#remember when i actually like. posted my thoughts. anyway

[ambrosiagourmet]

Rin Masterpost

Rin! Rinsha Fana! Beloved side character I think about far too much (or maybe not enough?)

I decided that it might be nice to put together an informational post about Rin, since she has some of my favorite background details of any character in Dungeon Meshi. This is partly as reference for myself, and partly for anyone else who might be interested in her but not know where to chase down the tidbits we we get of her, both in canon & extra materials. There’s also a little bit of theorizing and analysis sprinkled in for fun.

If anyone spots something I missed, please let me know and I will add it in!

Alright. Time for ultimate #rinposting

History and Timeline:

We don't have an official timeline for Rin (even in the expanded Adventurer's Bible, sadly), but we can put a lot of pieces together based on Kabru's timeline & their respective ages.

Rin is 2 years older than Kabru, and they met when he was 9. Assuming that he met her soon after she was taken to the elven capital, that means that the elves took her when she was 11.

Before that, she lived on the Northern Continent. Interestingly, when Mickbell asks about Shuro, Rin says she was born "here."

Since "here" doesn't mean the actual Island itself, it must mean simply "not the east." She is described in the Adventurer's Bible as having "no real knowledge of or attachment to the East," so maybe that's why she draws a "there" verses "here" line.

I'd also like to add a note here that the elves don't seem uh... they don't seem great about respecting the value of other cultures, especially those of short-life species. Milsiril seems to have discouraged Kabru from eating or remembering food from his hometown, at least, and that's even as an adoptive parent who cares (at least in some way) for her child. As I will touch on later, the "care" that Rin was under probably had even less respect for her history or ties to either Eastern or Northern culture.

That is all to say, considering that Rin spent many years with the elves, I'd take her having "[no] attachment to the East" as more of a comment on how she feels now, and less as a definite choice she made. She may genuinely have chosen that approach and opinion for herself, she may have been pushed towards it by the elves, and she may have had little choice at all in the matter - all are valid interpretations, though I personally lean towards the thought that it's unlikely the elves didn't have at least some hand in it.

Anyway, Rin does seem to know at least a bit about her heritage - she can presumably name and identify the specific island her parents are from, and she recognizes that "Shuro" isn't a name used there. She also knows that different places from the Eastern archipelago speak different languages, so she knows at least a little about the other islands as well.

Some additional extrapolations I'll make based on these facts: she never mentions, and probably isn't in contact with, any family from her island. This may be because her extended family died, because her parents didn't (or weren't able to) maintain contact, or because she lost contact when she was taken by the elves. Somewhat relatedly, she also prooobably doesn't speak the language, at least not fluently, though her being able to comment on the state of language in the archipelago makes me think that she at least learned a little as a kid.

Anyway, Rin's parents were refugees from the archipelago, though we don't know what specifically caused them to leave. There is this little tidbit of info we get (from the cover of chapter 48, of all places), though:

So yeah, that seems like it would be the backdrop of Rin's parents fleeing. As I said earlier, it's unclear if Rin might have any living family left back on her island. The listing she has for “family” in the Adventurer's Bible is just a dash, but so is Izutsumi's, for instance, and we know that she was taken from her family with no knowledge of who might still be out there. It's possible everyone else was killed, it's possible they were separated... it's possible that Rin's parents didn't even know.

As an additional note, and this is speculation on my part, but I think there is an argument to be made, with this tidbit from the cover as well as the Nakamoto clan's specialty in espionage and use of ninjas, that the politics of the archipelago are partially based on Sengoku era Japan. Not necessarily super relevant here, but I think it's interesting context for all... of the archipelago characters, honestly.

(Especially considering it seems like the Nakamoto clan is in a relatively comfortable position, and yet clearly are involved, or at least prepared to be involved in larger conflict. How stable is their position, really? How is Shuro's father viewed by the wider region and archipelago as a whole? What about his lord? NOT THE POINT THIS IS A POST ABOUT RIN. BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT.)

Okay, back to Rin's parents.

Whatever caused them to leave, they made their way to the north, where they made their living with their magic for a time. There are no specifics about what kind of magic they used, but we know at least some examples of jobs that magic can get you, based on the flashback to Laios and Falin's childhood in chapter 26. Laios proposes that Fain could use her magic to be a priest, gravekeeper, or wandering exorcist. Though these are specific to Falin's affinity with spirits, they give some idea of the shape of the work that might be available. It's important, but it is also on the outskirts of society - not necessarily admired or appreciated by the average person.

And Rin’s parents were killed by vigilantes for that magic. It's not entirely news that superstitious villages in the area would sometimes kill magic users - we see a small drawing of people being burned at the stake in a panel towards the end of the manga:

Nonetheless, Rin is the only person in the main cast who has experienced this brutality firsthand. And she did experience it firsthand, having been found by the elves as the sole survivor within the burnt ruins of her home.

It is unknown exactly how she survived, or what happened to her parents before and during the fire. Rin lived, and they did not.

The elves came some time after the fire, intending to investigate reports of ancient magic. They (and we) don't know if Rin's parents actually did use ancient magic, or if the reports and murders were simply spurred by general fear and superstition. Rin was the only piece of "evidence" that remained, and so she was taken back to the west with the elves when they left.

We don't know much about her time on the Northern Central Continent (where the elves/Canaries are based), but it doesn't seem like she was adopted or taken in by anyone the way that Kabru was. According to the Adventurer's Bible, after being taken into custody, "under their care she was treated as a captive animal would be." I would guess that means very basic food and shelter, little to no education. Probably the most social contact she got was from Kabru, as well as maybe, occasionally, from elves treating her as a curiosity, such as in this bit in the Adventurer’s Bible:

Assuming she left with Kabru (which seems like it is the case, there's no info about them having separated during that time), she spent 9 years with the elves, and has been with Kabru on the Island in the 4 years since then.

She also stays in the Golden Country after the end of the story, apparently working as an alchemist.

Additional Details (& Speculation):

What does she remember of her family and home?

I'd like to take a moment here to explore a little of what Rin might remember of her parents and home.

For reference, we can look at Kabru. The canaries came to Utaya when Kabru was 6, and he arrived in the capital when he was 7. He remembers the events of the tragedy in his home, and has some memories of his mother and life in Utaya, including memories of local dishes.

Rin lost her parents and home at 11, so she presumably has much clearer memories of the events that lead to her being taken by the elves... or she might, assuming that they haven't been completely blocked by her trauma from the event.

Yeah, I am fairly damn sure that she's got some memory issues from trauma and PTSD. For one, this is the state she was found in:

As already mentioned, she was also treated like something of an animal by the elves. She probably didn't have a lot of contact with other people, which would further perpetuate that sense of isolation and dehumanization. What I'm getting at here is that Rin probably didn't have much to help pull her out of this place, or heal these wounds. She had Kabru, who was also a kid and even younger than her, and she had herself.

Obviously trauma leaves different scars on everyone, and everyone responds and copes in different ways. But I do think it is interesting that we never hear anything about Rin's parents or life before the elves, and there are no real details about it given in the Adventurer's Bible the way we have for Kabru. What's presented is more surface level facts: they were refugees, they made a living with magic, they were killed.

I'm inclined to believe that things are laid out this way because that's how Rin holds on to these things. She knows things about them, but possibly remembers them more as things she was told/knows to be true, rather than actual memories she can picture herself experiencing.

Rin's Magic

In an interesting counterpoint to her potentially spotty memory, I do actually think Rin may have learned magic from her parents (or started learning, and was self-taught from there). She never attended a magic academy, and actually has a bit of grudge against people who did - owing to the social protection afforded to "upper-class mages," which her parents did not have. She also almost certainly wouldn't have been taught by the elves, who not only treated her as an animal but also knew her parents may have been involved with ancient magic.

Falin began to show signs of magical talent at 8, and was sent to the Magic Academy at 10, and that was as someone who had absolutely no guidance about or exposure to magic in her home town. Raised by two mage parents, I think Rin absolutely could have been learning some things by the time she was 11.

In terms of continued learning, I'll add that Rin is able to identify Marcille's magic as being A) from an Academy student, and B) cast by an elf:

This makes me think that she continued to study magic on her own while held by the elves, and probably even more so after leaving with Kabru. They didn't form the party until two years after they left the elves, which would give Rin plenty of time to try and learn from other adventurers on the Island, or to study up on her own. She'd probably be able to pick up some dungeon-crawling basics (like the water walk spell), as well as become familiar with the skill level and expression of skill common in different people with different backgrounds (hence why she is able to comment on the "textbook" academy wards).

Much like Marcille, Rin also seems to rely on a 'one size fits all' Big Boom method of dealing with monsters: lightning. We see the best example of its power in the fight with Chimera Falin:

But we also see her cast it pretty recklessly in a few other places, including the end credits of the new anime ED, which I think provides a good example of the downsides to such an approach...

Yeah, it is very much a 'get out of the way or get zapped' spell.

Especially since Marcille's offensive magic is self-taught and works very similarly, this definitely reinforces the idea that Rin figured most of this stuff out herself.

Outfit and Character Design

Dear sweet Rin of the Red And Black... how I love her design.

First of all, her clothes are damaged. Despite the fact that Rin looks relatively well put together overall, her outfit is worn out. I have some theories on why this is that I'll get to in a bit, but for now I'll just touch on what this design communicates in general about it.

I think, just like with Kabru's horribly messy room, it creates a sense that there is something more complicated underneath the surface. Something that isn't being addressed or seen to, just as the dress hasn't been mended or replaced.

It also reflects her not caring a ton about her appearance. She's neat, but she's not concerned about being pretty, so she doesn't bother with fixing up her outfit after her dungeon crawls. This also fits with her perpetual scowl (which I will talk more about in a bit), and slightly disheveled hair.

Next: the gloves. At first I thought they might be a sort of uncomfortable-with-touch thing, but after skimming through the manga and some bonus content, I have another theory. Rin takes the gloves off to eat, as well as a few other instances, such as when working on a spell with Holm and Marcille in chapter 36

This one is especially interesting because she has them on in the next chapter, during the fight with Falin. Since she also isn't wearing gloves during some of the Daydream Hour art of her outside of the dungeon, that leads me to believe that they are specifically for combat.

What does she need them for, though? Most other casters we see don't wear gloves. Well... just look at the other half of the page where she attacks Falin with lightning:

She is enveloped by this spell. I said it before was pretty reckless magic, but maybe its not just a problem for her teammates, but for her as well.

So here's my theory: maybe the gloves are rubber, or some other electricity-resistant material? They might help protect her from her own magic. I don't know why a caster would need gloves for combat otherwise.

I also think this might be why her dress is tattered at the bottom, by the way. Especially since the Daydream Hour genderswap design doesn't have a similar problem with his outfit, since the tunic isn't as long.

I will admit this is a bit of stretch/guess, but I think it's a fun one, and I wanted to share. I do think I'm right about the gloves being for dungeons/fighting specifically, at least. That seems pretty consistent throughout all of her appearances.

I also mentioned her scowl, so I'll touch on that briefly as well. The (fairly confirmed) explanation for Rin's expression is that she intentionally wears a frown to prevent her other expressions from showing through. I think it's important to emphasize that it's not just smiling that she is trying to suppress here - it's any strong emotion:

Anyway, because I can, here is the art of Rin smiling.

Rin and Kabru

I have talked a bit about Rin and Kabru's history, but I think it deserves its own section.

I think it's very interesting that Rin is pretty much the ONLY character in all of Dungeon Meshi that has explicit canonical romantic interesting in someone. It's literally part of the main summary sentence in her character profile.

This could be sort of reductive as a way to describe a female character (and in some ways it still is), but I think in part the simplicity and directness of it actually is part of what makes it so interesting. Especially when on the very next page we see the comic about her backstory. "This mage is in love with Kabru" -> one page of a horribly traumatic event and a child frozen in shock with no one to comfort her. What does that do?

Well, in my opinion, it shows how much Rin focuses on Kabru as something to keep her in the present. In contrast with the immense loss she has experienced, her love for Kabru is current and alive. He has presumably been her anchor for years, and I think that her love is part of that anchor.

Adding to this, in contrast with how explicit her feelings are, she never seems to actively pursue Kabru. She complains about his potential interest in other women, but she doesn't really flirt. She doesn't let herself smile around him any more than anyone else, and she doesn't hide her bitterness or anger from him to present a more appealing persona.

As much as she craves Kabru's attention, and has stayed by his side for years, I don't know that she really wants to possess him. He seems to know about her feelings, more or less, and she seems to know that he knows. Maybe she believes he doesn't reciprocate and is respecting that, maybe she's afraid of what she could lose if she tried to change things, or maybe the change itself frightens her. In any case, though she's not exactly happy with the way things are between them, she doesn't seem to be trying to change that status quo.

A specific thing I'd also like to talk about with their relationship, beyond Rin's love for him, is her fear for him. As the Adventurer's Bible puts it, "she worries that his knack for dealing with whatever life throws at him might lead him to get too full of himself and end up in serious trouble."

Rin is an interesting mix of restrained and explosive, herself. Her magic is destructive, her temper seems to run hot (she gets annoyed easily, at least), and her feelings for Kabru are apparent. At the same time, she doesn't let her emotions show on her face, she is the one who bluntly states that the group has hit the limit of their abilities, and she doesn't act on those obvious feelings for Kabru. It's interesting, then, that what she fears for Kabru is that he won't restrain himself.

And a small personal idea about that as well: I wonder if she somewhat blames her parents for getting killed. Again, this is very speculative, but I think it's interesting that her fear for Kabru is that he will get too full of himself. Take up too much space. It's never really stated what Rin thinks of her parents, but it can be easy in grief to search for control, and control often means blame. If they hadn't been so confident, so flashy, would they still be alive...?

I don't know if she's ever thought like that, and it could well be that her fears for Kabru come from a totally different place. But it's an interesting connective thread between her past and present - the idea of "getting in trouble" for taking up too much space and being too confident in one's own abilities.

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

On that note, I'd like to wrap up the main part of this post, and move on to a few extra things that I couldn't find another place for.

Rin plays with her hair when she's stressed

Using stressed as a pretty big umbrella here, because I think it's hard to perfectly pin down all the emotions at play, but it is a habit of hers. Best displayed in chapter 32, but it shows up in other places, too.

Her design contrasts with Marcille

This is a small thing, but I just love how much they are visual opposites.

Rin wears red and black and has dark hair, Marcille wears blue and white and has light hair. Marcille cares a great deal for her hair and puts it up in elaborate hairstyles, and Rin's is mostly loose and a bit messy. Marcille was even educated at the Magic Academy, which Rin dislikes. They both have little capelets. Also they both look very cute in each other's clothes.

Rin knows Flamela (and they meet again in canon)

Nothing much is done with this in canon, but I think it’s super interesting that Flamela's squad are the ones that find Rin as a child and take her away to the west, and then they end up stuck in the dungeon together for a bit.

Two days??? I'm so very curious what things were like between these three.

Aaaand I think that's all I have to say about Rin! For the time being at least. There's a lot more analysis that could be done about her and Kabru especially, but for this post I wanted to keep things at least somewhat anchored to canon facts, with only a layer or two of speculation on top.

If it isn't already obvious, I think Rin is a super interesting character with a ton of potential depth to explore. She mostly interacts with Kabru in canon, but has ties to a bunch of other characters: she and Marcille fill similar roles in their parties but have differing personalities and histories, she and Falin (and Laios) have been tremendously shaped by xenophobia and fear of magic common in the Northern Continent, her parents fled from conflict in the same region Shuro and his retainers are from, and she has history with Flamela and some of the second canary squad.

Her temper, her fear, her love... her repression and passion - they all inform her character, even in small ways, even with as little time as she spends on the page.

[allamericansbitch]

since y'all seemed to want this.... here's the live notes i took while listening to each song for the first time (bold are thoughts i had during later listens)

fortnight: 

‘i was a functioning alcohol till nobody noticed my new aesthetic’ what the fuck does that even mean…

love the fact she gave post the female collab treatment. don’t wanna hear what he has to say. 

they’re voices sound actually good together? 

some pockets of the melody are catchy

okay i don’t hate this 

ttpd:

her red flags are on fire in this song lol

this seems very half-cooked

also jacks weird mixing continues to plague us all

CHARLIE PUTH???? WHAT THE FUCK WHY HE HERE

tattooed golden retriever??? ……no way

my boy breaks all his favorite toys:

i blinked and it’s half over

this also is like… half cooked and didn’t need to be released tbh

i love the way she sings the second verse tho

down and:

the production does not match the vibe

did tpain produce this

i’m… kinda bored lol

like i have nothing to say this also didn’t need to be released tbh 

this grew on me a lot actually

so long london 

the production is so futuristic? 

oh im obsessed with how she sounds on this one

her talk-singing in the verses is great

honest lyrics without any clunky unnecessary metaphors! a win!!

the fast-paced verses with th slow chorus is really really cool

a favorite so far

daddy i love him

i can barely hear her? the bad mixing continues 

‘growing up precociously sometimes means not growing up at all’ oh yeah WE KNOW

is this…… is this about her dating matty and loving how people hate him… no fucking way she’s this stupid

SHE IS BEING THIS STUPID

‘it’s white noise’ yeah yeah that’s exactly how id describe him  

.... anyway y'all remember when fans really believed the little mermaid theory and this song was supposed to be about how 'joe stole her voice' lmaooo

we will pretend this one doesn't exist!

fresh out the slammer

are we getting another ‘i didn’t cheat technically’ song lol

what is this weird tempo change….

okay kinda catchy

it’s sounds exactly like you are in love at the end….. jack is really out of tricks

florida

‘my friends all smell like weed or little babies’ what the fuck is she even talking about anymore 

i’m sorry but i’m laughing at the phrase ‘fuck me up florida’

again the production sounds so detached from the vocals 

i honestly still have no idea how i feel about this one

guilt as sin

an real instrument?? wow crazy 

okay she’s kinda cute? catchy and fun, love the melody

i love when she goes up at the end of the vocal 

okay…. i don’t mind this one she’s catchy, a little too long and drawn out but cute

who’s afraid of little old me?

what is this production? it’s way too soft to be as threatening as they’re trying for 

why did jack push her vocals back so far when she’s supposed to scream…. that’s ruins the whole thing…. she’s supposed to be screaming and threatening….. not quiet and far away…. hello

this song is trying very hard to be threatening but it’s not... vigilante shit 2.0

‘you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum they raised me’…………… upper middle-class pennsylvania? 

‘i’m drunk on my own tears isn’t that what they all say, that’ll  sue you if you step on my lawn’ okay bar?

the bridge was good but that’s about it.

i can fix him 

…………… not another matty song oh god

‘i can handle a dangerous man’…… im too stunned to speak this is so embarrassing 

wow taylor really is that girl who like ‘women supporting women’ and then dates/defends a racist bf…. a walking example of white feminism

intersectional feminism found dead.... twice....

loml

okay this is really nice? 

I WAS ACTUALLY ENJOYING THE SONG WHY DID SHE RUIN IT BY SAYING ‘MR STEAL YOUR GIRL’ 💀

if we ignore that one line we're good this is good. im refusing to let that line ruin such a good song

i can do it with a broken heart

‘bitch smile’ why are there so many cringey lyrics on this album lol

what is this song omg why do i kind of like it 

taylor please learn depressed isn’t a synonym for sad 

they recycled the mastermind production 

wait till taylor finds out most of the entire world is sad while they're doing their job and has to pretend they're not

smallest man who ever lived 

oh i think i like this?

‘you said normal girls were boring’ GIRL AND YOU DIDNT IMMEDIATELY GET UP AND LEAVE??? EWWWW??? she's not beating the pick-me allegations

'i just wanna know if rusting my sparking summer was the goal' okay love that line

i like this a lot

the alchemy

no….. no way this is real

i cannot

THE SPORTS METAPHORS WE JOKED SHED DO THAT AND SHE ACTUALLY DID IT OH NO 

touchdown ✅ teams ✅ benches ✅ winning streak ✅ the league ✅

she’s doing…… the worst thing ever this is so laughable 

the corny lyrics are on overload 

‘this time it’s heroine with an e’ didn’t she write folklore? i can’t remember 

that literally was an snl parody of a taylor song

clara bow

love how the guitar sounds… bet money this is an aaron track 

a stevie nicks reference!! a win!!!

i like this one a lot no cringey lyrics yet

nope never mind she name-dropped herself don’t like that

overall really liked it tho

the black dog

i think i like it?? this is kind of what i expected the album to be

okay for once the weird production choices kind of pay off

imgonnagetyouback

kinda catchy? 

she loves a fancy car getting wrecked line

the pre-choruses are the best part 

this would’ve been better without the jack of it all bc he loves a song that doesnt build to anything

this just comes down to personal preference: i don’t like her lighter vocals with jack’s heavy production (ie most of lover lol)

the albatross

a real instrument!!! production that matches taylor’s voice and is well mixed!!! aaron’s arrived!! 

i think it’s solid, has good writing and she sounds great. that's about it.

chloe or sam or…

took me a solid minute to have any semblance of a fuck to know what was going on but okay

okay i love this one

wayyyy more emotive than like… most of the original album

a lot of the 2nd version (or whatever this is lol) are way more emotive, maybe because her voice isnt drenched in reverb so we can actually hear her voice emote better

how did it end

this sounds like an old school adele song? 

i love this one too…. 

her being upset people wanna know what happened but then also feeding it while promoting the album oop 

i love the story of this one it's so refreshing

so high school

THE PRODUCTION is so good ugh aaron never fails 

the man here is a walking red flag girl and the lyrics are ~not it~ but the production is too pretty to hate it

fuck these lyrics are so bad lol

maybe if i disassociate hard enough i can ignore the lyrics and just listen to the production and vibe

give me a karaoke version of this song and we'd be so back

i hate it here

i mentioned disassociation and she made a whole song about it!!!! this one’s mine!!!! 

‘without all the racists’ GIRL HUH

WHAT WAS THE REASON

also... girl don’t act like we don’t know you’re fine with that lololololol

if i had a dime for every time i was liking a song to then have it slapped away because of a bad, out-of-pocket lyric…… 

thank you aimee

this isn’t grabbing my attention 

oh the bridge is interesting 

it’s meh 

i will never be thanking the people that bullied me thanks tho

i look in peoples windows 

what do you mean aaron didn’t produce this??? it’s well-made and has instruments? 

i love this one, again a really interesting and unique concept that's very refreshing to hear at this point when a lot of the songs feel repetitive

the prophecy

aaron guitar!!!! 

she’s nice i like her 

i've really grown to love how she sings this one, the melodies are cool.. however i feel like we've heard the same melody.. like on this exact album... where she upturns at the end of every line...

cassandra 

this seems very…. familiar… idk i feel like we’ve covered this (i mean there are 31 songs we’ve already covered everything lol)

this is such an aaron song, that's a classic 'the national' piano

i like her voice in this one tho, sounds good

peter

oh love i love this

now this? THIS feels the most like a taylor swift song

once again she’s at her best with a simple instrument and emotive simple lyrics

the piano reminds me of champagne problems

the bolter 

i like this! the chorus is so cute

oh i like that ending line a lot!

she’s cute, a little long and drawn out but cute

robin

i haven’t seen anyone talk about this one

welp…. i literally have no feelings toward this one but sounds pretty! 

the manuscript

oh this is soooooooo powerful 

i love this concept 

her ending the album on another introspective album that sums everything up a la dear reader yep yep!!

if you actually read of this ily 💗

[moonlightdancer26]

One of my fav blogs does media analyses for a specific fandom, and they can find so many details I totally missed, and write some really in-depth criticism with great understanding of the text and subtext.

And then I found out they hate Snape bc "he's a loser incel who's mad he didn't get to fuck Lily"

How can a person be so literate for one thing and then be completely blind for the next?! Trying to convince them otherwise might just get me blocked for still liking HP or something :/

Ugh, I can’t tell you how much I understand the pain, anon. As someone who’s in like 6 other fandoms, whenever I make a friend or discover a blog who’s in a different fandom and wanna follow or interact with them, I find out they despise Snape and think he’s just some incel. This happened more times than I’d like to admit 💀

And you just made me remember one time I discovered a blog about another fandom a few years ago. The blog made great analyses about a character I loved, and that blog’s posts had a lot of critical thinking and detail, so I was legitimately about to follow them until a random thought came to mind: “wait, what if they’re a HP fan too?? I wonder what they think about Sev.” So I decided to search up “Snape” on their blog and, I kid you not, I found SO MANY reblogs that were anti-Snape and the posts the blog reblogged said stuff like “Snape deserved what he got in the prank” and “he was just obsessed with Lily” and all that jazz. I was so flabbergasted. 😭 (I actually ended up blocking them on Anonymous bc they sent me 2 hate asks. I realised it was that blog who sent the asks bc their blog vanished immediately after. I was like damn but I still liked them bc they gave me good arguments about the other fandom to use lmaooo)

Anyway, I agree with you, anon. How can a person make such in-depth posts and analyses about an overhated complicated character, but then go and brush off another overhated complicated character as simply “an incel who wanted to bang Lily?” It’s genuinely confusing, like, I can clearly see that you DO have the capacity for critical thinking, yet it somehow flies out the window when it comes to a character you hate??? Make it make sense.

[bnhaobservation]

How the Todorokis call each other (Part 2)

So this is a continuation of my previous post.

Here I'll focus more on how the Todorokis call each other when they're trying to be from confidential to rude to outright insuling.

WE DON’T WANT TO SAY THE NAME

There are various instances in which the characters don’t want to say the name of the person they’re talking about so they uses other ways to imply it... even though generally it would be more polite to say the name of the one you're talking about. It's not necessarily rude/insulting as the Todorokis, being a family, are allowed to a level of informality among them but sometimes the key is also in the intention of the speaker. Anyway I'm reporting them, do with them what you want.

Ano (あの “That”) + noun

Ano can be translates as “that” but implies someone/something far from the speaker and the addressee.

I’ll list some examples but probably more escaped me.

In chap 252 Enji refers to Fuyumi as ‘ano ko’ (あの子 “that child”).

In chap 39/187 Rei calls Enji ‘ano hito’ (あの人 “that person”).

In chap 301/302 Rei refers to Tōya as ‘ano ko’ (あの子 “that child”) which happens when saying Enji isn’t the only one who didn’t see him and when she says Tōya wanted Enji to look at him.

In chap 39 Rei refers to Shōto as ‘ano ko’ (あの子 “that child”) when talking with her mother.

In chap 189 Fuyumi calls Enji ‘ano hito’ (あの人 “that person”).

In chap 187 Fuyumi refers to Shōto as ‘ano ko’ (あの子 ‘that child’).

Kono (この “This”) + noun

We met Kono before, when he was used to add emphasis. In this case instead it can be translates as “this” but implies someone/something is near the speaker.

In chap 291 Enji refers to Tōya as ‘kono ko’ (この子 “this child”)

Aitsu (そいつ “that person”)

Implies the person isn’t near to the speaker or the listener… and can also imply a certain emotional distance between the speaker and that person. It’s very informal and can sound gruff or rude when used.

In chap 202 Enji used it to refer to Tōya.

In chap 301 Tōya used it to refer to Enji.

In chap 187/189 Natsuo used it to refer to Enji.

In chap 55/249 Shōto used it to refer to Enji.

Koitsu (こいつ “this person”)

'Koitsu' is a very impolite expression that's used to refer to "this person." Although some people may refer to a friend as such, this is usually only if they have an intimate and casual relationship with them.

In chap 39 Shōto refers to Enji as ‘oyaji’ (親父 “old man”) but the hiragana says ‘koitsu’ (こいつ “this person”).

Considering how Shōto looks angry, he's likely using it to be impolite, even though the sentence is actually a thought, though this might be just me.

Yatsu (奴 “guy”)

Tecnically 'yatsu' means “guy” but the nuance here is that you're either using for someone you're close to, therefore in a familiar way, or it comes out as derogatory.

In chap 38 Shōto refers to Enji as ‘yatsu’ (奴 “guy”) to say his father doesn’t look happy.

While Shōto, being related to Enji, could have a degree of familiarity with him, I would say in this case it comes out as more derogatory than familiar... but it might be just me.

Are (アレ)

‘Are’ might feel like an insulting way to call someone because it’s usually translated as “that thing” but ‘are’ can also be used for people that both you and the person(s) you are talking to know (have already met) (but that are far from you/are not present) or when sharing an opinion/idea/info with the reader/listener. It has an ‘you know who I mean’ feeling. It’s used to omit a detail, avoid repetition, or because you want to avoid direct mention (because it’s embarrassing, it’s something you shouldn’t talk about, can’t remember what it’s called or too lazy to try and mention it). The fact that it’s written in katakana instead than in hiragana (あれ can also be used) gives it a tone of mild condescension or an attempt at talking behind someone’s back.

In chap 31 Enji refers to Shōto as ‘Are’ (アレ “that one we’re talking about”) when talking with All Might.

In chap 39 Enji refers to Tōya, Fuyumi and Natsuo as ‘Nī-san-ra’  (兄さんら “(your) big brother and the others”) but the reading is ‘are-ra’ (アレら “those we’re talking about”) when talking with Shōto.

In chap 350 Tōya refers to Enji as ‘are’ (アレ “that one we’re talking about”) 3 times.

It's interesting to wonder why they decided not to say the name of the one they're talking about but go for 'are'.

In regard to Enji, in the first case, he kind of unterlines it (the dots over the kanji work as a way to underline them), it might be as a way to talk with All Might about Shōto more as a mean he's using to surpass All Might than of Shōto himself as a person.

In the second instead it might be to underline the separation from Shōto and his siblings as they live in different words.

In Tōya's case it might be to keep distance. He's talking of Endeavor and his father at the same time but calling one or the other might not feel right to him.

Still mine are all speculations. Do your pick on why they're doing so.

WE’RE DELIBERATELY GONNA BE RUDE!

Just to refresh everyone's mind, I mentioned in the previous post how some ways to say "you" are rude or outright insulting ('anta', 'kisama' 'temeE') but now we're gonna dig into other ways the characters had to insult each other.

Surname and name with no suffixes attached

When calling a stranger, in order to be polite, you should use the surname plus a suffix (-sama, -san, -kun...).

Not doing so is rude but rudeness is expected in an enemy (Shigaraki calls Midoriya just 'Midoriya')... however you usually don't also add the name unless you've two people with the same surname and needs to specify who you're talking with... so that when Tōya does so, first with Shōto in chap 82 and then, even more relevant since he didn't use his Hero name, with Enji in chap 191, it gives off a sense of familiarity as if he knew them personally... which was meant to be a hint to his true identity.

Tōya also refers to his father by surname and name a couple of times post reveal (chap 290/294/301) but he likely does so to keep distance from him (kind of like how his family calls him Dabi post reveal) or to talk of Enji as the man and not as the Hero. Do your pick.

Just the name with no suffixes attached

When fighting Tōya in chap 292/294 Shōto calls him just ‘Tōya’, without the ‘Nī’… which is a rude way to refer to your older brother (while, as said before, it's perfectly fine to refer to your younger brother with just his name). Yes, Tōya was an enemy so we find perfectly normal for him to be rude but compare this with how Yoichi always calls his brother ‘Nī-san’ despite everything. That’s because, regardless of being adversaries, being his younger brother, he should still be polite with him and acknowledge he’s his older brother. Interesting enough in chap 349 he calls him first just ‘Tōya’ but then immediately switches to ‘Dabi’, which was the default family cooping mechanism to keep ‘Tōya’ divided from ‘Dabi’… although here and there he again acknowledges Tōya as his brother during the fight and, in his mind, resumes calling him ‘Tōya Nī' when he remains impressed by how his brother managed to copy his technique and therefore showed Tōya’s strength didn’t lie merely in his sheer firepower... and from then on he'll keep on calling his brother as such.

Iranē kodomo (いらねー子ども “the child/children he didn’t need”)

Not quite an insult but surely not flattening it’s how Natsuo calls himself and his siblings when he talks of how Enji left them behind in chap 189.

Aho (阿呆/あは/アホ “fool”)

'Aho' is generally used with the meaning of "fool", "simpleton".

Now… according the region ‘aho’ is a stronger or tamer insult than ‘baka’ so it’s hard to say with which intensity level it’s used even if I compare the way Tōya used both ‘aho’ and ‘baka’. Tōya used ‘Aho’ for Mister Compress when he believed he let Shōji Mezō rob him and ‘baka’ for Himiko when she asked him if she could stab Bakugō. Since Tōya is more polite with Mister Compress than with Himiko we can assume ‘aho’ is tamer, but if Compress had really let Shōji rob him the mistake would be worse so it can be it’s worse. Do your pick.

In chap 29 Enji refers to Shōto as ‘aho’ (阿呆 “fool”) when Shōto’s refusal to use his left side is putting him at disadvantage against Midoriya in the cavalry battle.

What's interesting to notice is that Enji uses it in kanji, while Tōya uses it in katakana, therefore giving it more emphasis.

Baka aniki (馬鹿兄貴).

‘Baka’ (馬鹿/ばか/バカ) literally means “horse deer” and is an ateji, which means either the readings of the individual kanji do not match the reading of the word, or the meanings of the individual kanji do not match the meaning of the word. The etymology is uncertain. Some say it could be from a Chinese idiom “point at a deer and call it a horse”, other say it derives from a Sanskrit word meaning “fool”. Regardless of all this it means “stupid”/“foolish”. Generally it’s written in katakana, to also convey how the speaker is really angry and can be used without a noun after it (Bakugō, when saying Shōto he's an idiot in chap 249 uses it in katakana with 3 extra 'a' to remark how he draws it out longer than it should be for emphasis 'baaaaka' バアアアカ "Idiiiiot"). Another common way to write it is in hiragana and writing it in kanji is being considered more a literature way to write it. Tōya in chap 86 also uses kanji to call Himiko ‘Baka’ (馬鹿 “stupid”) when she asks if she can stab Bakugō... so I'm not sure why Shōto is using kanji, maybe it feels more 'polite' as he's still talking with his older brother with whom he has no closeness. No idea. I've mentioned in the previous post how ‘aniki’ (兄貴) is still a way you can use to call your older brother but it’s considered less formal than ‘onī-san’/‘nī-san’... so it fits that when insulting Tōya before fighting him Shōto would choose 'aniki'.

KUSO Oyaji (クソ親父)/KUSO Aniki (クソ兄貴)

‘Kuso’ (糞/くそ “shit”), usually written in katakana (クソ) is generally used as a curse word with the meaning of “shit”/“damn”/“fuck” though of course the nuance changes according to situations. Combined with ‘oyaji’ or ‘aniki’ works as a pejorative and turns them into something that sounds like “shitty old man/brother”/“damn old man/brother”, in short makes it an insult or express angers toward that person. Shōto use it for Enji more than once in the early part of the story, Tōya does so in chap 390 with Enji solely when he’s telling him to die while Natsuo does so with Tōya when he’s telling him not to cause troubles for other people. Of course the nuances in the three cases change. Shōto uses it talking about Enji to show to others how he loathes him, Tōya is being as rude and confrontational as possible as he calls Enji as such on his face, Natsuo is angry but being angry is also Natsuo’s way to cover up his pain by sounding tough. He was close to Tōya so he could use something stronger than just 'baka' to convey his feelings.

IKARE (イカレ/いかれ “crazy/(mentally) broken”), IKARE onna (イカレ女 “crazy woman”), ‘IKARE yarō’ (イカレ野郎 “crazy guy”), ikareru (いかれる “to go crazy”)

It’s an expression that imply someone is not normal (ironically it can also imply ‘madly infatuated’)… It could be written in hiragana but it’s almost always all in katakana in the story as to remark it.

Tōya uses it a lot, in chap 191 for himself, way too often for Himiko but also for Mustard and Imasuji Gōto when he calls them all ‘IKARE yarō-domo’ (イカレ野郎共 “crazy guys/crazy bastards”) when he tells them they won’t attack yet.

Just to clear things up as it's a word that will come up later on, 'yarō' (野郎) mean “guy” but unless you're familiar with that person, it comes out as rude so it's often translated as "bastard".

Natsuo prefers to use it for Enji as he does so in chap 189 and in chap 192. Shōto used it for his father in chap 251 when talking with Tōya and for Tōya himself in chap 292.

P.S. in order to make things simple in the image above I only boxed 'ikare' even though sometimes that 'ikare' was part of the verb and therefore the whole word was longer.

Shippaisaku (失敗作 “failed creative work”)

It’s normally not an insult but it’s clear the way it’s used in the story makes it not flattering. Tōya uses it a lot (chap 290/293/302/350) to refer to himself (and Fuyumi and Natsuo) to the point in a way the word failure ('shippai' 失敗) is triggering for him as, when All for One uses it while he’s in the orphanage to say they couldn’t restore him to his former strength, Tōya’s mind jumps back to when he was a child and his hair started to turn white (which is what he believed caused him to become a failure in his father’s eyes) and then rejects whatever he’s told.

Compared to Tōya, Natsuo uses it in a less direct manner as when he talks with Enji in chap 192 the kanji say ‘Shippaisaku’ but the reading given is ‘Ore-tachi’ (俺たち “we/us”) so Enji doesn’t hear him saying ‘Shippaisaku’ were Tōya instead always said it with the correct reading.

Interesting enough I couldn’t find a time in which Enji referred to Tōya, Natsuo or Fuyumi as such so it can be he never did it but Tōya read it as such because he knew why Enji wanted to have children and also Enji has referred to Shōto as ‘Saikō kessaku’ (最高傑作 “Greatest masterpiece”).

Saikō kessaku (最高傑作 “Greatest masterpiece”)

Okay, since it just got mentioned let's talk of this which is technically not an insult but it's how Enji sees and defines Shōto as such in chap 34. While Enji uses it as a form of phraise, Shōto rightfully doesn't take it as such and Tōya outright uses it in a bitterly yet mocking way to call Shōto (chap 293/294/349/351) so I figured it could fit in this list.

It's worth to mention that, on a similar line, Tōya refers to Shōto also as ‘Seikōsaku no Shōto’ (成功作の焦凍 “Shōto, the successful creative work”) and ‘Taibō no kessaku’ (待望の傑作 “Long awaited masterpiece”) when talking with Enji in chap 291 and then, in chap 293 'Saikō kessaku no oningyō' (最高傑作のお人形 "greatest masterpiece of a puppet") while talking with Shōto.

Oningyō/ningyō (お人形/人形 "puppet")

As usual the addition of the initial ‘o’ (お) adds a layer of politeness to the word 'ningyō' which means "doll" or "puppet" but also, in a figurative way, "someone who carries out actions for someone else".

I've kind of mentioned it previously but Tōya also refers to Shōto as Enji's 'oningyō/ningyō'.

He first does it in chap 290 where, when talking with Enji, he refers to Shōto as ‘omae no Ningyō’ (おまえの人形 “your doll/puppet”), continues in chap 293 with calling Shouto 'saikō kessaku no oningyō' (最高傑作のお人形 "greatest masterpiece of a puppet") and even get deeper in the idea in chap 351 by calling him ‘furafura chūtohanpa no ningyō’ (フラフラ中途半端の人形 “unsteady/aimless unfinished/incomplete doll”).

‘Furafura’ (フラフラ/ふらふら) implies one is “unsteady on his own feet, staggering, aimless, dizzy”.

'Chūtohanpa' is formed by the kanji for 'chū' (中) "middle", 'to' (途) "way" 'han' (半) "half" and 'pa' (端) "begining" or "ending", so it losely means something is "halfway from being finished" or that is "halfway after the start".

Hanpamono (半端者 “halfwit/fool”) and hanpa na otōto (半端な弟 “halfway/incomplete little brother”)

‘Hanpamono’ (半端者) litterally means that someone (者 ‘mono’) is half began or half finished (半端 ‘hanpa’), in short, incomplete, but it's also used as an insult to say someone is a “halfwit/fool/blockhead”.

‘Hanpa na otōto’ (半端な弟) is again made by ‘hanpa’ (半端 “incomplete”), ‘na’ (な) which in this case should indicate emotion or emphasis and, of course ‘otōto’ (弟) which means “little brother”.

In chap 351 we've Shōto use both ways to define himself in answer to Tōya's words.

It's worth to mention the word 'han' (半 "half") is kind of tied to Shōto, fans might be familiar of how Bakugō often called him 'hanbun yarō' (半分野郎 lit. "half part guy/half bastard") and I've just mentioned how Tōya called his brother ‘furafura chūtohanpa no ningyō’ (フラフラ中途半端の人形 “unsteady/aimless unfinished/incomplete doll”).

Koma (コマ/こま/ 駒)

A 'koma' is how you call a piece in shōgi or chess... but, of course, figuratively, it's also how you call someone's puppet, so in a way it's similar to 'ningyō'.

In chap 349 Tōya calls Shōto ‘otō-san no omoidōri no koma’ (お父さんの思い通りのコマ “father’s desired piece”)... because, I guess, he likes to use an assorted way to name-calling people. I'm totally not going to be surprised if I missed some of the not flattering ways he uses to refer to others.

Dōgu (道具 “tool”)

Tōya used 'koma' to define Shōto but Shōto instead in chap 31 said he wouldn't become Enji's ‘dōgu’ (道具), which is a “tool, implement, instrument, utensil, apparatus, device”, the full sentence being he won’t become ‘sonna kuzu no dōgu’ (そんな屑の道具 “such scum’s tool”).

Yakusai no nikogori (厄災の煮凝り “disaster/calamity jellied broth”)

'Yakusai' means "disaster", "calamity" while a 'nikogori' is a jellied broth made by cooling down broth and solidifying it due to it containing a lot of gelatin. What's relevant is how 'nikogori' is wirtten with the kanji ‘ni ‘ (煮 “boil/cook”) and the kanji ‘ko’ (凝 “freeze”) a call back to how Shōto's name is written with the kanji 'shō' (焦 "burning") and 'to' (凍 "freezing").

That's how Tōya calls Shōto when he asks him how he's handling living at U.A. with the other civilians despite being son of Endeavor and brother of Dabi... meaning he expected the civilians to shun him out or worse due to how Endeavor has fallen from grace and had been judged responsible for everything that went wrong and Dabi is a Villain.

Kusatte Nī-chan’ (腐って兄ちゃん “rotten big brother”)

I’ve found ‘kusatte’ being used generally for food with the meaning of something that “has gone rotten/spoiled/decayed” but also for things with the meaning they “aren’t anymore what they were but are ruined”. As a result it can be used also to imply someone “had become a degenerate, morally bankrupt or corrupted” but also ironically “to be depressed/dispirited/discouraged”.

In chap 349 Tōya refers to himself as his ‘Kusatte Nī-chan’ (腐って兄ちゃん) when talking with Shōto. He might refer to his body, to his mind, to his moral sense (as he has turned into a Villain) or how he is no more a good big brother, which would make sense since Shōto refused to acknowledge him as such. Everything in Tōya is falling apart so he might refer to all of the above.

Kuzu (屑)

'Kuzu' (屑) has assorted meanings, “vaste”, “scrap”, “garbage” and as you can see none of them is nice if used toward a person. I've also seen it translated as just “scum” when referring to people.

This is how Shōto refers to his father in chap 31/53. Interesting enough Tōya instead uses ‘gomi’ (ゴミ “trash”) to talk about the Villains who wanted to join the league of Villains and that he decided to burn instead (Chap 115/220).

Although they seem to mean the same, ‘gomi’ is used for the garbage that accumulates naturally, so it can be found on the roads while 'kuzu' is the garbage created by humans. It's not a big distinction so for Horikoshi the choice could have been casual but, if it wasn't, it could kind of imply whose Villains were born that way while Enji turned himself into scum. Still, I'm speculating.

Maki (薪 “firewood”)

It's technically not an insult but when Tōya wants to burn someone to death he claims he wants to turn them into 'maki'. He does so with the Villains he burned in chap 115 and says he wants to do the same with Shōto in chap 351.

Not your name but your Quirk

I'm not sure which level of rudeness this would reach as there's no equivalent in real life as people have no Quirks... and in the manga this is made even more complicate by the fact some chose as their Villain name the name of their Quirk (All for One, Twice) but well, since the characters in question who did it had their own Villain names and were enemies, it's likely not meant to be polite...

In chap 238 Tōya calls Geten 'kōri yarō' (氷野郎 “Ice-guy/Ice-bastard”), though there's to say Geten never introduced himself by name and Geten started calling him by Tōya's Quirk name, 'sōen' (蒼炎 “blue flame”), first (chap 230),

‘Kōri’ (氷) means “ice”, and it's often how are called ice Quirks types. As said before 'yarō' (野郎) mean “guy” but unless you're familiar with that person, it comes out as rude so it's often translated as "bastard", and Tōya here is meant to sound rude, especially compared to Mr. Compress, who instead called Geten 'Kōri otoko' (氷男 "Iceman"), 'otoko' (男) being just a standard way to say "male"/"man" that, while not being overly polite, isn't as rude as 'yarō'.

It's worth to say that 'sōen' (蒼炎 “blue flame”) is the name that Geten gave to Tōya's Quirk as, when he met him in chap 228 he called Dabi 'Sōen no tsukaite Dabi' (蒼炎の使い手荼毘 “Blue flame user Dabi”).

On the Quirk registry, Tōya's Quirk likely wasn't signed as such as, when Tōya was born, his flames weren't blue yet. Still, after Geten started calling as such his Quirk that was acknowledged as Tōya's Quirk official name (where previously it was always labelled unknown).

Geten's Quirk instead is named differently than just ‘Kōri’ (氷), the official name is 'Hyōsō' (氷操 "ice ply").

NOT AN INSULT BUT...

Seigi no mikata (正義の味方 “ally of justice”)

Of course this doesn't feel like an insult at all if it wasn't that when Tōya used it to refer to Enji in chap 293 after denouncing his crimes it felt pretty sarcastic and mocking.

Ore no jōi gokan (俺の上位互換 “superior in rank to me/my upwardly compatible/my upgrade”)

Again, this is not meant to be an insult at least Enji doesn't mean it as an insult when, in chap 40, he tells Shōto that's what he is... but, of course, Shōto rightfully isn't happy with such definition.

CONTINUE IN THE NEXT PART!

[gaylordscooter]

Log of the Multiverse: Cross and XChara

Cross and XChara (usually referred to as just "Chara") both hail from Xtale, an au that's fallen into ruin ever since the creator, XGaster, was contained.

I was shocked to find out that the creator was one of the characters in their universe, but Ink told me he was a false creator, as he was merely a puppet to the true creator that lies beyond our realm and comprehension. It's like how a meta character in a piece of fiction can be written to act "aware", but it's still being written by somebody. Ain't that weird?

Don't think about that for too long.

So Xtale was kinda an empty void after XGaster was taken care of—that's the fault of Cross who killed like, all of his friends (but xpapyrus was the one who killed basically everyone else. GEEZ i couldn't imagine my brother killing a fly! hurting a fly definitely. but killing?? yeesh) and then absorbed xfrisk's soul because he thought he'd be able to OVERWRITE (<- a mechanic their world has where you can basically do whatever the hell you want, or something) his world turned out he couldn't do that sooo.

yeah he was NOT happy about losing his world (and somewhat playing a part in its downfall)

and also xchara's linked to frisk's soul for some reason. so he kinda just had xchara haunting him for awhile.

Luckily! Ink, Dream and I were able to help Cross cope through his loss!

It took so much time. like so much.

He eventually came to accept his world would never come back, but he got an idea. Since his universe couldn't be repaired to what it was before, why not create something new? Of course he couldn't create new people but after learning there were more people that have lost their homes like him (and me) he thought: why not make this place a safe haven for people like him?

Ink encouraged him. He was Very enthusiastic about it actually, he even helped with decorating the place (as in he painted every building. and all the scenery).

Of course, Cross isn't like Dream and Ink, who can sense negativity or when someone's world is destroyed, so those two tend to give him a heads up on where to go (or they just drop people off themselves)

At first we've just been calling it "Xtale" but obviously the place has changed drastically so we decided to call it something else.

unfortunately somehow all of us (even the ARTIST) weren't able to come up with that creative of a name and settled for calling it "the hub"

Now, I didn't forget about XChara, they were getting tired of having to haunt Cross all the time, so I decided to take up a little project.

And by me, I mean I asked Alphys (from a post-pacifist undertale au, we're buddies. yes i'm allowed to be friends with her because they're no longer following the game's script) to help me make a robot body. i made a prototype that ended up being completely non-functional. so alphys kindly made a complete one that WAS functional for me. even though i insisted she didn't need to do that but she said she enjoyed doing it and that i would've popped blood vessels i didn't have if i kept trying to make one (she's right. i was never that big of an engineer)

so the hard part was separating cross and chara. except it WASNT because their souls are WEIRD and i literally just wrenched their pieces apart like lego pieces it was crazy. unfortunately they still only have half of each of their souls. but hey, they can live just fine like that! they're just not as strong as they would be.

well, mainly in cross's case. chara has a cool robot body now that's loaded with defense.

So anyway, yeah! That's about it.

Pretty happy outcome for these guys, despite all the hardships of course.

But I heard from Ink, in this other multiverse this thing called the "X-Event" occurs. It sounded pretty rough from what I remember. But fortunately our Ink isn't like the one in that multiverse! He's too much of a softy

[radicalbears]

Fun fact: I've started reading Star Trek TOS books this year, and they are a TRIP.

I've read six of them so far: The Vulcan Science Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah, Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane, Strangers from the Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno, Spock's World by Diane Duane, Sarek by A.C. Crispin, and The Motion Picture novelization by Gene Roddenberry (and also Harold Livingston and Alan Dean Foster since they wrote the screenplay)

I have some Thoughts but this may be long so opinions below the cut!

I can't pick an absolute favorite, they're all so much fun for their own reasons. Objectively, Spock's World and Sarek are the two best, with Spock's World being my favorite of the two. I love any story that takes a long look at the Vulcans- either individual characters or them as a group- and these two do a fantastic job.

The Vulcan Science Academy Murders is not objectively good- the mystery is so easily figured out, some of the book is just a little bit insane, and there's way too many exclamation points- but it is a LOT of fun. Also has a very sweet perspective of Vulcans and the way they care for eachother.

Doctor's Orders is literally just this: Kirk, thinking he'd only be gone an hour, makes McCoy acting captain. Kirk proceeds to go missing. Due to Starfleet regulations, McCoy is stuck as acting captain until Kirk or Starfleet relieves him. (It's very funny watching both McCoy and literally every bridge officer be stressed about this)

My least favorite is probably Strangers from the Sky. It's extremely convoluted- there's a plot where Kirk is having nightmares about a suppressed past memory (a memory that, is being remembered because the events of this memory were recently published as a book), and half of this book is us just. Real-time reading this past memory? Either way, the memory is of the Actual first human-Vulcan meeting- when a Vulcan ship crash landed on Earth before the official first contact. The surviving Vulcans were rescued by a couple kelp farmers, and the story surrounding them is actually really sweet. The Enterprise crew has almost nothing to do with this story, they're only there because of a time travel incident. It really just feels more like the author wanted to tell this story, but because it didn't have any known characters in it, they were forced to involve the TOS cast. Still a decent read, just Very convoluted.

Finally, the Motion Picture novelization. Boy, this really reminded me that there really is not much that happens in this movie, though somehow it's more interesting than the movie. This is not to completely dump on said movie- I don't hate it, but it certainly is my least favorite. The novelization is really cool though because it adds a LOT of context for what Spock is dealing with. We get more of his inner monologue- something I actually wish we could witness better in the movie. V'ger is a really good character foil for Spock- the way V'ger is was Spock's end goal, yet Spock realizes that V'ger nothing like how he actually wants to be.

The word T'hyla is also just. Casually invented in this novelization, with the explicit purpose of describing the relationship between Kirk and Spock. This book ALSO acknowledges rumors of Kirk and Spock dating in a footnote, and has Kirk "address" these rumors (aka make some weird statement that doesn't actually clarify anything). Beginning of this book is a Wild time for Spirk fans.

Anyway I'm waiting on my library to get in the novelization for Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock. I also just picked up the first two volumes of the Year Five comics. Idk how deep I'm gonna get into Star Trek novels, but I'm at the very least still going strong.

Oh yeah I also tend to take photos of passages/lines I enjoyed from these books, lmk if any of y'all want a deeper look into any of these books- I can post the photos of my favorite bits!

[dr3amofagame]

Curious on your thoughts. What were cPunz and cDream doing in the main cell before cTommy arrived? Like what possible reason do they have to be in there, the place of cDream’s torture?

Since cPunz seemed so adamantly upset about cDream’s torture, “unspeakable things.” Do you think cDream told him details? Clearly they were open with each other about limbo, but cDream also doesn’t seem the type. Or do you think he found out some other way? Also if cPunz and cDream have truly tortured others and themselves in the name of science, then when Punz says “unspeakable things” that would be on a huge scale wouldn’t it? Which really begs the question, what the heck happened in Pandora’s box.

Also, if cPunz could always revive cDream, then why did cDream beg so much in prison for his life. Would it not be easier to do your plans secretly when everyone thinks you are dead? Was daily torture for months truly preferable to death? Which makes me wonder, what is cDream’s limbo that he would rather be tortured and would make cPunz so angry when they killed cDream. And if limbo changes then why is he trying so hard to avoid it. Clearly, Death no longer holds the same meaning, so why does cDream seem to want to avoid death so badly?

All good questions! A lot of which I'm... not sure if I have the answers to, honestly, but I'll throw some thoughts here.

I have suspicions that c!Dream's death meant more than it looked like on the surface. c!Dream fights hard against his death in the prison arc, we know that there's issues with the 'balance' as referenced by several characters atp (c!Punz, c!Dream, XD, idk abt any others) and death + revival obviously has meaning and implications that have not been fully explained. c!Dream and c!Punz going from seemingly doing nothing to gunning for the plan, encouraging c!Tommy and c!Tubbo to collect the server to their location to 'try and stop them' in an effort that they're apparently completely confident will fail? Yeah, that was sus, and c!Dream's death - as far as we can tell - seems to be the catalyst for all of it.

I think whatever was happening in the main cell could have to do with c!Punz and c!Dream's apparent planning - or it could have little meaning at all. It's hard to say, honestly. There's a lot of things that were happening all at the same time and the way that said events were carried out and the circumstances around them are rather convoluted, not to mention how we haven't gotten some of the apparent finales yet. The Incident, whatever it was that caused the white flash and (seemingly) caused the Reset, has been heavily implied as not being the nuke ooc by cc!Tubbo - and the only real thing we can point to as being able to create a server reset (at this point in time) is what c!Dream and c!Punz said about making the world reset. (Personally, I think that also adds some fun context to "it's too late" as well as being an interesting mirror to c!Tommy setting off the nuke and then having a chance for reconciliation right before it hits, but that's not really proof in of itself.)

The Limbo experiments feel ... interesting. I believe that they happened to some degree, for sure. We all know about Vikk and Lazar (though the months claim is something I'll admit I'm suspicious of - iirc, c!Lazar and c!Vikk were both seen right around Doomsday, and c!Dream was imprisoned by the 20th of that same month. That gives them at most 2 weeks, unless they did some more human experimentation post-prison break.) Changing Limbos in some manner also feels accurate - again, to some degree. c!Tommy's Limbo is different the two times we've seen it, for example (but then there's interesting things to consider like Ghostbur and c!Wilbur sharing a Limbo, for example.) Frankly, it's hard to make claims on Limbo imo because everything about the death mechanics in the DreamSMP is just so ,,, variable? Like we don't really have anything to go off of except for their word, and like. We're talking c!Dream and c!Punz talking to c!clingy, here. Not exactly what I'd consider the pinnacle of reliable narration

I don't think c!Dream would willingly tell c!Punz details on the torture without some rational reason to justify to himself. Whether that means what c!Punz knows comes from extrapolation or c!Dream unwillingly telling him (because he's not lucid or something, as an example) or because c!Dream tells him as a warning for some kind of post-prison Limbo experiment (like, fyi, pulling a knife on me might make me have a panic attack lol) - I don't think I have a particularly firm opinion either way. And that, of course, is assuming that c!Dream told him anything at all. c!Punz was keeping an eye on the server, after all, and he could've just. Known about c!Quackity torturing c!Dream (considering he was trailing blood literally all over the server) and filled in the gaps himself.

[lorephobic]

have i talked before about how crazy it drives me that in old bdubs videos he would super abashedly talk about his love for making things pretty? because. it drives me crazy.

at the beginning of mc4 when everyone was clearing out spawn so it was a lifeless flat plot of land to build on and bdubs took it personally and added grass and foliage once everything was built to make the whole landscape more lively and cohesive. and how hed get made fun of for thinking about little shit like that.

also when he got asked what hed be doing if he wasnt doing mc and he mentioned music (i think) and basically was super embarrassed to be like “i know its not very manly, but im super into artsy fartsy stuff”. as if that is a bad thing.

anyway im getting so emo thinking about how in hermitcraft, everyone knows and admires bdubs skill as a builder and its not ever something thats made fun of anymore. thinking about how bdubs never talks down about his own abilities anymore and instead of feeling weird about being a dude whose into artsy fartsy stuff, hes really embraced his career as a creator of beautiful things.

[steelycunt]

people talk about them getting back together post-poa but really. i think there is a brief period right after the end of poa but before they’re having sex in the kitchen at grimmauld place where they’re sort of hanging about with other people and remus passingly refers to sirius as his ex boyfriend and sirius gets sooo pissy he is like ???? Pardon. Since when am i your EX boyfriend we didn’t break up??? okay so what i thought you were the traitor we still never actually had that conversation we NEVER broke up?? we did not break up. Well we didn’t do it officially. Well my memory is patchy but I’m sorry I Dont think that happened because I don’t think I would have Liked That. So really actually we’re still boyfriends. If you think of it like that? because we didn’t break up. and remus has to be like sirius. you went to prison for twelve years

[poems-of-a-lover]

when boys are trying to get comfy in bed and theyre sleepy and theyre stretching and they do the little whiny sigh <333

[marcmorrigan]

@fenglianweek day 6: memories/growing up

the best thing thats ever been mine

[peridots-pixiwolf]

[Start ID. A dark, warm-toned drawing of Tundra, a robot with bladed legs and mechanical hands both lightened by frost, and a face like that of a fencing mask. She wears a blue jacket with a fluffy white ruff and pockets on the shoulders and chest, a long green skirt with tassels and pale wavy lines at the border, and a brown belt with a pouch at the side. She's shown from the right, leaning back on a stack of pillows and a wooden wall as she looks out to the left, disregarding the open book in her hand, her legs bent in front of her. Under her is a yellow and red rug which pads gritty flooring, over her are series of low, round string lights, providing soft lighting in a room that's partially open to the night sky.]

it's a friend's birthday today yet again... in honor of the occasion here's a Tundra for @automatonknight :]

[camellcat]

WTFFF I thought thirteen would be my new girl crush love of my life heart eyes wife you-came-after-twelve-you-must-be-better-than-they're-all-saying bbygirl and then I had to sit down and watch as she told a man who (if he were not a murderer, of course) literally every regeneration before her would've LOVED and FULLY SUPPORTED that "the systems aren't the problem. how people use and exploit the system, that's the problem. people like you" </33333 !?!?

[thelostgirl21]

I'm late to the party like you wouldn't believe, but I've got to say something, because I'm so upset!

Okay, unpopular opinion, I actually loved Jaskier's Season 3 hair!

Was it always perfectly styled? No. There were a few scenes where I personally thought it could have used a bit more volume, or a bit more volume in some places while a bit less in others; but, most or the time, I was more than fine with it, and thought it suited Jaskier well!

At times, I literally adored it!

Ex:

To me, those are moments where I thought Jaskier looked his best in the series! Loved the hair!

Then again, personally, I tend to prefer Joey's looks with his forehead cleared and his hair longer.

Like, this is I think one of the most gorgeous non-feral hairstyles I've ever seen on him:

(X)

This is an absolutely gorgeous man, and I personally prefer his hair styled like this than short.

(Note: I'm not saying he's not beautiful with short hair, too, simply stating personal preferences. Certain aesthetic choices are based on comfort, too, and he can 100% afford to sacrifice the "long haired look" for something that makes him feel more comfortable. He can rock plenty of different looks!)

Then, of course, there's the feral look that is just in its own category...

So why am I upset?

I've just found out that he didn't wear a wig in Season 3!

That Jaskier's Season 3 hair were simply Joey's own hair that he had decided to grow out.

And look, I'm fine with everyone having preferences!

That's not my issue. Having your own tastes and not being a fan of Joey's Season 3 hairstyle is not the issue at all!

There were posts simply mentioning that they hated that it looked so flat, when we could have been graced with something a bit more like this:

And I do get preferences when it comes to styling.

It's just that I recall how - since people assumed it was "an ugly wig" that had been forced on his head by the wig department, rather than what they considered "a bad hairstyle" - the comments on "Jaskier's hair" were at times downright nasty!

And I just gotta get out of my system that those of you that have been literally making fun of his "sudden 4-inches receeding hairline" (first I'll have you know I find receeding hairline pretty hot!), when it's kinda remained the same for 3 seasons (it's called BANGS people. Joey tends to wear those with his shorter haircuts! Look it up!), for example, really suck!

His hairline has always gone pretty far up on each side, even in some of his earlier work... Ex: Gopher in "Mount Pleasant" (2016):

Like he's got very thick hair that form a "V" shape at the top (my mom had that, but I didn't inherit it... And we've got tons of hair... Like, a lot! * ) and a pretty large forehead.

*

(That's me at 18, and then at 28 - before I brought them back to a lower back length - but my mom is the same in terms of thickness, she just has that V in the front I lack, and it never receeded any further in her life.)

And there would be no shame in having thin hair, or any form of baldness anyway!

So yeah! I remember sort of heavily ignoring all those "ugly wig" comments because I, too, had assumed it was a wig (turns out Joey's hair seem to be a bit like mine, and grow pretty fast), and at some point you choose your battles.

Did I think a bunch of you were immature assholes for needing to hate on that "ugly wig" so much? Yes. But you find those in any fandom!

Personally, I thought "the wig" was awesome!

But now, I kinda regret not having taken the time to be more supportive of Jaskier's Season's 3 hair given I actually like it...

Because that's just a (very sweet) human being's hair, that was styled in a way that a number of people didn't like.

Again, zero problem for those that thought it was badly styled, and that the look didn't suit Jaskier!

Critiquing what you find a "bad hairstyle" is no cause for shame!

But, for those of you that took it to the next level with all those "ugly wig" comments, you fucking suck, I sure hope you've since found out that you'd been openly ridiculing a fellow human being's real hair, that it makes you feel like complete pieces of shit, and that feeling like complete pieces of shit is going to help you learn from your mistakes, before you start attacking other people's personal physical features in the future!

"Well, I didn't know!"

Here's today's lesson:

When you don't know, please kindly shut up and assume the hair you see is the real thing!

Or critique the wig like you would a real hairstyle, asking yourself "Hmm... Is describing someone's real hair the way I do going to make me sound like a bully?"

Like I said, I'm aware I'm pretty late to the party, but the the kid in me that got heavily bullied in school over her own hair really needed to get it out of her system!

[gecemi09]

can't believe there are ppl who don't like lost days wtf. not even the end scene, they just don't like jason's character and motivations in it. i mean, i always thought lost days jason>utrh jason so 🤷‍♀️

[chiropteracupola]

it's ALISON!