sentient-strawberry

[sentient-strawberry]

TSHD fandom. I present to you...

✨️The Summer Hikaru Died x Fatal Frame✨️

I honestly can't think of a better crossover.

These are just some rough concept sketches.

[sentient-strawberry]

I wanted to talk about the recent TSHD update with Kurebayashi because I think some people are missing the nuance of it or missing what she represents. She is a character whose actions are fueled by trauma that manifests into a narrow-minded savior complex. People on Twitter have theorized if the impurity who took over her husband to attack her son could be a metaphor for p*dophilia. And how she failed to protect her son, this is an interesting angle to approach her character it makes her a bit more sympathetic but let’s put a pin in all the subtext/metaphors.

Let’s look at this in literal text. Because this is still a horror manga, yoshiki’s arm is completely marked up and hikaru almost killed a little girl. So yeah, no shit hikaru isn’t the safest thing to be around and that fear comes through here. But she’s kinda always seen hikaru as a lost cause, she’s got nothing personal against hikaru but she is only concerned about who she can save.

And as we look at things literally, yoshiki is a canonical gay character. That is not subtext. So while this scene is a metaphor for homophobia coming from a ‘well-intended’ adult and she is textually referring to the horror-impurity side of things, telling a closeted gay person “don’t you see how important it is to be normal?!!” no matter the context is the worst thing she could’ve said.

Cuz I’ve seen some people either hyperfocus on the metaphors and flatten her to just being a homophobic housewife or completely miss the purpose of this moment and claim she’s doing it out of care for yoshiki. No she’s projecting her trauma onto this kid and using this situation to not face the selfishness behind her actions. It’s realistic and disappointing as too many adult figures don’t see the flaws in this thinking. It’s just that because of who she is speaking to this all becomes a queer allegory. It’s really good writing and this chapter made me ill.

[sentient-strawberry]

I don't think of you as Hikaru anymore!!

I think Yoshiki saying those lines to "Hikaru" is like, an allegory about coming out to a loved one, while being surrounded by a pretty problomatic and phobic environment, and somehow, surprisingly, still being accepted by them.

Keyword: accepted. not avoided, not barely acknowledged, not replaced.

it's the same as saying "the you I know now and the idea of you I had before you came out are different, and I accept you as you are. not as a replacement, or a temporary hindrance to my initial view of you, i truly, fully acknowledged and accept you just as you are."

and that they don't take your confession and emotions as a "phase" or a "joke", taking it on a surface level and falsely believing that you might come around later on in life and just,,, change or transform into the "normal" version of you that the society accepts.

this prolly is also why, when "hikaru" had initially asked yoshiki if he considers him and the og hikaru as the same person given that they share the same body—

—which can be taken as you asking, or rather taking confirmation from the said loved one, if they genuinely understand and accept that the idea they had of you in their mind and the person currently in front of them are two different individuals and have different lives—

when yoshiki replied "no I don't consider you both the same people" regardless of whether they share the same face, and partly bc they both don't act the same—

—which can be taken as the loved one assuring you that yes, they're sure of their perception of you in their mind and genuinely believe and trust that you know about your feelings more than anyone else.

it makes hikaru happy.

he's happy that Yoshiki takes him for who he is, rather the person of the past, who he constantly lives in the shadow of.

it has a great trans allegory imo. but it can be taken as queer rep in general.

[sentient-strawberry]

Update: I fixed my algorithm

Bro I'm never going on TSHD tiktok again. Like, it's just the same back and forth discussion over and over again. it's so boring.

"Its a bl" "no its not"

"yes it is" (doesn't get that its more complicated than that and that romance is not the driving force of the story) "no its not" (also doesn't understand or denies the queer metaphores in the story)

"Yes it is" "no it isn't" (both telling people that they're enjoying the story wrong, either accusing people of "fetishising" gay men or accusing people of being homophobes by not calling it a bl)

"Yes, it is" (has an educated opinion informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre) "no its not" (also has a nuanced take informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre without ignoring the inherent queerness) if you can't tell, I like this conversation more.

Just enjoy the fucking story ok, stop telling people how to enjoy it. If you're going to tell people to "use their critical thinking skills for once" "learn some media literacy," at least be correct.

[sentient-strawberry]

//Spoilers for the tshd manga//

I'm thinking the story will end one of two ways:

1: Yoshiki and "Hikaru" will stay together forever. They mix completely and maybe become one being. That way, Hikaru's wish is technically fulfilled, Yoshiki will never be alone again.

Baring in mind the panel where Yoshiki states that even if "Hikaru" kills again, he will bare that burden with him. With 37.4 in mind, now that Yoshiki has talked the talk, will he walk the walk?

Thus, the story becomes a kind of cautionary tale about what happens when you can't accept and/or let go during the grieving process.

Or through the queer lense, letting go of heteronormativity maybe? I'd love to hear how people expand on that interpretation.

2: They go their separate ways. Whether they realise that they are incompatible and belong to two completely separate realms. Or, again with 37.4 in mind, now that "Hikaru" has crossed that line of harming a child, Yoshiki realises that his queerness is not as monstrous as he has been led to believe. Or maybe a secret third or fourth reason that I didn't consider.

In the end, Yoshiki is forced to truly accept that hikaru and "hikaru" are gone. Perhaps he is able to move forward, finally.

I'd love to hear the communities thoughts on possible endings.

[sentient-strawberry]

[sentient-strawberry]

[sentient-strawberry]

No hate to Yoshiki he is my child. But the way he sees "Hikaru" at the start of the manga kinda reminded me of the grief that is projected onto trans people low key.

[sentient-strawberry]

Yoshiki being described as 'homotron 3000' has healed me in ways I can't even put into a comprehensive sentence

Can’t tell me Hikaru looking at the Cuntree is proof that he liked women (be it cause he’s bi or straight) cause Yoshiki aka homotron 3000 also stopped to look

Don’t get me wrong he could still be bi, but anyone would stop and stare at the cuntree

[sentient-strawberry]

This. Talking abt "hikaru" perspective for a sec - I know he follows the cliché of "its a monster so it doesn't experience such *human things*" but honestly how it represents that he can still "love" Yoshiki while not conforming to allo standards of love and desire is something I didn't know i needed.

jokes aside, having seen some discussion of queerness in tshd with regards to yoshiki's homosexuality/internalized homophobia i want to "yes, and" that by saying "hikaru" is what internalized aphobia makes you feel like when you're desperate for someone's love and attention but know you can't offer them the "normal" perks of being close to you such as sex and/or romance: it makes you feel like your desire is amorphous and unintelligible like some sort of sinister goo, and it makes you feel like you're a greedy monster coveting what shouldn't be yours. not saying "hikaru" is intended to represent ace people (he probably isn't, though the "i'll eat a cutlet because it tastes good but i don't really feel hunger" bit is somewhat on the nose), but i am saying he rings true to me on this very specific level and it's been really gratifying to see a character like this be matched with someone willing to explore new forms of love/desire within themselves in response to that, and i am saying that the themes of queerness/queer guilt in tshd aren't limited to yoshiki's perspective

[sentient-strawberry]

finally read the new chapter

sonesos

[sentient-strawberry]

"Hikaru": Oh sisters im back from war 🥰🫶

Yoshiki: 😱

[sentient-strawberry]

Maki being the token straight friend is everything to me.

this guy…

[sentient-strawberry]

I think this sums up my music taste pretty well.

[sentient-strawberry]

Almost no edits, or those character animatics to audios. I love those. Maybe it's just my algorithm that's the problem. Pls tell me its just me.

Bro I'm never going on TSHD tiktok again. Like, it's just the same back and forth discussion over and over again. it's so boring.

"Its a bl" "no its not"

"yes it is" (doesn't get that its more complicated than that and that romance is not the driving force of the story) "no its not" (also doesn't understand or denies the queer metaphores in the story)

"Yes it is" "no it isn't" (both telling people that they're enjoying the story wrong, either accusing people of "fetishising" gay men or accusing people of being homophobes by not calling it a bl)

"Yes, it is" (has an educated opinion informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre) "no its not" (also has a nuanced take informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre without ignoring the inherent queerness) if you can't tell, I like this conversation more.

Just enjoy the fucking story ok, stop telling people how to enjoy it. If you're going to tell people to "use their critical thinking skills for once" "learn some media literacy," at least be correct.

[sentient-strawberry]

Bro I'm never going on TSHD tiktok again. Like, it's just the same back and forth discussion over and over again. it's so boring.

"Its a bl" "no its not"

"yes it is" (doesn't get that its more complicated than that and that romance is not the driving force of the story) "no its not" (also doesn't understand or denies the queer metaphores in the story)

"Yes it is" "no it isn't" (both telling people that they're enjoying the story wrong, either accusing people of "fetishising" gay men or accusing people of being homophobes by not calling it a bl)

"Yes, it is" (has an educated opinion informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre) "no its not" (also has a nuanced take informed by the bl/ shonen ai genre without ignoring the inherent queerness) if you can't tell, I like this conversation more.

Just enjoy the fucking story ok, stop telling people how to enjoy it. If you're going to tell people to "use their critical thinking skills for once" "learn some media literacy," at least be correct.

[sentient-strawberry]

I feel like yoshiki would fw ethel cain so hard ngl. Especially House in Nabraska and the perverts album.