feotakahari: (Default)
2021-01-15 01:42 am

(no subject)

I've written before about Assassination Classroom, but I want to talk specifically about Nagisa, because he's fascinating.

For the first hundred-odd chapters, this is what we know about Nagisa. He's a kind, loving person, but he's weirdly casual about the prospect of violence--not like he wants it or enjoys it, but like he sees it as an everyday thing that's no longer surprising or scary. He's hyper-aware of when other people are too angry or worked up to reason with. He can mimic that same mood to others when he needs to, creating an impression of "I will kill you if you test me, so back off." He has feminine hair and clothing, but he strongly identifies as male, and his only explanation for how he presents himself is that it's not his choice. The other characters think there's something seriously wrong with him, but have no idea what.

Then we see his home life, and it turns out to be a survival tactic.
feotakahari: (Default)
2018-12-08 07:41 pm

(no subject)

 Harry Potter has the same energy as Coraline in taking things that really shouldn’t be normal, then treating them in such a way that children will immediately find them recognizable and normal, while adults will immediately find them horrifying. It’s just that in this case, the “monster” is child abuse. Harry is so matter-of-fact about all the shit the authority figures in his life pull, and children nod along as they remember all the horrible shit their own authority figures did.
feotakahari: (Default)
2018-12-08 06:22 pm

Fiction for Utilitarians: Loophole


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I once read a book called Little Fuzzy, which was about the discovery of childlike animals that might or might not be sapient. It’s one of the few science fiction classics from before the 1970s that’s aged well, and I fully intend to write a post about it if and when I ever reread it. In the meantime, the closest thing I’ve seen to another story like Little Fuzzy is a fanfic for a webcomic I’ve never read.

Read more... )
feotakahari: (Default)
2018-12-08 06:08 pm

Fiction for Utilitarians: Assassination Classroom

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This is the most Japanese thing I have ever read in my entire life.



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