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bnhaobservation · 2 months

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How the Todorokis call each other (Part 1)

So since I researched for it for my fic here are a bit of the words the Todorokis use to call/talk about themselves and each other in the Japanese manga (occasionally comparing it with the English translation).

Note that I won’t report names that are too general (when one of the children talks of them as his father ('chichi' 父) or his mother ('haha' 母) or when they refers to their family ('kazoku' 家族) and that sometimes, in English, the characters seemed to call someone in a certain way but the same didn’t apply in Japanese.

In order to make things simple I’ll group the characters when a Japanese term is used multiple times, so as to explain what it means only once. In part 2, as well as ending with the list of ways they call each others, I’ll put a summary for each character, so that if you want to know what a specific character use, you can do it more quickly.

Just remember the Todorokis, being a family, tend to use casual speech to talk among them, so they use many words which would be rude if they were to use them with other people but which are perfectly okay between family members. Also in the Japanese family hierarchy, Enji is above his children and wife, Rei is above her children and, in regard to the children, older siblings are above younger siblings.

It's worrth to say I’m not Japanese. The explanations of Japanese terms come from me reading plenty of Japanese dictionaries and grammars but I might have done mistakes or missed something... or missed some way the Todorokis used to refer to each other (as there's actually plenty of quotes). Consider yourself warned and feel welcome to write me if you think I missed something.

HOW DO THEY SAY “I”

Ore (俺/おれ Lit. “Oneself”)

In normal situations all the Todoroki males use ‘ore’.

This term is the most casual form of self-address used by men, which establishes a sense of masculinity. It can be seen as rude, depending on the context, as it’s suitable for conversations among close friends or relatives but not in polite conversation. It emphasizes one’s own status when used with peers and with those who are younger or of lesser status. Among close friends or family, its use conveys familiarity rather than masculinity or superiority. It was used by both genders until the late Edo period and still is in some dialects.

It’s notable how Tōya used ‘ore’ even before Natsuo’s birth so when he was 4 or younger (Natsuo was born after he turned 4). Very likely, despite being so young, he was copying his father’s speech pattern.

Watashi (私/わたし Lit. “One own person”)

If the male Todorokis use ‘ore’, the female Todorokis use ‘watashi’.

Don’t mistake ‘watashi’ for a female only way to say “I”. Only in casual speech, it is typically only used by women because if used by men in casual context it may be perceived as either stiff or feminine however, in formal or polite contexts, this is gender neutral (for example All Might uses it, his catchphrase “I am here” in Japanese is ‘watashi ga kita’ 私が来た lit. “I have arrived”).

That’s also why in chap 306, when speaking with the press, Enji switches to ‘watashi’ so as to sound as polite/formal as possible (before switching to ‘ore’ again when he tells them to watch him) and, in the anime, they also had him use ‘watashi’ in episode 46 when he answered to the phone so as to convey he was being formal/polite.

Boku (僕/ぼく Lit. “Servant”)

Used by males of all ages and very often used by boys (for example Midoriya uses ‘boku’ hence the title ‘Boku no Hero Academia’… but All for One also uses it so it’s not just for boys), ‘boku’ is perceived as humble and therefore polite, but can also carry an undertone of feeling young when used by males of older age. In addition to this it’s also used when casually giving deference.

Why I included ‘boku’ in this list if I said all the Todoroki males use ‘ore’?

Well, we actually have some exceptions in which they used ‘boku’.

Differently from Tōya who used ‘ore’ from a very young age, Shōto as a child of 5, used ‘boku’, likely not having the wish to emulate his father’s speech pattern. Interesting enough we know however that Tōya, as an adult, used ‘boku’ when he made his whole speech to the nation which was transmitted during the final stage of the Paranormal Liberation War Arc as, during it, he changed his normally rude speech pattern for one much more polite and humble.

Lastly, although not really a Todoroki but still related to them in a fashion (he’s probably a cousin from Rei’s side since he’s also an Himura), Geten regularly uses ‘boku’.

Their own name

Normally used by small children it’s however also a very feminine and kind of childish way to refer to oneself.

Fuyumi, before Natsuo’s birth therefore when she was 3 or younger, used not ‘watashi’ but ‘Fuyumi’ to refer to herself.

Kono (この “This”) + their own name or personal pronoun

In chap 55 when Enji tells to Gran Torino he will be enough to beat the Nōmu, Enji uses ‘kono Endeavor’ (このエンデヴァー “This Endeavor”). In English this comes out odd and, considering what was said before, you might think it’s either childish or girlish but in this case, with the addition of ‘kono’ the sentence actually remarks the name in a “no one else but Endeavor can do it” way. In the same way in chap 154, when Enji uses this time ‘kono ore’ to tell Hawks if he really believed he was in troubles, it remarks ‘me’ although this time is in the opposite way as to imply “everyone else but him would be in troubles”.

FATHER (父) AND MOTHER (母)

There are various ways in Japanese to say “father” and “mother” that vary for levels of politeness.

Okā-san (お母さん/おかあさん “Mother”)

The addition of the initial ‘o’ (お) and the ‘–san’ (さん) at the end tell us this is a polite way to refer to her, although, since it’s the most common way to call your mother in Japan, even though technically it’s closer to “mother”, it’s perfectly fine to translate it as “mom”, which is currently the most common way to call your mother in English. Note that ‘okā-san’ can also be used to talk about someone else’s mother or for your mother-in-law. Rei is referred as such by all her children, regardless of their age, and even calls herself as such when talking with a young Tōya. Plus this is also how she calls her mother. In the English manga occasionally you also see her called as “mommy” but in Japanese she’s always called ‘okā-san’ only and not in a less formal way (kā-san, okā-chan, kā-chan, mama) and the choice to occasionally translate ‘okā-san’ as “mommy” is likely because the translator felt it would be more fitting for a young child to use it.

Kā-san (お母さん/おかあさん “Mother”)

Same as before but the lack of the initial ‘o’ makes it slightly less polite/formal. It's how Enji calls Rei when talking with Fuyumi. Natsuo will also call Rei as such when telling Enji not to stay close to her and the others or he'll only heat them up further in chap 421. Interesting enough, it's also how Īda calls his mother, even though the English version goes for a more formal "mother".

Otō-san (お父さん/おとうさん “Father”)

This is the equivalent to ‘okā-san’ for fathers … but it’s not equally popular as ‘okā-san’ in the Todoroki house. Like ‘okā-san’, 'otō-san' would be closer to "father" but it's okay to translate it "dad" and the English translator occasionally decided to translate it as "daddy" when it was a small child using it. Notably, of all of Enji’s children, only Tōya and Fuyumi still use it, while Shōto, as a child of 5, used it but now doesn’t anymore. Also Rei called Enji as such when talking with a young Tōya.

Oyaji (親父/おやじ “Father” or “Old man” lit. “parent father”)

This is a rather nuanced word. Let’s say it’s a more colloquial-sounding way to say “father” which can also used to refer to middle-aged or elderly men. It’s not exactly rude (though some Japanese people consider it as such) but it’s definitely very informal, similar to saying “my old man” in English but (often) without an affection. Again, it's nuanced and depends on the contest. Within one’s own family, teenage and older children, especially males, tend to start using the term to address their fathers at home. In public though, older children will typically call their own fathers ‘otō-san’. Using such word in many cases gives a ‘rough guy’ vibe. Teenager Shōto uses it to talk with or about Enji, regardless he's at home or not, and he’s clearly doing it because he refuse to show him respect, opposite to how he still call Rei ‘Okā-san’ instead than the ‘oyaji’ equivalent, ‘ofukuro’ (お袋). This contrasts sharply with Tōya, who instead regularly uses ‘otō-san’ (though if he does so in a mocking way or as a call back to the past since the past never dies it’s up to speculation) and uses ‘oyaji’ only in a couple of circumstances (chap 301 and 390). In chap 301 he’s clearly trying to keep distance from him as he speaks to himself since he calls him ‘oyaji’ and ‘Todoroki Enji’ instead than his usual ‘otō-san’. In chap 390 he’s being deliberately as rude as possible as he tells him to die. More about it later. It's possible Natsuo would also use 'oyaji' to call Enji, though so far we only saw him either calling him by his Hero name or using 'anta' (あんた) to call him. More about it later.

BIG BROTHER (兄) AND BIG SISTER (姉)

Same as with “father” and “mother” there are various ways in Japanese to say “big brother” and “big sister” that vary for levels of politeness. Note that in theory in a Japanese family the children aren’t all equal but older siblings are hierarchically higher than younger siblings and younger siblings own them respect.

Nē-chan (姉ちゃん)/Nē-san (姉さん)/Onē-chan (お姉ちゃん)

‘Nē’ (姉) is the word used for “big sister”. It can be used alone or after the name of the person in question and the level of politeness changes according to the suffixes and prefixes used. ‘O’ (お “honorable”) gives an extra layer of politeness, '-san' (さん) is your standard polite suffix (when added to a name is generally translated as “Mr.”, “Mrs.”) while –chan (ちゃん) is generally affectionate and expresses closeness and endearment.

Natsuo calls Fuyumi ‘nē-chan’, which is clearly familiar and affectionate, but Shōto calls her ‘nē-san’, therefore sounding more polite and distant. This can reflect the fact that Natsuo grew up closer to Fuyumi and is also closer in age compared to Shōto but might also be a reflection of how they were raised. When Rei told Natsuo to protect his big sister in chap 388, she told him to protect his ‘onē-chan’ (the ‘o’ adds a tone of politeness, but likely Rei always uses it as a way for Rei to remind Natsuo to be polite with his older sister), therefore she might have encouraged him to use a more endearing and close term for his sister, something she might not have done with Shōto merely because he wasn’t allowed to interact with Fuyumi (and the rest of his siblings) when Rei was living with them. In chap 192 Fuyumi calls herself his ‘nē-san’ when talking with Shōto, likely because after Rei left she took up a mother role to him and Shōto might have ended up calling her as such in response. Enji also, when talking with Natsuo, used ‘nē-san’ to talk about Fuyumi and he might have done the same with Shōto so that he ended up doing the same.

Nī (兄)/Nī-chan (兄ちゃん)/Nī-san (兄さん)/Aniki (兄貴)

‘Nī’ (兄) is the word used for “big brother”. The level of politeness changes according to the suffixes and prefixes used, same as ‘Nē’. Now… Tōya is called just ‘Tōya Nī’ by all his siblings and Shōto calls Natsuo ‘Natsu Nī’ as well, no suffixes or prefixes attached. Using just ‘Nī’ it’s very informal and childish but it started likely due to Fuyumi and Tōya being very close in age (11 months of difference) and therefore being allowed to a lower level of formality. Since Shōto was kept apart from his siblings and this lead Rei to stay away from her other children to take care of him as well, Natsuo likely copied Fuyumi’s way to call Tōya and, eventually, Shōto ended up doing the same with both his older brothers despite not being close to them, probably merely because he mimicked the way they talked. Note that when talking to Shōto in chap 34, Enji referred to Tōya as his big brother, he called Tōya his ‘nī-san’. Tōya instead referred to himself as his ‘nī-chan’ twice when talking with Shōto, which could have been mocking but could have also been the way he used to refer to himself with his siblings as a kid. In chap 388 and in chap 244/350 Natsuo and Shōto, when arguing with Tōya drops the childish and familiar ‘nī’, which would be unfitting of the situation, and switch to ‘aniki’ (兄貴). ‘Aniki’ is still a way you can use to call your older brother (‘ani’ is another way to read the kanji for “big brother” (兄) and '-ki' (貴), when added after nouns related to people expresses love and respect) but it’s considered less formal than ‘onī-san’/‘nī-san’, yet not endearing or childish like ‘nī’/‘nī-chan’/‘onī-chan’ as it has a rough note (kind of like ‘oyaji’). It’s notable they don’t use just ‘aniki’ but add a pejorative. Natsuo goes for a ‘KUSO aniki’ (クソ兄貴 “shitty/damn big brother”) while Shōto, who is less close to his big brother, goes for a tamer ‘baka aniki’ (馬鹿兄貴 “stupid older brother”). More about this though, later on.

YOUNGER BROTHERS AND YOUNGER SISTERS

Normally they’re referred just by name, however in Fuyumi and Natsuo’s case they actually have the equivalent of ‘pet names’ of some sort.

Tōya calls Fuyumi ‘Fuyumi-chan’ (冬美ちゃん) and Natsuo ‘Natsu-kun’ (夏くん). As said before ‘-chan’ is generally affectionate and expresses closeness and endearment and, in case it’s attached to the name, is used from older person to younger person. You might want to translate it something like “little Fuyumi” or “dear Fuyumi”. As for Natsuo… ‘-kun’ (君/くん) is usually used for addressing males younger than the speaker. Boys in the same age group can call each other with ‘-kun’ (Midoriya, for example, adds ‘–kun’ to the surname of all his male classmates… while Shōto instead calls them simply by surname). Sometimes male office workers call their younger female colleagues with it. This is not rude but a sign of familiarity. You might want to translate it something like “young Natsu” but just "Natsu" would be fine as well. Interesting enough while Fuyumi calls Natsuo just ‘Natsu’, Rei also calls him ‘Natsu-kun’, Natsuo being the only one among her kids she doesn’t call just with his full name. Shōto is the only one of the younger Todoroki kids who didn't have a suffix attached when called by his older siblings. As said before, being called something different by just your name is not mandatory but it's possible in Shōto's case this is not happening due to him being kept away from them or due to Tōya having been the one who decided the 'pet names' for his younger siblings.

HUSBAND AND WIFE

Again, there are various ways for a husband to call his wife and vice versa.

In Enji’s case though he commonly refers to/calls his wife as just ‘Rei’ and calls her ‘tsuma’ (妻 “wife”) only once, when talking about her and his children in chap 248.

Another common Japanese way to refer to your husband/wife is by calling them "you" (the wife would use ‘anata’ (あなた), the husband would use 'omae' (おまえ)). This often gets translated as "dear" in English manga.

In Rei’s case she usually calls Enji ‘anata’ (あなた), although, for obvious reasons, in the English manga in this case it doesn't get translated as "dear". In Enji's case he occasionally uses 'omae' for her, but since 'Rei' is his default way to call her and 'omae' is his default "you" pronoun for all his family, very likely his 'omae' with her isn't more meaningful than an ordinary "you". More about "you" later on.

Interesting enough in some houses once children are born, the parents start calling each other ‘Otō-san’ and ‘Okā-san’ and when talking with a young Tōya about Enji, Rei called Enji ‘Otō-san’ while Enji, when talking with Fuyumi, calls Rei ‘Kā-san’ but here it was likely done because they were talking with their children about the other parent and not because they are used to call each other in such way.

Interesting enough Nao didn’t use ‘anata’ for her husband but ‘Kotarō-san’.

THE CHILDREN

Enji refers to all his children by first name, while Rei does the same for all her children except Natsuo whom she calls ‘Natsu-kun’.

Both parents, when wanting to talk about their children without saying their name call them either ‘ko’ (子) or ‘kodomo’ (子ども). Both mean child (and can be pluralized) but 'ko’ (子) is a more general term for a child, which is often used in a neutral or formal context (even when the child is actually an adult) while ‘kodomo’ (子ども) is a more specific and inclusive term commonly used to refer to children in a more affectionate or informal way or to emphasize the innocence and vulnerability of children, often used in educational or parenting contexts (and, in the manga, generally used to refer to the Todoroki kids when they were… well, kids). I know I said I wouldn't mention nouns that are too general but, in this case, I’m mentioning all this because, although Enji has no problems in referring to his children as 'ko’ (子) in chap 31, while talking with All Might, Enji referred to Shōto as ‘ko’ (仔) which sounds the same as “child” (子 'ko’) but the kanji he uses is not the usual one for “child” (子) but this one (仔) which means “offspring” and, normally, is used for “young animals/cubs” or “young plants/seedlings”. It’s possible Enji is using it because, when he does, Horikoshi wants us to get the idea Enji is basically talking of how Shōto was breed and raised for the purpose of defeating All Might, as if he were some sort of racehorse, the full sentence being the following:

‘Kore dake oboe toke. ARE ha… izure kisama wo mo koeru HERO ni suru. Sō surubeku… tsukutta ko da’ 「これだけ覚えとけ。アレは…いずれ貴様をも越えるヒーローにする。そうするべく………つくった仔だ」 “Just remember this. That one we’re talking about… I’ll make him a hero that will surpass you someday. In order to do that… I had/trained/created that child.”

THE GRANPARENTS

In chap 31, when talking about his grandparents Shōto called them ‘haha no shinzoku’ (母の親族 “mother’s relatives”).

'Haha' is the word you use with people outside your group to talk about your mother.

'Shinzoku' (親族) is, under Japanese law, a term that refers to people who we are related to by blood or marriage (you can translate it also as "clan") so yes, it might not necessarily means Rei's parents. It's worth to remember the Himura were an important family with a family head who might not have necessarily be Rei's father (it could have been her grandfather or even her father's male heir), though, due to Geten's story and the scene we saw in chap 301 that in the Himura family the "family head" (当主 ‘tōshu’) was Rei's father.

By the way, the Todorokis instead mention often the 'kazoku' (家族 "family") which is the family unit formed by a married couple and their children.

Shōto might refer in such a formal way to his grandparents either because he's not close to them or because he's talking with Midoriya.

In chap 302 when he refers to his grandparents Tōya called them ‘Obā-chan-tachi’ (おばあちゃん達 “grandma and the others”).

The ‘o’ (お “honorable”) in 'obā-chan' gives an extra layer of politeness while '–chan' (ちゃん) is generally affectionate and expresses closeness and endearment. By using '-chan' and singling out his grandmother (who unlikely was the family head) instead than his grandfather Tōya sounds close to her.

It's possible though his grandfather died when he was younger, hence he referred to his grandmother.

For more about the Himura you might want to read my post about the Himura family.

WHO WORKS FOR THE TODOROKIS

In chap 302 Enji says he’ll hire more ‘shiyōnin’ (使用人 “servant/employee”).

In chap 249 Natsuo calls the person who used to cook for them ‘otetsuta’ (お手伝 “helper/maid”).

Enji, in his role as Hero, has also an 'untenshu' (運転手 "driver"), Kurumada Untenmaru, but we don't know how Enji or the other Todorokis call him, just that Kurumada calls Enji 'Endeavor' (and 'No.1' in the OAV) and uses 'anta' (あんた) with him (more about 'anta' later on), while he calls 'jarinko' (ジャリンコ) Shōto, Midoriya and Bakugō.

'Jarinko' (ジャリンコ/じゃりんこ/じゃりん子/砂利子) is an old fashioned word used to call a "student who can't keep up in school" but it's also used to say just "brat".

In theory, more than to the Todoroki family, Kurumada is connected to the Hero world, but since, according to his profile, he knows Enji by a looong time (and is one year older than him) I thought to include him as well.

HEROES AND VILLAINS

In Enji, Tōya and Shōto’s case, in addition to their own name they also have their Hero/Villain monikers, 'Endeavor' (エンデヴァー), 'Dabi' (荼毘 "cremation") and 'Shōto' (ショート yes, same as his name but written in katakana instead than kanji)… plus Enji also is defined by his ranking (‘No.2’ first, ‘No.1’ after). In some circumstances the family uses such names instead than the usual way they call them.

Interesting enough though, when Shōto interns under Enji, Enji calls him with his Hero name (which is still 'Shōto' but written in katakana so you can’t really notice it in the anime but it’s visible in the manga) and of course he called Tōya 'Dabi' until he discovered he was his son. After that moment he always called him just Tōya and I couldn’t find an instance in which he called him ‘Dabi’ again.

In fact, even after waking up in the hospital, Enji wants to say Endeavor is dead since he can’t kill a ‘Tairyō satsujin-sha’ (大量殺人者 “mass murderer”) (aka Tōya) but what he voices is instead he can’t kill his ‘musuko’ (むすこ) which means “son” (息子) and, when he finally fights Tōya, he ends up seeing him as the kid he was... making him unable to make a distinction between Tōya and Dabi. Once he acknowledges that Dabi IS indeed Tōya, he won't be able to go back see him as Dabi or call him as such, differently from others of his family members.

We never see Rei calling Enji 'Endeavor' but we see her calling Tōya 'Dabi' once, when she tells her husband he must fight him (during the rest of the discussion she called him 'Tōya' or 'ano ko' (あの子 “that child”))... as calling him 'Dabi' probably helps her to distance herself from how she's asking Enji to fight their son (Chap 302).

Natsuo called his father 'Endeavor' in chap 249, during the dinner at which Midoriya and Bakugō were invited. This seems to remark his wish not to acknowledge Enji as his father but as a stranger.

Natsuo also refers to his brother as 'Dabi' in chap 302, but more as something that was created more than as his brother, as he's also likely trying to distance himself from the idea Tōya and Dabi are one and the same.

At the same time Shōto called his father 'Endeavor' during the Stain case when asking to other Heroes about him (chap 55) and during his internship (chap 249), in short when he needed to acknowledge him as a Hero.

As for Tōya, of course Shōto called him 'Dabi' before the reveal. After the reveal, in chap 349 Shōto, before fighting Tōya, starts calling his brother just ‘Tōya’ (without the ‘nī’ (兄) which is kind of rude) then decides to switch to ‘Dabi’, either to acknowledge him as a Villain or to keep emotional distance from him. We know also that in the flashback in chap 352 called 'Dabi' his family's sin.

Tōya isn’t really prone to call Enji 'Endeavor' and does so only in few notable situations:

- prior to becoming Dabi, solely when telling Enji to look at him before attacking Shōto as a child (chap 301);

- when facing Enji as Dabi after Enji’s fight with the Nōmu (chap 190);

- when denouncing Enji on tv (Chap 290);

- during the Paranormal Liberation War when he attacked him (chap 292)... although during the battle he alternated calling him 'Endeavor' and 'otō-san';

- when he repeated what Skeptic told him, that Endeavor was at Gunga... but what's meaningful here is that the reading for 'Endeavor' is given as 'otō-san' (chap 374).

This seems to imply Tōya uses 'Endeavor' solely when he's talking to/about/him in his role as a Hero.

On the other side Tōya never calls Shōto with his Hero name… even though, of course, since it matches with his normal name, no one can realize it.

Now... I said the family tries to distance the idea that Tōya IS Dabi by calling him Dabi... but credits when it's due, Tōya himself said that Tōya died and Dabi was born so he too is keeping the two identities parted in a way... albeith he has no problems to refer himself as 'Tōya' and be called as such, both by his family and by Himeko, who switches on calling him from 'Dabi-kun' to 'Tōya-kun', so more than identities, we should probably say he means the person he once was 'died', as he started aiming for different things and behaving differently.

Not quite Todorokis but still related to them, in chap 301 the Himura family head who’s likely Rei’s father, called Enji ‘Endeavor-sama’ (エンデヴァー様) and ‘Top Hero-Sama’ (トップヒーロー様) instead than using his civilian name.

'-sama' (様/さま) is much more formal and polite than just '-san', to the point it’s sometimes translated as “lord”/”lady”.

The fact that the Himura family head is using it underlines how high he thinks of Endeavor, for being such an important Hero.

Enji also gets called 'No.2' and then 'No. 1' after he rises to the position. Shōto in chap 31, calls him 'mannen No. 2 no HERO' (万年No.2のヒーロー "eternal No. 2 Hero"). Then after he becomes No.1 Natsuo refers to him as such in chap 192, Shōto does so in chap 247, and Tōya does so in chap 191 and 231. In chap 191 Tōya also called him ‘No. 1 hero-san’ (No.1ヒーローさん), when telling him goodbye and that they’ll have a chance to talk again... though the politeness here is probably an attempt at sarcasm.

In chap 290 Enji himself defined himself ‘kono kuni no Top Hero’ (この国のトップヒーロー “this country Top Hero”).

Also I’m placing it here, though I doubt Rei is referring to his Hero role but to how Shōto managed to positively react to all he went through (differently from the rest of the family so he's kind of like a role model to them)… still in chap 302 Rei says Shōto is the ‘Todoroki-ke no HERO’ (轟家のヒーロー “Todoroki’s family Hero”) but the reading given is ‘Uchi no HERO’ (ウチのヒーロー “our own family’s hero”).

YOU

Polite Japanese speech requires not the use of “you” but the use of a person’s name. However the Todorokis are a family, they talk to each other in an informal way and so they do use also “you” to talk with each other.

Anata (あなた,貴方, 貴男, 貴女 Lit. “precious toward”)

This is the only second person pronoun comparable to English “you”, yet still not used as often in this universal way by native speakers, as it can be considered having a condescending undertone, especially towards superiors. For expressing “you” in formal contexts, using the person’s name with an honorific is more typical (Hawks tends to use 'Endeavor-san' when talking with Enji and switches to 'anata' only when he doesn't want to repeat 'Endeavor-san'.... and while she uses just 'Endeavor' or 'Hawks', when she has to say "you" the Chairman of the Hero Public Safety Committee uses 'anata' as well). More commonly, ‘anata’ may be used when having no information about the addressed person; also often used as “you” in commercials, when not referring to a particular person. Furthermore, commonly used by women to address their husband or lover, in a way roughly equivalent to the English “dear”. Rei uses always ‘anata’ to talk with Enji but, of course, due to their (poor) relation, we never see it as being translated as “dear” in the English manga.

Omae (おまえ/お前/御前 Lit. “polite front”)

This is the “you” everyone in the Todoroki family uses. Of course it comes with a nuance. If used to talk with people outside the family it’s used by men with more frequency and expresses the speaker’s higher status or age, or a very casual relationship among peers. Often used with ‘ore’ it can be very rude if said to elders. Commonly used by men to address their wife or lover, paralleling the female use of ‘anata’. Of course, since the Todorokis are a family, they use it with each other and it’s not meant to be rude (and yes, occasionally Enji used it with Rei though it’s not as recurring as she uses ‘anata’ so it might not have the same nuance)… and since the male Todorokis are rough, tough males who use ‘ore’ they also use it with people that’s outside the family but in this case it’s actually kind of rude (notable how Geten for example uses it with Dabi during their fight).

Anta (あんた/アンタ)

Contraction of ‘anata’ is also generally not used as it’s considered too direct. Can express contempt, anger or familiarity towards a person. Sometimes it can be felt as more rude than ‘omae’ sometimes it’s the opposite. Generally seen as rude or uneducated when used in formal contexts. ‘Anta’ is often used among girls who want to act leading the guy a little bit forcely and scoldishly. There are a bunch of time in which ‘anta’ is used among the Todoroki family members and they’re all when a character is scolding another. We start with Fuyumi who, when scolding Natsuo in chap 187, calls him ‘anta’ (あんた), we continue with Natsuo who, when arguing/scolding Enji in chap 192 and 302 calls him ‘anta’ (あんた) and we finish with Shōto who, when arguing with Enji in chap 351 about who of them has to face Tōya calls him ‘anta’ (アンタ) to tell him he’s the only one who can face All for One. Yes, Shōto uses katakana which generally are used to underline the word, so it's possible it's done to remark how only Enji can do it but also to underline how Shōto, who's angry, is not using his usual ‘TemeE’ (てめエ) with his father but a tamer word. Interesting enough Tōya, or probably I should say in this case Dabi, uses ‘anta’ too, but not with his family member but with Ujiko in chap 350 both to refer just to him and to him and All for One ‘anta-ra’ (あんたら “you” (plural)). Dabi is an ‘omae’ guy who’s generally not polite but calls Ujiko ‘Ujiko-san’, so the fact for him he uses ‘anta’ and not ‘omae’ is probably meant to feel less rude that if he were to use ‘omae’. Another character connected to the Todoroki family who uses ‘anta’ is, as I've already said, Kurumada with Endeavor.

Temē/TemeE (てめえ/てめエ/手前 Lit. “the one in front of my hand”)

'Temē', a reduction of 'temae', is, according to some, the rudest way to say “you” even more rude than ‘Kisama’ (we’ll talk about it in a while) and it’s used when the speaker is very angry. It’s the sort of thing you might translate with “son of a b*tch” or some other insult along the line. Originally used for a humble first person, it’s 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. Shōto uses ‘temeE’ (てめエ) in chap 34 when arguing with Enji (which makes notable how he’ll only use ‘anta’ much later on when arguing with him in chap 351) and again uses ‘temeE’ (てめエ) in chap 292 when fighting with Tōya and Tōya also uses ‘temeE’ (てめエ) in chap 351 when fighting with Shōto (in their previous fight he used ‘omae’ with him). The fact that the last ‘e’ is written in katakana instead than hiragana is often done to put emphasis on it.

For completeness sake I’ll report two other ways to say ‘you’ which some of the Todorokis use but not, as far as we know, with their family members.

Kimi (君/きみ Lit. “lord” (archaic))

It’s the kanji also used to write '-kun'. Informal to subordinates; can also be affectionate; formerly very polite. Among peers typically used with ‘boku’ (僕) (so, as you can easily guess it’s Midoriya’s “you” when he’s not using someone’s name). Often seen as rude or assuming when used with superiors, elders or strangers. Enji uses it when talking with Midoriya at the sport festival and when he observes how Midoriya too was one of them because he should have suffered for his Quirk, showing him some degree of politeness… but he will eventually switch on using ‘omae’ for him during the Dark Hero arc, which likely his meant to imply they gotten more familiar, not that he's being disrespectful.

Kisama (貴様/きさま Lit. "precious lord")

Historically very formal, but has developed in an ironic sense to show the speaker’s extreme hostility/outrage towards the addressee. It’s basically so rude/aggressive it often gets translated into “bastard/you bastard”. Enji uses it when talking with All Might, sometimes outright saying ‘kisama’, sometimes the furigana say ‘All Might’ but the kanji below say ‘kisama’ just to drive home the way Enji is saying ‘All Might’ is all but polite and all this is very rude as All Might isn’t just ranked above him but he’s older than him and a Hero by longer time so he definitely deserves more respect. Enji also calls ‘kisama-ra’ (it’s a plural form of ‘kisama’) Midoriya and Bakugō when they intern under him. This is actually interesting. He starts with ‘omae-tachi’ (it’s a plural form of ‘omae’) when he says he’ll supervise them, then switches to ‘kisama-ra’ when he tells Bakugō and Midoriya to tell him about themselves, then he moves to ‘kimi’ when he says since Midoriya too suffered for his Quirk he’s one of them… to go back to ‘kisama’ when he address Bakugō only… to switch again to ‘omae-tachi’ when he’s addressing the three of them… to go back to ‘kisama-ra’ when he tells them they’ve to gain experience working under him and uses ‘kisama-ra’ again when he tells Bakugō and Shōto he’ll give them the same assignment and also uses it to tell the three of them won’t impact on his work. Long story short, very likely that ‘kisama’ is solely meant to remark how they’re working under him. He also uses ‘kisama’ when he begins interacting with Hawks (who instead, as said before, uses 'Endeavor–san' and when he has to use “you” with him goes for ‘anata’ despite Hawks being an ‘ore’ guy), only to switch to ‘omae’ later on.

CONTINUE IN THE NEXT PART!

#boku no hero academia #Todoroki Shouto #Todoroki Touya #Todoroki Enji #Todoroki Natsuo #Todoroki Fuyumi #Todoroki Rei

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vioartemis · 1 year

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The queen of hearts

(Emma Myers x fem! reader)

Summary: You, a well known actress, joined the cast for the second season of Wednesday. A well-executed magic trick and a questionable pick-up line later, you find yourself kissing one of your co-stars. Warnings: none (?) (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

As far as you could remember, you always wanted to be an actress. You starred in some adds on tv when you were 12, before auditioning for the role of C/n Henderson in the first season Stranger Things.

You were 14 when the series was released, and you didn't expect it to make you famous. But since then, you played in several movies such as Fear Street 1978 and 1666, or the last two Star Wars - for which you symbolized the new generation of the upcoming trilogy.

You favorite genre to play was fantasy. Sometimes you wished you were born in the 90's so you could have a chance to play in the Harry Potter movies.

Of course, you continued the 'Stranger Things Adventure', as you called it, all the way to season 5, which had yet to be filmed. You were proud to see that the series was on top of the most watched Netflix series.

But recently, the series rank was in danger due to the new series Wednesday. You resisted a whole month before binge watch it with Sadie. Since you met on the set of Stranger Things season 2, you were best friends.

"It's not like we're betraying anyone if we watch it, right? They can't fire us for that, right?"

"I don't think so, Noah and Mille watched it already and nothing happened. I think it's safe"

You put the pop-corn bowl between you on the couch before Sadie pressed play. Being a big fan of the Addams family, you were a little scared to watch it. But everyone seemed to say it was really good so... why not giving a try?

You liked it so far, Enid being your favorite character. You found her really cute, and her bubbly personality was a great contrast with Wednesday's cold self.

On TikTok and other social medias, you saw everyone simping for Wednesday, and honestly, it was understandable. But Enid. The wink.

You were full on gay panic. This wink, along with her smile, got you simping for her throughout the whole series.

"So, what do you think? I liked it" Sadie asked you when you finished watching

"It was great! Let's hope season 2 will come out soon!"

"So you can see who's the stalker? Or maybe more of a certain blonde?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"As if you didn't spend the last hours simping for her" she teased you

"Who wouldn't? She's so adorable!"

After that, it didn't take long until you where googling who played her, and in what other movies she played. You watched all of them, from 2010 Crooked, to 2021 Girl in the basement.

You quickly became a Emma Myers fan, which meant you started following her on Instagram.

When she noticed it, she couldn't believe her eyes. The Y/n L/n, her favorite actress, knew who she was? If that wasn't a dream coming true...

One of her favorite genre of movies / series was fantasy. She watched almost every work of this category, which meant she saw multiple of your roles.

Her favorite one was your Star Wars character. It was the first time she saw you on screen. Since then, she had watched everything you played in. You had something that attracted her, something special that made her want to meet you.

Not just like every other celebrities she'd love to meet. It was something different, something she couldn't quite explain.

<><><><> ♡ <><><><>

"Are you kidding me?? You're really part of the cast of Wednesday season 2?? That's awesome!"

"I know, that's crazy! But don't count on me to tell you anything"

"Come on, we're best friends, right? You can just tell me little things, no one will know..."

"Nope, sorry. I have to go, I'm in front of the studio"

"I hate you"

"Love you too bestie"

You smiled as you hung up, putting your phone in your jacket's pocket. You were excited to meet the cast and to know what happened next.

Totally nothing to do with a certain girl you were impatient to meet.

When you entered the studio, you were greeted by Jenna, whom you had already met at the auditions as she was producer of this new season.

"Y/n, hey. It's nice to have you here" she smiled

"The pleasure's mine"

She led you to where the others were, gathered a little further.

"Oh, before you meet everyone, Emma's a big fan of yours so don't be surprised if she's a little shy"

"Really?"

You couldn't help but smile. You were fan of each other. Interesting.

You walked up to the group, Jenna in front of you.

"I told you we would have a new addition to the cast, right? Well, here she is"

She stepped to the side to reveal you. You waved at them with a smile that got wider when you spotted Emma next to Hunter. You felt inexplicably drawn to her the moment your gaze met hers.

"Hi"

Like every other Saturday night since the beginning of the shooting, you were gathered at Georgie's for a little party. Apparently, it was a little tradition they had since season 1.

It was really fun to see some of you try to do your scenes the next morning when they drank a little too much. Not that the scenes were poorly acted, no, it was the behind-the-scenes face in a bucket that was the most fun.

You weren't one to drink much, so you never had the problem. But Hunter did quite a lot even though he doesn't drink a lot either.

This night however, you found yourself drinking more than you should, which doesn't go unnoticed by a certain brunette.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course. What makes you think otherwise?"

"I don't know, maybe the empty bottle next to you? Or the other one in your hand? You can talk to me you know?"

You knew that, but the words got stuck in your throat every time. You were ashamed to admit it, but you were jealous. Jealous of Georgie and Emma's relation.

They were just friends, yes okay, but the way he looked at her made you think he wanted more than that. You couldn't blame him for that, being in the same situation.

What you blamed him for was... what was it again? Ah, yes. You had no reason to blame him. Emma and you were just friends too.

"It's... nothing really, just- just a bad day"

"You sure?"

She wasn't blind, she saw how you looked at Emma, how you acted around her. But what she saw too was how Emma looked at you. And that you didn't see.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine"

"Okay then..."

She didn't believe you, but let you alone, taking the bottle with her as a precaution.

A little while after, you were joined by Emma who sat next to you on the couch. You had sobered up by the time Jenna left.

"How you doing?" she asked gently

"Great, you?"

"Georgie tried to show me a magic trick, ended up with my shirt being stained with his drink..."

"You should change, or you'll get cold"

"Yeah, but I don't want to leave... Plus it's dark outside, I don't feel like going alone..."

"I can come with you if you want"

"Shit, I think I forgot my keys at Georgie's..." Emma mumbled, looking in every pocket she had while you were standing in front of her door

"We can go at mine if you want, you can borrow a dry shirt, we'll go back later for your keys"

"I don't know what I would do without you"

You missed the blush on her face as she said that, too busy taking your keys out of your pocket.

"Get a cold probably. Here, come with me"

You walked side by side, shoulders brushing every now and then, until you arrived. You opened the door and let her in, before heading to your closet to find something to give her.

Meanwhile, she looked around at your room. She had no idea what it would look like, but it really screamed you. And exactly like you, the room was to her liking.

She spotted a deck of cards on your bedside table.

"Do you play card games?"

"Uhh not really, I only know poker, and am very bad at it"

"Why do you have a deck of cards then?" she asked as you emerged from the closet

You gave her the shirt with a smile.

"Want me to show you some real magic trick?"

"Sure! I love magic tricks"

You grabbed the cards and sat on the floor on the other side of the room, giving her time and space to change.

"Oh oh okay, I have to pull out my best trick then"

You shuffled the cards as she sat in front of you.

"Here, take a card, look at it, and don't tell me anything"

She obeyed, looked at the card, and kept it in hand, waiting for your instructions.

"Okay, now I'm gonna make a pile of cards randomly, for example here I put like three cards, then six, then two, etc. You tell me to stop whenever you want"

You started to stack the cards, looking at her with a smile.

"Stop!"

"Okayy, now put your card on top"

She did as you told. You put the cards you had left on top of her card and took the deck in your hands before spreading the cards on the floor in a swift motion.

In the alignment of cards, one was face up. 3 of spades.

You took the card out, letting a hole in the line of cards.

"Is it your card?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's not"

"Oh really? Maybe it's a sign... 3 of spades, so maybe three cards before..."

You counted to three starting from where the card was, and pulled a new one out, showing it to her.

"Is this one your card?"

"Oh my- Yeah it is!"

You smiled widely, before turning the card to look at it.

"The queen of hearts huh? Funny when you're the queen of mine"

You didn't mean to say that. Absolutely not. You felt your face heat up.

"Shit I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

You stopped, noticing she was as red as you were.

"That sounded better in my head..." you finished, still embarrassed

"... Do you mean it?" she asked after a moment of silence

"Depends. What would you do if it was the case?"

"Well..." she got on all fours and got closer to you to the point her nose was almost brushing against yours "I think I would really want to kiss you..."

"Y-yeah?" your eyes flickered to her lips before going up to her oh so beautiful eyes "My heart is yours since day one, Emma”

A smile made its way up to her face as her cheeks reddened.

“Can I kiss you?” she whispered

You leaned forward as an answer, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. She was quick to cup your cheeks and sit on your lap as she kissed back, making you tilt you head up a bit.

As your hands found their place on her hips, pulling her closer to you, the soft kisses turned into a passionate make out session that left you both breathless.

After you pulled away, she rested her forehead on yours. You were both smiling like idiots in love - which you were, actually.

"If you had told me I'd get to kiss the Y/n L/n - and that she would be romantically interested in me - I never would've believed you"

"Well, if you had told me I'd get to kiss the Emma Myers and have a romantic relationship with her, I wouldn't have believed you either"

"You're such an idiot" she chuckled, cheeks reddening again

You couldn't help but smile and placed another kiss on her soft lips.

"True, but I'm your idiot now"

#emma myers #emma myers x reader #emma myers x fem reader #wednesday #wednesday netflix

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jetkast · 1 year

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I have had mxtx content so deeply embedded in my thoughts, the brainrot is so fierce. I love the narratives in her books, these themes that I haven't ever felt in a story before. Just some rambling about them that's bubbled up over the last few months:

SVSSS: even with a sense of authority on where the story will go, changes both small and large can surprise or underwhelm you. there are always stories hidden behind characters and characters lost to hidden stories. the narrative we tell about ourselves affects everything about how we interpret the meaning of what we experience. often we are blind to the meanings we emphasize or suppress, confident in the authority of a narrative we insist is true, cohesive, consistent, or normative.

MDZS: everyone has their own version of events, often not in service to truth or justice, but power and image. yes, where you come from and what you endure can be limiting or enabling. yes, it can explain why you do what you do. yes, you still always, always have a choice to do what is right. only you can decide what that is. in some cases, everyone will have an opinion. in others, no one will know or care. you choose whether that influence what you do. it is never too late, it is never over, and every choice is a new opportunity. you can't change choices made in the past, but you can learn from them to inform your choices in the future and influence the options available to those who follow.

TGCF: sometimes you can change the story with brute strength and charisma, sometimes all you can do is endure and regulate your own response to it. you can reinvent yourself over and over, run from your past selves, suppress the parts of you that are shamed, but you will always be with you and only you. all that happens, within and around, bad and good, your actions or others', makes you you. the greatest and worst versions of yourself were all required to make this you -- it's not the state of you that matters, but the essence of you. integrate, rebuild, evolve, rebirth, morph, refine, transform, regress -- the story always progresses and characters always develop, the only story that defines you is the one you iterate.

And for all of them... sometimes, the happy ending isn't sweeping change in the world, awe inspiring redemption, or cathartic revenge. Sometimes it's allowing yourself to have a simple life with the ones you love, staying authentic to your values and desires, and understanding the revolution that is inherent to thriving in the body you live in, all its scars and memories included. You can never control the story of the world, no matter your knowledge, skills, or abilities, nor should you try. Horrid experiences and events can't be eradicated, but neither can beauty, awe, and grace. Unfortunately, these are not often equitably distributed. Fortunately, we can never know which will be in the next moment, which will be the last, if there will be better or worse than we have already felt. Such is living.

#mdzs #tgcf #svsss #mxtx #ramblings #the untamed #heaven official's blessing #mo dao zu shi #hualian #wangxian #bingqui #by all this i mean go out there and be gay as hell living your best life

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herbofgraceandpeace · 6 days

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Spoilers for A Deadly Education below:

(I haven’t discovered how to do the read more link on mobile yet, sorry for being a tech loser.)

So I really, really, REALLY enjoyed A Deadly Education! It was such a deeply, richly imagined world, and the exposition of it was done wonderfully through El’s grumpy, sarcastic inner dialogue. I don’t think you could actually justify it as complaining, but it sort of works as an explanation for her breaking the fourth wall.

The characters were so deliciously real and believable all around, not just El! Side note: I love, love, love books with many women characters; they are just like life, which ALSO HAS MANY WOMEN CHARACTERS. I don’t think it has to be just women authors who do this, but it’s telling that they’re usually the ones to do so. Anyway, the boys and girls of this book were such people very teenagers, and it heightened the drama naturally as a result! A lot of the book relies on hierarchies of the kind usually found in school stories, but that wasn’t just a cool gimmick or means to enliven the stakes. It meant that the morality of their actions was much more obvious and undeniably relevant, and that’s such a powerful truth about suffering on its own! It strips back the fripperies of life and requires us to make very real decisions about what our relationship to the people around us. What will we do to survive? Can we survive alone? And what counts as survival? If we sacrifice others to save ourselves, what will be left of us at the end?

I loved the way that El’s internal dilemma centers around her ability to harm others easily and her desire to not do so—and sometimes, painfully but so realistically, her battle with her desire to harm them in retaliation for how she’s been treated. One of my favorite parts of the book was El’s moment of decision on whether or not to fight the maw-mouth; it reminded me strongly of the moment from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables when Valjean has to decide whether to turn up at the trial of the man who has been misidentified as Valjean himself. In both cases, the protagonist is forced to make an utterly self-sacrificing choice—to choose something which will most likely destroy their life completely in order to save someone in many respects undeserving. The freshmen El was attempting were young, innocent, and helpless, but they had done her no favors, and she knew she would gain little to no benefit from saving them. But she did it anyway!! Just as Valjean has to realize that he can’t keep his position as mayor and do good if it’s built on the unjust suffering of this man. (I’ve no idea if that connection makes sense to anyone but me, but I’m tired and can’t explain better.)

I couldn’t help contrasting this book with Spinning Silver since I just read it, and I have to say I was delighted by how much more open discussion of morality (see the paragraph above lol) there was in this book! Spinning Silver was so action-focused that I’ll have to look deeper to get at its themes, whereas El’s narration AND her character arc brought it all to the surface in A Deadly Education. Another of my favorite moments was El’s thoughts on her own anger with Magnus; there was lots of real, convicting truth there. You cannot fight the cycle of violence, of fear, of hatred with the very same weapons—you can only break it through choosing mercy and justice (paradoxically) and giving of yourself. Which brings me to the delightful Orion Lake! Ladies and gentlemen, a certified Boy. I’m not sure if he could be called a narrative foil to El (I’m so tired help), but it’s interesting to observe the difference in how they go about caring for others. El is jaded; she sees the brokenness of the world and all of its cruelty, and she chooses to help others (by denying herself at all times!) anyway. Orion sees much less of the evil in people and in the systems of the world—but! fascinatingly! he sees the evil in the scholomance system in a way that El doesn’t (or at least isn’t prepared to deal with yet). He can’t be bothered to think about the consequences of saving everyone, but he’s darned well willing to die doing it. I was amused and frustrated with El for not seeing him as a kindred spirit earlier on in the book because they both recognize the fundamental principle that might does not make right, that the strong should not prey on the weak. Yet while El refuses to acknowledge how deep her loyalty to this principle really is, Orion’s thoughtlessness means that he’s blind to the ways he himself is perpetuating the abuse of the weak through the enclave. Delightful stuff, and realistic character conflict born of different perspectives and experiences!

also, did I mention we get sisterhood?? I don’t care if they’re just friends, El and Aadyah and Liu are sisters now. To me.

Basically, it’s a great book, and I can’t wait to read the next ones

#The scholomance #a deadly education #a deadly education spoilers #literary analysis #Peace reads books

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averysmolbear · 1 year

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Blind Date

CW: female/afab!reader, pro hero!Shoto Todoroki, she/her pronouns are used for the reader, mostly fluff, not really proofread. Any mistakes are my own, including mischaracterizations. All characters are aged up (Shoto is portrayed as being in his early to mid 20s and the reader is around the same age.).

Pairing: Shoto Todoroki x female/afab!reader

Shoto Todoroki looked at his older sister, Fuyumi, with confusion etched on his features. His brows were softly furrowed as he tried to make sense of what she had said to him, shaking his head slightly in uncertainty. He didn’t understand what she meant when she said that she had set him up on a blind date but Fuyumi did her best to explain it a bit more when she saw the look on her little brother’s face.

“It’s just that you two don’t know each other,” she began with a quick shrug of her shoulders. It seemed like the easiest way to describe what a blind date was. “Her name is Y/N and she’s about your age. She’s been teaching at the school with me for a couple of years now and well … she seems to have the worst luck when it comes to dating.”

“But why me?” That was what confused Shoto the most. It wasn’t as if he was looking to date, knowing how difficult it would be to balance dating with his pro hero work. The last thing he wanted to do was end up in a relationship where he neglected his partner and he thought Fuyumi knew that.

His sister sighed softly, reaching out for her brother’s hands. She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze with a gentle smile. Sometimes Fuyumi thought her brother was too oblivious for his own good but she didn’t blame him. He hadn’t gotten the chance to be a child and even as a teenager, Shoto hadn’t had much of a chance to be normal. She thought it was amazing that he chose a career as a pro hero, of course, but Fuyumi also wanted Shoto to have every chance to experience all that life had to offer.

“I thought that you two would get along,” she finally said. “Y/N is such a kind and giving person. I think you’ll really like her, Shoto.”

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his sister let go of his hands even as he opened his eyes again. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he shrugged, giving in since he knew Fuyumi had his best interests at heart. The least that he could do would be to give Y/N a chance and it was only a date. It didn’t have to be anything more than that. Shoto knew he could do that much.

●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●

You stood in front of the full length mirror in your bedroom, awkwardly tugging on the hem of your dusty rose sweater with a slight frown on your face. You changed three times since coming home from work in preparation for your date tonight as you attempted to find the right outfit. You had already showered and dried your hair, fixing it in your favorite style. You remembered telling Fuyumi to tell your blind date that you would be wearing something pink but everything you put on felt childishly pink.

You sighed as you wiped your hands down the front of your jeans, chewing on the inside of your cheek for a moment before giving up and deciding to stick with the sweater you have on. It was a bit baggy and it fell off one of your shoulders and since nothing else felt like it would be appropriate for a casual first date, you resigned yourself to what you had on. You checked the time on your phone, realizing you would be late if you weren’t careful.

You slipped on a pair of dusty pink ballet flats when you reached your door, grabbing your purse and keys. Locking up behind yourself, you checked your phone again. Your heart was racing slightly, nervous energy coursing through your veins as you made your way out of the apartment building where you lived. Once on the street, you hailed a taxi and hoped you would make it to the restaurant on time. The last thing you wanted to do was make a bad first impression.

Fuyumi hadn’t told you much about who she was setting you up with, however, which added to your already frayed nerves. She had promised you would like him which was reassuring though. You trusted that she wouldn’t set you up with someone you wouldn’t get along with after all so you were counting on leaving the date with a new friend at the very least.

You watched buildings pass by as the taxi headed to your destination. Soon you began to tap your fingers on your thigh to try to rid yourself of some of the nervous energy you felt. You closed your eyes for a moment and slowly counted to ten, breathing in and out with each count as you tried to stop your brain from spiraling. You knew Fuyumi was right; you needed to get out there and you trusted your friend but you still felt anxious.

The taxi came to a stop before you realized it and your eyes snapped open. You mumbled a soft thank you as you paid the driver, double checking that you had everything with you before you exited the vehicle. You looked around outside to see if your date was there already. Fuyumi had said that your date would be bringing you a pink flower and when you saw a face that you had seen on television many times before, that familiar red and white hair and turquoise and gray eyes, your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest.

You took a deep breath and started walking toward him when you saw the small bouquet of pink carnations in his hand. It had to be him but you couldn’t believe it. Fuyumi had set you up with Shoto. It should have been obvious to you sooner. He was your friend’s little brother after all. When he spotted you, you felt your face flush as you raised a hand to give him a small wave.

●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●

When Shoto saw you, he swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He knew his sister had told him to bring one flower but he ended up with a half dozen instead after the florist at the small shop had talked him into getting them. He saw you smile and wave but he felt rooted in place. You were beautiful and he wondered how in the world he would get someone like you to enjoy his company on this date tonight.

A small blush had bloomed on his cheeks, something he noticed on your cheeks too. It only made you more attractive to Shoto, although he hoped you didn’t notice his embarrassed appearance. You were halfway to him before he took a step toward you, holding out the flowers the second you were close enough to take them from him.

“I hope these are okay,” he softly said, watching as you pulled the bouquet close to your nose to take a deep breath. He looked away quickly, however, worrying that he might have been staring.

Softly laughing, you shook your head in amusement at his slightly awkward behavior. “They’re beautiful, Shoto. Thank you,” you replied as you held the bouquet close to your chest. Your smile brightened when Shoto looked back at you again with a small smile of his own.

“I hope this place is alright,” he continued, offering his arm to you. He felt his pulse begin to race when you slipped your hand in to hold on to his bicep. Shoto cleared his throat, certain his voice would crack otherwise. “Fuyumi picked it out.”

You nodded as the two of you started toward the door. You let Shoto guide you inside, glancing around for a moment. The atmosphere was casual but romantic. It was the perfect place for a first date. You held a little tighter to Shoto’s arm as the host led you both to a table. You could tell that the man was trying to remain professional but he was clearly excited to have a pro hero in the restaurant.

Suddenly realizing how many eyes were on the pair of you, you felt her face flush a little more. You looked away but Shoto placed a hand on yours before he nodded to the chair. He pulled it out for you before moving to the chair on the other side of the table. Despite being nervous about the date, Shoto looked absolutely unbothered by the attention he was garnering from the other patrons in the restaurant.

“This kind of thing happen to you often?” you asked, barely glancing up at Shoto.

He softly sighed and reached across the table to take your hands in his. Shoto squeezed your hands until you looked up at him, greeting you with a warm smile as he looked into your eyes. You felt butterflies in your stomach at the way he was looking at you but you didn’t look away this time.

“Don’t worry about them, Y/N,” Shoto said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re the only one I’m focused on tonight.”

Your face felt uncomfortably warm as you bit your bottom lip, nodding. You saw his eyes flicker down toward your lips and you quickly released your bottom lip. The idea that Shoto Todoroki was focused only on you tonight sent a thrill through you that you couldn’t describe. The closest thing you compare it with was a rush of tingling throughout your body that made your skin feel too warm and yet you didn’t want it to stop.

The two of you leaned in close to one another, neither of you picking up a menu. When the waitress came for your orders, Shoto quickly explained that you both would take whatever the waitress recommended, whatever her favorite meal on the menu was. Neither of you saw the confused look on your waitress’s face but she scribbled something on the ticket in her hand and wandered away to put in the order.

“Now what if neither of us likes what we get?” you asked with a soft giggle. When Shoto shrugged, you smiled a bit wider than before. You couldn’t help but to smile back, feeling like you and Shoto were the only two people in the restaurant. The way he was giving you all of his attention was enough to make your heart flutter.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Shoto said, still holding your hands. His thumbs began to gently stroke your knuckles, enjoying the softness of your skin. “Besides, we can just go somewhere else if we leave here hungry.”

●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●

Dinner seemed to go by too quickly for either of you so Shoto suggested you two take a walk together. You suggested a park that was a few blocks from your apartment complex. Neither of you were that concerned with where you went as long as you got to spend more time with each other.

The conversation between you both flowed so naturally that it felt like you had known each other all of your lives. Small talk became deeper conversations as you got to know each other. Soon you were snuggled close to Shoto, his arm around your shoulders as he walked you home. Neither of you wanted to say good night but it was getting late and you didn’t want to keep Shoto out since he had to work in the morning. He insisted that he would be fine but it wasn’t difficult to see that he was getting tired. It was just that Shoto didn’t want to leave your side anymore than you wanted to part ways.

He nervously shuffled his feet as you stopped at the front door to your building. Shoto slowly raised his head to find you smiling as you looked up at him. The young pro hero swallowed hard, feeling his pulse begin to race again at how close you were standing to him. When you placed your hand on his chest, Shoto took a shaky breath. His smile was a bit lopsided but it was genuine. He raised a hand to cup the side of your face, feeling himself relax the moment you leaned into his touch.

“Can … can I kiss you?”

You blinked as you looked up at Shoto, surprised by the question. You had assumed that he would kiss you, of course, but the fact that he was asking for permission was a bit unexpected. It took you a moment but you nodded, watching as relief flooded Shoto’s features. He carefully leaned in and let the side of his nose brush against yours before his lips gently brushed against your own.

It was brief – too brief – and you found yourself grasping at the collar of the shirt he was wearing to pull Shoto back. His eyes widened in shock but he melted into you as you kissed again. It was as if you were made for kissing Shoto, your lips and bodies fitting so perfectly together. Each of you let out a breathy laugh as you pulled away, bright smiles on each of your faces.

“I’ll call you when I get home,” Shoto said, his head tilted slightly as he watched you nod in response. “I hope I’ll get to see you again soon, Y/N.”

You nodded again, unable to find your voice. The young hero before you smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your temple. You managed to murmur a goodbye which Shoto returned before he started to walk back to his car.

You watched him for a moment before heading inside. You felt like you were floating as you made your way to your apartment. You knew that you would be counting the seconds until you saw Shoto again and you thought that maybe he felt the same way you did.

I owe Fuyumi big time, you thought as you unlocked your apartment door, slipping off your shoes at your door. You knew you were probably going to rush through your bedtime routine as you waited for your phone to ring, feeling as giddy as you did when you experienced your first crush.

Banner by @.saradika

#tessie writes #shoto x y/n #shoto x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x y/n #todoroki shoto x y/n #todoroki shoto x reader #todoroki x reader #todoroki x y/n #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha #bnha #fanfic #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #fluff #shoto fluff #todoroki fluff

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writingquestionsanswered · 8 months

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Defining Terminology via POV

Anonymous asked: How do you make sure the reader understands a culture-specific term they are most likely unfamiliar with if describing it in the narrative itself makes no sense from the narrator’s point of view? I’m writing an alternative medieval era story with a culture based heavily on Nordic kingdoms of that period. It comes with certain cultural terms like ergi, which encompasses several implications at once, all relevant to the story dynamics and important for the protagonist's view of himself. Only one implication would be explicitly clear due to context, but the others wouldn't be without knowledge of Nordic medieval law. The story is third-person limited, so defining the term in text makes as much sense as me randomly explaining to myself what a radio is. I'm at a loss as to how to go about this and am tempted to just add notations at the bottom of the page.

(Ask edited for length...)

Here's the reality... read anything in first-person or third-person limited POV, and you'll find all sorts of defining and explaining that wouldn't actually be going on inside that person's head...

For example, take this excerpt from A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, told from the third-person limited POV of one of the main characters, Catelyn Stark:

Of all the rooms in Winterfell's Great Keep, Catelyn's bedchambers were the hottest. She seldom had to light a fire. The castle had been built over natural hot springs, and the scalding waters rushed through its walls and chambers like blood through a man's body, driving the chill from the stone halls, filling the glass gardens with a moist warmth, keeping the earth from freezing. Open pools smoked day and night in a dozen small courtyards. That was a little thing, in summer, in winter, it was the difference between life and death.

Catelyn Stark has just walked into her bedchamber. In real life, she would probably just be thinking about how hot the room is. She probably wouldn't be thinking about the hot springs, how they heat the castle, or how they create steaming pools in different courtyards. And she certainly wouldn't be thinking about how essential that is in winter when her primary concern is that her bedroom is currently hot.

Here's another example from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, told from the first-person POV of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen:

On the way home, we swing by the Hob, the black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that once held coal. When they came up with a more efficient system that transported the coal directly from the mines to the trains, the Hob gradually took over the space. Most businesses are closed by this time on reaping day, but the black market's still fairly busy.

Katniss Everdeen has arrived at the Hob, which she's been too a million times before. In real life, she wouldn't be thinking about how the building used to be a coal warehouse, or about how the warehouse was no longer used after they found a more efficient system for transporting the coal from the mines to the trains. None of this is going through her mind when she's only there to trade some hunting goods.

So, my point is, yes, in real life, it would be weird for you to walk into a room to turn on a radio, and then mentally explain to yourself what a radio is and how it works, but fiction isn't real life. It's a story told through text on a page, and as such, you sometimes have to do things for clarity's sake that wouldn't make sense in real life. And, when you're talking about something that has deep personal meaning (like ergi to your character), it actually does make a little more sense for them to be thinking about that meaning (as opposed to thinking to yourself about what a radio is, for example). But... if you really feel strongly that defining or explaining something in your character's thoughts feels off, there are alternatives:

1 - Have them explain it to a character who doesn't know about it.

2 - Have your character overhear it being explained from one character to another.

3 - Have your character read a document or something that explains it.

4 - Find a middle ground between explanation (telling) and contextual action (showing) to define the thing.

5 - Have the character think back to when they first learned about the thing, maybe remembering someone explaining it to them, or what their first experience with it was.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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emotionallychargedtowel · 1 year

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the pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL

Not too surprisingly, since I have a psychology PhD, I notice a lot of examples in my BL-watching of psychological concepts related to relationship dynamics and sometimes individual characteristics. I also probably like BLs because I’ve sought them out in part because they present an opportunity to do some complex thinking about relationships and how we approach them.

A quick thing to note: BL characters are, of course, not real. But their stories resonate with us because they have some kind of relationship to reality. There’s a continuum from very realistic and highly relatable, to heightened for effect (this can make it easier to see certain things clearly, so they can still teach us useful things about real life), all the way to highly unrealistic stuff where we can relate to it because unusual experiences symbolically stand in for something else (see the classic “sure, he’s a murderer, but he’s my babygirl” phenomenon).

This post is about pursuer-distancer dynamics in relationships. I’m going to explain the concept as quickly and simply as I can, then talk a little bit about BL tropes and specific examples. I hope that if I keep writing about stuff like this, this is a post I can link to for background info in the future.

Most of the stuff I’ve seen on pursuer-distancer dynamics stems from Harriet Lerner’s work. She’s a Bowenian family systems therapist with a feminist bent who has written a lot of incisive but accessible books for popular audiences. Family systems theory is a way of looking at relationships as complex systems in which our patterns of behavior are interrelated. Hopefully that last sentence will make more sense after I explain further. For now, let’s dive in.

Here’s Lerner introducing the concepts of pursuers and distancers with a bulleted list from her book The Dance of Anger, excerpted below:

PURSUERS

• react to anxiety by seeking greater togetherness in a relationship.

• place a high value on talking things out and expressing feelings, and believe others should do the same.

• feel rejected and take it personally when someone close to them wants more time and space alone or away from the relationship.

• tend to pursue harder and then coldly withdraw when an important person seeks distance.

DISTANCERS

• seek emotional distance or physical space when stress is high.

• consider themselves to be self-reliant and private persons—more “do-it-yourselfers” than help-seekers.

• have difficulty showing their needy, vulnerable, and dependent sides.

• open up most freely when they are not pushed or pursued.

Sometimes we see these roles happen in clear-cut ways similar to what Lerner describes. But they can also show up in more complex ways. Roles can vary both between and within relationships. In other words, you can be a distancer in one relationship and a pursuer in another, and you can be both a pursuer and a distancer in different areas within the same relationship.

In healthy relationships that aren’t under any particular stress, pursuing and distancing would still happen. But partners would be free to engage in either as needed in a flexible way instead of being stuck in entrenched roles.

Side note: there’s a difference between pursuing in the sense of wanting to be in a relationship with someone and pursuing a partner emotionally in an established relationship, just as there’s a difference between distancing yourself from a potential partner and distancing yourself from an established partner. I’m including a shot from Semantic Error above because it has a quality that not very many BLs have: the seme seems like he’s be a pursuer in a relationship, and the uke seems like he’d be a distancer.

So, why do we get caught in these entrenched, interrelated roles in relationships?

Lerner sees them as a sort of unspoken deal that we make with people we’re close to because deep down, we want to avoid acknowledging certain needs and the emotions that come with them. It’s a fairly universal thing that human beings both crave intimacy and fear it. But this is hard to acknowledge. It’s tempting to disavow either our need for closeness or our need for independence.

As Lerner puts it:

Emotional pursuers protect emotional distancers. By doing the work of expressing the neediness, clingingness, and wish for closeness for both partners, pursuers make it possible for distancers to avoid confronting their own dependency wishes and insecurities.

It goes both ways. Distancers can convince themselves that they don’t have a need for closeness because their pursuer is holding all of the neediness for them. Pursuers can convince themselves they don’t have any desire to avoid intimacy because their distancer will hold that for them.

Not only do we make these unspoken bargains within relationships, but our tendencies to pursue or distance inform the partners we choose in the first place. Those of us with a tendency to pursue may gravitate to partners with a tendency to distance, or vice versa.

So, what’s the alternative? Lerner writes that relationships are healthier and more honest when both partners can acknowledge both their need for intimacy and their need for independence.

Before I move on to BL-specific stuff, a couple things to note. First, the way in which pursuer and distancer roles are complementary is a pattern that comes up in a lot of other relationship roles. There are a number of ways in which we sort of delegate certain relational tasks or emotional states within a relationship and disavow those they have assigned to the other person. Second, the tendency to pursue or distance is related to other factors, such as attachment style, and I may get into some of those in other posts.

So, on to BL tropes. Let’s start by looking at maybe the most foundational BL trope, the seme/uke pairing. I honestly think I’m still working on fully grasping that concept. But of the varying definitions I’ve seen, I much prefer ones that define the seme as the person doing the pursuing and the uke as the person being pursued (rather than putting it in terms of semes as “aggressive” or making gross assumptions about topping and bottoming). It’s pretty obvious from the use of “pursue” here that the idea of a pursuer/distancer dynamic readily applies here, although it doesn’t map on perfectly.

So, what do Lerner’s ideas about pursuer/distancer dyads tell us about the ways BL dyads negotiate closeness?

It helps to explain the appeal of tsundere characters as ukes. Not as a fictional character, but their appeal to a seme. Watching a BL with a sweet seme and a grouchy uke, you might look at that seme and say, “poor thing, too bad he has to like someone who’s so grumpy” and see him as fully and sincerely seeking as much intimacy with the uke as he can get. But why did this person who’s supposedly so interested in intimacy fall for someone so prickly? Pursuers find distancers appealing because they can chase after them all they want and while, hopefully, they’ll catch up to them at times and experience some intimacy, it won’t be too easy. If it was too easy, the pursuer would 1) get more intimacy than they bargained for and 2) have to admit to themselves and their tsundere that they need distance sometimes too.

The reverse is also true. A uke can better afford to distance himself, or push a seme away, because on some level he trusts the seme to continue to pursue.

One thing I didn’t get into above but that Lerner points out: when a pursuer gets fed up with pursuing and not “catching” their partner enough, they tend to engage in what she calls “reactive distance.” This isn’t like when a pursuer calmly and authentically gets in touch with their need for independence and acts on it, making their approach to their relationship more balanced. It’s when a pursuer feels rejected and, well, pouts. I can think of a few examples of this in BLs but the first one that comes to my mind is from To My Star 2. (Spoilers ahead!) Seo Joon spends most of the season doing a serious full-court press to try to get Ji Woo back. In the face of a lot of rejection, some of it distinctly mean-spirited, he just keeps trying. And then, suddenly, he doesn’t. He takes his camper out to the woods where he has no phone reception, and when his management can’t get in contact with him, Ji Woo panics and is afraid something terrible has happened to him. But when he finds him calmly drinking a beer beside his camper, Seo Joon’s manner has changed drastically--he’s cold and dismissive. He still actually wants Ji Woo back. But he’s gotten to the point where he’s hurt enough to get into reactive distance mode. Later in the show, he does something similar. When Ji Woo finally wants to reconcile, Seo Joon is reluctant (for a little while). Chasing Ji Woo (while Ji Woo distances himself) was easier than dealing with all of the questions that come with reconciling with him, like whether he can really feel safe resuming a relationship with someone who ghosted him for a year. (I should note that there seems to be reasonable disagreement about who the seme is in this relationship, if indeed there is one in the strictest sense, but Seo Joon is definitely a pursuer in the family systems sense.)

There are other ways, besides choosing a distancer as their object of interest, in which a pursuer can build in safety mechanisms to make sure their pursuit doesn’t result in more intimacy than they can handle. I’m thinking of Utsukushii Kare here. I have a lot of thoughts here that should probably be in a separate post. I’ll just say that Hira and Kiyoi are both intensely ambivalent about intimacy and that despite Hira largely pursuing Kiyoi and Kiyoi mostly acting as the distancer, they turn those roles inside out and backwards and randomly trade positions. Honestly half my reason for writing this is so that I can pull all of these ideas into an Utsukushii Kare post later because they are a great example about how these dynamics can turn into a tangled mess.

I’ll leave it at that for the moment. As I said above, I’m planning to pull from these ideas for at least one in-depth post on Utsukushii Kare and if there’s interest and I have the time and energy I’ll try doing something similar about some other constructs that apply to BLs in a useful way.

#BL drama #psychology of BL #family systems theory #pursuer distancer dynamic #semantic error #to my star 2 #utsukushii kare #jae young x sang woo #seo joon x ji woo #hira x kiyoi

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pasta-in-the-pudding · 1 year

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HII! How are ya? I’m the person who request the Lucifen d'Autriche Fic you’ve made and I’m not sure if I told you this but you did an excellent job on it—! I wanted to request again if that’s okay… so

May I request Homicidal Liu, Jeff The Killer, Brain/Hoodie and Jane The Killer with a Male! or GN! S/O who has a Banica Conchita Personality from The Evillious Chronicles Series? The personality and story is all linked in banicas name but here’s this song that explains the dark parts about her, and to name some crimes she committed were Cannibalism, Abuse and Possession and she’s the type of villain who’s a corrupt extravagant.

I hope this is uhh err… alright with you😭 thank you sm! have a good day!

Aaaa! Thank you so much! I was kind of scared on whether or not I was writing it well, as i had never heard of these characters. I will say that this character in particular intrigues me a lot and I'm super excited to write for them!

Tw: mentions of gluttonous behavior such as over eating, cannibalism, and just possibly triggering mentions of food in general

Thank you so much for requesting!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♤

𝕵𝖊𝖋𝖋 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕶𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗

You terrify him

In a good way, of course

It's so refreshing to have someone who can match his energy

The first time he learned about your gluttonous urges, he was kind of weirded out

Like damn shawty what are you doing with all that food.....?

Not even food, some of the stuff you were shoveling into your mouth were things like bugs, plants and small pieces of cloth

But then there was that hashtag rocker dude old man part of him that was like "hell yeah"

"Thats so metal 😍😍"

He loves how you aren't afraid to just put it all away with no shame

Just shoveling it all into your mouth, not even glancing at other people

He also really likes your fashion sense

Steals your clothes

"Jeff is that my fitted vest"

"nO"

"🤨"

You are definetly the dominant one in the relationship

Which he wholeheartedly denies, of course

It's hard to deny it though when you're cuddled up in your partners arms, falling asleep as they stroke your hair

He is so protective of you, even though he knows you can take care of yourself

9 times out of 10, you are the one having to protect him though <333

𝕳𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝕷𝖎𝖚

Your habits kind of worry him

He loves you so much and he doesn't want you eating yourself to death

He tries to be supportive, but also expect him to constantly be monitoring you

Sometimes he'll offer to make your meals

He makes sure they're as healthy as possible, full of plenty of nutrients and vitamins, with minimal fats

Though, he can't fully stop you from eating whatever you want. He's not your dad, you know

He absolutely refuses to let you eat anything that isn't considered food by normal standards

He's 50/50 on cannibalism

On one hand, he's undead anyways so what does he care, and there's also a lot of other cannibals in the mansion

But on the other hand, it just makes him nauseous

Don't expect him to hang around when you're indulging in humans

Like Jeff, he is the baby in the realationship

He loves it when you come up behind him and rub his shoulders, nibbling on his ear affectionately

It both confuses him and flusters him

PLEAAAASE RUN YOUR HANDS UP HIS SHIRT

This man will literally go feral

Feeling your hands rub his skin so softly

It gets him feeling some type of way

In the end, he both loves you and worries for you

Don't let him worry too hard though. Smack some sense into him for Christ's sake

𝕳𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊/𝕭𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖓

Personally, he's neutral on your eating habits

If you wanna eat all of the food in the house and then go eat the twigs outside, who is he to stop you?

Not his circus not his monkeys

He's the best boyfriend when it comes to food and getting your cravings

If you tell him that you want spaghettio's with pickles in it, slathered in horseradish and using doritos to dip into it, guess what he's gonna do?

His ass is gonna go and get you some damn spaghettio/pickle/horseradish/dorito soup

He bought you one of those comically big bowls as a joke once, but it's suprisingly come in handy

He's definetly the one to chant "Chug, chug, chug!" As you drink the left over broth from your soups

How it annoys you <333

Relationship wise, it's 50/50 for dominance

There are days where you push him up against a wall

And there are days where he gives you love marks just to annoy you

(And to show off the fact that you're his)

He has a weird obsession with just kind of....observing you

You're sitting here unhinging your jaw like a snake and eating all this shit like it's nothing

He's definetly jealous impressed

Given your schedule and lifestyle, you do tend to get an achey back quite often

Well guess what?

He's your guy

His fingers work magic on those tense muscles, that's for sure

𝕵𝖆𝖓𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖐𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗

Good god prepare for some lecturing

This woman will go on and on about how there are others in the mansion too and how you can't just sit around and eat all the food

You roll your eyes

"Technically I can, I just shouldn't"

She scowls at you for that

And you grin happily

She's not totally against your diet, as you are a fully grown adult and can do whatever you want

She just wishes that maybe your lifestyle didn't affect her as much

Seeing as she just loves you oh so much, you get into her stash of snacks wuite a lot

And she can never stay mad at you for too long

Very motherly

Sometimes you will let out a loud belch, only to earn a kick from under the table

BEN and Jeff think it's hillarious though

Fucking 12 year olds

In the relationship, she's the dominant one

She refuses to call it that, though

"I simply wear the pants, that's all"

Her favorite pass time is teasing you

Flicking your nose, licking your cheek, playfully punching your shoulder, the list goes on

All around just a loving girlfriend, willing to do anything for you <333

Except letting you eat bugs

Fuck that noise

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doomed-era · 4 months

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hm. thoughts on mipha? maybe how she thought about the calamity + how she’d think of the other champions (if. you havent answered this already!)

ohoho well :) if you insist

haha as far as the calamity goes she has got. the Dread and she has got it bad. even though some of the other champions' outlook on defeating calamity ganon is optimistic (even gaffen thinks everything is going to be fine), mipha is really...not super confident in the whole thing. she keeps this to herself most of the time, and really thinks she's overthinking it most of the time, but she still has a looming sense of dread about the whole thing. she talks with vah ruta about it occasionally. daruk has told her that the best thing to do about it is to make plans for the future, so she has done a bit of that! they've talked about meeting up on death mountain once everything is over. she tries to keep herself busy with projects. she really likes weaving and crafting in general god I just imagined her weaving a little turtle somewhere on the zora armor throws up. her favorite animal is turtles.

she's afraid of dying and afraid of living and afraid of giving up but can't see herself winning. you know. the general looming horror of existence. embracing your death because you're lonely and the walls you've built around yourself are too terrible to bring down. idk.

she is terrified by the prospect of having to potentially lose her life fighting the calamity, well. she's always lived for other people and doesn't really take her own health or safety in mind much. really funny because she'll absolutely get on other people's cases for doing the same thing she does. if gaffen and her were closer they'd constantly piss each other off bc of this and i think its hilarious

ultimately the only thing that really stays in her mind as a reason to look forward to things is living for people she thinks can be genuine. she loves her little brother because she thinks he can show his feelings where she just. can't. because that would mean not being a fuckin doormat and she thinks she's morally obligated to be one for her people's sake lmao. this is part of the reason shes so obsessed with gaffen because she thought he was a genuine person when he was little and now he's not so she's like. maybe we could learn how to be real people together. or maybe just with ourselves. its more of a subconscious thing she doesnt actively think this but shes such an i can fix him girl. stop

sorry for going on a tangent about mipha I dont even generally like quiet passive characters whose canon personality boils down to love interest I just decided she was a people pleaser and everyone around turned her into a saint when she wasnt and she was never truly known um throws myself into a pit of flames. heaven forbid i read too much into implications. i love women!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now where was I. oh yeah the champions.

i've already partially explained her relationship with revali long story short she doesn't like him. example of a guy who needs to shut up Immediately. which isnt to say she wouldnt like to get along with him he seems like a person who has good qualities she just wishes he would shut up, so she gets passive aggressive around him

daruk!! ok they actually do really like each other because how could you not like daruk cmon. he's seen through her polite facade a few times and seen how scared she is so he's tried to help her out a bit and she appreciates it a lot :] (yea I know gaffen and mipha both like him its that magnetic extrovert guy charm and I really like introvert-extrovert dynamics)

daruk and urbosa are actually good friends lmao so daruk has passed some of what he knows onto her. so yea mipha also likes her. appreciates her advice quite a bit they train together sometimes!! shes really interested in gerudo jewelry as well she has a few pieces urbosa has given her as a gift and she's given urbosa some zora pieces

so yeah

#botw #mipha #asks #glider rambles

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dlaugh · 11 months

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How I Create Original Characters for My Fanfiction (That Readers Seem to Love)

The general consensus for fanfiction is to not like original characters. And honestly, I totally agree! I'm here to for the canonical characters. I'm reading fanfiction because the characters who I love/find interesting/want-more-of already exist.

However...

Sometimes, as a writer, you take the story in a direction where it's veered enough away from canon that you kind of write yourself into a corner. You need a character to do/be something very, very specific. It is essential to your plot. But that specific character doesn't exist in canon. And you can't have a different existing character stand-in for the role either.

That's when I have no choice but to make up original characters.

When I create original characters, I actually take great care not to overuse them. They are, essentially, there to to advance the plot—which always revolves around a canonical main character in my stories—and there for the advancement of plot only.

But what's the point if you don't make your original characters interesting too, right? Just as I love the canonical characters, I want to love my original characters just as much. I put the same amount of love, care, and thought into all of my characters, canonical or original.

I fit them into the world as if they had always been there. Them being there, interacting with the canon characters, existing in the world they're in, has to make sense, has to feel natural.

It sounds easy, but it's actually a delicate balance. And the whole time, I need to remember first and foremost that the character is only there for a specific reason. They're only supposed to be a supporting/minor character. (Because otherwise, fanfiction readers would dislike them.)

I could expand upon the theory more, but the title of this post is "HOW I Create Original Characters for My Fanfiction (That Readers Seem to Love)."

So, I think the best way to explain would actually be to take you through my step-by-step process for creating an original character. Here we go!

My best example of an original character (so far):

In my current long-fic (a Catwoman/Batman story called In Another Life), my original character is named Grace Crowne. Now, if you're a big Batman fan, you'll know that the Crowne family exists in-universe but not very much is known about them. Well, that made them perfect for me to base my character on, then.

Here's where I started: I needed a character in my fanfiction to give Selina Kyle a job. Specifically, a job that would allow her to interact with the wealthy elite while also plausibly allowing her to be Catwoman. That was the utility of this character.

Without getting into too many of the tiny details, a rich socialite character who's lax on working hours was the perfect fit for what I needed. But I also needed that rich socialite to not be in the same social circles as Bruce Wayne (because otherwise, he and Selina would have met already!).

So, I made Grace Crowne a sixty-five-year-old woman in my story—far enough removed from Bruce just by age that it wouldn't be likely that they would be close, and old enough that she has complete agency over her own life to do whatever she pleased (like start a foundation and make Selina the director).

After that, it was just about crafting a believable personality for Grace to have her end up giving this job to Selina:

As part of the Crowne family, Grace is a seasoned, wealthy Gothamite who has lived there all of her life and chooses to stay. There's a certain practical recklessness that comes with that, so I colored her in with little details like Grace carrying a tiny rose-gold pistol in her tiny, ornamental couture clutch purse (studded with actual jewels).

Once I had that, then, it only makes sense that a person who carries a gun around in a couture clutch would be fearless and confident and stylish—would love the spotlight, actually.

That character would have flair (so much flair), so I write her to be as dramatic as a Golden Age Hollywood starlet (which is just as much an act as it is her personality). And underneath her larger-than-life personality, I emphasize how generous and caring and truly wanting to help the people of Gotham (because she has that foundation, remember) she is.

You see, my original character Grace Crowne has her own life and wants and motivations even though she's basically there to be Selina's boss. And she fits in with the established Gotham uppercrust so well, while also being so uniquely herself, that readers don't mind when she appears. (I dare say that the readers of my fanfic may even like her.)

At the very end of all of that, I decided what she looked like. In this case, I based her on the actress Grace Kelly because I had already named her Grace (because of the religious motifs in my story). So, she looks like this in my mind when I write her (just older):

And that's how I create original characters for my fanfiction, and how I created Grace in particular.

But hey, if all you want to do is create original characters and stick them in a canon universe (or you write OOC or self-inserts or Y/Ns or whatever else there is), then more power to you! It's all up to you, fanfiction writer. I'm just writing from a "mainstream" fanfiction perspective (however much fanfiction can be mainstream, I guess).

Still, I hope this post helps you in creating your own original characters. (Plus, I've gotten questions from readers in the past about my original characters, so I thought I would write this out now and just direct them to this post in the future lol.)

(*Special thanks to @daydreamerwonderkid for inspiring this post!)

#dlaugh #fanfiction #fanfic #writing advice #fanfic writing #character creation #writer #writing #writeblr #original character

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hoshi-y · 2 years

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Hello there I’m back! Can I request Mitsuba, Kou, Yashiro, and Akane who have a S/O that is basically like Yor from spy x family?

(Take you’re time and have a nice day/night)

An S/O That acts like Yor From Spy x Family

Genre : Fluff

Characters : Mitsuba Sousuke, Minamoto Kou, Yashiro Nene, Aoi Akane

TW : None

A/N : Hello! Sorry it took a while to do your request aha~ I've only watched Ep 3 Of Spy x Family and I have to rely on my memory on how she acts, But nevertheless it was fun writing this!

I hope you enjoy and also have a good day/night 💗

HE THOUGHT YOU WERE BADASS

When he saw you beat up some delinquents at the back of the school his mouth was agape

YOU WERE SO COOL

Not only that you were so kind~

You had a heart of gold, it was hard to believe that someone so soft and kind looking can beat your ass in a second

and uh

Very gullible and a starting lack of sense-

He once joked about that those frogged designed cakes are made out of frogs

And you believed it

HUH?? he would say

Another is when Yokoo lied about saying he was Spidermans cousin

You also believed it

He asked you if you ACTUALLY believed these things

He would be startled when you say yes

He will now stay by your side 24/7 because he just cant trust you with other people with how gullible you are

Even though he knows you're very strong and can defend yourself

He also wants to keep his S/O safe too

You were so kind and had a heart of gold

He instantly fell inlove with you because of that !

You two were walking around the school and naughty supernaturals appeared

He brings out his staff but before he could lunge at them

You kicked one of them super hard that caused a crack on the wall from impact

He would stare at you how he stared at tsucigomori when it was the 5pm library chapter in the manga

He absolutely does not know how to react

Should he admire you from your amazing strength, Or be worried that what if you missed it and you got hurt

YOU WERE SUPER COOL HE WOULD LOVE TO LEARN TRICKS FROM YOU

So you did

You started teaching him

When you two were done he said "Man i think im gonna die" As a joke from the intense training

He saw you freak out and started asking why

And thats when he knew how gullible you were

Meaning you believed everything

Not only that he also noticed your lack of common sense

Would follow you corner by corner making sure that no idiot will make up a lie that might harm his lovely S/O

She had a hard time approaching you

why?

You had this very, Cold and Distant personality

She thought you were gonna bark at her if she disturbed you

But surprise it was the complete opposite!

She got to know you because of a partering up activity

Shocked because someone with a very aloof personality was this kind

Once when someone was messing with herbecause of her ankles

You came to her rescue and-

kicked them down the stairs...

She was shocked cause you kicked them a bit to hard

Grabbed your hand and ran

RUN GIRL

She was surprised of your strength

Wish she was that strong

You two were talking on the rooftop about a magazine with a guy failing from the sky

While she was flustered, You got concerned and started looking up

when she asked what you were doing you said that maybe someone will fall from the sky

Your lack of common sense scares her sometimes...

When i tell you he will notice your lack of common sense right away i mean it

It was a normal day at the student council when he said that his hands are gonna fall out if he keeps on typing which freaked you out

He looked at you and you started tapping his hand

He asked what you were doing and you said that you were taping his hands because it might fall out.

Excuse me?!?!?

He will soon explain that he didn't mean it literally, and it was just a metaphor on how tired his hands were

This guy will also notice how easy it was to persuade you

He would take it as an advantage sometimes

He would tell you that the president, Teru, Loves to put salt in his drink because it was tastier

The day ended with a coughing teru and a laughing akane

But of course he wouldn't use you to commit these little mischief for him

He would protect you, He just doesn't trust any of the students around you

Haha he would chase some of them with a bat

He loves you very much, and he knows that you know about that

I hope i got Yors personality and how she acts correctly 😭

#toilet bound hanako kun #hanako kun #jibaku shoujo hanako kun #tbhk x reader #jshk #jshk mitsuba #tbhk akane #tbhk kou #tbhk nene #mitsuba x reader #akane x reader #kou x reader #nene x reader

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ratgingi · 1 year

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some little doodles and rambles pages :-] bonus Longer Ramble under cut, goes into some general oc stuff as well as kinda how things work in my oc group set up

on the topic of michy, her name is accidentally a nod sorta to her relationship with mingus. since her last name is knight . you can make the connections there but it was Not intentional on my part i just happened to name her that (just like i. named her michelle before finding out that was mingus' original name HJSHBAVJDSAB) and my qpp cress pointed out the potential for it

speaking of names, i got inspired to pick jacksons name based on a tiktok i saw while creating him, with a character named 'chase wood'. i thought it was Really Funny but didnt want to directly rip either of those names so got to work thinking of something. i took the name jackson from the song that sort of inspired his personality (called "jackson, you are dying" by picture us tiny) and grabbed the last name coxx after seeing a randomly generated npc in a video i was watching to complete the joke

also charlie got his last name the same way jackson did in the sense of a random npc in a game video i was watching had it and i thought it was good enough. while i was trying to figure out what kind of name to give him (hed already had the name charlie for a good while, since he was a generic objecthead oc i had but decided should Become a dt one) a character named 'warden steiner' was mentioned like. once. and i thought that sounded close to frankenstein and was like. yeah thatll be cool

also kara has a second major nondateable technically. she may or may not get scrapped bc shes genuinely horrible (i hate. writing her. i made her design pretty nice but i just actually hate her BHJSJHABJD), but shes a rival from karas pageanting days who would lead to two different bad ends if she became real, one of which is. a death end for kara. i dont wanna go into full detail bc again its likely to get scrapped just bc i literally hate the rival but tldr kara gets shot(? or smth idk she eats absolute shit either way) during a performance because the rival convinced the player that the only way to help kara realize performing isnt for her was to sabotage it and it goes Wrong. the other bad end is just kara trying to warn the player that the rival isnt good to hang around and eventually cuts off from the player which would lead to the shit yourself and die end bc player probably gets thrown under the bus by the rival during smth. most likely in a literal sense

i wanna talk about mechanics some now uhhhhhhhh ok so on the topic of 'major nondateables'

i have probably explained how it works before but in order for a character to qualify as a 'major nondateable' they have to 1. heavily effect the route [to the point of interactions with them being able to change its course] and/or 2. heavily influence the route's dateable's thoughts/actions/general motivations during it, sometimes both. they also CANNOT be another dateable in a different route. if i were to apply this to in-game characters for example, mr dickens would be a major nondateable from olivers route, and mayor mingus would be a major nondateable from norms. the majors dont have to have an active presence near the dateable during the route, they just have to apply to the above guidelines. these are the reasons why characters like exie, adelaide, stephan, stop, etc are not considered major nonedateables, because while they are close with the dateables from the routes they have a presence in, they do not change the route or motivate the dateable toward anything. charlie actively changes the route and clearly has a big sway over lillith, oakey would be mentioned several times by kara as a reasoning for why she says or does certain things during her route, and juniper - despite not being close to margo - has the ability to effect the outcome of the route.

and not every route Has to have one obviously . and there are some that would Technically be major nondateables for each other (ex. murr and roe, isaac and vinnie) but Because the other half of the pair is also dateable in a separate route, they do not qualify

also smth i dont think ive talked abt much is the fact that yes outis genuinely does call the ocean his wife. i mentioned he does that a few times when i first made him but there would be several points in his route where he does this (its mostly joking but there would be points where hed be talking abt it and say smth like 'i love my wife a lot but she scares me very much'). also originally i was going to give him a shark tooth on his necklace, based on the one i have irl, but the story for my irl one is a guy punched it out of a sharks mouth and i think if outis found out about that hed start crying and would not want anything to do with it. so shell necklace it was

also the two instances the petstore would show up in are once in outis' route and once at the end of murrs. for outis, you would be accompanying him to his shift that day, and brainstorming ideas for what you can do to try and figure out how to help him overcome his anxiety. kiki would approach you once you arrive and would spend a moment interrogating the player on who they were and what their intentions with her friend were, and would occasionally chime in with her opinion while you talk to him. in murrs route, youre taking him there to introduce him to the idea of maybe getting a pet he can dote on. after he doesnt really connect with any of the animals there would be a little interaction with twerpy where he gives the two of you directions to the shelter that their sister works at and he decides hell go sometime alone. (he ends up getting a cat, her name is darling and hed kill for her. you dont get to meet her bc murr and roe still dont show up in ch3/4 but she Exists)

murrey is a firm believer in the concept of true love and believes hes found it multiple times in the past, and absolutely Despises the thought that some people have of only being able to really find it Once. during his route thats what hes chasing (there would be a point where he complains hes gone so long without feeling true love that he intends to find it again, and the player has the option to tell him you can only find it once - which would start you down one of his bad ends), and the thought that its something you can only obtain once and never again makes him incredibly miserable.

murr is also entirely aware that there are different kinds of true love, but hes been stewing in his loneliness for so long that the romantic kind is the only one his brain will allow him to focus on. this is why his good end sort of helps remind him of that along side dealing with his loneliness in healthier ways

also adelaide has a side job at the shelter as well. when you meet her with margo and juniper in chapter 4 shed mention something about murr adopting darling and inform you that hes a lot happier now that he has the cats company. also margo and juniper are doing better after your help as well bc margo is getting a bit better at communicating and juniper is trying to be less. [gestures vaguely] . shes still an ass bc thats just her but yknow what i mean

also im thinking about making michy my only dateable that shows up in chapter 3. everyone else's interactions that would be in ch3 have been moved to 'chapter 4' but she was my first gal i think she deserves her spot there. youd meet her with norm while heading down to the subway and shed run up to you two after recognizing his voice (shed talk about being on her way to a date with her partners, i Wanna make them show up in person but as they both belong to friends of mine im not confirming anything really bfhdjbfdjs) and talk about how after your help to get out of her parasocial issue shes found true love and is focusing more on her friendships and her happiness. :-]

also funfact i have partial scene scripts for stephan and stops routes somewhere on my laptop. they were both going to be dateables at one point and i wrote a little about what mightve happened + pieces of a scene from each but idk if ill be able to find them nor will i ever show them if i do probably but they are there. somewhere

also !! alex is intersex . i dont think ive ever stated that anywhere bc it isnt really relevant to the story or anything but its pride month so might as well share. good for them

also i am gonna confirm at least ONE of the library dateables is actually a vampire. probably. yall dont get to know who though (my qpp knows but cress keep that info to urself /vlh)

i had more i wanted to say but forgot to write down somewhere so. take this

#dialtown oc #jack dlc #dlc wiki #hobos creations #enjoy big dump of things idk if ive talked abt any of this before but

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