styleandfitnessde-blog

[reflections-doujin]

Chapter 02 ❖ Page 30

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Little announcement : I have a patreon! I will be posting sneak peeks of reflections plus exclusive Inuparents content with baby Inuyasha. (Full colored for those who are tired of black and white haha!)

Join us here!

[tsururoach]

happy birthday @funuya everyone right now drop what ur doing and send him gakuryuu pics. ok?

[nasuverse-most-breedable-tourney]

Emiya did NOT wear a DOG COLLAR in that ccc art for you all to act like he is not the world's most excellent service switch. Quetz is a goddess you think anyone's ever asked her to for head? Conversely Emiya consistently shows pure devotion and care to all his masters AND he remembers his past summonings so you KNOW he has experience. Vote Emiya for that gluck gluck mind twisting bad bitch pulling head TODAY.

[princesandromeda]

Five of the doujinshi I bought over a month ago finally arrived and like I should be preparing two of my final projects but I'm having so much fun glossing over these 🥹 especially bc the artists wrote thank you notes. One even wrote "You really like HyoShun huh"😭😭😭 (me funaron verdaderamente) (I mean, it's actually different in context bc it's more like "The one you like is HyoShun huh… or so I gathered. But I hope you also like MilMus" BC THEY SENT GIFTS!!!!)

anyways fanartists are really the backbone of the fandom, god bless them🙏🙏🙏

[deus-ex-mona]

the nagihiyo mirror is so cute~~~~~~~

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

I live for the thrills of live

[merakiui]

Any Lilia pseudo-incest thoughts?

Something something nonsensical doujin-esque plot: I Went Back in Time to Meet My Fae Step-Family When They Were Young and My Stepfather Found Me and Knocked Me Up, But He Doesn’t Know We’re (non-blood) Related!!!!

Not that those details matter to Lilia or anyone in that time period. It’s very medieval and thus the logic would reflect that. Telling General Vanrouge you’re family, but he doesn’t believe you because he has no family that he knows of. But you keep insisting on it and he gets cocky with you: “If we’re family as you claim, then surely family wouldn’t do this?” All while he’s groping you or making you suck his dick.

Lilia with his medieval mindset and you with your very modern views. OTL in the present day he’s your stepfather, but right now he’s General Vanrouge in his glory days. >:)

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

Hello, I hope I can ask you this. I was exploring the Jp side of YouTube and watching review and discussion videos on MHA. I found a couple of popular videos on the potential future relationships of all the characters, and as expected, they were all the default m/f pairs. But the comments took me by surprise. Most of them were about “greentea,” obviously, but I could also see comments on very odd pairs like Eri and Deku, Mahoro and Bakugo, and even Eri and Mirio quite frequently! (Even typing it out is making me cringe)😭😭😭 However, I also saw a couple of comments on Bakugo and Deku, but very few, probably 1 out of 100. I’m really curious about how bkdk is perceived by the general Japanese audience, is it even taken seriously? Maybe I just couldn’t find any review videos that even considered them as a pair, but the ones I saw were kinda popular too; they had plenty of views. So yeah, I’d love to know your thoughts on this, again I hope this is ok to ask🥹

Also I just discovered you and I love all your content!😭 I’ve exhausted them haha, thank you so much for your work! Lots of love! 🩷🩷🩷

First off, I want to mention that I have a hitherto unspoken rule to not comment on ships other than bkdk. I know you are asking about bkdk specifically, but the framework of the question brings other things into the discussion, so I want to say this clearly to discourage follow-up questions from others which may be angled toward different ships or ship discourse in general. Bkdk is what I’m here for, so bkdk is what I’m going to talk about.

In regards to your actual question, I’m gonna answer by giving you some information about how fandom works in Japan.

Bkdk is the most popular mha ship in Japan in terms of fanworks, by a wide margin.

Japanese fandom is, compared to English-speaking fandom, heavily centered on fanart. Japan has frequent doujinshi (independently published comic) events where dozens or even hundreds of artists come to distribute their work, and many of these have been going on for decades. It is not hyperbole to say that some kind of doujinshi event, showcasing brand new work, is going on in at least one major city in Japan every single month, and these events are attended by hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. Sometimes there are two or more events in a single month.

To be clear, doujinshi are not only fanworks, which is why I specified “independently published comic.” Lots of doujin are original works, and many now well-known mangaka got their start, gained connections, and built their early fanbase through participating in doujin circles (collaborative groups of artists who create work under the same independent label). My point is that visual art and comics are so huge in Japan it is hard to overstate their prominence in the culture as a whole, let alone fandom culture.

So, fanart and doujin are huge, and among fans who make fanart/doujin, bkdk is wildly popular.

The thing you have to ask yourself is, does fanwork represent general readership? Drawing fanart is the most common way to show your love for a series in Japan, but that definitely doesn’t mean every reader is drawing fanart. In my opinion, fanfic is prominent in USA-centered fandom, but obviously only a fraction of the people who enjoy a series are going to write fanfic for it.

I don’t think we can really quantify the opinions of general readership this way. I mean, when you scroll through the comment section of the same kind of clickbaity, hot-topic videos about anime/manga that English-speaking audiences watch, do you feel like those comments accurately reflects what most people think? I know I don’t. There is always going to be a selection bias, because “people who comment on youtube videos” also only represent a fraction of “people who read mha.”

Japanese fandom is significantly more segmented and considerate of differing tastes than English-speaking fandom.

Japanese fandom is pretty strict with its rules of engagement. Personal privacy and respect for others are very important factors. Artists don’t want to be recognized at their day-job for their R18 doujin. Shippers don’t want their comments or cutesy fanart to be algorithmically-fed to users who have no interest in it. This is seen as polite and correct; it is respectful of the fact that people have different tastes, and not everyone will share yours.

See, Japanese fandom recognizes that the internet constitutes public view.

So fan language is coded: words are spelled slightly differently; characters, events, or ships get unique euphemistic nicknames; words or names are replaced with emojis. All of this is to prevent their stuff from being seen by someone just casually searching “Bakugou.”

You have to be in the know to know how to find stuff. You have to actively search for like-minded fans and curate your space, expanding your circle typically through word of mouth. And you have to abide by the rules, or else everyone is going to think you’re an overbearing jerk and not wanna be around you.

If you are just using google translate on social media posts or videos visibly labeled under the series title, you aren’t going to find much in regards to active shipping. Frankly, you aren’t going to see the whole scope of Japanese bkdk fan activity in any one place using any one method. This is how Japanese fandom is designed, and people work pretty hard to keep it that way.

Japanese fandom does not generally engage from the perspective that their desires will be validated by canon.

This is one of the biggest differences. In English-speaking fandom, you see people argue left and right about what’s going to be canon, who’s the endgame ship, and so on. People are very preoccupied by the idea that their ship has to be “validated,” and this validation comes from the notion that canon will reflect their personal preferences and fulfill their hopes for how the story will go.

This is just not the atmosphere in the vast majority of Japanese fan spaces. Remember how I said that jpn fandom recognizes that people have different tastes? This means people also tend to think that it is rather arrogant and demanding to think that your wishes are the only ones that should come true. It is also disrespectful of the mangaka’s artistic vision and hard-work to expect them to disregard their own desires to satisfy you personally.

So, when you ask, “are bkdk even taken seriously?” the question is built upon the idea that people who enjoy the series expect an outcome catered to their tastes.

As you said, most of the comments were for heterosexual pairings, which are the most obvious to predict considering the endings of other popular series published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Furthermore, Yashahime—sequel anime to shounen manga Inuyasha—confirmed that a character roughly ten years of age later grew up and had children with a (slowly-aging but adult) supernatural being who served as her caretaker and protector.

Maybe the video commenters were reflecting personal interest in those ships, or maybe they were just spit-balling off stuff they'd seen before. I can tell you I haven't really seen fanart for any of that, but I don't go looking for it, and m/f ship spaces will be separate from m/m ship spaces.

Still, it is important to remember that audience expectation is not directly correlated to outcome. When the online Shonen Jump+ manga Blue Flag was first published, the vast majority of readers did not expect that one of the characters in the love triangle would be gay. Hell, they expected it so little that the reveal went viral!

Audience expectation may be interesting to think about, but it is not a prediction method.

To sum it up:

Bkdk is extremely popular, but jpn fandom is very private and structured differently than English-speaking fandom.

Any metric of measurement for reader opinion will have its flaws, and audience expectation is not a foolproof way to gauge real outcome.

Personally, I think we should all take a cue from jpn fandom and just have fun.

I hope that answers your question and gives you some context, anon. Thank you for the kind comments on my work, I really appreciate it. <3

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Rollo-shi?! Since when did you get here? N-No, I’m not reading any suspicious material!! Leave my manga alone, nooo don’t take it!

This interaction made me think about how MAD Rollo would be if he learned about how many doujins there are of him (many of which ship him with Malleus) 😂 Man would have an aneurysm…

Like Fire, Hellfire.

An otaku’s distressed wails carried down the hallways, but ultimately fell upon deaf ears. Hear no evil, see no evil. Grimacing, Rollo calmly held Idia’s manga out of reach.

“Idia-kun,” he said sternly, the name like poison on his thin lips, “you’ve at last decided to show your face in the classroom, and you bring in unsolicited materials on your person? It was already highly inappropriate enough for any student, let alone a dorm leader, to be absent from their professor's lectures—”

“It’s an exam day,” Idia lamented. “It's in-person only, I had no choice to opt out…”

“—but this crosses a line. Only notebooks and textbooks are permitted in a school environment,” Rollo continued. He waved around the volume in his grasp. “I’ll be confiscating this. You may collect it once you’ve properly reflected on your actions and repented for them.”

Idia’s jaw dropped. “I-I bought that with my own money. You can't just take what's not yours!! What are you, a Thief using his Steal skill on a helpless background NPC?!"

Rollo shuddered at the single word: thief.

Him? A villain, simply for enforcing what was right? What was just?

The stone walls Rollo had built up around his heart trembled, threatening to give way to a great inferno of rage.

Have patience, Rollo instructed himself. He took a slow cooling, calming breath. Do not let a single miscreant rile you up. You are stronger than that.

Still, he frowned at Idia. “You have some nerve accusing me of common thievery. Is it not common sense to punish those who violate the laws of the land?”

But Idia paid no attention to his scolding. Instead, his eyes, fixated on his kidnapped manga, bulged grotesquely. Rollo's grip on it had tightened, his neatly trimmed nails biting into the volume.

"Y-You're going to ruin the cover art!!" Idia hissed through his teeth, features twisting in visible agony. "You're trampling all over the mangaka's blood, sweat, and tears!!"

Rollo's face remained neutral, but gaze held a sick sort of satisfaction. There was a thrill to witnessing a worm writhe on a hook. Well deserved, he added.

"If you take issue with it, you may plead your case to Mozus-sensei. and beg for his forgiveness."

"Wh-What?!" Idia's stomach dropped, and his chalky complexion somehow paled even more. His next words came out as a squeak. "Y-You're not... You're not going to hold onto my manga yourself?"

"Of course not!" Rollo scoffed. "I have no interest in maintaining your belongings. What's more, if I did keep your book in my possession, you would only approach me again in the future—and the fewer direct interactions we have, the better."

"Y-You can't hand it to Trein-sensei!!" Idia insisted. His voice, typically no louder than a meek murmur, had turned into a frantic, shaky shout.

Mob students were starting to stare. Embarrassed, Idia receded further into his hoodie.

"Oh?" Rollo quirked a brow. An evil smirk slowly spread onto his mouth, relishing in the delicious taste of triumph. “You seem to be rather distraught over the prospect. Could it be that you’ve recognized the true weight of your sin? Perhaps you’re more clever than I initially took you for.”

To this, Idia snorted. “Yeah, right. Like anyone’d listen to your delusional chuunibyou ravings and actually agree with them.”

“Hmph, unfortunate. Then you must be concerned for some other reason.”

Rollo’s eyes narrowed, considering Idia’s initial exaggerated reaction. The unprompted claim that he wasn’t reading any “suspicious material”…

A light went off in Rollo’s head. It was accompanied by a flood of nauseating revulsion. He fumbled for his handkerchief and pressed it to his nose, glaring accusatorially at Idia.

“… Could it be that this book contains salacious content you don’t wish for an instructor to witness?”

His flaming hair colored, pink fading into blue at the tips. It was all Rollo needed to see to ascertain Idia’s guilt.

He crushed his handkerchief and lowered it, revealing a jaw set firmly with disapproval. “I should have expected nothing less from someone of your dubious character! Have you no shame?!”

“Y-You’d never understand the ways of an otaku…!!” Idia snapped. He lurched toward Rollo, making a desperate grab for his manga. “N-Now give it back!”

“I think NOT!! This flagrant moral transgression needs to be reported to the highest authority possible!”

Rollo made to quickly step away. The shift caused Idia to stumble and miss the manga. His arms flailed, seeking something to latch onto—and caught around Rollo’s waist.

With Idia’s weight suddenly crashing into him, Rollo stumbled forward, the book liberated from his hands. Horror etched itself onto Idia’s face. Everything seemed to move in slow motion: the book launching in an arc, skidding across the floor… and flopping open to reveal a detailed spread.

“What in the world…?!”

Upon the pages were two unfamiliar characters, fingers carefully intertwined and palms pressed against one another. One character was dressed in humble priestly robes, a demure blush to their cheeks. The other sported a face studded with scales, a proud pair of horns protruding from their head. Large, leathery wings cradled the duo under the moon and the stars, a tail coiling protectively against the priest.

They gazed longingly at their partner through long, thick lashes and sparkling eyes. A text bubble between them proclaimed a declaration with all the power to move the celestial bodies above: "I love you."

Rollo had never wanted to retch more in his entire life than at that very moment. Clutching his handkerchief to his mouth, he gagged into the fabric. Heart pounding deliriously in his chest, his knees weak.

Idia scrambled on all fours to collect his manga. With a shifty glance at Rollo, he slammed the book shut and crammed it inside of his jacket.

"You absolute degenerate," Rollo roared. It was taking every ounce of his willpower to not whack Idia on the head with his staff.

"Th-This is why I didn't want anyone to see!! I-It's about a wholesome but forbidden romance between a dragon and a priest from a religious sect that's hellbent on hunting them to extinction... N-Not everyone can appreciate a good story like this!! Only cultured men like me can see its real value...!!"

“STOP!! I’ve heard enough,” Rollo spat venomously, “I won’t hear another word of this blasphemous material, nor your enthusiasm for it!! It's clear to see that you're the sort of depraved man who finds excitement in unprotected hand holding before marriage! Not only that, but to call for the union of mortal enemies...!"

"E-Eh?! Wh-What's wrong with hand holding and enemies to lovers dynamics?!" Idia jumped onto the defensive. "You’ve got a bone to pick with my OTP or something?"

"It's utterly repulsive!!"

His words loudly resounded in the lecture hall, drawing the attention of the other students. Mob students made faces, whispered amongst themselves.

“What’s with him? He’s losing his mind over something small.”

“New guy seems pretty high-strung.”

“Ehh, Idia-senpai has been too though.”

Rollo gasped, realizing his mistake. How his temper had slipped its leash and flared into a maelstrom. Shame seeped into him.

I’ve gone and allowed an evildoer to get the best of me.

He hastily turned away from Idia.

“… I will pray for you,” Rollo said quietly yet darkly.

With that, he stormed out of the classroom. Still fuming as he retreated, Rollo pushed past the students swarming in his path. He paid no mind to their ugly, confrontational calls, too caught up in his own racing thoughts.

The skin on skin contact. The fiery passion radiating off the pages. Love, understanding, acceptance. All of it, unpleasant and offensive.

Content happily consumed by that feckless fool.

“May God have mercy on him,” Rollo muttered scornfully. Because I certainly don’t.

[olympeline]

Dark, angsty USUK? Dark, angsty USUK! 👍 I just read a very messed up doujin with these two set in their revolutionary days and now I fancy some pain between them.

It’s a headcanon I like when I’m in the mood for a darker interpretation of Hetalia: when a nation wins a war against another - especially if territory is won and lost - they get to claim the losing nation-person’s body. Make them submit. Sexually. You know what I’m talking about. Vital regions and all that. It’s usually not done willingly, but it is done. Child nations are spared but once they grow into their adult bodies, all bets are off. Told to just grit their teeth and bear it. It’s tradition: how they’ve done it since time immemorial. Feared or - in the case of some of the more sadistic of their kind - anticipated, but never questioned. Just “the way things are.” Nation-people are born of those who live in their borders and war makes people cruel. Humans take a long time to change from what they always knew. Even if deep down in their souls, they wonder if what they do is right. “The way it’s always been” is a great power in and of itself. This is the way people are. Why would what’s born from them not reflect it?

So how did this translate to the American War of Independence?

Arthur is a nation of the Old World. He’s lived for millennia and won and lost countless wars. He’s claimed others and been claimed himself, many times. Been beaten, then bent down and used by rivals like Antonio and Francis, only to come back and do the same to them the next time. Just another reason to always try to win at any cost. He never expected to lose to Alfred and, when the predicted victory came, Arthur planned to be gentle with him. He remembers his first time, remembers the pain, terror, and humiliation. Arthur has hardened himself to it these days and takes that part of defeat white knuckled and tight-lipped. But that first time was brutal. He won’t do that to Alfred. He assures himself he will be gentle, will do what has to be done quickly and kindly. Afterwards they can put this whole sorry business behind them and go back to the way things ought to be.

Then Alfred wins.

Alfred, a new and terribly young nation, who had no idea about any of this. He’s known conflict before but, as a colony, it would have been Arthur who suffered the consequences if Alfred ever lost a war in his name. Arthur never told him about this part of being a national personification. Why would he? Alfred was only a child. Then, when he grew up, Arthur still expected to take responsibility for him forever. There was no need to burden his sweet, young Alfred with unpleasant details that would never be relevant to him.

Or so Arthur thought. Then, at that crucial moment when Alfred fumbles and is vulnerable, Arthur weakens and fails to strike him down.

Alfred wins the war. His first as an independent nation. Won unaware that now, as the victor, there’s something that’s expected of him. Arthur’s tears already shook Alfred to the core. He’d have bet on fury: either cold and bitter, or harsh and fiery, not for his old guardian to spare him and then break down and weep. Alfred is coming down from battle’s high, disoriented from the feeling of breaking away from the Empire that made him. Euphoric at his win but also antsy and ill at ease. It’s such a huge change even if it was a longed for one. Ironically, this was the moment Alfred most desperately wished for Arthur to be there to comfort him. Guide and soothe him as the one who came before. Speaking of, Alfred doesn’t understand what’s happening when Arthur grits his teeth and buries his face in the crook of one arm to hide his tears. Doesn’t get up and instead lies back in the mud and tells Alfred to get on with it. Reeling from everything that’s happened and running on instinct, Arthur forgets he never told Alfred about his “duty” as victor.

So Alfred stares down at him, befuddled. Get what over with? For a terrifying, stomach-lurching moment he thinks Arthur wants him to kill him. Alfred would refuse utterly if that was the case. Death isn’t permanent for a nation-person unless the nation itself is lost, but that doesn’t mean dying isn’t painful and traumatic. Especially if it’s at the hand of one of their own. Meanwhile, the atmosphere has changed. The British soldiers are turning away in shame and disgust while Alfred’s men just look confused and uncomfortable. A strange quirk but because Alfred doesn’t know what’s expected of him, his people don’t either. They still leave when the redcoats do, though. Something instinctive tells them what’s about to happen here is no place for humans.

Suddenly Alfred is alone with Arthur, who’s still on the ground, still not looking at him. Minutes tick by, and then Alfred is given such a start that he almost drops his gun when Arthur suddenly screams at him:

“What are you waiting for?! Damn you, must you torment me further?! Just get it over with!”

Alfred’s raw nerves get the better of him. His temper flares and he finds himself yelling back:

“Get what over with?! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Arthur freezes. At long last he belatedly remembers he never explained. Meanwhile, Alfred is ranting that if Arthur wants to be shot he can do it himself because there’s no way Alfred will blow his brains out just to satisfy some sick honour code or something. Arthur finally looks at him once he’s finished and falteringly, with a few false starts, explains. Explains their kind’s tradition and the obvious implications it has for the pair of them now.

Alfred listens in silence. When he finishes and his words trail off, Arthur will never forget the look of sheer horror and disgust that crossed his former colony’s handsome features. A look directed squarely at him.

“You want me to…you thought I would do that to you?!”

Arthur tries to explain it’s just what always happens at battle’s end, but Alfred is having none of it and won’t let him get the words out.

“You really thought I’d - oh my God, Arthur! You really thought I would have…to you? Just because I won our war?”

Then comes the worst moment of all. What Alfred says next, said in a voice that makes Arthur, a great power and burgeoning empire, feel lower and dirtier than the most pathetic, hated wretch in all his lands:

“You - would you - oh my God, you’d have done that to me if you won? That’s what you were planning?”

All Arthur can do is lie there, still stammering hopelessly about tradition and “just how it is” intermixed with apologies he doesn’t notice until they come pouring past his lips. That the victor could choose not to have his spoils, was a thought that had never occured to Arthur. Never even entered his mind till that moment. Tradition, good or ill, Arthur had always been a creature of it. Since his first time, crushed under the weight of Rome’s breastplate, Arthur accepted their lot without question. Perhaps it was for that reason there was a flash of pity in Alfred’s blue eyes - usually summer warm but now coldly furious - before he turned away. Just for a split second amongst the anger, disgust, and betrayal, but it was there. There, and became what stopped Alfred hating Arthur forever when he easily could have. The world they’d been born into was a cruel and harsh one. He knew Arthur had been a victim of it too.

“Go home, England.”

Alfred turned his back on Arthur, fists clenched and rain running down his back.

“I won’t do that. Not to you, or anyone. These are my lands now. We do things my way here. So take your men and go home. I don’t want to see you again. Not for a while.”

Arthur obeyed.

They don’t speak of it the next time they meet. Nor the next, or the next time after that. Not for the better part of half a century.

Even when enough time passes that hearts warm and Alfred forgives Arthur, the memory of that night keeps them apart for a long, long time. It’s a good thing nation-people are so long lived or the romance that eventually blossoms between them would have been outlasted by old wounds. It takes the world to truly change, the Age of Empires to pass from Europe once and for all, before the personifications of the United States and England can put their shared past behind them and move on together. They get there in the end. Steady, steady, slowly, slowly, one step at a time. Change - real change - is hard and slow. But they get there together. In the end.

[soleilnmity]

Doujinshi - [U.S.O (Tankinu Nagase/Shinshu Ueda)] Megami Ibunroku Persona/ Persona 2 dj assortment [RAW]

Titles: (Megami Ibunroku Persona) 阿頼耶DEGO (Alaya de Go), リバース (Reverse) , ゴーバッド (Go Bad) (Persona 2) BIG BAD BINGO, CARRY THAT WEIGHT!

Artist: タンキーヌ・ナガセ (Tankinu Nagase) [Shinshu Ueda's penname for doujinshi) Circle: U.S.O (For Megami Ibunroku doujinshi) ESTMA (For P2EP doujinshi) Google Drive link

Personal Notes: I always wanted to upload these doujinshi, but I usually refrain from posting pure raws because I want the translations too…Unfortunately, I cannot defeat my archenemesis </3 japanese handwriting, and Nagase/Shinshu's handwriting is very……..messy x_x. For some of these, I still want to try my hand at translating eventually, but it'll definitely take a while. I love translating little artist notes and there's a lot of those in every doujinshi so if I can't translate something absolutely fully I end up giving up orz. In any case, yes. These are doujinshi made by Shinshu Ueda under the name of Tankinu Nagase in their doujin circle U.S.O. There are 5 doujinshi attached, 3 for Megami Ibunroku Persona and 2 for Persona 2.

270823 Edit: リバース has now been fully translated! The gdrive has been updated to reflect that. Please thank @falsekaiba for the typesetting and translation! Really well made 🙏 it will also be found in Mangadex as well.

Under the cut are some small explanations for the others, but I'll go straight for the P2EP doujin for introduction, as I actually translated bits of that one.

Title: CARRY THAT WEIGHT! - Eternal Punishment focus (PG, small bits of Kandori mixed in with a Post-EP story) Original printing date: 2000/08/12

This is the only doujinshi of Tankinu that was published under a different circle than their usual "U.S.O.", called "ESTMA". I have never found any other doujinshi of them under this label, and if there were any, they might be lost to time. The first page warns about the book containing spoilers for the ending of EP, so it's advised to proceed with caution. After that, all the way up to page 7 there's small gag bits with Kandori, and an obligatory Naoya illustration (they really seems to like him so much ww). From page 8 to 23 is the actual story of the doujin, "Phantom Pain". FORTUNATELY, it was all written in computer text (not handwritten) and I thought it was such a good story, that I took the time to actually translate it at least. The pictures attached to this post are the translation of those pages. There might be some errors in some of the handwritten parts, but I hope I did well.

TL Notes: アンプ (Amplifier / Ampli), The change in fonts is supposed to represent that Eikichi is talking in english there in the original japanese (but that's hard to showcase to an english translation duh), I keep honorifics like Senpai and Aniki as-is.

I was surprised to know that these doujinshi were never talked about (nor were they ever scanned), but now they exist for all to see.

Now, for the rest of the doujinshi.

Title: Reverse/リバース - Naoya and Kandori (+misc) (PG, a bit of a general all-genre doujinshi mixing doodles for other games and a second half focusing on BAROQUE) Original printing date: 1997/12/28. 2nd reprint 1999/12/24. Has a small gag story called "Dead man's questions" about Kandori in a strange flashy outfit.

English Translated (Google Drive)

Title: Alaya de Go/ 阿頼耶DEGO - Shadow Naoya/Naoya (BL, not explicit but Naoya has (implied) sex with his shadow) Original printing date: 1997/12/28. 2nd reprint 1998/08/14. 3rd reprint 1999/05/03 Naoya is called "Isurugi Tatsuya" (岩動 達弥) in this doujinshi.

Title: Go bad/ゴーバッド - Naoya/Hidehiko (BL, Naoya kisses Hidehiko. Seems to have crossover bits from BAROQUE, another ATLUS game Ueda/Nagase did doujinshi for) Original printing date: 1998/12/29. 2nd reprint 1999/05/03. Despite the cover being Naoya with a skirt, there's no crossdressing involved.

Title: BIG BAD BINGO - Innocent Sin focus (PG, done with collaboration with another artist which is Superunknown Corp's sho太郎/沢田翔) Original printing date: 1999/08/??

This doujin physically has Superunknown's side be printed downwards, so you have to flip the doujinshi to read their part which is pretty nice. Unfortunately this is the only one of U.S.O. doujinshi without an specific day of printing, just vague August 1999.

And that's pretty much what I can say for now, at least until when I get to translating some of these (and the folder will be updated accordingly when so)

Sorry, but I don't allow reposts of these scans unless it's with permission (specially not twitter gimmick accounts that are 'daily character accs', etc). However, if you want to translate these you can do that anytime even without my permission! As long as you credit me for the raws (and @ me while you're at it because I want to know...). You can also edit, crop, use them for avatars and whatnot, whatever you want, just that I specifically don't want the whole doujinshi reposted itself without my credit. Just that, sorry for what inconveniences it causes www

[mako-neexu]

she makes me insane...thank you to the writer and CE reward artist (@/keisin) for this event (i heard it was higashide who wrote but im not sure)...usually her hair tie would be a scrunchie but using a ribbon for the side ponytail makes me???? im going to eat my elbow kajdbflkgr... and the charm truly is different this time.

someone described to be a lively and positive girl, but in this illustration, her melancholy gaze reflects that of roxanne, she who fell in love with christian's appearance but was soon swayed and deceived when he became cyrano's mouthpiece, the true author of the flowery words that conveyed his love for her. but in the end, she has lost both, realizing only in the end about what truly transpired underneath her balcony during that wedding night.

its not often i see her in these kinds of dresses considering i only see them in fanarts and doujins... but it was really nice and it made me happy. usually what she wears would be something 'upbeat' and 'lively' or something to match gudao in a way for dako but for her to have a chance to be a love interest in a play, discarding a Chaldean Master's mystic code and wear a different role for a while is just?? 😭🙏

[qilingxiong]

Q&A excerpt from a fanmeet/discussion event with Yuyi (余兒), author of the 九龍城寨 | Kowloon Walled City (Twilight of the Warriors) novels — June 2024

Translation made from a transcript written out in Mandarin; the live discussion took place in Cantonese. (x)

Q (提问者为男粉丝)："漫画和电影都产生了很多BL衍生现象（全场爆笑），想问下你对这个现象有什么看法？漫画作者司徒剑桥的画风很美型，当年我看漫画的时候就有想过会有BL，但电影我看一两次都没想到。"

QUESTION (note by transcript OP: person asking is a male fan): "Both the [Kowloon Walled City] manhua and movie have given rise to a lot of BL fanworks." [*crowd breaks out laughing*] "So I wanted to ask what your thoughts on that phenomenon are. Andy Seto's art style in the manhua is very beautiful, and the year I read it, I thought there might be BL [fanworks]. But even after seeing the movie twice I hadn't imagined this."

A："整个电影团队都没想到。（全场爆笑）十几年前九龙城寨漫画刚出的时候，港漫还没有BL发生，九龙城寨应该是第一本有BL同人出现的。当时我去了RG（编者注：即香港的一个同人志漫展Rainbow Gala）看到有同人创作就觉得“点解会咁”（怎么会这样）？当然我不是介意，我是开心的，因为大家是因为喜欢你的角色所以才这样创作。当时的同人创作持续了两三年就慢慢淡去了，直到我没想到这个月我又去了RG，居然又看到了，我只能说这就是城寨的命吧。"

"后来我反思会不会是兄弟情去到某一个阶段某一个位置，就会让你有这样的联想。（其实这些同人创作）四子他们都有看到的，也都开心，但是他们未必有看到BL的故事，只是看到同人图而已。其实我不介意这些的，但是那些作者看到我就尴尬。在RG现场我看到一本叉烧饭封面（编者注：指之前余兒老师买的All信一本）的BL同人本，就买了当作珍藏，但我没看。那个摊主还掩面很尴尬，希望大家不要尴尬，都OK的。"

ANSWER: "The entire movie team hadn't imagined it either." [*crowd laughs*] "Ten years ago, when the KWC manhua had just come out, Hong Kong manhuas didn't have anything BL happening. KWC should have been the first IP here to have BL doujinshi made for it. At the time, when I went to RG (transcript note: Rainbow Gala, Hong Kong's first doujin comic-con), I saw some doujin fanworks and thought 'Why would this happen?' Of course, I didn't mind. I was happy, since it was because everyone liked my characters enough that they were making creations like this. The doujin works continued to appear back then for about 2-3 years before slowly dying down. Until I went to RG again this month, and I hadn't pictured that this would happen, but I saw them all once more. I can only say that this must be the fate of the Walled City franchise."

"Eventually I reflected on this, and whether or not the feelings of brotherhood [in the story] had reached a certain stage and place, that caused people to have this kind of association. The [actors playing the] Walled City Four have all seen these fanworks and they're pleased about it, although they've only seen the fanart, not the stories. Actually, I really don't mind all of this, but those creators feel awkward when they see me. At RG I bought a BL doujinshi that had barbecue pork rice on the cover*, just to keep as a collector's item, although I didn't look through it. The stall vendor was covering their face, and seemed very embarrassed. I hope people don't need to feel embarrassed! It's all OK."

*The book Yuyi bought and is referring to is a fully explicit fanfic compilation of different characters in the series railing Shin (信一). Do with that knowledge what you will.

[morsking]

"When I watched an episode of Spongebob where Spongebob and Squidward go on their way to deliver food ordered from their restaurant, I was quite struck by the way the narrative developed. Spongebob and Squidward, the unlikeliest of friends, endured many hardships together on the journey to complete their task. Yet when they reached their promised destination, the man who ordered the food angrily threw the pizza back at Spongebob with the reasoning it was unacceptably late. I watched the screen astounded as Squidward, formerly so taciturn and judgemental of Spongebob, witnessed with sorrow as Spongebob wept over the cruelty he received for his enthusiasm and hard work. What happened next was profound cause for reflection. Squidward, enraged by the pain inflicted upon his comrade, took the pizza back to the unsatisfied customer, and delivered to him the same blow he had dealt Spongebob only moments ago. While Squidward walked away with the satisfaction of having avenged Spongebob, I couldn't help but think about the mental state of the customer after the fact. He had likely expected his day to be ordinary. He had woken up, gone to work, and ordered a pizza upon his return. Yet not only was his pizza late, a deliveryman had assaulted him in the comfort of his own home. I wondered if that was an incident that had stayed with him, rooted in the deepest part of his subconscious, overwhelmed by the devastating revelation his sanctuary had been decimated by a stranger. Truly, the consequences of escalating violence send the human mind down a dark and terrifying spiral, and since then I've thought very deeply about animosity and revenge. When violence is reciprocated so wantonly in a society we assume to be civilized, it gives me pause so severe I cannot help but fail to articulate outside the video games I make."

-Interview with Yoko Taro at an undisclosed doujin convention, 2006.

[amemenojaku]

quick write-up on Q by Diao Ye Zong after a full listen of the album + the bonus content

(spoilers: it's really good. buy it)

I've skipped some of DYZ's releases in the last few years like Shirushi/Mukui/Atsume out of lack of interest, so it's very possible that I missed a hidden gem, but anyway I think Q is their best recent work. It's as good as Hohuri or △ imo (and Hohuri is like. my favorite DYZ and favorite doujin music album overall so.)

Agatha ChrisQ suddenly and completely disappears, shrouded in as much mystery as when she started releasing novels. The narrator sets out in search of the truth through 6 of ChrisQ's unpublished murder mysteries, each a reflection of their writer's feelings.

Q is a seed // Q is an outcome - Waiting to germinate into fantasy // Imposing the results of your ego on all.

It is, of course, a must-listen (or must-experience, rather, since it's not limited to music) for any Akyuu fan, but I'd also recommend it to fans of DiPP, Umineko specifically but mystery novels in general, and interactive fiction (there's branching endings). Oh and yuri. Akyuu/Kosuzu has been a fairly recurring pair in DYZ works (I can think of at least 5 songs off the top of my head, that's recurring to me lol) and this is no exception.

The album is gorgeous, jewel case and booklet and everything, all B&W with beautiful arabesques and elegant lettering and the occasional lines written in red. Hanadahyou's art is even more gorgeous than usual in the lyrics booklet (and if you've ever looked at a DYZ album you know the booklet is part of the experience)!! I love the small detail of the page with Akyuu's portrait, not the one with ChrisQ's, touching the page with the picture of Kosuzu and Akyuu as children...

The tracks are very good, pleasant to listen to from beginning to end (in my case there's just one I have a problem with because of the singer's voice... T_T lol). If I had to pick just one it'd be the Kosuzu song, Imaginary Friend (spoilers in the translator's notes), obviously everything in it makes me want to cry and scream and bash my head into a wall but ESPECIALLY the line where 'it was love at first sight' and 'I set upon you all my fantasies' are both said at the same time in the most beautiful wordplay I've seen in a while.. I also really like the Hieda servants' song (Murasaki Hotaru's voice <3) and the Reimu song is super fun (there is no way Reimu holding a knife next to Marisa's body in the booklet art isn't a nod to the reimari songs from Hohuri - and with the Birlstone Gambit theory referenced in the song itself, well...). But even then all the other tracks are interesting too. Very solid album.

And then there's the secret bonus content. I will only say that I love both choices very much but Imaginary Friend -> My Beloved Q did permanent damage to my heart <3 <3 <3 (suffering

ANYWAY, if any of this sounded intriguing to you then Q is absolutely worth the money! So go support the artists!! The regular version without the secret content will probably end up for free on spotify at some point (edit: it is now, including the last two secret tracks), but in my humble opinion it's one of those DYZ albums that are 1000% better if experienced with a real hardcopy of the CD because of how high-quality the product is, the gorgeous art, the bonus content etc... Personally I am never getting rid of my copy it's just SO beautiful.

[aparticularbandit]

tsumugi with her monokuma squishmallow in her lap, hunched over, chin resting on top of his head, squinting at her script at three in the morning while the screen glare reflects in her glasses, changing one (1) word

tsumugi on danganronpa fan blogs frantically typing character analysis and then erasing all of it and shutting her laptop

tsumugi reading a take so bad that she doesn't even try to write anything; her eyes just get really big, and then she shuts the laptop, pushes it away from her, removes her glasses, rubs her face, and then where is my brain bleach

tsumugi with her junko poster, leaning up at it and staring: oh, junko, we're really in it now

tsumugi frantically hiding her character pillow(s) whenever she invites anyone over ever (because that's not there, absolutely not, never, never)

tsumugi with her thousands of tabs open closing out of all of them the moment someone opens her laptop to try and cover all of the doujin, crying in the background because she was at a good spot and probably won't be able to find half of them again