.

In Defense of Ji from To Be Continued

(Or “Let’s Look at Characters From a More Non-Binary Perspective”)

I’ve been thinking about writing a post like this since the 5th episode last week (but haven’t gotten around to it). But after reading a couple of comments with the general consensus that Ji’s actions were at the risk of becoming irredeemable, I felt like there was no time like the present. Better late than never, right? (This is a long one, so I’ll put most of it after a break with a TL;DR at the end.)

(Btw, that purple light between them is so well placed. They're clearly not communicating, symbolized by that line being drawn between them. And the purple, a mix of blue (trust and loyalty) and red (love and fate), symbolizes the mysterious and unresolved feelings they're both having (or are beginning to have) towards each other. )

The response to Ji and Achi that I’ve seen has been interesting. The little response I’ve seen (since I haven’t seen this series being talked about that much, or perhaps I’m just bad at searching for it) was utter annoyance with Achi the first few episodes until we were shown that Ji made Achi cry in the past and (mostly) everyone I’ve seen writing about this turned on Ji all of a sudden.

(It’s hilarious to see how easily viewers change their opinions. I mean that genuinely. Some of that is more entertaining than many QLs I’ve watched.)

My mindset isn’t that binary, though. (I don’t see things in either black or white because that’s too limiting for me.) That means that I’m neither for nor against either Achi or Ji. (I can definitely like one character more than another, but that doesn’t mean that character is “better” than any other. And in this particular case, I like Ji and Achi equally.) It just annoys me a bit when a character gets torn to shreds for an isolated scene or situation (akin to the whole Non vs Jin situation in DFF, which got waaaaay out of hand).

(Obviously, this is by no means a call for deep analysis of characters–essay style–every time anyone wants to say something about a character. But I do feel like taking an isolated situation out of context means that the meaning, however differently all of us interpret that meaning, gets lost.)

Based on what we’ve seen so far in To Be Continued, both Achi and Ji have made mistakes (in the past and present), they are both terrible at communicating, both are clearly confused and/or terrified of their feelings (especially towards each other), and it seems like no one wants to be the first to fess up. That’s the general situation of their relationship in the series so far.

A discussion on who’s at “fault” for Ji and Achi’s current situation based on what I just listed is pretty much unnecessary because they’re both equally responsible. However, since it’s so easy to play the blame game and spread it like wildfire on the internet just because there’s a character one doesn’t like or see eye to eye with, I thought it was a good idea to include it in this post anyway. Especially since my answer is based on my non-binary way of thinking. (Spoiler alert: it’s not either/or, it’s both/and.)

(I’m putting fault between quotation marks because I feel like its connotation is too negative when something like responsible would suit better. But since fault is often thrown around when playing the blame game, I’ll stick to that word.)

If we look at Ji and Achi’s actions (the ones we’ve seen so far), I feel like 3 moments stand out:

Achi pestering Ji in the first few episodes even though Ji said he wanted nothing to do with Achi. (Present)

Ji asked Achi to introduce him to Pear. (Past)

The mixed signals both of them are giving each other. (Past and present)

I’ve previously written a post about Achi choosing not to respect Ji’s boundaries (even when clearly stated), so I won’t go too deep into that. What I will mention here, however, is that it doesn’t matter how desperate Achi is in trying to keep Ji close. Breaking someone else’s boundaries is not okay. Whenever someone needs space, it should (ideally) be respected.

Achi is being way too pushy in the first couple of episodes, and he’s not even communicating why that is. I think he says once (or twice?) that he’s missed Ji all these 10 years they’ve been apart and that he wants to know how Ji's been, but that’s no excuse.

If you doubt that some space would make any difference, look at how Ji reacted during that whole montage of Ji finding those bags with food (or whatever it was) that Achi hung on his door in ep. 5. And those notes they write to each other when exchanging those bags is probably the best line of communication they’ve had since they got to know each other. That’s how much can change if a person’s boundaries are respected.

(Sure, you could argue that it was a result of Ji showing respect first when he thanked Achi for coming over with food in the scene before the montage. Sometimes you need to first give what you want to get, and that “thank you” to Achi might've made Achi realize he could back off without being terrified of losing Ji (or whatever his reason for being so persistent is).)

When it comes to my second point above (Ji asking Achi to introduce him to Pear), it’s very interwoven with the third point (the mixed signals both of them are giving).

In the whole montage of them going on that day trip and playing games and stuff in the past (ep. 3), you can clearly see that there are feelings involved from both of them (whatever that may be; friendship, fondness, curiosity, love, whatever). But every time Ji looked at Achi (especially when they were at one of those lookout points with a beautiful view), Achi turned away. I mean, if you look at that whole jacket scene, you can see that he literally steps back and avoids Ji’s gaze.

Ji doesn’t seem to mind though, it’s not like he’s surprised or worried about it. But it still doesn’t change the fact that Achi is giving him mixed signals. Achi is both hot (giving Ji his jacket when Ji’s cold) and cold (stepping away and avoiding Ji’s gaze when Ji is looking and smiling at him).

And then there’s the scene on the pier/jetty at the end of episode 4 (which is also from the past). This happens after Ji asked Achi to introduce him to Pear (which I still believe was very innocent at first because Ji seemed genuinely interested in her, and there’s nothing wrong with that).

On that pier/jetty, Ji is tentatively trying to figure out how Achi is feeling because he can sense the tension (at least that’s how I interpret it). Ji does so by first asking Achi if he has feelings for Pear (because that could be a logical explanation for the tension), but Achi says he doesn’t. That’s when Ji has this look on his face:

It’s like he’s trying to think of another reason for the tension, which I think is what leads to the moment when he says that Achi’s got pretty eyes, nose, and lips.

I feel like he’s being genuine here. At the same time as he’s trying to figure out what the tension is all about, he’s also giving Achi an opportunity to clear things up, to be honest with Ji, and for both of them to get closer.

Then Ji lays his head on Achi’s chest as if to listen to his heartbeat (perhaps listening for an answer rather than being told, because we already know that their m.o. isn’t communication).

Achi is swayed for a moment, but he still chooses to change the subject and ends up leaving the pier/jetty (once again giving Ji mixed signals, especially after looking at Ji with heart eyes only moments before).

Achi’s reaction is probably based on a fear of being rejected since he thinks that Ji is interested in Pear, so it makes sense. But, even though his actions make sense, he’s still choosing to participate in giving off mixed signals.

(I mean, if someone looked at me with hearts in their eyes and then avoided me like the plague when I wanted to get closer, I would ditch the bitch. But, this isn’t about me…)

What’s interesting (and something I think some viewers are forgetting) is that this scene from the past is mirrored in the scene in Ji’s bedroom earlier in the same episode (which is in the present). In the present, it’s Achi who says that he thinks Ji’s eyes, nose, and lips are pretty (confessing to Ji only when he thinks Ji is sleeping, which seems to be his m.o., btw).

But then he repeats it when Ji asks him what he said.

I feel like Achi is trying to bring back that moment from the past because he knows he missed an opportunity to be honest about his feelings at that moment on the pier/jetty. The difference is that this time it leads to them kissing (a kiss that should never have happened until they had cleared up their shit, btw, but who can stop these two confused, love-sick, adorable idiots? Well, the screenwriters can, but what would be the fun in that? I digress…).

This time, Ji is the one who breaks the moment. He knows just as well as Achi where those words came from. He remembers that moment on the pier/jetty in the past just as well as Achi. And I swear that he remembers the rejection too.

It’s possible those memories were too much for Ji. It’s also possible that he realized the kiss wasn’t a good idea (he has shown previously that he’s not okay with Achi just kissing him, like in ep. 2). And as we saw with the previous kiss, it takes Ji a moment or two before he realizes what happens an/or realizes the implications of what’s happening (it took him a moment before he pushed Achi away in ep. 2, and the same here in ep. 4 before he pulled back).

So, who’s at “fault” here? Who’s at “fault” for creating more tension (and hurt feelings) between them?

Is Achi at “fault” considering he brought up the past when mirroring that moment on the pier/jetty? Is he at “fault” considering he initiated the kiss in Ji's bedroom (he was the one who leaned forward first and the one who held onto Ji with both hands/arms)?

Is Ji at “fault” considering he rejected Achi? Is he at “fault” considering he told Achi to leave his bedroom after the kiss (clearly needing some space)?

And don’t come at me with the whole “but Ji hurt Achi’s feelings by hitting on Pear, not to mention taking her to the same movie that Achi took Ji to.”

First of all, was that a conscious choice of Ji’s? Possibly. Was this the best way to go about it? Debatable. But it should be said that Ji got interested in Pear before he started sensing the tension between him and Achi. It was all good feelings before that (and it could be that Ji didn’t think his relationship with Achi was beyond friendship, because delusion and confusion are every teenager’s middle names).

Secondly, on that same pier/jetty in that same scene in ep. 4, Ji mentions that he doesn’t like romantic movies, whereas Achi says that it might be because he’s never been in love. Is it then so far-fetched that he takes Pear to that same movie (which I assume is a romance) to test out if he sees the movie with new eyes now that he’s with Pear? Not really.

(Could he have chosen another romantic movie? Sure. Was there another romance playing at the time? I have no fucking idea because this is fiction and they didn’t tell us and we’re probably supposed to read between the lines that it was a romance and that Ji was influenced by Achi’s words and I’m totally getting off track here…)

Thirdly, and probably the most important point: Let’s not forget that there’s actually a possibility that Ji is bi (the same goes for Achi who had some sort of relationship with… what’s her name, Mona?).

I know it’s difficult in this generally binary-thinking world to understand there’s a possibility of something in the middle of black or white. You’re either gay or straight, right? Wrong! There’s such a thing as bi- and pansexuality. And since we’re living in such a binary-thinking world, it’s easy to be hella confused as bi- or pansexual.

(I won’t go into the bi-hate that viewers spew out in comments and reactions to QLs, especially when the lead roles are bi (and especially when they are together with or hook up with the opposite sex), but it’s so fucking annoying. I want to write a post about this one day, or reblog someone else's post who might’ve written about it better than I ever will, so if anyone knows a post on this, send it my way.)

If Ji is a bi character, can you blame him for being confused? If he’s not bi but is having his gay awakening, can you blame him for being confused?

Can you blame him for asking Achi to introduce him to Pear, especially since Achi has never expressed his romantic interest in Ji and Ji seems genuinely interested in Pear? Can you really blame Ji for trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with Achi when he notices the tension between them?

Can you really blame Ji for not being able to read between the lines (has anyone forgotten he’s a teenager?)?

And I’m not saying all this to say that it’s Achi’s “fault” either. He’s just as confused as Ji. And none of them are brave enough to take the first step to clear things up either.

Again, it’s both Ji and Achi’s “fault” that things are the way they are. They are both responsible for their situation.

There’s still much to be revealed in this series, so a lot of it is still up for speculation right now. Clearly, however, something happened that made them go their separate ways and be out of contact with each other for 10 years.

If I were to put my money on a bet, it would be that they split because of a misunderstanding on both their parts. What that misunderstanding is, though, remains to be seen.

(If I were to guess I think they hooked up, Ji was confused and needed some space to process, and Achi took it as a rejection and left the country (since we’ve seen that his mother lives in the US). But I'm probably wrong.)

Ji's actions, so far, are not irredeemable (he’s not even on the verge of being irredeemable). And if they were, Achi’s actions would be just as irredeemable.

It’s easy to play the blame game, especially in today’s world. It’s a lot more difficult to be open-minded. But the latter will always be more rewarding.

TL;DR: Both Achi and Ji have made mistakes, they are both terrible at communicating, and both are clearly confused and/or terrified of their feelings. No one is at “fault” for their current situation because they’re both responsible for it.

*stepping down from my soapbox*

Why is it that demons are averse to wisteria? I have been trying to look into the meanings behind wisteria but I can only find what wisteria symbolises in European cultures. Is the relationship between demons and wisteria something that already exists in Japanese folklore, or something Gotoge decided, and if so, what might have been the reasoning/symbolism for choosing that particular plant over others?

AHA!!!! I knew I had written this up before, I just couldn't find it! I finally remembered that is was in my longer post theorizing that Muzan was from an offshoot of the Fujiwara clan! That wasn't exclusively about wisteria, but I'm copying-and-pasting here the long part that was, see below the cut. The Prof. Owada I refer to below is a retired Shizuoka University professor who wrote a book called “Japanese History of Demon Slayers” to directly capitalize on the success of Kimetsu no Yaiba, and to dive into a lot of ties between the series and what it may pay homage to throughout Japanese history and culture. It is not an official Shueisha publication and therefore not canon material, but it takes canon and fan theories into according pretty thoroughly. Since he's already done the breakdown of "why wisteria" I'm simply borrowing it. Short answer: No, this does not already exist in Japanese folklore and is unique to KnY. However, Gotouge usually has reasons for things and people love to ponder those reasons.

One such question is, why were wisteria lethal to demons? According to Prof. Owada’s research, there is no historical basis for this. Some of the talk online is that: 1. Wisteria are in fact poisonous, and consuming too much of them would cause vomiting and diarrhea (though I’ve also seen people make jam out of them because of the fragrance, so, like???) 2. Beans are thrown around at Setsubun to ward off demons (like so, Feat. Muzan and Kimetsu Beans), and wisteria are of the bean family 3. Wisteria like sunlight, so perhaps like Nichirin, they soak up some of the sun’s properties that are lethal to demons 4. In the language of flowers (Hanakotoba), wisteria symbolize kindness, welcomeness, refusing to leave someone’s side, being drunk with love, being straightforward and truthful, not losing the humanity in one’s heart, thereby containing a lot of meaning contrary to the conduct of demons Interesting, but some of its kind of a stretch. While still finding it a stretch to apply it to wisteria being poisonous to demons, Prof. Owada goes on to say that since ancient times, while the wisteria has some negative connotations of how it was sometimes written with characters meaning “doesn’t heal” (不治) and growing downward with smaller and smaller flowers like symbolize the slow downfall of a family line, it conversely also carries positive connotations of longevity and flourishing family due to the fact that its vines grow upward.

Now, you might picked up at some point that the Japanese word for wisteria is “fuji.” Not to be confused with Mt. Fuji (that’s written differently), it IS the same fuji as in “Fujiwara”: 藤.

Prof. Owada goes on to explore the association with the use of Wisteria crests in Kimetsu no Yaiba, especially on the houses of supporters of the Demon Slayer Corp. His recurring thesis is that the pandemic is partly responsible for Kimetsu no Yaiba’s popularity since demon legends have long since had origins in epidemics, and he supposes the Wisteria crest has a protective effect on the houses, similar to a talisman used in a lot of real life rituals for warding off illness and then often displays in or on the entries of houses to protect the family every year (I have one such item gifted to me, it stays by my doorway, along with a couple sticks of charcoal (but the culture of charcoal is a post for some other day)). The talisman is in reference to a god of Hindu/Chinese origins being treated with hospitality by the So clan, so although other families perished in disaster/disease, he promised to always protect the So clan descendants, so the talisman says “Descendants of the So Clan” so that any household may try to claim that divine protection. The gratitude-exchange of hospitality and protection and sure sounds familiar! Prof. Owada isn’t done yet. While the crest design used in Kimetsu no Yaiba isn’t an actual family crest in in real life, there are lots and lots and lots of family crests that use a wisteria design and have the character for “wisteria” in the name. Any time you hear “—tou”, like Satou, Saitou, or even Gotou, you can typically assume it’s 藤. It’s very common nowadays, but the first family to be granted the use of this name was the Fujiwara clan, when one of the pre-Heian and very powerful emperors granted their clan head this surname, which was a major honor, and it marked the start of the Fujiwara clan’s political dominance (there was already influence leading up to this, but meh, we like clear-cut stuff to simply centuries of history, don’t we?). Furthermore, although we often think of the Fujiwara clan for their influence at court, and we might think of the Minamoto clan for warrior heroes who fought demons, Prof. Owada concludes his argument of wisteria’s protective influence by pointed out a long list of Heian period Fujiwara warriors who also were the heroes of demon slaying legends, stating that their name has also long been tied with demon slayer culture.

I've been doing lots of reading on twitter and I was really surprised to see that in every fandom people are bullied and labelled conspiracy theorists or mentally ill for thinking their fave is closeted. I thought the 'conspiracy theorists' comment was mostly aimed at Larries but that word is thrown around all the time. Since when did it become a conspiracy theory to think someone is closeted or that a relationship is fake and for PR? It's just typical Hollywood, its been happening forever! I was reading tweets from Billie fans discussing her fandom before her coming out and talking about how they were bullied and called all kinds of names for thinking she was closeted. They were attacked for speculating about her sexuality by people who would happily speculate about her love life or sex life. That she queercoded a lot but people would always dismiss it. It looks like it happens in every fandom. I saw it in multiple. I think it mostly comes from straight women. Sometimes queer women and men do it too but it's more common with straight women, and I just wonder why are they so hostile and such bullies about it? I'm starting to think that they're projecting their own fears on to others. They feel threatened and are fearful of being wrong and that their fave is actually queer. They're so fearful that they feel the need to bully and police others into silence because the speculation triggers them so much. People who lash out are insecure in their beliefs. If I feel confident that an artist is closeted I don't go around bullying others who feel differently because I feel confident in my own opinion. These hateful people who bully and police seem to be projecting their own issues. This is why I really wish more people would come out because hinting doesn't achieve anything. Straight people will think someone is straight until they come out. They could be making out with the same sex and they'd still think they're straight, because it's what they desperately want to be true. For some reason they need to hear the magic words, 'I'm gay' lol. That's harder to ignore, but even then they'll try to ignore it. I still see people ship J Bailey with women. Very strange. What will it take for something to change?

Hi, anon!

A conspiracy theory is basically "an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy by powerful people, when other explanations are more probable".

If a male celebrity has said "I'm straight" or is pictured kissing a woman, the most probable explanation is that the person is straight. The majority of people will also deem that person straight. So every celebrity who is closeted and gaslighting their fans into thinking they're straight, and is being aided by the media as co-conspirators, because the media knows it's all a lie, is conspiring. It's very common for celebrities who are closeted to conspire. Every fan who recognises the conspiracy, will be deemed a conspiracy theorist. Conspiracy theorists are often ridiculed for not wanting to believe in the probable theory. They often lack facts to back up their theory. When queer people recognise other queer people because they know what to look for, and the masses of heterosexual people can't see it, queer people won't be believed. Being a conspiracy theorist has negative connotations, because believing a celebrity is closeted and queer and believing the earth is flat are both conspiracy theories, even though one of them are much more probable than the other. Calling fans who think celebrities are closeted and queer a conspiracy theorist is a way to dismiss them and make people look not of sound mind.

There are different reasons for fans lashing out at people who think someone is queer. They simply don't see it, they see it as an attack because being queer is bad, their fantasies are threatened, they fear for their idol's career in a homophobic environment, but most of all they want to respect the artist right to identify as they wish. If an artist has said they're straight or shown straight behaviour, regardless of any signal they might give that says otherwise, the fans will protect the artist's straightness. In order for that to change the artist needs to explicitly say "i'm queer". It won't help to kiss a person of the oppsite sex. It needs to be said explicitly for the majority of people to get it.

About people still shipping J. Bailey with women and women still drooling over him, despite fully knowing he's gay. That's how it's supposed to be! For his career it's so good that women can keep fantasising about him and that his sexuality isn't stopping them from finding him attractive and having sexual appeal to women. That's how artist will keep their het female fanbase and keep succeeding when they come out. That's what needs to happen to Harry when he comes out. If he manage that he'll be incredibly successfull after he's out. The alternative is that women will lose interest, stop engaging and stop being a fan. They'll move on to other celebrities to drool over. Seeing as het women who fantasise about him is a significant target group for heartthrobs like Harry, he needs to find ways to keep them. If they're not bothered by him coming out as gay and being in a relationship with a man, and they keep doing their thing and it's not stopping their fantasising and projecting, that's the best outcome he could ask for tbh. He wouldn't have to change a thing. So keep shipping J. Bailey with women, keep drooling over him and do the same with Harry. It's a very, very good thing in order to keep gay men being successful.

Interview with D (Cis-Female presenting, Any Pronouns, Queer, Dominican, 22)

*These are direct quotes from interviewees*

Has being queer impacted your life negatively?

yeth bc many people have seen me as not queer enough due to my gravitation towards cis men, but oftentimes they are feminine as a projection of wanting to be with women. however i am fearful of those dynamics because of the manipulation tactics and the common ground of understanding how a person can work when you share the same sex

Is there any symbols or slang that surrounded you before that you previously didn't understand?

probably dyke. I didn't grow to understand the meaning of the word until mid high school, when I thought I was fully lesbian. that is not the case but i often feel like the word can be thrown around without people knowing the connotations behind it. but earlier this year i felt myself identify with the term as i was seeing someone that was gender-fluid and had a uterus, and it was the most masculine i have felt

How does this impact your friend groups?

sometimes i’ve felt left out. once again i usually gravitate towards cis (but queer) men, because their thinking is a lot more simplified to me even when i rack my brain over them. the answer has always been to cancel them out of my life but i can’t bring myself to do so because things get more complicated to me when i’m seeing someone with a uterus, moreso cis women. they oftentimes don’t realize that no matter what i am attracted to anyone

Relationship with your identity?

i try not to think too much about it. a lot of the time i wish to be with people that have uteruses as there will always be an understanding of both sides, but i’ve never felt “queer” enough, esp around people that are strictly gay or lesbian

Were you exposed to any LGBTQIA+ individuals when you were younger?

no, not really

Have you had experience being in the closet? Are you out?

i still feel like i am. i don’t talk to my family about it just my friends, i just think it’s insight into my life they are not owed to have

Life after coming out

i wouldn’t say there was much of a point where i properly came out but people that knew just knew and it never made me feel afraid to talk about what my interests are in that area, but i’ve barely come out to my mom and no one else in my family is aware of my identity because they are conservative/traditional due to our catholic upbringing

How [long] you knew?

i knew by the time i was around 8-9. like most queer people they have their first experiences with this stuff when they are young, and with a neighbor or close friend. for me it was my neighbor

Unpacking own preconceived biases?

 for a long time i felt like i was not allowed to be seen as queer just because i didn’t have more formal experiences until this past year, but i was always aware of my attraction to everyone despite their sexual orientation and/or anatomy

Experience with the community?

i feel like the community can come off as very exclusive. not to bring up gabe/kiki (but it’s important because they mentioned things to me i have experienced myself, but this is more through the lens of cis men). with gabe, he went to a halloween party of which he felt like he was unable to fit in because he wasn’t queer enough or presenting in a way of which he has been sexually active with other men. and with kiki and his ex partner, their friends would always try to water down his queer identity through polyamory and not having seen so many people at the same time, despite knowing he had been sexually active with other queer/trans people. to me polyamory does not equate to how queer you are (as you can be polyamorous and straight) and in terms of presenting queer i don’t think you have to appear a certain way to prove your attraction to the opposite sex. these are collective experiences of which i’ve experienced myself and it was quite interesting to see the way in which they can fall in the laps of people that “visually” present themselves at straight while being queer.

How did people react?

people have reacted to me with doubt when i tell them i’m queer. most people assume i am just based on my general demeanor but there have been so many times, moreso with people in my life that if they don’t see me actively “being queer” they just assume that i’m not

Have you felt that you’ve experienced Bi-erasure?

bi erasure is the reason why i just simply identify with being queer. i’ve gotten a lot of flak for it, and came to realize identity as queer is more of a spectrum rather than just focusing on identity. i also don’t fully understand the term bi as it seems to exclude trans identities, but in my head being bi means you like both cis men and women, and being pan is liking everyone, so i feel as if the general umbrella term is queer

Have you felt unseen/disenfranchised for being queer?

If you havent have you witnessed a friend who has? A place of privilege in that?

at times yeah, just because perception has always been heavily tied to the way people identify you. i unfortunately have a friends of which said they consider people that are bi as just straight without realizing that it’s not meant to be a consistent thing. To like both sexes doesn’t mean you have to have to show that in terms of who you’re sleeping with or talking to romantically. i feel like it sets up the expectation that to be bi you have to constantly be back and forth in terms of the sexual orientation of the people you see, and it overall just isn’t true to what one may desire at the certain moment.

Anything you feel like adding?

i feel like if people had more open conversations about queerness it would kill the rigid ideas that many seem to have about it. people that try to invalidate queer folk while being in the community themselves are to me not that different from people that are homophobic. because you are trying to label someone and put them in a position of which they have to be decisive over something that can fluctuate. i’ve also seen and felt the ways that organized religion has caused people to push down identity, so at times it feels harder for others and people like me to wrap their heads around it being okay to like whoever you want. this has heavy involvement in people’s journeys to queerness and it is often those who have not had those experiences that find it easy to invalidate others without understanding the religious trauma and guilt that is derived from understanding that they do not fall under cis/het ideologies

I need to get this off my chest. The whole Jae situation and how fans are trying to defend him, honestly pisses me off. The word Thot itself has been thrown around by men to degrade people especially those who identify themselves as a woman. I saw people say well they’re friends and I just shake my head at it. Why would you go on a steaming platform or do a live and make fun of your friend in that matter? Even if it’s a inside joke between you guys, there’s a reason why it’s a inside joke. It’s clear Jamie didn’t think it was funny and everything she said I agreed with.

It doesn’t sit right with me that right before he said “now that I’m out of kpop I can say this” which insinuates that he has thought about this for awhile now but just couldn’t say it because of JYP. It’s very telling who’s a good person because they’re a good person and who’s a good person because they have a contract to fulfill. His apology that happened today honestly, it felt like a youtuber apology. He looked tired and made his appearance not the best to gain sympathy from his fans. I can imagine his fans saying well he looked so tired, you can clearly see the toll it has on him. His fans can also say that he did apologize if someone every brings this situation up again. It’s clearly a tactic to keep his fans because he barely addressed the word Thot and how it has a negative connotations from what I saw. Another thing that I hate, when public figures apologize they don’t talk about how it affects the community or the person they just go oh that was stupid I’m sorry and that’s it. It doesn’t really show that you have learned anything, in my opinion.

This goes behind kpop in my opinion, for years woman has always been the butt end of a joke or jokes towards comedians and just causal conversations. It’s not okay because when a woman tries to make a joke about men then it’s a problem, an outrage if you will. I think they’re shouldn’t be any jokes regarding someone’s sexual history or behavior because again it only degrades them and that’s not what should happen in this day age. Sure you can make those jokes with your friends in a private matter only if they’re comfortable with the jokes. We could also talk about the many rap songs that degrade woman and this and that but that would be too much baggage for me.

I would like to think Jae is sorry but at the same time I just don’t see it because of what he said before he called Jamie a Thot. Also from all the clips I’ve seen it was unprovoked from his end. I saw someone say that kpop Stan’s will do anything to defend the men in kpop and honestly I agree with that. The misogyny that’s within the kpop fandom needs to be talked about more because it gets clearer everyday for me. I know if a female idol called a male idol a Thot, I know that almost every kpop Stan would cancel them. I would bet so much money on that. I was waiting for Jamie’s reaction to this and Jae’s apology to comment so I can just end it. It’s ver worrisome to see people defend on this matter when the victim (Jamie) is clearly upset about the matter.

Hey everyone! I’d like to introduce the new story I am writing! You can find it on both my AO3 and Wattpad. Both of which are linked in my bio. But I’ll also be posting the chapters here for you all. Be easy on me as I haven’t quite figured out how to post chapters on here and create a master list. That is something I will be working on. Alright, now in to the good stuff.

Erota

As the only daughter from a high society family, the pressure is on you to impress the ton and find a suitable match. You hope to find love, but your fate is decided for you. Your marriage is arranged to King Kylo of Chandrila. Pain and tough decisions are soon to follow.

This story is inspired by Bridgerton and regency era.

Hello everyone! I have been dreaming of writing this fic for a bit now and finally gathered the courage to do it! Like I said in the description, this story is heavily influenced by the regency era and the Netflix show Bridgerton. I've done my best to keep it accurate to both the era and the Star Wars world. I hope you enjoy!

The Ton.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The season has finally arrived. You have officially joined the ton and are coming out into society. The debutantes of higher society are to be presented in court. This now includes you and your family.

You were the only child of the Duke of Selonia. A small territory southeast of Drall within the kingdom of Corellia. It's a quaint little area, nothing to brag about. It was cozy and calm. Many of the families had lived in the area for generations. Neighbors all knew each other. But despite its comfort and kindness it was lacking funds.

Since you had been able to remember, life was very simple. You helped in the gardens, the kitchens, and even with the laundry work. Your family took trips to town often, visiting with the people. Your mother loved to stop at the bakery and buy pastries to bring back to the estate. She told you stories from her childhood as bedtime stories. Coming from a common family and marrying into high society. Your parents married for love and not statues. Many scolded your father for marrying "below his station" but he let their words roll off his shoulders. He was attracted to your mother for her beauty, kindness, and capabilities. Your mother was no stranger to hard work, and she assured you weren't as well.

As you matured, you watched as your home aged as well. Bricks began to weather with time and vegetation started to take over. Farmers had less success each year and businesses were closing. The help your father was once so quick to provide had now dwindled into nothing. There was no help to give. The funding was nearly gone. After your mother's death, the strong and reliable man you had once called your father was gone. What replaced him was a shell of a man. He gave up on his duties as a duke and instead threw his time and money into bad habits. Gambling and drinking had become his crutch.

You lost your mother in your adolescence. Still a young girl so in need of a mother and her guidance. Her death left you confused and in desperate need of comfort. You tried to lean on your father. But in his own grief, he seemed to forget about you. Instead, you turned to your community. The maids and butlers became your family. They ensured your schooling would continue. The men even went as far as to teach you math and science. When you entered your teens, you attempted to take on the dukedom in secret. You went over all the documents and finances, trying to find a way to help your people and restore your estate. It was to no avail. Nothing could be done without your fathers signature. So you were left with no choice but to let it go. You focused on your studies and lessons with the maids. They helped bring you to maturity. Now, it was time to join society as an eligible woman.

Marriage has been heavy on your mind for many years now. The idea of meeting a man and marrying just for statues or titles didn't interest you. Neither of those things mattered to you. A marriage had become something with such a negative connotation. But love, now that was very different. You yearned for a true love match. You craved a deep connection unlike any you'd ever experienced. As a child, you'd developed small crushes on some of the neighborhood children. The butterflies and blushed looks were something you understood. But you'd never felt love before. You loved your family of course. You even loved your townspeople. But that was so different from what you hoped to find.

Becoming a debutante was not something you were looking forward to. Joining the ladies of high society was only asking for drama. But as the daughter of a Duke, it was your duty to join the ton and find a suitable husband. This had become increasingly important as your territory lost more and more money to your father's lifestyle. These thoughts scrambled around your mind as you got ready. You would be heading to the first ball of the season, your entrance into society, in moments. You were dressed in your nicest items. A deep red ball gown embroidered with golden florals along the bottom of the skirt and corset. Your hair was pinned back, allowing your face to stand out. Your maid, Jillian, was helping you put on your shoes as you looked at yourself in the mirror. Jillian had been with your family before your mother passed. She had watched you grow from a pained child to a strong young woman. She was with you every step of the way. Jillian became a motherly figure and your most trusted confidant.

Jillian pats your calf as she begins to stand, finished with clasping your heels. Her touch pulls you from your thoughts. You give her a polite smile and thank her, turning back to the mirror. Your anxiety is growing with each tick of the clock and in typical Jillian fashion, she can sense your discomfort. She comes to stand behind you, adjusting the pins in your hair.

"You know you're prepared for this. There's no need to sit and worry."

You meet her gaze in the mirror, her gentle blue eyes giving you a wave of comfort. You let out a sigh and play with your fingers.

"I felt prepared, but now that it's upon me, I'm not so sure. So much is at stake here, Jillian. The people of Selonia are relying on me to find someone who can help. What if I'm not up to standards?"

Jillian only chuckles at your words and places her hands on either of your shoulders.

"Standards? Now you're just being silly. You are a kind, intelligent, and strong young lady. Any suitor would be lucky to have you as his wife."

You turn to look at her, face scrunched in concentration.

"That's exactly the issue! It can't just be any suitor. They need to be able to fix dukedom and be the love I've been waiting for. What if that's unrealistic? How can I ever find someone to do both?"

Jillian places a comforting hand on your cheek, her thumb slowly stroking your cheekbone. She gives you a small smile before she speaks.

"Is that what you're so worried about? Dear, you're placing too much stress on yourself. Don't worry about the dukedom or Selonia. Go and find your love, everything else will fall in place."

You lean into her hand and smile, her words bringing you peace and a newfound sense of confidence. She pulls her hand away and turns towards your bedroom door. She calls back to you, "Now let's get you going! It's time."

————————————————

The carriage stopped in front of the King's summer estate. Many of the guests were already walking up the grand entrance and making their way inside. Your father hurried around and opened the door for you, holding his hand out and helping you down. Tonight he was doing his best to look and act presentable. You place your hand in his bent arm and let him lead you into the ball. Neither of you had spoken more than a few words to each other in years. You were surprised he even accompanied you tonight. His presence only made you nervous again. You weren't sure what his intent was by coming. Was he finally stepping back into his positions as father and Duke? Or was there some ulterior motive?

You found out quickly as he leaned in to speak to you, just as you were arriving at the entrance of the ballroom.

"I am expecting you to perform well tonight. I want to see gentlemen callers of high status calling on you tomorrow."

You look up at him and furrow your brows in confusion. So this is what he came for? To ensure you schmoozed with the highest titles with the most money? If so, he's going to be very disappointed.

"I'm here to find a reasonable suitor for myself, father. Not a suitor for you and Selonia."

He stops walking at your words, his head turning to look down at you. You can see his clenched jaw and anger in his eyes. His distaste for your words is written all over his face.

"Stop with your foolish girly fantasy of a love match. You're here to do as I say, and I'll be damned if you disobey me."

His words sting your heart. Your father had never spoken to you this way. When you were young, he was always so gentle and loving towards you. Now it seems you're just another pawn to be thrown around his chessboard as he pleased. You swallow the lump in your throat and move your gaze back down. Now was not the time to worry about this. You had more pressing matters.

You allowed your father to lead you to the entrance, stopping to allow the announcer to get your names. You took a deep breath as you prepared to face the ton. First impressions were everything, and you did not want to screw this up. The announcer clears his throat and stands at attention. Everyone in the room stops what they're doing to await the next debutante.

"Presented by her father, the Duke of Selonia, Miss Y/F/N."

You stare forward as your father leads you into the ballroom and towards the King and Queen of Corellia. You both stopped before them, your father unlinking your arms and bowing. You fall into a curtsy, bowing your head in respect. Your father stands back up and looks to the king. You stay still, awaiting the command to move. The king of Corellia rises from his throne and moves to stand in front of you. Everyone holds their breath, watching closely to see what unfolds. He places a gentle finger under your chin, raising your head to meet his gaze.

"Stand up for me, dear. You can relax."

You do as he says and stand quickly, giving him a polite smile as you return his intense eye contact. His finger never leaves your chin. He smiles back at you and begins to speak again.

"You are a true beauty, my dear. You know, they say the eyes are a window to the soul. I can see the love and strength living within yours. Hold onto that, they will be your biggest asset."

Your eyes widen at his words. You can't help the smile that spreads across your face.

"Thank you, your majesty."

With that, he removes his finger from your chin and climbs back to his throne. He turns his attention back to the room and declares, "Let the festivities continue."

Your father grabs ahold of your arm again and leads you away from the thrones. You can feel the crowd staring at you, but you can't find it in you to care. King Luke of Corellia spoke to you! Not only that, but he complimented you. This was a great honor bestowed on very few. You would take his advice to heart.

It seems your father had a different perspective. He leads you to a table with dance cards placed neatly in rows. You begin to search for your name as he smirks and begins talking.

"Compliments from the king will help greatly in gaining potential suitors. You'll be the most desired lady in the ton. Seems finding you a husband of high title will be easier than I thought."

You finish tying the card to your wrist and turn to look at the room. Your father continues to talk as you observe your surroundings. You look up at the elegant chandelier. It shines beautifully in the light, casting sparkles all over the room. You watch as they dance across the guests, creating an angelic and light atmosphere. A waiter comes by and offers you and your father glasses of champagne. You take a small sip and return your attention to the crowd. Many of the ladies are giving you glares or speaking with the eligible men in attendance. You take notice of their attire. Many have much more elegant gowns and jewels on. Their appearance shows how much they have to offer. Your feelings of inadequacy begin to creep back in. You don't even notice a man approaching.

Your gaze stops on a young man across the room. His dark brown curls and bright smile grabbed your attention. He was speaking to another man, seeming to be in deep conversation. His face was so expressive as he spoke, hands moving about to help prove whatever point he was trying to make. You couldn't help but be captivated by him. If there was anyone you were hoping to get a moment with this evening, it was him.

You snap from your thoughts as your father greets him and motions towards you. This man must have been reaching his thirties. Much older than any of the debutantes here. His bright ginger hair stands out like a sore thumb. He makes eye contact with you as your father talks. An uneasy feeling sweeps over you. For some reason, something about this man doesn't sit right with you.

"Y/N, I'd like you to meet the Earl of Drall, Lord Armitage Hux" your father says as he motions towards the man. Lord Hux takes your hand and raises it to his lips, kissing your knuckles. The contact makes you cringe internally. Your father looks at you expectantly and you quickly pull yourself together.

"Hello Lord Hux, it is so nice to meet you."

Your father smiles at both of you and claps a hand on Lord Hux's shoulder.

"Lord Hux here is a good friend of mine. I was hoping to introduce you both tonight."

The uneasy feeling now makes sense. Any friend of your fathers is likely a crook. Not at all the type of man you want to be speaking to. You nod politely, biting your tongue from speaking your mind freely. The men then turn away from you and begin a discussion of their own, leaving you out. You lift your glass of champagne back to your lips and turn your gaze back to the direction of the man you had spotted before.

Instead of finding the curly haired man again, you met eyes with someone else. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back was a raven haired man. He stood tall and broad, much larger than any other man in the room. His gaze pierced through you, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand. You wanted to approach him, but to do so would make you look indecent.

Your eye contact is cut off by Lord Hux coming in front of you. He holds out his arm to you in invitation.

"Would you do me the honor of a dance, Lady Y/N?"

You wanted nothing more than to say no and go speak to the mystery man. Or even go find the curly haired man from before. But you know you had no choice in the matter. To deny him would make you look bad to the ton. Plus, your father would never stand for it. So you placed your hand in his arm and nod.

"Of course, Lord Hux."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you think!

Love,

Allie

How are you liking bad egg juju plot?

two words: HOLY YES!!!!!

I 100% THINK THE BLOODVINES PLOT IS CONNECTED TO DREAMONS AND DREAM’S BACKSTORY. 

dream answered on twitter that all plots in the dream smp connect somehow, so i don’t think the bloodvines plot is completely “bad decides to make a disconnected storyline out of nowhere” thing. I REALLY THINK IT’S RELATED  TO DREAMONS, PLEASE BEAR WITH ME AS I SHOWCASE MY EVIDENCE:

exhibit a: during the first dreamon stream, when fundy and tubbo completed their first ritual that allegedly “removes” the dreamon, they test things out to see how dream reacts to these. first, they show dream fire, which dream recoils to. tubbo claims this fire would have “negative connotations” to things that might’ve happened to dream in the past when it comes to his connection to dreamons.

then, tubbo shows him ponk’s burnt lemon tree, and again, dream feels extremely discomforted by the idea of fire. if fire is something one can connect to dreamons, then it would be interesting that the bloodvines are created with crimson vines and leaves, blocks that originate from the nether. additionally, sam claims that these blocks cannot ever be thrown in red fire at all, saying blue fire is the only way to surely get rid of the blocks.

additionally, my good ol’ friend @palpalbuddypal figured out that one of the weaknesses of the egg would be gunpowder because of how sulfur is highly harmful to fungi. yes, the bloodvines are definitely fungi-- they grow from crimson leaves which grow from a fungus. when sapnap exploded the egg, the egg produced magma blocks to denote its anger. so... bloodvines use something related to fire/magma to retaliate back against attackers? interesting. maybe it explains why normal!dream is so discomforted by fire.

exhibit b: the smiley face on the wall that turned from red to white is. very suspicious. that face kind of reminds you of someone, doesn’t it? if the bloodvines represent dreamons, and its presence can be denoted when things turn from red to white... and dream’s entire smiley face blob thing is white... HMMMMM...

exhibit c: fundy and tubbo, during their entire dreamon seances, wore complete gold armor. i don’t know if this is canon to the dreamon lore, but we can synthesize that gold is one of the main tools that can prevent a dreamon possession. so, how does this connect to bloodvines? someone talked about how members wearing gold on their skins are seemingly safe from the fungus, while people who don’t have gold are unsafe. this is why punz and sam are safe from the fungus, while ant, puffy, ponk, and bad aren’t. SO. PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER??

exhibit d: with how much of a rollercoasting dream’s motivations and morals seem to be, i’d like to think his emotions and decision making has often been influenced by an external force. when dream first witnessed the bloodvines with bad, he seemed very uncomfortable around them. mayhaps the bloodvines are dream’s weakness? 

exhibit e: the bloodvines seem to be sprouting in places where the dreamon occurrences were the most prominent. skeppy and bad’s house was where the first ritual was held,  ponk’s abandoned mini tower was when fundy and tubbo first announced dream was a dreamon, and the egg itself sprouts in the dreamon secret hideout. additionally, fundy’s statue is practically covered in bloodvines too. all the dreamon shit occurred in the dream smp, never in l’manberg, and most of the bloodvine sprouts can be found in the dream smp areas.

OKAY THAT’S IT, I HOPE I’M RIGHT LMAO

To start this off on the most positive note I can, I would like to say that I love MHA. It’s a show I was skeptical to watch at first, but hooked me in faster than any anime had in a long time. I became very easily captivated by its characters and its story and can’t wait to see where Horikoshi takes it and the plan he has for it moving forward.

Now on the more upsetting side of things… The MHA/BNHA fandom has, and pardon my French (Aoyama would be disappointed), gone to shit. I first learned about everything that was going on when a friend sent me a Tiktok. They always send me MHA Tiktoks because they know I love them and they always make me smile seeing skits, or cosplay or whatever else people do because they’re showing their love for the fandom. So it undoubtedly shattered my heart when I saw how horrific things are in the fandom right now. Needless to say that’s not what I was expecting when I opened my messages.

I quickly tried to get as informed on the situation as I could (because honestly you should never take any information you get from Tiktok at face value, ALWAYS try to educate yourself more). It led me to a new article, some Twitter posts, and a certain Instagram post.

I’ll say this right now: as a KiriBaku shipper, it would break my heart if KiriBaku, or any other ship for that matter, became canon simply because the author was pressured into pleasing a toxic fanbase.

To be a fan of something isn’t to want it to follow YOUR vision. It isn’t even about being happy about everything that happens in the story. It’s about being involved, and being able to voice your opinions in a healthy, open-minded, and nonjudgemental way. Some people like Bakugo, others do not. Some people aren’t even a fan of the protagonist of the story, AND THAT’S OKAY. You don’t have to love every part of something to be a part of a fandom.

But just because you DON’T love a part of something, or what YOU want hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean that you should ruin the experience for everyone.

Shipping isn’t about ships becoming canon. As a shipper from multiple fandoms, I’ll be the first and hopefully not the last to tell you that. There are wholesome ways to feed your passion for a ship, and there are definitely wrong ways to go about doing that as well. I’ll tell you some healthy ways that I have used for years, and am still guilty of using to this day: fan art, fan fiction, and Tumblr.

Fan art is an obvious one. Not only do you get to see all the cute, romantic, wholesome/unwholesome moments between your ship, but you also get to support amazing creators who are exceptionally talented.

Fan fiction on the other hand, has such a negative connotation to it. On the surface level, 80% of fan fiction is badly written, meaningless sexualization of the characters, and has no structure. But I challenge shippers to look a little deeper, if you love a ship to the point where you want it to become canon, immerse yourself in a universe where that dream can come true! But DON’T push your visions onto other people.

It’s the same with religions, political views, and anything really. We’ve all spent time to develop our unique beliefs, and would hate for others to be violently forcing theirs onto us.

Now on to Tumblr. Yes, I know everyone has their reasons for hating or leaving Tumblr, but it’s a GREAT hub for people to get involved in fandoms in a healthy way. If you know a shipper of any kind, I challenge you again to tell them to try out Tumblr. If not for being a fan of the platform, but to be able to share your love for something in healthy and non-toxic way.

Now that is NOT to say take the toxic comments to another platform. If you or someone you know has commented, tweeted, or posted towards Horikoshi to make your ship canon (in any way shape or form) you are in the wrong. That isn’t the right way to show your adoration for something, no matter how peacefully or harmlessly you think you asked.

Now to get back to the issue at hand, this a very simple case of a few people ruining it for everyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if at this point Horikoshi just abandoned BNHA. It must be on his mind. And no matter how many people are telling you they love you and what you do, somehow your mind always manages to fixate itself on the negative, hateful, and hurtful comments. If you were ever a teenager, you might be able to understand that.

To everyone saying that shippers are ruining the fandom, I understand your anger. And on some level I empathize with it. But do try to understand that it isn’t shippers as a whole that are the source of all this negativity, it’s the select few of them that believe they are so entitled they can get whatever they want. If anyone out there is feeling like they have a right to have a say in things like which ships become canon or what path the story takes, remember: this isn’t your story. This is Horikoshi’s story, his universe, and his tale. He has the right, no… the PRIVILEGE to make it whatever he wants it to be. And I wholeheartedly believe that he will make it nothing short of spectacular.

Holy heck, I know this was way too long and no one read this through to it’s entirety but this was more of just a personal rant to get things that have been on my mind, OFF my mind. I can only hope that someone read what I said and realized something they did wrong, and a way they can change their actions in the future to make not only this fandom, but the world as a whole, a better place.

Have a great day everyone. ❤️ 

P.S. - To everyone saying they’re not gay, or it’s not a romance anime, etc. I want to remind you that not ALL ships are romantic ones. Now in this case I feel like the conversation is strictly talking about romantic ships, but just a reminder in case someone forgot or wasn’t aware. On top of that, there are PLENTY of non-romantic anime that have canonical pairs.

P.S.S. - Just as I was about to post this I thought of another thing: calling shippers mental, disgusting, or f-ed up is EXTREMELY generalizing, and gives an entire community of people a bad name when it’s just a select few. Also downright hating on certain ships because you don’t understand them or they seem outrageous to you is never acceptable, whether you’re a shipper or not. Now of course that’s not to say that you have to like everything but... if you don’t have anything nice to say then just don’t say anything at all. 

This post is as much a message to the entitled shippers of the fandom, as it is to the toxic members of the fandom who turned to using hurtful words to put down those shippers in order to tell them they’re wrong. Two wrongs, NEVER make a right.

Feel free to reblog and add any constructive comments on things you think I may have missed. In a community where there is so much hate being thrown around right now, and people are being looked down upon for something that should be so harmless and simple, I would really appreciate it if there were no hurtful words associated with this post. Let’s go beyond Plus Ultra to make this fandom a better place. 💛

When reflecting on music’s most influential artists, critics tend to use statistics to measure their legacy—whether it’s a band reaching #1 on the charts, multiple sold-out tours, or albums that represent a generation. Those types of accolades and praise are for bands that, typically, exist within rock with a predominantly sizeable male fanbase, like The Rolling Stones or The Beatles. For English-Irish boyband One Direction, who actually broke one of The Beatles biggest achievements by having five Top 10 debut tracks on the Hot 100 compared to The Beatles’ four, have sold out multiple tours and delivered five albums five years in a row, they have not been regarded as much of an influential force in the music industry as they should be.

Today—on July 23rd 2020—the band celebrates ten years since they first became a band, even if five years of that time was during a prolonged indefinite hiatus while each of the members pursued solo ventures. A decade marks ten years of One Direction and, for the fans, ten years of an impactful legacy the band, both together and apart, has had on their lives.

After being thrown together on The X-Factor back in July 2010, the band did more in five years than most bands do in their entire careers; they released five albums and sold more than 6.49 million copies in just America alone, filmed one concert documentary and one tour film, completed multiple world tours, and pursued philanthropic ventures. All of those things didn’t come without a price, though. Zayn Malik left the band in 2014 due to his mental health suffering. The band toured consistently every year with hardly ever having any personal time off, and add in an album release a year, they were extremely overworked.

There’s a belief boy bands have an expiry date, and it’s likely their management felt they needed to get as much out of the band while they believed they were still relevant. It’s likely that fans would’ve stuck around if the members took time between their albums and tours. In 2015, when the hiatus began, people wondered if One Direction really could ever come back and, if they did, would fans still really care about them?

“One Direction was one of the biggest and most successful bands,” said @TheHarryNews, a Twitter fan update account. “They achieved amazing things in the five years they were together, despite being overworked by putting out albums and touring every year, which isn’t normal.”

One specific thread that ties together every fans’ thoughts when they reflect on why they decided to become fans of the boys in the first place is the carefree and loving rapport the band has with one another. We’ve all seen The X Factor video diaries, laughed over their banter during interviews, and watched every live performance they did to look out for cute interactions between our favourite members. In their own unique way, One Direction helped defy traits typically associated with toxic masculinity; they didn’t shy away from their affection for one another and made that known in interviews and concerts. Their friendship set them apart, made them more real, and through them, we made friendships of our own.

When someone seeks out new friends, they go to where they feel safest: the communities of people who love the same things as they do. Social media not only propelled the band to international audiences, but it also helped many fans meet the people they now call their lifelong friends. “They have impacted my life in ways I never thought a ‘boyband’ could,” said Lauren, a fan from Buffalo, NY. “They gave me the best friends I could ever ask for, helped me when I was lost and thought I had no one. They ultimately helped me find myself.”

Social media did more than just help us make friends. It was also a major catalyst for the band’s success, and a large part is due to update accounts on Twitter that were created by fans, for fans. Fan-created update accounts would document every single movement and moment made by the band’s five members, whether it was live-streaming a concert or updating fans on the band’s whereabouts. For @With1DNews, a UK/Canada-based update account, it’s a labour of true love for the band that “glued them together” in the first place. “We found each other through our 1D fan accounts on Twitter,” they said. “We started talking about the boys, then our lives, and quickly became great friends.”

Even though they started the account after the hiatus already began, they still felt like fans needed One Direction news. “We had noticed there weren’t really any active 1D update accounts left and we knew a lot of fellow 1D fans were still interested in seeing news about the boys’ careers and lives. It was also because we missed seeing 1D together and hearing about them together. We thought, why not create this space that connects them even if they’re now all going their own way.”

Update accounts take as much time, effort, and energy as an unpaid second job; it requires those who run them to schedule themselves accordingly to cover certain times of each day to ensure their fellow fans get updated in a timely manner, and they do as much fact-checking and researching that any other traditional news outlet does.

Even if some critics might not consider One Direction an influential force in the music industry, the impact they continue to have on their fans is what has set them apart from every other musical act. In a scene in One Direction’s concert documentary, This Is Us, a fan breathlessly states “I know they love me, even if they don’t know me.” This type of parasocial relationship to a band is something not many understand; it’s a sense of intimacy that doesn’t require either party to actually deeply know one another on a personal level but is still as meaningful and significant as actual relationships.

A connection with the band is even more prevalent for Amy, a Los Angeles based writer and mum of two, because of the impact the band has had on her family is something that isn’t tangible but has been detrimental to her children’s development. “I have a child with physical and neurological disabilities who, prior to One Direction, was completely non-verbal and really struggling to find motivation and happiness amongst all the doctors and therapy appointments,” stated Amy. “They have done more for her development, including indirectly teaching her to speak and sing, than any therapy she’s ever done. Up until we found the boys, everything was trial and error; trying to find what makes sense to her and would, in turn, make the world make sense to her. Who knew the key would be a ‘silly’ boy band?”

Many fans have expressed that the band is their happy place – the only positive light in their life when things got tough. For so many, the band came at a time when they desperately needed something to help them through difficult situations whether that be pressure from school, jobs, peers, or life in general. Watching the ‘Best Song Ever’ music video, or a funny interview felt like a cure to smile and laugh after a long day. “They were what we turned to when we felt overwhelmed in our own lives. Now, we’re adults, and they still bring us as much happiness as they did when we were younger,” says @With1DNews.

Not only that, but the band has also helped fans gain more confidence in themselves. By helping create a space and community for them, fans who may have felt lonely, different, or struggled to find a place they belonged had somewhere to go now. They made friends who accepted them, endless content that felt like a burst of serotonin, and a band of boys who told them through lyrics how great and valuable they are, songs like ‘Through the Dark’, ‘Diana’, and ‘Little Things’. Through the band, One Direction fans created their own safe space to work out and navigate their own identity; a space that is free from outside shame where they could be whoever they wanted to be because the people they loved the most accepted them for exactly who they are.

Despite the safety found in those spaces, others have given those fans different descriptions: Hysterical. Rabid. Extra. ‘Screamers.’ Those are just a few of the many words that have been used to describe female fans of boy bands, both past and present. Although these words carry negative connotations, they imply something more powerful than any naysayer could understand or try to define: the sheer force that comes with unashamedly loving something so deeply, you don’t really care about anyone else’s opinions.

Young female fans are the most supportive, passionate fanbase an artist can have, yet they are the most trivialized and ridiculed both within and outside of the music industry. At the start of their career, music’s most beloved band The Beatles was a boy band that catapulted into fame because of, not despite, their female fans. It wasn’t until male fans noticed the band’s progression into an experimental sound when they decided to embrace the band and deem them worthy of their support after they began playing ‘real’ music.

Even if there are major similarities between The Beatles and One Direction, the latter is still regarded by many to be a manufactured pop boy band with a ‘teenybopper’ fanbase. The members of the band have consistently embraced and validated their predominantly female fanbase; Harry Styles has been consistently vocal about this matter, going so far as to say “Teenage-girl fans — they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you.”

In ‘Girl Almighty’, the fifth track on their fourth album, Four, the band addressed the way their fans have been misjudged and labelled ‘crazy’ because of their passion and not only applauded them for their dedication and love, but bowed down to them as well; “Let’s have another toast to the girl almighty […] I get down on my knees for you.” Not only has One Direction always known who helped them get to where they are today, but they’ve also never shied away from declaring their respect for them, constantly validating their fans’ feelings.

For One Direction’s fans, a decade of the band’s formation represents ten years of a legacy that will continue on, even if the band never formally get back together. For Amy, it doesn’t really matter if they got their start on a TV talent show because it’s the fans that made them and set the band apart from every other boyband. “What we all created together feels so untouchable in regards to boy bands of the past and ones to come. I think people will look back in awe and see what we see; we’ve been so incredibly lucky to have witnessed the magic of One Direction.”

They might not be aware of it, but One Direction was incredible at predicting what was to come in their own music; “Who’s gonna be the first to say goodbye?” / “But it’s not the end, I’ll see your face again” / “We had some good times, didn’t we? We wore our hearts out on our sleeve” / “We could be the greatest team that the world has ever seen.” In ‘Best Song Ever’, a song that ordinary listeners would not exactly consider overly sentimental or profound, there is one lyric that will always stand out for the fans to represent One Direction’s legacy perfectly: “I hope you’ll remember how we danced.” Ten years later, we haven’t forgotten.

UA Idol | Chapter Eighteen

Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader

Word Count: 1,579

Warnings: Language, SPYING KiriBaku

A/N: This one is a little short but it’s only because I just got done with ALL of my finals. Now I have actual TIME to write things! I hope you enjoy this one though!

───────────────────────────────────

Working the song to your liking was absolutely no problem at all. In fact, you kind of loved the way it turned out. You and Hitoshi had worked out the backing vocals, you decided that. You would be playing guitar for it while also singing, the hook is catchy and would be easy to engage a crowd with. Everything was falling perfectly into place. In fact, you’d even gone a little harder than you were supposed to. What you had done is technically what you have to do when you reach the live shows level, but you didn’t necessarily mind. You hoped the judges didn’t either. Now, you had to help Hitoshi with his song. Riptide is an easy one to engage with the audience with, but how he’s going to make it original is a different story. “Do you think you should change up the instruments?”

“Yeah, but I mean I kind of want to show off the ukulele skills, y’know?”

“Yeah, yeah… I just can’t believe you’re doing Riptide of all songs. It’s strange to me,” you say, reaching over and picking up his ukulele. He gives you a small grin. “Well, it’s a song that is literally disguised as a happy and upbeat one but is actually about losing interest in your partner and the entire relationship going to shit. So… I don’t know, feels pretty on brand to me.” He snatches his ukulele back, giving you a smile, before beginning to strum it. You grin, rolling your eyes, before plopping down on his bed. “Tell me why I agreed to come to your hotel room when mine is oh so much cleaner. Mina is a mess, but Denki is just… a whole other level.” You crinkle your nose at the obviously dirty laundry thrown all over his side of the room (as well as the instant noodle cups, candy wrappers, and fast-food containers. Seriously though, how much does this man eat?) “I guess it was just my undeniable charm and your ever-growing soft spot for me,” he smirks leaning down to give you a quick peck on the lips. You roll your eyes at him. “Or maybe you brainwashed me. Bad Hitoshi. Stop that.”

“Hmm. No thanks. I think I’ll keep doing it, actually. I enjoy the attention I get from you.” You shake your head, but a smile forms on your lips. This cheeky purple man. You close your eyes, listening to him strum and hum his song. His voice is just hypnotizing, honestly. Even when he’s just humming. The amount of talent he has is so very overwhelming, and you’re just lucky to even know him. “(Y/n).” You open one of your eyes to see Hitoshi grinning at you. “Would you like to be my left-hand man and sing some harmonies with me on this?”

“Cheesy. But yes, I can do that. What do you need?”

“The ‘oh’s’ and some of the chorus? Do you know the actual harmonies or do you wanna just wing it?”

“Let’s just wing it for now, I don’t know the actual Vance Joy harmonies, but I know my harmonies,” you say, sitting up and leaning against his bed’s backboard. He nods and begins playing again. Of course, the harmonies sound great, and after a while the two of you decide to sing the bridge in harmony as well. “Are you sure you don’t want Denki to sing this with you? It might make more sense,” you suggest and Hitoshi purses his lips. “Maybe… I don’t know, I’ll sing it with him when he gets back. You have to ask him to help you out with your song too anyways, so I’ll just ask him to play around with it then. Also, I’m totally adding the drums and everything else too. Everyone is going to get hyped,” he says, placing the ukulele down and laying back on the bed. You follow suit, sighing as you do so. “It’s nice having everything figured out. And it only took, like, 7 hours.”

“Yeah, only seven,” he chuckles before the two of you fall into a comfortable silence. He’s the one to break it. “So, what are we going to tell Mina and Denki?”

“What on Earth do you mean?”

“Well, I mean… about us. And our newfound friends with… now see I don’t want to say friends with benefits that has a negative connotation to it and friends with benefits are problematic because someone always inevitably fucks the friendship up. What are we?”

“Okay, well, first of all, we tell them nothing. To them, we are friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And second of all, I was thinking about that too. Are we just like, kissing friends? Cuddling friends? Friends who occasionally stare at the other because, wow! Attractive! Like, what do we call our situation?”

“Good call on the Mina and Denki thing. And um… a situationship? A friendly… situationship?”

“I could get down with situationship,” you say, shrugging your shoulders. “We don’t need to necessarily label it, as long as we are definitely on the same page everything should be fine.” He nods in agreement. “So, we’re definitely still just friends. Good friends. And there’s attraction there, which is okay and normal because it’s mutual. However, neither of us like relationships or love, so any time we need or want attention from the other, we both fully consent to giving and receiving.”

“Yes. Sounds good. Look at us go, being on the same page and everything.” You grin at him, happy that he was able to take what you two were right out of your mouth. He reaches and grabs your hand, returning the grin. However, he quickly pulls his hand away when he hears the door open. The two of you lazily roll on your stomachs to see Denki, Mina, Kirishima, and Bakugou walk in the room. “Hey you two. Done throwing your guts up?” Denki jokes and Hitoshi groans. “Don’t mention throw up. It brings back memories.”

“So many memories.”

“Bad memories.” “The worst.”

“Oh, come on you two. At least y’all got to cuddle with each other! That must have been fun.” Mina flops onto Denki’s bed, giving you a wink while she mentions the two of you from this morning. “We fell asleep cuddling because we were drunk, and we’re touch starved. After you two left we were on opposite sides of the bed all morning until we felt good enough to start working. We worked out the arrangements for our songs, by the way, I recommend you all do the same,” Hitoshi responds without missing a beat. He also rolls back over and lays down facing the ceiling and closing his eyes. You hear Bakugou scoff, but no out loud comments come from him. “Do y’all ever rest?”

“No, Mina. We do not.”

“I literally don’t, I have insomnia. Sleep hates me,” Hitoshi mumbles and you have to fight back a smile because he never seems to have sleeping problems when he’s with you. Funny how that works. “Well, we all have ideas for what we want to sing, so it’s not even a big deal. We’ll get there eventually. In fact, Kirishima and Bakugou came over so we could brainstorm songs. So ha! We’re prepared too.” Denki flips his best friend off, but Hitoshi doesn’t see it. He just chuckles. “I’m happy you’ve planned out what you want to sing. Now get it done.”

You give them a thumbs up, and they all start talking about songs they want to sing and what they want to do. After some discussion over it and some sarcastic comments from you and Hitoshi, they all settle for what they’re definitely going to sing. Mina and Denki literally can’t stop randomly humming and singing their choices, Kirishima is listening to his song and jotting down some notes as to how he can perform it, and Bakugou is strumming away on his guitar. You and Hitoshi had asked them at the beginning of their deciding if they would help the two of you with your songs, and they all agreed. As long as the two of you would help them with their songs. You both agreed, and now the two of you are huddled together and listening to all of their song choices.

The two of you were sharing headphones and listening to the same songs at the same time since you both finished your arrangements, and the two of you also just sort of wanted to be close to each other without raising suspicion from Mina and Denki. Meanwhile, the two of you were completely oblivious to Bakugou staring at you while strumming some chords. Or the fact that Kirishima snuck a picture of the two of you so close to each other. Denki and Mina weren’t the only ones spying on the two of you know, unbeknownst to you. You were just enjoying your time close to him, even if it was in front of people. Not to mention he was able to keep you calm because you’re very nervous about this performance. You know you’ll do a good job, but it’ll never not be nerve wracking. Especially since you were performing in front of people this time around. Hopefully, your hard work will pay off and you’ll get through to the live shows. This has become something ridiculously important to you, and you need to progress. If not, you don’t know what you’ll do. 

NAME. Violet Delacroix AGE & BIRTH DATE. 24 & May 16th, 1996 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her SPECIES. Witch ( earth + empathy ) OCCUPATION. Cocktail Waitress at Hypnos FACE CLAIM. Madelyn Cline

BIOGRAPHY

( tw: homophobia ) Violet Delacroix has always felt like her life was one long tightrope walk, the wire perpetually extending out far beyond the edge of her sight, but the consequences perilous for falling off. There was a certain burden to her family name, an expectation to live up to, set in place not just by her parents, but by the society in which they lived. An image of perfection to maintain outwardly, despite the cracks forming underneath the surface. Unfortunately for Violet, she was all too aware of those cracks.

Even as a little girl, the witch always seemed to be so attuned with other people. Teachers at school called her an empathetic child, without knowing how right they were. Though too young to recognize the hints of her own budding magic, the sign of who she would become, Violet felt aware of those around her in a way she didn’t know how to put into words. She connected with them, shared in their sadness and their joy, taking it into herself without even realizing it. And these feelings told her secrets, things that a small child shouldn’t be privy to. Like the friction between her parents, the resentment of her older sister, and the frustration of her brother. From the outside, they seemed like the perfect family, the highest standard of power and status in the community of witches in Chicago. On the inside, it felt like a family slowly rotting to the core.

That is not to say everything was entirely bad. Though her relationship with her mother always had a cold distance to it, Violet bonded greatly with her father Andrew and her siblings Camille and Lucian. She was the baby of the family, and all of them treated her as such, something which irritated her at the time, but she would later grow to miss. She grew into a girl with a passion for reading, almost never found without a book in hand, her favorite singer playing as background music at all hours of the day. She took dance classes and music lessons, and received the best instructors for honing her magic — an earth witch, just like her mother. A fact which Violet thought might bring them closer, but Annette’s cold stare never really softened when she regarded her children, no matter how hard they tried.

But no matter how the day went, it seemed as if nothing would waylay the terrors of the night. Plagued by nightmares from an early age, the youngest Delacroix began to fear sleep. The sleeping potions she was given always left her with a terrible groggy feeling, and no other protection spells laid against her mind did much to help either. It wasn’t until years later, when Violet was officially discovered to be an empath, that a workable solution was finally put forth. Unknowingly, she had been taking in the emotions of all those around her throughout the day, in particular their negative feelings, which affected her sleep at night. Only when she began to receive tutelage for her abilities as an empath, how to control what she both received and put back out into the world, did relief finally come.

Things got…. Better, after that. To a point. Not everything was so overwhelming to the young witch anymore. But it was never perfect; not like the outward image the Delacroix family projected. When both her older siblings went off to school, leaving Violet the only child left in the household, Annette’s attention was turned to her youngest daughter. Her mother’s standards were intense, an ever-reaching perfectionist who expected the same from her children, and the pressure only got more extreme after her brother’s scandalous departure. Things had been strange with him for a while, he came home from college once only to abruptly leave again after a mysterious fire in their father’s study. Though no one would tell Violet what had happened, she could only come up with her own conclusions, from the way she had seen him behave in his time at home, and the fact that their sister returned to their childhood home as well. Still, she never approached him on the matter, even when he appeared once again, deciding that he would tell her when he was ready. If only the day actually came. Instead, one day she came home to find both him and her sister gone completely.

Losing both of her eldest children affected Annette in a way Violet hadn’t seen before. Not out of concern for the welfare of said children, but for how it would be perceived by their social circle. The witches of high society Chicago were a gossipy bunch, itching for the newest scandal to use to propel themselves to higher standings. With both Camille and Lucian gone once again, this time with no promise of return, Violet’s success only became that much more paramount. And while one could say that she rose admirably to the challenge, it never seemed to be quite enough to satisfy. But she was poised to handle the burden, getting molded into an exemplary young lady, ready to carry on the legacy of the Delacroix name that both her older siblings had shunned.

One of the expectations placed upon her was that she would marry well, and to someone of their same status. Eager to embody the image both she and her mother wished her to hold, at the age of twenty-two Violet began to date the son of one of her mother’s superficial friends. She’d known him for most of her life, a relationship spanning from the days of their childhoods, and so it only seemed fitting that the two of them end up together. And it was okay. Not love, not like in all the books she’d read, but he was good to her and they were good together. They became the talk of their society, and everyone expected the pair to become a strong power couple to lead the next generation.

But something wasn’t quite right. She tried to ignore it, and did, for a long time. For nearly two years she buried the feeling inside, content that even if he wasn’t the love of her life, she would still be happy with the life they would have together. Or so she thought. But the truth has a way of making itself known, and for Violet, it happened on her twenty-fourth birthday. A magnificent party was thrown by her parents, everyone worth knowing in attendance, and right in the middle of the room with everyone watching, her boyfriend pulled out a ring and dropped to one knee. It wasn’t particularly unexpected, they both knew the connotations that came with their relationship when it began, but still, it was in that moment that the reality set it. Like a bucket of cold water to the face, Violet suddenly had to acknowledge the feelings deep inside that she had so desperately wanted to ignore — that marrying him, or any man, left her feeling sick to her stomach.

So she said no, and ran from the party. The young witch went to her father for comfort when the night was over, confessed to both her parents the fact that she couldn’t go through with it; couldn’t spend her entire life in a marriage that would be a sham, when the only time she’s ever felt the butterflies or giddiness of infatuation was around women. Andrew hugged his daughter, kissed her temple and told her he still loved her. Annette pulled her aside, a mother’s comforting grip on her arm, and spoke in low tones about how such information could ruin Violet. That it would be better for her, really, safer for her, if she kept it to herself. It was in that moment she realized what perhaps her older siblings had discovered long before; that the life that awaited her, if she stayed in Chicago, would never be a life she was truly happy with. And so with her father’s approval and one final goodbye, him even going so far as to take her to the airport, the youngest Delacroix left their family home behind once and for all.

She did not land in Greece immediately. It was a big wide world out there, most of it Violet had never seen, and though the thought frightened her, it was also exciting. She bounced around in the United States at first, exploring new cities in the comfort of her home country, before becoming bold enough to venture outside it’s borders. From England to France to New Zealand, she never stayed in one place for too long, unable to say exactly what she was looking for, only that she would know when she found it. Perhaps it was the pull of the veil that finally drew Violet to Corinth Bay, but within one day of arriving in the city, she had decided she found her place. Fortunate enough to not be cut off from her parents’ funds entirely — something she suspects is her father’s influence — Violet found both an apartment and a place of employment, and plans to set down roots for the long haul, unaware of the fact that both Camille and Lucian are already in the city.

PERSONALITY

+ cheerful, gracious, free-spirited - naïve, headstrong, perfectionist

PLAYED BY ABBY. CDT. She/Her.

I'm glad you reactivated the questions, here are some flowers for you: 💐 Seriously speaking I'm sorry that because of a question I asked you a few weeks ago you watched a series of videos of psychopaths 🥲It made me laugh at first but then I felt guilty 💔 it's all Muzan's fault for leaving us all with curiosity (imagine his parents' reaction once they realized there was something wrong with him even as a human)

Yay, flowers (which I shall kill with my black thumb)! And no, no, it’s fine, I had hoped it came off funny! I like listening to stuff like that while I draw anyway because I’m a nerd anyway and I found it very interesting.

Speaking of being a nerd, you have innocuously unlocked the following essay about Heian period nobility and wisteria flowers: There is nothing to state so in canon, but I find it highly reasonable to say Muzan might had been of the very powerful Fujiwara clan. Step inside my office, Anon.

Okay. So. The Heian period, simply put, was a time of cultural flourishing and beautiful pastimes, the origins of a lot of Japanese style aesthetics, and a romantic courtly like of romancing everybody else in the court. This is assuming, of course, that you were at the very, very, very, very top of society. Otherwise, the vast majority of people were poor and sick and starving and ew, in young Muzan’s world, we do not wish to associate with that. In the Heian court, Kyoto basically is the whole cultural world. Even though there were other cities that could rival Kyoto, the emperor was there, so it was essentially the cultural center of the country. The nobles who lived there got money from owning land in far-flung provinces, but actually having to live in those provinces? What a drag! Having to live away from Kyoto for work, even if it wasn’t an official banishment, often felt like a punishment to the nobles and their families who were used to the social scene at court. And, like affluent courts around the world throughout history, understanding all the intricacies of style and “Heian Rumors” was key to having social clout, and popularity was power. And yeah, nobles would be vicious to each other. While clan dynamics and history are complex and not something I’m getting into here (I don’t consider myself well-versed in it enough), the Fujiwara clan is a BIG DEAL.  Basically, in Heian times, children were typically raised in their mother’s home, thereby heavily influenced by their mother’s clan, so besides a young man’s parents, his in-laws also would had been hugely influential in his life, as they will have a long-felt influence on his progeny. The Emperors typically married Fujiwara daughters. This, in addition to other positions of influence of the Fujiwara clan members usually held with influence over the Emperor, means that politically, there was no messing with them. Now, just because I say Muzan might had been a Fujiwara clan member, I don’t necessarily mean a member of the main branch of the family. Often, due to inheritance management, different branches of various noble clans might be given different surnames. The Fujiwara clan does have different branches, some of which did go one to have close ties with the imperial family even after the fall of their power at the end of the Heian period and all the way through the Taisho, and some branches carry some impressive family legacies but otherwise live like normal or high-class common folk in modern-day. (I know one such Ojousama from a renamed Fujiwara branch; she’s a sweetheart and never brings it up herself but every time I hear other people say things about her family, I’m like, dang.) We can venture from Muzan’s likely expensive medical treatment, multiple marriages (meaning other clans sought to be connected with his family even by marrying their daughters to a sick man), and even preparation for cremation as a baby that he was of a very, very high status. 

Being the sick son of a prominent family may have warped his personality in multiple ways: first, he was probably already used to a culture of popularity equated political power. We see in Muzan’s dealings with humans in the Taisho period that he can be exceedingly charming to get what he wants (a psychopath trait, haha), so he was probably pretty aware of the complex ways of socialites in the court. But, even being aware of that, it probably frustrated him to no end that he was too sick to take part in the social pastimes where he’d gain clout. It’s also possible that he was a bit of a bargain husband for his wives’ families who were seeking to a make ties with his family, as they must not had been politically useful enough to be married off to other powerful matches. This may be some of why he was so ruthless to them, for he never saw them as useful to him in the first place. This probably got a bit worse once he became a demon. Now to be lewd, but he probably got more vigorous in his pursuit of more powerful lovers, and knew how to slay the women’s hearts as he liked (you know, popular Heian pastime, everybody had lots of lovers, it was the norm, though political marriages and legitimate children were still important). That new sense of power probably went to his head. But, ultimately, he must had been limited in clout since he couldn’t take part in any daytime activities, thereby limiting his access to more powerful spheres of influence. His reputation from having grown up sickly must had followed him too. It’s anyone’s guess how much affection his parents had for him and how happy they were about his health at first, and if and when they might had noticed his changes. He was a full-fledged adult by the time he turned into a demon, so who knows how closely they even associated with him. They likely had healthier children who they devoted more care and attention to, and invested more family resources in while assuming Muzan would probably die young.

Who knows what the final straw was in Muzan leaving court? Was it frustration at not being able to walk in daylight that made him flee to the Kanto area in pursuit of the blue spider lily (from near where the doctor lived) long before Kanto became politically affluent? Or was it the rumors at court about how he didn’t age, and that he was eating people?

Of note, a lot of the early legends of demons in Japanese culture take place in the Heian period.

In his book “Japanese History of Demon Slayers,” retired Shizuoka University professor Tetsuo Owada capitalized on the success of Kimetsu no Yaiba to dive into a lot of ties between the series and what it may pay homage to throughout Japanese history and culture. While this was published last September and a handful of his theories have been disproven by the second fanbook published last February, and while I think a lot of his theories are stretching a little too far to make strong connections, it’s still deeply, deeply interesting stuff. He goes into some specific comparisons of demons, like Minamoto-no-Raiko and his posse of four big bad warriors taking on the Tsuchigumo (giant spider demon) terrorizing the mountains north of Kyoto harkening to the case of Rui’s family (and, ding ding ding, this was the primary focus of the official Kabuki/Kimetsu crossover last November), as well as takes little questions left in canon and dives into them a bit deeper. One such question is, why were wisteria lethal to demons? According to Prof. Owada’s research, there is no historical basis for this. Some of the talk online is that: 1. Wisteria are in fact poisonous, and consuming too much of them would cause vomiting and diarrhea (though I’ve also seen people make jam out of them because of the fragrance, so, like???) 2. Beans are thrown around at Setsubun to ward off demons (like so, Feat. Muzan and Kimetsu Beans), and wisteria are of the bean family 3. Wisteria like sunlight, so perhaps like Nichirin, they soak up some of the sun’s properties that are lethal to demons 4. In the language of flowers (Hanakotoba), wisteria symbolize kindness, welcomeness, refusing to leave someone’s side, being drunk with love, being straightforward and truthful, not losing the humanity in one’s heart, thereby containing a lot of meaning contrary to the conduct of demons Interesting, but some of its kind of a stretch. While still finding it a stretch to apply it to wisteria being poisonous to demons, Prof. Owada goes on to say that since ancient times, while the wisteria has some negative connotations of how it was sometimes written with characters meaning “doesn’t heal” (不治) and growing downward with smaller and smaller flowers like symbolize the slow downfall of a family line, it conversely also carries positive connotations of longevity and flourishing family due to the fact that its vines grow upward.

Now, you might picked up at some point that the Japanese word for wisteria is “fuji.” Not to be confused with Mt. Fuji (that’s written differently), it IS the same fuji as in “Fujiwara”: 藤.

Prof. Owada goes on to explore the association with the use of Wisteria crests in Kimetsu no Yaiba, especially on the houses of supporters of the Demon Slayer Corp. His recurring thesis is that the pandemic is partly responsible for Kimetsu no Yaiba’s popularity since demon legends have long since had origins in epidemics, and he supposes the Wisteria crest has a protective effect on the houses, similar to a talisman used in a lot of real life rituals for warding off illness and then often displays in or on the entries of houses to protect the family every year (I have one such item gifted to me, it stays by my doorway, along with a couple sticks of charcoal (but the culture of charcoal is a post for some other day)). The talisman is in reference to a god of Hindu/Chinese origins being treated with hospitality by the So clan, so although other families perished in disaster/disease, he promised to always protect the So clan descendants, so the talisman says “Descendants of the So Clan” so that any household may try to claim that divine protection. The gratitude-exchange of hospitality and protection and sure sounds familiar! Prof. Owada isn’t done yet. While the crest design used in Kimetsu no Yaiba isn’t an actual family crest in in real life, there are lots and lots and lots of family crests that use a wisteria design and have the character for “wisteria” in the name. Any time you hear “—tou”, like Satou, Saitou, or even Gotou, you can typically assume it’s 藤. It’s very common nowadays, but the first family to be granted the use of this name was the Fujiwara clan, when one of the pre-Heian and very powerful emperors granted their clan head this surname, which was a major honor, and it marked the start of the Fujiwara clan’s political dominance (there was already influence leading up to this, but meh, we like clear-cut stuff to simply centuries of history, don’t we?). Furthermore, although we often think of the Fujiwara clan for their influence at court, and we might think of the Minamoto clan for warrior heroes who fought demons, Prof. Owada concludes his argument of wisteria’s protective influence by pointed out a long list of Heian period Fujiwara warriors who also were the heroes of demon slaying legends, stating that their name has also long been tied with demon slayer culture. SO!!! Let me go on with my theory here. Muzan is from the same family line as Ubuyashiki. At some point (I assume after Muzan is long gone from Kyoto), the family is told while their children keep dying, and they accept their mission to bring an end to Kibutsuji Muzan and clear this curse on their family line. My thought is that their ancestor was a full blood sibling of Muzan, one whom was more invested in than sickly Muzan. While perhaps already an off-shoot of the Fujiwara Clan and thereby not entitled to the same sorts of inheritance, they probably maintained close ties with them. But, as it was already not direct by that time, the other Fujiwara clan branches were not affected by this curse. To further spare the clan the effects of this curse, this was probably when that sickly branch took the name Ubuyashiki. (And yes, I have things to say about this name and its possible mythological origins which I find a highly, highly interesting connection. Prof. Owada supposes it is tied with Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and that is why there are nine pillars, but as much as I love Izumo Taisha and its giant pillars I base my argument in separate Shinto (but also Izumo!) mythology and accept that there are not always supposed to be nine Pillars specifically and Gotouge simply chose that number based on the number of strokes in the kanji for ‘Hashira’ (柱) BUT I DIGRESS). So, the Ubuyashiki Clan is it’s own thing, but is sort of like a cousin to the other Fujiwara branches and thereby continues to enjoy Fujiwara support throughout the Heian period, like some of the Fujiwara warriors going out there and slaying some of Muzan’s early demon experiments, and using their influence to bring in other warriors to the demon slaying cause (pet

theory: Genpei War warrior Kumagai Naozane was a member of the proto-Corp and using Kasugai-garasu was in practice since at least late Heian period). While the Ubuyashiki Clan probably already their own inherited land (and funds that came from it), throughout their history, their cousin clans might also have provided financial support to the Ubuyashiki Clan. But, they probably distanced themselves from the clan due to the curse and not wanting to be tainted. When you bring back in the wisteria associations this puts the contrary associations with a flourishing and dying family line in a new light. Furthermore, the “not healing” way of writing “fuji” also means a lot more in the context of Muzan’s, and later the Ubuyashiki clan’s illness.

ENL Writer’s Commentary: Chapter 6

In his teens, Obi-Wan thought he knew what made a perfect Jedi and thought he'd been a failure, barely scraping by. As an adult, he'd questioned some of that, outside the influence of his Master's constant criticism, but he'd still done his best to outwardly project what he thought a Jedi should be. He'd assumed everyone had known it for the lie it was, but apparently the one person who needed that knowledge most never had.

....

It was sacrilege, in this time, to think such things. Even the age at which Luke and Rey started training would have completely disqualified them, Anakin too old at nine despite blazing like Tatooine's twin suns in the Force.

This whole part is both my attempt to show a little more of what Obi-Wan feels about the Force and Jedi training in particular, after having lived so long both in and outside of the Order. What the contemporary Jedi Order practices was not always what the Jedi Order practiced and it certainly wasn’t what Luke’s Order would have practiced, so Obi-Wan knows a lot better.

I don’t think Obi-Wan was necessarily a wreck of insecurity that some fics show, but I don’t think he was half as confident as he shows (in a lot of the EU stuff, at least, we see him doubting his ability to raise and train Anakin well, for example). He was abused and neglected during his childhood and that has an effect on someone.

On Melida-Daan, there were no Temple Jedis, and it was Obi-Wan who followed the Force to each citizen with even the slightest hint of potential.

....

He tried to teach everyone techniques to shield their minds and the most force sensitive he gave creche games as training until they were ready to do more.

So one thing I’m kind of going with here is that there’s a level of midochlorian count required to be a Jedi, but a lot of people still have more than just...nothing. And also that Melida/Daan, in the state it was in, probably wasn’t having people checked for Force sensitivity, anyway. With maybe a hint of “people can become more sensitive to the Force with proper training” thrown in there.

Cerasi and Nield joined them, even, sometimes, and while they had no Force Sensitivity of their own, Obi-Wan was training them to feel the edges of their unexpected bond, to utilize the Force through Obi-Wan's own abilities. After a few months, they could not affect the physical world, but Nield was starting to feel the truth or lies in people's words and Cerasi had feelings, sometimes, like the slightest hint of Obi-Wan's precognition.

For example lol

This goes back to the canon where Cerasi and Nield are shown to have an almost preternatural connection with Obi-Wan from the start and that since he isn’t blocking his own Force use this time around, that’s a strong bond between them. Open and free-flowing, I feel like that would allow them to utilize parts of Obi-Wan’s abilities that maybe he isn’t using/doesn’t have time to focus on.

He wasn't even surprised it was Qui-Gon Jinn, suspecting Yoda's hand in that.

Yoda is the literal worst in the JA books. I very much prescribe to the idea he kept other Masters from choosing Obi-Wan and that everything about Bandomeer was basically manufactured to force Qui-Gon to take him on.

More often than not, it was Jango, lounging nearby and Obi-Wan could swear he heard the Force screaming “danger” at Qui-Gon every time he got too close to Obi-Wan. Even with the buy’ce hiding his face, his glaring was obvious. 

Even without Galidraan being a total massacre, any traditional Mandalorian is going to despise the Jedi. Even moreso for the ones who are coming to care about Obi-Wan and know what Jinn did.

“No, it’s not. And if the Council had sent me to the ExplorCorps instead of the AgriCorps, I wouldn’t have even protested leaving.” Not entirely the truth, but not entirely a lie, either. “I have friends there, who I will hopefully be in contact with again someday, but my family is here.” 

So in both the Legends/EU stuff and the Disney/canon stuff, younger Obi-Wan actually loved flying. There’s a point in the Master & Apprentice book where he has a hugely traumatizing event involving it, which is what started his dislike, but before that he learned basically everything he could about every type of ship he could. It was one of many reasons his assignment to Bandomeer made no sense, since everything showed he would fit better in the Corps that actually had to do with flying.

“Obi-Wan--”

“Archon.” Obi-Wan held back a sigh at Qui-Gon’s incredulous stare. “We informed you, Master Jedi, of the titles of the Ruling Three of Melida-Daan. You are also free to address Archon Cerasi, Archon Nield, and I as ‘your grace,’ if that suits you more.”

As much as he didn’t want another title, when dealing with offworlders they needed such formalities. They’d dug it up out of old holos, like so many of the rare glimpses of Melida and Daan culture, and decided it suited them better than trying to work around “governor” for three people.

Trying to come up with a governmental system that wasn’t overused, didn’t depend on me making up a bunch of words, and didn’t have any negative connotations in the Star Wars universe was really hard haha I play a lot of fantasy games, so “Archon” really amuses me. And “Triarchy,” which is what the ruling body is referred to going forward, flows a lot better off the tongue than some of the other options.

Also I love the power play of Obi-Wan reminding Qui-Gon that they don’t have any sort of formal relationship anymore.

“This isn’t...you can’t honestly mean to stay here! It’s been months already!”

“When did you start to miss me, Master Jedi? I doubt it was when you first returned. Or for weeks after that. Was it when you could no longer dodge the questions of where I was? When others mourned my loss? When your grandmaster scolded you for failing his plans again?”

Qui-Gon didn’t know what to do with an Obi-Wan who was both assertive and informed, anymore than he ever had.

I love tearing Qui-Gon apart haha JA came out when I was a teenager and so I’ve always sort of despised him, and none of the earlier Disney/canon we get on him makes me like him anymore, at least in regards to his relationship with Obi-Wan.

In the JA books, other people have to continually push him to try to get him to think about Obi-Wan during the time period of the Melida/Daan stuff, like to the point Bant broke down in tears over it. And then Qui-Gon continued being a complete dick to Obi-Wan after he got back, which this Obi-Wan obviously would know.

He strode to the door with a confidence his teenage self couldn’t have felt. Through the Force he felt Qui-Gon move to follow him and Jango step between them, keeping him inside until Obi-Wan could make his escape.

Later, Jango would pat him on the head in passing, but not speak of it. Somehow, though, half a dozen of his people would be there at dinner to eat with Obi-Wan and keep him distracted with hilarious stories from their exploits.

I’ll never not love Jango/the Mandalorians protecting kids (and part of that is comforting kids).

For the Meta Ask for writers: 7, 10, 11, 15, 20, 22 :)

multiWhoa, a whole bunch of questions :D Thank you!

Meta Writer Asks 

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

Something I am very fond of doing and take great care with is to include small details that help to convey a scene or mood. When I write, I see the scene before my inner eye and I try to get as close as possible to that image so that my readers can see it as well. I guess that would count as characteristics, yes? ;) And since I have been told by several people that they appreciate that in my writing, I think others would agree.

... right? Tell me if I’m wrong, I’m not “others” after all ;)

10. How would you describe your writing process?

Settle down somewhere comfy, a blanket is mandatory. Get something to drink that I ignore. Set the mood with music - I have playlists for characters and moods both. I prefer headsets to speakers to really sink in my little “me” bubble, but if I can be truly alone, speakers work well, too. In 98% of the time, I write chronologically, and those other 2% tend to bite me in the ass, so I visualize the scene and... off we go. (And hope not to be distracted by kids or husband.) I’ve grown fond of 20min writing sprints these last two weeks, especially if I kind of start to meander around things I don’t have a clear picture of yet or that have to be done in order to *get* somewhere. That timer really helps me to just focus for a specific time and force me to not double-check each sentence.

11. What do you envy in other writers?

The ability to make music with their words. @elfyourmother is such a person, I love the poetic feeling I get with her writing (and it fits so perfectly for the FFXIV setting ♥).

I also admire when people dare to write characters that are not necessarily likeable (looking at you @kunstpause​ ♥), at least not at first glance. Or who openly and noticeably make mistakes, stupid mistakes. Those characters are so complex and multilayered, and despite them not being the “hero” or “warm and soft” character that is so easily appreciated (and that I tend to write... it’s a flaw), they are amazing. And suddenly you realize you’ve grown fond of them and it’s like WHOA.

Or when, without saying much, you are thrown in a WORLD of emotions and with five, ten paragraphs you’re absolutely stunned and blown away. @ramonameisel​ is such a writer.

(I don’t like the word “envy” in this context, it gives the whole thing a negative connotation. I don’t envy in “I wish they wouldn’t be able to do that” or “I wish I’d rather be able to do that.” I admire them, not envy them.)

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Tags are no big deal. Summaries are hnnnngh, but doable. Titles though. Titles are my nemesis. I prefer short titles but they must mean something. A symbol, a layer within the story, an emotion. And then they should of course still be catchy!! Sometimes, I’m struck by inspiration and am YEEEEES THIS! Mostly, I struggle. Often, I steal - lyrics, quotes.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Gods, so much. I’m not that good with symbolism, I feel, but I have so often put in something tiny throughout the story that - to an attentive reader - hints to something bigger that will be revealed later. Adriene’s past (which has been talked about a few times later) has been hinted at in the first chapter that features her. The connection between her and Cassia, parallels that are only obvious at second glance. I love doing these things - which is also why I prefer planning things through, so I am able to do that. Character development is also something that I believe I’m good at and which I especially enjoyed writing when it comes to Solas in Flaming Up.

22. got answered here.

Fever Dream: Day 1: Announcement

Fandom: BTS, Stray Kids, Monsta X, Ateez

Genre: Fluff, Hybrid AU

Warning(s): Theres mention of the pandemic in this fic, so if you’re sensitive to that, it’s best not to read.

The air in the empty lobby of the Harding Lodge was thick as the four groups waited for the cars that would bring them to the airport and bring their reprieve from famous life to an end. Behind the reception desk, a single television played the morning news, forgotten as the remaining staff prepared to close up the lodge for the season.

Jungkook stood next to his Acquisitions Manager, Zara Underhill, pushing her wheeled suitcase back and forth absently as they waited, his bushy tail swinging with the movement.

“Girls always pack so much more,” he said, gesturing to his own bag- a lone duffle that rested at their feet.

Zara looked up at Jungkook, her brow arching and her lips curving into a smirk that sent his heart beating in the Fox Hybrid’s chest.

“Tae has two bags and Jimin has three,” she replied. Jungkook’s own lips curved to match.

“Yeah, but Taehyung’s got Tannie with him, Noona. I think two bags are acceptable.”

“And Jimin’s excuse?”

“He’s a fashionista.”

Jungkook beamed as Zara laughed, a full bodied, head-thrown-back laugh. The boys loved making Zara laugh like that, and after a decade, they were quite good at it.

The laughter died as Zara’s work phone rang, a ringtone that told Jungkook it was from BangPD-nim himself. With a soft scratch to Jungkook’s ear to excuse herself, Zara took a few steps away to answer the call.

Jungkook, still smiling, continued to roll Zara’s suitcase absentmindedly. He had absolutely no worries, enjoying the peaceful chatter of his closest friends.

Until Astrin’s phone rang.

And then Suni’s.

And Korra’s.

Once more, Jungkook found his gaze directed at Zara.

She looked...worried.

Without hanging up the phone Zara crossed over to Namjoon and began whispering into his ear, whatever she was telling him, making the leader’s eyes widen with surprise, his ears pointed straight up in the air.

“Suni?” Changkyun pressed gentle fingers against Suni’s elbow as she spoke on the phone, “What’s going on?”

Everyone’s murmuring became frantic as they fed off of the distress of their Managers, the scent of panic becoming apparent, but Astrin cut it all off as she raised the volume of the television up.

“...amid growing cases of the Coronavirus that’s sweeping the World, officials believe a lockdown is the best course of action; Flights in and out of the United States are grounded, and you are advised to stay inside to prevent further spread of theVirus. CDC advises you to remember to wash your hands, and avoid touching your mouth or face...”

Korra tipped her head back, letting out a long suffering sigh.

Zara, finally hanging up the phone, immediately set to texting, instead. It was no surprise to anyone at all that she took charge; she’d been in this business the longest, after all.

“Guess we can cancel those Ubers. Astrin, how much food have you got left over from the Lodge’s winter run? We’ll need to make a list of things we need because we won’t be able to get out to the grocery stores all the time.”

Astrin disappeared into her father’s office, coming back out a few minutes later with a stack of papers in her hands; the most recent kitchen inventory list.

“Looks like we’re mostly set on oats and rice, and the meat can stay in the freezer for a few months. Canned fruits and vegetables are okay, but we need more. We’ll need milk, probably cereal, and lots and lots of snacks, even if I *do*have the key to the vending machines.”

Zara was nodding, jotting things down on the list. “I’ll buy extra supplies for baking so we don’t have a bread shortage. We’ll need suppressants too, if we can get them.” She glanced up at the group when she was done. “Who wants to volunteer to go?”

——

It was unanimously decided that Suni and Zara should be the ones to gather supplies, as well as Jin and Kihyun, as they’d be the most efficient shoppers. The group had decided to divide and conquer, Zara and Jin braving the crowd at Sam’s Club for groceries, while Suni and Kihyun tackle the problem of What the hell to do for the next however many weeks.

They start at the bookstore, despite the expansive library at the Lodge; Namjoon and Zara could spend several days curled up and reading, and so books were a necessity.

Crafts were acquired, as well as copious amounts of art supplies, puzzles and movies, coloring books, comfy blankets, candles, more puzzles, LEGO’s...the cart was filled to the brim in every store they went to. If there was one thing that Suni knew about the Hybrids, it was that they were easily bored.

The pharmacy was the last place Suni and Kihyun stopped, having piled all the other bags into the beat up old shuttle the Lodge used as transport. The shelves were devoid of hand sanitizer and medicine, rows upon rows of over the counter suppressants empty. A quick chat with the Pharmacist proved that the expensive stuff was just as barren.

At a loss, Suni stood in the middle of an aisle, rubbing under her lip. She supposed she could put in a couple calls to get the suppressants from Korea but she wasn’t sure if the Starship would pay for that. Suppressants weren’t necessities,after all.

“I know that face, Master,” Kihyun said, nuzzling his face into the side of Suni’s neck. Absently, her mind still wondering how to get the suppressants, she stroked the base of Kihyun’s soft Feline ear. He purred softly at her, nuzzling further. “There’s no reason to panic, we can live without the suppressants.”

This was true; Bangtan had been going without suppressants for almost three years, and according to Zara there hadn't been any negative connotations from it. And she’d heard from Korra that Seonghwa had never been on them, and Hongjoong was starting to wean himself off of them. Still...

“What if quitting cold turkey hurts you?”

Kihyun warped his arms around Suni, giving a few rough licks to the skin of her neck that made goosebumps erupt.

“We’ll figure it out as we go. Whatever happens, at least we’re all together. That’s all that matters. Now let’s go get Zara and Jin Hyung and get this quarantine party started.”

Suni snorted, allowing Kihyun to drag her out of the pharmacy.

Quarantine Party indeed.