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gojonanami · 4 months

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Hi Sab,

I just wanted to preface this message by telling you that I really, really enjoyed the first part of your Professor Geto series!

I have to confess, when I saw yesterday evening a message from you saying that you'll be uploading it tonight, I was super, super excited, and I went to bed thinking of your fic, and I woke up in the morning, all excited and ready to dig into your text. I was so, so excited when I clicked on your page and saw that you did indeed upload the first part of the series! It was the first thing I did today.

To begin with, I would like to thank you for putting in the time into formatting and editing. Upon opening your page, the first thing I thought of was the fact that I really do approve of the artwork that you chose to headline this fic. It's one of my favourite drawings of Suguru—I've seen it around before, but it never fails to make me swoon. And I love the purple—clever, in a sense, due to both the atmosphere that this all-purple drawing conjures and also in the sense that it is a nod to Suguru supposedly having purple eyes in the manga.

I have truly, truly loved your work. It was delightful, exciting, captivating, engaging, fun, sexy, riveting, and so much more.

Today, I had a boat trip with my family. And as I was standing on the boat looking out onto the ocean, I found myself thinking—'What do I owe myself and those around me?'—and as I was thinking about it, I found myself thinking that I owe you a proper thank-you as you managed to write, edit, and create something that truly brings me and a lot of others a lot of joy.

I am not sure how I can properly thank you. If I could, I would thank you via endless notes, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I also do not have the influence or the means to spread awareness of your fantastic fic.

And so, as I was thinking, I supposed that perhaps expressing my gratitude in the form of this message would, if not be enough, be an attempt to express my gratitude towards you.

I would like to begin this analysis of your work by focusing on the opening.

“You’re late,” Your first impression of Professor Suguru Geto’s class was that you could never be late again, unless you would like to be chided in front of all your peers for your tardiness.

Your opening is fantastic. It is so simple and yet so effective. It really imbues your work with flavour and a certain sense of drama. In other words, your set-up is fantastic—our delightful A** student protagonist was already in the wrong from the beginning, and it only teased at her journey towards seeking Professor Geto's validation. In my opinion, your opening was very, very effective.

I also have to say that I absolutely and unabashedly love your descriptions. I think you do a really good job of teetering on the line of being concise and descriptive—your descriptions never feel overwrought; instead, they're just enough. They're carefully observed, personal, beautiful, and effortless all at once.

Your first impression of Professor Suguru Geto himself was that he was truly the most breathtaking man you’d ever laid your eyes on. His inky black locks tied into a neat bun, his deep royal purple vest buttoned over a crisp white button up with pressed gray slacks, his pretty lips pressed in a small frown, as his dark gaze pierced through you. And you don’t know what stirs in your chest — a fleeting moment that is tucked away under a bite of your bottom lip and burning cheeks.

You are funny, too. You are naturally funny. I could feel that in the way you respond to asks. My guess would be that you're a person who's easy to get along with, someone who is flexible and adaptable, and sympathetic and humane. And for me, your natural humour naturally seeps into your writing. You are sometimes funny without almost meaning to be so funny, perhaps, but it produces the absolute best results.

And now you knew why when you had walked into class, the amount of unfamiliar faces in this course had far outnumbered the ones in your usual course load — the same reason why this man undoubtedly had three chili peppers next to his professor rating on some website out there.

The quip about the 'chili peppers' rating made me smile.

I loved the way you conjured the main character. I love that her strengths lie in philosophy rather than ethics. She is believable. She is likeable. She feels real. I love that she eagerly wanted to do well, and I loved her internal quiet confidence in terms of doing well—the expectation of doing well due to past experiences. I absolutely loved how she 'eagerly flip[ped] to the last page of the paper, wondering what accolades and compliments [she'd] receive this time'. I just loved the way you tracked her emotional journey of first contending herself with studying this module on ethics and expecting to do well, to the excitement of feeling as though she'd written a fantastic paper, to the nerve-wracking and adrenaline-fueled process of receiving feedback, to the huge disappointment of receiving a B+ of all things.

You tracked her psychology fantastically. And your writing throughout that process was crisp and mature, and fluid and natural, and without any unnecessary descriptors or anything, and just so utterly captivating. I am truly impressed.

I also liked how you hinted at Suguru's character. Submitting a paper both physically and electronically is a small detail, but it is a good one. It shows his character—he is pedantic and careful. He approaches papers like an actual teacher instead of resigning himself to the role of the professor-showman. He carefully spends time 'litter[ing]' his students' papers with pen scrawls.

I also love, love, love the way you use metaphors, similes, imagery, and all that. You just do it in such a mature manner. It is incredibly clever. I loved this:

You were seeing as red as the ink that tore your paper to shreds.

This is unbelievably clever. At first, it seems simple, but it is such a clever way of putting her thoughts into feelings. Yes, it's simple, but it is so incredibly charming, and it is lines like these that linger in your mind many hours later. I still think about it. It's incredibly witty.

I loved the description of Professor Geto's office. Not only does it set the scene perfectly for their world, but it also speaks to the context of the lurking conflicts within that world, and it also hints at Professor Geto's eminence. (Is it also not a way to question their ethical framework? How should we give out offices? Due to status or due to how many years a professor has worked for a department? How do such things work?)

I think you did an excellent job of presenting Professor Geto as enchanting. He is attractive, yes. He is sexy, too. But he is more than that. He is truly and utterly captivating. It is not just his looks that are attractive, but also his attitude and his mind. And so, in light of that, I loved the way you introduced him when she came into his office.

And you know what I loved? I loved the way they interacted with each other. I love the way he approaches his criticism of her paper. It is true—sometimes people forget that students are here to learn rather than just get degrees so that they can move onto the next milestone. Professor Geto underscores and reminds us of that, and Reader, conversely, reminds us of how easy it is to get bogged down in being overly concerned with academic grades and percentages.

I would insert the whole scene that I loved, but I'm afraid that it would take too much space. But what I truly loved about it was how back and forth it was. It was incredibly clever, witty, and fast-paced, and I was truly and utterly captivated. I love that he says that he knows why she's here—and he does. He does because he's been in her shoes before. And you know what else I love about this scene? I love the fact that how back-and-forth it is hints at how they complement each other as two brilliant minds—simultaneously in perfect harmony and yet different enough to challenge each other.

I also want to pay due deference to the fact that you made Professor Geto sound like an actual professor. His feedback sounds like that of an actual professor. He feels real and tangible. He is believable. The words that come out of his mouth feel authentic. His feedback feels authentic, and it reminded me of some of the feedback I used to receive from my supervisors.

I also love how he motivated her to do better. In my eyes, she was motivated to do better not just because she was disappointed with her grade and because she finds him to be incredibly attractive, but also because when she looked around her office, she truly realised how eminent he is, and in a way, seeing all those 'awards on his walls, pictures of him giving lectures or receiving honors, and the books that lined his shelves' motivated her to do even better and be the best that she can be, and perhaps even overshadow him while giving her a skeleton in her mind as to how she could plan out her future career trajectory if she chooses to stay in academia.

The man was stubborn, even when you’d come back with an improved draft, he’d only hand it back to you with a smile barely tugging at the corner of his lips, with no compliment to be had — only small check marks scribbled in the margins in your papers, with the occasional “good” written next to it.

One of the things that I loved the most about this fic is how you easily pick up on the most mundane of details and present them anew. The way Professor Geto marks is the way I've seen professors mark before. But seeing it presented, dissected, and re-evaluated makes me see it in a new light and makes me truly think about the nature and process of marking papers and how individual those processes can be.

And I have to say yet again that the way you write dialogue is incredibly witty. The way you write how people speak is incredibly clever. I love the way it feels so real. I love that I can imagine real people saying those things. I love how grounded in reality your writing is. I love how human it is.

And he rolls his eyes, and you notice that his dark eyes are hidden behind glasses today — and god, why does it only make him even more gorgeous? He’s already brilliant, it’s unfair for him to look as if he was sculpted by the gods as well, “It takes a lot more than a chuckle to earn extra credit,” and you can’t help but bite your lip.

I absolutely love this quip from Professor Geto: 'It takes a lot more than a chuckle to earn extra credit'. It is just so funny, but also so believable for a character like him to say. It also, in a way, underscores his role as an educator—she needs to 'earn extra credit' after all—while also hinting at the fact that he's got a good sense of humour (and perhaps hints at his youth, too).

I love how Professor Geto can also poke fun at himself. Personally, I really like this quality in people, and this makes him so much more likeable.

“Many times, and the same one,” and your mouth opens, only to find a wry smirk on his lips, “I’m teasing, another one of my very tedious qualities, and how you stand it during class astonishes me,”

I also love that he is genuinely a good teacher. In a way, it is almost unexpected. He had all the means to become a professor who does not care about his students that much (as bad as it may sound). He has enough eminence, status, and fame to do as he pleases. He is the type of professor who could cancel one hour before the lecture and no one would be able to say anything because everyone at the university is so desperate for him to stay as there are tonnes of other universities eagerly awaiting his presence. He does not have to take so much time in terms of marking essays. I've had famous professors who've only written me two sentences as part of their feedback for their course at the end of the term. I've had professors who only wrote 'good' here and there and then wrote short comments without taking the time to properly dissect my writing and tell me what is exactly good and what exactly can be better. Bottomline is Professor Geto is someone who, in theory, can afford to slack off for the sake of dedicating his time to other pursuits—be it his research, conferences, or something else—but he doesn't, and instead he makes time in his schedule for his students to properly look over their work. Is it due to his character or his personal code of ethics? I cannot answer. But regardless, it presents him as having an extremely likeable character, and it makes me really respect him as a professor.

(I love the fact that you added an image of his paper using Google Scholar. I don't know how you did it, but it's incredibly charming. I love it. I love how you transformed your writing into a mixed-media work. It is so fascinating. I've never seen anything like this before. It truly made me grin!)

And you know what I truly loved? I loved the fact that she—as the big nerd that she is—found his writing sexy. I know it may sound weird, but I feel as though some of us may agree that there is something incredibly attractive about confidence and assurance in writing. And so I do not blame her one bit for suddenly clenching her thighs together as she read his paper. I can imagine her being enchanted and impressed with his writing—his ability to present his ideas confidently and concisely, presenting complicated matters in simple yet complex and beautiful ways—that it elicited a certain kind of positive envy, wherein his writing is so fantastic that she almost wishes it were her own. (At least, I imagine, that is how I would react, perhaps.)

Now, I loved this scene. I loved it from the beginning to the end. I think it's one of the sexiest scenes I've ever read. I just loved the subtle undercurrent of sexual tension that was present throughout this portion of the text.

I loved how careful you were in observing and subtly notifying the reader that this is her dream. The lecture hall is a familiar setting for her, yes, but the touch of warmth in Professor Suguru's gaze, along with his usual amusement, is unusual and is a fantastic way of carefully foreshadowing to the reader that this is a dream, not reality. (I liked the subtle referencing of Tantalus. I'm afraid that when I read it at first, I did not recognise his name and scoured my memory for the very many paintings of Greek mythological figures until I finally relented, googled, and thus reawakened my memory of this mythological figure. I really, really liked this reference. It is subtle, but clever. It is incredibly well done.)

I think there is something incredibly sexy in the way that you painted this scene in her dream. I love that they are alone in the lecture hall. I love that he stands behind her. I love that he subtly brushes her hair aside. I love that he gently presses a kiss on her shoulder. I love how responsive her body is to the subtlest of his touches. I love that he wraps his arms around his waist, beckoning her closer. I love that he moves his face to her neck. I love, love, love that he takes off his glasses and places them on the side (yet another example of presenting a mundane action in a new light and imbuing it with a new kind of potency in its reassessment). I love that he presses a constellation of kisses across her neck. I love the way she desperately pleads for him to 'touch' her in his dream. And what does this dream end with? With him calling her a 'good girl'. It is really, really well done, and I am absolutely in love with the way in which you tackled this scene.

I love that her dreams are repeated. And you know what? I did like the fact that you mentioned how they were edging her. It's clever, in my opinion. It's a nod to their sexual nature, yes, but it also adds a sense of humour to it. It also highlights how restless they make her and how desperate she is, as, in my view, if one edges someone enough, there will come a moment in which they will break—like a glow stick.

And I love, love, love the mention of the vibrator! It is so incredibly funny! I love that the vibrator is no help, and I love how it, instead, starts to feature in her dreams. I love it. (And now, as I am writing this, it makes me think—what if, later down the line, perhaps when she is a little too tired and not thinking straight, she blurts out to Professor Geto, or Suguru as she calls him now, that she used to dream of him and how even his papers would make her hot and bothered and how her vibrator was of no help.)

And I love, love, love the fact that when he calls out to her, her reality starts to mirror her dreams. Of course, it would drive her crazy. She constantly sees him at night, kissing her, touching her, and looking at her and only her, and so seeing him anew in this setting wherein she has to act professionally and maintain her code of conduct with due deference would drive her mad as her imagination would be bound to recall her memories of her dreams once more. And, of course, to mark the parallels between her reality and her dreams further, he calls her a 'good girl' thus underscoring and foreshadowing how her dreams and her reality will soon collide, or rather, perhaps, merge.

And I love that Professor Geto, despite his status and fame, is not only a diligent teacher but also a caring one. He not only shows his care for his students via his endless notes and comments, but also by checking in on them, offering them the option to delay their papers, ask for extensions, or just speak to him in general.

I know it's subtle, but I love how later they make eye contact, in spite of the crowd of eager students surrounding him, desperate for his attention.

I also absolutely loved the dream that Professor Geto had. It was one of my favourite scenes. (I find it incredibly difficult to make up my mind as to what my favourite scene in this fic is. I've been racking my mind over this, but I haven't decided, and I don't think I ever will.)

I loved that he dreamed about her, too. I loved that he was thinking about her. For me, it almost felt as though his dream was almost fatigue-induced. I love how he ruminates over her character, how he sees his own experience in her without being condescending, and how he sees her potential and how he wants to milk it out of her. I love how he was checking his mail, wondering to himself if information about his office hours was sent wrong, as he was just so desperate to see her.

And I love how when she comes in, she comes in discussing Scanlon and Professor Suguru Geto, the academic.

I just also wanted to highlight this little section of the text, which I thought was incredibly clever and witty and which really, really charmed me:

He raises an eyebrow, and he can’t help but tease, “Clarified or criticized? Are you planning on turning the tables on me?” “Well I do have a red pen,” you click your pen, lips curved in a smile, and there’s a hint of heat that he wishes to unearth, pluck from the earth and possess himself, “but I promise I’ll be civil,” “I have no doubt,” he had a million when it came to you — but that wasn’t one of them. He runs his fingers through his hair, a few strands coming loose, “of course, let’s discuss it,”

I love how he, even in his fatigued state and even in his dreams, thinks and evaluates the risks and his burgeoning feelings through the lens of Scanlon. Of course, it makes sense! And it's so incredibly clever. I love that they reassess the wrongs and rights of a student-professor relationship through a dissection of Scanlon's work. (Just as a note, I think that you chose a very good scholar, work, and topic to focus on for this fic. I have read through your responses to your asks before—which are an utter delight—and I saw that you mentioned that you feel like an amateur in this field. I would like to reassure you that, in my opinion, you genuinely did a very good job of approaching Scanlon, and while I am not the best ethicist around, I would say that for me, your tackling of Scanlon was great.)

And I love her quiet, subdued confidence as she approaches him—challenging him intellectually while also challenging the essence of their relationship, encroaching into uncharted territory by reaching out for him, into his space, brushing her fingers against his, running her fingers up his arm, and trailing along his button-down. And I love how, in his dream, he makes his choice and makes the move to kiss her.

I love how you wrote the way in which he imagines her. Everything he was doing was testing his personal moral code. I love how he imagined her—in her tantalizing sundress with her legs spread out on his desk, all for him and his eyes. I love how he talks to her; I love how he (affectionately?) mentions her wittiness ('Where’s that mouth now? So needy f’me,') and how he imagines treating her right, indulging in her, treating her in the best way possible, prioritising and accentuating her pleasure.

And I love how he imagines doing it again and again with her, making her reach pleasure multiple times, as he just wants her to feel the best that she possibly can, as he just wants to bring her to cloud nine over and over again.

I love how her voice affects her. I love that she didn't truly listen to the lecture. I love how much attention you paid to truly reflecting how attractive she found his voice to be and how her body responds to it, and how her attraction towards him runs so deep that she can be hot and bothered by his voice alone. I love how her imagination runs wild and how she, out of neediness and desperation and lust and attraction, starts imagining him and herself with him and gets so involved in her imagination that she forgets about her task at hand.

I know that at first, this may seem like a simple detail, but I love that when she comes to see him in his office once more, he's sitting on the sofa rather than at his desk. I love the initial interaction—it is just so natural!

You knock at his door, “Come in,” and you open the door to see an empty desk, blinking, “I’m over here,” And your head snaps to your right, and Professor Geto is sitting on his couch, his legs crossed with a stack of papers in hand. His jacket is slung over the side of the couch, his deep maroon button up sleeves rolled up, glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

(I loved this line; it truly made me smile: 'He clicks his red pen, readying his sword'.)

And I love their concluding interaction. What stood out to me was that Professor Geto, despite his status, fame, stature, and the like, respects his student as an individual and truly speaks to her like his equal. He does not look down at her, even though he can. He respects her, and you can see that and feel that.

I loved this scene:

“You’ve come a long way,” he says, as he flips it back the front, writing only a few notes here and there. “But?” You wait for it. His gaze flickers up, a tilt of his head, “That was the end of my sentence,” You pause a moment, “Really?”

I love, love, love the way you wrote this interaction. It is just so well-written. It is slick, fast-paced, clever, and natural.

And their dialogue in this section of the text is just fantastic. It is truly just so fantastic on so many levels. I read it again and again and again. I loved it. I loved it so much that I truly don't have much to say about it, as I feel as though the cleverness of the dialogue in this section of the text speaks for itself. It is incredibly charming and captivating. I truly, really loved how you wrote that. It feels easy—the way it reads. The words glide over and bounce off each other, phrases complementing one another, seamlessly driving towards a compelling conclusion. I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed this portion of the text. Sincerely. I truly, truly, truly loved it from start to finish, and I wouldn't change it for the world. (It is really hard for me to pick out standout lines in this scene. I think maybe this is my favourite scene, but I am still unsure. I just love the way you wrote this scene. I love the dialogue. I love their dynamic. I love how back-and-forth the dialogue is. I love how it is spurred on by feelings. I love how playful their interactions are. I love how they bounce off each other—both in terms of humour and in terms of challenging one another. I just really and truly loved it, and I sincerely applaud your writing, especially in this portion of the text.)

I thought it was clever how you added the tidbit about the head of the department—it was a clever way of foreshadowing the ending of part one and hinting at the tensions arising in part two. I thought it was a clever nod. (And you know what else I liked about this? The fact that this seemingly small and insignificant interaction is actually a key facet of the story. I am a keen propagator of the idea, which I unfortunately do not always practice, of everything in the story being relevant at all times and no unnecessary information marring the text. You subscribe to this idea wholly, and this, in part, makes your writing fantastic. And to me, it seems, this comes almost naturally, and perhaps it is nature's gift to you.)

(This is a funny nod to existentialism—'Oh, great, you were becoming existential'. I enjoyed it.)

I love how she dresses up for their meeting, paying attention to choosing the right appearance, and I love the fact that he noticed it! I think this says a lot about them. It tells us that for her, his opinion matters, not just in terms of academic validation but also in terms of his perception of her as a person. And it says a lot about him, too. Not only is he perceptive and pays a lot of attention to detail, he also pays a lot of attention to her, and so of course he would notice such details and appreciate them.

I loved, loved, loved his feedback for her essay. I loved it. I loved it so, so much. I loved how he mentioned Scanlon once more. It is so witty. I loved it so much. I know you said that Scanlon is not your expertise, but mentioning him in such a way is just so incredibly clever that I would've never thought of it. I am truly impressed. It is just so fantastic. It has the right amount of humour, the right amount of nerdiness, and the right amount of romance. So good.

99 — I was impressed by this paper not only by the content but by its comprehension and use of both ethics and philosophy. But I was also impressed by the person who wrote the paper. You’ve shown determination and growth throughout the semester — and you have reminded me what we owe to each other. And I think we owe each other a drink, and a chance for this.

I think his feedback also says a lot about him as a person. She is significant to him not only as a student but also as an individual. I love that he paid attention to her progress, stressing the importance of learning more and more, chiselling at oneself, and improving oneself, and how one should not be afraid of doing so, and acknowledging the difficulty of doing so, as receiving challenging feedback is not easy, and he knows that.

I loved the nod back to 'What We Owe to Each Other'. It's one of my favourite things about this piece—the fact that it features as a recurrent refrain throughout the text. I love, love, that Suguru wrote that they 'owe each other a drink, and a chance for this'. For me, this is incredibly romantic. I think this is something that will stay with me for a very long time, and I will keep thinking about it again and again from time to time.

I love how they debate their relationship within the parameters of ethics. And I love how concerned they are about each other. (The boundaries of such things are slippery, and I appreciate how this text hints at and acknowledges that.)

I thought this was incredibly funny:

“So you think it’s funny to mess with your professor?” And his voice drops, a playful tone that makes you nearly shiver, as he leans forward, resting his chin against his elbow.

I loved the way you wrote the kiss. I feel like people often underestimate how difficult it is to write a good kiss. And the way you wrote this kiss, in my opinion, was fantastic. It was passionate, frenzied, fast and spontaneous, and passion-driven, and the way it was first a gentle peck that soon transformed into a deeper, more passionate kiss captured my heart.

And you know what else I loved? This:

“Not very ethical,” you chuckle breathlessly, as your fingers rake through his now disheveled bun, “but I can’t find the sense to care,” your noses brush, as you can’t help but smile, “what would Scanlon or Kant say about this?” And his arms lift you onto his desk, several papers crumpling underneath, “Who the fuck cares?” he’s hissing, his lips find yours in a searing kiss, as his thighs press yours apart, as he settles himself between your legs, his knee grazing your core, drawing a delightful gasp from your lips, “I know what I want,” and his eyes soften, his fingers tracing the length of your cheek, “do you?”

The ending is brilliant. It is brilliant in many ways. Not only does it perfectly set the scene for part two, but it is also imbued with tension, and this tension will be fertile ground for you to explore later. I greatly and passionately wait for the release of part two. (Although, of course, I think that it would be only proper of me to remind you that above all else, your health and your happiness should be your main priority and that you should—at least in my opinion—take as much time as you need to focus on part two and let it guide you, not rush, and just enjoy the process of writing it.)

If it wasn't clear already, I really, really enjoyed this fic. I think it may be, perhaps, my favourite fic on Tumblr? It is certainly one of my favourite fics on Tumblr. It is just so slick, well-written, appropriately paced, and so well done that it certainly holds a very special place in my heart.

I feel incredibly lucky for the fact that you are such a brilliant writer. I believe I should follow Professor Geto's example in not only acknowledging and appreciating you as a fantastic writer but also in recognising and cherishing the person who wrote this fic. I wanted to thank you for the time that you put into thinking of this fic, writing it, editing it, formatting it, and sharing it with us. Doing all of this takes a lot of mental fortitude. Doing all of this and sharing your work takes even more mental fortitude. And for that, I am incredibly grateful. I am thankful that you have chosen to share this brilliant fic with us, and I sincerely look forward to the release of part two.

I also wanted to say that I really appreciate the fact that you put so much time and effort into answering the asks that you receive and for the fact that you always answer so kindly and politely. I am truly very thankful for that and appreciative of that and your kindness. Reading your responses to asks is a true joy, and reading your responses to them has truly brightened my mood.

I would like to round off this message by reiterating how much I loved this fic and by thanking you once more for writing and sharing it with us.

I truly wish you all the very best.

I greatly look forward to part two.

Thank you once again for sharing your brilliant work with us.

(I've been having issues with Tumblr, so I'm not sure if Tumblr duplicated my message accidentally. I hope it got through to you!!)

i don't even know how to begin to reply to this message. i've read it like, i'm not sure how many times?? it's literally so, so sweet and i can't even fathom coming up with a response that does this analysis and walkthrough of my fic justice, but i'll try!! (very long reply under the cut)

first of all, thank you so so much, this means the entire world to me!!! i can't express to you how lucky i feel to have people as sweet as you and others who write these long messages to me, and its literally a writer's dream to have someone like you who quotes their work and tells you what stuck out to them. you are truly truly a rare breed and i feel goddamn lucky that you found my work and found it worthy of this effort <3333. ok but onto my reply:

it makes me so happy when anyone says they look forward to my fics or my updates and it's the first thing they do. like it just makes me so so happy?? just because i know the things i look forward to and the things i do right in the morning are the things i really, really want to do, so it makes me so happy that my writing is something like that for you

i'm so glad you enjoyed my formatting and the art i chose!! i usually prefer to use manga panels because i don't want to end up using stolen art (unfortunately happened before) or ai art, but from the searching i did, i found this art to be legit and i believe i found the original artist behind it. they did a wonderful job on it - literally its gorgeous. the art was literally how i imagined geto in this fic and i was so pleased. i'm glad you noticed the purple coloring!! it's funny even before i realized geto's eyes in the manga are purple, purple was just a color i associated with him.

i'm so glad the opening really struck you because it's something i was struggling with, i always have trouble beginning things and i'm the type of writer where i can't just jump in write a random scene and come back (unless a line of dialogue jumps out of my head and onto the page). again, i love when people say my descriptions are good - it makes me so happy!! i'm naturally not a very visual person -- i can't picture things in my head really well so i had teach myself how to do it through reading and writing.

i'm glad you think i'm funny - i don't know why but someone complimenting my humor is like one of my favorite things?? T_T i think i am easy to get along with - i try to be anyway. i'm glad it comes across in my writing. hahah i had to do the chili peppers i grew up with 'ratemyprofessor' with my siblings who used to always use it (and i did as well), and my sisters and I would always laugh when we saw a professor with those infamous chili peppers next to their names.

i'm glad reader's character came across well!! i always try to keep reader pretty vague, at least in terms of appearance, so people can superimpose themselves onto her pretty easily. i have literally had so many papers where i submitted that i thought an amazing job on and then only to get them back and internally scream when i saw a grade inconsistent with what i thought i deserved. i feel like the papers i didn't care about were always the ones i did well on and the ones i overthought were the ones that never did well.

honestly suguru having papers submitted both ways was by necessity but i also thought it fit in well with his character and how he is. he's meticulous and thoughtful. and i'm so glad it came across!!

i'm glad you enjoyed the "red as the ink that tore your paper to shreds" because that was also one of my favorite lines i wrote and sometimes i have to try to write a simile like that or it comes easily. that one came easily which i was very pleased with.

with his office, i can't take all the credit for that -- an anon had submitted an idea about his office being very large and opulent and i thought that fit in so perfectly with the story that i had to include it :)

i am so happy you liked their banter - i was concerned that it would come across as disingenuous or like forced, but i'm glad it was successful :). i always have this fear that like my characters will come off pretentious so i always try to ground them in experience or my own vernacular in some way to give them a more real person feel. i'm so glad his feedback sounded realistic - a lot of it was based on just experience of getting feedback and also just giving feedback (i used to be a writing tutor for a brief time).

i'm so glad geto comes across as likeable that was definitely important to me and honestly i hadn't thought about the fact that some professors only give brief feedback, but its very, very true. sometimes they don't. and i'm glad that struck you because i was really only thinking of what kind of teacher geto would be and i think he would really be a wonderful one (sad to think about in the context of jjk but its true).

the google scholar was all @laneysmusings. i asked her while i was writing that scene if she could make one up for me because i was going to just leave it as text but i thought a google scholar page would be a cute reference for anyone who saw the post about me researching on google scholar hahah. and she did amazing. she even wrote the descriptions and everything - she even chose tokai university because its located in shibuya -- so i owe all of that effort to her. she truly is my platonic soulmate :).

ahhhh the lecture hall dream scene was the one i was looking the most forward to writing!! it was the one that i went into the fic knowing i wanted to write and it was so fun writing it. the tantalus reference was added in during edits because i just love using mythology references in my writing and i thought it fit in well with the academia vibe :).

the edging line literally also made me chuckle when i wrote it, because i too felt like this fic was an exercise in edging after this scene and then geto's dream - it felt like i was taunting the reader hahah. also "break like a glow stick" made me laugh when i read it, and i'm still giggling as i write this now.

omg i definitely want to do that now - i definitely will include a scene where she's talking about the dreams with him and it would be funny if 1) he slips up and says "you had dreams too?" and 2) if he decides to use the vibrator one her later hahahah.

honestly the scene where he stops her is based on my own experience in college when a professor stopped me and asked if i was okay when i was very despondent during class lol (i was just super depressed at the time). and i thought it was so sweet of her to ask me how i was doing and i feel like suguru would do the same for his students, especially ones he knows well.

honestly writing geto's dream was so fun, while simultaneously difficult haha. because it was like toeing the line between fantasy and reality, and trying to make it seem realistic at first and then having it go speeding off the rails with his desires. i'm so glad honestly that scanlon worked out - because i was trying to figure out how to frame it, and then i thought of scanlon because of the good place and when i started reading 'what do we owe to each other,' i thought it fit perfectly (i do also have mike schur's book that he wrote about ethics and writing the good place and this almost makes me want to read in prep for part 2 hahah). i am most definitely an amateur, my extent of knowledge of ethics / philosophy comes from the good place and from a legal perspective, the latter of which was not very helpful here hahah. i'm so glad it came across well!! and hey, i will take the compliment because i think, based on what you've said, you are more versed than i am.

hahah the sofa was definitely because i wanted them sitting closer this time -- kinda showing how the line is blurring more and more and the gap between them is closing (literally and figuratively, because no big desk blocking them from each other).

honestly the scene in their office on the couch was the most difficult scene in the entire fic to write -- because i remember i wrote it at night and i was super unsure about it. i sent it to laney and i was like internally 'she's probably gonna say it needs more because it doesn't feel like enough' and then when she read it in the morning she was like its great, just a typo. and i was like....don't you think it needs something?? and she like no??? lol.

i'm so glad!! because the T.A. thing was how i wanted to end the fic, but obviously i wanted to foreshadow it. but i was thinking about having it earlier, but professors don't think about TAs until the semester is about to end anyway. the existential line was also funny because i had stopped writing the night before right before that line and when i came back to it, i was like huh, i was really getting existential before bed. and thus that line.

i'm so glad the kiss came across right!! i was super worried about writing it because its such a pivotal scene and i wanted it to be just right. and i was really channeling jess and nick's first kiss from new girl energy (but more hesitant at first).

i appreciate the reminder of about my own wellbeing over writing :). i love writing this series though so i am very eager to continue - but i really gotta write some 2K fics first because i'm almost to 4K and i haven't written a single one and no one is pressuring me, except my own little voice in my head haha.

i'm so so glad you enjoyed it this much to send this incredibly wonderful, thoughtful message to me. I can't express in words what this meant to me. thank you for doing this as well!!! it literally means the world. reading all of your asks and everyone else's literally make my entire day, along with the wonderful reblogs, tags, and comments everyone has left. but these asks are so so special to me. thank you so much - i really can't thank you enough <333

(i did get it twice but no worried :) i just chose to respond to this one so i could let you know it came through!!!) <33

#sab [asks]#sab [anons]#sab [praise]#sab series [prof suguru]#you are literally the sweetest i can't speak in words how much this means #i don't think even any type of language or emoji or picture can capture what this means to me #<333333

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acoraxia · 1 year

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Me, trying to identify the common thread between Wukong’s relationships with Tripitaka, Macaque, and Erlang - is it the self righteousness in the face of all evidence to the contrary? Is it the unwillingness to see Wukong’s perspective or even see him as a person? Is it the hurting Wukong until they need something from him?

Oh I know! They need to either improve their behavior or be kept far far away from him!! (And that’s being generous)

Me sliding into my notes after taking my final exam for my psych course: well then

I find it interesting how Sun Wukong’s relationships can be separated into three categories involving these 3 specific characters: Fatherhood, Friendship and (at the very core) Brotherhood

Tripitaka was seen as a father-like figure to Sun Wukong and the use of master and student dynamic further proves this in the sense that Tripitaka was someone who Sun Wukong wanted to impress. He sees him as someone of higher status than him (“You’re the great monk!”) and the whole overarching moments in the book where Sun Wukong cries or tells Tripitaka that everything he does is for the sake of pleasing his master and wanting him to be proud of him.

And while Tripitaka was not actively choosing to be awful to Sun Wukong he certainly did his damage in not taking Sun Wukong serious when he should have and listening to others (Zhu Bajie) when Sun Wukong warned him about dangers. Because remember that Tripitaka’s first experience with Sun Wukong was seeing him as a demon who was trapped and then freed and then he murdered right in front of him — and we know that Sun Wukong did not know that, hey, murder is bad so of course he was proud of that moment and didn’t understand why Tripitaka was so appalled by this.

And this is a reoccurring thing with them: Sun Wukong getting punished and called out by Tripitaka but never told why his actions are bad and why he deserved his punishments.

Their relationship wasn’t the best because of this, SWK wanting to protect Tripitaka and get praise from him but Tripitaka not ever seeing SWK as someone willing to learn and only as a cheeky, impish monkey.

Macaque was supposedly Sun Wukong’s best friend and because we don’t know much of their dynamic it sucks that I can’t really fully go into depth with this dynamic but he does lose the sense of seeing Sun Wukong as just a friend when he starts putting him on this high pedestal and then having unrealistically high expectations from him since day one of his appearance. He wants Sun Wukong to go back to his old self, refuses to acknowledge that he’s changed and then proceeds to target everything around him to get him to bite back.

He doesn’t care for how much his actions effect others and he’s not fully evil but he’s so blinded by the concept of getting his old friend back that it kind of makes him do the worst possible decisions in order to get there.

There's some love there (platonic, romantic, whatever) because honestly if he didn't love Sun Wukong at some point then he wouldn't go this far to try and get a rouse out of him, try to get him to look at him or talk to him or even attempt to get in his line of vision as much as possible by holding up Xiaotian and everything else he holds dear to him to get his attention. But he doesn't know how to deal with these emotions properly so he instead chooses the most destructive patterns instead.

He’s the friend who says he’s the closest person in Sun Wukong’s life without realizing that Sun Wukong’s already moved on and wants to start a new life and he doesn’t try to move on as well so he can catch up to Sun Wukong.

Their relationship is equal to that of old friends who fell out and they both had a play in this but it takes time to mend it and while it is not broken forever they are still going to need more than one apology (both of them need to apologize btw) to make amends.

Erlang on the other hand is interesting.. because they didn’t start out as brothers. And their interactions are so minimal in the book (as far as i can tell they interact once before Sun Wukong meets him again to defeat a demon and then he’s never mentioned again) but if you add in the continuation of Erlang’s story with the Lotus Lantern, it’s much more interesting.

(I rechecked and Erlang is only written 80 times in my copy of the book: when he’s summoned by Guayin, when he fights Sun Wukong, when he imprisons him, when he burns down his mountain, when he fights alongside him and when his dragon wife is mentioned.)

From a perspective outside of the Heavenly realm, this quarrel between them can just be seen as two brothers fighting over who gets to be the one who’s right at that moment. It reads off as more of a dispute between who is “favored” more — because Sun Wukong was excited to meet Erlang, he praised him and said he heard of him from legends (similar to a little brother hearing all of his big brother’s accomplishments).

This is how Erlang learned of Sun Wukong:

‘The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the monkey fiend of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, has rebelled. Because he stole peaches, wine and pills while in Heaven and wrecked the Peach Banquet, we have despatched a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and eighteen heaven−and−earth nets to surround the mountain and force him to submit, but we have not yet succeeded. We do now therefore especially appoint our worthy nephew and his sworn brothers to go to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and give their help in eliminating him. When you succeed, large rewards and high office shall be yours.’ Erlang was delighted. [...]

And then their following interaction:

"Now I remember who you are," replied the Great Sage. "Some years ago the Jade Emperor's younger sister wanted to be mortal and came down to the lower world, where she married a Mr. Yang and gave birth to a son, who split the Peach Mountain open with his axe. Is that who you are? I should really fling you a few curses, but I've got no quarrel with you; and it would be a pity to kill you by hitting you with my cudgel. So why don't you hurry back, young sir, and tell those four Heavenly Kings of yours to come out?" When the True Lord Erlang heard this he burst out angrily, "Damned monkey! Where are your manners? Try this blade of mine!" The Great Sage dodged the blow and instantly raised his gold−banded club to hit back.

Note that Sun Wukong is being cheeky here — if he genuinely wanted to fight Erlang he would have done so instantly but due to knowing his origin he didn’t want to. That and he probably didn't know it was bad manners since he is, in fact, a monkey. Meanwhile Erlang is the one who struck first and it sits with me that Erlang continues to strike down on Sun Wukong despite SWK no longer wanting to fight.

Their fighting is less of Sun Wukong instigating Erlang and more of Erlang wanting to beat him down for not being the “right type of god” that Heaven wants — which could easily be said about him, too. The passage of brotherhood these two go down on is always so interesting due to the fact that Sun Wukong doesn’t want to fight him and that Erlang is the one who calls Sun Wukong a sworn brother. The book can be taken in many ways of course but Erlang keeps breaking all the things that Sun Wukong holds dear to him (his kingdom, his monkeys, his pride and his generals) and then doesn’t apologize for it whatsoever.

These three characters refuse to see Sun Wukong as a changed man and that’s where their problems lie, actually, and it’s interesting how it’s portrayed in three different types of relationships that are often different from the typical type of relationship seen in media.

#ask #analysis #wow #i should have a tag for analysis huh #well #🥃#there we go now it's the 🥃 emoji woo #but yeah it's #a lot #im not tagging lmk but y'all can do that if you want to #this isnt an au either it's just analyzing the relationships they have with SWK #though i find it interesting how Tripitaka loved SWK the same one would love a puppy or cat but never told him so directly and i think #thats what damaged their rleationship the most #when ur dad doesnt tell you he loves you so you overdo everything #to try and get his praise #awesome

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