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saying “i want him” about the character but not in a romantic or sexual way . i just Require him i need to Obtain him

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idk if someone has done this already but I just watched ponyo for the first time and this was my first thought after finishing it lol

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tl;dr

Soukoku and Shin Soukoku are two excellent examples of brains vs brawn partnerships in media. 

Soukoku is much more textbook in their exemplification of the trope with Chuuya representing brawn (with his op gravity manipulation ability and corrupted form) and Dazai representing brains (with his ability allowing him to nullify other’s abilities therefore evening the playing field and then defeating his opponents with his massive intellect). This is part of the reason why their partnership worked so well: Dazai would come up with a master plan (brains) and Chuuya was the power that executed it (brawn).

Shin Soukoku on the other hand is way less textbook but a lot more fun in my opinion. Akutagawa desperately wants to be the brawn and prove his worth by his superior strength in battle, but his true strength lies in his intelligence. It takes someone extremely smart, creative, and dedicated to utilize a cloth possession/manipulation ability in the ways that he does and to make it as strong as he has. Atsushi on the other hand is always trying to think and plan and analyze like Dazai (and Ranpo) who he looks up to, but his true strength lies in his powerful ability and relying on his instincts (and the plans of others) to guide him. 

Shin Soukoku works so well because Atsushi pushes Akutagawa to think before he acts (be the brains) and Akutagawa pushes Atsushi to trust in his instincts and fully utilize the strength of his ability (be the brawn). 

As promised from yesterday the Bungo Stray Dogs character analysis! 

Again, this is part of a larger project I’m working on so please excuse any disjointedness - I’ve tried to rework it enough that it can stand on its own here. ᕱ__ᕱ 

Something to know about me is that I’m someone who loves a good, well utilized trope. When I’m writing, when I’m reading… tropes are tropes for a reason. When done well, they work. And, when one likes to analyse media as much as I do, they are really fun to discover and think about.

As most anime/manga do, Bungo Stray Dogs (created and written by Kafka Asagiri) utilizes tropes a lot. Though, throughout my long hours of thinking about the show and analysing it for my own personal enjoyment, I’ve noticed that Asagiri likes to use tropes in really interesting ways– ones that are a lot more subtle than some anime fans are used to. 

(Of course, there are still the tropes that hit you smack in the face: the Tanizaki siblings have a “brother/sister complex” if I’ve ever seen one and Lucy is absolutely a tsundere, no one can change mind). 

The trope that I was thinking about the other day is perhaps one of these more subtly used tropes that I think adds a lot of interesting parallels to the development and relationships of 4 characters in the show. The quartet I am referring to, of course, is Soukoku (Dazai and Chuuya) and Shin Soukoku (Atsushi and Akutagawa) and the trope I was thinking about is the Brains vs Brawn trope. 

It's no secret to even the casual Bungo enjoyer that Asagiri loves the genius trope. There are many examples of characters (Ranpo, Dostoevsky, Dazai, Mori) exhibiting an overwhelming amount of intellect and little to no physical strength– or at least little to no physical strength that’s obvious. However, Soukoku and Shin Soukoku both present lovely examples of Brain vs Brawn pairings where one character embodies the brain and the other the brawn, albeit in very different ways. I think examining these ways can tell us a lot about their individual characters and the way that they each work/function as partners.

In regards to Soukoku, Chuuya is very clearly the powerhouse of the two with his massively powerful gravity manipulation ability and even more so because of his corrupted form. Plus, he’s also just ridiculously good at martial arts and carries a lot of strength in his objectively small (lol ᕱ__<) body to begin with. 

Dazai on the other hand not only has an ability that can completely nullify the abilities of others around him (including strong ones like Chuuya’s), but he also is absurdly intelligent. He holds his own against other powerful ability users in battle without breaking a sweat because he is just that smart. The only time he ever seems to struggle is when he is faced with others who share his massive intelligence and capabilities for manipulating others (Dostoevsky and Mori). 

Though they seem to hate each other, Dazai and Chuuya make the perfect team as Soukoku– Dazai comes up with the master plan and Chuuya grants the strength to carry it out. They trust each other 100% in their respective roles and that’s what makes them so effective.

But in real life, people typically aren’t so black and white. Most carry aspects of both Brains and Brawn in tandem and wouldn’t consider themselves one or the other. That is where Shin Soukoku comes in.

Everything in Akutagawa wants to be the brawn. He is absolutely obsessed with strength – especially strength in battle, and he indeed is really strong. But his strength really comes from his analytical mind and how he uses his ability in creative and unique ways. I mean come on! Who would think that a simple clothing possession/manipulation power could be used like that? 

Atsushi on the other hand always is trying to think things through, asking himself constantly “what would Dazai do?” Yet, his ability is extremely strong– so strong in fact that he is a little afraid of it– and we see that he works the best when he is enacting someone else's (Dazai’s or Ranpo’s or Akutagawa’s ) plans as well as relying on his instincts, not his intellect, to guide him.

Both the Shin Soukoku boys show characteristics of brains and brawn, and they most strongly exhibit the opposite of what they personally want. Yet, Atsushi and Akutagawa still manage to balance each other out, constantly pushing each other to be better. Akutagawa smacks (oftentimes literally) some sense into Atsushi when he is overthinking his ability and even encourages his strength. And Atsushi challenges Akutagawa’s methods of rushing in first and asking questions later, making him take a second and use his intelligence to come up with a plan that Atsushi is willing to follow. 

The way that Asagiri utilized the Brains vs Brawn trope to show the characterization and relationships/partnerships between Soukoku and Shin Soukoku is such good writing and so endlessly fascinating to me. This is exactly what I mean when I say that tropes used well just work. Another reason why Bungo is up there as one of my top favorite anime for sure! ᕱ__ᕱ 

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As promised from yesterday the Bungo Stray Dogs character analysis! 

Again, this is part of a larger project I’m working on so please excuse any disjointedness - I’ve tried to rework it enough that it can stand on its own here. ᕱ__ᕱ 

Something to know about me is that I’m someone who loves a good, well utilized trope. When I’m writing, when I’m reading… tropes are tropes for a reason. When done well, they work. And, when one likes to analyse media as much as I do, they are really fun to discover and think about.

As most anime/manga do, Bungo Stray Dogs (created and written by Kafka Asagiri) utilizes tropes a lot. Though, throughout my long hours of thinking about the show and analysing it for my own personal enjoyment, I’ve noticed that Asagiri likes to use tropes in really interesting ways– ones that are a lot more subtle than some anime fans are used to. 

(Of course, there are still the tropes that hit you smack in the face: the Tanizaki siblings have a “brother/sister complex” if I’ve ever seen one and Lucy is absolutely a tsundere, no one can change mind). 

The trope that I was thinking about the other day is perhaps one of these more subtly used tropes that I think adds a lot of interesting parallels to the development and relationships of 4 characters in the show. The quartet I am referring to, of course, is Soukoku (Dazai and Chuuya) and Shin Soukoku (Atsushi and Akutagawa) and the trope I was thinking about is the Brains vs Brawn trope. 

It's no secret to even the casual Bungo enjoyer that Asagiri loves the genius trope. There are many examples of characters (Ranpo, Dostoevsky, Dazai, Mori) exhibiting an overwhelming amount of intellect and little to no physical strength– or at least little to no physical strength that’s obvious. However, Soukoku and Shin Soukoku both present lovely examples of Brain vs Brawn pairings where one character embodies the brain and the other the brawn, albeit in very different ways. I think examining these ways can tell us a lot about their individual characters and the way that they each work/function as partners.

In regards to Soukoku, Chuuya is very clearly the powerhouse of the two with his massively powerful gravity manipulation ability and even more so because of his corrupted form. Plus, he’s also just ridiculously good at martial arts and carries a lot of strength in his objectively small (lol ᕱ__<) body to begin with. 

Dazai on the other hand not only has an ability that can completely nullify the abilities of others around him (including strong ones like Chuuya’s), but he also is absurdly intelligent. He holds his own against other powerful ability users in battle without breaking a sweat because he is just that smart. The only time he ever seems to struggle is when he is faced with others who share his massive intelligence and capabilities for manipulating others (Dostoevsky and Mori). 

Though they seem to hate each other, Dazai and Chuuya make the perfect team as Soukoku– Dazai comes up with the master plan and Chuuya grants the strength to carry it out. They trust each other 100% in their respective roles and that’s what makes them so effective.

But in real life, people typically aren’t so black and white. Most carry aspects of both Brains and Brawn in tandem and wouldn’t consider themselves one or the other. That is where Shin Soukoku comes in.

Everything in Akutagawa wants to be the brawn. He is absolutely obsessed with strength – especially strength in battle, and he indeed is really strong. But his strength really comes from his analytical mind and how he uses his ability in creative and unique ways. I mean come on! Who would think that a simple clothing possession/manipulation power could be used like that? 

Atsushi on the other hand always is trying to think things through, asking himself constantly “what would Dazai do?” Yet, his ability is extremely strong– so strong in fact that he is a little afraid of it– and we see that he works the best when he is enacting someone else's (Dazai’s or Ranpo’s or Akutagawa’s ) plans as well as relying on his instincts, not his intellect, to guide him.

Both the Shin Soukoku boys show characteristics of brains and brawn, and they most strongly exhibit the opposite of what they personally want. Yet, Atsushi and Akutagawa still manage to balance each other out, constantly pushing each other to be better. Akutagawa smacks (oftentimes literally) some sense into Atsushi when he is overthinking his ability and even encourages his strength. And Atsushi challenges Akutagawa’s methods of rushing in first and asking questions later, making him take a second and use his intelligence to come up with a plan that Atsushi is willing to follow. 

The way that Asagiri utilized the Brains vs Brawn trope to show the characterization and relationships/partnerships between Soukoku and Shin Soukoku is such good writing and so endlessly fascinating to me. This is exactly what I mean when I say that tropes used well just work. Another reason why Bungo is up there as one of my top favorite anime for sure! ᕱ__ᕱ 

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The fact that Atsushi can bring out this much light in Akutagawa's eyes, someone who's been in the dark for so long, really shows just how much of a strong impact Atsushi has on him and as a main character in the story in general.

Like how he naturally saw the good in Dazai, how he dragged Kyouka and Lucy into the light, how Sigma knew that Atsushi is genuinely a kind person, and now he might actually help Akutagawa to see the light too.

And no other person can do this, no one has this much power to change people or is willing to help people to change, except Atsushi.

Oh, Nakajima Atsushi, the mc that you are😞🤌🏽💖

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Hello friends! I know I haven’t posted writing content in a while but I promise I have been working!! I’ll be back with a long update soon (within the week I’m hoping) but I wanted to post this update because I have some bungo stray dogs character analysis I did for a different project that I wanna post here as well cause I think I’m kinda onto something idk. I’ll let y’all be the judge once I finally post it.

(This is just a post to remind myself to post the analysis later - I’m currently at work rn lol).

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Villain and violent, infant and innocent

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listen I’ve only watched the donghua and literally just started the first novel but like… I can already tell that, as kind as he is, deep within his soul xie lian is a petty bitch and it’s one of the things I like the most about him tbh

hualian to me is like the only tolerable example of "he's mean to everyone except for me" bc what it reveals is not that against his better nature, some deeply buried part of xie lian guiltily finds hua cheng's difference in treatment attractive, but rather the much funnier alternative of xie lian literally does not care that hua cheng is mean bc he himself is also kinda mean and just doesn't consider any of that super wrong to say

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my garden romance girls 💕🌱

Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries Rishe in 7th Time Loop

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I absolutely adore this show

It’s incredibly important to me that the anime decided to include this scene that wasn’t in the manga. In the manga, Maomao does pass out in Jinshi’s lap after saving him from what was obviously an assassination attempt.

HOWEVER, the manga cuts off at this point, keeping strictly in Maomao’s perspective, and cuts straight to when she regains consciousness in bed after being treated for her injuries. The manga doesn’t show how she got back. They SAY how, and she briefly mentions, “wow that must have been embarrassing; he carried me back,” but we don’t SEE it. We don’t get to feel the true impact of what that means. But the anime DID show us, and holy shit.

They SHOW us how taboo this is. They show Jinshi carrying her out of the temple, after a public attempt on his life.

They show us the shock and horror on Lakan’s face as Jinshi silently walks past him. Horror at the state his daughter is in, horror at another man—a man with a status he could never dare to question—staking such a public claim over his child, horror at the fact that he could never have this level of closeness with her (as Maomao would never allow it).

Everyone hides their gazes, as is their custom when someone of his rank passes by, but the air is different this time. Jinshi is furious, he’s terrified, and he could not give a single shit about how inappropriate it looks to these palace officials.

The shot that slowly follows her trail of blood—even though it’s a small detail—that in particular leaves such a intense impression of how poignant this is for him.

Maomao talked about this scene in the manga like it was nothing to her. She did what she set out to do: she saved the person who was targeted by the attack. She didn’t even know the target would be someone she knew. But she has no idea that this happened afterwards as a result of her bravery. To her, it likely wasn’t even an act of bravery at all. She acted on impulse; she did what she knew was the right thing to do.

The anime didn’t need to include this, because the manga didn’t show it. But damn, I’m so glad they did.

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just started watching heaven officials blessing a few days ago

I think part of the reason I’m so obsessed with MXTX’s works is the way that each story seems to hold you gently as say “Your kindness mattered. It didn’t alleviate the suffering, it did not undo the pain. But your kindness mattered.”

Kindness could not erase Luo Binghe’s abuse, but it changed the story into a kinder one.

Kindness did not stop Wei Wuxian’s death, but it did save a-Yuan.

Kindness did not undo Xie Lian’s suffering, but it renewed his sincerity to help others.

Kindness did not change the entire world, but it helped create a softer future.

Its such a nice message, that maybe kindness will not protect you, maybe you don’t see the outcome of it, but you should still try to be kind, and I love that honestly.

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gorgeous gorgeous girls love fem!atsushi

Everyone who draws short haired fem atsushi, I love you but this came to me in a vision

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these are amazing!!! especially fem!akutagawa - she looks so prim and proper 💕

My take on some gender bent versions <3

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novel writing month challenge update + finals week

Hello friends,

Wow, it’s been a minute, and we are back to this format. Huh. For starters, I hope you all are doing well. (I am decidedly not, but we’ll get into that in a few minutes). I hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate), and I hope you’re hanging in there as finals season rolls around. ᕱ__ᕱ 

I’m not sure if you all noticed, but I have been suspiciously absent for the past 2 weeks. There are reasons… that I will lay out for you now. Firstly, no social media post was required the past 2 weeks for my class that I do this for— which, praise the Lord, because the other reasons for my absence had me about to tear my hair out. One being finals. Classes have been wrapping up, and final projects have been assigned, and I have been very stressed with school. The third and final reason, though, is that this past week I have been sick. Sick as a dog. I had to go on antibiotics and have been hacking up a lung the past few days.  So… not fun.

But, since November has ended, I figured I could take this time to update y’all on my novel writing challenge. 

I failed.

I did not end up meeting my goal of 100 pages of content for my middle-grade novel, which is unfortunate. BUT!!! I did create quite a few pages of content and did lots of really great work during the challenge, which should not be discounted. This year wasn’t my year for writing. But maybe next year will be. Who knows?

All I know is that I’m not going to stress over the could-have-beens. Instead, I’m going to focus on what I did accomplish and work even harder in the next couple of months on my middle-grade novel. The novel writing month challenge brought about some breakthroughs in certain areas that I was struggling with before, and I’m super excited about it! ᕱ__ᕱ 

I need to go work on some finals week stuff, but hopefully I’ll get on here to update y’all soon.

Good luck, and always remember to cross your j’s and dot your t’s!

~Clementine J. Quincey 🪷

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Remus: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities.

Remus, playing Monopoly: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.

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novel writing month challenge #2

This week I was a bit caught up in class assignments, so I didn't get to write as much as I wanted to. But I did start creating DND style character sheets for my motley crew of characters so I figured I'd share with you the start of Beatrice's this week (and I say the start because it will most certainly change throughout the process of writing and editing this story.

I also wanted to share that a lot of my writing this week had more to do with plot and villain development and less to do with an actual draft which- since I'm doing my own challenge and it's based on page count and not content or word based- I feel like is okay. I honestly didn't go into this challege with much of a plan, but if I can come out of it with 100 pages of content (whether it be draft or background detail) on the same story, I'll have accomplished something.

We are halfway through the month y'all. Keep pushing through!

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