#//esp after events on the dash and it’s like

[mechahero]

//lambda: this being alone thing is easy!

lambda, recognizing someone he knows: oh god OH FCUK

[givehimthemedicine]

🛁💧 Moms, bathtubs and fear of water

today I'd like to dig into some support for the Virginia/Henry/bathtub theory, most notably a Will/Henry parallel I've not seen discussed before, and some thoughts on the rabies thing.

for those just tuning in, we have hints that something awful happened involving Virginia, Henry, and a bathtub of hot water. (that idea is aemiron-main's, you can read the original here)

where there's a tub, there's a mom

let me start by seeing how many ST bathtubs can be tied to mothers. (much of this will have been pointed out before, but I have a couple observations I think are new)

starting at the top: Virginia's vision (turning on the hot water tap and spiders fill the tub instead of water):

Karen soaking in a hot bath listening to "Memories" before milfing it up with Billy, a minor, a boy her daughter's age. check

Will and Joyce "he likes it cold" you better believe that's a paddlin

we saw the Byers' tub before. when El saw it in the mirror (lol) and went to tell Joyce (Will's Mother) about her water tank idea. ok she was addressing the group but Joyce is the one who actually engages. I'm counting it. ps when they do set up the bath for El, Lucas uses a thermometer to make sure the water is the right temperature

this is a tiny one, but Nancy goes to sit on the tub and cry after excusing herself from Barb's mom at the KFC dinner.

that scene where El and Max find Billy's tub with ice bags?

darn, nothing immediately motherly in this scene. but what if we check the last dialogue in the prior scene? or the first dialogue in the following scene?

both hits! mom/age-inappropriate-sexual-knowledge + mother/son combo.💀

next up, FOR WHAT REASON was I made to see Murray get naked and get into a tub full of ice while on the phone with Joyce in 4x01?

let's also toss in a shot of Joyce being weird in her front yard, prompting a neighbor child to dispense a line of dialogue involving mothers.

but seriously. after all the flayed/ice tub imagery throughout s3, why kick off s4 with Murray in an ice bath? no, I'm really asking.

we've got a dash of sexual inappropriateness, or so Joyce thinks - Murray happens to plop into the ice at the exact moment that she observes the Russian doll has nipples, which makes her think his reaction is about that:

the only tub scene I'm struggling to tie super directly to mothers is Heather. you could say it's that Joyce appears in the next scene, but that's weak. or that Flayed Heather later drugs/kidnaps her mom. eh.

as em pointed out, the tub Heather's in here is extremely similar to Virginia Creel's. is that sufficient?

so anyway, some of those are def stronger than others, but they all provide some combination of: mothers, bathtubs (esp with attention drawn to water temperature), and fear/ sorrow / discomfort / sexual inappropriateness.

am I forgetting any other bathtubs?

now let's talk more about fear

what started me on this post was how possessed-Will's reaction to the bathtub is so explicitly labeled as fear - NOT by Will, but by Mr. Clarke's voiceover:

yet what sparked One's strength was a memory that made him "sad, but also angry" - which, if the implied tub incident indeed happened, would totally fit the bill.

sad and angry. not afraid. I guess it makes sense that fear isn't one of the emotions he would draw power from later upon recalling this event, but he undoubtedly would've been afraid in the moment. he didn't say that though.

not in that scene.

now, idk if he's referring to The Incident here, or his early lab life or what, but. oh I'm at my image limit. ok well his lines leading up to this are (close up of dead kids) "why do you cry for them, Eleven? after everything they did to you? you think you need them, but you don't. you don't."

why exactly would El "need" the other lab kids? according to NINA, they treated her poorly. tbh kinda sounds more like a projected reaction to the death of an abusive mother.

anyway. apart from that "I was scared once" reference to some past turning point, man will not say he is or was scared. he'll imply and project but he won't say it:

you know who else won't say they're scared? Will.

Will has never said once on the entire show that he's afraid. ever. throughout all the utterly HORRIFYING situations he's been in. he undoubtedly has been scared, and other characters say that about him many times, but Will has never said, in his own words, as far as I can find, that he's afraid.

he dances around it and veils it and teeters on the edge of it, but he will not actually say I Am Afraid.

"how did you feel?" "it felt like when you're scared" boy what.

but Will has not always been fearless!

wanna know what the very first mention of fear on the whole show is? Will assuring Joyce he won't have nightmares from seeing Poltergeist because:

is it not giving "I was scared once too" ?

now here comes my favorite part:

Joyce replies with the "my witch" thing, and she doesn't actually finish the sentence, but I think that last word can be guessed pretty accurately:

cook him up in your what?

your cauldron? cauldron, kôl′drən, noun: 1. A large vessel used for boiling?

so like... have I got this straight? our earliest flashback of Will involves his mother playing an evil character who's gonna put him in a large vessel of hot liquid?

I ask you again: is it not giving "I was scared once too"?

I'm tacking my red conspiracy yarn in at "Henry was five years old."

now, just wondering, what was the turning point that made Will stop having nightmares from movies and "getting scared like that"? Bob_one_day_the_nightmares_suddenly_stopped.wav

now let's talk about rabies

Robin proceeds to list some rabies symptoms and what's funny about that (besides the fact they're standing in a mysteriously dry lakebed) is she left out possibly the best-known symptom: fear of water.

in fact, rabies used to be called hydrophobia ("fear of water").

hydrophobia in rabies stems from paralysis of throat muscles making it difficult or impossible to swallow, and so sufferers will panic at the prospect of drinking or even the mere sight of water. excessive salivation + inability to swallow it leads to the other pop culture rabies symptom, the appearance of "foaming at the mouth".

pretend here I put in screenshots of El and Barb spitting up water when they wake up in the UD and that unnecessary shot of Billy drooling when El is levitating him

Robin's isn't the only reference to rabies on ST. it's come up in two other seasons:

so every time rabies comes up, it's in reference to demodogs, demobats, and flayed rats. all critters that are part of the hive.

ostensibly controlled by one guy, who is afraid of water.

misc honorable mentions:

what do you wanna bet Dart not only doesn't need water, but would hate water like he hates heat?

Dart grew up to be a demodog, and demodogs dug those tunnels - the ones Bob figured out were a map of Hawkins because the "roads" outlined recognizable bodies of water instead of crossing over them.

when Bob said that, he didn't know the "roads" were underground, and therefore it wouldn't be crossing over water but rather crossing through water. if your tunnel breached a lake or river, it would flood. the demodogs were avoiding water.

also: no one in the water, you say?

speaking of Hawkins Pool, there's also the thing I've mentioned before, how it seems incredibly relevant that One chose Billy as his s3 host - a lifeguard whose one possession-busting happy memory involved his mother warning him not to drown.

also: Hopper saying that jumping into the quarry would result in the water "breaking every damn bone in your body"

and Jason asks Patrick, right before Vecna breaks every damn bone in his body in Lovers Lake:

I'm going to think of more as soon as I hit post but that's all I have for you today.

I want real answers on the Murray ice thing btw

[laprimera]

posting at 11 PM cause cryptic hours why not. just a little further update that my semi hiatus is become more of a hard hiatus and I think Ill be taking my leave in early June. I was planning a big dash event to send off to but it's a lot of work to begin with between my irl shenanigans 🤔 Im now pivoting to a full time artist esp with trying to set up at vending spots and being active on socials to keep up with them darn algorithms and trends. I didn't want to make anything definitive until I noticed it's taking up like 70% of my time and craft fair season is upon me.

and Ill admit I wanted to leave the rpc earlier but oough im so attached to ya'll < 3 Ive been finding it a lot easier and a lot less stressful to rp through discord with pals where Ill be at. And although there wont be some big event send off I dooo wanna doodle something with some final summaries of what the plot was going to be to wrap Geeta (and the connected muses) up.

Im also deactiving muses starting from the oldest-not really used or forgotten about blogs to current after Im archived some headcanons, lore or silly posts I wanna keep. I wiilll be keeping geeta's up though even after I take my retirement. The name is gr8 and I guess this is as good a use for "laprimera" as it can get lol.

But Im not off tumblr nor am I completely done making headcanons, doodles and the what not. They'll just be on my main @shiny-miltank and peeps who have my discord can still grab me there to say meowdy or rp privately 👍

Meanwhile Ill be attempting to finish final plot points with peeps who've grabbed me for theirs (mostly on here, riley and briar). thanks for keeping up with me meanwhile ' v ' /

[inchidentally]

the group of us who don't larry them or abuse and harass their gfs feels like it's tragically small

like if something cute like Singapore or a golf date etc comes across my dash then I'm not going to let the toxic majority stop me enjoying it/rb it. but esp knowing how they've turned their conspiracies on Oscar now (and lbr every driver who Lando or Carlos show affection for is The Enemy for them) I just can't be as enthusiastic as I used to be.

on the one hand them containing the larrying to one ship is handy bc Lily and landoscar are safe from it. but I also don't want fans getting so intensely crazed that they genuinely piss off Lando or Carlos. Lando's post after the Luisa breakup didn't seem to dampen things so idek what it would take for ppl to stop literally 'waiting for car|ando to be a real couple' akgfsakgf. and what I will literally never get ?? is that we have the rpf content made within fandom and then plenty of the real life bromance/friendship stuff even when they're not teammates ?? like why is that not enough ?? why invent a whole alternate reality that keeps getting destroyed and rebuilt every time a tweet or an appearance or an event inevitably proves it wrong ?? that's so exhausting and they're just angry or sad all the damn time (and also busy hating the women these men choose to be with).

anyway I'm only posting this above a cut to sort of draw a line under how/what I'm interacting with rpf for anyone who doesn't know!

[stardust-falling]

I've been struggling a lot financially, please consider checking my support linktree !

……

坠星落尘 (Zhuixing Luochen)/ 坠星 (Zhuixing)

Adult, He/They/他, ENG/中文/ESP OK!

Bluesky || AO3 || Patreon

……

CURRENT WRITING PROJECTS:

Ghosts of the Heart (original, updates on tuesdays) SVLPO Season 2 (svsss, updates on fridays) **notice: currently struggling with various mental health troubles, so update schedule is sporadic for the time being.

……

TAGS

zhuixing writing: my fics & original stories-- update posts, behind-the-scenes posts, etc.

ghosts of the heart: posts about my original danmei novel, serialization beginning feb. 2024

zhuixing art: my artwork

zhuixing svsss: my svsss posts. meta, headcanons, au ideas, and ramblings.

坠星是谁?: things about me. dash games, uquiz results, etc.

library: reference & educational reblogs, chinese culture, art, & other topics-- go here if you want to learn something new!

wardrobe: clothing information & images. mostly hanfu

art gallery: reblogged art

cool rocks: rock collection

pretty moths: moth image, gif, & video collection

good news: record of good things that have happened in the world, to combat the pessimism

……

I don’t do DNI, but Zionists, TERFS, antisemites, sinophobes, and other unapologetic bigots will be blocked if I notice you.

Anon hate will result in instant block without response.

Invasive asks about personal details will be deleted without response and the sender blocked if it continues. My privacy is important to me.

I BELIEVE IN THE THREE FANDOM LAWS: Don't Like Don't Read, Ship and Let Ship, and Your Kink is Not My Kink. My views line up with this post. If you disagree, don’t tell me, as I am not interested in debate.

I ship some "problematic" things so if you have a problem with that, please keep it to yourself. My stance is explained below the cut in this post if it’s particularly important for you to know before following.

I tag all ships with the most common pairing name so if you just don't like a ship that I post about but still want to follow me, you can just block the tag.

Don't send me fanfic of my original works! I will not read it during serialization, and I will not comment on it after serialization.

Tags to Block:

#zhuixing adds chili peppers - nsfw (rare and mostly suggestive but present occasionally)

#zhuixing cuts onions - vent/rant/traumaposting

#zhuixing posts current events - posts about (usually bad) things happening in the world

More about me and my writing below the cut…

……

MORE ABOUT ME AS A PERSON

I'm a queer & chronically ill full-time writer, part-time artist. Originally a city kid from central/northern China, currently living in the USA. Feel free to send me a message if you want to say hi! I'm fairly shy but I do my best to respond.

This blog is mostly Genshin or Scum Villain right now, but I'll occasionally post about other fandoms too! The main things I enjoy are MXTX's other books, Tai Sui, Tolkien's Legendarium, Star Wars (especially TOR), and the Elder Scrolls.

I'm also writing an original xianxia/danmei novel, 《Ghosts of the Heart》 so please check out my patreon to read that, the first few chapters will be free for anyone to read & begin releasing in Feb 2024.

I'm really interested in language learning/linguistics study, Chinese culture, and hanfu construction & style, as well as a long-standing interest in pretty and cool rocks.

Please don't treat me as a consummate cultural authority! I love sharing things about my culture, but I have been isolated from it for many years, so I am still learning/relearning quite a bit and may make a mistake from time to time. Please be gentle if correcting me-- my lack of connection to my native culture is something that causes me a lot of pain.

我来自中国河南省，关于我的故乡我也喜欢谈谈。我不会说中文很好，因为我多年前来美国了，不过我想练习说我的母语。你想的话，你就可以问我问题或发送消息！

……

MORE ABOUT ME AS AN AUTHOR

My writing pace fluctuates. I'm chronically ill and currently having to work retail on and off until my writing career builds up enough support to be my primary source of income. Working retail massively drains my energy, so until I make enough to support myself on patreon, speed of chapter releases won't be especially fast. I do try to post something, whether original or fanfiction early-access, on patreon at least once a week. If you like my writing and can afford to become a patron, please consider it. Every new patron helps me get closer to being able to write more & higher-quality work!

I don't read fanfiction of my original works until serialization is complete. This is primarily for legal reasons, to protect myself, but also to keep from being swayed during serialization by the prevalent ideas in the fandom. I also won't comment on fanfiction of my original works irt characterization or canonicity once serialization is finished. I'm personally more interested in seeing what the fandom comes up with and don't care to correct them. But if you make fanart please send it to me to see! I love that so much!

I believe that the current attitudes around copyright and "intellectual property" are BS. Art is meant to be shared and to grow in a community, and strict IP regulations prevent that growth. Part of the reason why I am so set on self-publishing via patreon instead of going with traditional publishing is so that I can create my own Transformative and Derivative Works policy (currently, the policy is a WIP but I will link it here once it is finished). As a long-time fanwork creator, I fully understand the amount of work and effort and care that goes into creating fanworks, and wish to take a different approach to the legitimacy of such works, allowing for a network of free creation rather than increasing restrictions with IP and trademarks, so I am working to draft a policy that will allow for free creation and expansion without compromising the integrity of the original work. If any independent creators wish to use some or all of my TDW policy, they are entirely free and encouraged to do so, as I would love to see a world where creators are not so constrained by strict copyright and IP culture, and where stories belong to both the listener and the teller as they have for thousands of years.

……

SHIPPING STUFF

Ships and character dynamics I like ( romantic, platonic, either ), bolded are the ones i especially enjoy. this list is non-exhaustive, just the ones I think about often and may make content for:

svsss: bingqiu, qijiu, jiuyuan, scumplane, pidw!mobing genshin: rezhong, zhongxiao, zhongven, neuvili, guili, zhongli & hu tao , tartali (selective) scaralumi, sethoscara, scaranilou, scaribert, kazuscara, hatradish (scara & nahida) , chiscara (very selective) , dottoscara (for scara angst/whump only) xiao/baizhu, haikaveh, cynonari, neuvifuri, xiaother, xiaolumi

I have no interest in engaging in shipcourse, but since my blog is slowly gaining followers and a lot of people on this website care about that sort of thing, I'm going to put my opinions on the matter here. I would consider myself pro-ship under the original meaning (the three fandom laws I mentioned earlier), but not as in “specifically and deliberately seeks out problematic ships.” I think that making a judgment on a person’s real life moral values based on the fictional content they engage with is not only incorrect but also can be dangerous. Characters are characters. Real people are people. There’s a difference. That’s that.

I don’t care or really even think about whether something is “problematic” by the current definition. I ship anything that is compelling to me and creates an interesting and complex story, which can include things that would be absolutely abhorrent in real life but are fascinating dynamics to consider in fiction. That is the only reason I ship things— you can get me to ship almost anything if you can write it compellingly. I am aroace and get no sexual gratification whatsoever from fictional relationships, so don't come into my inbox with some kind of straw man accusation that I “get off” on “problematic depictions of relationships.” Though I don’t care if you do or don’t get off on fiction, it’s none of my business, I personally don’t want to be asked why <insert thing> turns me on because guess what? It doesn’t, and the implication makes me extremely uncomfortable.

I believe that problematic/dark fiction should be treated like an allergen and not radioactive waste. There are things that trigger me or squick me out, and I’m sure there are things that do the same for you. I tag things in my works, and you should tag things in yours, then we can all filter out the things that are harmful to us and be at peace. You can read the linked post there for more details. Otherwise, I don't want to discuss it, so please don't try to approach me about it.

I am personally very uncomfortable with adult/child ships. This only applies to ships where one character is an adult and one is a child at the time of the relationship, or where one character groomed the other during their childhood with the intention of entering a romantic relationship when they became an adult. It also includes characters that are not human and reach maturity at an older or younger age (such as Tolkien’s hobbits who aren’t adults til 33 or the clones in Star Wars who are mature at 10). While mental maturity is the most important to me, I’m also not fond of ships where one character is physically a child, though this is more of a problem in visual media. I don’t care if you ship things like that though, I’ll just block the tags & would prefer not to be requested to create content for them.

Anything else, if you can find a way to make it compelling to me, I can probably be convinced to at least entertain the concept.

If you identify as anti-ship or have "proship dni" on your blog then I will probably block you. I just don't want to engage with or even see that kind of rhetoric, because it is genuinely triggering to me due to its similarity to conservative evangelical talking points.

[mumpsetc]

Hey Harmie! <:) I was thinking and I wanted to ask, since y9u talk a little bit about the curious things you watch on here, what kind of movies/shows/various media do you like and/or would recommend? The only thing that I ask is for warnings on the stuff that you recommend in case they're on the more upsetting side ( ex: heavily gorey/dealing with heavily upsetting themes [ex: suicide])-

I'm Just Gonna Post a General Array of Stuff With No Theme or Coherency So Pick N Choose if You Want :]. I'll Try n CW Everything I Remember But if Something Sounds Esp Troubling Check It On Does the Dog Die

TOSSING EVERYTHING UNDER A READMORE SO I DON'T CLOG THE FUCKIN... Dash

It's Such a Beautiful Day (Upsetting Depiction of Mental Health, Could Possible Trigger Someone Whos Psychotic, Idk Watch This One When You're in a Good Spot)- An Animated Film By Don Hertzfeldt About a Man Named Bill and His Mental Decline

Tatami Galaxy - A Charming 13ish Episode Anime About a College Student Musing About the Variety of Ways He Could Achieve His "Rose Coloured Campus Life". Its Sorta an Anthology Where Every Episode is a Different Version of the Same Events Its Fun.

Funny Games (Extreme Violence, Home Invasion, Child Death) - This Movie is One of My All Time Favorites, Theres a 1997 and a 2007 Version, They're Both the Same Movie though Just With Different Actors and Languages So Pick if Youre In a Subtitle Mood or Not. DEFINITELY Check Doesthedogdie for This One If Youre Sensitive, Theres Something I'm 100% Forgetting

Melancholia (Death, Grief, Big Scary Planet) - Lars Von Trier Kinda Sucks But This Movie is His Best. It's About Two Sisters Struggling to Live Together After One Has an Episode and Also a Huge Planet is Going to Smash Directly Into Earth. A Really Strong Emotional Story.

Dogville (Lots of Tasteless Sexual Assault, Death, Extreme Classism) - Not Actually Sure If I'm Recommending This or Not I Just Think Its Important Sometimes to Watch a Very Artfully Made Movie That Fucking Sucks (I Like This Movie Also So Egg on My Face). Lars Von Trier is the Worst.

Ingrid Goes West (Suicide, Stalking) - One of the More Conventional Movies on Here, Ingrid Goes West is About a Woman Moving to California to Insert Herself Into the Life of an Influencer She's Obsessed With

Swing Girls - DELIGHTFUL Japanese Film About School Girls Starting an American Style Jazz Band. Feel Good Stuff All Around in This One.

We're All Going to the World's Fair (Grooming, Mental Decline) - One of the Most Accurate Depictions of Growing Up Online, This Movie is About a Teenager Named Casey Participating in an ARG.

Wasteland (Cults, Mental Decline) - This One is Free on Youtube, It is an Anthology About a Bunch of People Living In a Valley and The Lives They Lead. Its Hard to Explain This One But the Last Segment, the Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia, is One of the Most Lasting Things Ive Ever Seen

Drop-Out Comic (Suicide, Gender Dysphoria, Drug Use, Abuse) - A Free-to-Read Webcomic About Two Girlfriends Driving to the Grand Canyon to Kill Themselves. I'm Gonna Recc This One the Hardest Its Phenomenal, Though Chunks are Currently Down/Being Rewritten But Those Don't Change the Story Much

Sooo Yeah I Hope You Have Fun :] Don't Feel Like You Do or Dont Have to Watch Any of This I Was Just Kinda Spitballing, Sorry if This is a Downer List I Was Typing This Up and Halfway Thru Realized I Had 2.5 Feel Good Picks

[kuroosdarling]

tag all of your mutuals and put beside it the kind of person they are im really curious :)

oh boy !!! buckle up bc i am ready to pour out my love <33 i love all of my talented moots so i’m just going to say a few things about them and hopefully it answers your question !! hehe they’re all wonderful people and im super glad to know each and every one :’)

i have a lot more newer moots that i’d like to gush about too but i am v shy when it comes to interacting !!! so if we are moots and you’re not here it’s just bc i’m shy about tagging you !! :(<3

@myheroesaretired nesi !! she puts up with all my shit i stg lol she gets so many of my unfiltered thoughts … sry nesi </3 i feel like i’ve known her forever even tho it’s been a couple months pls!! she’s so easy to talk to and i’m v thankful for her support :’) literally think we were twins in a past life tbh !!

@sookisaurus risu !!! one of my first moots hehe risu is so incredibly welcoming and she looks after everyone <3 i love chatting with her any chance i can bc she’s so funny n always has something good to say <3 also whenever we start talkin bout kuroo it’s game over 😵‍💫🤍 we feed into each others brainrots and im always here for it !!

@mattsunkawa echo !! my bubs hehe omg she’s so funny n chill and i love talking to her sm <3 i bug her all the time PLS !! anytime we watch a new anime it’s tradition to yell to each other about it at this point. from aot -> op -> csm + bluelock lol !! i love when we share bits of our writing with each other just to rile the other one up lmfao !!

@oooohno nana <3 literally the sweetest person ever !! anytime we chat or interact i get so so happy!! she’s so kind and literally always tags me in the best stuff 🤧 so incredibly thoughtful to everyone on here <33 she’s sm fun to talk to :) especially when we dive in about our fave characters !

@ohtokki WAH laura !! <3 such a friendly and warm person fr her energy just makes everyone feel at home !!! the type of person i’d love to sit and have some tea with and talk about anything !! (esp video games lol)

@1812p4n K🥺 one of the kindest people on this site!! always spreading love and happiness to everyone on the dash <3 what did we do to deserve her fr 🤍✨

@crescentkaze KAZE !! such a sweetie but also her MIND !! pls anytime i wanna rant about railing fictional characters i run to her immediately !!! we always end up building off each other and idk those convos always make my day :’)

@discordkittenjoestar - kendall pls !! she’s so so funny and i love all of her shitposts sm <3 also super sweet n supportive hehe and im excited to talk to her more O:

@akisbrew SOBS !!! aims !! she is seriously so funny and so down to earth!! such a chill person and incredibly supportive !! she’s someone i would love to sit down and vibe with, chatting bout life and our her mans (jean<3)

@taintedsorrcw milo bby <33 queen of events methinks !!! she always creates beautiful themes, events n masterlists !!! she’s also so so sweet and sm fun to talk to !! :)

@soshiina ina !! SOBS !! so incredibly funny and has such a vibrant energy !! chaotic in the best way possible that makes you wanna just talk to her for hours on end fr !!! <3

@writingbymoonlight luna :)) i always love whenever i get to interact with luna because she is just so sweet !! i feel like she has the best book recs tbh bc anytime i see her post about a new book she got it makes me want to go read it too O:

@satisfactooru bay !! pls !! literally could gush about her all day 🥺 she’s so nice and welcoming !! i feel like she’s good at making others feel heard and appreciated <33 such a kind soul fr hehe

@oomiya anyone that knows haley knows she super sweet 🥺 anytime we interact i feel so warm n fuzzy !! she has a way with words and making everyone feel safe tbh <3

@wakatshi - anytime i think of the word lovely i think of daria hehe she’s so nice and her aesthetic is gorgeous !! (just like her pls!!)

@daiception nini !!! she’s so so gorgeous and i luv her style !! we are newer moots but anytime we interact it brings a big smile to my face <3

@kurootosis lem 🥺 lovely lem !! i always luv seeing her on the dash hehe but i still get shy reaching out to interact sometimes lol !! she has such a cool vibe and she’s someone i would love to sit and talk to at a cozy lil cafe !!

@kurooandkenmasslut nat !! i think we became moots like yesterday lol BUT i love her energy !! she seems like sm fun and im glad we are interacting bc i always need more people to gush over kuroo n kenma <33

[here4theheartbreak]

I LOVE your passion for them. It oozes. It's so nice , right? To actually care about comebacks for real. I've been Atiny for 4.5 years and I'm still excited every single time! They're incredible.

Their songs match my tastes so well. Their performances are legendary. My sister came with me to see them this year, she's not Atiny, she only know a few songs, and she said they were the best live performers she's ever seen. And of course they're fun people too! And I always feel like a proud parent when others in the industry/show staff praise them.

It seems like you know a lot of Atiny already but if you ever need anything, or want to know anything, you can just hit me up!

Welcome to Atiny life~!

🏴‍☠️💖

It really is nice! Even a few days after the comeback I'm still not at all bored or disinterested - generally by now I'm so sick of hearing the same few songs or watching the same choreo that I just give up 🤣

(Apparently I still have a lot of feelings so I'm cutting this for the sake of my followers' dashes lol)

Today I was able go to go a cupsleeve event in my city and the support was overwhelming. I've been to a handful, usually around 50-100 people max -- Even for bigger groups. But today there were probably close to 200+ people minimum. For a good 2+ hours we had a line looping all through the tea bar - from the end of the vendor tables, around to the order counter, then out to the sidewalk and looping around the side of the building, it was insane. Even when my friends and I packed up to go there was still a line heading up to the counter.

I was amazed and it was so sweet to see, esp for a group that I know is less popular in KR - I genuinely don't get it (I mean, I do - not big 4 means people don't pay enough attention - but from a talent standpoint, it's baffling).

My first MV was Guerrilla - my friend and I watched it and sat in genuinely stunned silence for a good 5 minutes afterward. It blended so many of our favorite musical types into one really cohesive package and I couldn't believe it. And every subsequent song - even their softer summery ones (Utopia, please, it's so cute. And Eternal Sunshine - I could cry).

It's been a very very long time since I've heard a group that so perfectly vibes with everything I like in musical styles. (I don't actually know that I have found one before Ateez tbh; even my biggest groups have always had a handful of songs every comeback that are just... Meh.)

Plus the general talent in terms of intense choreography and vocals - they really are top class performers. And then adding in all the AU stuff - I love complex aus, I love storytelling, and these guys do it in such a cool way; and the production value of their mvs?! From an itty bitty company?? Genuinely elite.

My friend Drea went to their AZ show and Chicago shows last year; she had barricade during Chi and has shown me her videos; on top of YT recorded videos - the energy is unbelievable - you can just feel how hyped everyone is. I almost sprung for LA Kcon this year bc Ateez, SKZ, and Taemin are gonna be there; but none of my group are going and it's far too expensive on my own 😭 (plus it's right before school starts up for my gremlin and my own Korean classes start up, so I really shouldn't be traversing the country >.<).

We have plans to all try for the next Chicago concert though; there's about 7 of us for sure, maybe a few more, so carpooling and splitting hotel fees will make it easier - aside from the apparent bloodbath for tickets lol.

Where did you end up going to see them?

Also did you see the stats that dropped today? We broke our own previous record for Spotify streams! Generally I don't care about those, but I'm excited to see the small wins for a group that deserves so much 😭

But yes, thank you! I will 100% reach out with questions lol or to scream - or you can just to chat - bc clearly I can't say enough about them. 🧡

[ra0n]

plot call for saints & sinners event!! pls feel free to like and i'll hit you up, or alternatively feel free to dm first <3 like most people i will be prioritising shorter event threads, but I'm super excited for this and can't wait to hit the dash running with u guys :-) wcs and vibes of the night under the cut

quick tldr of raon's (unplanned) plans for the night include: getting ready with miss seryung herself, disappearing at the party almost immediately because (gasp) the reason she's attending is that she's trying to patch things up with her sister at last

read: one eviction, two weeks of job hunting and countless missed classes has screwed her head on fairly straight and she's trying to find peace amidst all the gossip girl mess

of course "finding peace" post aera-reconciliation means getting absolutely hammered for the sake of getting hammered -- see you on the dance floor (be there or be square!!!!!)

onto some suggested wcs but these are p vague/flexible!! raon's just doing raon things most of the night so expect your muse to be dragged into shenanigans

nothing like a quick argument to start things off! could be the result of a drunken altercation ie raon spills her drink on your muse accidentally or vice versa or bonus points if you're both sober and using alcohol as an excuse to get things off your chest that's been weighing on you for a while (prolly needs more plotting if its the latter)

nothing like versatility so she will be crying in the bathroom multiple times throughout the night (esp right after she has her heart to heart with aera; you catch her during one of those times and offer to lend an ear which she accepts and bulldozes into a spiral about everything going wrong in her life

mask fiasco 1 -- both of you mistake the other for someone else and let slip secrets that you shouldn't have

mask fiasco 2 -- you're handsy on the dance floor with each other and make promises both of you know you can't keep in the morning

designated drinking buddy around the beginning of the night -- anything she can do, you can do better (alternatively known as double it and give it to the next person)

smoking area halfway through the night when you're both x number of shots in -- she's left her lighter inside and asks to borrow yours but when you give it to her, she thinks it's a good time to kickstart a conversation about a) how out of place she feels in seoul b) the looming uncertainty of her future and c) how you look just as lonely as she feels

1am and a stomach full of alcohol means it's time to take a quick detour from the party and head to the nearest convenience store for melona. you find a shopping cart on the way and that's your ride back to the party because raon insists she's stronger than she looks and can wheel you easily

[drmflm]

OFC WE COULD BE FRIENDS AFTER THIS EVENT!!

I HAVENT MET A P1ECE ON HERE YET JEVJEV

also, you can call me Sam so you don't have to type out Christmas tree anon brbvrbhiv my name would give my account away so sam it is uhvbhvfhb

but ofc lets get married

-🎄

awww hi sam 🥰 tbh in my heart u will always be my xmas tree nonnie, but still sam is cute too!

(putting a read more so we don’t clog the dash lol)

OMG IM THE FIRST P1ECE U HAVE MET ON HERE?? 😱 omg i am honoured lmaooo nice to meet u darling!

oh wait I just realized we’re married but we don’t know much abt each other except for our mutual love for beautiful darlings like soulho fhdhsjskak

so ik it’s kinda personal but may i start by asking ur pronouns? i don’t wanna refer to u wrong for the next month 😅 that would suck,,, i use they/them exclusively so i know the pain 😭 esp with a gender neutral name 💗

[beaversatemygrandma]

I saw your post randomly in the Hetalia tag and I just wanted to clarify that Germany is by no means "humanized nazism". Hetalia personifications don't represent their governments, they too suffer from their governments' choices and can't rebel until their own people do it first.

The author didn't dig too deep into WW2 history (besides, despite the "axis powers" thing, the WW2 arc is quite short and the majority of Hetalia canon content is actually about other historical periods) to avoid issues given Hetalia is supposed to have a light-hearted tone mostly, but he did refer to Germany's personal opinion on his government back during nazism in a couple of old strips.

He referred to H-tler as his "crazy boss" and it was implied in the strip about the Anschluss that he didn't support his government but he was constantly under the threat of being punished and tortured if he didn't comply.

There's rare occasions, with other characters as well, where it is heavily suggested that personified Countries don't have as much free will as humans do when it comes to these matters. This led some fans to theorize that Countries are physically unable to rebel until their people overthrow the government/change things first, because as representations they can't change history themselves but only endure it.

Hetalia author did make mistakes and occasionally crossed the line with what can be considered in poor taste, but he improved a lot since then and many misconceptions about Hetalia actually come from fans misinterpreting canon source and from the English dub that often made the jokes worse and more offensive in the anime compared to what they were supposed to be.

I wonder how that post made it into the tags. This does explain how i got contact by briefly mentioning it earlier today... I promise i'm not trying to start problems here. It's just the fact that it's been coming up a lot in light of current events and honestly, it's not good how it is. A massive historical event is not the time to bring it up, ya know? I had only brought it up to mention that through the terrible US education curriculum, i had actually learned that certain countries exist. I don't think I'd know any countries in Europe and Asia other than the large political powers otherwise. Which now, looking back, it could've gone without being mentioned.

You do make some good points though. The english dubbed version of axis powers was way too touchy on that subject. I do remember that pretty well even being young back then. And that the fandoms usually ruin things. I saw that first person once i tried to dip into it back then and got scared off by what was being discussed in the ancient days of 2010-14.

I do heavily sympathize with those who are still in the fandom (excluding those who are genuinely misinterpreting and being generally awful people), as it was a formative thing i had been into. It was a fun concept, and some characters were really great. Just know, I haven't been involved with any of it since then because of those awful people i had run into. I am sorry if you're ever dealing with them. It was just awful to see some art with literal Nazi garb/imagery in the fandom in a way that's not shunning the idea. Or at all really. Like please don't draw Germany in a Nazi uniform in a way that's two inches away from advocating for it.

I do wish the English dub had been more true to the strips. It might not have been in such poor taste. If i had remembered about that one, i likely wouldn't have said anything about that. I watched the English dub first and when the newer episodes were coming out in subbed only, they had been so much better. I was already on board with it, but i had then noticed just how odd the english ones were. And that explanation definitely does explain the horror of that era and what civilians were going through. So Germany definitely learned his lesson in 'canon'/history and isn't generally awful. Nobody should advocate for that sort of stuff. It's just morally wrong. It's just a touchy subject for many, understandably, and I'd prefer to stay out of the whole thing. I do highly prefer the idea that the countries are just a personification of the people there instead of the governments. The entire concept would be awful otherwise, and needlessly politically charged. Not to mention how it taught me more about world history than school ever did but that's a whole other subject.

My whole thing was how i found someone who kinned axis powers Germany through an earlier post and honestly, it scared me a little without that reminder. I just hope they aren't one of Those aforementioned negative parts of the fandom.

[heavenshot]

THE JOHARI/NOHARI WINDOWS

Bold the personality traits that your muse has and is aware of ; italic the ones your muse has but doesn’t know of ; * addendum: stroke out the ones that your muse believes they presently have but no longer or don't actually have

JOHARI +

able | accepting | adaptable | bold | brave | calm | caring | cheerful | clever | complex | confident | dependable | dignified | energetic | extroverted | friendly | giving | happy** | helpful | idealistic | independent | ingenious | intelligent | introverted | kind | knowledgeable | logical | loving | mature | modest | nervous | observant | organized | patient | powerful | proud | quiet | reflective | relaxed | religious | responsive | searching | self-assertive | self-conscious | sensible | sentimental | shy | silly | spontaneous | sympathetic | tense | trustworthy | warm | wise | witty

NOHARI -

aloof | blasé | boastful | brash | callous | chaotic | childish | cold | cowardly | cruel | cynical | dispassionate | distant* | dull | embarrassed | foolish | glum** | hostile | humorless | ignorant | impatient | imperceptive | inane | inattentive | incompetent | inflexible | insecure | insensitive | intolerant | irrational | irresponsible | lethargic | loud | needy | overdramatic* | panicky* | passive | predictable | rash | self-satisfied | selfish | simple | smug | stupid | timid | unethical | unhappy** | unhelpful | unimaginative | unreliable | vacuous | violent | vulgar | weak | withdrawn

(*) - more often than he realizes (**) - he's somewhat more conscious of this after the events of Shibuya's Impurification ( original template here )

[army-of-mai-lovers]

in which I get progressively angrier at the various tropes of atla fandom misogyny

tbh I think it would serve all of us to have a larger conversation about the specific ways misogyny manifests in this fandom, because I’ve seen a lot of people who characterize themselves as feminists, many of whom are women themselves, discuss the female characters of atla/lok in misogynistic ways, and people don’t talk about it enough. 

disclaimer before I start: I’m not a woman, I’m an afab nonbinary person who is semi-closeted and thus often read as a woman. I’m speaking to things that I’ve seen that have made me uncomfy, but if any women (esp women existing along other axes of oppression, e.g. trans women, women of color, disabled women, etc) want to add onto this post, please do!

“This female character is a total badass but I’m not even a little bit interested in exploring her as a human being.” 

I’ve seen a lot of people say of various female characters in atla/lok, “I love her! She’s such a badass!” now, this statement on its own isn’t misogynistic, but it represents a pretty pervasive form of misogyny that I’ve seen leveled in large part toward the canon female love interests of one or both of the members of a popular gay ship (*cough* zukka *cough*) I’m going to use Suki as an example of this because I see it with her most often, but it can honestly be applied to nearly every female character in atla/lok. Basically, people will say that they stan Suki, but when it comes time to engage with her as an actual character, they refuse to do it. I’ve seen meta after meta about Zuko’s redemption arc, but I so rarely see people engage with Suki on any level beyond “look at this cool fight scene!” and yeah, I love a cool Suki fight scene as much as anybody else, but I’m also interested in meta and headcanons and fics about who she is as a person, when she isn’t an accessory to Sokka’s development or doing something cool. of course, the material for this kind of engagement with Suki is scant considering she doesn’t have a canon backstory (yet) (don’t let me down Faith Erin Hicks counting on you girl) but with the way I’ve seen people in this fandom expand upon canon to flesh out male characters, I know y’all have it in you to do more with Suki, and with all the female characters, than you currently do. frankly, the most engagement I’ve seen with Suki in mainstream fandom is justifying either zukki (which again, is characterizing her in relation to male characters, one of whom she barely interacts with in canon) or one of the Suki wlw pairings. which brings me to--

“I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!” 

now, I will admit, two of my favorite atla ships are yueki and mailee, and so I totally understand being interested in these characters’ dynamics, even if, as is the case with yueki, they’ve never interacted canonically. however, it becomes a problem for me when these ships are always in the background of a zukka fic. at some point, it becomes obvious that you like this ship because it gets either Zuko or Sokka’s female love interests out of the way, not because you actually think the characters would mesh well together. It’s bad form to dislike a female character because she gets in the way of your gay ship, so instead, you find another girl to pair her off with and call it a day. to be clear, I’m not saying that everybody who ships either mailee or yueki (or tysuki or maisuki or yumai or whatever other wlw rarepair involving Zuko or Sokka’s canon love interests) is nefariously trying to sideline a female character while acting publicly as if she’s is one of their faves--far from it--but it is noteworthy to me how difficult it is to find content that centers wlw ships, while it’s incredibly easy to find content that centers zukka in which mailee and/or yueki plays a background role. 

also, notice how little traction wlw Katara ships gain in this fandom. when’s the last time you saw yuetara on your dash? there’s no reason for wlw Katara ships to gain traction in a fandom that is so focused on Zuko and Sokka getting together, bc she doesn’t present an immediate obstacle to that goal (at least, not an obstacle that can be overcome by pairing her up with a woman). if you are primarily interested in Zuko and Sokka’s relationship, and your queer readings of other female characters are motivated by a desire to get them out of the way for zukka, then Katara’s canon m/f relationship isn’t a threat to you, and thus, there’s no reason to read her as potentially queer. Or even, really, to think about her at all. 

“Katara’s here but she’s not actually going to do anything, because deep down, I’m not interested in her as a person.” 

the show has an enormous amount of textual evidence to support the claim that Sokka and Katara are integral parts of each other’s lives. so, she typically makes some kind of appearance in zukka content. sometimes, her presence in the story is as an actual character with layers and nuance, someone whom Sokka cares about and who cares about Sokka in return, but also has her own life and goals outside of her brother (or other male characters, for that matter.) sometimes, however, she’s just there because halfway through writing the author remembered that Sokka actually has a sister who’s a huge part of the show they’re writing fanfiction for, and then they proceed to show her having a meetcute with Aang or helping Sokka through an emotional problem, without expressing wants or desires outside of those characters. I’m honestly really surprised that I haven’t seen more people calling out the fact that so much of Katara’s personality in fanon revolves around her connections to men? she’s Aang’s girlfriend, she’s Sokka’s sister, she’s Zuko’s bestie. never mind that in canon she spends an enormous amount of time fighting against (anachronistic, Westernized) sexism to establish herself as a person in her own right, outside of these connections. and that in canon she has such interesting complex relationships with other female characters (e.g. Toph, Kanna, Hama, Korra if you want to write lok content) or that there are a plethora of characters with whom she could have interesting relationships with in fanon (Mai, Suki, Ty Lee, Yue, Smellerbee, and if you want to write lok content, Kya II, Lin, Asami, Senna, etc). to me, the lack of fandom material exploring Katara’s relationships with other women or with herself speak to a profound indifference to Katara as a character. I’m not saying you have to like Katara or include her in everything you write, but I am asking you to consider why you don’t find her interesting outside of her relationships with men.

“I hate Katara because she talks about her mother dying too often.” 

this is something I’ve seen addressed by people far more qualified than I to address it, but I want to mention it here in part because when I asked people which fandom tropes they wanted me to talk about, this came up often, but also because I find it really disgusting that this is a thing that needs to be addressed at all. Y’all see a little girl who watched her mother be killed by the forces of an imperialist nation and say that she talks about it too much??? That is a formational, foundational event in a child’s life. Of course she’s going to talk about it. I’ve seen people say that she doesn’t talk about it that often, or that she only talks about it to connect with other victims of fn imperialism e.g. Jet and Haru, but frankly, she could speak about it every episode for no plot-significant reason whatsoever and I would still be angry to see people say she talks about it too much. And before you even bring up the Sokka comparison, people deal with grief in different ways. Sokka  repressed a lot of his grief/channeled it into being the “man” of his village because he knew that they would come for Katara next if he gave them the opportunity. he probably would talk about his mother more if a) he didn’t feel massive guilt at not being able to remember what she looked like, and b) he was allowed to be a child processing the loss of his mother instead of having to become a tiny adult when Hakoda had to leave to help fight the fn. And this gets into an intersection with fandom racism, in that white fans (esp white American fans) are incapable of relating to the structural trauma that both Sokka and Katara experience and thus can’t see the ways in which structural trauma colors every single aspect of both of their characters, leading them to flatten nuance and to have some really bad takes. And you know what, speaking of bad fandom takes--   

“Shitting on Mai because she gets in the way of my favorite Zuko ship is actually totally okay because she’s ~abusive~” 

y’all WHAT. 

ok listen, I get not liking maiko. I didn’t like it when I first got into fandom, and later I realized that while bryke cannot write romance to save their lives, fans who like maiko sure can, so I changed my tune. but if you still don’t like it, that’s fine. no skin off my back. 

what IS skin off my back is taking instances in which Mai had justified anger toward Zuko, and turning it into “Mai abused Zuko.” do you not realize how ridiculous you sound? this is another thing where I get so angry about it that I don’t know how useful my analysis is actually going to be, but I’ll do my best. numerous people have noted how analysis of Mai and Zuko’s breakup in “The Beach” or Mai being justifiably angry with him at Boiling Rock or her asking for FUCKING FRUIT in “Nightmares and Daydreams” that says that all of these events were her trying to gain control over him is....ahhh...lacking in reading comprehension, but I’d like to go a step further and talk about why y’all are so intent on taking down a girl who doesn’t show emotion in normative ways. obviously, there’s a “Zuko can do no wrong” aspect to Mai criticism (which is super weird considering how his whole arc is about how he can do lots of wrong and he has to atone for the wrong that he’s done--but that’s a separate post.) But I also see slandering Mai for not expressing her emotions normatively and not putting up with Zuko’s shit and slandering Katara for “talking about her mother too often” as two sides of the same coin. In both cases, a female character expresses emotions that make you, the viewer, uncomfortable, and so instead of attempting to understand where those emotions may have come from and why they might be manifesting the way they are, y’all just throw the whole character away. this is another instance of people in the fandom being fundamentally disinterested in engaging with the female characters of atla in a real way, except instead of shallowly “stanning” Mai, y’all hate her. so we get to this point where female characters are flattened into one of two things: perfect queens who can do no wrong, or bitches. and that’s not who they are. that’s not who anyone is. but while we as a fandom are pretty good at understanding b1 Zuko’s actions as layered and multifaceted even though he’s essentially an asshole then, few are willing to lend the same grace to any female character, least of all Mai. 

and what’s funny is sometimes this trope will intersect with “I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!”, so you’ll have someone actively calling Mai toxic/problematic/abusive, and at the same time ship her with Ty Lee? make it make sense! but then again, maybe that’s happening because y’all are fundamentally disinterested in Ty Lee as a character too. 

“I love Ty Lee so much that I’m going to treat her like an infantilized hypersexual airhead!” 

there are so many things happening in y’alls characterization of Ty Lee that I struggled to synthesize it into one quippy section header. on one hand, you have the hypersexualization, and on the other hand, you have the infantilization, which just makes the hypersexualization that much worse. 

(of course, sexualizing or hypersexualizing ANY atla character is really not the move, considering that these are child characters in a children’s show, but then again, that’s a separate post.) 

now, I understand how, from a very, very surface reading of the text, you could come to the conclusion that Ty Lee is an uncomplicated bimbo. if you grew up on Western media the way I did, you’ll know that Ty Lee has a lot of the character traits we associate with bimbos: the form-fitting pink crop top, the general conventional attractiveness, the ditzy dialogue. but if you think about it for more than three seconds, you’ll understand that Ty Lee has spent her whole life walking a tightrope, trying to please Azula and the rest of the royal family while also staying true to herself. Ty Lee and Azula’s relationship is a really complex and interesting topic that I don’t really have time to explore at the moment given how long this post is, but I’d argue that Ty Lee’s constant, vocal  adulation is at least partially a product of learning to survive at court at an early age. Like Mai, she has been forced to regulate her emotions as a member of fn nobility, but unlike Mai, she also has six sisters who look exactly like her, so she has a motivation to be more peppy and more affectionate to stand out. 

fandom does not do the work to understand Ty Lee. as is a theme with this post, fandom is actively disinterested in investigating female characters beyond a very surface level reading of them. Thus, fandom takes Ty Lee’s surface level qualities--her love of the color pink, her revealing standard outfit, and the fact that once she found a boy attractive and also once a lot of boys found her attractive--and they stretch this into “Ty Lee is basically Karen Smith from Mean Girls.” thus, Ty Lee is painted as a bimbo, or more specifically, as not smart, uncritically adoring of Azula (did y’all forget all the non-zukka bits of Boiling Rock?), and attractive to the point of hypersexualization. I saw somebody make a post that was like “I wish mailee was more popular but I’m also glad it isn’t because otherwise people would write it as Mai having to put up with her dumb gf” and honestly I have to agree!! this is one instance in which I’m glad that fandom doesn’t discuss one of my favorite characters that often because I hate the fanon interpretation of Ty Lee, I think it’s rooted in misogyny (particularly misogyny against East Asian women, which often takes the form of fetishizing them and viewing them only through a Western white male gaze)  

(side note: here at army-of-mai-lovers, we stan bimbos. bimbos are fucking awesome. I personally don’t read Ty Lee as a bimbo, but if that’s you, that’s fucking awesome. keep doing what you’re doing, queen <3 or king or monarch, it’s 2021, anyone can be a bimbo, bitches <3)

“Toph can and will destroy everyone here with her bare hands because she’s a meathead who likes to murder people and that’s it!”  

Toph is, and always has been, one of my favorite ATLA characters. My very first fic in fandom was about her, and she appears prominently in a lot of my other work as well. One thing that I am always struck by with Toph is how big a heart she has. She’s independent, yes, snarky, yes, but she cares about people--even the family that forced her to make herself smaller because they didn’t believe that their blind daughter could be powerful and strong. Her storyline is powerful and emotionally resonant, her bending is cool precisely because it’s based in a “wait and listen” approach instead of just smashing things indiscriminately, she’s great disabled rep, and overall one of the best characters in the show. 

And in fandom, she gets flattened into “snarky murder child.” 

So where does this come from? Well, as we all know, Toph was originally conceived of as a male character, and retained a lot of androgyny (or as the kids call it, Gender) when she was rewritten as a female character. There are a lot of cultural ideas about androgynous/butch women being violent, and people in fandom seem to connect that larger cultural narrative with some of Toph’s more violent moments in the show to create the meathead murder child trope, erasing her canon emotionality, softness, heart, and femininity in the process. 

This is not to say that you shouldn’t write or characterize Toph as being violent or snarky at all ever, because yeah, Toph definitely did do Earth Rumbles a lot before joining the gaang, and yeah, Toph is definitely a sarcastic person who makes fun of her friends a lot. What I am saying is that people take these traits, sans the emotional logic, marry them to their conception of androgynous/butch women as violent/unemotional/uncaring, and thus create a caricature of Toph that is not at all up to snuff. When I see Toph as a side character in a fic (because yeah, Toph never gets to be a main character, because why would a fandom obsessed with one male character in particular ever make Toph a protagonist in her own right?) she’s making fun of people, killing people, pranking people, etc, etc. She’s never talking to people about her emotions, or palling around with her found family, or showing that she cares about her friends. Everything about her relationship with her parents, her disability, her relationship to Gender, and her love of her friends is shoved aside to focus on a version of Toph that is mean and uncaring because people have gotten it into their heads that androgynous/butch women are mean and uncaring. 

again, we see a female character who does not emote normatively or in a way that makes you, the viewer, comfortable, and so you warp her character until she’s completely unrecognizable and flat. and for what? 

Azula

no, I didn’t come up with a snappy name for this section, mainly because fanon interpretations of Azula and my own feelings toward the character are...complicated. I know there were some people who wanted me to write about Azula and the intersection of misogyny and ableism in fanon interpretations of her character, but I don’t think I can deliver on that because I personally am in a period of transition with how I see Azula. that is to say, while I still like her and believe that she can be redeemed, there is a lot of merit to disliking her. the whole point of this post is that the female characters of ATLA are complex people whom the fandom flattens into stereotypes that don’t hold up to scrutiny, or dislike for reasons that don’t make sense. Azula, however, is a different case. the rise of Azula defenders and Azula stans has led to this sentiment that Azula is a 14 y/o abuse victim who shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. it seems to me that people are reacting to a long, horrible legacy of male ATLA fans armchair diagnosing Azula with various personality disorders (and suggesting that people with those personality disorders are inherently monstrous and unlovable which ahhhh....yikes) and then saying that those personality disorders make her unlovable, which is quite obviously bad. and hey, I get loving a character that everyone else hates and maybe getting so swept up in that love that you forget that your fave is complicated and has made some unsavory choices. it sucks that fanon takes these well-written, complex villains/antiheroes and turns them into monsters with no critical thought whatsoever. but the attitude among Azula stans that her redemption shouldn’t be hard, that her being a child excuses all of the bad things that she’s done, that she is owed redemption....all of that rubs me the wrong way. I might make another post about this in the future that discusses this in more depth, but as it stands now: while I understand that there is a legacy of misogynistic, ableist, unnuanced takes on Azula, the backlash to that does not take into account the people she hurt or the fact that in ATLA she does not make the choice to pursue redemption. and yes, Zuko had help in making that choice that Azula didn’t, and yes, Azula is a victim of abuse, but in a show about children who have gone through untold horrors and still work to better the lives of the people around them, that is not enough for me to uncritically stan her. 

Conclusion    

misogyny in this fandom runs rampant. while there are some tropes of fandom misogyny that are well-documented and have been debunked numerous times, there are other, subtler forms of misogyny that as far as I know have gone completely unchecked. 

what I find so interesting about misogyny in atla fandom is that it’s clear that it’s perpetrated by people who are aware of fandom misogyny who are actively trying not to be misogynistic. when I first joined atla fandom last summer, memes about how zukka fandom was better than every other fandom because they didn’t hate the female characters who got in the way of their gay ship were extremely prevalent, and there was this sense that *this* fandom was going to model respectful, fun, feminist online fandom. not all of the topes I’ve outlined are exclusive to or even largely utilized in zukka fandom, but a lot of them are. I’ve been in and out of fandom since I was eleven years old, and most of the fandom spaces I’ve been in have been majority-female, and all of them have been incredibly misogynistic. and I always want to know why. why, in these communities created in large part by women, in large part for women, does misogyny run wild? what I realize now is that there’s never going to be a one-size fits all answer to that question. what’s true for 1D fandom on Wattpad in 2012 is absolutely not true for atla fandom on tumblr in 2021. the answers that I’ve cobbled together for previous fandoms don’t work here. 

so, why is atla fandom like this? why did the dream of a feminist fandom almost entirely focused on the romantic relationship between two male characters fall apart? honestly, I think the notion that zukka fandom ever was this way was horrifically ignorant to begin with. from my very first moment in the fandom, I was seeing racism, widespread sexualization of minors, and yes, misogyny. these aspects of the fandom weren’t talked about as much as the crocverse or other, much more fun aspects. further, atla (specifically zukka) fandom misogyny often doesn’t look like the fandom misogyny we’ve become familiar with from like, Sherlock fandom or what have you. for the most part, people don’t actively hate Suki, they just “stan” without actually caring about her. they hate Mai because they believe in treating male victims of abuse equally. they’re not characterizing Toph poorly, they’re writing her as a “strong woman.” in short, people are misogynistic, and then invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of feminist theory to shield themselves from accusations of misogyny. it’s not unlike the way some people will invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of critical race theory to shield themselves from accusations of racism, or how they’ll talk about “freedom of speech” and “the suppression of women’s sexuality” to justify sexualizing minors. the performance of feminism and antiracism is what’s important, not the actual practice. 

if you’ve made it this far, first off, hi, thanks so much for reading, I know this was a lot. second, I would seriously encourage you to be aware of these fandom tropes and to call them out when you see them. elevate the voices of fans who do the work of bringing the female characters of atla to life. invest in the wlw ships in this fandom. drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic (please, drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic). read some yuetara. let’s all be honest about where we are now, and try to do better in the future. I believe in us. 

[laprimera]

just some monday maintenance going on by updating the rules and starting to rework Geeta's about page to fit current arcs and better writing in general.

there's just a few little things I need to bring up cause they're important! please be sure to like any posts I made for you whether that's a starter or a meme or an inbox thing, etc. at least once. this sounds tedious and an afterthought, and trust me I think so too, but my anxiety literally spikes throughout the whole day cause Im legit 1000000% terrified of coming to you in any way to make sure that you've seen it. social anxiety is an ass and would you believe it, even on the internet there no escape uGHh

most of you have been really good at this so thank you so much! this is just a reminder!

and secondly after some experimenting and forethought I decided that from here on I'm ship-exclusive to one canon of a character, and for my comfort I'd like this to be reciprocated with my partners. Im still multiship per say, but if Im shipping with like, a Red for example then that's the only interation of that muse that I'll be shipping with. this only changes if theres some inactivity for weeks on end without any communication ( boyo's communication is v' important! esp since I tend to ship with peeps im comfortable talking or dm'ing ; > ).

if any current partners have a problem with this just lemme know on disco if ya have my handle or poke me on IM's!

and remember there's nothing wrong with keeping relationships platonic! we can still have some deep and meaningful character development that way!

the above goes for my muses across and not just Geeta. ill probably be doctoring their rules pages as I hop around blogs. but thanks for sticking with me for so long and I love the work and events thats been going on dash! its been awhile since I had so much fun here <3

[writefightandflightclub]

I see you (Din Djarin x GN reader)

Summary: Din is hurting, don’t look at him. No REALLY, DON’T LOOK AT HIM.

Genre: Angst / fluff + hurt / comfort.

Author’s note: This takes place after the events of Chapter 15, therefore SPOILERS if you keep reading!

Of course, I don’t know what will ACTUALLY happens in the rest of the series, but in this version, Din + Reader + Grogu are safe on a spaceship after Those Events Happened in Ch14, and after THAT happened on Moskar in Ch15 (reader was present on Moskar). Din is dealing with some trauma following That Event.

I wrote this in one go in a tired yet enthusiastic frenzy after watching. I didn’t want to spend ages on it... but I hope that it’s coherent and that you like it!

Warnings: nightmares, angst but it turns out okay. Final warning: spoilers for S2 esp. chapter 14 and 15. Meant to be GN but not sure if the Mando’a confuses that. Pls forgive.

GIF: a non-chapter-specific adorable GIF so that I’m not spewing spoilers onto my dash. By @calsblueponcho​

You hear him stir again. For the third night in a row.

You hear his groans start to build from within the cot opposite you - the sound wrung from his chest and strangled in his throat. You hear him thrashing, limbs and elbows and whatever part of him clunking against the walls of the narrow sleep space, the sounds tinny from within his metal box; like usual.

Metal between you and him.

Finally, you hear the shush of the door as he clambers out of bed, and you hear ragged breaths sawing in and out of him. You hear the weight of his blankets pool on to the floor as he throws them off with a grunt, and his bare feet making contact with the metal floor.

Now, his sounds are not tinny. They are organic. There are no layers of metal between you any longer. Now, only the darkness separates you from him. Only the darkness separates him from the knowledge you hold; that he is afraid.

You hold still. You stay quiet, as Din completes his now nightly ritual - as if the man needed any more rituals. Your heart breaks for him.

Each night now, he awakes in fear, and he throws off his blankets. You have no doubt that if you scooped them from the floor they would be warm and damp with sweat - the whole space is tinged with the odour of roused panic. Each night now, he shuffles hastily towards the foundling’s pram to see for himself that Grogu is safe and here, with him. As usual -you expect- the small child is sleeping soundly, despite what he has been through. Perhaps because of it. He knows now that no matter what happens, his father will keep him safe.

Each night now, as you lie in the dark, pretending to be asleep after his distress has awoken you, Din hovers over your bed for a moment, drawing in a gasp of a breath as if he might speak or plead for help; however, each night it is the same, and no words ever come. Each night he then breaks free of this hot, enclosing space and his suffocating sleep, and you hear his footsteps recede, heading in the direction of the cool, more open cockpit.

This time, though, when he tugs in a breath to speak, you do not pretend to be asleep.This man does not need any more rituals which hurt him, you think. You will help him to break this one.

“Din,” you breathe softly, turning your body towards where he stands, even though you cannot see him. Only because you cannot see him. There is no metal between him now, and you are determined not to look. 

Although he stays silent, you can guess at the tension in him. You can sense his stillness and hear his short, sharp breaths. If he was armoured, his pain would be sounding out. Gloves creaking around his balling fists, his clunky boots tapping agitatedly on the floor. Unarmoured, his pain is in stealth mode. Unarmoured, he is entirely more vulnerable to it. You imagine him stripped down -in all ways, unprotected- and your heart breaks for him.

You desperately want to lay your body over him; become his armour.

Din had almost lost it all, and even after what he had gotten back, he had still lost too much to bear.

He had done it all for the child.

It had been worth it.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t heavy to bear. 

He still doesn’t speak, his pain in stealth mode, and so, you shift and swivel on your cot until you are sitting on the edge of it.

“Din,” you repeat, and your hand somehow finds his in the dark, your eyes deciphering the shifting shadows enough to reach for him, and immediately his fingers close tightly around yours, as if they had been searching for a hand to hold.

His hand is clammy, slick with panic.

“Did you have a nightmare?” You ask, not even venturing your gaze up towards his shrouded face, out of respect.You have nothing but respect for him.

“Yes,” he states, and even with one word his voice cuts through the dark and splits your chest like you have been struck with a spear of beskar. Because of the pain in it, yes. But also because there are no layers between you. No vocoder. No metal. His voice is warm and deep and robust like this, and it splits you apart. “Sorry. If I woke you.”

His fingers grip yours a little more tightly, but before you can return the favour, he quickly snatches his hand away. “Try and go back to sleep.”

“I couldn’t sleep anyway,” you lie. “Would you like some root tea? Maybe we can have a cup and both of us can try again.”

If Din finds you out in this lie he doesn’t let on. You’re a bad liar, and he’s a good judge of truth, so you suppose he can make whatever decision he pleases, this way. But, he merely makes a gruff sound of agreement. “I’ll get my helmet,” he states, and yet you find his hand again and give a gentle tug to stop him.

“It’s okay. Go sit in the cockpit, keep it dark. I’ll make some tea for us, and I won’t look.”

There is a beat, and then he makes another gruff sound of agreement before turning on his heels, efficiently swivelling towards the front of the ship.

You stand, and you take a moment to still the racing of your heart. You take your own gasp of air. You feel the pounding in your chest at this morsel of skin on skin. Your hand in his.

You exhale a long breath, and slowly, quietly, so as not to wake the child, you slip through the darkened ship until you reach the cramped ration store, heating and brewing some tea under a dimmed and hazy cooklight.

You hurry, as all you can think of is Din alone and unprotected, and how much you wish to guard his heart.

When you reach the cockpit, you enter with your eyes down, averted, looking anywhere but at him, and then you enter, a cup of sweet sleep tea in each hand. You can make out his silhouette in your periphery, and, silently, you slot yourself into the co-pilot’s seat beside him, extending the tea for him to take. His fingertips brush yours as he takes it, and you almost jolt and spill the contents.

You calm your breath again, and you allow the darkness to settle around you, a barrier between you and him. The only barrier between you and him, you can’t help but think.

“Thank you,” the Mandalorian states after a moment, his tone dull.

“Don’t thank me until you’ve tasted it,” you warn with a gentle attempt at a smile. “Couldn’t really see what I was doing.”

“No,” Din says, and this time, his hand finds yours in the dark, where it rests on the arm of the co-pilot’s seat.

There goes your heart pounding again.

“I mean... Thank you for looking out for me. And Grogu.”

Oh.

What else would you possibly do?

“Of course, Din, you’re my...” you cut yourself off before you complete the thought. Din is not your family. You’re not his riddur. Grogu is not your child. Even though that’s how it feels. Even though that’s what you want. “You’d do the same for me,” you say, reeling yourself in. That doesn’t sound quite right either, you fluster. To a bounty hunter that must sound transactional. Like he owes you a debt now.

You’re getting it all wrong.

And all you want to do is comfort him. Protect him.

“Din...?” you ask softly, your eyes fixed straight ahead, not looking at him, even though you are desperate to. Even though from the shapes in your periphery, and from the direction of his voice you can tell his head is angled towards you. Even though you feel like he is staring intently at you. Like he sees you, even in the dark.

“Yeah?”

A heat rises in you and you snatch your fingers away from his. Your hand had become clammy. Instead of this heat, you take a sip of your hot tea, both hands wrapped around the ceramic, earthenware vessel.

“You know,” you say, unsure why your voice is shaking. “It might help to talk about it, the nightmare... if you’d like to.”

You hope you haven’t overstepped. Din hasn’t had anyone to open to for a long-time before you, and you know he may not want to- however, he surprises you. 

“I feel selfish,” he states, his words coming to you immediately and freely as if he had been waiting for a kind ear to listen.

“What in the stars..?!” you exclaim, in a shocked whisper, your eyes intent on the night sky through the transparisteel as you summon the stars in your setiment. “You’re the least selfish person I’ve ever met, Din.”

He emits another gruff sound, but this time it is not in agreement.

His pain...

Sweet man.

You are desperate to turn your head towards him in this moment, but you never would. You would not look.

“I keep having this nightmare, as if it’s the worst thing,” Din continues, and you recognise guilt in his tone. “And it’s not about Grogu. It’s not about you and the child and keeping you both safe.”

Your heart thrums again, from the fact he mentions you and the child in the same breath; mentions you alongside his everything.

“What is it about?” you ask gently, your voice barely above a whisper.

Beside you, you hear Din take a long sip of tea, and you don’t rush his words. You have all the time in the world for him. 

“It’s... about my face,” he says solemnly, and even the mere mention of his face has your heart unsure whether it is breaking or racing.

You had known this would take a toll on him. You knew that having to show his face on Morak; to you, to the Imperials, to Mayfield, would haunt him. For a long time. You had tried not to look. You hadn’t looked. And yet, you had still seen him. You had seen him, only for a moment, before you could avert your eyes - hard as it was to look away. 

That moment, though, was long enough to burn the image of him like a brand behind your eyes. His hawkish nose, his brown mop of grizzled hair...

Brown eyes.

Brown eyes as kind as his soul.

He was beautiful, exactly as he was to you already. Exactly as he had been to you before you ever had a hint of what he looked like.

Still, as much as you fell in love with his face the instant you saw it, exactly like you fell in love with his soul the instant you knew it, you wished you could take that moment back. You didn’t want it; not like this. It felt like a violation to even look at him, so can’t imagine how violating it must have felt to be seen.

No wonder he was having nightmares.

Your heart was in pieces for him. How in the stars could he feel he was selfish? It wasn’t as though he needed to prove his love for Grogu, when he had done that to get him back. When he had given everything he held dear.

“I let the kid get taken. I barely got him back alive. You back alive. And I’m dreaming about showing my face. I should be worrying about him. Not myself.”

Only this man could think himself selfish for experiencing a trauma, you could swear.

“It was a trauma, Din,” you state sensitively. “It makes sense that you would have nightmares about it. And... maybe,” you muse. “Do you think it’s possible... you’re not dreaming about the kid because you know he’s safe now? You know he’s back home and we can protect him. But the thing plaguing you... is something that was taken from you. Something you can’t get back?”

You’ve thought about this. You’ve had time to think about every single thing which might have been bothering him and how you might fix it, these past nights. That has become your ritual. To care for him. To notice when he holds Grogu a little tighter, becomes more reluctant to let go of his hand. When he grumbles about the specs of this ship, compared to the Crest. When he waits extra late, until it’s extra dark to remove his helmet these days. When he wakes in the night thrashing and gasping for air.

You can’t change what happened, but you hope you can be there as he heals from it.

Din doesn’t respond rightaway, but he takes a sip of his tea, mulling your words over.

“Do you want to talk more about it?” you ask gently. “About what happened?”

And, Din eventually begins, in a deep, empty rumble, sounding like an engine low on fuel. “They scanned me,” he says, and you can tell from the change in his voice that he has turned away from you - is now looking down at the floor. In your periphery you see his figure hunched over, head hung like a bird.

You want to reach out for him, but you don’t. Not yet.

“It wasn’t only showing my face to them, to you,” he begins, and you have a bitter taste in your mouth not only from his trauma but also from the fact you were any part of it. “They scanned me. My face is in their system. My face is everywhere. In every imperial back-up, all across the galaxy. Not only did I violate the code, but my violation is infinite, eternal. They have my face.” Your face twists in agony on his behalf as he speaks. “You know, I keep waking up, in a panic. Like I did when Grogu was taken... except this time it’s me they stole. They really did steal all of me. I’m not fit to call myself a Mandalorian.”

Tentatively, you do reach out your hand to him now, and you set it on to his shoulder, feeling the subtle heat of his skin through the thin, still damp fabric. You rub small circles there, hoping you can soothe him even a tiny amount. You let his heavy words sink in, before you speak.

“Din, I’m so sorry this happened to you,” you soothe. “I know I can’t fix it. I wish I could. But you should know, that it’s okay to feel this way, and I’m here -and so is Grogu- and we’ll help you however we can.” You suck your lips in between your teeth as he is unresponsive, wondering whether to go on. You decide you must. That he must hear this. “And, Din,” you say, through a watery smile. “I hope it’s not inappropriate to say- you know The Way better than I ever can- but, it seems to me, from what you tell me, that being a Mandalorian isn’t any one thing. It’s strength, and honour, and loyalty. And if it’s those things too, then, Din, you’re the most Mandalorian person I’ve ever met.”

Beneath your hand, your feel Din’s chest stutter and he takes a shaky, volatile breath in and out. You wonder if he is crying.

“Cyar'ika” he says softly, after a few moments. “How do you always make me feel a little better? A little safer?”

Your heart pounds. He called you darling.

“It’s just the tea,” you dismiss, through brimming tears of joy. It is all you want. All you want to protect this sweet man.

“It’s not,” he states painly. “The tea’s awful,” he says, and this time, his hand clamps over yours on his shoulder. His chest shakes again, but this time it is with a gentle, shaky laugh. The kind of throaty, beautiful chuckle which sounds out of him when Grogu plays with the silver ball of the flight control. 

Yes, he settles his hand on top of yours, but, this time, neither of you snatch your hands away. His laugh subsides, until it dissipates into the space between you, warming the room a little.

“There is one more thing I’d like to talk about,” Din says, his voice cracking.

Softly, you invite him to continue with a squeeze of his shoulder.

“You saw me,” he says, gently, and you can tell his gaze has turned back to you, head pointed where he’s looking. You feel his eyes on you.

Brown eyes.

Now that you know what they look like, it is all the harder to avert your gaze.

You did. You saw him.

“I’m sorry,” you state, voice brittle, and your heart breaking, tears tipping from your eyes. “I wish I hadn’t. I wasn’t looking.”

Just like now. You won’t look.

“Yes, I know. But you saw me. You always see me,” he states, his voice warm and revving like an engine suddenly full with fuel. You shake your head softly in confusion, unsure where he is going with this, syllables stuttering out of you. Luckily, Din picks up the slack. “I hoped you would see me for the first time as my riddur, but, now that you have already... what do you think? Is mine a face you could live with?”

Your heart is pounding faster now. It is definitely racing, and no longer breaking.

As his riddur? He meant to marry you? Means to, still? Your brimming tears spill over on to your cheeks.

And, this time, you turn toward each other, even though your gaze is cast down. Not looking. His eyes very much fixed on you- on whatever he can make out in this shadow.

You think that having such kind, brown eyes fall on you is a blessing.

“Din,” you start, your voice full and bowed with emotion. “Yours is a face I loved before I ever saw it. Loved when I saw it. Will love if even if I never see it again, and would love if I looked at nothing else but into your eyes for the rest of my life. Your face is as beautiful as your soul, and I never needed to look at you to see you.”

“Cyar’ika,” he whispers softly, scooping up your hand and bringing it to rest on his cheek.

An impossibly joyous smile splits your face as you feel the texture of his skin and the scruff of his beard against your fingers. Finally. As you feel his own face crease into a smile in return, his cheek appling beneath your touch. You are overwhelmed by the trust he must place in you, to sit with you like this.

“Do you mean it, Din?” you ask, scarcely believing it. “You want to be a family?”

This time, Din’s voice does not come to you from behind metal - behind beskar. It is close. It is unfettered. You feel his warm, sweet breath on your face as his joyful, certain words filter out of him. “We’re already a family. You and me and the kid. I’m never letting anything take you away from me.”

You believe him.

You smooth the pads of your finger over his face and he reaches out to cup your cheek too, feeling the tracks of your tears beneath his touch. With his broad hands, skin-on-skin, Din pulls you into him, and your lips find his immediately, his tongue delving eagerly into you as if he has been waiting for a mouth to kiss.

Din has been waiting for a long time, perhaps. Waiting for you to complete his family - officially. But he’s never had to wait to love you. He already did that, long ago. From the first time he saw you, in fact. You had a face as beautiful as your soul, and he knew you were the one for him. 

You close your eyes, feeling overwhelmed by happiness. You do not look at him; your Mando. You don’t even try to, but you don’t need to look to see him.

Still, you if you get the chance to look again, you think it will be a blessing to gaze into those brown eyes.

Those brown eyes as kind as his soul, and full of love, instead of fear.

[daichis-kitty]

DAICHI + THE SAWAMURA SIBLINGS ((headcanons))

A/N: So... we know Daichi has 4 younger siblings: 2 brothers and 2 sisters. And y’all already know that I’m a complete headass for Daichi but... today, my brain went ‘brrrrrrrr’ thinking about him being the bestest big brother and wondering what his siblings would be like. These are completing self-indulgent and are organized in no particular way. I hope y’all enjoy! It’s under the cut cuz it’s a little long and I didn’t want to clog anyone’s dash 🤧

Daichi can braid hair pretty really well

he knows how to do different styles (e.g., French, Dutch, Fishtail)

his practice subject when he was learning to do braids for his little sisters was actually Asahi

[CONTEXT: I headcanon that Daichi’s sisters are much younger than him–like they’re in their early elementary school years when Daichi’s a 3rd year at Karasuno]

the Sawamura birth order: Daichi → Brother #1 → Brother #2 → Sister #1 → Sister #2

Daichi’s younger brothers think volleyball’s cool but wouldn’t pick it up because they don’t wanna live in his shadow

Daichi’s a) flattered because this means that this brothers think he’s amazing but b) makes him sad because it would’ve meant the world to see his brothers play volleyball, esp. for Karasuno

INSTEAD, the one who picks up volleyball is one of his sisters–I would say the older of the two

Daichi braids her hair before taking her to her first lesson/practice and cries a little IMMEDIATELY after dropping her off ((I LOVE HIM, YOUR HONOR))

if you think Tanaka, Noya, and Tora protecting Kiyoko was extra then you’ve obviously never seen 3 Sawamura boys protect their younger sisters

the youngest sister is the head Sawamura cheerleader at tournaments

imagine Wakutani’s Takeru’s family but multiplied by the Sawamura clan ((in addition to all of Karasuno because there’s no way they wouldn’t come out to support Daichi’s volleyball-playing sister))

Daichi teaches his little brothers to ✨ respect women ✨

has an absolute zero tolerance policy when it comes to picking on girls

ultimately, helps them out in the long-run 🥴🥴🥴

Daichi’s actually really good at patching people up–like applying First-Aid or cleaning/bandaging up wounds

example: after Tanaka punched Kageyama and Hinata to end their fight, who patched them up? Daichi

reason: his younger brothers–who are closer in age to each other than they are to him–fought a lot

Daichi’s younger brothers never really grow out of bickering with each other but the fighting just becomes more... contained? like no more physical fighting/wrestling but instead Daichi suggests they compete with each other in things

ex: arm wrestling, who can score the most in skeeball, or who can run the fastest to the end of their street

eventually, these little challenges lead to both brothers ending up in their respective sport(s)

so like Brother #1 wins the race and decides he’ll try the track & field team at school and realizes that he likes it and the people in it

Brother #2 joins the track & field team to spite him so they end up competing against each other in stupid things like who can run their warm-up lap the fastest BUT

Brother #2 realizes that he enjoys the field aspect more than the track side so he does stuff like shot put or pole vaulting

FOR WHATEVER REASON, I can imagine Daichi’s younger brothers as twins or only one year apart from each other

Daichi’s baby sister chooses not to do a sports club–ends up in student council

is super artsy (surprisingly)

does the poster work for events like the school festival or sports day

can definitely see her wanting to become a professional photographer who captures action shots at sporting events

BONUS (thanks to @bramble-heart​): Baby Sawamura is the kid on the student council who actively advocates for clubs, esp. sports clubs

COMPLETELY UNRELATED: but if Daichi didn’t play volleyball, i could 100% see him as baseball player and NO. I WILL ANY CRITICISMS. like have you see the CAKE that man is carrying in the back???? he’s a whole ass fictional 2D character but DAAAAAAAAMN.

tagging: @sunshinetoshi​ @honeybunny-sawamura​ @karasimpno​ @whoreshijima​ @ceo-of-daichi​ @sunkaashi​ @kiyoobi​ @alto-march-of-death​ + everyone that i miss bc i decided to disappear for a PHat minute