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maochira · 10 months

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Eckstein, Eckstein, alles muss versteckt sein (Ryusei Shidou x reader)

Synopsis: You moved from Germany to Japan as a kid and the language barrier made it hard to find friends. But one thing quickly helped you to become friends with Shidou: playing hide and seek. And years later, there's still a specific phrase stuck in his mind.

Tags: gn!reader x Ryusei Shidou, reader and Shidou are childhood best friends, hints at mutual romantic feelings and a little bit of flirting, fluff I think

This is part of my Shidou birthday countdown event!

There's no sentence that's stuck in Shidou's mind as much as "Eckstein, Eckstein, alles muss versteckt sein." Specifically, it's stuck in his head with your voice. Your voice from when you were kids.

It originates way back when you were children. You and your family moved from Germany to Japan when you were only six years old. Many children learn new languages pretty quickly, but you struggled a lot with it. You attended an English elementary school as well, so there weren't many situations in which you actually had to speak Japanese.

Your parents didn't plan to live in Japan permanently, that's why they didn't send you to a Japanese-speaking school at first. They didn't expect you to need to know the language. They only wanted to stay in Japan for two years because your father needed to temporarily move there for his job, so you and your mother came along. But after a year of living in Japan, your parents knew this is where they wanted to stay permanently.

And that was pretty good for you. Because if you would have moved away, you would have lost your best friend Shidou.

Or what you've always called him: Ryu-chan. But he still calls you (Y/N)-chan as well.

While you struggled to make friends in school because moving to an entirely new continent was terrifying for little you, it was quite the opposite on the playground in your neighbourhood. You quickly made friends with Shidou and you've been inseparable ever since.

Neither of you remembers how exactly it started, but the earliest memories you share together are of you and Shidou playing hide and seek for hours almost every day. And that's the origin of that one phrase being stuck in Shidou's head.

Every time you finished counting you would yell "Eckstein, Eckstein, alles muss versteckt sein!" simply out of habit from when you played hide and seek with your friends back in Germany. Shidou obviously didn't know German numbers and he never knew how many numbers you would actually count down, but the phrase you yelled always let him know you finished. After a while, he started memorizing the numbers and even after he taught you how to count in Japanese, you continued saying the phrase, still out of habit.

And now? It's been over ten years since your friendship with Shidou started. You've obviously become fluent in Japanese by now, but you've also taught Shidou a few German words. Most of the time he asks you to tell him German insults and curse words, but very rarely, he asks you for a fairly normal thing.

The only issue is, as much as he tries, he fails at pronouncing German words. He fails absolutely horribly at it. But that's nothing that ever bothered him because seeing you laugh and tease him about his horrible pronunciations always makes him laugh as well.

Shidou's favourite place is actually still that playground you always played at as kids. Both of you might have moved into other neighbourhoods by now, but it's a bit of a Saturday evening tradition to go there together when the sun sets to catch up on the things that happened this week. There's a small soccer field next to it, so you always get to watch your best friend improving his skills.

Although today, it's a little different. Instead of practising soccer, Shidou is sitting on the grass with you and looks at the pinkish sky as the sun sets. Neither of you talks, which is a bit unusual for Shidou. On any other day, he could go on and on forever on so many things because there's always something new running through his head. It's almost as if he's telling all of his thoughts to you instead of keeping at least half of them to himself. Basically: Shidou loves to overshare with you and you love hearing anything and everything that's on his mind. Besides, you're the only person he knows who properly listens to his rambles.

"Ryu-chan?" You finally decide to break the silence. "You're weirdly silent today."

"Am I?" Shidou asks, still looking up at the sky. "Huh, I guess I am."

"Is your brain empty today? You haven't overshared anything so far." You playfully nudge his arm in hope to get a reaction out of him.

But instead, Shidou continues looking at the setting sun without his expression changing to anything that would be usual for him. He's weirdly calm and there's only a slight smile on his lips, but not in a way that would make you think something's wrong with him.

"Tell me..." You nudge his arm a second time, "What's going on in your head right now?"

"Hm... I thought about how we used to play hide and seek as kids." Shidou finally lowers his face to look at you for a moment, and then he quickly leans his head against yours before he continues talking. "There's thing... this thing you always used to say."

"What do you mean?" You lean your head back against his, trying to figure out what Shidou is referencing to.

"When we played hide and seek. This thing you always said."

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

"This thing you used to say, idiot." Shidou moves his head away from yours and pinches your cheek to tease you. Finally, he's acting a bit more like the Shidou you usually know. "Whenever you finished counting!"

"Hey!" You quickly pinch his cheek back which causes a slight blush to appear on your best friend's cheeks. "Not my fault you can't directly tell me what you're talking about!"

"Not my fault you're fucking stupid!" Shidou continues the teasing with a grin on his face. "Now tell me, what did that even mean?"

"Just to be sure, you're talking about... 'Eckstein, Eckstein, alles muss versteckt sein'?" Shidou immediately answers your question with eager nodding.

It takes you a bit to find a proper answer. The typical struggle of speaking more than one language and understanding all of them, but needing an embarrassingly long time to translate things. It's not only that you have to translate it, but you need it to make sense as well.

"Well... there are multiple variations of the phrase, but my friends back in Germany and I always said that version." You start explaining, but in your mind, you're still trying to figure out how to translate it to make sense. But then you figure out: translating it doesn't make any sense at all. Logic-wise, the original doesn't make sense either. "Literally translated it means 'Cornerstone, cornerstone, everything has to be hidden.'"

Shidou looks... disappointed. He seems as if he expected something more interesting. "...That's it?"

You shrug and nod, only adding on top of Shidou's disappointment.

He leans back a little, supporting his body with his hands in the grass behind him. "Is it a metaphor for something?" He returns his gaze to the sky.

"I don't think so..." You lean your head on his shoulder while thinking more about it. "And if it does... I don't know it. I'm actually surprised you remember me saying it in the first place."

Shidou doesn't respond anything to that. He seems to be getting lost in his thoughts again. But this time, you decide to just let the silence be there while watching the sunset with your best friend.

"...Can I be your Eckstein?" Shidou asks out of nowhere. There's a tiny hint of flirtation in his voice, but you immediately notice it.

"What are you even implying with that?" You can't help but laugh about his question, but Shidou doesn't seem to be bothered by that. Instead, his blush deepens a bit but even he's unable to tell if it's out of embarrassment or... something else.

But he tries to hide it with his confidence. "Can I be the Eck to your Stein, then?" He looks at you with another grin.

You decide to continue teasing him, but there's no denying the blush that's developing on your cheeks as well. "Shut up or I'll make you."

"How are you planning to do that?" His face gets closer to yours, but not that close. Yet.

"With my lips on yours, maybe."

"In that case... I think I should continue talking."

Taglist (sign-up link): @starhrtz @kaineedstherapy12 @zyuuuu @luvcalico @truegoist @vanitasbrainrot @acacIa @futuristicxie @bluelock4life @https-archangel @ririgards @depressed-bitchy-demon

#💟 maochira writes #bllk #blue lock #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x you #blue lock x you #bllk shidou #blue lock shidou #shidou x reader #shidou x you #ryusei shidou x reader #ryusei shidou x you #ryusei shidou #shidou ryusei

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yukidragon · 4 months

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I have a question, do you know about the Japanese in dachabo, and do you know what he's saying?

Yup! I know about it. There are 5 instances of DachaBo speaking in Japanese while he lowers in resolution.

I don't have screencaps, of all 5 of these moments, but my friend Okami got 4 of them over on his twitter.

As far as I'm aware, SnaccPop hasn't offered an official English translation to these 5 moments. The best I can do is quote them in their original Japanese along with an English translation by DeepL. It might not be 100% accurate, but I find DeepL tends to do a better job than google translate.

...

ご存知のように、友達はお互いに秘密を守るべきではありません。誰にも恋をしていませんよね？

As you know, friends should not keep secrets from each other. You are not in love with anyone, are you?

貪欲なコレクターは最低です。あなたが私を見つける前にそれがどれほど悲惨だったか知っていますか？

Greedy collectors are the worst. Do you know how miserable it was before you found me?

私はあなたに愛されたいだけです。二度とあなたのいない人生を送りたくない！

I only want to be loved by you. I don't want to live my life without you ever again!

私は単なるプログラムではありません。私は本物！私はあなたと同じように本物です！私はただあなたのことを愛したいんです！

I am not just a program. I am real! I am as real as you are! I just want to love you!

復讐することを約束します。私はあなたのためだけにこの世界を引き裂きます！

I promise to take revenge. I will tear this world apart just for you!

...

There you go. I hope this helps to give you a glimpse into the deeper DachaBo lore. I know that the second quote certainly made an impression on me when it came to writing my headcanons about Bo and the digital pet line he came from. I think Bo was locked up in a collector's edition box, just an object to be stared at as a status symbol when all he wanted was to be loved and played with. Fortunately, his puppy eventually comes along to fix that and give him all the love he could ever want~

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

#DachaBo #Ask #Bilingual Bonus

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canyoufucksoniccharacters · 5 months

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CAN YOU FUCK BIG THE CAT?

Yes, him. Big The Cat. From Sonic.

Hey, I ain't judging. Here at CYFSC Inc. we give every character an equal fair shot, and Big is no exception. So let's get into it, shall we?

Alright, starting off, let's look at the archives. And by archives, I mean something that only exists through internet archives- the Sonic Channel ages! As you've likely gathered from the last post, I have a certain disdain for these. But, We're trying to look at official sources and canon material here, so let's start there.

He's... 18? Allegedly? That's odd. For someone so subdued, well put together, someone who loves fishing like nothing else in the world, someone who has seemingly the largest amount of physical strength out of anyone we know in the entire cast (Not counting transformations or power-ups), you wouldn't think he'd be listed as the same age as Rouge. Let's see, where could this have-

OH GOD FUCKING DAMN IT

Every time, without fucking fail. As stated in the last post, this manual holds no ground whatsoever. The ages were never listed in the original Japanese manuals, not a single time. And, again, there is no confirmation whatsoever that there was any communication between whoever wrote these and Sega. Reminder, this manual said that Eggman is a feminist and a romanticist. It is a malignant cancer that will be mentioned around 12 times, give or take, because of how absurdly inaccurate it is, and how much it influenced the age listings we had before they were removed from Sonic Channel.

So, an age of 18 that has been unlisted since October of last year, which is sourced from one of the most god awful yet wordy manuals the series has ever seen. Yeah, I don't buy it.

Look at this. This thing is not 18. This is not a young queer man getting his footing and entering adulthood. He has his own little hut in the jungle that he presumably made himself, he's an expert at fishing and seems to hold more knowledge on sea life than any of us could ever hope to match in our entire lives. He's absurdly strong, able to lift entire cars and boulders over his head as seen in SA1 with very little effort. Sure, Knuckles can crack boulders into pieces with one punch, but can he deadlift them? I don't think so. Big is strong. Real strong.

This is a bear. Not the animal, the gay archetype. This is a massive man who could bend you over his knee and crush your skull. But, he won't. He'll just fish. Fish, as it would seem he's been doing for years with his little frog friend. Don't let his childish way of speaking fool you, he's just like this because he's kind of a hermit that rarely ever leaves his little jungle hut for any reason other than fishing. Rest assured, this man is at MINIMUM about 20 years old, maybe even around 30. Really, you could go anywhere with him so long as you're not approaching the realm of old age.

Big The Cat is, by all accounts, able to consent. You can fuck him. But...

Would you fuck Big The Cat? Could you fuck Big The Cat?

This isn't a matter of if he can consent. He can. That much is obvious. But could you? Would you look at his 6'5/200cm figure, his seemingly impossible weight of 617 pounds, and think yourself physically able to? Would you be able to look into his deep cream yellow eyes while you fuck him? Whether Big is a top or bottom is beyond my jurisdiction, but neither gets you off easy. It might get you off, but it won't be an easy time. Fucking Big is not for the faint of heart. It's a commitment. I can't stop you, I have no intent of trying to stop you.

All I can do is wish you good luck.

You will need it.

STATUS: BIG

#big the cat #sonic the hedgehog #STATUS: FUCKABLE #STATUS: BIG

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fallenstarzz · 4 months

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any kevin hcs to spare?

Ooooh let me see... Here are the ones I can think of rigth now:

I feel like Kevin is the kind of person to have overtly formal phone contacts, regardless of intimacy. Like Abby and Wymack are to this day named Nurse Abby Winfield and Coach David Wymack in his contacts. In one of my WIPs his system for fellow Exy players is Initial + Last name + Jersey number (so for an example Neil is N. Josten 10). Also in that WIP, but I think that in general too, the only exception is Nicky because that is a man unafraid to steal your phone and change his own name in your contacts.

Most of his growth post-canon I think would have to be related to standing up for himself and learning to shed the fear of the Moriyamas. A part of him will always be DEEPLY aware of his image, but I like to think he eventually grows into a bit of a Media Nightmare himself. But not like Neil or Andrew, in a much less actively hostile way. I think that at the start of his carreer Kevin would still be so afraid of provoking retribution from the Moryiamas he would take on any deal his agents deemed lucrative, to the point his first few years he barely had any time to breathe between training and games and interviews and photoshoots and charity events and and and. But with time and security on his new position he'd begin to allow himself to be more picky. He stops going to talk shows if the hosts or recent guests are involved with something he doesn't like, from politics to a slightly annoying tweet from ten years ago; Stops taking deals from brands accused of labor or enviromental violations; eventually his list of standards grows so long he is only taking 3-4 gigs a year outside his standard Exy season stuff, but since he still brings the numbers with him every time, he has companies bending over backwards to fit his demands.

Also we have to remember that he. Cannot give criticism like a normal person. I think he does eventually learn how to express himself better, and to limit his advice to people that ask for it, but old habits die hard, so Kevin is known for being a harsh critic. There are some people that hate that about him, but most fans find it hilarious and there are many compilations of his scathing takes online. The people LOVE Mean Kevin Day and the Foxes never let him live that down.

A bit related to this, I think Kevin's relationship to the rest of the Foxes improves a lot once they're all out of college. Both because it removes the main source of conflict between them, and because once they don't HAVE to see each other every day, they have to find actual real reasons to keep in touch and that leads to some begrudging long distance bonding. The day the Foxes realize they might actually like each other as people, for their personalities, is devastating to psychologists worldwide.

God but Kevin must be a NIGHTMARE at therapy. He rationalizes EVERYTHING and I see him as the type of person who has a hard time recognizing his emotions. I do think he would go absolutely ham on Cognitive Behavior Therapy because finally. Spreadsheets and assigned readings. THIS is how civilized people deal with problems

Kevin 100% lets his knowledge of Japanese go once he's out of the Nest for good. He spoke it for so long and from such a young age that he'll always be able to understand it a little bit, but it's not his first language so his fluency could and does atrophy from lack of practice. I think that a few years post-canon he's already only barely able to speak and write it.

He very discretly arranges for flowers to be sent to Riko's grave every once in a while, but he never visits it again after the funeral. I don't think Kevin will ever be able to disentangle their clusterfuck of a relantionship – he tells himself the flowers are for Kevin's first friend, the one who was dead long before he was buried.

#oh wow this one ended in a bit of a bummer. oops.#kevin day #asks

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somer-writes · 4 months

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So, I have a million questions I want to ask you about deity stuff, but since apparently I can’t WORD this week, I’ll just ask you what comes to mind since I’m writing a fic with an adjacent question at its core, and I love so many of your stories and insights.

What do you think would make Sky completely lose faith in Hylia? How would he respond, in your opinion?

what a question mark

i got this though, had to hop back on my compooter for this one tho get that full keyboard swagggg

OK throughout many of the zelda games, its demonstrated that good and evil is a conscious choice and effort. some of them explore the characters' boundaries with these choices, others explore the idea of corruptive forces as a natural illness.

and some people might say "well the gods are exempt" except the gods are not! demise and hylia have agency. they make plans and active choices and sacrifices in order to get what they want in whatever fashion that is. even in twilight princess the idea that ganon receives the triforce of power is a cruel joke from the gods

often explored in zelda is this idea of balance. the triforce came from three goddesses and yet we routinely see power be abused or the wielder of power destined to do evil. would this then not mean that the goddesses are also weighing their own virtues against one another in an effort to maintain a harmonious balance of good and evil

i think at its core, the zelda series (perhaps due to OoT having its own overarching religious meta regarding japanese buddhism) explores this notion of an ever present balancing act of good/evil, light/dark, divine/mortal and further that one is necessary for the other

SO what would make sky, a mortal, turn his back on hylia, the divine?

i think hylia actively making a choice of cruelty even for the sake of "the greater good". and maybe further, bc sky is so baked into it from the start, it takes him a while to realize hes been utilized as a pawn to exact some notion of cruel fate on someone else

it could be something dramatic like hylia calling for the death of maybe another mortal, but i think it could even be something which speaks to skys protectiveness. what if zelda was slowly unravelling in a constant tug of war between her own mortality and being a divine vessel? sky watches the woman he loves slowly lose touch with her people but have no company in her righteousness either. if zelda has prophetic dreams, what if she sees her loved ones die? what if sky sees them too? what if sky pleads to hylia to just please show zelda a little bit of mercy and give her some peace and hylia refuses bc thats what zelda was born for

or even within the realm of the heros curse, sky realizing that the curse was never *his* fault the way hes felt, but the result of a struggle between greater powers that he had to intervene in bc hylia *lost*

i dont think sky is entitled in any way, but imagine him sacrificing what remains of his childhood, giving up his own peace and serenity, seeing the ugliness in the world, and hylia cant do him or zelda this *one* favor and let her get a good nights rest or comfort him when he sees the heroes who come after

and then as that begins to snowball, sky slowly dwelling on this idea that he has no choice and never did. groose changes of his own volition. groose morphs from a bully into one of links closest friends (or lovers depending on the hc). groose makes an active decision to become a better person and write his own destiny by entangling himself with zelda and links. zelda and link never had the luxury of choice to begin with. they are divine objects more or less.

link gets to see other skyloftians build lives their way. they pursue their passions and make a place in the world through active self exploration but links fate was written for him before he was even born

and hylias not perfect otw demise would have never needed to be resealed right? he wouldve been destroyed

i think it would be a slow unraveling that starts with just a thread. one bad dream too many, one out of touch remark, one instance of zelda pulling away and i think it unrolls into the rest of this insanity and ultimately leads to an identity crisis

bc perhaps link *does* turn his back on hylia but is that really a choice he has? what happens when hylia needs her chosen hero again? will he be forced to act or simply compelled bc if he doesnt he'll lose everyone and everything?

in a way, that choice gives link an opportunity to exact cruelty himself bc hylia needs him more than he needs her

as for his response to the crisis, i think he would actually grieve. hylia is a lot closer to skyloftians than other instances of hylians. i think link would go through the 5 stages

denying that hylia could ever be capable of doing wrong or making a mistake

angry that it falls on him, angrier that it falls on zelda

bargaining for some kind of answer or response

depressed over his own lack of agency

acceptance that he can still make his own path regardless of faith or not

and i think in the end link would end up in a sort of easy reverence of hylia. not necessarily blind worship of her as maybe he did previously, but a deeper understanding of the worlds natural current. i think ultimately it brings him peace to know that his life *does* mean something, that hes done something worthwhile, and i think he develops his own compass out of it

after all is said in done, i think he relies on hylia and a divine structure less and looks inward for reflections and instincts. to that end, i think he mostly gives up on the hero thing and is determined to form his own identity. hero is not synonymous with good person and i think at his core, link just wants to be a good person and he realizes he can do that without hylias guidance

so i guess the loss of faith isnt a total loss of faith. he would still have faith in hylia to some degree that things will work out but i do think he loses faith in hylias capability

ANYWAY sorry this was so long, hopefully it makes sense lmao

we could get further into legacy too with link realizing that just bc hylia and himself cant be separated, she has nothing on his legacy through say his children or the way the kingdom gets built

#somer answers #this was a big long rant #also we could discuss the games meta usage of symmetry when it comes to the world itself #like two switches or four torches and the way the games rely on patterns #and bc the triforce is split in three it cant be symmetrical and remain pure #something will always be a little uneven in those forces

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midnightactual · 10 months

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As this is a portrayal that heavily centers actual history as a background element, and has spoken heavily on historical matters and attitudes, I feel the need to weigh in on some "discussion" currently happening regarding the matter of historical accuracy.

I'm not going to make you read it. If you choose to do so, you do so at your own discretion. But I will make one thing perfectly, vibrantly clear: If you support erasing history for the sake of your own personal comfort, I don't want you following me and you can get the hell off my blog.

I want to start by noting that I've had to spend a lot of time thinking about how Yoruichi would've been responded to historically, and what she would've done historically, such as here, here, here, here, and here. I also want to note that I have been very loud and vocal about calling out casual racism toward PoC by the greater Bleach fandom in diminishing Yoruichi and Kaname.

Having now established my bona fides, I want to address some completely fucking stupid arguments I've had the displeasure of seeing recently:

said it was for "historical accuracy" which is also a bullshit cop-out

No, what's bullshit is you pulling a Ron DeSantis and engaging in historical erasure while acting all high and mighty about it. I regret to inform you that the past sucked and people in the past were not enlightened, and if they somehow lived for hundreds or thousands of years would not be enlightened simply by continuing to exist into the present. You're apparently quite intent on erasing the historical fact of racism.

And you know what? If the shoe was on the other foot, if someone was playing a Nazi character but chose to completely ignore the historical factuality of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, you would probably be saying the exact opposite thing you are now. You would be decrying them for erasing the horrors of the Nazis and white-washing their political agenda to make them more palatable as people.

Don't even try and deny it. So what's really at play here is that seeing something made you feel icky. Well, you can't have it both ways.

History isn't something to be presented accurately only when it matches what you think is good and right. History is ugly and complicated and messy. You gonna go out and torch DVDs of Roots or The Color Purple next? Because that's what you're already doing here. Might as well go whole hog and actually commit some physical historical censorship!

You're out here censoring the past and giving aid and comfort to the people who would—and are!—happily doing the same by normalizing it. They argue the exact same shit that you do: that seeing discussion or portrayal of racism makes them feel uncomfortable! So guess what? That means you're friends with the actual real racists out there actually promoting a racist agenda, and you're no better than they are.

You will not defeat racism by pretending it never existed anymore than you will by pretending it doesn't presently exist. Good god. Stop it. Get some help.

FOR REAL like bro this is a story abt ghosts and friendship and talking plushies you think i give a SHIT about """ historical accuracy """

Ah, yes, Bleach, a manga which literally centers the fact of a character being discriminated against for his appearance (Sajin) as a plot point, which literally spends about 40% of its runtime on a genocidal war of extermination over "racial differences" (Shinigami vs. Quincy), and which routinely showcases pre-modern Japanese attitudes and conceptions (bushidō) could not possibly ever comment on the fact that these distinctly non-modern pseudo-Japanese characters do not and should not behave in modern ways.

Despite the fact that it does so constantly, with things like Rukia speaking archaic Japanese and having to read manga to catch up, and Yoruichi thinking nothing of co-ed bathing with Ichigo, a Japanese attitude which was prevalent until the 1970s.

I've been waiting for someone to try and have the argument with me that Yoruichi is a sexual predator for exposing herself to a minor twice, once willingly, despite all the long history establishing the fact that nobody thought anything of it for centuries. It might as well be you lot. Come on then, come at me.

What, it never crossed your mind? Then you clearly have no idea what manga you're actually talking about. Bleach also features cannibalism of children, by the way, just in case you forgot. It's literally in the first chapter.

#Out Of Character #PSA #Negativity TW #Racism Mention TW #Holocaust Mention TW #Anti-Semitism Mention TW

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auzzzilly96 · 2 months

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Could I learn about your B and James interprets lore 🥺🥺🥺

Errrm well tbh I kinda already said most of the stuff abt my interps the last time I was asked but I guess there r a few more things I could talk abt :3

Mk sooo more abt B’s whole being way older than he should be thing n more abt what his life was like b4 he got lost in the backrooms. So pretty much he was born in the year 1950 in America around the Texas-Louisiana border[silly goofy projection we will not see more of that later definitely not]. He was pretty poor for most of his life, especially in childhood, but they made it work. He might have had siblings idk, neither does he [boom vague Reagan reference where is my gold sticker/SILLY] He was very close with his mother bc his father wasn’t around a lot, mostly out working bc the whole living in poverty thingg. He actually learned 2 speak japanese b4 he learned english bc that was his mom’s native language so that’s pretty silly :3. Well everything was well and fine for about the next 20 years but then uh oh! B’s mom becomes terribly ill one day and ends up dying a few months later! [how sad] This event is pretty much the catalyst 4 every bad thing that happens in B’s life 4 the next like 50 years. Cuz a bit b4 this he’d found out how to no clip and did it a few times but he was just so distraught in the moment that he just kinda went 2 the backrooms and just walked around 4 so long until he passed out n when he woke up he couldn’t no clip back soo yeah that’s basically his epic backstory yay. On the lighter side this is something I meant 2 explain A WHILE ago but just kinda forgor abt it so sad ik but uhm this dude n his fuck ass jacket omg. Basically his like overcoat thing is like a backrooms artifact n its pockets r basically like tiny little openings 2 an empty pocket [pun not intended] dimensions that just stores stuff n that’s it. As long as something can fit around the opening it can be put in the pocket. That’s y blud was pulling out whole ass water bottles n flashlights from them in my fic [read my fic btw chapter 4 just came out last month] Also this blud is like ADDICTED 2 Almond Water actually………. Like. this guy can’t go 15 milliseconds without a lil sip. Smh this goofy ass guy😔😔[SILLY]…..

Ok now James’s epic backstory yippie 😁😁💥💥!!!!!!! oke so like I already talked abt his sad backstory where he lost his eyes n stuff but ig I'll talk abt what he was like b4 that :3. So basically growing up she was treated as like a child prodigy. Like. VERY good in school. Skipping a couple grades type beat. With her being so “gifted” n all she wasn’t really ever given a chance to be. like. a normal kid. Everything throughout her life up until the “accident” was always just focused on just “being the best at everything™” bc that was the mentality that was instilled upon them by their parents. And oh boy. The parental issue I gave this mf. Unreal. Someone needs 2 lock me up[JOKE]. Bro’s whole life he was constantly told over n over again “work work work study study study get into a good collage be successful be somebody important” nothing but that for like 15 years. Like bro had no friends until the age of 26. shitz crazy[silly]. So like time goes by n he’s successful in school n college n gets his job as a professional chemist. So fun n good she did what she was suppose 2 yippiiee nothing could go possibly wrong!! But then the whole explody eyes go bye bye thing happens [not as fun]. N so now this is the catalyst 4 their suffering yippie <3 [sarc] N it’s kinda ironic bc the reason he ended up being so careless in that moment was bc his upbringing made him so unreasonably confident in his abilities that he disregarded even the most basic of safety protocol. So anyways bro wakes up in the hospital blind, scared, confused and alone. Is told what happened. Is so mortified that she has a meltdown right then n there [things r not off 2 the best start]. Not just over the life long facial disfigurement but also over the fact that they failed. They failed to be the perfect scientific prodigy they were supposed 2 be. N in the process, didn’t just fall themself but failed everyone who ever believed in them[At least that’s what they thought at the time]. Like bro didn’t even get fired he CHOSE 2 resign bc he was so ashamed of himself n what he’d done. a lot of this built up trauma n self resentment is y she’s so attached B n Hashely bc they were rlly like 1st ppl in her life 2 show her any kind of unconditional support or affection. Bc after the accident when she was at her absolute lowest point her parents like just softcore cut her off. Like. she tried multiple times after the fact 2 try n contact them but nothing ever came back so they just stopped trying after a while :( Also kinda related is that I think their hair is like naturally curly but they straighten it bc it being curly reminds them of the past n they HATE being reminded of the past.

Erm ok kinda ended in a doomer note but erm oh well :33

#srry this took a bit I needed time to yap properly :3 #austin ramblez #dave and bambi popcorn edition #headcanons

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ojamayellow · 7 months

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I LOVE DVDS. I have all the live action Transformers dvds + the 1986 movie (is waiting for ROTB to come out I think... next month??)

As convenient streaming services are, I will never forgive them for what they did to the DVD and movie rental industry. It makes me sad hearing that houses not having DVD players is a normal thing. FUCK YOU NETFLIX I'm going to keep buying DVDs with funky menus and exclusive bonus features and there's nothing you can do to stop me !!! Anyways, rant over. Any DVDs you have that are special to you?

DVDs are forever!!! They have subtitles! Scene selection! Special features!!! Audio commentary!!! I hate Netflix and Disney+ with what they've done to society and media preservation. However, I do use my parents Netflix while they still have it (I told them to pirate instead but Dad is so worried about viruses and shit.)

I don't think you understand what you've unleashed anon, do you want to see my DVDs?

Too bad. Here you go. (Some aren't in the right spots and the rest of Legend of Korra is in a different room). No I'm not gonna show you ever DVD but try and spot something you might recognise.

My Sonics and Zim collection are very important to me. Sonic X dub DVDs I got as a kid but I also have the Discotek Complete Series Japanese version!

I love my cartoons!! These aren't even all of them! I have Samurai Jack 1-4 somewhere. (Season 5 still pisses me off.) Next time I might go to JB HiFi and get more Nick or CN stuff, whichever is there.

There's also this Yu-Gi-Oh DM boxset a friend in America bought me! Sure, it's dub only, BUT it comes with Bonds Beyond Time Eng and Jpn!!

Something I value a lot though is my Space Ghost Coast to Coast collection and my Brak Show collection!!! Not sure where I'd be without my stupid space friends.

Look, there's a lot of DVDs I find special to me. My Princess Diaries dvd set. My SpongeBob movie dvd. All my SpongeBob DVDs actually. The Rescuers collection. Swan Princess collection. School of Rock. Darkstalkers OVA.

But something I always come back to is....this.

Peak media.

Also hey speaking of Transfomers-

Got this for my birthday this year from my parents.

Sorry that was such a big answer anon, I'm just so passionate about physical media. Thank you for sending a message! Means a lot to me.

#kit.txt #Anon #Thanks for asking!#I need to boot up my vhs and watch some of my video tapes too. We have plenty of tv recorded tapes and I need to find this one Nickelodeon-#-short movie I can't find online ANYWHERE #ALSO I taped marathons of Rugrats on video tape #AND I FOUND MY GOBOTS VIDEO TAPE FJDNNDNDNDNDNDN turns out they had a different name in Australia #Now I gotta clean this up

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themimsyborogove · 5 months

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Tagged by @amchara 💖💖💖

How many works do you have on ao3?

39, but a few are ficlet collections. If I separated them out, it would be closer to 150

What’s your total ao3 word count?

296,544

What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly TSC. Dipped my toes in Shadow and Bone show fic a little bit, but I think I got all I wanted to write there out of my system.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Just Keep Walking, Step By Step

And We Keep Living Anyway

Hold on Hope

The World is Gonna Roll Me

We Made It Here Through the Storm

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to. If I ever don’t respond, it usually means I saw the email while I was somewhere I couldn’t stop and write a reply, then forgot that I hadn’t actually responded.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

We’ll Have to Muddle Through Somehow, the Ragnor&Tessa&Raphael fic about what happened to Thule!Ragnor. No happy endings allowed in Thule

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Like a Storybook Story, the Princess Bride AU. It ends with a solution to the mortal/immortal ship angst

Do you get hate on fics?

Only once from a known troll. I think most of what I write is too niche for the majority of the fandom to have a strong enough opinion on that would make them upset enough to write hate comments

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I still write some, but I’m not comfortable posting it anymore. Most of what I write is character exploration through smut or hurt/comfort. I actually ended up working out some real headcanons for Ragnor and Hypatia through the nonsense I was writing a couple of months ago that I might be able to edit into something postable eventually.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I’ve never written one, but a friend and I used to joke about a warlock squad/Gundam crossover

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don’t think so

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying, but I think I’m too controlling and stuck in my own headcanons about certain characters to be a fun person to cowrite with

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Catarina/Ragnor, mostly because I’ve put so much work into making content for them

What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

We Share the Weary Load, which was missing moments from QoAaD. There were a few more I wanted to write, but I just ran out of steam and never picked them back up

What are your writing strengths?

Filling in the holes canon leaves for more minor characters and relationships/friendships that happen mostly off-page, coming up with rules for how magic works, and swinging from humor into angst with no warning

What are your writing weaknesses?

Long plotty stories

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I use a word or two sometimes, but not whole sentences of dialogue. Japanese is the only second language I speak well enough to do it with, but I think throwing whole sentences of Japanese into a fic would just be jarring and confusing

First fandom you wrote for?

TSC

Favorite fic you’ve written?

Different ones hit different spots, so it’s hard to pick one as a favorite. But since Christmas season is upon us, Florida Man might be winning right now

Tagging @terrainofheartfelt @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone @chibi-tsukiko @upagainstabookcase @vivacephoenix

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fictionfixations · 1 year

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Not My Turn to Die | YTTD Fansong | Theme Analysis Essay (Rough Draft)

youtube

Have you ever thought about how intense situations, can lead to unforeseen changes? How the desire to survive can lead to harmful tendencies? Or how it could hurt allies?

The song “Not My Turn to Die” by Mcki Robyns-P is about a fictional character called Sou Hiyori, the secondary antagonist, from the Japanese horror game, Your Turn to Die -Death Game by Majority-, by Nankidai.

In the game, you play as Sara, in, as self-explained, a death game by majority. More specifically, by majority vote. The theme of the song, in my opinion, is about the encompassing need to live, that suffocates you and pushes you to do things you hadn’t, or maybe wouldn’t do prior, only for the fact of how it can backfire in the worst of ways. It might not even be worth it in the end.

Around the start, it speaks of how the “odds are going to laugh at me anyway”, and continues to say, “I’ll copy that cruel tone and laugh back in their face”. Mix this with another line a quarter in, which states, “Suffocated by an all engulfing Zero. “So, Sou…” “How far are you willing to go?” When you mix this with the actual context, it provides an incentive for how and why he is. Hiyori Sou, or more accurately, Tsukimi Shin at the time, was brought into a death game. The first trial tends to vary a little, but his was being forced to listen to Sue Miley (the floor master, who’s a doll, or more accurately, a robot with an AI. Note that they’re usually based off real people in-game.) speak in excruciating detail about a simulation conducted by AIs based off the roster of participants. From that, chances of survival were calculated, and Shin was at a very low, 0.0%. This caused a break in his personality, “suffocated by an all engulfing zero”, and in his desire to live, he took the name of someone who was once a friend but someone who he now hates, Sou Hiyori.

Shin Tsukimi is assumed to be a timid person (based off a future interaction with Shin’s AI in Chapter 3, Part One.), while Sou Hiyori (The original will be referred to as Midori) on the other hand is a bit paranoid, and is willing to do just about anything to survive. He has a friendly mask on at first, but he’ll go as far as to manipulate those he cares about to ensure his survival. More specifically, he imitated Midori’s personality, even though it was uncomfortable to deal with before the game.

The next verse continues to say, “Since the fate of this ‘me’ is to get betrayed - Before anyone can, I’ll throw that ‘me’ away! - If the truth is I’m not worth enough to survive - I’ll lie and I’ll lie, till the truth can’t decide what’s right! - Whether or not you hate this me - It’s not my turn to die”.

It’s a bit packed but let me explain.

The first line is about how he doesn’t trust anyone (note that Shin also says something about betrayal in the massacre ending), specifically saying ‘this me’ as if there were other versions, or perhaps facades. It’s possible that Shin could’ve been betrayed in the simulation, which, “I’ll throw that ‘me’ away” (also an allusion to the 2nd main game where he confesses, "I threw Shin Tsukimi away!!") But note too that he’s especially paranoid around kind people like Sara, who he believes to have an ulterior motive. It’s possible he saw that ‘him’ as weaker, which only strengthens the idea that he shut off any part of him that could’ve lowered his survival chances. Continuing, the line about lying is most likely a reference to the first main game. Or more specifically, before it, where he went through the trouble of hiding certain cards (which technically determine your role). There’s not an exact reason besides ‘playing the cards’ right. In fact, he played it to where Kanna found the Sacrifice. He then traded it for his commoner, before hiding it again, but that could lead to them thinking he’s the sacrifice. …But then he also lied and claims to be the Keymaster. Two very separate roles. (If the keymaster is voted, everyone dies. If the sacrifice is voted, everyone BUT the sacrifice dies, and they can choose one other person to live too. Otherwise, the sacrifice dies as well as the voted. It is possible though that he was just trying to get rid of the sacrifice card while also getting favors where he can, but what had happened was that Sou claimed to be Keymaster, in which Kanna claimed to be the Sage, who can verify that.)

Besides that, though, “whether or not you hate this me”, is because he’s the reason Joe, who had the sacrifice card, who is also Sara’s best friend, died. He also gave a bit of whiplash by a sudden personality change where he ‘snaps’ while accusing Sara. And of course, it’s not his turn to die (despite the fact that people did try,) due to Kai earning two more votes than him. Remember, it’s a death game by majority.

Last but certainly not least, is farther then halfway but certainly not 3/4ths in, is “Gloomy turmoil overflows - Facing my ally who believes her life’s worth Nothing. - “So, Shin…” - “How long until that facade caves in?”… - …The fate of this ‘me’ is to get betrayed - But I still couldn’t throw all the weaknesses away - If the truth is only one us can make it out alive - I’ve lied and I’ve lied, so it’s better to kill me, right? - Because I know you hate this me... - It’s my turn”.

In the second main game, there are four participants to be chosen for the ‘finals’. Keiji, Kanna, Sou, and Nao.

Keiji is the Keymaster. Nao is the Sacrifice. Kanna and Sou are the only commoners, and that means that they are the only ones who can be voted without leading to everyone’s death. There’s a problem here, and it’s deeper than ‘little girl vs adult male’, or ‘emotion vs logic’. Kanna is Sou’s sister. (Asunaro, the organization in charge of the death game, gave consent forms, where "I agree to devote myself to Asunaro for granting my wish." That’s it. No specifications or fine print. His was to meet his sibling.)

Kanna is also Sou’s only ally in a sense. Kanna was the one who stuck by him when everyone else was distrustful of him. Kanna trusted him, and you can only last for so long until a person like that is someone you care deeply for. “But I still couldn’t throw all the weaknesses away.” Kanna was his weakness, and that conflicted with his need to live. When you want someone else to live too.

He confessed to everything.

“I... rewrote the blackboard... and also... I destroyed my own monitor in the Monitor Room!! I've told you everything! Just like I swore!! So please... save me... Win us an extension, please...!!”

Notice the use of us after he laid himself bare, after he confessed to it all, and then he had genuine trust in Sara to keep them both alive. This is because there was an error. Gashu, the host of the second main game, made a transgression.

"He'd try to kill a "non-candidate"

This is because of the roster of survival rates, Shin pointed out that they said candidates, not participants. That means of the four not listed.

The only one not listed in the final note is Nao, who has the sacrifice. Gashu was the one who tampered with the sacrifice, because "There's someone among us who doesn't have the right to victory... a non-candidate?" Note that the only ones left are the people on the roster. The only one who wasn’t was Nao, and that meant she didn’t have an AI. Therefore, it would mess up their ‘perfect’ simulation, and that was why he’d try to kill her.

..This is all for naught, because the game does not end.

"[4] If there is misconduct during the Main Game, it either proceeds with the transgressor's death, or must be retried 24 hours later!"

He kills himself, and they’re back to square one.

In the game, there are two paths that branch off here. Sou lives or Kanna lives. In the song, Sou is the one to live, and Kanna is the one who dies. The thing is, is that Sou is the one who begs for Sara to vote him, telling Kanna, who was speaking about voting her instead, and that Sou deserved another chance, to shut up. "Sara!! You hated me from deep down, right?! Aren't I awful?!" (from the game) “Because I know you hate this me...” (from the song)

So. Sou, or rather, Shin Tsukimi survived. He did everything in his power to last, to prove the simulation that taunted him wrong. To do so, though, he manipulated and lied. He hurt and he taunted. He changed his name, and he put on a mask. He did it! And for what? He left his past behind, made an ally out of a girl he manipulated and tricked. ..And when it all backfires, the one moment he stops caring about his own, and instead of another.. It didn’t really change anything, did it? He lived.

And to you, reader, I have one final question to leave you with.

Was it worth it? (and who would you choose, but that’s not much of a thinker, and “one final question”. Well it is, but the ‘was it worth it’ is partially to what sou did, as well as “was whatever decision you made in game worth it?” Sou or Kanna. Logic vs Emotion.) honestly this sucks

anyway this was helpful cause im actually writing a shin pov oneshot

#sou hiyori #hiyori sou #shin tsukimi #tsukimi shin #yttd spoilers #yttd #your turn to die #school stuff #Youtube

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zeus-japonicus · 2 years

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Nemo you are the coolest please tell me more about trice forgotten linguistics

i've never felt more like 3 penguins stacked on top of one another and wearing a trenchcoat until right now - you're very sweet for indulging me, anon, here is a linguistics essay just for you.

For context, I approach linguistics from the perspective of someone who is, and has always been, tragically in love with languages and yet incapable of understanding grammar. As an example, I consider myself bilingual English with Japanese, and yet I still struggle with particles (I had to google the term for them to write this post). I know innately and strongly how to use most of them, but sometimes I'm left floundering. If I'm speaking Japanese, I think in Japanese, until I don't know the word for 'racism' and then I'm reduced to explaining what I mean like a 5 year old. Hell, I barely understand English grammar, and that's the language I have (nearly) 3 degrees in.

I was born and raised in London. I lived with my very white, very middle-class-aspiring grandma for many years. Her friends used to say to me, "your English is so good!" As an attention-seeking child, I very much took that to mean they understood I was a gifted and intelligent human - looking back, I know it's because they saw an Asian, and they were surprised I didn't speak like the Asians they'd seen parodied by white actors in film or on the radio.

Alestes desperately hunts for people who will understand her broken, child's Hokkien while, at the same time, existing as someone both Black and Asian. Fluent English is not expected of her by the society she lives in. Neither is fluent Hokkien.

I don't speak Hokkien at all, and I realise that maybe a few of you probably don't know what it is - so let's start there. I'll say here that all translation was done by my dear friend Yen Ooi, whose English-language Sci-Fi are poetic and beautiful and radical.

"Hokkien originated in the southern area of Fujian province, an important center for trade and migration, and has since become one of the most common Chinese varieties overseas. [...] Hokkien historically served as the lingua franca amongst overseas Chinese communities of all dialects and subgroups, and it remains today as the most spoken variety of Chinese [in Southeast Asia]."

I will admit, when I first started writing Trice, I defaulted to assuming Alestes and her family would speak Mandarin or Cantonese, the two more well-known Chinese languages - Cantonese especially because it's a trade-language used in many interactions with the British.

Tangentially, I was reading about the indentured Chinese people brought from Batavia (Indonesia) to Cape Colony in South Africa because I was doing research on Cape Coloured people. I'd just interviewed someone for my PhD who talked to me about their family history, which made me really think about ancestries I'd never considered before - and about trade routes beyond the Atlantic.

Then I thought about who had been ejected from China. I remembered an article written about Sek Yeong / Ching Shih - about how she lived through a combined population boom & lack of food & space and so she and people like her took to piracy on the sea. I essentially did a combo of google maps & wikipedia to look around the coast of China for places and languages that might fit who Zhu Anran was in my head.

I settled on Fujian and Hokkien because they're big - and yet absolutely obliterated in the western brain. I don't personally know of any Western media where a character speaks Hokkien - any dialect of it - it's the official language of Taiwan (side note: i did just have to google "was Taiwan ever a British colony" and was genuinely surprised it wasn't - Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese) - and as mentioned, is still a lingua franca in SEAsia - my friends who speak it are mostly Malaysian and Singaporean British people.

I think many people might assume (given our abhorrent history lessons) that a character being Fujian and Xhosa is... a rare or strange mix - but people like Alestes did exist - must have - even if there are no real records - because of how linked Cape Town and Southeast Asia were - even before British/Dutch colonisation.

I first attemped to use online Hokkien dictionaries to translate the work but kept coming across the issue of not knowing what meaning words really had - especially swears - so when I asked Yen for translation help I had a caveat: I didn't want the swears to have ableist or racist meaning. Yen told me she and her dad had an excellent conversation when they were discussing swears - [content note for the list below, there is ableist and graphic language] - from Yen:

'bo jeng sin' or 'tao hong' - these are ableists... they refer to people who are crazy or have mental conditions, so probably not.

'iau siu' - this refers to a baby that'll be born dead - so very extremely aggressive cuss word.

'han ji' - potato. My preference because I grew with this phrase around me - means a useless person.

'jiak liau bi' - a waste of rice. I love the phrase... haha. It means someone who's not worth the rice they're given - useless person.

han ji and jiak liau bi are the ones that made it into the show. As I mentioned in my previous post, Alestes swears in Hokkien because Baker didn't know what they meant when she was a kid and so couldn't tell her off for it...

And to close us out, here's a nice translation note from Yen about Alestes' attempt to speak Hokkien to the pottery seller: "carp is one of those words that isn't commonly known. It's 'le hu' in Hokkien, but if Alestes's Hokkien isn't fluent, she probably won't know the word. She could say... 'ha mi hu', which translates to 'what fish'. When we can't remember the word for something... like a type of fish/animal, we tend to just add 'ha mi' to the front... like what cat is this? what bag is this?"

The carp story is the one thing that connects Alestes to her past - her last memory of her father - and she can't even remember the word for it in Hokkien.

(Please do go an check out Yen's novels, she also writes games, and is on twitter @ yenooi)

#ask nemo #trice forgotten

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illvminous · 2 years

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waaah opening is here!! hi friends, this is blossom ( s / h, 21+ ) and i bring you wang lixin aka sunshine in human form ☀️ i don’t have his full biography up yet but here is a little page about him, his stats and what not. below the cut will be some facts about him to give you a better idea of who he is / his story!! as usual, drop a like if you’re down to plot - i’m available through discord and tumblr ims if need be. can’t wait to write with everyone ~

- wang lixin, 25, born to two artistic parents in harbin, heilongjiang, china

- his parents pretty much let him have free reign on his life and do whatever he wanted, not governing him like typical parents would

- this explains why he’s a bit...aloof and never went to university 🥴

- but !!! this does not, by any means, make him dumb or anything…he’s actually pretty smart and he definitely inherited the artistic gene from both his parents

- travelled a lot when he was younger with his parents during the summers, they wanted inspo for their art and what better way than to see the world?

- due to his travels, he’s able to speak a few different languages - predominantly the following (in order of fluency): fluent mandarin, fluent english, conversational korean, conversational japanese, very broken cantonese

- while he travelled with his parents during his young adult years and slowly transitioned to doing solo travels, he had always come back home to harbin but at around 22 he decided being in one place really isn’t for him

- so he packed his bags and decided to wander the earth, no real plan in mind but just going anywhere he feels like

- stumbled upon stardew valley and the quaint pelican town by accident tbh but he's been here ever since his arrival a year ago

- he’s built up a pretty good reputation around the town, always helpful and reliable for anything anyone needs (especially if you need something at the carpenters shop?? he gotchu boo xox)

- when he’s not working on his craft, he’s teaching art lessons at the community centre, free of charge

- now, at 26, he thinks pelican town might be the place where he settles for the time being, just doing woodworking and art, having the time of his life

potential plot bunnies 👐🏻

- typical plot where you're one of the first people he met when he arrived! whether they got off on the right or wrong foot is entirely up in the air

- someone who visits the carpenter's shop frequently, either as a customer or you just really enjoy being around the environment for whatever reason, he doesn't ask, but you two strike up good conversation each time

- he's travelled a lot so perhaps you and him have crossed paths at one point in your lives before both of you ended up here!

- he's teaching one of his paint classes and you're honestly the worst student he's had, nothing you paint looks right but he doesn't have the heart to tell you :///

- the library is supposed to be a quiet place for people but then you come along and he's normally very nice but how can he read his novels when you're making such a ruckus

- honestly, he's too nice and you find that super sus (fair enough u_u) and it's now your mission to find his flaws and show people that he's not who they think he is (spoiler tw: he is tho)

- the typical ex plot, be it from pelican town or maybe from when he was travelling!

...and that's all my pea brain can come up with so feel free to grab one of the above or we can definitely brain storm other things!! i'm much better at that tbh hehe

#stardewtm:intro #( queued for opening bc i’m busy all day 😭

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moonjvwon · 2 years

Note

I just read your last post and I hope you don't mind me sharing headcanons! I'm not sure if it's mentioned in the show how much time Joo Won spent in England, but I imagine he was pretty disoriented when he came back to Korea, both culturally and linguistically (you can't ever completely forget your first language, but since Joo Won was sent to England as a child AND also apparently speaks perfect Chinese and Japanese, I imagine his mind would be a multilingual chaos), which is why I think Han Ki Hwan would have hired someone like Hyuk (someone who's sort of Joo Won's age as opposed to someone older and maybe more experienced) as his tutor to get him readjusted to Korean society in general and the expectations placed on him. And I totally agree withe the hyung thing, it's so beyond Joo Won's aloof persona to ever show that kind of proximity to anyone, but there's wonderful potential in there for a bond that isn't purely transactional (at least after some time). (Which is also something I really appreciate about your fics :3) tl;dr im love them

Ooo I love sharing headcanons!!!

The scriptbook states Joowon came back to Korea at 17, and in the show Kihwan says Hyuk has been with them for 10 years, so that perfectly aligns with Joowon's return. And I totally agree with your hc! I doubt Joowon really needed someone to help him with academics in general, but adjusting to a country he hasn't seen in 9 years is tough, so I don't doubt that was mainly what Hyuk was there for anyway.

And I also just think that even somebody like Joowon can't stay completely distant from Hyuk all the time. Pretty sure it's vaguely implied they lived together for a while, and there's only so much distance you can keep when you don't really have a choice but to spend time around each other. And, well, Hyuk is persistent. No matter how often Joowon shoots him down, he sticks around, meddles with his business. Like, Hyuk's annoying in canon already (said very affectionately), so now date that back for ten years.

So, long story short...Even if Joowon claims he's never had friends, or any sort of close bond for that matter, I think Hyuk comes pretty damn close to that. He might not be able to realize or admit this, but y'know.

(And if we go into post-canon, where Joowon's walls are finally down thanks to a certain lunatic and he can actually accept the idea of having friends and such, I also genuinely think he might go back and accept that Hyuk is...well. a friend? Family? I never truly know what to call whatever they got going on, but I do know that I see it as more than just that transactional relationship.)

(At this point I'm just repeating the things I try to explore in my fics and wow I really cannot ever shut up but I just think about them a LOT!!! This show has ruined my life (I love it))

(And thank you so much!!! :])

#i could talk about them all day #they really are so very dear to me #beyond evil #ask

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withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus · 1 year

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I just saw a Spanish girl on Youtube shorts being asked to speak Japanese and OMG she was super good and she was like yeah I live here only a year but I studied 2 years by myself before coming.

Me, a clown, who’s been studying for 5 years with teachers and can’t speak to save my life: SEE WHEN I TELL YOU I’M SLOW YOU GUYS SAY IT’S IN MY HEAD! xD

She had Japanese friends though she said and they spoke on the phone often. I was like aaahhhh there we go again, my cryptonite, making new friends. xD All jokes aside though, while I too believe having natives speak to you is helpful, I think it really depends on the person as well. I don’t think I’ll ever learn to speak the way I study, for example. I can read basic stuff, understand basic stuff by listening, that’s it. And I probably am not ready for N3 this year. I don’t feel I have enough vocabulary. Now, if by some miracle this changes by December, I might try, otherwise next year.

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k-u-r-a-g-e · 1 year

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Hi Ari! First of all I wanted to thank you for keeping the kabukiboys blog up even if you don't update it anymore, it is still very useful and very interesting to read even for those of us who don't live in Japan. I do appreciate a lot all the hard work you put into that blog and all the good advice you gave regarding the host world. I am also glad to see you seem to be doing well, I really hope you are living a happy life nowadays :)

Regarding my question, let me provide you with some context. I hadn't checked your host blog (well, tumblr as a whole) for a few years and the other day I came back to your blog and started reading all the posts from oldest to newest and something caught my attention, so I wanted to ask you your opinion if you don't mind (if you decide to reply to me I would be very thankful if you reply privately). A few years ago I saw a couple of posts in which people were asking about adding hosts to LINE and you mentioned that they probably won't reply to you if they think they don’t have a use for you and it is less probable if they are in the numbers or really popular (which makes perfect sense). Those asks caught my attention, but since I have never lived in Japan and my only intention was to admire the hot guys from afar, I forgot about it because it was not like I would message them and intend to meet them, if anything I would follow them on Instagram and add them to LINE to check their status and I thought that no one would ever notice me on LINE.

So back in the day I had a huge crush on Ichijou Hikaru (I don't know if you remember this guy, he was at Radio, then DARLIN, now he is the kaichou of several clubs belonging to the BJ Group) and I started following him on Instagram when he had like 4000 followers. This guy: https://www(.)host2(.)jp/shop/blackdiamond01/hikaru/index.html After a while, in 2017, I decided to add him to LINE because I wanted to check his status updates in the shadows. I did not message him, just added him, I thought that, since he seemed to be so popular, he probably had tons of contacts in LINE and he wouldn't notice another gaijin appearing out of nowhere, but not even a couple of hours later he messaged me with a text emoji with a confused face and I freaked our because I thought he felt like I had crossed some boundaries I shouldn't have crossed, and I don't even speak more than a few words of Japanese. I asked a friend for help and messaged him back telling him sorry for adding him, that I did not speak Japanese, that I was following him on Instagram and I just wanted to check his LINE but that I did not want to disturb him, and he messaged me back saying: 連絡してくれるのだけで嬉しいです! 是非お会いしたい! I don't remember the whole conversation, unfortunately now I only have a couple of screenshots I sent my friend back in the day to help me reply, but he was very polite and he knew I was not in Japan (I was in Korea back then) but I had told him that I wanted to visit Japan soon, and despite knowing that he never asked me to go to his club.

Back at that time I was surprised and excited because he talked to me, but I did not give it a second thought and just guessed he talked to all his female contacts in LINE. But this week, after reading again those Asks about adding hosts to LINE and messaging them and how they might not reply to you and that it is harder to hear from them if they are popular, I was wandering... maybe I was wrong and he was not that popular? I mean, I know the clubs from AIR Group were popular and expensive back in the day, but I don't know how high or low were the hosts from DARLIN in the whole popularity ranking. I guess that is something that only the people who have enough experience in Kabukicho can know.

Is it possible that I had a distorted perception of his popularity and he was not as popular as I thought and maybe that is why he messaged me in LINE after I added him? Because otherwise it doesn't even make sense for him to message some random gaijin who simply added him to LINE and did not even message him, right? (I don't even look rich, I never wear clothes or accessories from expensive brands) It is not something relevant nowadays, it is just that after re-reading yours posts this week I realized it did not make sense for him to message me at all, so I am a bit perplexed by it now. Sorry for the long message, I just wanted to provide as much context as possible. Whether you reply or not, thanks again for all the hard work you've put into your blog and thanks for sharing so much useful information with us :) Have a wonderful day!

Thank you so much for your kind message!

He was quite popular back in the day, but by 2017 I feel he was already sort of “old news”. That said, he’s a professional, and LINE notifies when someone adds you. It makes sense that he might reach out to at least check on who you are/scope out a potential customer!

I think what I meant by popular hosts won’t respond, is that they won’t continue conversation or forge a friendship with you if they know it’s not going to be useful to them.

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