pork filling your nostrils and causing you to cling to Jin, pacing around the frying pan and following your boyfriend around expectantly, waiting for dinner to be ready.

Jin scolds you for getting in the way of his cooking and "making it hard for him to stir the food by acting like a human sized koala", but doesn't do anything legitimate to stop your clingy behaviour.

The idea pops into your head out of boredom, when you're standing next to Jin, leaning on the counter as you watch him sing some ballad under his breath, mixing the colorful assortment of fresh veggies with the now-brown chunks of mouth-watering meat.

He's focused entirely on the food, cute creases adorning his forehead and eyes narrowed slightly as he pours in different spices carefully into the stew. He looks like the embodiment of "boyfriend material" right now, with his oversized pink hoodie and messy chocolate brown hair, his full pink lips pursed in concentration.

"Oppa, I'm hungryyy~~", you whine cutely, smirking to yourself when your boyfriend freezes for a second, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

You cross your arms over your chest, tapping your foot against the floor when Jin turns to look at you. He concealed his shock successfully, but there's a fond smile on his face that reveals his excitement at your sudden use of the word.

"I just finished", he says, removing the pan from the fire with his glove-cladded hands and pecking your lips quickly as he moves to place the food on the table. "Let's eat".

Min Yoongi:

Yoongi and you have been dating for almost nine months now, and these months were the best in your life. You grew very comfortable with the older, and you were positive you knew him better than most people, even if you were still learning something new everyday.

But today, Jungkook managed to surprise you when he secretly told you about Suga's very obvious liking for the honorific "oppa", and how he confessed to the guys one day this week after too many shots of alcohol that he wished you would address him like that.

Staring at the maknae, you felt your cheeks burn bright red as you played with your hair nervously, twirling it around your finger. The youngest member looked amused at your nervous reaction, biting his lips to stop his natural instinct to smile at your cute behaviour, and shrugging. "I just thought you'd like to know. He'll never admit it in front of you. Not sober, anyway."

And now, you were walking home, and Jungkook's words were echoing in your mind, messing your thoughts and making you blush continuously. You see your boyfriend at least once a day, even if it's just to say hello, and you've never sensed he wanted to be called "oppa".

Honestly, you don't have a problem with the term. The only reason you didn't call Yoongi "oppa" by now was because, ironically, you thought he might find it awkward. If you knew he liked it so much, you definitely would've used it before.

Making up your mind, you walk quickly to your boyfriend's studio, feet tapping on the shiny marble floor as you half-jog to the familiar opaque glass door, knocking on it hurriedly.

"Who is it?", You hear the surprised voice of your boyfriend, not used to people daring to interrupt his work, and before you can answer, the door is already sliding open, revealing the confused face of your boyfriend.

He looks as cute as usual, standing in the doorway with his comfortable black clothes you've become so used to, an oversized black shirt with sleeves up to the elbow and loose training pants, barely brushing the top of his knees.

His faded white hair is tucked unceremoniously under a gray beanie and there's a sealed coffee cup in his hand, which you are sure is filled to the brim with coffee so black you wouldn't even be able to smell it.

"Y/N", Yoongi still looks confused by your unexpected visit, but the slight annoyance seen on his face is gone now, replaced with a glimmer of happiness in his dark eyes. "What are you doing here?"

You shrug, not really sure yourself, before stepping in to peck your boyfriend's lips gently, "Just thought I'd come say hi. I hardly get to see you with the comeback around the corner".

"Oh.", Yoongi says, nodding slowly before closing the door behind you. You move over to sit on the couch while your boyfriend returns to his chair, facing the computer once again.

You watch Suga work for a few minutes, a calming silence enveloping the room as the only sound comes from the keyboard, where your boyfriend is ticking away.

"How's the song coming along, oppa?", You ask innocently, unable to stop the smile surfacing your lips when said oppa freezes completely, his fingers hovering in the air above the keyboard.

'He really does like it', you think to yourself with a silent chuckle, enjoying the sight of your boyfriend trying to regain his composure uselessly, clearing his throat repeatedly as he continues to write.

"It-It's going well", Yoongi stammers, still facing the computer stubbornly, and you grin, getting up from the couch and fixing the creases on your clothes.

"Well, I don't want to be a burden, so I think I'll-" "Stay.", Yoongi interrupts you, and you feel your cheeks hurt from the force of your smile, turning away from the door and back to the couch with a slight bounce in your steps.

"Okay, oppa".

Jung Hoseok:

Korean was a difficult language to learn, but having your lovely boyfriend as your teacher certainly made it easier.

You sat on the couch in your shared apartment with Hoseok, only half listening to your boyfriend's explanations of attaching particles and irregulars and lot more things you would like to ignore.

Usually, you were a very focused student, drinking up every piece of information Hobi gives you and asking questions when something isn't understandable.

But today, you were tired, and Hoseok looked exceptionally good, with his freshly-died black hair and ripped blue jeans at the thighs, showing off melanin skin. The way his mouth was moving was far more interesting than the words coming out of his mouth, his lips shiny and red...

"Y/N?", Hoseok's voice interrupted your hungry thoughts, and you raise your eyes to meet his own. He's staring at you with a raised eyebrow, an amused glint in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what you were daydreaming of.

"Oh. Sorry.", You mumble, trying to hide the blush slowly covering your cheeks by lowering your head, your hair streaming down to cover your face.

Your boyfriend chuckles lightly, squeezing your thighs gently in reassurance. "You know what? Maybe we should learn something else today. Something easier. Maybe... Honorifics?", Hobi suggested, taking everything by a stride like he always did, his eyes searching your eyes. "It's really simple, I promise."

You nod, still embarrassed, and will yourself to listen to what your boyfriend's explaining now. The subject is pretty understandable and interesting, especially coming from a culture who regards it differently, so it's not as hard to focus. It also helps that Hoseok explains everything as if it's the most fascinating topic in the world, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, hands gesturing widely.

"So... You know that technically you're supposed to call me "oppa"?", J-hope says casually after a few minutes of studying, and you choke for a second, raising your head to look at your boyfriend's slightly blushing cheeks, matching your own.

You cough, shifting sideways to look at your lover better, who is now avoiding your gaze, eyes focused on the material of the couch underneath him.

"Well... Do you want me to?", You ask carefully, smiling when the older's eyes shoot up to you, the previous shyness he showed gone completely.

"Yeah!", he exclaimed with excitement, scooching over on the couch to be closer to you and grabbing your hands in his, his lips stretched to reveal a blinding smile.

You shake your head with amusement at his cute behaviour, and lean forward to press a gentle peck to the other's nose, unable to hide the fondness lacing your voice.

"If that's what makes you happy, oppa."

Kim Namjoon:

It was a hot summer day, and you wanted ice cream. More specifically, you wanted to get ice cream with your boyfriend, Kim Namjoon.

The only problem in this flawless plan was that Joon was working. He agreed to work at home, under the condition that you wouldn't distract him too much, a condition that was proving to be harder than you imagined. Especially when it was a hundred degrees outside.

You bite your lip lightly as you contemplate if you should actually bother RM, despite promising you wouldn't.

Huffing, you stare at the wooden door that leads to Namjoon's studio angrily. 'He needs this as much as I do', you convince yourself. 'He's been working all day'.

Feeling more confident now, you tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear and open the door slightly, peeking through the crack.

Your boyfriend is sitting with his back to you, mumbling under his breath as he writes something down on a piece of paper, occasionally raising his head to look at his computer screen.

His rusty blond hair looks messy even from behind, and you know he's probably been running his hands through it for hours now. His broad shoulders are hunched over his desk, his torso clad in a red checkered pyjama top.

"Hey, Joon", you say softly, knocking on the door to get your boyfriend's attention as you step into the room quickly, shutting the door behind you quietly.

Namjoon turns his head to you, his eyes wide with surprise, but thankfully, he doesn't look annoyed in the slightest. He swivels on his chair so he's facing you, a dimpled smile appearing on his face.

"Hey, love", he responds sweetly, the thick black glasses perched on the top of his nose making him look annoyingly sexy and cute at the same time, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

You smile, making sure to add a bit of puppy eyes as you walk forward to sit on the edge of your lover's thighs, straddling him with your legs on either side of his body.

"I wanted to check up on you", you say truthfully, playing with the collar of Namjoon's soft pyjama top, before looking up to shoot him a sheepish smile. "And maybe I also want you to go with me to get ice cream".

Your boyfriend raises his eyebrows at your confession, his hands placed on either of your legs as he rubs circle on your jeans with his thumbs. "I thought you weren't going to bother me?", he asks with a small smirk, not even trying to sound mad.

"I wasn't!", You defend yourself before shrugging helplessly, making Joon let out a gentle chuckle that you felt in your bones.

Shaking his head, you could already sense the 'no' standing on the tip of your boyfriend's tongue, so you move to the last resort before it's too late.

"Please, oppa?", You say with the cutest voice you can muster, wrapping your arms around his neck for good measure and moving even closer to him, so you're literally in his lap.

You can feel the way Namjoon's breath hitches, his cheeks turning a nice rosy shade of red as he shakes his head at your antics, looking defeated.

Your boyfriend sighs loudly, closing his eyes, and you almost feel bad for using the "oppa" antic, knowing how easily it turns him to putty in your hands.

"Fine, but-" "Yay, thank you, I love you!", You interrupt him, pecking his lips quickly and jumping from your place on his lap, intertwining your fingers together tightly as you lead the way out of the dimly lit room, your boyfriend following you with an exasperated sigh.

Park Jimin:

Being sick sucked, but you couldn't be more thankful for Jimin and his infinite care and love, especially during times like these.

You cough for the hundredth time today, your throat feeling scratchy and dry like the desert. Your eyes are closed, not because you're tired, but because it feels like someone placed sandbags on top of your eyelids, making it hard to keep them open for more than a few seconds.

You continue to lay on your bed, curled up in the covers as shivers wrack through your body, the temperature around you switching from freezing to burning within seconds.

"Hey, baby", you heard the gentle voice of your boyfriend, and then the tap of feet against the ground before the bed underneath you shifted, signaling that Jimin sat on the edge of it.

You can't get your mouth to move enough to answer his greeting, but you manage to flutter your eyes open slightly, blinking away the tears of exhaustion lining the bottom of your eyes as you focus on the figure of your boyfriend.

He looks amazing as usual, but worry and tiredness is etched all over his features as he looks at you closely, examining you for any visible discomfort.

His platinum blonde hair is matted to his forehead, sweaty from the run he probably did to get here. His almond eyes are staring at you with so much care that something inside your chest comes to life, stirring with warmth. His full lips are pressed in a thin line as looks at you, a sigh escaping his lips.

"How are you feeling?", He asks, running a hand through your tussled hair slowly, a small smile appearing on his face when you lean into his touch unconciously.

"Better", you say with the voice of a dying toad, lying despite knowing Jimin can easily read right through you, if his slightly raised eyebrows are anything to go by.

Not trying to disagree with your pathetic attempts to calm him down, your boyfriend takes out the medicine the doctor had prescribed for you, the only reason Jimin left your shared apartment for the last twenty-four hours.

"Here you go", he says, placing the small container of pills on the desk next to your bed, before taking out a water bottle and box of steaming rice cakes from another bag, which, judging by the smell, is from your favorite restaurant.

"You hadn't eaten anything for the last day, and you can't drink these pills on an empty stomach", Jimin explains at the sight of your questioning gaze. "I thought it's the least I could do."

You smile at Jimin's innocent way of thinking. He was always willing to do anything for you, even if it meant going to the other side of Seoul to buy you your favorite dish. Yet for him, it's the "least he could do".

You sit up with your lover's help, letting him place your pillows against the headboard of the bed to support your back, and you watch him with soft eyes as he opens the box of steaming food carefully, handing you a pair of chopsticks with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, "oppa", you say, shocking yourself and Jimin as one. You hardly ever call Jimin oppa, only when you want something from him or here and there when he asks you to jokingly.

But now, with the way Jimin was taking care of you, nothing like his usual baby-boy behaviour (which you loved as well obviously), you couldn't help but think the term fit more than usually.

Jimin's eyes widen for a second, before softening completely, and he leans forward to press a firm, warm, kiss to your temple. "Anything for you".

Kim Taehyung:

You and Taehyung had went to Daegu to celebrate the holidays with your boyfriend's family. It wasn't the first time you were meeting the Kim family, and you had already gotten to know and love the members of it.

"Y/N eonniee~~", you smile at the sound of the happy shout directed towards you, opening your arms for the small girl running towards you with all her might, sneaker-clad feet hitting the pavement.

"Yoona!", You let out a laugh as said girl leaps at you, wrapping her small arms around your neck as she hugs you tightly, burying her face in your neck with a squeal of excitement.

"Yah! What about a hug to your uncle?", Taehyung scolds half-heartedly, a small frown on his face as Yoona detaches herself from you, clambering off of you with a smile, before leaping towards your pouty boyfriend.

The angry expression immediately dissapears from Taehyung's face as his niece hugs him, and he lifts her up easily, twirling her around while she clings to him tightly, cute giggles of joy erupting from her pink lips.

You small as you watch the two reunite, unable to hide your own happiness at your boyfriend's happiness. You knew Taehyung was constantly missing home, and the blinding smile he was wearing right now proved that he was right where he belonged.

Placing Yoona on the ground gently, Taehyung intertwines his fingers with the little girl, letting her place her free hand in yours as the three of you start walking toward the family house slowly, swinging your conjoined arms with Yoona and occasionally lifting her up to entertain her, and hear more of the beautiful giggles she let out.

When you finally reach the door of the house, Taehyung lets go of Yoona's hand, returning to the car to take out your shared suitcase, a large blue one, big enough for the long time you'll spend here.

Yoona's chocolate brown eyes widen at the sight of her uncle coming back, carrying the luggage in his hands easily, and her small mouth opens slightly, revealing two rows of blinding white teeth.

"Wow~~ How can Taehyung oppa carry such a heavy bag?", She asks, awe laced in her voice as Taehyung reaches you, a small smile on his face due to the kid's cute question.

Before the older has an opportunity to respond, you're already ruffling the girl's silky dark hair gently, pinching her cheek lightly. "Well, Yoona, Taehyung oppa is really strong."

You smirk slightly when Taehyung's chest literally puffs out at the sound of the compliment, his demeanor gaining even more confidence as he makes a big show of lifting the bag over his head, as if he was lifting weights.

Trying to hide your giggle behind your hand, you let Yoona continue ogling at her Superman uncle, leaning against the doorframe.

'So he likes to be called oppa', you think to yourself, a mischievous smile making it's way onto your face. 'Good to know'.

Jeon Jungkook:

You snort as you watch the video your friend sent you just a few minutes ago, raising your eyebrows at the screen in wonder.

The video was from a recent fanmeet of BTS, and it focused on your boyfriend, aka BTS' maknae, Jeon Jungkook.

In the video, taken by a fan, you could see your boyfriend's strangely aggressive reaction to being called oppa by one of the fans in the crowd, a noona, specifically.

As a foreigner, you never really called Jungkook 'oppa', just because it felt weird to call your boyfriend your 'big brother'. You did, however, address the rest of the members that way, after being sure they were okay with it.

"Babe, I'm home!", You raise your head from the screen at the sound of Jungkook's melodic voice, exiting the video you've been watching and getting to your feet, an idea starting to form in your head.

"Coming!", You shout back, padding barefoot out of your room and to the living room, where your boyfriend had just entered, dropping his black backpack on your cream colored sofa with a huff of exhaustion.

He looks tired, as expected after a day of recording BTS' new album, but he still smiles brightly when he sees you, pulling off his black bucket hat and letting his long raven hair tumble down his face.

His hair is long now, incredibly so, and it makes him look like some handsome villian from a Disney movie, especially with his all-black outfit, a black t-shirt with matching skinny jeans and mountain boots.

The only thing ruining his perfectly evil image is his baby face, the sparkling doe eyes and the sweet bunny smile, directed straight towards you.

You make a step towards you boyfriend, standing on your tiptoes to kiss his nose gently, before stepping back just a little bit, so your noses are almost touching.

"Welcome home, oppa", you say with a small smile, watching Jungkook's expression morph into one of surprise, his eyebrow knitting together in confusion before a displeased frown makes it's way to his face.

"Oppa?", He asks incredulously, his bottom lip jutting out as he sends you a look of distaste, making you laugh whole heartdely.

"What's the problem?", You ask curiously, wrapping your arms around Jungkook's slim waist and placing your chin on his chest. "Do you not like it?'

Your lover shrugs, placing his own arms on the small of your back as you sway back and forth slowly, staying in place. "Makes me feel old", he admits, scrunching his nose cutely.

You giggle, leaning forward to boop his nose, just to see it scrunch even more. "There's nothing in the world that'll make you seem old, babe.", You assure him gently, "You'll always be a baby to your members and ARMY.", You say with confidence, looking up to Jungkook's slightly scared eyes.

"And to you?", Jungkook asks with a hint of a smile, only half joking as he peers down at you expectantly, a curious glimmer in his eyes.

"You'll always stay my manbaby, Kook.", You say with a wide smile, hugging your boyfriend even tighter in your arms. "I promise."

The Keyblade Graveyard Part 1: Japanese and English Comparison

This is the fifth in a series of translation and analysis posts I’ve done about KH3. I’ll be talking about KH3 in the context of Westerns, briefly touch on a possible connection to jidaigeki, go into detail on camera angles and camera shots, and, of course, discuss translation and the social aspects of language.

I’ve broken up this analysis into multiple parts because it was getting so long. This part will cover Aqua and Ven’s interactions with Terranort, the next will cover when he attacks Lea and Kairi, and so on and so forth up through when the Demon Tide sweeps Sora away. 

Here’s a general key for the kind of analysis I like to do:

JP: Official Japanese Dialogue

EN: Official English Dialogue

TR: My Translation (usually more literal and thus more stilted than the official English version. I’m not using natural-sounding English in order to stick as close to the Japanese versions of the lines as possible for the purpose of analysis)

Notes: things I found interesting, grammatical points, extra thoughts, etc.

One last note: media doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Every work of art must be viewed through the cultural lens of the people who made it. Kingdom Hearts, for all its ties to Disney, is still very much a Japanese game, so it should be analyzed in light of that.

With that in mind, let’s continue.

Terra’s introduction is like a cowboy in a Western with the dramatic smoke:

The cinematography of this whole scene strikes me as inspired by Westerns and/or Samurai cinema (chanbara, a subcategory of jidaigeki, or period films). The two genres of film have had a large influence on each other (Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai was remade as The Magnificent Seven in the US, for example, and Akira Kurosawa was a fan of the American director John Ford), so this speculation might not be that far off.

This screenshot from the trailer for Seven Samurai, for example, shows a similar “dramatic smoke/dust�� moment, which makes me think that this may be a trope in Samurai cinema as well:

The setting of the Keyblade Graveyard itself calls to mind the setting of a lot of Westerns, with its smoke and dust and craggy hills and desert. The conflict even takes place in a graveyard, much like the final standoff in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, one of the most famous Westerns of all time (technically a Spaghetti Western, or a Western made in Italy - in this case directed by Italian director Sergio Leone):

Anyway, continuing on. Terra is here, but he’s looking at the ground and not making eye contact with anyone:

Ven is the first to notice him, and he calls his name...

JP テラ！

EN Terra!

TR Terra!

...before taking off after to him, which stresses Aqua out (and rightfully so - can you blame her for being on edge about everyone’s safety here, especially Ven’s?):

JP ヴェン！

EN Ven!

TR Ven!

We get this wide shot of Ven running to Terra while he just sort of stands there:

There are a number of shots like this in the scene that really emphasize the scale of the conflict by showing how small the human players are compared to the setting.

This ties in well to the theme that the characters cannot change their fate - they’re just playthings of it. The Keyblade Graveyard will still be there long after they’re dead, much like how it is still here after all the people who fought in the Keyblade War died. And while Sora does later change fate, he has to face the consequences. Death claims its prize in the end.

Ven latches onto Terra’s wrist, and the camera focuses on their hands:

And then we get this over the shoulder shot that is also at a bit of a high angle to emphasize Ven’s vulnerability:

JP テラやっと会えた！

EN Terra! We found you!

TR Terra! We could meet at last!

Notes: The Japanese phrasing is a little different than the English version, but the same general meaning gets across. Ven is excited to see Terra again. His use of yatto implies it’s been a while, and he uses the potential form for meet, hence why I translated this as “could meet” despite how awkward it sounds in English.

We get this reverse over the shoulder shot from a lower angle to emphasize Terra’s greater size and strength compared to Ven:

Now, Aqua has Seen Things™ in the Realm of Darkness, and she is quick to ask if this is really the Terra they know and love. No doubt she has in mind the time they met in the Realm of Darkness and Xehanort took control of him:

JP テラ　本当にテラなの？

EN Terra, please say you’re in there.

TR Terra, is that really you? (Literally: Is [that] really Terra?)

Notes: Japanese tends to use names more than English does, whereas English favors the use of pronouns, hence why Aqua repeats Terra’s name twice in her question in the Japanese version.

She uses the ~nano construction to check for confirmation - she wants to believe this is Terra, but she has her doubts.

We get this extreme close up shot of Terra’s eyes to emphasize that while yes, they are blue, they seem a little empty and soulless:

Something I noticed about Kingdom Hearts 3 is that there are a lot of extreme close up shots like this, especially of the characters’ eyes.

Well, as I was doing some research for this analysis, it turns out this type of shot is also sometimes called an Italian shot, named for... you guessed it, Sergio Leone, who popularized it in his Spaghetti Western films.

Here’s an example of this type of shot from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

The emphasis of this type of shot is on the character’s emotions, and it serves to heighten the dramatic tension of the scene. Multiple times throughout the Keyblade Graveyard, we’ll get extreme close up shots like this that have just such an effect.

On a side note, I never noticed this many extreme close up shots in a Kingdom Hearts game before. I wonder if they hired new cutscene director(s) to work on the game who left their unique mark on it, or if the graphics capabilities of UE4 allowed them to experiment around with the cinematography more than they could in the past.

Continuing on, we see Aqua’s reaction to Terra’s soulless gaze:

She immediately moves to put herself between Ven and Terra, selfless to the end:

Ven sounds downright annoyed in the Japanese version and confused/questioning in the English version, but Aqua doesn’t care, she’s keeping him safe. Note how tense Sora is in the background:

JP 何だよアクア！

EN What gives, Aqua?

TR What(’s going on), Aqua?

Notes: Ven uses the emphatic particle yo in the Japanese version to show his annoyance with Aqua here - they’re finally all together again and yet she’s pushing him away from Terra? What gives?

The camera changes to this wide shot, once again emphasizing the epic scale of this very human conflict:

JP あなたの中にテラはいない

EN I know that you’re not him.

TR Terra isn’t inside of you.

Notes: Aqua knows the problem. Terra, or perhaps more specifically, Terra’s heart, is not inside of the body before them now. Aqua sounds angry and frustrated in her delivery in the Japanese version. She’s sick of this happening, sick of Terra still being lost to them.

Ven gasps in this next shot to indicate his surprise:

And Aqua sounds very angry/upset in the Japanese version as she commands Xehanort to release Terra. The camera angle is low again to show how Terra is towering over them, to hint at the power imbalance that we will soon see play out:

JP テラの体を返しなさい！

EN Now, let our friend go!

TR Return Terra’s body (to him)!

Notes: When Aqua was addressing Terra earlier, she used casual/intimate grammar forms. Japanese has an entire system of conjugation based on social dynamics - there are polite and casual forms of verbs, there are honorifics, humble expressions, rude expressions... all to express the relationship between the speaker and the addressee.

Aqua switches to a more polite form here. This could be because she wants to indicate social distance from Xehanort. It certainly isn’t used to be polite. This isn’t her friend; this is the man who ruined her friends’ lives as well as her own. She commands him to return Terra’s body using the honorific form nasai in a way that sounds like she’s scolding him. It’s possible she also chooses to use this particular command form as a mark of feminine speech, instead of using one of the coarser/more direct command forms at her disposal.

The camera tilts up, still at that low angle to emphasize Terra’s relative size and height advantage, and he (well, more like the heart inside of him) smirks:

We see his hair change color in a close up shot:

And then Ven’s horrified reaction. After all, he never knew what happened to Terra (as far as I can remember). The shot here really emphasizes his emotions by centering him in the frame head-on:

Fate of the Unknown has begun to play, very fitting for this scene, as Terra’s fate smacks Ven in the face (and the audience as well, for that matter). Note how everyone is ready for a fight, even if their Keyblades aren’t out yet. Knees bent, arms outstretched, or, in Goofy’s case, balled into fists:

Then we get this close up shot of Terranort’s face. His hair is fully silver and his eyes are yellow, and Mickey proclaims what has become of Terra:

JP これで１３人目ー

EN He is their thirteenth.

TR Here is (the) thirteenthー

Notes: Basically saying the same thing in both languages, just worded sligthly differently to sound more natural in English.

Dark smoke wafts off of Terranort as he finally speaks, and it’s not with Terra’s voice:

JP おまえたちはここで敗北する

EN Today is the day you all lose.

TR Here you all (will) lose.

Notes: Terranort uses the derogatory second person plural pronoun omaetachi to refer to them here. He also uses a casual form of the verb suru, indicating familiarity or, in this case, contempt. The word for “lose,” haiboku, can also mean “be defeated.”

Aqua sounds downright angry here in the Japanese version as she responds, and Ven just looks sad. The camera angle is a little off-kilter here (note how Aqua and Ven seem the same height even though they are not, and the characters in the background form a diagonal line): to indicate how “off” this whole situation is (I think this would be an example of a Dutch angle, but in case it’s not, I’ll call this kind of angle a tilted angle throughout this analysis):

JP 何を！

EN What?!

TR What!

Notes: I noticed the dialogue uses a lot of exclamation marks throughout this scene, both in the English version and the Japanese version. Emotions are running high, and all those exclamation marks really serve to show that.

Here we get a shot of Ven’s feet and Aqua’s legs...

...which is reminiscent of images and posters of famous show-downs in movies, like this one for the 1952 Western High Noon:

We even see this same sort of shot earlier in this scene, this time with Sora’s legs and Xehanort as the approaching opponent:

Once again, the framing of the shots calls to mind Westerns.

Moving on to the dialogue:

JP １３の闇にたどりつくこともなく　この場で心は肉体を離れ我が身を散らす

EN Before you even face the thirteen, every last one of you will be torn heart from body.

TR Without even reaching the thirteen darknesses, at this place (your) hearts will be separated from (your) bodies (and) I (will) scatter them (literally the bodies).

Notes: Terranort uses a different pronoun than Terra does. He uses ware, which Xehanort sometimes uses (and also sounds kind of old-fashioned), instead of the masculine pronoun ore, which is Terra’s pronoun of choice.

In the Japanese version, two different words are used for “body” here as well, nikutai in the first instance and mi in the second instance, perhaps for poetic effect and/or to avoid redundancy.

Next, he summons his weapon, which is accompanied by more darkness, and delivers this line:

JP だが安心しろ

EN But fear not.

TR But be at peace.

Notes: “Fear not” sounds a little archaic in English, as in modern English we would say “don’t be scared” or “don’t be afraid.” Over time main verbs lost the ability to move in front of negatives in English, and we insert “do” instead, which attaches to “not” to form “don’t,” while leaving the main verb in its spot.  

Terranort’s use of an older construction in English like this is very effective at making him sound pompous. In modern English saying “fear not” brings up religious connotations, as a lot of well-known quotes from the Bible are based on older translations (hello, King James version) and thus older forms of the language. Terranort sounds like he’s playing at God, here, in other words. It also makes him sound older, which is fitting for an old man who stole the body of a young one.

In the Japanese version, he uses the command form of the verb suru, shiro, to command them to be at peace. This is a very direct way to command someone to do something, kind of coarse and not at all polite.

The camera cuts to this close up shot of his face:

JP χブレードはここで完成する

EN The χ-blade will still be forged.

TR The χ-blade will be completed here.

Notes: Basically saying the same thing in both languages. I like how the English version went with “forged,” though. Fitting for the whole “creating a weapon” thing.

We see, not Aqua and Ven’s reaction to Terranort’s proclamation, but everyone else’s, Sora’s in particular. He is centered in the frame here:

And then we get a closer shot of him to better showcase his reaction. His voice sounds lower here to indicate his determination:

JP おまえたちに���けることはない

EN We’re not gonna lose to you.

TR We’ll never lose to you.

Notes: Sora uses the derogatory second person plural pronoun here, omaetachi. He’s referring to their enemies as a whole as a whole, not just Terranort. Unfortunately this nuance is somewhat lost in English because we use “you” for both singular and plural second person, though regional varieties have popped up, such as y’all, you lot, you guys, youse guys, yinz, etc. to refer to plural “you.”

(For anyone wondering, yes, English did used to make this distinction in the past, much like many modern European languages still do. It was a sad day the English language lost its second person plural pronoun for various reasons that I won’t get into here, but those regional varieties I mentioned have popped up for a reason - it is really useful to be able to make that distinction between singular and plural!)

Sora uses the ~kotowanai construction here to indicate that they’ll never lose to Xehanort and his cronies. He’s absolutely sure of it. And the English version captures his casual style of speech with “gonna.”

The shot ends with him glaring at Terranort:

And the camera cuts to Terranort, making what I will call “the Xehanort look” from here on out:

We can see the Xehanort look exemplified by Xehanort himself here:

An eyebrow raised, head tilting forward, eyes looking up - a Kubrick stare to indicate he’s a little deranged.

An example of the Kubrick Stare for reference, from the film A Clockwork Orange. The Kubrick Stare was popularized by the director Stanley Kubrick for it showing up in a lot of his films:

That is a dramatic contrast from the types of faces Terra makes:

Using Xehanort’s expressions with Terra’s body makes it very clear Terra is not the one in control here, as to my knowledge Terra never makes the Xehanort look. It’s also very unsettling to see Terra acting like Xehanort. It just feels wrong, and that really comes through in how Terranort moves and reacts.

One moment, he’s there...

...and the next, he’s gone, indicated by a whooshing noise:

He can move lightning-fast, a fact the slow motion here in the next part obscures a little for dramatic effect. This has also lead to the impression that Aqua and Ven just stood there and did nothing. That’s not entirely true. It’s more like they didn’t have time to do much of anything.

Aqua does, in fact, react to his disappearance; you can hear her make a surprised noise here:

And then he suddenly reappears between her and Ven, indicated by another whooshing noise. Note Terranort’s posture, how he is bending his knee to gather as much momentum to hit Ven with as possible. The scene also goes into slow motion for dramatic effect:

And the camera cuts to him swinging his blade and speeds up a little:

Again, Aqua barely has time to register that Terranort has moved because he’s moving so quickly. Ven is in shock because he would never imagine Terra hurting him. They didn’t have much time to launch any sort of a defense, and while I think Aqua expected Terranort to attack her, perhaps, neither she nor Ven expected Terranort to attack Ven.

Because Ven is like their younger brother, or even their son. In the Japanese version of BBS he downright said he was supposed to bring his parents to Disney Town when he gave Terra and Aqua the passes, not just grownups like the English version went with. And while Aqua and Terranort have fought before, Terra has never laid a hand on Ven. Not as Terra, not as Terranort. Ven trusts him to keep him safe, to protect him. So for Terranort to attack him, well...

It’s kind of like watching a father attack his own son as his wife watches on in horror at what’s unfolding.

The scene goes back into slow-mo as Terranort’s Keyblade connects with Ven, and Ven is folded over from the impact, Terranort hit him so hard. He makes a choked sound of pain, too, like he’s had the wind knocked out of him and can hardly breathe. Note how Aqua isn’t looking in their direction yet because she hasn’t had time to look yet:

We cut to a closer shot of Ven that puts the focus on him as he reacts, and you can see the pain written all over his face:

The scene is still in slow motion as he hurtles backwards:

And then the camera cuts to Aqua to show her reaction. She slowly turns her head (still in slow-mo, remember?), and the look of shock and horror on her face is heartbreaking to see:

The camera speeds up to normal speeds as it shows Ven being flung backwards, as if this is from Terranort’s POV:

Note how Ven’s eyes are still open, he still seems to be conscious:

And then the camera cuts to a different perspective behind the characters, as if the camera is on the ground. Note how once again the ground is at an angle instead of forming a straight line in this shot to indicate how wrong this whole situation is. We can also see Ven landing on his back with his legs in the air...

...which provides enough momentum for him to tumble backwards:

His body settles on the ground in a cloud of dust, and he no longer seems to be conscious. Note his limp head:

My guess is that landing on his back like that/hitting his head is what made him lose consciousness, as he was conscious before when he was still in the air. Terranort wasn’t necessarily trying to kill him (though I’d argue hitting your head like that would probably be enough to kill you in real life if not in video games), he was just trying to incapacitate him so it would make it easier to take his heart out of his body later on.

Riku provides credence to this theory later on when he tells Sora that the hearts of their friends are still in their bodies. If Ven had died here, that probably wouldn’t be the case.

The camera cuts to Terranort, and he has a downright smug expression on his face over what he just did. The Xehanort look is back in full force:

And it makes for quite the contrast with Aqua’s look of shock and disbelief as she gasps:

We get a shot from her POV, showing Ven crumpled on the ground:

And then a close up shot of her reaction to what has happened to Ven that showcases her emotions, her feelings. This moment is framed in terms of her pain and loss and shock, showing that we as the audience are supposed to empathize with her:

We get a closer shot of Ven that fills the frame, and Ven isn’t conscious:

And Aqua has processed everything enough to finally be able to speak:

She calls Ven’s name in a downright panicked manner and leans forward as she does:

JP ヴェン！

EN Ven!

TR Ven!

To be continued...

((I’m really sorry if I’m becoming too annoying with asks and all that!!! U don’t have to respond!!)) Kind of random, but out of curiosity, do you have any A/B/O AU family headcanons?? I honestly would LOVE to know more about all of them!! Thank you sm!!

!!! NOT AT ALL I ACTUALLY GET SUPER HAPPY WITH YOU LIKING THEM SO HUSH YOU’RE NEVER A BOTHER ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT

legit i have a shit ton of notes in my notebook with my horrible hand writing and basically nonsense notes and while writing the edited ver a) like the dingus i am i accidentally clicked a thing and lost all the answers b) the internet dies haaah

SO YEAH THERE’S A SHIT TON UNDER THE CUT

MIDORIYAs

mido worries about his mom getting overwhelmed by paparazzi so as a pro hero he doesn’t really give off his name to the public and the name midoriya kinda just fades over time

i’m guessing heroes give birth in secluded hospitals who won’t give off their info yeah? but mido’s location got leaked somehow and yu got kidnapped by villains which then todo fucks shit up and got her back so since then they’ve been kinda worried about safety and shit

inko stands in as guardian for school related stuff most often since todo and deku are mostly busy

idk why i kinda hc todo’s mom as an ice dancer or something (look at how that boy works with ice that does not come from endeavor) she used to take the kids to the ice rink and teaches them to skate. todo still holds that place as a safe space and goes to the one a few train stations away from campus after he gets his shit together. he took deku there for their date and ends up also taking the girls there too.

rei gets out at some point, as she gets used to being in society again she stays with inko (and all might//SHOT) at deku’s old room when he got a place with todo. she gets along with them and also mitsuki. they have tea together and share embarrassing stories about their kids it’s great

yu and tsumu plays mostly at tsumu’s house which was closer to the school, they hit it off super well and they even talk about each other to their families, todo and deku are super relieved to know their girl has another friend. yu actually met mirio and tamaki already but are not aware they know her parents

so tsumu one day just “hey you wanna come over for dinner we’re having bbq you should bring your family over!” and they do come over cause why not i guess and then the 2 families meet and damn

their balcony is filled with potted plants courtesy of inko. there’s also a small bottle with a single morning glory flower, wrapped in a blue ribbon and a duck cutout stuck into the dirt

no one uses watashi in the house, yu uses boku, chi uses ore, yu calls them oka-sama and otou-sama and generally uses more formal speech while chi uses the more common -san honorific, not sure if this is relevant of anything but yeah. also todo calls deku bunny from when they started courting (2nd year)

they have a thing with nicknames. obviously deku uses -chan, but also

BAKUGOUs

baku and kiri works as partners tho sometimes kiri helps out with the fatgum office, they have an office at home and basically a small gym

meat. so much meat. there’s always meat in the fridge

baku and kyou both eat with so much fucking spice and chilli kiri’s basically kinda used to it to a point. but if they have the girls over (like when deku’s in heat//SHOT) they have to have extra of the low impact portion. one time chi took the spicy portion by accident, apparently she’s immune

they’re an outdoor family basically. whenver they can they go mountain climbing when kyou is old enough. baku’s chili peppers kept getting stolen by animals, he tries every time to blow them up

baku and kiri dated and courted first, but deku and todo mated first cause of a quirk related accident. but then they got engaged and married first because baku is fucking petty.

baku’s parents fucking love kiri he’s a good boy he’s glad baku somehow ended up with someone so great. baku however have to holds himself back to be a good boy™ to kiri’s more traditional family. he managed somehow

when baku’s parents meet kiri’s they’re shocked to find how they find baku as a charming and wonderful young alpha and they’re glad their eijiro found someone who accepted him. SO MITSUKI OUT OF SPITE INVITES THEM A LOT AND BAKU HAS TO ENDURE SO MUCH SHIT

BAD NEWS FOR HIM CAUSE THEY GET ALONG

“MRS KIRISHIMA WOULD YOU LIKE TOO SEE KATSUKI’S BABY PICTURES?” BAKU, INTERNALLY DETONATES

baku ended up basically deaf so he has to learn sign language, kiri the ever supportive bf learns too, as well as their families, and they also thought it to kyou

friday nights are mario kart nights, no holds bar

the rest of the baku squad (and camie) often visits but since they converted the extra room to baku’s office and their couch isn’t all that big they have to sleep at mido’s place, or borrow their extra futon

kiri, when asked if he wants another kid, “holy shit no it was so hard to get my body back into shape ok and also how the heck do you even hold yourself as a hero not to save people IZUKU SOMEHOW DID IT MORE THAN ONCE IM STILL SHOCKED”

when kyou got his quirk he accidentally burned his bed, then screamed to dad and pop hOLY SHIT I GOT MY QUIRK

he was so proud of it at first and shows it off at schooltho when it's found out that he has little control with it, as lava often seeps through his skin and out of his mouth at random times, almost hurting the other kids, the at first popular kyou was feared by his peers, until yu got her quirk late in the year and was able to put out his lava whenever

"you're not scared of me? even before you got your quirk?" "why would i it's not like you did it on purpose" also like she's used to baku. that goes along for years until kyou presented. yu comes over after school with meds and stuff, but kyou, out of his mind and his body out of his control, attacked her, trapping her in a cascade of hot burning lava. she managed to escape with some mild burn and they kinda got awkward for a while. they're cool eventually

however when yu presented the fear of that happening again got way fucking worse

YAOYOROZUs

momo and kyouka wants to be independant yeah, so they got their own apartment (more of a penthouse if anything) with their own money

a note, dams are gender neutral pronouns for moms, sires for dads

itsu calls momo dad, kyouka mom

since he’s mute since birth, in addittion to sign language, as his interest with music grows they make a system for basic stuff he can make with notes and sequenses as answers where he’s unable to use signs

momo however also makes a list of codes for specific teas

he carries around at least a whistle or kazoo, mostly he uses a harmonica

momo’s parents worries at first about enrolling him into a normal school but momo and kyouka themselves are convident their kid can get along with the other kids

they right, even without his connection as their kid

is he a goth? not really, he just really likes the color black

he also like birds, he has a bunch of photos and encyclopedias of birds in his room

kyouka often holds charity concerts, momo and itsu always comes to support her

IIDAs

it surprised everyone when iida, the rule abiding iida, had ochako pregnant before they got married, so with the power of the iida family they got engaged and married so fucking quick

tho really it was an accident, ocha misscounted her birthcontrol pills during her heat and they’re already courting anyway and their familes are already aware of each other and get along well so whatever

HE WAS ALSO LATE FOR HIS BIRTH BECAUSE HE HAD TO FUCKING OBEY THE GODDAMN TRAFFIC LAW

also i need someone to get me like, you see iida and ura, they cute right, pure and soft. but holy shit when ocha’s in heat she takes no shit and is basically a goddamn dominatrix

they, deku and todo shares a hero agency, so basically when tenma was born they made a baby space for him in their shared office with toys and shit and the sidekicks can play with him, they’re putty in his chubby hands. same thing happened with the tododeku kids. the sidekicks are all okay with this

there’s not many support and rescue heroes, so ocha often gets called in as an instructor at ua, she brings tenma for lessons for her students to safe

tenma likes to hang around the future heroes, he likes to play hero

“senpai senpai do you need help!” “ooh ye see i think i accidentally blew my shoe way up that tree can you get it for me?” “YES!!”

he takes martial arts lessons as early as from 3 years old, as a teenager he’s able to fight midair

TOGATAs

so like not sure yet, tamaki’s either an omega or beta so tsumu is either theirs biologically or adopted so

either way if she’s their biological kid, during his heat tamaki used his quirk when doing the dirty so the genes stick and mutates and shit

aNYWAY

tamaki doesn’t really like making appearances on tv and in public, he even rarely sign for merch deals, tsumugi often finds knock off merch of him and she likes to get it as a kind of joke cause the design was actually kinda funny, mainly this actually

she also likes to find show cameos of him, that too was hilarious

she loves hanging out with aunt nejire they often go shopping, she’s the one who bought her the knock off suneater shirt

“lol you wanna know why your dad’s hero name is suneater?” “what?=D” “tha-” tamaki: NEJIRE I SWEAR TO GOD

also like mirio totally acts like the protective big bro to eri when someone likes her

she likes buff/big bodies, mostly to sleep on, she sleeps on mirio and mr fatgum

she has a bunch of miruko merch cause she’s a rabbit and has strong ass legs and she may or may not have a gay awakening cause of that

here is, in fact, said bootleg shirt

she likes the giant gaping mount

SHINSOUs

SHINSOU’S AN UNDERGROUND HERO FIGHT ME

he teaches the hero course and LIKE HIS DAMN DAD IS A LITTLE SHIT TO HIS CLASS

so he’s the one who changed the entrance exam to make it more fair for kids with quirks that are not flashy his, so the robots are then deligated to the recomendation exam kids while the regular ones gets a basically game of hide and seek with his hero buddies and the older students

i actually have this for his hero costume back from goddamn january i dont even know

i, i have nothing for fuyusei they met at the hospital and they hit it off and that’s….. it

i have even lESS SHIT FOR OJITOORU

ALSO LIKE I FUCKING LOVE THE IDEA THAT ALL MIGHT RUNS A VILLAIN REHAB FACILITY OR SOMETHING WITH ALL HIS MONEY, YOU KNOW, FROM BEATING VILLAINS TO SAVING VILLAINS, AND LIKE INKO HELPS WITH TALKING TO THEM IM WEAK

Together by Chance {Jackson Wang (Got7) x Rem (Q-UEEN)}

Warnings: Nothing?

Ft: Amber(f(x)) and Rest of Q-UEEN (Q-UEEN Profile)

Summary: Rem is a trainee that is also a foreigner. She is having diffculties with the Korean language and learning customs. The girls are helping her, but she just feels out of place. Zhi, also a foreigner, takes her to meet some of her friends in hopes Rem will open up.

Editing Team: Thank you @neuroticc for helping me get my ideas in line and helping to edit this! Really means a lot to me! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

A/N: I hope this is okay guys. Right now I am trying to develope each of the girls’ personalities and relationships. Please let me know what you think and if you want one of the girls to interact with another idol or group send in a request. Go check out @neuroticc, her writing is amazing. Love you guys! Thank you for your support.

Coming to Korea and not knowing one bit of Korean was hard. Plus being a foreigner was hard as well. You feel as if you don't fit into the world. Luckily Zhi was there to help me, but i still felt alone. But I still felt alone because she is from China and her family is close. Mine is all the way across the world.

Zhi could sense my loneliness and invited me to go to lunch with her and a few of her idol friends.. So here I am dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a plain blue sweater, a black pea coat, a beanie and a pair of black combat boots. My hair is in it’s natural curls and my makeup is kept light. It is the middle of December in Korea and let’s just say I am not use to this weather. “Racquel!” I hear Zhi call through the dorms and I sigh satisfied with my look before grabbing my purse.

“You heading out?” Shin asks from the top bunk. Shin and I have been roommates since I moved in the dorms. She was a bit hesitant of me at first, but soon we tolerated each other and became somewhat friendly. We aren’t able to talk as much due to the language barrier, but she does help me understand in my time of confusion.

“Yeah. Zhi wants me to meet some other foreigners.” I stutter a bit on my Korean, but she understands me.

“Well have fun, and try to practice your Korean.” Shin teases me with a playful smile and I smile at her before waving goodbye and skipping to the door where Zhi awaits.

We are walking down the streets of Seoul to a restaurant that Zhi’s friends are waiting for us at. “Amber said there is someone she wants to introduce us to.” Zhi states as we are facing the fierce winds of the cold.

“Okay.” I mumble into my coat, and Zhi links arms with me as we keep on walking. Zhi has just turned 17, and I have just turned 13. So I couldn’t leave the dorms without asking our company or manager or without an elder member. Zhi has treated me as if I am a little sister to her since I moved here last year.

We get to the restaurant a few minutes later, and am welcomed by the warm air. Zhi looks around while I look at my feet afraid to meet these people and afraid they might not like me. “Zhi!” I hear a voice shout and glance up without lifting my head. I see a girl with short hair and a young man beside her at a table. Zhi waves and then grabs my arm gently.

“Don’t be shy. I am nervous to.” Zhi whispers as we make it to the table. Zhi lets me go as she walks ahead to greet Amber who has been a mentor to Zhi. I don’t look up as I keep on walking scared of what is gonna happen. Then suddenly I run into a hard figure and almost fall, but the person catches me by the wrist.

“Whoops I am sorry.” I look up at the stuttering Korean speaker to see a guy with a slight Justin Bieber haircut wearing sagging pants and a sweater.

“My fault.” I say in English and realize my mistake quickly and correct myself in Korean. The guy looks me over, as he is a few inches taller than me.

“My name is Jackson.” He says in English and I sigh in relief.

“I am Racquel.” I say and we both bow to each other. Then Zhi speaks up, drawing Jackson and I’s attention away from each other.

“Racquel. This is Amber Unnie.” Zhi states gesturing to the young women. I smile and bow to her as I introduce myself. Zhi introduces herself to Jackson as well. Zhi and I take off our winter gear hanging it up. The only spots available is next to Jackson or the chair next to Amber. Zhi naturally takes the seat next to Amber and that leaves me on the bench next to Jackson. Amber and Zhi are in a conversation already, so that leaves the Jackson and I to mingle.

“So Racquel how old are you?” Jackson starts off the conversation, in English, as he passes me a cup of green tea. I hold the warm cup in my hands and bow my head in thanks.

“I am 13.” I tell him and he nods his head with wide eyes.

“And you moved to Korea by yourself? Where are you from?” Jackson asks me and I shake my head.

“I was born in San Francisco, Cali, but I use to live in Seattle, Washington. My parents moved with me here at first, and then they moved away a few months ago with my siblings.” Jackson looks at me with pity, but I try to change the subject. “How about you? How old are you and where are you from?” I ask before taking a sip of my tea.

“I am from Hong Kong and I am 18 years old. I  moved here a year ago. My parents still live in Hong Kong.” Jackson informs me as our food arrives. Amber tells us she ordered the basic Korean food and that she will be paying since she is the only debuting idol here. We all thank her before eating and talking. Amber and Zhi still deep in a conversation.

“So you are a trainee?” I ask him after eating a wrap I made myself. He nods his head swallowing whatever food is left in his mouth.

“Yes. I am from JYP. I know you are a trainee from Blue Star, right?” Jackson asks me and I nod my head. “Do you know when you are going to debut yet?” Jackson asks me and I nod my head after taking a bite of my food.

“Yeah. I am going to debut this coming Summer as a group.” I tell him and he looks at me excitedly.

“Are you nervous?” I sigh nodding my head.

“Especially since my Korean isn’t that good.” Jaskon nods his head understandingly, but suddenly his eyes light up with an idea.

“Try talking in Korean with me. I promise I won’t judge.” Jackson reassures me before gesturing for me to go. I shyly bite my lip before nodding my head.

“Hello I am Racquel. What is your name?” I say in Korean, but I stumble over my words a bit. Jackson nods his head before correcting my on my pronunciation. Jackson has me talk with him in Korean and him helping me along the way. We keep doing this the whole time until it is time to leave.

At the end of our lunch, Jackson offers to help me with my Korean for my debut. I thank him and exchanged information with him. I have a phone thanks to my parents being all the way in California, and Jackson has one as well. He tells me to call him or else he’ll call me. “It was nice meeting you Jackson oppa.” The honorific slips out and I quickly apologize, but he shakes his head.

“You sound so cute saying that and it is correct.” Jackson states and makes me promise to call him that from now on.

~

It has been 2 months since my lunch with Jackson and Amber. .Jackson and I have become close as he would call me to check up on me or to help me with pronunciation. But now he wants to me to meet up, so he can help me with my conversation Korean.

Since our debut is coming up, I have been a bit busy with recording and dancing. But today I have a day off, and Jackson wants me to go over to his dorms so he can help me prepare better. My manager agreed to let me go after talking to Jackson’s manager.

So here I am, stepping out of my company’s van on a February afternoon. A mask is on my face due to our teaser video being released on the web, and some people already recogonize us. Outside the building stands Jackson in his usual black attire. “Hey!” Jackson calls out to me and I smile jogging up the path way.

“Hey Oppa.” I greet and he smiles at his nickname before opening the door for me to step in. I do and he leads the way to his floor. “Are you sure your trainee team won’t mind?” I whisper to him as we are outside his dorm’s entrance. He laughs before bringing me into a side hug.

“They won’t mind at all, they are excited to meet you. They even cleaned.” Jackson states with a smile.

“Really? You aren’t lying to me right? I am already nervous.” I state stuttering a bit, but not because of my Korean.

“Usually we aren’t allowed girls in the dorms, but JYP accepted you.” Jackson states before opening the dorm room door open. We walk in and Jackson helps me with my coat after I take off my boots near the pile of shoes. “Hello?” Jackson calls out as voices are heard and I instantly get more nervous as the voices silence.

“I think I should go-” Jackson cuts me off by grabbing my arm and dragging me in. “Oppa~” I drag out the word as Jackson drags me all the way into the room. The first room is an open space of the living room, kitchen and dining room, and there sat 6 older boys. My nerves set in as they all look at us.

“Guys, this is Racquel, but known now as REM from Q-UEEN. That new girl group.” Jackson states excitedly and I glare at him before bowing to the group. I am dressed kind of cozy like due to the freezing weather. I am in a pair of leggings, a loose sweater that goes to mid thigh, and knee-high socks.

“Hello.” I say awkwardly as I stand back up.They are all standing up and are in front of us. I am a bit overwhelmed, but they all greet me individually. Bambam was the most giddy as he is the last to greet me.

“You are way cuter than I imagined.” I am shocked by his comment as I feel my ears turning red. I am just glad I just came in from the cold or else my cheeks and ears would show my embarrassment.

“Hey!” Jackson shouts angrily as he senses my awkwardness. I bite my lip to hold in a giggle as they playfully fight. Jackson isn’t by my side anymore as he argues with BamBam who is walking away. This leaves me with the other 5 members by myself.

“Are they always like this?” I ask looking at the other members to try to ease tension, and the others nod. It is silent until Jae-bum speaks up.

“Do you want to take a seat?” I nod my head and bow to him before taking a seat on a love seat in the room. The rest of the guys sit on the big sofa. Silence envelopes the room (besides Jackson and BamBam’s argument), and I am about to break it, but Jae-bum beats me to it. “Jackson says you are from California.” I nod my head.

“Yeah. San Francisco to be exact. I heard one of you are from California as well?” I ask unsure of this information, and Mark raises his hand.

“Los Angeles.” I smile nodding my head kindly at him as I start playing with my fingers.

“So you are going to debut soon I heard from Jackson?” Young-Jae asks next, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Yup. I am slightly nervous since I am not too good at Korean and we are promoting.” I tell them nervously and Young-Jae nods his head understandingly.

“So are you Korean?” Jin-Young asks me and I shake my head with a nervous smile. I am getting more nervous as I am the center of attention right now.

“I am Filipino, American and French.” All the guys look at me impressed before Jackson and BamBam come into the room. There is one spot open by the boys and one spot by me. Jackson takes long strides to me, and plops down on the empty spot.

“I am sorry if I made you awkward with my honesty.” BamBam smiles at me before bowing and I wave him off kindly. I am about to say something, but Jackson cuts me off.

“She also speaks 5 languages and is only a 99er.” Jackson brags like I am his sister and wraps an arm behind me on the couch.

“Which ones?” BamBam asks from the seat beside Yugyeom.

“English, French, Filipino, Spanish, and now Korean.” I name them off and the boys look at me shocked.

“Your Korean got better.” Jackson exclaims and I smile at Jackson brightly.

“Yeah you have nothing to worry about when you debut.” Young-jae speaks up and I bow in thanks to him.

“Thank you. I hope not.” I say and Jackson nudges me slightly.

“See I told you my lessons over the phone help.” I roll my eyes before nudging him in the side making him fake a wince.

“We’ve only known each other for 3 months and you are going to take credit for my Korean?” I scoff at him and Jackson playfully gives me a cute pose.

“So you and Jackson have only known each other for 3 months?” BamBam points between Jackson and I.

“Yeah. Amber unnie and Zhi unnie introduced us since he is the only one close to my age they knew that was a foreigner that knew English. Sadly.” I mutter the last part making the boys laugh and Jackson pout. I giggle before nudging him to cheer him up.

“No you hurt oppas feelings.” Jackson pouts turning away from me.

“I am sorry Jackson oppa~” I purposely drag out the oppa, but no budge. So I sigh before resulting to my French that makes me sound slightly funny. “Je suis profondément désolé d'avoir brisé votre coeur Jackson. (I am deeply sorry for breaking your heart Jackson)” I say letting the accent roll off my tongue freely. Jackson smiles as he hears my French and turns around.

“I forgive you.” Jackson turns to the boys as they mutter. “That was her french. Doesn’t it sound funny?” I glare at Jackson as the others look at me,

“That was so cool!” Young-jae compliments before we get into a talk about languages. Then the boys and I get into conversations about everything. They wanted to know my position in my group and I told them. Then they told me how they are hoping to debut soon like me.

“I bet you guys will debut soon as well and when you do, the girls and I will be there to cheer you on.” I say cheerfully with a big smile and this caused Jackson to smile at my cuteness.

“You are so cute! You’ll win all the boys hearts on stage.” Jackson smuggles me into a hug that I try to fight, as the others are laughing or yelling at Jackson to let me go. That is when my phone starts ringing in my pocket. It falls silent as Jackson lets me go, and I grab the phone. The name flashing across the screen is my managers along with the time, 4:45. I had been here for 3 hours!

“Hello?” I answer the call quickly after looking at the time.

“Racquel! Finally you answered. I am outside, you have practice in 45 minutes, and you need to change and I have to pick up the rest of you girls.” my manager’s tired voice comes through the phone. I nod my head and look at Jackson with a sad smile.

“Sorry Unnie. I will be down in just a moment. Let me just say goodbye.” I say and she tells me to be down in less than 10 minutes and I agree. I hang up the phone and look at Jackson and the others. “I’ve got to go. I have practice with the girls tonight, and my manager is downstairs.” I tell Jackson and the boys.

“Man. I wanted to spend time more time with you.” Jackson whines with puppy eyes.

“Yeah it was nice finally talking to someone else besides BamBam that is close to my age.” Yugyeom states and I smile at the boy sadly.

“I am great company. I just think you think she is prettier than I am.” BamBam states and this causes Yugyeom to blush and hit BamBam while everyone is laughing. I blush a little bit as I stand up to get ready to leave.

“I enjoyed hanging out with you guys as well. Thank you for letting me come over and practice my Korean.” I bow to them and they all reassure me it’s alright.

“We would love to keep in contact with a sunbaenim, you know to get advice for when we get ready to debut.” Mark speaks up with a smile. I nod my head before looking at Jackson.

“Yeah. Jackson has my number and he can give it to all of you, but I really need to get downstairs. I don’t want to add conditioning to practice as well.” I state and they all nod in agreement.

“I’ll walk you to the door.” Jackson states and I smile at him kindly. I say goodbye to the boys and they all cheerfully say goodbye to me as well. Jackson and I walk to the door, and I slide my jacket and boots back on.

“Thank you for helping me out oppa.” I thank him as we get downstairs to the main exit. He waves me off with a smile before bringing me into a hug.

“Anytime. Thank you for talking to us about debuting and stuff.” I hug him back and we release after his statement. I wave him off before looking up at the windows above where Got7 is looking out.

“They are great guys. You guys will do great when you debut. Give them my number okay, oppa?” I ask and Jackson smirks at me before wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah I’ll make sure to give it to Yugyeom.” I blush and giggle at his suggestion before hitting him in the shoulder.

“Bye Jackson oppa~” I hold out the oppa as I walk away before he can catch onto my blushing cheeks.

“Bye Racquel!” He yells and I wave at him and then looking up at the window, where the rest of the boys are looking, I wave at them. They all wave back and I laugh before jumping into the van.

Full metal panic! Collectors edition 1 and 2

So far, the first six volumes of Full metal panic have had an english language print release. I just recently read through them.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first Full metal panic anime. The animation was jerky and the direction felt sluggish. On top of that the attempt at mixing together romantic comedy and mecha spy fiction felt very awkward at times. I stopped watching after the first season and it wasn’t until much later that I would give the other seasons a try. And i’m glad I did, everything after the first season was an improvement. The animation was better, the action felt more exiting. The second raid even had some of my all time favourite mecha action set pieces in it. At this point it would be safe to say that I’m a fan of Full metal panic, even if I did dislike the first season. I was interested in reading the novels but at the time there wasn’t an english translation available. I don’t keep an eye on the light novel scene, so I didn’t know that a new official translation had been in the works and the first 6 volumes were available in physical hardcover books. The first one, containing volumes 1-3 was released about a year ago and the second one, with volumes 4-6 was just released this year, just a few months ago. I’ve read through the 6 available volumes. It was a light enjoyable read. I certainly enjoyed the novel version of the first three volumes more than the anime. While the show tried to mesh together the comedy and action, the novel seems to have a harder contrast when juggling between the two. It’s as if a switch is flipped between comedy mode and action mode before each chapter. The two tones feel disconnected from each other but Individually they worked better than in the anime. All though that isn’t saying much, since the first season isn’t hard to beat. I can easily recommend these books to fans of Full metal panic, even if you’ve seen the show. The novels offer a different experience and you get to read the sixth volume that was skipped in the anime version.

To a general audience it might be a hard sell. I can’t see many casual readers being interested in it and most people who would be into japanese light novels would probably already know about the anime version. The target audience is clearly anime watchers. This can be seen in the fact that the japanese honorifics are left in. Other than that there isn’t anything obnoxiously ”Anime” about the translation.

Both books contain three volumes of the novel. Each volume has an afterword from the author and some coloured illustrations. There are also some black and white illustrations spread throughout the book. Most of them depict somewhat mundane events and dissappointingly few of them are of the robots. It wasn’t hard to pick out a picture for the review, because pictures of the robots were so rare.

The coloured illustrations are more exciting, they depict important moments from the story. This picture of Tessa wearing sunglasses and holding a gun is my favourite. If I was pathetic enough to have an anime girl as my profile picture, this would be it.

Currently, only volumes 1-6 are available in print, but ebook versions have been released up to volume 10. If you are interested in the ebook version, you can take a look here.

Was Jesus Being Rude to His Mother (John 2:4)

Paul MacDonald RN MA Diplom

The Greek Pronoun Trouble

First, the translation "How does your concern affect me?” (John 2:4 in the NAB:RE) is not a literal rendering of what Jesus says in Greek.

Word-for-word, what he says is "What to me and to you?"

In context, Mary has just come up to him and informed Jesus that the people running the wedding have no wine, so you might literally translate his response as "What [is that] to me and to you?" In other words: "What does that have to do with us?"

He's not dismissing her. He's putting the two of them--both of them--in a special category together and questioning the relevance of the fact that people outside this category don't have wine. He's saying that it's not the responsibility of the two of them to make sure they have wine.

But that's lost if you take the Greek pronoun that means "to you" (soi) and obliterate it in translation.

"Woman"

Part of what makes it sound like Jesus might be dissing his mother is the fact that he refers to her as "woman."

We don't talk to women like that today--not if we respect them, and certainly not our own mothers.

But the connotations--of respect, disrespect, or other things--that a word has in a given language are quite subtle, and we can't impose the connotations that a word has in our own language on another.

Consider: Suppose, in English, we replaced "woman" with a term that means basically the same thing but with better connotations.

For example, the word "lady" or "ma'am."

Suddenly what Jesus says sounds a lot more respectful.

In British circles, "lady" has distinctly noble overtones (it's the female counterpart to the noble honorific "lord").

And even in demotic America, a son can say, "Yes, ma'am" to his mother and mean it entirely respectfully.

So what can we learn about the connotations of "woman" as a form of address in Jesus' time?

Evoking the Vocative

Before we look at specific verses, I should point out an aspect of Greek grammar (Greek being the language in which we have the New Testament).

In Greek, nouns and pronouns change their form depending on the role that they are playing in a sentence. We call these different forms "cases."

As it happens, there is a special form--or case--that is used for nouns when they are being used as terms of direct address.

In other words, when someone is using a noun to refer directly to someone (talking to them), it will take a special form or case. The name of this form is "the vocative case."

The ordinary Greek word for "lord" is kyrios (or kurios), but when you are talking directly to the Lord, it gets changed from Kyrios to Kyrie.

English sometimes does the same thing by putting the word "O" in front of something. If you say, "O Lord," you know that you are talking directly to the Lord.

The fact that Greek has a vocative case makes it easy to just do a Bible software search to turn up all the instances in which a word is being used as a form of direct address in the New Testament.

So what do we find when we do that?

"O Man" Anthropos

As a control on the term "woman," it makes sense to look and see if "man" gets used as a form of direct address.

One common Greek word we translate "man" is anthropos, which gets put into the vocative case as anthrope ("an-thro-peh").

Jesus uses this as a term of address:

Man

And when he saw their faith he said, “Man [anthrope], your sins are forgiven you” [Luke 5:20].

But he said to him, “Man [anthrope], who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” [Luke 12:14].

So do others, such as Peter and Paul:

And a little later some one else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man [anthrope], I am not” [Luke 22:58].

But Peter said, “Man [anthrope], I do not know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed [Luke 22:60].

Therefore you have no excuse, O man [anthrope], whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things [Romans. 2:1].

Do you suppose, O man [anthrope], that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? [Romans 2:3].

And there are other instances (Romans 9:20, 1 Timothy 6:11, James 2:20).

So we have "man" (anthrope) being used as a form of address without it being disrespectful.

And there's another term that means almost the same thing . . .

O Male Anthropos Fully Gender Related

The Greek word anthropos is commonly translated "man," but it isn't fully gender-specific. It can include both genders, like "human," except translating it that way would sound totally awkward.

There is, however, a Greek term that means a male human specifically: anér ("ah-NAIR").

The difference is a bit like the difference between the English word "man" (which can be used for both males and females) and "male" (which can be used only for males).

Anér also gets put in the vocative case and used as a form of direct address. On one occasion, St. Paul writes:

Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband [anér], how do you know whether you will save your wife?

Here the meaning of "man" is obscured because Greek does not distinguish between the terms "man" and "husband" (or "woman" and "wife"), but it's the same term being used as a form of direct address, and it's not disrespectful.

Interestingly, the word anér gets used as a form of direct address far more often in the plural--when a speaker is addressing a group of men. In this case the word takes the form andres, and it occurs over and over in the New Testament.

For example:

And [the angels] said, “Men [andres] of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” [Acts 1:11].

“Men [andres] of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know" [Acts 2:22].

Here is a complete list of all the times andres gets used this way: Acts 1:11, 16, 2:14, 22, 29, 37, 3:12, 5:35, 7:2, 26, 13:15, 16, 26, 38, 14:15, 15:7, 13, 17:22, 19:25, 35, 21:28, 22:1, 23:1, 6, 27:10, 21, 25, 28:17, Colossiansb3:19 and 1 Peter 3:7.

So much for the term "man" (either anthrope, anér, or andres). What about the term "woman"?

O Woman"

The Greek term for "woman" is guné ("goo-NAY"; same word we get "gynecologist" from). In the vocative case, it takes the form gunai.

Jesus does refer to Mary by this word--twice.

We've already seen the first instance, where he does so at the wedding at Cana (John 2:4).

The other instance where he does so is when Mary sees him being crucified:

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman [gunai], behold, your son!” [John 19:26].

He is not being disrespectful to her, or any of the other women he spoke to.

Other Women

But Mary is far from the only woman for whom this word (gunai) is used as a form of address. We also find the following:

Jesus uses it to address the Syro-Phoenician woman (Matthew 15:28).

Jesus uses it to address the woman with a hemorrhage (Luke 13:12).

Peter uses it to address the high priest's servant girl (Luke 22:57).

Jesus uses it to address the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:21).

Two angels use it to address Mary Magdalene (John 20:13).

Jesus uses it to address Mary Magdalene (John 20:15).

Paul uses it to address an individual wife among his readers (1 Corinthians 7:16).

Paul uses it to address the wives in his audience (Col 3:18, using the plural: gunaikes).

Peter uses it to address the wives in his audience (1 Peter 3:1, using the plural: gunaikes).

That's quite a number of uses, to which we can add the two Marian uses, but as we've seen, none of them are disrespectful!

"Sir," "Ma'am," and the Ten Commandments

What we find, then, is that "NEITHER" the term "man" nor the term "woman" had negative any overtones whatsoever when used as a form of direct address in the New Testament books. Instead, they were used respectfully.

In fact, they were used much the way we would use the terms "sir" and "ma'am."

There is also another reason why we can be sure that Jesus wasn't dismising his mother when he referred to her as "woman": He kept God's law perfectly, and that included keeping the Ten Commandments, one of which is:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you [Exodus 20:12].

Paul MacDonald RN MA Diplom ©

Israel Institute of Biblical Studies

5 of My Problems with Anime Fandom

My issues with the current visible online anime fandom come down to its culture.

Viewing in the Now

Thanks to the innovation of legal simulcasting led by Crunchyroll, the hype surrounding currently anime is unavoidable. There are endless blogs reviewing, and ranking anime on an episode by episode basis. The perceived quality of shows is rooted in relativity to whatever else was coming out at the time. The Larger context that may surround a show and add to its viewing experience is left out of range of this narrowed scope. And in turn, most fans are too preoccupied watching a hyped up new show that they will probably feel indifferent about when they finish it, so they don’t have time to watch an older show they might enjoy.

Mob Mentality

What most fans are after is not the pleasure of consuming anime itself, but the social experience of reacting to and discussing it online. This is how pirates justified scumsubs of anime that would become available on Netflix after the season finished airing in Japan. Everyone apparently had to pirate it so that everyone could see it in time for the reaction frenzy on social media and not feel left out. Popularity of recent shows swells out of control only to virtually disappear as soon as another season starts, with seldom exceptions. People are just watching shows because other people are watching shows.

Echo Chambers and Hive Minds

Most fans are in a group with similar tastes and values to their own and solely look to that group for information about anime, to the extent that separate groups won’t even know about the existence of each other. This results in huge gaps of missing information, and a lack of perspective within each group. And it also seems to deteriorate fans ability to communicate those outside of their own social circles. Language choice, types of acceptable criticism, or even just genres your “allowed” to enjoy end up varying drastically between groups and those that don’t conform to social pressure are ejected. It feels ironic given that, ten to fifteen years ago, anime fandom used to be a place where social outcasts found solace.

Information Cascades

Anime fandom in particular has a horrible habit of parroting unsourced information until its accepted as fact. It’s very awkward when I’m talking to someone and they say something I know they lifted from an opinionated youtuber but insist its simply an objective truth. Or when well regarded anime “journalists” cite their friend’s speculating tweets for everything from sale numbers to stock prices without any proper source. The repetition and lack of questioning unsourced information results in the spread of misinformation, to a staggering degree. The amount of conspiracy theory level bullshit I’ve encountered online and in person from anime fans is terrifying, as it reflects America's current political atmosphere where people truly revel in their own ignorance.

Obsession with the Objective

The rise of sakuga fandom and the wide-spread lack of animation literacy makes for an obnoxious combination. As more emphasis is placed on objective agreement over movement fluidity and frame rate, fewer people seem to care about the actual stories anime has to offer. This mirrors justifications made for anime piracy. Specifically the obsession over high quality video and literal translations. Caring more about high definition and intact honorifics are stances that leave little room for subjectivity and interpenetration. These fans care more about maintaining an imaginary line of “better” quality than they do about the enjoyment watching anime can bring. These arguments also conveniently disqualify anything made 5+ years ago from the conversation. Shows responsible for kindling anime as something distinctive and worthy of having its own dedicated fandom are unlicensed and unpopular because they look old, or the standard for animation was just too low, or making gifs out of them just isn’t as appealing, despite their importance and influence.

Ultimately, no one has the authority to tell someone that the way they enjoy art is incorrect. How you consume anime and partake in its fandom is up to you. 

But for someone like me who likes context, sourced information, old anime, supporting the industry, hearing new perspectives, and just anime as a whole, I feel out of place more often than not in American anime fandom.