#I get too long-winded

[lanternmice]

are they... you know🏳️‍🌈

[kindnessinsilver]

Does anyone else have a penchant for m/m romance with main character who have interesting sexualities and submissive streaks a mile wide? Or is that just me?

Alex Rowland has had me eating out of the palm of their metaphorical hand for the past several months because of some of their main characters. Anybody who has known me for really any amount of time and ever heard me talk about my taste in books will know that I have a tendency to find a power dynamic reading in almost any pairing I really like, but Alex made it easy with some of these guys. They make me want to cry in the best ways because it is so beautiful to feel seen.

Running Close to the Wind:

Avra Helvaçi, absolute feral gremlin brat who just wants to be teased and pitied and mocked and for all his friends to be just a little mean to him all the time as long as they think it’s endearing or hot. I relate to this so strongly it’s almost not even funny, but I can’t say that because Running Close to the Wind is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Avra’s sexuality is “yes please how soon?” except for the rare times when it’s “actually can you please just hold me I am sad and tired.” He has been in an on-again-off-again relationship with his best friend and biggest bully for 15 years, and they understand each other and tolerate each other in ways that no one else on the planet ever could.

A Taste of Gold and Iron:

Evemer Hoşkadem shows us a completely different version of submissive leaning that also calls to my soul. He is dedicated to service, honor, and protocol. He is a core guard of the royal family, and he has been chasing this goal for years because he believes that it is something great and noble. Fealty comes more naturally to him than humor or general affection. He believes in the trappings of power but also in the responsibility of power. Power has the responsibility to care for people, live up to their expectations, and accept the service that is its due. He is seeking, trying to find purpose and trying to find someone worthy of his service and his devotion. Evemer wrecks me because I swear I’ve lived those moments and because I’ll always be a little jealous of characters who get to prove their loyalty by risking grievous bodily harm. His sexuality is “meh” and “shoulders” and “competency kink”. Mood.

When I tell you that I hardly included half the incriminating quotes from the internal monologue of Evemer, I mean it. Read this.

Yield Under Great Persuasion: (under a read more because this book came out a month ago)

Tam Beckett, in Alex’s newest book, definitely doesn’t have the same level of obvious submissive streak, largely because it is covered up by a huge swath of bitter and lonely. Still, the interesting sexuality part applies, and he’s got a few lines that sing to me in similar ways. He has been in love with this one guy for 20 years but also he hates him. But also if he goes longer than a week without his dick, he might die. But also if the guy invites him for a second round, he might throw himself out a window. He is angry at Lyford and angry at his favorite god. He is angry at death and the passage of time. The instant he is given a chance (or 2 or 4) to make up for what a shitty human he’s been for years now, he jumps at it. He wants to be good, he wants to be loved, he wants to be worthy. But also he’s an asshole with a sharp tongue and he will push Lyford’s buttons until the man snaps if that’s what it takes to see his real reaction. He’s also got a similar level of touch starvation and need to be held and loved that Avra has.

[vynnyal]

Turns out Sunlit Trail isn't quite done just yet, so after all that they just send you to a dead end 😂

[criminal-sen]

:p

[woodsie]

Shadow Yosuke’s Symbolism

I recently got a friend to play Persona 4 and we were talking about the symbolism of each of the character’s shadow selves, when we came to the realisation that neither of us really knew what Yosuke’s was meant to represent.

Chie’s represented her relationship with Yukiko. Yukiko’s her desire for freedom but lack of action in taking it. Yosuke has… a ninja frog…?

So I’ve done some digging.

Official Statements

The first thing I did was look at the official concept art sheet for shadow Yosuke. This primarily detailed that as the first of the shadows, they wanted it to be very obvious that their shadow’s and persona’s were the same thing.

This is done quite well and tells players subtly that they are the same without being obvious.

Jiraiya does look a lot like shadow Yosuke. The main body’s colour is inverted from black (evil) to white (good), the frogs eyes are added to Jiraiya’s head and the frog’s mouth becomes a chest piece, with the frog’s skin pattern carried over to the cuffs of Jiraiya’s clothes.

Jiraiya is easily the most similar persona to shadow. Important for early game. This idea is also helped by Tomoe looking very similar to shadow Chie, and allows the idea of persona’s and shadow’s being the same to be cemented into the players minds before they meet shadow Yukiko who is visually very different to Konohana-Sakuya.

Jiraiya In Folklore

My next step was to look for any symbolism between Yosuke and the story of Jiraiya himself. Granted, as a white woman™️ my knowledge of Japanese folklore is limited but I will summarise my findings and compare them to Yosuke’s story directly.

[Sorry for the weird formatting, I’m working around the 10 image post limit]

Both stories open with a character from an influential background and moving to a new area.

Jiraiya’s stance as a robber could be in reference to the fact that Junes is taking business away from local businesses and their families.

Saki could be taking the place of the woman in the house. Regardless of if she actually likes him, she is kind to him when others are not. This is something Yosuke admires greatly but it still doesn’t prevent Junes from ruining the Konishi’s business.

His shadow self is then a reference to the old man/magic frog. It recognises him from who he is, and although the shadow is hostile its intention is to teach Yosuke about the parts of himself he is trying to hide so he can reconcile with those feelings. This is what allows him to gain his persona, or in other words “teaching him magic”

Gaining his persona is what helps set Yosuke’s resolve and desire to avenge Saki and the others who have suffered due to the killer. He shows a distinct intelligence and is often the one to piece together vital information. Without him insisting they investigate Saki’s murder, the Investigation Team might not have ever existed. In that sense you could consider him a hero.

A good portion of his social link is devoted to him coming to terms with his situation, both around the murders and his place within Inaba. He frequently talks about feelings of loneliness and a desire to be valued, and he finds comfort in having his persona and being able to do something about what’s going on, it gives him some control over his life which he lost by coming to Inaba in the first place. Overtime though he does come to love Inaba as a whole and recognises that it’s the people around you that really make a place special. He’s not alone anymore and he’s far happier for it.

Other Potential Inspirations

In my attempts at seeing what others online think about potential symbolism for Yosuke’s shadow, I found that most people also did not understand what his shadow was meant to represent. However, I did come across a few older threads of people sharing possible ideas.

One of which was of a Chinese story about a frog in a well. The story related to narrow mindedness and limited perspective as the frog is unaware of life beyond the well and is amazed by it when told what it has to offer. This could be a potential reference to his dismissal of country life and him growing to love the town.

[orange-cheetah]

Makochi Townspeople Profiles

The People Who Give Makochi Town Its Colours!

Yama-jii (山じい)

An elderly man Sakura met at Café Pothos. He was grateful when Sakura let him know he'd forgotten something behind. Kotoha calls him "Yama-jii".

Satou-baachan (さとうのばあちゃん)

Sakura gave her a piggyback ride since her hips were hurting so much she couldn't stand. Jumped off Sakura's back and landed like someone from the Av*ngers.

Liquor store (酒店) - Butcher's (精肉店) - Fruit and vegetable store　(青果店)

Bakery (ベーカリー)

Taiyaki place (たい焼き店)

Monjayaki place (もんじゃ焼き店)

The People of Tonpu Shopping Street (東風商店街の人々)

The people running shops on Tonpu Shopping Street. They give Bofurin gifts from their shops like bread and fruit for protecting the town. There are also people like the owner of the liquor store, who challenges underage Sakura to a drinking match…

Granny of the first aid kit (救急箱のおばあさん)

A kind old woman who brought a first aid kit over to tend to Sakura, who had been stabbed in the leg. This became an opportunity for Sakura to start building relationships with others again.

The girl Nirei helped (楡井が助けた女性)

The girl who asked Sakura for help as Nirei was getting beaten one-sidedly by some delinquents. The reason Nirei got involved with the delinquents was to protect her from them.

Sasaki (笹城)

The junior high school student who found himself caught up with Shishitoren while chasing a shoplifter on the shopping street. Sakura and the others saved him while he was being attacked by Shishitoren.

The female student Kiryu helped (桐生が助けた女子生徒)

The girl Kiryu brought to Muscle Power. She was being harassed by some delinquents but received help from Kiryu.

Granny (おばあちゃん)

Asked Kaji and the others for help when her pet cat Risa-chan went missing. This doesn't seem to be the first time Risa-chan has run away.

Risa-chan (リサちゃん)

A cat with a pink ribbon as its defining trait. Perhaps because it was being chased by Sakura, its momentum caused it to jump into the river, but was saved by Kaji.

土屋 (Tsuchiya)

A childhood friend of Anzai who used to play with him at the park since they were little. Even now that Anzai has entered Furin High, it seems they still meet at the park of their memories.

長門 (Nagato)

Anzai's childhood friend. Mature and kind, he always went along with Anzai and Tsuchiya's recklessness. After that, the three of them went to different high schools and became separated.

[masterlist]

[mydream-synopsis]

i like to think togame was raised by his grandparents; as a result, his idea of love comes from observing his grandparents and their display of affection. so when he looks at you, he imagines growing old together.

[the-bi-space-ace]

I’m gonna be honest with y’all. I try my best but I do not understand half of Star Wars. I’m Din Djarin in this fandom. I don’t understand the storyline, I have no idea what anyone is talking about, I don’t want to be in charge, I got a cool outfit and I have a car let’s ride.

[unexpectedbrickattack]

get normaled, idiot

[eulogium-red]

i'd like to see more of the theme of "family" in overwatch. we see it a lot with ana & fareeha, ram & zen, brig/torb/rein/bastion, genji & hanzo. but those are the obvious ones between playable characters. the ones that are much more clearly written on the wall, even once-in-a-blue-moon players could pick up on. much else is hardly focused on despite how much family (or a lack thereof) has shaped many of the character's lives & identities for better or for worse

i don't like how martina & the unnamed reyes kid are only mentioned in passing, despite gabriel himself visiting often unannounced. clearly they were an important part of his life. clearly, family is an important part of his life — i'm very willing to wager that small passage about the death of his parents in declassified was written very intentionally. his complicated relationship with death, and how it was further affected by his own "death," & how he's now in some warped reversed position with his new family. but we don't get much more than a few voice lines about martina (is she even mentioned by name in-game orrr am i not remembering?)

i want to see how ashe manages the gang throughout the second omnic crisis. or perhaps we could see her mannerisms slightly change with bob. maybe instead of standing side-by-side with him as she is in the reunion cinematic, she puts herself more between him & potential unrealised threats. or maybe she subtly tries to nudge him under awnings whenever she spots ufos, weary they're housing subjugators — little things that are very intentional. maybe her demeanor tilts ever so slightly from confident but guarded, to guarded but confident.

i want to get a better picture of the role sam english played in fareeha's life just from playing the game, especially after ana's presumed death. i want to know more about their relationship other than the christmas dinner they had. i wonder how many players just assume fareeha's father died young, or assume the writers didn't care to write one at all? for a long time, i thought the former. i wonder what sam thinks of some of fareeha's closest friends — has he met cole & angela? what does he think of helix? we hardly even see fareeha's native heritage expressed other than the two skins off the top of my head

what about cassidy & echo? i know this is a more implied one, but cassidy was the first one to nurture her "childlike intelligence." even today, he guides her — he encouraged her to help winston&co at paris when he was still on the fence. one of the cutest things for me is her enthusiastically shouting "hello winston!" mid-battle, presumably not long after cassidy told her to say hi. she probably would've either way, but i also don't want to discredit the role cassidy has had on her development & i really do want to see more of them

or, speak of the devil, how winston views everyone at overwatch as family. how in watchpoint: gibraltar's 1st defense spawn, you can see the little beds he set up for lena and mei, how you can read an email as proof he got the blankets from a small kids blanket business. the way he keeps photos of the gang, years later. how vehemently protective he was of all their locations. i wish we could see it reciprocated a little more, i wish we could see individual sleeping areas for other heroes as the story progresses, or more items on his desk. & that's not even getting into hammond

& i don't think i can have a family post without mentioning dad 76 or how i desperately want to see benicio being the best supportive dad for lúcio more but honestly i'm getting pretty sleepy so either i'll add more later or someone can add more.

depending how you stretch the definition of family here, it can include other dynamics too. baptiste finding a new sense of belonging in the new overwatch, or mei braving the antarctic to not let her team's death go in vain & to help people who can still be helped — from jiayi and her team still on mars, to the people who now need her help on earth. i'd also argue hana's squad in korea. what are niran's siblings up to? are we gonna see more of efi & orisa? moreover, how are all these non-playable side character characters handling the invasion? i guess we got some texts between lena and emily

family is such a powerful motivator, but can also be really complicated, as seen with the amaris and shimadas + kiriko, i wish we got a similar amount of investment some other places too

a major theme of overwatch is moving towards the future, progressing in some way. & that looks different for everyone depending on their emotional readiness to do that, and what they view "progression" as. so it makes sense a lot of characters don't look back on those they lost along the way so much, at least not too openly (zarya comes to mind), but that's what can make their present relationships with others that much more worth preserving & seeing

probably an impossible ask of a game feeling the effects of layoffs that's primarily focused on pvp/bp/shop items but ykn

thank u for coming to my tedtalk

[stinkrascal]

it’s so hard being a datv lover on the internet right now, i can’t make any comments about how much im enjoying the game without some weirdo on reddit being like “yeah but dont you find the dialogue so cringe? doesnt it feel so disney+ to you?” and when i ask what they mean without fail they’re like “well have you seen taash talk about their gender” 😐

[raamitsu]

Love how Sakura is earnestly looking for an answer to his doubts whether or not he is a reliable leader although he does not seem to realize his spontaneous action of doing so, but also love how Kaji helps Sakura to understand himself by making a metaphor from a bottle that contains a different type of water when outside of it is written as "Green Tea" - just to show that people, including the ones around you, can appear with a different or fake persona. It happens because these type of people find themselves hard to open up to others due to an unavoidable past or fear - then again, Kaji directly says "that's because you're scared... of being rejected by others" to point out one of the blurry facts that Sakura denied continuously, meanwhile it has been obvious to others (ex: Suo, Umemiya and especially Kaji himself). To simplify, Sakura is so used to denial so that he won't be seen as useless or pathetic hence why he hates weakness, let alone show any signs of it.

Just assume this "discussion" between them as a baby step towards his goal. I am just glad that Sakura came to Kaji because Kaji once said that he could not do everything on his own and he embraced that side of him. Kaji is trying to tell him that relying on others does not mean you are weak, it is the fact that you trust them to handle any situation at any circumstances, and that you understood yourself to the point you know what you NEED to do as a leader and how much you can do things by yourself. Funny because even Umemiya has explicitly said couple of times that he can barely work on stuffs alone even though he is a leader. Hopefully Sakura learns to embrace his strength and weakness just as much as Kaji does.

[petricorah]

since it's over my dash today, when i draw comics, this is my "divorced" zukka au: That they choose their duties over their personal lives. Sokka out of love and obligation. And Zuko out of love for his people...but also out of guilt and fear that he'll end up like his father. And they got together, briefly, wonderfully, before they had to part ways. It was the culmination of years of pining and worrying about their friendship, and for a brief moment, they think they can have a future before reality and their own choices ruins it for them, and Sokka leaves and Zuko stays. They didn't get the chance to be happy together and now it hurts too much to even be friends. Because all that's left between them is what could have been. And sometimes they'll have to do a mission together and things will click back into place like they were meant to be, just like boiling rock, and they'll be reminded of what a good team they make and how much trust they have in each other. And Zuko is reminded that he hasn't really smiled that way in years because Sokka's the only one who can make him that happy, and that realization comes with a bitter twist inside him because he knows it's fleeting, and it's not fair that he can only be happy with someone who lives across the world. And Sokka remembers what it feels like to have warmth and sure footing. What it felt like to be with the one person he could completely let go with and know he'd be caught if he fell. And how he missed hearing the sound of Zuko's laugher so much he has trouble enjoying his own jokes because it just feels a little bit empty without the person he wanted to spend his life with by his side to hear them.

And then, the mission ends, and they're having to say goodbye, again, and it hurts more and more each time until neither of them are able to face it at all.

[ihatebrainstorm]

Earthspark Season 2 spoilers:

Just some brief thoughts

Ok now that it's been a few days since release,, does anyone else feel kinda confused on where the show is meant to go now? I mean there's the Quintessons, Quintus Prime + Terratronus setup I guess, but otherwise I'm just a bit confused on what the goal is now? There's not really a "big bad guy" anymore, aside from I guess?? Starscream???? Although I feel like the Decepticons are either going to cast him out/push him out of the leadership role due to that whole titan fiasco- Kinda just curious what they'll do with him now ig,, And are the Chaos Terrans just dead now?? I dunno, I really like the show and its characters/potential, but right now it just feels a bit... directionless?

Also I can't be the only one who feels like they handled the chaos terrans a bit,,, weird,,,,, right? As in there might be some unintended implications that don't feel very thought out?

[synonymroll648]

It was even stranger seeing Fitz in elvin clothes: a long blue tunic with elaborate embroidery around the edges and slender pockets sewn into the sleeves…

(quote from book one, page 71)

i know we make fun at how ankle pockets were forgotten about but can we please bring attention to elvin sleeve pockets. hello give our kids more sleeve pockets they deserve it!!

also how slender are we talking here in this quote because it’d be funny if fitz could only fit like. a penny. into these pockets

[voidcat]

leaning in for a peck on the lips and telling your windbreaker darling they're so sweet they give you toothaches... only to be hit by a real toothache hours later