#which just gives me weird vibes i dont have any deeper thoughts than that LOL

[mekatrio]

what are ur biggest gripes with the way the current fandom characterizes the mekatrio? besides like. oversimplifying seto and stuff. asking bc ur the no. 1 expert imo & i want to hear ur thoughts

tq for this ask and giving me a reason to blabber abt the mekatrio 😏 but also aw you dont want me to talk about seto mischaracterization for the nth time? :( im joking lol, and also im not quite sure what ur quantifying by 'current fandom' so im just gonna go over whatever recent portrayals ive seen from both english and non-english speaking fans 👍 with seto stuff excluded ofc bc i have a whole tag for tht.

my general gripes with overall mekatrio portrayal:

- perpetuating the incorrect notion that the mekatrio were adopted by the tateyamas. they werent, this was a mistranslation by the official translators. the terms used throughout kgpr to describe their relationship to the tateyamas has always been 'fostered'. and ofc, ive only seen this happen in english-speaking spaces (bc i primarily engage with the english-speaking fanbase, and we often work from the translations and not the direct text).

another issue i take with this is that ive seen some english-speaking fans express their dismay at the fact that the mekatrio were only ever fostered, as though adoption wouldve been 'better'. this is something i find very troubling, bc the vibe i get is that theyre implying adoption is like, more intimate, more 'valuable', in a sense, than merely being fostered. and it feels very rooted in their own cultural understanding of fostering/adopting kids, whatever their culture may be.

to me, this feels like a very insensitive view to have, bc the matter of fostering and adopting children is way more complex than "adoption > fostering". adopting a child is more than just making them a part of your family, its about legally and materially severing the bonds between a child and their birth parents. its bc of this nuance that adoption is uncommon in several countries, like japan, and is also why adoption is forbidden in islam. this is also why adoption has been used as a tool of genocide. im not trying to say that 'adoption is evil and bad and its good that the mekatrio werent adopted' etc etc etc, but i wish fans would consider the different cultural aspects of this matter b4 speaking about it.

- having the mekatrio use their first names with each other. eruhefjksjfhjks... its not like completely wrong to do or anything, but i just find it so weird, bc they literally only ever do this with one another in the anime. in the manga and novels, they hv never referred to one another by their first names at any point in time. never!!! when they first meet each other, after being fostered together, after ayaka dies, after ayano dies, and during the present day plot, they have always consistently referred to one another by their last names. the mekatrio using their first names with one another has always been an Anime-Exclusive Thing. so i find it weird that fans hv adopted this tidbit into their overall kgpr interpretation, when its something that's only exclusive to the anime. it would be like if someone adopted mca azami's massive fucking house into their interpretation, or kido still wearing the clothes she died in at the tateyama residence, which are two other weird things that are anime-exclusive.

also this is just my personal headcanon/interpretation, but i would imagine that the mekatrio using their last names with one another would hv a deeper underlying meaning, considering that the three of them are orphans, and have lost the people they had shared these family names with.

- shipping the mekatrio with one another. this is a no-brainer, i dont really think i need to explain this one. its way less common in english-speaking spaces than it used to be, but unfortunately its still just as popular in japanese spaces, knkd being the most prominent one 😑

- denying that theres knkd in canon texts. andd this is smth ive only seen in english-speaking spaces. ive seen some fans make it seem as though there isnt any romantic knkd implications in canon, and that the shippers are just weird and delusional, but as much as id also like for that to be the case, it unfortunately isnt true 😮‍💨 chp 38 of the manga very strongly implies that kano has a crush on kido, and kano's pov in novel 8 practically confirms this. and im too lazy to find proof of this, but i remember there used to be some fans (back in like 2016 - 2019) who believed that the knkd in the manga was just satou mahiro's doing, but no, the manga manuscripts were written by jin, meaning that entire stupid convo between kano and mary in chp 38 was completely jin's doing. this means that, yes, kano does (unfortunately) canonly hv a crush on kido.

now, just bc this is canon, doesnt mean i expect ppl to respect or adhere to it. i sure as hell dont, and i never will, the same way i wont ever respect hibiya's extremely dehumanizing obsession with hiyori, or the very questionable manner that shintaro's fetishes are handled. but its irksome to see people spread the idea that it doesnt even exist, and that the shippers are deluding themselves instead, bc that essentially absolves jin of his very real and very shitty writing. like the truth of the matter is that it very much exists, which fucking sucks, but we can disregard it the same way we disregard the other shitty aspects of kgpr. but we shouldnt act like it doesnt exist at all bc 1.) gotta hold jin accountable for his shit, and 2.) it does a disservice to newer fans who may then think this rancid shit doesnt exist in kgpr, when in reality it does. with that said, the shippers are still fucking weird for shipping it. just cuz theres canon romantic knkd implications, doesnt suddenly make all the familial context surrounding them disappear. both the shippers And jin deserve shit for supporting this nasty shit 😑

my gripes with kido specifically

- portraying her as blushy blushy shy tsun tsun AHHHHH WHATEVER BULLSHIT. i see this happen very often w non-english speaking fans. i hate when people draw her all flustered and blushing in a humiliating context. i hate it when she's drawn in a skirt or any feminine clothing. i hate all of that shit... it feels very voyeuristic and misogynistic to treat a female character who uses a masculine pronoun and presents herself androgynously in such a manner. its disgusting. and i hope that all the writers and artists who do this di-*a truck drives past*

- overlooking kido's autistic-coding in favor of projection. now this is a gripe i have specifically with the english-speaking fanbase. this fandom has a tendency to project traits onto characters, traits which are only very loosely based in canon, if not at all. im not gonna beat around the bush; im mainly talking about how fans project their sexuality/gender/neurodivergency/other identity marker headcanons onto characters. this is not unique to the kgpr fandom, nor is it a recent occurrence. people have been doing this type of thing all the way back in like 2013 - 2014, and i used to do this too, but grew out of it as i got older.

im not saying this is a bad thing to do. i understand the merits and joy that comes from it, and that it's something thats essentially harmless. but what i do take issue with is that fans will project all sorts of traits onto characters with little to no basis in canon, but will then overlook characters who are actually coded a certain way. what im talking abt specifically is kido's autistic-coding. she doesnt just have one or two autistic traits which a person could then headcanon her as autistic. no, in canon, she is very much and very downright autistic-coded. since she was a child, she canonly had difficulties communicating, to the point where she needed to see a doctor;

she uses music as a way to disconnect from her senses;

her difficulties with communicating comes out in the form of aggression towards others;

and she's 'eccentric': wearing multiple layers in the blazing summer, speaking bluntly and honestly at all times, using non-standard pronouns for herself, and the list goes on and on... and like Never Lost Word is literally a whole song about her struggles with communication. all of these behaviors are reminiscent of a person with autism, which itself is a communication disorder. if she isnt autistic-coded, then i dont know what is.

but yeah, it annoys me when people project traits onto characters with little to no basis in canon, but then overlook characters who are actually canonly coded with a certain trait, like kido. like it feels ridiculous to me when a fan like, looks for characters they can project neurodivergency onto, but then ignore the actual neurodivergent-coded characters. if youre going to talk at all about these characters' identities, then can you please not overlook kido's very autistic-coded identity... thank you...

my gripes with kano specifically

- saying that kano has it the worst out of the mekatrio. hahahaha...... my main problem with this idea of 'kano has it worst' is that its often coming from people who are either ignoring, disregarding, or dont fully know about kido's and seto's backstories. and i get why this is the case, kido's and seto's backstories are almost entirely novel-exclusive, and most ppl dont read the novels. not to mention that their songs, Mekakushi Code, Never Lost Word, and Shounen Brave, are way more optimistic than the mental breakdown that is Yobanashi Deceive. but in spite of how things may seem on the surface, all three of them have had it pretty bad in the past, and still have it pretty bad in the present day plot. just a brief summary of their traumatic backstories (taken from the novels, but it applies to most routes):

kano: had a physically abusive mom growing up, and was murdered alongside with her. was passed from home to home, and had the police called on him bc of his powers. was discarded into a facility. his new mom passes away. his sister tells him that their father is possessed and plans to kill their entire family, and asks him to go to school in her place. she later kills herself in front of him, and he is made to masquerade as her corpse. he is then blackmailed into secretly working for his possessed father for the next two years.

kido: her birth mother passes away. she gets whisked into living with her father and stepsister whom she had never met before. she lives with them for at least 7 months, and in this time she is never let out of the residence, and is stuck with servants who berate her and look down on her. her father then drugs her and her stepsister, locks them inside of the basement, murders all of the servants, prepares the house to be destroyed, and then comes downstairs to kill her stepsister. kido has to kill him in self-defense. the house then burns down, killing her and her stepsister. for the rest of her life, she uses concealing eyes on herself without realizing it, in order to repress the traumatic memories of her father. she gets discarded into a facility. much later in life, she lose a mother and sister once again.

seto: grew up in a facility where he was ostracized and bullied by children who were cruel enough to kill a dog. died alongside said dog. spent over a year in this facility all alone, listening to the thoughts of these cruel children who hated him. later in life, he learns that him and his family would be murdered in the future, and never shares this burden with anyone. his mom passes away. he learns his father is possessed and plans to murder the entire family, but again, never confides this to anyone. his sister kills herself.

so like... can you really say that kano has it the worst? if you still think so after knowing all this, then thats fine. but please evaluate kido's and seto's backstories properly if youre going to say so... 🙏

- misunderstanding kano's powers. specifically, saying that:

1.) his powers are cancelled out by pain, and

2.) he mastered his powers earlier than kido and seto.

im planning to write a more detailed post about kano's powers some other day, so ill keep it very brief here. but regarding point 1, in the present day plot at least, its very explicitly stated in 'Today, On The Street' from novel 5 that no, pain no longer cancels out kano's powers:

as for point 2... this is difficult to disprove without going on an insanely long tangent, so.... i wont do that. and will instead just leave these panels from chp 27 here:

^official translation on the left and fan translation on the right. im putting two translation to show that yes, kano is really saying that, in his youth, his powers have a tendency to act out of his control. just like kido's and seto's.

yeah, im aware im not really disproving those two points that much here... but its like i said, to do that, id need to explain loads of things, things which i plan to explain in a seperate and more detailed post about kano's powers. his powers are a lot more complex than it initially seems. once i finish that post, ill update this answer and link it here.

- depicting kano as a sociable and outgoing guy. he is not!! he's very shy!

^fan translation by fuyuyuu. pic is takane, kano, and seto speaking in that order

he is merely playing as a character who is sociable and outgoing. but he is lying! he is very shy! he is yobanashi deceiving you!

- i dont like kanoshin lol. dont get me wrong, i completely get why ppl would ship them. like i always burst out laughing whenever i reread novel 7, cuz i always end up seeing how gay these fuckers are acting:

^like seriously, in what world is this not meant to be taken in a romantically homosexual context 😭 no cuz help me i feel like throwing up from laughter WHAT IS THISFJSDLK

with that said, i still dont like kanoshin bc 1.) i simply dont think theyre a good pair, and 2.) i think the resentment in their dynamic was poorly resolved. i have many issues with the way shintaro as a protagonist is handled throughout kgpr (especially in the novels), as he is often overshadowing other characters Because He Is The Protagonist. and my dislike of kanoshin's dynamic has to do with that. also another thing i dislike abt the fandom's portrayal of kanoshin, is that i dont like it when ppl make it seem more toxic than it actually is. like i wish they had a spicy feud with one another, but no, novel 7 has made it so they forgive each other like... immediately. which im not a fan of, but oh well. but ultimately im not too bothered by what kanoshin fans are doing, bc ive had kanoshin blacklisted for the past 4 years and it will continue to remain that way 👍

and yeah! thats my list of gripes with the kgpr fanbase's characterization of the mekatrio! (excluding seto). its very short and not at all immensely detailed because i am soooo normal about these characters (lying). theres probably a few things i missed like little 'they would not fucking say that' type of things, but i think these are my main gripes. yippee!

^visual allegory of how the fandom cares more abt kano than seto & kido

[scourgadow]

im definitely not ripping off my friend by making a list of au ideas i have no siree //gonna slap this under a readmore cause i. well i say a lot. all of the time. i tried so hard to format this Good but tumblr fucked me up i am so sorry

so first-off i know i already have one WIP AU (Auckland) on ao3 so i wont talk about That one cause like. spoilers. i actualyl have it like 80% created so its likely gonna truly get finished for once and i dont wanna ruin shit

the other one ive posted about is something me and ben (catgirlrepublic) have worked on together its not at all close to done or anything but it's. a fun little crossover. Between jdate and my fuckinuhm. Original characters story “Untitled Villains Project”. the sketches of the comic version ive started is actually my pinned post 👉👈 its like the first chunk of the story, i think half of part 1? yea.

Tldr john fucking Somehow is able t oget into contact with a certain curious scientist from another reality who’d just love to study the Soy Sauce, most certainly not for her own nefarious purposes

John and Dave meet up with the scientist, her name is Boss, and her lab assistant, Toxic, and after a bit of a preliminary Vibe Check where john determines her trustworthy (which Dave doesnt agree with,) the two agree to be taken to the world UVP is set in. from there they stay in Boss’s lab (big old fucking abandoned military lab). John and Toxic are fast friends due to mutual love-of-chaos. John n Dave get to fuckin, camp out on an air mattress.

The day after they arrive, the two get split up, not exactly intentionally; big plot points of UVP are liek. Fueled by Boss sending Toxic to go fetch her “research materials,” which are usually important artifacts

Fuckin side note i guess i have to explain my dumb bullshit: Boss’s, uh, field of expertise so to speak is actually fckin, basically the scientific study of magic and superpowers n shit like that. This shit’s all real in that world. Toxic’s got fuckin superpowers, so do 4 other main characters, whatever. It’s got a bit to do with spirituality, iss Boss’s hypothesis. So she has Toxic fetch important artifacts that might have “energies” to them. The thing is actually way more fuckin complictated than that, this is just Boss’s initial hypothesis.

Motherfucking anyways. So Boss gives Toxic a job to do, and John get excited about how Cool that sounds, and ends up going with Toxic, leaving Boss and Dave alone. Neither is thrilled about this. But Dave and Boss get to have a bit of conversation (while Toxic and John are off bonding and having a good time) and come to a… mutual grudging understanding of some kind. They still dont like each other though lmao

Theres gonna be deeper shit going on but we havent sorted it out yet/tbh havent like Written For It in a while but i still like thinking about it a lot lol

Also pretty sure our endgame is john and dave steal toxic and bring them back with em lmao boss is kind of not nice and toxic would most certainly be better off in Undisclosed. Actually theyd fucking love it. Theyd become a local cryptid im sure. Undisclosed’s mothman is a teleporting spike baby.

I have. Another crossover AU that i might. Post something about for halloween? Maybe? If i have it finished?

Crosses over into, you guessed it, another one of my original-character projects. God, am i vain or something?

I promise this is just because i think blue and dave should get to team up to beat up some monsters

Quick briefing on my fuckinuh. Original character story, this one doesnt have a name (yet? Idk lol my work never actually goes anywhere sso who gives a shit). It centers around two grim reapers, Red (26, bi woman) and Blue (22, aroace agender asshole). In this reality or whatever, grim reapers function kind of like low-level office workers. They get told who’s going to die + when by some middle-management types, and upper management only involve themselves when punishment needs to be doled out. These Higher-Ups can be seen as analogous to Korrok; they’re decidedly not human, never were, and fucking terrifyingly powerful. Additionally, grim reapers are sort of .. designed to be “background noise” people. In reality theyre supernatural beings and, uh, look Real Fuckin Weird (the whole deal has a neon aesthetic im terrible at drawing uwu) but most humans just perceive them like extras in a movie. A body’s there but the camera’s not focused on it.

To the narrative: the shit starts when Red n Blue get relocated to Undisclosed. Relocation is something that just happens every now and then to reapers; they usually work in teams, but they get split up into different cities to avoid any strong bonds forming (a counter-union strategy from the Higher-Ups).

Red, Blue, John and Dave end up running into each other for the first time in a McDonalds where John n Dave are getting some 4am “hey, we just survived another horrific monster fight” celebration burgers. John and Dave are the only two people who can see how… strange Red and Blue are. Nobody else notices.

John unintentionally pisses Blue off, leading to Blue whacking him upside the head with a dildo bat. They all four get kicked out of McDonald’s. Dave and Red both are less than thrilled

Blue and John end up resolving their differences, somehow. Red and Dave briefly bond over their dumbass best friends being, well, dumbasses. They all part ways amicably.

somehow-or-other (idk yet) they end up running into each other a few more times, and eventually john invites them over to his place, and the four (plus Amy now!) get to know each other a little better

while there, Blue gets a text about some guy who's gonna die and John offers to drive them to where that's gonna go down. they take him up on the offer and get to have a bit of one-on-one conversation

after that ordeal though Blue has had Enough of people and bails, leaving John to head home alone

theres a sort of mirror-development going on with the five of em. Red, John, and Amy would all like everyone to get along, though theyre a bit tentative about it (John moreso than the other two, actually, jsut cause. well Red n Blue could still be Sauce Monsters). Dave and Blue on the other hand do Not like people enough for this shit, and Dave's not unconvinced theyre Sauce Monsters. he will not trust them until proven he should

the story's kinda nebulous but i got an idea for some Shit going down that involves both Sauce Monsters and also the Higher-Ups to have some fuckin absolute chaos go down.

Oops! All Trans

Everybody is transgender. Everyone

Ive actually workshopped this one both with ben (catgirlrepublic) and ghost (ghost-wannabe) lmao its a fun lil concept ive had from the get-go cause i mean. What’s an internet tran gonna do other than hit all their favourite media with the Everyone’s Trans beam

Dave transitioned post-high school and faked his death for it. People go missing in Undisclosed all the damned time, after all. He moved to the next city over, transitioned fully, then came back as a completely new man. Yes i know this doesnt exactly fit with the “everyone knows David from high school” thing alright, hush.

Anytime anyone brings up John’s old best friend (pre-transition Dave) John throws an entire fit like an overdramatic grieving widow. Full-on sobbing “why would you bring her up?! I miss her so much—” to the point that people just stop bringing up because Jesus Christ That Sure Is Uncomfortable KJHGFDS.

This is a scheme he and Dave came up with prior to Dave leaving, though Dave hadnt exactly anticipated John putting on this much of a performance about it— but it’s stopped Dave from ever having tto hear his deadname again, so hey.

Amy transitioned sometime in middle school/early high school. Her family was super supportive and loved her a ton and most people just know her as Amy. she was super shy her whole life really so. Yeah. people just dont think to bring it up lmao also i Feel Like big jim would absolutely wallop anyone who gave her trouble of any kind

John’s nonbinary (genderfluid specifically) and not exactly Interested in transitioning ? like hes fine with how he is. mostly.

he came out to Dave in high school but hes not out to anyone else exactly. Maybe his bandmates. Probably any other trans person in Undisclosed knows, too, cause theyre safe to tell lmao. Johns mostly a “he/him out of convenience” kinda nb who’s cool with any pronouns but does prefer they/them most. Dave and Amy use they/them when the trio are alone

Also this is a totally self-indulgent caveat that i think would be great, Dave’s actually agender but because he's transmasc and transitioned when he thought there were really only two options, and being Boy at least felt less weird than being Girl, he just kind of assumed he was a dude. It’s only through a lot of (like fucking years and years hes probably in his 30s/40s when he puts 2 and 2 together on this one) talks about gender with John that he realizes he actually feels like No Gender. Masc aesthetic with none gender.

I Just Think It’d Be Neat Is All Okay

Also Amy came out to Dave about being trans early on in them seeing each other and his response was to get very nervous before blurting out “me too” and then just being too embarrassed to talk about it for the rest of the day. Hes got a lot of hangups on talking about it actually it takes years for him to get comfortable in that

by contrast when Amy comes out to John about it his response is to yell “EYYY ME TOO” and give her a big ol hug lmao

I think itd be neatt if Amy ran a like. Transfem help/advice blog on tumblr. Kind of helped-with by John who can give her transfem nb insight for certain asks. I also just think that would be neat.

Cowboy AU - i put this one last cause its got drawings to it actually. Theyll be at the bottom

Basically just. Hey you ever watched a western. I think they look neat

This is another one me n ben have come up with lol

The soy sauce and all that shit still exist, im not sure where korrok fits in yet but ill figure it out

Theres no real like solid narrative yet ? but heres the barebones of everybody’s arcs.

John

Johns an absolute troublemaker, Of Course. Hes wanted in several towns for absolutely stupid shit. Hes a loner who shows up, causes chaos, gets drunk, does some drugs, runs away if people get too mad at him

He definitely had the same kind of deal with the soy sauce as in canon— he was at some kind of party, somebody offered it, he took it cause why the fuck wouldnt he, now he can see monsters and shit

Hes kind of a mooch also. Like. dont let him stay in your barn man he’ll never fucking leave and drink all your booze.

He runs into Dave when they happen to just, cross paths in the same town. the bullshit John stirs up ends up involving Dave in a way that makes it seem like it's his fault too, and they both get run out of town

after that he just tags along after Dave. hes decided this guy's Cool he wants to stick around. Dave is pissed at first, but not enough to shoot him or anything, and eventually, John grows on him

Dave

Dave also is a loner but unlike John hes simply so fucking awkward and bad with people. He doesnt feel like he belongs anywhere so he just travels

He’s the stereotypical Lone Ranger tbh. He wanders from town to town, solving their problems, though hed deny its out of any moral obligation (it kinda is, a little bit, tbh. He does like feeling useful). He shows up, fixes things, leaves. He's kind of a legend but most people think he's hiding something dark. other people jsut know him as that guy who farted real loud in the middle of the saloon and promptly skipped town out of sheer embarrassment. you know how it goes with Dave

He ends up involved with the Soy Sauce when a snake (not Actually a snake,) bites him. The snake’s more like the wig-monsters, really. Anyway, it injects him with the soy sauce, he fucking trips balls in the middle of the desert, he can see monsters now

He runs into John and shit goes tits-up, as said, but they become traveling buddies after that. he'd never say so, but he's glad for the company, actually. it's nice. hes not used to companionship but he feels a strange kind of easiness hanging out with John....

not sure how the Monster Dave concept will like fit in to this reality but like. trust me i want it in here. I'll Figure It Out.

Amy

Amy’s been living in a town John and Dave end up passing through and she is very curious about these two new Handsome Strangers who claim to fight monsters and just kinda. Persistently tags along til they let her join for real

Her family’s all dead, unfortunately, just like in canon, and she’s been living alone for a few years before meeting John n Dave. she had nothing left in that town to stay for, she'd been fantasizing about escaping on wild adventures for a long time and this felt a little like a dream come true. (Dave still gives her a spiel about how Difficult it is, but really, her fantasies were pretty grounded-in-reality already. i jsut think thats how she is, yknow?)

Shes the first person to react to the whole “we see monsters” shit with a kind of “oh, okay. neat” kind of response lmao

John and Dave fix whatever the fuck is up with her town (maybe that’s where the Korrok shit can fit, who knows) and Amy ends up being integral to that. After, she insists they take her with them because “they need her now” and Dave just cant really say no. John too is very much "the more the merrier!" and hes actually glad to have another person along he loves people lmao

At the start she has long hair but after she joins them she chops it short with a knife for convenience

also she still is an amputee. justt. idk. it was a wagon/stagecoach accident rather than a car accident lmao. just to clarify since i hadnt mentioned it, i wouldnt rob her of her ghost hand or yknow. all of the significance to her character that Missing A Hand has. although also now im going to have to research what was used as painkillers way-back-when, but im betting shes still got, like, her pain pills, they probably had those, maybe i wouldnt have to try too hard there. old timey medicine could be WACK though,

Shitload

Yeah hes in tthis shit mostly cause i liked designing his cowboy self lmao

Hes a kid (like 16, 17, technically i think in those days that was more Young Man than Kid but whatever. Hes Young i mean.) who got possessed by the Worms out in the desert and, by his family’s perception, just went missing!

Hes also a wanderer, but he ended up at the same town john and dave met in, at that same time, and starts following them after, already aware of who/what they are.

He keeps his face covered 24/7. actually he covers a Majority of his self for reasons. kinda want him to be a slightly more horrifying Worm Entity rather than human idk,

I kinda dont have much for this boy yet sorry Shitload

images !

with some editing notes for me cause im doing a very specific aesthetic with this lmao. i might change some lil details/colours though ...... idk

im also kinda 🤔 about shitload's colour palette. i want things assoicated w the sauce to be black'n'red predominantly but i think his palette might mirror dave's too closely. also im working on a korrok design i jsut am too busy to draw it now

[fivour]

ppl who call jotaro’s personality boring or bland make me

ugh

like you can have ur opinions. u likely dont mean any harm and thats fine idc im not attacking you for not vibing with jotaro kujo, that would be silly

but it’s really damn obvious that jotaro is severely depressed.

and it always makes me feel weird to see people call his personality boring (i dont mean character development, that’s a different thing entirely) bc as someone w depression it’s so nice to finally see a character that is......... like me. you’d think w how common depression is authors wouldn’t be such misinformed cowards but a lot are. so jotaro is very dear to me. ironically it took almost a year for me to realize i relate to him so hard bc there’s like a 99.99999% chance he’s depressed.

depression is more than just being sad & people can be very high functioning and successful despite depression so let’s get that out of the way while i explain in unnecessary length why i believe this whether it was intentional by araki or not.

1. it makes you angry & moody depression and anger go hand in hand. irritability is a symptom for a reason, baby! it can make you very aggressive and give you a very short fuse (or the opposite, make you repress it). god knows i am aware of this lol. even the smallest things can set off intense anger. and jotaro’s aggressive responses r a notable feature of his character. not to mention that sometimes when you get really angry, it feels better than feeling nothing; sometimes you end up seeking it out just to feel something.

2. it makes you feel like a problem jotaro worries excessively, albeit for a reason but it also fits depression’s MO, that people he loves will be hurt bc of him. and a lot of people, myself included, lash out in anger when deeply upset, whether they are truthfully angry.

he is the problem. he is always the problem, in his mind. is that self centered? maybe. but it is a common thought and it often comes from a place of deep self loathing, not exaggerated self importance. he keeps people away bc if he gets involved with them, they get hurt; and this is only proved time and time again & he’s allowed to internalize that. which eventually ruins his family (ahem jokes about bad dad jotaro are not funny, they never have been, thank you and moving on.) and sometimes i wish he had the chance to cope with his shit and [cries]

3. it makes you apathetic and empty people also think jotaro is emotionless which honestly? maybe that could be the case. depression is very consistent (otherwise it’s usually something else, like a form of bipolar). for some people, myself included, the feeling they feel consistently is apathy or emptiness. instead of ‘neutral’ you just feel... void of anything at all. i would describe it as a cloud hanging over your entire life. sometimes it rains, sometimes it pours. but the cloud is always there. his apathy seems to be the main reason people hate him and it’s one of those things that i just cannot imagine the other side on, you know? it’s such a part of my own life.... i never realized people thought that was ‘unrealistic’.

there are many moments when you can feel happy, joyful, or peaceful; they are just few and far between. even though i am depressed, i have things that make me very happy. sure it’s one thing, but it’s a thing! for jotaro, that seems to be marine biology and family. although araki has some weird obsession with family being super important we will pretend that family is important to jotaro, not araki. anyways. these arent reasons to say he isnt depressed, bc there are some of the few things he seems to love. there are also ups and downs to your mood, as is there is for someone without any mental health issues.

4. it can accompany trauma and psychological issues jotaro grew up with a dad who was, as far as we can guess, never home. a dad so absent that joseph hated him and you know what joke im about to make there. yes im aware it’s also bc he ‘took his daughter away’ bc joseph was born when women were property and racism was super cool hashtag vintage but it is likely deeper than that for reasons that this post isnt about.

but.

sadao was an absent father and put work first and i can tell you from experience that destroys your self esteem as a child. you feel unimportant. you feel like you don’t come first to your parent. it certainly does not make for a happy childhood and any psychologist will scream at u that childhood is absolutely key in developing ur brain. theres also the fact that jotaro 100% got bullied for ‘not having a dad’ bc it was the 1980s and actually nvm that still happens haha hashtag vintage.

besides being depressed, this is also the example of a father that jotaro had growing up (ppl like to act like joseph lived w them lol no joseph was also a distant father figure, if one at all), so him being away from his family all the time? he probably didnt give it a second thought. beyond the fact that the subconscious exists and we dont consciously decide everything we do (which jojo fans in particular are super bewildered by idk what it is with yall), jotaro is also the type of person to avoid pondering his own personal problems.

so anyways........

i am done raving.

daddy issues aren’t a fucking joke i will fist fight you Right Now.

i love jotaro kujo.

thank u mr araki for making him.

goodnight

[giirlboyfriend]

Naruto! 🤘🏽

send me an anime

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching | might watch | currently watching | dropped | hated it | meh | a positive okay | liked it | liked it a lot! | loved it | a favorite

i’m watching the original series for the first time right now, actually! i’m like.....15 fucking years late but i’m really enjoying it so far!

don’t watch period | drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes | give it a go, could be your thing | 5 star recommendation

everyone in the world has already seen it tho so who needs my dumbass opinion khafkjhsadfjh

fav characters: i rlly like temari, kakashi, ino, shikamaru, orochimaru, kankuro, and of course sauske bc gay icon. i’m only abt halfway thru the second season right now tho so i haven’t met a lot of the main villains yet (i think the akatski are coming in soonish and i’m excited for them bc villains are always my favoriteeee)

least fav characters: choji bc the sound of him loudly munching on chips drives my lil autistic brain fucking bananas. i kinda dont like gai-sensei bc he’s always hitting rock lee? the third hokage gives me Bad Vibes and i dont trust him i feel like he’s gonna be a naughty lil guy later so i dont like him on principal. also that fucking......that guy who taught naruto how to do the frog thing??? he’s always peeping on like underage girls or whatever????? HATE him so much anytime hes on screen i get so upset lol. also konoahamoru bc like.............whats he even doing there.

fav relationship: ino and sakura!  i feel like their relationship is growing in an organic and believable way and i Get that weird young girl thing where your relationships with other girls are tumultuous bc of internalized misogyny and i think it’s being portrayed fairly well but when are they gonna be girlfriends tho. also naruto and sasuke bc they literally invented pining and gave us all gay rights. also i really luv the sand sibling dynamic? kankuro, temari, and gaara have a really interesting familial dynamic that i’m really excited to see get explored deeper later on. also kakashi bc gay dad.

fav moment: o my favorite moment so far was definitely when sakura was defending naruto and sasuke while they were unconscious and she cut off her hair w her kunai like......poetic cinema

headcanons/theories: im still really early on in the series so i could be way way off but i imagine that the 3rd hokage is a Naughty Little Guy who’s gonna fuck up everything for everyone. he just seems like a really poor leader and it’s been seeming like the hidden leaf village is doing much better financially than any other village???? which is sketch to me especially since (i think) they have the most land out of any other village???? like is there going to be an Imperialist 3rd Hokage moment bc that’s what i’m Feeling. as far as headcanons, literally Everyone is gay and/or trans like.....i don’t make the rules it’s just fact babey.

unpopular opinion: everyone always told me that sakura is garbage and useless and blah blah but since i’ve been watching i really dont agree? like i really dont think she’s being written to her full potential at all (where i am currently in the series at least), but the bare bones of her character are so good? she’s gotten a lot of great character moments, but she’s often pushed aside to make room for Big Emo and Loud Orange Boy which is unfortunate bc she has the makings of a wonderful protagonist/deuteragonist. but yeah my unpopular opinion is that Sakura Good And Deserves Better Writing. o also the fight scenes are Too Fucking Long. oh and also shino’s bug thing is Fucking Cool Bitch.

how’d you find it: ajfhsakjdfksj when i was a kid this lil lesbian i went to daycare with used to do fan manga of naruto so that’s how i first came into contact w it, but like...obviously if you’re a living breathing human you’re gonna come into contact w naruto eventually ajhfaksdhfkasjfh. i only started watching it so i could finally understand the memes tho.

random thoughts: i think the worldbuilding and character building is really good and interesting, especially the world building. it always feels like a crumb trail trying to piece together what exactly the world is Like and i really love that! the characters are excellent and lovable and interesting and pretty fleshed out, but the screen-time and development for women characters is definitely Lacking, which is disappointing. the fight scenes are way too long and almost make it unwatchable for me at some points lol, but other than that i really do enjoy it so far and i Get why all my dumb friends were hounding me to watch it as a teenager.

[cow3survivor]

Episode 1 Pt. 1: “Playing A Game With A Fresh Slate” - Jessica

JESSICA

chamomile

JABARI

So im a little slow with names to start but everyone seems chill and nice to be around. I hope I can find some like-minded people here 

JESSICA

Hello hello hello, it is Jessica here with a confessional. I don't know a single soul in this game except for Silver and we are not even on the same tribe. I also barely know him so it's basically like I'm playing a game with a fresh slate! It's nice because I feel like I used to have a Reputation with a capital R and sometimes that made it difficult to play the way I wanted (which is chaotically but in a cute way). But since no one knows me... I can use whatever strategy I want and hopefully they don't see it coming. I am tied for the oldest person here. Everyone is college aged (or even HIGH SCHOOL aged? Didn't know people still did that) so I do not know what we are going to talk about. My only interests are taxes and coffee, things that kids these days know nothing about! Also I am only allowed one teenager friend without it being weird and that person is Zach so I will just vote out the rest of the teenagers in this cast. The tribe wants to play pictionary later so I am going to join that and wow them all with my art skills. All right that's it, that's my confessional for this round. I probably won't even need to write any more until merge because I will be immune every round :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) I am manifesting that it will happen 

CLOUD

my tribe is seeming kinda dry</3 but thats okay im here to be insane and annoying not to win 

SHANE 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IyGBdqi4OzsqrfedJim18OWhn-K1A5Lp/view?usp=sharing

PENNINO

I'm coming into this game with the mentality of "you need to write a vl everyday, a confessional every day and communicate with everyone every day. I don't think I know anyone on my tribe apart from Nicole and Silver, who I am looking forward to possibly work with. I'm the youngest as always. Jabari seems worried about the image he gives off. Nash looks like that chatty archetype, someone you can go to vent to. Mikey was pretty excited to not be the youngest. Jake seems like a pretty nice guy. His first ORG, and with 15 orgs under my belt, I think I actually can help, but he loves survivor so he must know the strategies. I think I know jones from other ORGs, but she wasn't very active today. Or maybe I just wasn't awake for it. Jennet seems like a cool person I'd like to talk to. Same goes for Lindsay. As for Brookesia, I couldn't help but notice that Ethan reminds me of someone, I just don't know why. No thoughts on Daisy, Lovelis, Sam, or Shane. Jessica is giving me a strange vibe. She's gonna get to swap/merge, and in those later days, I think she has the possibility to become a villain. Or maybe that's gonna be me hehehehe. Cloud spoke in ITALIAN in their Intro Video and I'M EXCITED CAUSE MAYBE THEYRE  ITALIAN. Madison is someone I know from another ORG and great person, may not get to even meet her, she may get booted out pre-swap. Everyone knows Sammy, may be considered as a liability and I do too. I'm hella scared of him, but I just hope Brookesia sees the threat before I'm on a tribe with him. And then there's Pete. Ughhhhhh whyyyyyy. Bitch you can't make that show up on my screen at 2 am and expect me not too have nightmares. May be just all for show and he may be voted out first. For now, let's just try to make friends. I could just go to Jake or Silver. I don't know yet, I still have to talk with everyone

NICOLE

So? This is overwhelming a bit. I haven’t played survivor in almost a year and really didn’t think I’d be playing any more games. Yet, here I am! And it’s very weird, because I like everyone so far on a surface level which means I might be the weakest member of the tribe? I don’t think that’s how that works. I’ve been talking to Jake a bit, Lindsay a bit, Pennino a bit, then I love Nash and Jones. Jennet and I were active at different times I think so I haven’t gotten to speak to them yet but I have watched them play Toy Story! And Jabari was really nice but we talked about the weather and the weather only so uh..we are gonna have to talk more. In a big game like this you have to have the personality and active time to move forward so, I’m trying to show people I have that. It’s just real hard to do so, and also Silver...he is hard to keep up with. I’ve been hosting him for the past month and I just find it difficult to find an in to align with him on, not really trying to align with him honestly. But I feel like I’d probably do good at pretending to align with him, which is all that matters right? In terms of the other tribe...kisses all of them. Sammy? Love of my life. Daisy? Love of all our lives. Like, these are super likable people! So it’s a little worrisome to have big personalities over there, I really hope they don’t eat each other before a swap can happen. Especially Madison and Daisy, both of them have a tendency to uh...stick with the men...and vote out the women. So I’m really hoping history doesn’t repeat because I’d love to work with both of them! I feel like I’m solid if I can find a way to keep communication constant this round and show I can help out. I feel like rallying the girls and the theys this round may be an opportunity. I feel bad because Silver is doing all this and I know sammy is a graphic designer LOL Speaking of he should be working on my book cover not this game...anyway I’m gonna go back to sleep for an hour before work but I hope this tribe shows an inact soon because I’m starting to feel like the weakest link 😳

PETE 

so right off the bat i’m really vibing with Ethan we immediately found our shared love for Bowser & Roadhog as our gay dads aw ♡ also talked to sammy since we have a little history but we’re cool i really think it’ll go well this time around at least i hope

(a little later)

IM SO HDDJ NICOLE IS HERE SHES GONNA KILL MEEEEEEEEEE IM DELETING BYE

LINDSAY

i recorded this very late so im sorry if its a mess: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17C9vr8lGOFOx02Dg1_RrnYf4FznoVcYY/view?usp=sharing

Also to add one pennino immediately started interrogating me about people i didnt like and is generally not giving me great vibes like dude. chill it down on the aggression. you gotta make a connection w people before you start doing shit like that and we definitely didn't have one yet. obviously i vagued him (while giving him just a little bit of tea so it wasnt intensely obv i was vaguing) but dude... dont do that shit. we ain't even know if we goin' to tribal yet what the fuck.

ETHAN

Charan's Hot Confessional Questions for Leafy (Charan is my diary room buddy <3) :dance: 1. You've had the evening to get to meet your new tribemates! Who are you connecting with? Who are you struggling to connect with? How did the Tribe VC go? I feel like I am getting my foot in the door with most of them, so rather than saying who I am connecting super well with, I will say Kiki is the only one who I haven't had a conversation with. They got back from work right after everything happened, and I was already asleep, and they have not messaged me back yet today. The tribe vc was fun! I love vcs, as my diary room buddies RYAN and CHARAN know, as they are a way to make even deeper connections, and talk about things more efficiently. VCs are also a way to more quickly understand the personalities of who I am talking with, so I got a lot of info quickly. Super excited because my tribe looks awesome! :dance: 2. How do you personally assess your gameplay? Where do you think your strengths lay, especially in the early premerge? In what ways do you find yourself capitalizing on those strengths to keep yourself safe? My gameplay is 100% rooted in my social maneuverability. I try to understand those I play with, and preferably, have them as allies. Even if they aren't allies, if I understand how they think, I will be able to anticipate how they will act and react to certain scenarios. So far I hope to use my social game to keep me out of harm's way, as I don't need to be in control, I just can't be the one to go. If things go well, I will naturally be in a more powerful position as people come to trust me, but I can never be seen as going for one or being in one. Perception is everything, and on day 1, I am going for the perception that I am a nice volleyball coach with a passion for education, and I am just somebody who wants to have fun and make new friends. That is all true, and that is all I need to be! :dance: 3. I personally have 0 clue how idols/advantages are obtained in this org. Do you expect it to be difficult or easy? And does the easiness of finding idols factor into your gameplay at all? Or are you used to playing without having to rely on advantages? I expect this to be difficult. My luck in life and ESPECIALLY in orgs is abysmal. This system is rooted in luck but also social prowess, so I can set myself up the best I can socially but ultimately it is a luck-based system. I am not anticipating on finding anything this season if this is the only way to find things, but more importantly, I just need to know who finds what and when. I am used to playing without advantages, and just need to know who has them in order to adapt my gameplay to them. :dance: 4. Lastly, tell me about your day! What did u do that made u feel happy about today and what're ur plans for tomorrow? My day has been good so far! I told one of my volleyball teams that I coach about this, and they said they want to be in my video confessional, so maybe that will be coming soon :eyes:. I love what I do and coach a LOT of hours, so if I am not typing in here I am likely doing that. In addition to that, the semester is winding down for school, so hopefully, soon I will have less school work and I can focus on this and on coaching. For tomorrow I play to more deeply integrate myself socially, and start to talk game with people! 

JENNET

i fear i will not click with my tribemates... im easy to get along with but idk if these people will like me

JAKE

https://youtu.be/Q3eDyTryE0g when I tell y'all I've had it....

JENNET

I feel like nobody hears me when i speak :(( i dont wanna sound like a toddler but hopefully its just my insecurities and they do enjoy me

(a little later)

Silver is kinda... hmmm kinda weird i dont like to isolate people or be mean but that’s just something i noticed. i do enjoy having somebody that’s awkward around bc it does take the edge/pressure off me being awkward

(after an afternoon of swimming)

this is such a different experience than what im used to.... nobody really messages me like at all and ive reached out but idk-

JESSICA

Well we are here on day three doing an immunity challenge. I hope we win! Today's song of the day is: HELLO by Allie X (I have listened to it 30 times this morning alone).

So far I like my tribe enough. I find people are falling into two categories: active/chatty or quieter/a little more difficult to talk to. In category one we have:

- Ethan: One of my favourite people to talk to so far, really liking him.

- Sammy: The only person I've talked any strategy with. I really like that out of the gate he was like "hey let's not waste time, let's STRATEGIZE". Since he was the one that brought that up first, I'm thinking I might go to him today (whether we win immunity or not) and see what he thinks about starting an official alliance with any of the people in category 1 (or anyone at all really)

- Daisy: Daisy seems very sweet and is easy to talk to. I really like her!

- Lovelis: Oh my gosh.... at first I was like hmmm not sure what my opinion is of this guy. But then we realized we are both from the FB Org community and now we are hitting it off! He said he cheered for me when I played Kingdoms Collide.

- Pete: Umm I don't really have a read on Pete but he does reply pretty quickly when I message him.

And then in the not so active group:

- Sam: Sam is actually here quite a bit but I've found he's a little difficult to talk to. He doesn't move conversations forward a lot. However we have been bonding over the evil that is braces/retainers so now he is opening up a bit.

- Shane: For some reason, I keep thinking he is also named Ethan? Not sure why. Shane is fine but same as Sam; not great at keeping conversations moving forward.

- Cloud: Okay I love Cloud. They are great and I really want to talk to them more! But they are also a little spotty with how much they're online. I would not want to vote them out if we lost but I also would not necessarily stop others if they wanted to.

- Madison: She is not here very much and doesn't seem to be putting in the effort when she is. Like she's left me on read already and in the span of 48 hours (or however long it's been since the game started) we have barely spoken at all and I've had to start the convo twice. I'd probably most want to vote her out if we lost.

In an ideal perfect wonderful world, we will win immunity and that gives me more time to try and subtly get some form of alliance going. I don't want to be the one to push it directly so I'm going to try and get Sammy to suggest it to people.

Usually I find I get two placements in games: I make it to merge as a non-threat and then kill it in the second half + go really far or I play too big too fast and by late pre-merge/early merge, I'm taken out. The only times I've gone into merge with a threat label and still won, I either won every single immunity (what's up, Jordan Pines!) or I had a once in a lifetime alliance. In my experience, it's way easier to play from a non-threatening position where everyone likes you.

I used to have that strategy down perfectly but it's been a few years so let's see if I still remember how the heck you win Survivor!

PETE

BYE IM GOING HOME LITERALLY I ONLY SCORED LIKE TWICE MY ASS IS FUCKING DEAD FUUUUUUUUCK

JONES

:pensive_cow: So we get on the beach and like omg I arrive like,, two hours later than everyone else but that’s all gucci idrc ab that but IN HINDSIGHT NOW feel like such an outsider on this TRIBE????????? It’s all internal I think. I haven’t done anything to make me an outsider other than be super super busy and preoccupied but I FEEL SO WEIRD :((( idk!! It might also be an age thing tho,, Bc it seems like a lot of people on my tribe are like 14-18 or smth like that I feel like the weird aunt who lives down the block!!! These kids make me SICK!!! But ya. It’s not like I have no one tho I’m just v v sad and feel rlly tuned out of everyone’s thoughts ajdkdkdkdk but uhm. 👉👈 first impressions cast assessment:

Jabari- have NOT had the chance to pm her 1 on 1 yet, but she was on call for a hot minute yesterday after the challenge was released!! She gave Lindsay some insight on the flash game which I thought was super super neat :) Jake - I definitely think on first impression he’s trying to take on a bit more of a savior leadership type position by organizing everyone for the immunity challenge and trying to make his own quirky cute flag too, but idk if we rlly like ? Need a leader rn ? I get it’s in good conscience but it’s a lil unnecessary. I do think he’s super super sweet tho and I loved his flag :) Mikey - this boy. JSJDJDKKD I think he’s TOTALLY FINE don’t get me WRONG but idk why he was like ,,, unintentionally lowkey shady??????? JAJDJFJFK LIKE when Jake’s flag came into consideration one of the first things Mikey said was smth like “well the judges might think it’s more illustration than a flag” LIKE AKSKSKSK ITS NOT A BIG DEAL ITS A FUCKING FLAG ANJSKS I think it might be,, an age thing or just him wanting his flag to be used which is FINE but it’s a reward challenge and it’s flagmaking it’s not,, the biggest deal ankskdksks I do appreciate his work ethic tho :3

Jennet - I’ve never heard bad things ab jennet so I’m RLLY EXCITED to get to meet them esp since they’re also kinda involved w fast twitter and whatnot but I feel like they kinda came in rlly hot? Like “I’m here to play this for real” I think Is what they said which isn’t totally fine but it’s also like,,, yes. Cool. Idk what it means ig hsjsjsj idk they’re v fun tho :)) definitely wanna work w them long term

Nicole - i Keep thinking Nicole is my emotional support counselor I’m so happy she’s here but I don’t wanna strictly rely on her ya feel (I don’t think I am rn Bc I think I have at least 2 solid allies anskkdkd but I don’t want to have to fall on Nicole Bc shes my friend yk)

Nash - is never rlly online :(( they messaged me yesterday and I messaged them back but they never respondedddddddddd Ik they said they napped but! Where are u I miss u

Pennino - this boy. ANDKFKDKDK he’s the kind of person that will respond to PMs w one word sentences and then go fking off in tribe chat like his life depends on it AJDKDKKDD I don’t see myself bonding w him that well tbh :( I think in the end it’s probs an age thing but he def seems nice and excited to play

Silver - at first I loved his intro,, filled me w joy,, but when I messaged him a bit later I felt like our convo was kinda stale? But THEN yesterday on call?? Chefs kiss I love silver sm. He said he wants to work w me too so BONUS??????? YES!!

Lindsay - this is it folks. This is the one. I love Lindsay sm. I haven’t had a great first impression convo w anyone like lindsay in a long long LONG ass time and I’m so. Appreciative. We both have said we wanna work w each other and I’m so so excited GOD lindsay is so incredible

But ya have to go back to work kiss me on the lipz

DAISY

https://youtu.be/TI72H8w-EK8

JENNET

flopped the immunity comp so i fear i may be next :/// i havent really made an connections this is sick