#I know most of these are very popular and obvious and everyone has already read everything and the fandom is barely alive but whatever

[notonlymice]

90 RUMBELLE + 10 ANYELLE/ANYEM FICS I THINK ABOUT A LOT

I enjoy finding interesting fics to read through rec lists, so I decided to make one myself. I've only been in the fandom for less than two years and I still have a lot to read, but these are some of my favourites so far.

1. Acceptance by Silential

Storybrooke, 9537 words, E

Rumple has gained some weight and feels self-conscious about it. Belle shows him that she loves him anyway.

2. Accord by sira_underhill

Creature AU, 7546 words, M

Rumplestiltskin is a dragon.

3. A Little Help by Crysania

Dark Castle, 2025 words, E

Table sex (poor table).

4. All I Want For Christmas Is You by lizandletdie

Non-magical AU, 16919 words, T

Neal asks Belle to pretend to be his terrible girlfriend so that his father would say please date anyone but not this one. This doesn’t go as planned.

5. Alone In My Tower by Crysania

Enchanted Forest AU, 8450 words, E

Belle’s father locks her up in the tower until she agrees to marry one of her suitors. She summons the Dark One to help her.

6. Always One More Time by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 54001 words, E

Due to certain reasons Gold has excelled in oral sex and puts an online ad offering his services.

7. Any Just Cause or Impediment by suchadearie

Non-magical AU, 15287 words, E

Belle is about to marry Whale and thinks his best man, Gold, hates her (it’s actually the opposite).

8. Anything by whereismygarden

Enchanted Forest AU, 2719 words, E

A deal with the Dark One turns into friendship and then into something else.

9. A Streak of Luck by WorryinglyInnocent

Enchanted Forest AU, 27998 words, T

Belle is cursed, and she goes looking for the Dark One hoping he could help her.

10. Baby It's Cold Outside by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 14407 words, E

Gold and his housekeeper Belle are stuck in his house due to a blizzard.

11. Balancing the Books by BarPurple

Non-magical AU, 3302 words, E

Angry oral sex in the library.

12. Braided Leather and Smooth Skin by ZionAngel

Storybrooke, 5010 words, E, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Rumple has nightmares about Belle being whipped, and she suggests to fight fire with fire.

13. Buried Treasure by Emospritelet

Storybrooke, 19860 words, E

Lacey decides to distract Gold from his thoughts about Belle and hides his ring in an interesting place.

14. Buttoned Up by nerdrumple

Non-magical AU, 24343 words, E

Belle doesn’t feel beautiful, but it doesn't stop her from masturbating at her workplace. Gold accidentally witnesses it.

15. Chevalier by oceanofdarkness

Dark Castle, 2363 words, E

Gaston comes to rescue his fiancee and sees something unexpected.

16. Dark Castle series by extree

Dark Castle, 23354 words, G, T

Dark Castle fluff.

17. Darkest by ScarletteStarlett

Dark Castle, 1847 words, E, Rape/Non-Con

Rumplestiltskin is as dark as he claims to be.

18. Dark Heart by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 122667 words, E

Two years ago Gold and Belle broke up, and she left town. Now she is back, and apparently she has a baby.

+ 19. Twisted Fate by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 110565 words, E

Everything pre-breakup is the same as in "Dark Heart", but at some point Belle manages to tell Gold she is pregnant.

20. Dark Lover by woodelf

Storybrooke, 2932 words, E

Rumbelle roleplay (with dirty talk).

21. Desperate Souls by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 25227 words (7/? chapters), E

Belle needs money, so she agrees to do some lingerie modelling for Gold.

22. Discreet by whereismygarden

Dark Castle, 1721 words, E

Rumple catches Belle masturbating.

23. Double the Meaning by BarPurple

Dark Castle, 1936 words, E

Flirting through double entendres.

24. Essays by RosexKnight

Non-magical AU, 3977 words, E

Instead of an essay Belle turns in an erotic fairytale retelling.

25. Fair Trade by Anonymous

Enchanted Forest AU, 3233 words, M, Rape/Non-Con

Villagers make a virgin sacrifice to Rumplestiltskin.

26. Five Times series by lizandletdie

Non-magical AU, 11644 words, T, E

Belle has a crush on her new neighbour but constantly makes a fool of herself in front of him.

27. For a Good Cause by rowofstars

Non-magical AU, 5968 words, E

Chubby Belle and the green dress.

28. From Shattered Places by lizandletdie

Historical AU (non-magical), 124553 words, E, Rape/Non-Con 

Lady Belle was raped by Nottingham. Mr. Gold offers her his hand in marriage of convenience.

29. Hang On Me by nerdrumple

Non-magical AU, 2930 words (1/2 chapters), E

Gold is going to hang himself when suddenly he sees Belle through the window.

30. Head over Heels by B_does_the_write_thing

Non-magical AU, 7338 words, E

Belle finds out that her boss Gold has never received a blow job.

31. Her Angel by Kelyon

Enchanted Forest AU, 8475 words, G

Belle flees from her own wedding and comes across a spinner and his son.

32. Homecoming by rowofstars

Enchanted Forest AU, 5850 words, G

Rumple goes home from the war and wonders if he would be welcomed by Belle and their newborn son.

33. Hot Cocoa and Stolen Kisses by Kelyon

Non-magical AU, 19715 words, E

Lacey tries to connect with Mr. Gold through hot chocolate.

34. In Dreams of Him by mareyshelley

Creature AU, 14958 words, E

Gold is an incubus.

35. In the Blood!Verse series by Megara Bee (Megara_Bee)

Vampire AU, 48780 words, E

Belle makes a deal with Gold, a local vampire, and he drinks her blood, but not in a usual for vampires way.

36. Layered by TheStraggletag

Non-magical AU, 9017 words, E

Mary Margaret, a famous actress, wants her wedding dress to be made by Gold, a famous designer, but doesn’t want paparazzi to know she’s getting married, so she asks her friend Belle for a favour.

37. Legal Binding by Of_Princes_and_Savages

Non-magical AU, 3375 words, E

Lawyer!Gold and his secretary Belle have fun in the car.

38. like an open book. by SerenaLyon

Dark Castle, 7782 words, E

Light BDSM in the Dark Castle.

39. Liminal Space by rufeepeach

Non-magical AU, 18997 words, E

Midnight bonding of two broken hearts through an act of vandalism in a parking lot.

40. Lipstick Kisses by mareyshelley

Non-magical AU, 39060 words, E

Lacey has broken up their secret relationship with Gold, but now she has another secret.

41. Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls by DeliriumsDelight7

Hanahaki Disease AU, 5697 words (1/4 chapters), M

Unrequited love makes Belle cough up flower petals.

42. Married to the Magic by Crysania

Dark Castle, 11076 words, E

Accidental marriage through drinking some strange tea.

43. Midnight Rides by Maplesyrup

Non-magical AU, 8406 words, E

Belle and Gold often take night rides in his car, both thinking that the other isn’t really interested.

44. Mr. Good Mood series by lizandletdie

Non-magical AU, 23250 words, G, M, E

Belle spends a night with an older man and soon realises he is her friend's father.

45. Necessary Roughness by Shipperqueen

Storybrooke, 8598 words, E

Belle pretends to be Lacey so that Rumple could be rougher with her.

46. Neverland by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 79107 words, E

Belle wants her first time to be special, so she hires an escort. She definitely doesn't expect her teacher to show up.

47. Nightcap by Mrs_Stiltskin (Lady_Belles_Teacup)

Storybrooke, 2616 words, E

PWP with lactation kink.

48. Not A Prince by LicieOIC

Storybrooke s2, 2515 words, E

At least someone comes to the library to unchain Belle...

49. Of Greasepaint and Flyers by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 14041 words, E

Circus AU.

50. Old Names and New Titles by rufeepeach

Storybrooke, 4277 words, T

Belle and Gold babysit Henry.

51. One Small Spark by Bad_Faery

Dark Castle, 5471 words, E, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con 

Regina didn’t lie about the clerics.

52. On the Shores of Loch Katrine by PhoenixTalon

Non-magical AU, 53036 words, E

To inherit his grandfather’s estate in Scotland, Gold needs to get married.

53. Our Way to Fall by nerdrumple

Non-magical AU, 17670 words, E

Belle wants her mother’s necklace back, and Gold suggests her to do something shocking for it. He doesn’t expect her to agree.

54. Pages of Reverie by chippedcupwrites

Dark Castle, 2002 words, T

Belle stumbles upon a book with a sleeping curse and sees strange fairytailish dreams of herself and someone else.

55. Red Lights by rufeepeach

Non-magical AU, 30855 words, E

Gold is a 45-year-old virgin and hires an escort to finally experience sex.

56. Refuge by Fyre

Dark Castle, 13024 words, M, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Belle, desperate and scared, comes knocking at the Dark Castle doors.

57. Representation by AngelofDarkness1605

Storybrooke, 18711 words, M

Watching porn together turns out to be good for the relashionship.

58. Room to Breathe by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 10124 words, M

Gold is a hoarder, Neal hires Belle to help him declutter.

59. Sacrifice by guinevere_grey

Dark Castle, 4755 words, E

When Rumplestiltskin claims her as his price, Belle expects him to have sex with her, but time goes by, nothing’s happening, and she loses her patience.

60. Santa Baby by lizandletdie

Storybrooke, 3859 words, E

Gold and Lacey celebrate Christmas with anal sex.

61. She Can't Help It by wonderwoundedhearers

Enchanted Forest AU, 7453 words, E

Ella Enchanted AU.

62. Shelter From the Storm by lizandletdie

Non-magical AU, 49605 words, M, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

They meet at a domestic violence shelter.

63. Sparks by Emospritelet

Dark Castle, 9291 words (5/? chapters), E

Rumple, Belle, and a little dragon in the Dark Castle.

64. Swipe Right by B_does_the_write_thing

Non-magical AU, 1972 words, M

Annoying loved ones make Belle and Gold try online dating.

65. Tattercloak by DeliriumsDelight7

Enchanted Forest AU, 41320 words, T

Retelling of the fairytale “Allerleirauh”.

66. Temptation by MelissaBosquez

Dark Castle, 6157 words, E

Rumple is like, be careful with my things, maid, or I’ll spank you! Belle is like, hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me…

67. The Best Ideas are Found in Books by JediAnnieScrambler

Enchanted Forest AU, 977 words, E

Belle masturbates to a picture of the Dark One and accidentally summons him.

68. The Big Tease by TheNaughtyScandalousScorpio

Dark Castle, 14537 words, E

Belle finds an interesting book.

69. The Caretaker by TheStraggletag

Non-magical AU, 23093 words, E

Sugar Daddy AU.

70. the course of our fate by bayloriffic

Non-magical AU, 53445 words, E, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Belle is a prostitute, Gold is a cop, Gaston is the worst.

71. The Cradle Will Rock by Bad_Faery

Non-magical AU, 4251 words, E

All Gold wanted was a child, not to fall in love with the surrogate mother.

72. The Enchanted Florists by B_does_the_write_thing

Non-magical AU, 4339 words, T

Belle asks her boss Gold to go to her ex’s wedding with her.

73. The Essence of Life by Bad_Faery

Enchanted Forest AU, 8727 words, E

Belle is unhappily married to Gaston and wants a child. The Dark One can help.

74. The Finfolk's Bride series by chippedcupwrites

Creature AU, 3397 words, G, T

Rumple is a merman.

75. The Future's So Bright by ThatRavenclawBitch

Storybrooke, 46183 words, E

Belle and Rumple got divorced after s6. Three years later Belle wants another baby.

76. The Gods of Our Shores by Lady_Therion

Creature AU, 9054 words, E

Belle makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin. Who lives in the sea and has tentacles.

77. The Nanny by ThatRavenclawBitch

Storybrooke, 16511 words, E

Belle and Rumple are divorced, and Belle is looking for a nanny for their daughter. Rumple sees an opportunity.

78. The One Where Belle is a Real Estate Agent and Gold is a Ghost by RosexKnight

Ghost AU, 2901 words (2/? chapters), G

Belle, a real estate agent, tries to sell Mr. Gold’s house, but it’s hard because Mr. Gold is still kinda there.

79. The Pages In Between by ThatRavenclawBitch

Non-magical AU, 30395 words, E

Gold has a crush on his new tenant. Finding a lingerie magazine with her half-naked photos doesn't make it easier.

80. The Queen's Request by B_does_the_write_thing

Enchanted Forest AU, 8550 words, E

Queen Belle has witnessed an act of oral sex between her handmaidens and wants to experience that herself. Her useless husband Gaston sends to her a peasant from a local village.

81. The Rare Books Crises by tinytorso

Non-magical AU, 3731 words, E

Books help Belle attract Mr. Gold’s attention.

82. The Safest Place by TheStraggletag

Dark Castle, 5184 words, T

Due to some timey-wimey baby Gideon appears in the Dark Castle.

83. The Spirit of the Trees by woodelf 

Creature AU, 7320 words, E

Rumple is a tree spirit, and Belle is a curious woman.

84. To Have and to Hold by ThatRavenclawBitch

Non-magical AU, 36632 words, E

Belle and Gold want to divorce but have to pretend to be together for the sake of Neal’s wedding.

85. Travelling Light by francoeurs

Enchanted Forest, 12847 words, E

During her adventures Belle meets Rumple again, and they continue the journey together.

86. True Scotsman by WorryinglyInnocent

Non-magical AU, 1559 words, E

Wearing a kilt has certain advantages.

87. Virgin's Blood by lizandletdie

Dark Castle, 5542 words, E

Belle finding an interesting book is the best premise for PWP (with BDSM).

88. Waiting Game by Emospritelet

Non-magical AU, 29842 words, E

Lacey offers Gold (her college friend Neal’s father) to wait for Neal in her room.

89. you owe me. I own you. series by SerenaLyon

Storybrooke s6, 7052 words, E

Jealous Belle decides that Rumple owes her 42 orgasms.

90. Your Mileage May Vary by Endangered_Slug

Non-magical AU, 3557 words, T

At Neal’s wedding Milah is annoyed by a loud couple in the hotel room next door.

ANYEMS

(I definitely need to read more of that lol😅)

1. Beast!Rush series by Bad_Faery

SGU, 40325 words, E

Rush has pricked himself with some alien bush and starts acting like an animal.

2. Breaking Cycles by DeliriumsDelight7

California Solo, 154826 words, E

Lachlan returns to Scotland and meets a pretty librarian (who turns out to have a lot of inner demons too).

3. Fragile by Emospritelet

SGU, 6689 words, E, Underage

Rush goes to a bar before starting a new job at a school and meets Belle. Nothing can go wrong, right?

4. How Do You Sleep? 'Verse series by ifishouldvanish

California Solo, 56286 words, M

Threatened with deportation, Lachlan contacts his estranged wife Lacey he married some years ago.

5. If Only for a Moment by ifishouldvanish

Hamish MacBeth, 5320 words, E

Cockblock brigades exist everywhere including Lochdubh, and Belle has to fabricate a crime to get some time alone with Hamish.

6. Let's Spend the Night Together by ifishouldvanish

SGU, 10334 words, E

Lacey is Rush’s roommate. Rush can repair stargates but can't repair heaters, so they have to find a way to keep warm.

7. The Books That Bind by TheScholarlyStrumpet (equipoise)

Hamish MacBeth, 3525 words, T

Belle, a new librarian, and Hamish find a shared interest in books.

8. The Fractures Within Us by Lady_Therion

Summer, 4880 words, M

Shaun is prescribed physical therapy. Belle is his therapist, and she is mute.

9. The Oldest Profession by orphan_account

The Legend of Barney Thomson, 10067 words, E

Belle is a prostitute who needs a haircut.

10. The Sweetest of Sins by snafumoofins

Operation: Endgame, The Tournament, 3220 words, E, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Hiero has a crush on a local priest.

[genericpuff]

So I watched ChattyMia's Lore Olympus video which was great and everyone should watch it. It seems most people who do series reviews of the Lore Olympus don't like the comic for obvious reasons. Then I was reminded by the end that the comic is expecting a TV series which is in development hell. It made me think that Rachel might be better off not having a Lore Olympus TV show. Most praise for the series died awhile ago as the story became an utter mess. If it did get a TV show, people will see the early red flags like the age gap, the treatment of Minthe, trying to excuse cheating, Hades horrible behavior to workers, nymphs being discriminated with no pushback, etc. If some of them read the comic for spoilers they would later see the other big red flags of the series. Excusing slave labor, Persephone threatening the lower class, Hera getting with Echo a 'trash nypmh' as she once called Minthe, Apollo gets community service, the continued mistreatment of Demeter etc. Which I feel will cause everyone to go 'wtf is this series? 50 Shades of Grey mixed with Keeping Up with the Kardashians?'. Then you have to wonder if some of them will do a deep dive and find the stuff about Rachel's tie to Lolita. It would be especially bad if a bigger content creator talked about it. And we already know Rachel doesn't handle criticism the best (i.e. the struggle street tweet, the Minthe cosplay situation or even the merch). So I could only imagine how much worse it would be for her if Lore Olympus got a TV show and more eyes got drawn to it and her. It would no longer be just confided to the web comics fanbase but the much larger TV one. Unless Rachel seriously considered rewriting the TV script (or rekindling it lol) I don't see how a TV adaptation of her show would be good press for her.

Yess I've seen that video, it's great! She did a great job summarizing a lot of the biggest core issues with LO's story and art without getting too lost in the sauce (though god knows the rabbithole of LO's issues runs INCREDIBLY deep in an equally fascinating and "oh god what the fuck did I just read' kind of way), her video editing was very entertaining and her Persephone cosplay was a great touch 😎

That said, regarding the thought of "most people who do series reviews of LO don't like the comic", there is an amount of bias we have to acknowledge there - there's often a lot more to say in the negative rather than the positive. By extension, people who simply enjoy LO and don't participate much in the online discussion surrounding it or the discourse concerning it are less likely to make 2 hour videos analyzing it. So while the popular opinion of LO has shifted more towards a negative point of view, that doesn't mean that fans of the comic don't exist - it's just that most of those fans are blissfully enjoying the comic and can only sum it up as "it's very pretty and the plot is great", whereas many people who didn't enjoy it are more likely to voice their opinions as to why in far more explicit detail (though on the flipside of that, it also goes to show that there's a lot more to analyze in LO's flaws than its strengths - it's ironic that the fans often don't have much to say beyond "it's cute" or "I relate to Persephone" and anything further than that is relegated to pure headcanon pieced together by assumption and best guesses to make up for Rachel's lack of writing).

All that aside though, regarding the TV adaption, at this point it's less a matter of reception and more a matter of relevancy. The perfect time to release or at least show us proof of the LO TV show was years ago, when the comic was at its peak between 2020-2021. The second best time was at last year's NYCC when Rachel was a headlining guest. The fact they still had nothing to show for it at this year's NYCC, with Rachel nowhere to be seen and instead focusing more on the Freaking Romance adaption with Snailords filling the role as their featured guest (an equally if not even more problematic creator), is astounding, but unsurprising.

To me, LO feels like a real life case of "Tortoise and the Hare". Back at the start of it all, in 2017-2018, it was doing what no other comic on the platform was doing, presenting us a retelling of the Hades and Persephone story - which was very popular on Tumblr at the time - through a modern setting and with art that was incredibly unique for the platform. That, paired with WT's aggressive marketing, propelled it far ahead every other comic on the platform, creating a gap so massive that even the comics in second place on the trending tabs still weren't even close to LO's lead in terms of stats and money.

But then it got complacent. Quality of the comic's writing and art dropped, it was becoming increasingly obvious that LO had become no more than a marketing grift akin to the likes of Harry Potter - easily turned into books, t-shirts, socks, coloring books, figures, etc. - and that gave way to an increase of criticism towards it, criticism that had always somewhat existed even as far back as its days on Tumblr, but was now amplified by the existing ongoing proof that LO was never all it was cracked up to be.

Now, at best they shill $200+ figurine pre-orders, but the show is nowhere to be seen and, with the comic now finished and locked behind Daily Pass, its relevancy is dying out. "Rachel Smythe Presents" still has nothing to show for itself, Rachel's IG and Twitter seem to be purely for merch-pushing by the Inklore team, and Rachel has, at best, two new series that she suddenly announced but, in her words, don't even have anything written or planned for them yet beyond the taglines that were thrown together for her socials.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Greek myth retelling industry is in a renaissance. Hades is still a massively popular game, with its sequel now in early access; Epic: The Musical has been making waves on Spotify and TikTok far exceeding that of LO's in terms of audience reach, and even has more to show for itself in the way of official animations than LO ever has; and now Kaos has recently launched its first season after being in production since 2018 - yes, you read that right, it got commissioned around the exact same time LO became an Originals series which suggests the idea for it was already floating around and being pitched prior to LO - and, frankly, has beaten LO at its own game by achieving everything LO set out to do - weaving a Greek epic-style story in a modern setting, balancing romance with prophecies and world-ending stakes. It took a while, but Kaos made it past the finishing line, while LO has been dragging itself behind it, still making empty promises that a TV show is "still in the works" and "coming soon", with not a single thing to show for itself.

LO may have gotten a head start in being the "sleek, modern, sexy Greek myth retelling" by the virtue of being a weekly webtoon, but slow and steady wins the race - the productions that have taken their time cooking in the oven are now coming out as beautiful and delicious as we, the guests at the table, were told would be, while LO is simply the short-term gratification junk food that bombards us with gimmicks but sits like a rock in our stomachs and leaves us unfulfilled and wishing for a better meal.

Those better meals are here now and they were absolutely worth the wait.

[jokeroutsubs]

🎈🍰Nace Birthday Special��🎈

Nace Jordan's interview for Suzy magazine, published 14.06.2024. English translation by drumbeat and @beeoftheanxieties, proof read by TWT klamstrakur.

📝ENG Translation: Joker Out's Nace Jordan: 60 Kilograms to Happiness

Twenty-nine-year-old Nace Jordan is considered one of the most emotional, thoughtful, and responsible Slovenian musicians.

CAPTION: He’s spreading tolerance and respect to everyone.

He was the last one to join the group of four highly admired young men, but that doesn't mean he's the fifth or the spare wheel. His inspiring story makes him a great role model for teenagers, showing that working on yourself is worthwhile, because you never know when an extraordinary opportunity will come your way. After making a major change in his lifestyle, he got rid of past burdens to focus on a bright, melodic future. With the loving support of his girlfriend, the first signs of a family are already visible. They've been joined by Pino, an adorable dachshund, who brought new responsibilities and lots of joy.

CAPTION: Joker Out gained a first-class member with Nace.

INTERVIEWER: How quickly did you feel accepted as fully fledged member, considering you were not a co-founder of Joker Out?

Nace: Initially it might have appeared as if I instantly took on the role of bass guitarist with confidence, although deep down I was quite confused. The guys already had their banter, even a kind of a jargon I didn't feel familiar with. They are after all five years younger than me, almost a different generation. But they have welcomed me in a very embracing way, we have started to develop a communal story and we have become a unit. Even after we had recorded 'Carpe Diem' and I was offered a permanent place in the band, I was still haunted by the feeling that I might not be perceived easily as a part of the band by the most devoted fans.

Was Eurovision your ultimate test?

Sort of. I was told I aced it, and as a fill-in member, it made me happy when the decision to welcome me into the family was final. The whole idea was to first try and see how compatible we were, without any pressure or expectations. On stage, it was obvious that we were a perfect match. But I tended to hold back when it came to the bigger decisions. Bojan is, after all, the frontman, the dominant one, so I didn't want to interfere with the pre-established dynamics. It was only after the Eurovision euphoria was over that a new era began and with it the most precious gift - the appreciation of the entire group. They are exceptional young individuals, extremely talented, and they wanted someone who could feel their vibe and bring them together, not tear them apart.

This opportunity has come as a reward for your challenging personal journey, a tremendous transformation of body and spirit. How has this affected your self-image?

I am still trying to work on myself. I have lost 60 kilos and broken free from the shackles of a troubled adolescence, when the slightest deviation from the average is frowned upon. It is unimaginable that you can lose so many kilograms, one whole person. It was gradual. After the first ten, you are overcome with excitement. Your reflection in the mirror gets nicer by the week, you gain confidence in yourself and see that it is not difficult to follow your goal. I gained an unstoppable will to keep going, and the most extraordinary things started to happen. I got to play in the backing band of the popular show ' V petek zvečer' ('Friday Night'), and then realised a childhood dream when I managed to join a band as skillful as the Jokers. A time came when I walked around with a huge smile on my face and I hoped that it would not fade from my face for a long time to come. At the same time, I was driven to give it my best shot, because I simply couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

You have used the dark times of COVID for something bright, inspirational. When did you decide you were tired of living in a bigger body?

The stomach pains were the first indicator that I had to roll up my sleeves and work on myself. I had always been chubbier, but I got saved by my height because the kilograms were evenly spread. I was able to exercise, go hiking, [and] be active in water sports, particularly wakeboarding. I wasn't immune to the looks of naysayers, that someone with so much weight could move so capably. I had reached a point where I no longer felt comfortable. I didn't like myself, the walks were getting more and more exhausting, I didn't have a girlfriend for a while, which was a big motivation to change my lifestyle. At the beginning, I was embarrassed to work out in front of others. Would they be thinking, 'What is this fatso doing here now'? So at home I would climb up and down the stairs from the basement to the attic. For half a year, every evening. First for 15 minutes, then I progressed to 45. It seemed like a waste to ruin this effort with unhealthy food, so I changed my diet. I eliminated all the guilty pleasures and after the first 20 lost, I decided I was ready to train outdoors. By running. It might not have been the smartest idea because of my knees, but it all worked out well in the end. Something that I resented for a long time became my norm. To this day, I still enjoy putting on my running shoes to clear my mind. Whenever my mind is in a frenzy, running saves me.

Humans are really odd, shallow creatures. We can't see what's underneath the excess weight. It was only after you have transformed that the requests for more collaborations started coming in. How did you manage to heal these emotional scars from the entertainment business, where the physical appearance still takes precedence over the heart?

That's the hardest part, not to lose faith in yourself. You question your self worth because of the labels the public has stuck on you. Of course, the medical aspect of excess weight is the first signal for a radical change. The results would be significantly better, if people around us were more sparse with negative comments and dismissive attitudes towards anything that is not to their liking. I must confess that I have never felt better than I did after saying goodbye to cigarettes, alcohol, and, for a period, even meat. Imagine you are carrying a 60 kilogram backpack. And then you put it down. A different world opens up.

In all this, music has been your most faithful companion and supporter. Would it have been possible to go through all this without it?

The power of art is amazing. The bass guitar is my lifelong love. Even if I was a butcher or a carpenter, I would play and create for myself. We are used to these kind of stories in the movies, where after a difficult ordeal you find yourself in the midst of your teenage dreams. After the third concert with the Jokers, a girl came up to me and confided that she was contemplating suicide, but our songs had saved her. She thanked us for taking the time for our fans and talking to them. Their honesty is a sign that you are part of something great. The power of music goes beyond the limits of our imagination. There are countless similar confessions. This realisation is also therapeutic for us. You receive confirmation that you are doing something right.

Have you ever wondered why you play music at all?

Many times. The doubts of who will listen to my work, or now our work, are a constant in the career of a professional musician. But if you put your heart first, you quickly get the confirmation that we are not just pretty boys on stage, but individuals with depth and a message.

As a teenager, what motivated you to follow your aspirations?

I wanted to be like my cousin. He is five years older than me and he had his own band. He introduced me to foreign bands, like Led Zeppelin. It sounded rather innocent, but it was the start of a profound passion. Recently, Jan, the guitarist, and I were talking about the role models who have defined us. I told him that there must be an aspiring young teenager in Slovenia who looks up to him and has begun strumming the strings because of him. I am convinced that we have brought a breath of fresh air to the local scene and given a boost to young bands who are not yet established. It is very healthy to encourage others, to be each other's support and competition. I didn't feel that before.

When did you first feel that the stage was your everything?

We had a kind of talent show at the school camp. I wanted to sing the ballad 'Behind Blue Eyes' by The Who, but the teacher wouldn't let me because it wasn't an appropriate song. I cried with sadness, so she mellowed down. I took advantage of her faith, put on my sunglasses and a headscarf. That's when something stirred inside of me. Finally, now that we are touring Europe and are excited to discover how the power of music brings people together, I am calmed. Even as a kid I stood my ground and I am grateful to my stubbornness for getting me this far.

You have a strong bond with your mother. How does she keep track of your exceptional progress?

She is proud to say that she is my biggest 'fan'. She was happiest at Eurovision, which she has always followed. It was the first time she was able to experience it live, she and Bojan's mum cheered loudly and I have to admit that it's the greatest thing to be able to make the most important woman in your life happy. It has only strengthened our bond. We have a trusting, friend-like relationship, but first and foremost she is my mum, with all the worries and all the loving helpfulness. I was not a typical child and she had to endure all my whims. She was constantly encouraging me to take up a sport, but I preferred to stay at home and draw. She tolerated my struggles at school because she knew I wasn't like the others and allowed me to develop to my full potential. My younger sister is also responsible for making me who I am. Her kind words are a balm for a wounded soul.

Have you always wanted to be a musician?

As a child, I had two things in mind - to be a zoo manager, because I love animals, and to be a singer, even though I later swapped the microphone for a guitar. Sculpting fascinated me. In short, expression through art.

Your love for animals has lasted. You have a three-month-old dachshund named Pino in your lap.

Finally! I've been longing for a puppy for so many years, and dachshunds are one of my favourite breeds. If music hadn't drawn me in, I would certainly be a vet. One summer break I was helping out at a wildlife sanctuary instead of playing with my friends. It was a wonderful experience.

You are away from home a lot. How do you maintain your long-distance relationship with your girlfriend?

Some people reassure us that technology helps because we can see each other through the camera. But it is not the same. It's important that all my loved ones and dear ones, meaning my girlfriend, my mum, my family, and my friends, believe in our work and are willing to sacrifice time with me so that I can follow my dreams. But we are in constant contact with each other and we let each other know how much we love each other all the time.

~ -~ - ~ - PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, AND IF YOU QUOTE, PLEASE LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POST!

[danganphobia]

thinkign about laishuro but in a college au setting. mini fic kinda incoming im having brainworms.

toshiro keeps to himself and doesn't really talk to many people (but i like to think he's already good friends with kabru because they share some of the same classes together) but he shares this one class with this incredibly talkative guy that the professor absolutely despises named laios that always makes the class fucking bust out laughing. laios is the class clown but he's popular because he's just that guy that kinda knows everybody. and he sits next to toshiro and often asks him about assignments or to copy his notes because he didn't get to read all the slides on time. meanwhile toshiro's just like ok whatever (doesnt think anything of it)

since kabru already knows laios by default toshiro kinda gets roped into his whole friend group of different majors but i like to imagine they're all good friends because they're in the DnD club and toshiro's initiated like Immediately against his will. every now and then the club hangs out after classes and it's actually really Obvious that laios likes toshiro. he's like going out of his way to make sure the newbie is "comfortable" and other than kabru it's laios who toshiro ends up talking to the most. laios is sitting next to him the whole night, leaning in when toshiro needs to say something because it's super loud at the restaurant and everyone's like Lmao this is so painful.

kabru the instigator is like "guys let's add toshiro to the group chat" and he's making eyes at farlyn and marcille and chilchuck, who's just like fucking facepalming because they're horrible at being subtle, and it's laios who's like "OH YEAH TOTALLY, toshiro what's your number?????" so toshiro gives his number and he's added to the DnD group chat but really it was just a ploy for laios and toshiro to start texting each other. it works bc laios texts toshiro individually and says "hey its laios from bio i got ur number from the dnd gc i hope it's okay lol" i can see this fucking happening when kabru and toshiro are hanging out and kabru's like "bitch i FUCKING KNEW IT!!" and toshiro's like "of course i know it's him. why does he have to say that. he's very odd." kabru's just Staring at him like my dear friend laios likes you. toshiro's confused because ????? the thordens talk to like everybody on campus i think he's just friendly. and kabru says there's at least 20 other people in your class that he could ask for notes and assignments yet he always asks you. he's always asking all their friends where toshiro is when he's not around. he's like the first to look for toshiro when he walks into a room that laios KNOWS toshiro is in. he's always excited to see you to come club meetings. he texts you like every other day. he's even asked you to hang out, alone??? many times??? like how people ask each other on dates????

toshiro telling kabru its just to work on assignments together. and kabru brings up laios walking him all the way back to their dorm and giving him a hug, and toshiro can agree that's a bit Strange but it's "not even a big deal" until he's wide awake in bed at night thinking of the last time laios hugged him after walking him home and he's red in the face like FUCK. THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME.

anyways toshiro unable to handle the fact that what he has, as kabru calls it, is a Crush(TM) and refuses to believe it so he begins avoiding laios until it becomes a big thing. laios is genuinely upset and thinks he did something wrong. so he tracks toshiro down to ask him about it and he's rambling on about being an idiot and thinking he did something to make toshiro uncomfortable, toshiro doesn't rlly know what to do bc all his feelings the past few weeks have been piling up and is about to explode and he just. grabs laios and kisses him square on the lips.

a minute passes and they stare at each other. and laios is just like. Wat. toshiro's internally freaking out. and when he opens his mouth and says "laios-" laios cuts him off and very shyly asks, "can you... uh, can you do that again?"

toshiro just feels himself relax. laughs. and laios laughs. and toshiro kisses him again.

anyways i need fanart of this so bad bye

[shadowqueenjude]

Before we begin, please note that I have high respect for all people who have completed a degree, especially women, and I myself am a woman pursuing a degree.

Honestly this whole “degree” discourse occurring within the Elucien-Elriel-Gwynriel ship war is highly amusing to me because of this: the author in question is SJM. Typically, I’d say that someone with an English degree would be the best fit to analyze the text, but truthfully, often times it feels like not even SJM knows what she’s going to write. Plus she barely remembers what she wrote previously which leads to a high number of retcons. I have read her three most popular book series to completion: Throne of Glass. Crescent City, and ACOTAR. And I must say she is a very easy author to interpret, yet also incredibly frustrating because she so often forgets her own writing (a feat that is most prevalent in ACOTAR). From the bonus chapter and all the other context clues throughout the series, it seems obvious to me that Elucien and Gwynriel are endgame. Yet SJM has also laid out some hints of Elriel. Do I think she killed the ship and it’s a red herring? Yes. But Tamlin also showed mating instincts towards Feyre in book one (pursuing her on Calanmai and somehow everyone knew he would, plus the bite on the neck which was a mate claiming ritual according to SJM. Rowan claimed Aelin in the same manner) and SJM retconned that so thoroughly that Tamlin hardly reads as the same character.

Truthfully, the biggest sign to me that Elucien and Gwynriel are a go are the following: A, when she pitched the side books, she was put on a contract for three books: Elain, Azriel, and likely, Mor. Which means that their stories will occur in different books. Which means they will wind up with different people. B, if Elain and Lucien didn’t wind up together, it would undermine her precious mating bond. It would prove that love is greater than any mating bond, which might be a powerful moral in another author’s hands, but not SJM. It would wreck the legitimacy of ALL her endgame couples in her books. Having the mating bond snap instantly for Elain and Lucien, a first, is SJM’s chance to explore the mating bond and PROVE that it is indeed legitimate.

It would ALSO undermine the mating bond if Lucien and Elain’s mating bond was supposedly “fake” because she already did that once and if a mating bond can be faked so easily how much does it really mean?

Additionally, Azriel’s character is highly insecure. He would forever wonder whether Elain is thinking of Lucien, and also wonder if he lost a chance at his own mate.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[remotepixel]

Hi, how would yandere avengers react if their platonic teen obsession threatens to disclose their yandere tendencies or has actually done so to the media?

Hii, thank you for requesting!!

Tw: yandere themes + kidnapping mentions

-I’m assuming this is somewhat far into the obsession, enough where it’s obvious to you that something is very wrong, but not to the ‘they’ve gone completely off the rails and everyone can tell’ point.

-Getting the evidence would already be pretty hard. Sure, you have the obvious fact they’re always hanging around you, but, they’re superheroes, people are naturally going to support their side unless you have enough proof (or, sometimes, no matter what).

-Any clear red flag (e.g. trackers) would be specially manufactured by a world-renowned genius, so a casual police search likely wouldn’t find anything, and it’d be pretty nerve-wracking to try and record a conversation with a superspy.

-However, if you do collect enough, it still wouldn’t be easy to get rid of them.

-If you threaten them, the amount of guilt-tripping would be mental. Some of them are more self-aware than others, but all of them share the same sentiment that, at the end of the day, they’re (or, think they are) helping you. They know some of their behaviour crosses normal lines, but look how much your life has improved since they’ve been around, isn’t it a good thing someone cares about you?

-All of them would be hurt by your threat, and likely back off at least for a while if you strike some sort of deal (e.g. you leave me alone, I won’t tell). But they’ll be back, or still lurking around in parts of your life.

-I think members like Natasha and Bruce, who are more self-aware yet never speak out against the more delusional ones (since they’re still working together at the end of the day), would back off the most. They don’t want you hating them even more, and, currently, your relationship is on a thin line - it’s better to back off and subtly guide you back to them then force it.

-None of them fully take your threat seriously, even if it hurts their feelings. They know they have the upper hand here: government links, popularity, influence - you’re completely out of your depths even if you think, or act, otherwise.

-If you’re still very consistent on disclosing everything to the media despite their efforts to chill, you’re likely getting kidnapped. Drastic, obviously, but it’s the only way to guarantee you’re both in their grasp and others aren’t concerned.

-If you already disclosed it however, the methods you used to go through with it play a big role in the outcome.

-As I mentioned, there’s probably trackers in your phone, both for location and general monitoring, e.g. a keylogger. The second you post your blog, or send your email to the news, it’s getting deleted and completely wiped if possible. In this case, it’s probably going to follow the same route as before, but with extra emotional pain because you didn’t even “try talking” to them.

-If you focus more on meeting up with reporters in real-life, maybe getting them to collect their own evidence in the background, there’s a higher chance of success. However, that does require having insiders in a hopefully-popular newspaper company, something a teen probably wouldn’t have.

-Assuming the avengers haven’t noticed the news coming out about them, for at least enough time that citizens are able to read and share this, panic would ensue the second they realise.

-They would experience a range of emotions, most mentioned above but some would also hold a bit of rage (not necessarily at you, your actions more so). They have one, very obvious thing they need to do now though: address the ‘rumours’.

-Deleting the reports would raise more suspicions, and they can’t just admit everything the news is saying is technically true, so they decide to try and twist this into their favour. They’ll (mainly Tony as he’s probably dealt with this sort of thing before) make up some sort of story that puts you into the wrong - like you’re lying for attention or were trying to purposely ruin their reputation for petty revenge.

-If they’re feeling really nice they may try and chalk it up as a misunderstanding, but I think it depends who has a role in writing the response. For example, Steve would think it’s slightly too far, while Tony would just think of it as a necessary outcome - he also just doesn’t like listening to Steve’s advice so.

-You become a pretty big talk in the media, but, when people start believing the avenger’s side, it’s mostly snide comments or dragging your name through the mud. The avengers would probably feel bad for the amount of slander you’re getting, assuming they didn’t before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they deleted a few, just plain evil comments. But you forced their hand, if you haven’t had ‘lied’ in the first place, this would have never happened.

-In a way, this may just bring you closer to them. With what feels like the whole world against you, the only people who really seem to care anymore are the avengers. They might even offer you a deal - you admit you were lying to the media, apologize, and they’ll publicly support you. Sure, it won’t get everyone off your back, and you’re be scared to even go outside in case reporters are there, but it means you have the most powerful team in your corner again, and isn’t that what you need?

[gayferrari]

we as a community need to get more rpf-y about the fact that charles' girlfriend's name is alex

I see your vision. However EYE am more interested in the fact that in a certain light she looks like she and Carlos could be related.

Long answer: this ask sent me down a bit of a thought spiral about how F1 fandom in general deals with IRL significant others, as opposed to other sports RPF fandoms I've lurked in, so you get an actual essay, sorry.

I think it's interesting how F1 fic writers tend to just ignore irl partners, way more than other sports fandoms. You know how the tag “AU: no girlfriend / no wives” gets A Lot of mileage elsewhere? In F1 it's hardly ever used, because wags are simply excluded by default. The only ships that sometimes remember partners exist (include them or deliberately write around them) are ships involving guys like Seb or Nico whose relationships are a big part of their lives and are probably harder to just push to the side.

By contrast, the younger crop of drivers have a big social media presence that's almost impossible to ignore BUT does not include their actual irl partners because it's all work mandated PR, so these men's F1 personas make it very easy to paint them as single. Even if their broader public personas (outside of F1) are very high profile and often includes very public relationships and friendships — it's not like they keep their relationships lowkey, you know? But people just choose not to dig into those layers of lore, probably simply because the stuff we get through team PR videos and grill the grid already gives us a lot to work with.

IDK, I just find it fascinating! I bet many people don't even notice, but TO ME it's kinda glaring how often everyone in fic is single because imo it's such a fundamental component of the elite athlete lifestyle how these guys always have someone to come home to (and do some emotional labour for them). It doesn't have to be their actual irl girlfriends — many people draw the RPF line at including semi-famous partners, and that's a totally understandable stance — but there aren't even that many OC girlfriends. It is something that stands out to me compared to, idk, hockey RPF to make the most obvious comparison.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT. Yeah, I'd actually be very interested in more fics where Charles has a girlfriend. Again, it doesn't have to be a fictional version of his actual rl girlfriend, it can just be an OC with a different name. BUT, Charles's whole serial monogamy thing is actually a really big part of his personality that I think fandom misses out on, because HE is the one who's assigned the role of girlfriend in most ships he's involved in. You know, the omegafication of Charles... I get why it's a popular trend, I've written it myself and enjoy reading it. But I think there are interesting things to be done, characterisation wise, drawing on the fact that irl he's very much A Dude, and also a serious relationship kinda guy, and a very basic kinda straight guy who yearns for three children by age 35. Like... I think taking THAT kind of man and giving him a sexuality crisis is an avenue full of potential that the fandom could explore more.

tldr: I fully respect people's decision NOT to engage with significant others in RPF but also I think it has potential if you're inclined to go that way! so yea I agree RPF fandom could and should do more with Charles having a girlfriend even if people choose not to RPF *this* specific girlfriend.

[ariscats]

Jameson analyzes part 2: Traumas (or a very long rant against Emily Laughin, who I cant be bother to learn how to spell her last name)

“Cause I've made some real big mistakes/ But you make the worst one look fine/ I should've known it was strange/ You only come out at night/ I used to think I was smart/ But you made me look so naive/ The way you sold me for parts/ As you sunk your teeth into me, oh/ Bloodsucker, famefucker/ Bleedin' me dry, like a goddamn vampire”

So there is this girl, who comes at his house every summer and has a heart diesse. She cant live so everyone has to do whatever she asks to make it up for it. Then one day she gets a surgery and now she gets to live, and who is her ticket to living? Jameson and Grayson.

Emily is his first kiss. However, 3 seconds after SHE KISSES HIS BROTHER WHO HE ALREADY INSECURE ABOUT BECAUSE OF HIS F. GRANDFATHER. And you have to be pretty dumd to not realize that what emily really wanted in the scene is Grayson to kiss her and she just used Jameson because she could (I still can’t believe that Emily did “loved” Gray more than Jameson).

Then she moves to his city and goes to his school. And, as far as a bitch she is, she must have been rl something because she became the most popular girl at school.

(Now, this is where things get tricky. I’m going to use the version fo what I believe happened. If you have another version you can picture like that)

Then they start dating. They borh want to live and do things because they can rather because they should. She got her golden ticket to freedom and he got the attention he’s been craving his whole life. They do everything together because she wants more and he wants more and nothing is never enough for them. So Jameson takes her to do everything they have the right to because Jameson is, at te end of the day, a good boyfriend.

But, its still not enough for Emily. Because she goes after fucking Grayson AND HE DOES THE SAME TING AS JAMESON BECAUSE THEY ARE THE OPOSITE SIDE OF THE SAME COIN.

Then they start fighting. Best friends for their whole life, but they slowly start to hate each other because fucking Emily turned everything INTO A GAME, MAKING LOVE A GAME THE SAME WAY TJEIR FAMILY HAS BEEN TRAUMATAZING THEM THEIR WHOLE LIFES. AND SHE KEEPS A FUCKING SCORE OF WHO HAS MORE POINTS, BY VOICE RECORDING.

Then one beautifull day Rebecca decides that betrayl by both ends doesnt hurts and tells Jameson about the scores and sends him the audio Emily made.

Jameson Hawthorne had to listen the girl he ruined his life for for over a year sumarize him and his love as some points. He breaks up with her, and she decides to go after Grayson. And then she jumps. But he is also there, because love and family are never that simple and jameson is a tiny bit (read in the level of therapy) of a masochist. And then SHE BLINKS AND LAUGHS AT HIM AND WHEN HE FINALLY MANAGES TO GO AWAY SHE START HAVING HEART PROBLEMS. BUT SHE HAS PLAYED HIM SO MUCH THAT HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT REALITY IS ANYMORE, and she hadnt had any heart problems for the past 4 years. So he leaves and she dies, and hell breakes lose.

He lost a girl he has know his whole life. He just “learned” that his love arent worth more than some points, he just got out of a increadibly toxic relasionship that ruined his life. The healthy thing would have been if he had some safe space to talk about what Emily did to him and have a strong support system. But everyone he knows is muroning her. They see her as an angle, so everything she did to him goes under the traps because how do you even dare to say something about dear angle Emily. And he has to live with the fact that he belives he killed her. And he cant also talk about anyone about that, for obvious reasons (but his grandfather knows and uses that against him).

Remember what I said about him being a masochist? Now is the era of his great self destruction (with an almost suicide attempt there, that his grandfather was present again and used that agaisnt him, *again*). Its all buttom up in him and he feels angry and sad and nothing. And between these 3, he chose anger. Also, Thea blames the Hawthorne for a death they didnt cause because who dares to say something bad about angles emily? So she puts the whole school agaisnt him and makes school unberable to him. Everyone likes to joke about Jameson missing school but has anyone ever wondered why he hated there so much? He didnt skiped class because he was a rebel 😝🤘but because everyone f. hated him and made his life hell.

[lemotmo]

So I’ve been thinking…. It seems pretty apparent at this point that LFJ has not been updated to main character status as his fan cult insisted he would. I know that it’s early in filming and he will most likely be around at some point, but certainly not as much as they wanted.

To me, and I think many people in the fandom the writing for Buddie is on the wall. I don’t think journalists would be bringing it up, all the promotions would be involving Ryan, etc if it wasn’t that. There’s a lot of proof around already, showing us and reminding us that last season was setting up Buddie. But I don’t have to tell you that. I know you see it, too.

All that being said, when LFJ is inevitably either not on screen at all, or around for very few scenes and then dumped like the trash that he is, his fans are most likely going to revolt. I mean. They’re already kinda scary and way over the top. With him officially gone, I wonder what they’ll do…. So, do you think he should speak up and address his fans? Address what he did to cause all of this pandemonium? Or will he simply ignore it and move on? Because I worry if he isnt careful that these people will continue to follow his career and wreak havoc wherever he goes, which is just making him look bad. What do you think?

That's a really good question Nonny.

First, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Lou was never going to get the main character status. This was something that only the radical BT stans believed anyway. 911 already has a lot of main characters and they often have trouble fitting all of their storylines in a single season. They aren't going to add any more main characters.

And even if they would, it certainly wouldn't be Lou. It would be Tracie or Anirudh. They have been on the show longer, have a bigger audience that loves them and they are very popular. The audience only got to see about 20 minutes of Tommy in season 7 alone. That's not very memorable. And yes, I know there was some Tommy in season 2 as well, but let's face it... no one remembered him. I know I didn't. I had to look him up.

I definitely see the Buddie-writing on the wall. It's all there. It started in season 2, but they ramped it up in season 7. The promo was crazy. And once again, they have started it up again. It's very focused on Ryan and Eddie right now, because his story will be the most important in order for Buddie to happen. Buck is already out of the closet. Everyone is just waiting for Eddie now.

I do think we have to brace ourselves for another few Tommy appearances in season 8. This story is too important to be messed up by one single guest actor. He will be there because that's what the story requires. Whether we like it or not, Tommy is a part of the Buddie storyline. He is the guy (read: plot device) that helped Buck out of the closet. Tommy has to play his part in order for Buck to get closer to seeing Eddie as a romantic option.

Do I want to see Tommy back? No, definitely not. Because yes, it will cause problems in the fandom. As soon as it becomes clear that Buck and Tommy aren't going to last very long, there will be those who will start yelling, shouting and generally start being obnoxious.

As for Lou speaking up? No, I don't think he'll even address them anymore. It's obvious that someone has talked some sense into him. It could be a joint effort by Tim, the show, his management, his friends, even the other show he frequently comes back to: SWAT. Whoever it was, they made sure he realised that a cult-like fanbase like that is not a good thing for his career.

So no, I don't think he will speak up. He'll continue to bury his head in the sand in the hopes this will all blow over and the hardcore Lou/Tommy stans will give up and move on. And really, I don't think there's anything else he can do at this point. Whatever he will say, will be misinterpreted and used against either him or other people, in this case: the cast of 911 and the more sane and normal BT and Buddie fans.

The only thing I think he should do, is publicly apologise for those very racist and bigotted instagram posts he made. Because it would only be right to do so and those posts really are a stain on his resume right now. It's all out there on the internet to find. But again, I don't think he will do any such thing.

And yeah, you're right. These radical fans might just follow him to whatever project is next. But ultimately, he is the one who created this problem in the first place, so maybe he should just reap what he sowed.

¯\(ツ)/¯

[loonsmoons]

The Marauders and their … Hogwarts Houses ? because I think this is a fun little idea :)

(You know how fandoms outside the HP universe will have HP AUs ? And sort the characters into Hogwarts Houses ? This is how I think we would sort The (modern) Marauders, if we weren’t already a HP fandom :D)

James: Hufflepuff. Come on, this one is obvious. Him and all the other Golden Retriever / Himbo Characters to ever exist. That whole James Potter aka The Sun stuff ? Him being kind-hearted and loyal (to his family and friends) ? Hufflepuff.

Sirius: Gryffindor. Him and all the Badass But Kind / Popular Kid Characters. Like him leaving his abusive household ? Brave. Also there’s something about his attitude, posh without the asshole attitude (at least later on) that’s giving chivalrous.

Remus: Ravenclaw. Yes, sometimes he’s given a sort of No Fucks Given attitude, but even then he’s still depicted as smart. Like cigarette in hand or not, he’s almost always enjoying reading. And his most common characterization are Light / Dark Academia vibes for sure.

Peter: Hufflepuff. In Modern AUs there usually isn’t any crazy betrayal happening, so there’s no actual reason for him to be too brave, instead he’s more of a chill and fun guy. Plus, oftentimes James and him are childhood friends, so that would make for fun housemates ig ?

Lily: Ravenclaw. Similar to Remus, she has those Light / Dark Academia Vibes and is often portrayed as this smart and witty character. Plus, specifically in Jily Fics, it makes for great Himbo x Smart Girl Fics. Also, there’s potential for a great Remus x Lily friendship.

Mary: Gryffindor. She’s often portrayed as this very strong and independent character and has a Standing On Business kinda attitude. She’s also usually very confident, especially sexuality / gender wise which fits the vibes and is brave for sure.

Marlene: Hufflepuff. I could also see her being in Gryffindor, because she too is a very brave character in my opinion, but I think she often has a personality similar to James, so this makes more sense to me. Plus: James, Peter and her -> childhood friends and housemates !!!

Dorcas: Slytherin. She has those Cool Badass Character vibes. She knows what she wants and she gets what she wants, like she’s ambitious and clever for sure. I think she’s also usually a rather intimidating character? Plus, Hufflepuff! Marlene x Slytherin! Dorcas Fics.

Pandora: Slytherin. I think her characterization has changed from where she was a sweet / bubbly and eccentric character, to where she’s still that now, but also lowkey insane. Plus those intimidating vibes again -> Slytherin. Also, Pandalily Fics would go hard like this !

Regulus: Ravenclaw. I do think there would be a lot of Slytherin! Regulus Fics, especially for the Black Brothers Drama, but the vibes are too similar to Remus’ and Lily’s for him to not be in Ravenclaw. This would make for a fun trio and good Jegulus / Jegulily for sure.

Barty: Gryffindor. I feel like this is a wild one, like he could be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw as well, but for some reason I think he would be a Bad Boy Gryffindor, and everyone would be confused why he’s there and he’d hate it too, but idk, he sometimes has similar vibes to Sirius …

Evan: Slytherin. Maniac, need I say more? Imagine running into Pandora and him, like they are for sure those twins everyone’s kinda afraid of. Also, I think this would make for some great Rosekiller Fics, as well as a great Regulus, Barty and Evan friendship, like yes.

[edgygayguy]

!!!JADE SHADOWS SPOILERS!!!

I played the quest and it was ok. Felt very polarized by it.

The Warframe baby is a very fucking crazy and unexpected idea, the consequences of turning a pregnant person into a Warframe are really interesting and I want more lore and I want it yesterday. It will probably take like 2 years to get back to that tho. I would be happy with just some relevant codex entries. Also the baby to me looked pretty ugly and idk why I focused so much on that detail, but the piece of cloth stalker held it in was just not it. Like why does it look like he knitted that for the baby in advance. I'd rather have the baby itself be more visually interesting and wrapped in just black.

The quest was way too short, if I wasn't following devstreams I would feel no attachment to Jade at all. She's just there and the only thing we know about her is that she and stalker are in love, had a pregnancy and then got turned into Warframes.

I still have a lot of questions that went unanswered. Did the orokin turn both of them into frames at once or did Stalker get turned after the fall? If so was it voluntary? Why does the stalker hunt the tenno so fiercely? We know now why he hates Warframes but weren't the orokin responsible for turning his love into one? My headcannon is that the conditioning the orokin used on the dax was very effective on him, he couldn't bring himself to hate the golden lords so he began hating the warframes and in turn the tenno. I think he voluntarily turned himself into a Warframe, but how? No idea, maybe he managed to seek out Ballas who decided it was a great idea to create a hunter for the ones hunting him.

We know that some frames didn't get piloted by a tenno, Kullervo, Jade and most likely also Dante. The stalker seems to be the same. These 4 somehow managed to maintain their sanity, unlike most of them. This is the only question the quest answered for me, but not really, it just solidified what we already knew.

I love the inclusion of the sisterhood and the dialogue from Parvos, Ordis and Hunhow.

While browsing through Tumblr I saw two popular opinions I didn't even consider.

The first one is that stalker should have been trans. At first I had no idea if people were serious about it or not. The only evidence I saw brought up is that stalker hates himself and in his dialogue with Hunhow there's some stuff that could be interpreted as trans allegory. The latter I do see on a second read, but the first one is just weird. Is deep self hatred on the level of Stalker really a prerequisite for transness? I'd hope not. People being mad about their headcannon not being realized in this instance is odd to me, yeah it is pride month but there's plenty of transness in Warframe already. Ticker and Sentients (especially Hunhow, a man who constantly reminds you of his womb) are the first things that come to mind. I believe that Warframe is inherently trans and has been since the begging. You control Warframes, you can easily swap between them and they are representations of both sexes (+Xaku and Equinox). After the second dream that gets even more reinforced, "dream not of what you are but of what you want to be". Transness is so prevelent in this game that the stalker not being trans isn't that big of a deal, it's not like all of this game's representation was hinging on this one character.

The second one is that Jade doesn't have autonomy, she's stuck suffering and exists solely to give birth. I believe this wouldn't be a problem to most if we got like 20 minutes of extra time in the quest, Jade herself and even smaller things like our operator's involvement felt rushed. From the flashback we see that Jade wanted the child, if anything the quest advocates for autonomy. They should have shown us more to make it more obvious. It was illegal for Jade and Stalker to love each other because of their caste, let alone have a child. If only the quest took a minute to shit on the orokin instead of hoping everyone does that themselves. While in our world the major issue with women's autonomy isn't "I can't have a baby" but "I'm forced to have a baby", I think that these are both sides of the same coin. The underline still is: a woman was stripped of her autonomy. The message unfortunately wasn't clear enough. Also it doesn't help that this is Tumblr and LGBTQ+ people don't usually have the best relationship with pregnancy. And we live in a world where people are being forced to have babies for literally no reason, so it's pretty logical that the thought of someone literally dying to give birth is very emotionally charged and polarizing.

No hate to people who think that stalker should have been trans (I just don't see it) and to people who think that the quest portrayed women's autonomy in a bad way, while I don't think it's the case the devs should have known better, speeding through such a relevant issue was not a good idea on their part. They should have made it clear that Jade really wanted her child and her autonomy was taken from her by the orokin (it would also have helped if we got more Warframe biology).

[faafi]

Can you rank your favorite Loonatics from your least favorite Loonatics? Mine is like this:

1. Rev Runner(There's nothing sweeter than him)

2. Tech E Coyote (Too cool and shy for me)

3. Danger Duck (A little rude but funny)

4. Slam Tasmanian(No one mentions this furball. It's sad😭)

5.Lexi Bunny(She's cool, but I don't like her that much.)

6.Ace Bunny(I hate him. He's steals others' screen time, mostly)

By the way who is your favorite villian in Loonatics?

If you will answer it I will thank you😊.

Yes I can!

(this is a LONG post, so be warned lol)

IN MY OPINION, here is my ranking of the Loonatics:

1 — Rev Runner

Rev being first is for obvious reasons. He's SUCH a kind and generous person!!!!!!!!! How can you NOT like him!!!!!!

I will say that Rob Paulsen did an AMAZING job at voicing Rev. I don't think that I would have connected so strongly with Rev without Rob Paulsen's wonderful voice acting.

Moreover, everyone's voice acting is remarkable!

My ONLY complaint about Rev was that we didn't get enough of him. I still wish that we saw more of Rev on screen. Rev was mistreated SO MUCH in terms of screen time. It's so unfair. I swear, in some episodes, Rev is barely on screen for more than 2 minutes. :(

REV MY BELOVED

I don't have much else to say about Rev at the moment.

Who knows? Maybe I'll make an appreciation post all about Rev.

Maybe one day...

2 — Tech E. Coyote

Tech is definitely one of the most popular Loonatics, and it isn't only because of his appearance (although his appearance does contribute a lot). Tech is that perfect blend of nerdy and cool for my enjoyment.

I especially enjoy the fan interpretations of Tech. The fanfics that I've read show Tech's softer side a lot more. I wish that we saw more of Tech's emotional side in the show.

Tech isn't shown to be too emotional, at least on screen.

I do recall that Tech has some emotional attachment to his technology, most notably in Weathering Heights and The Menace of Mastermind.

However, other than these moments, Tech tends to be the most emotionally distant member of the entire team.

I wish that we saw more of Tech's emotional side in canon. I am very glad that Tech and Rev are more vulnerable with each other in the fanfiction. It's incredibly refreshing to see. I especially like the headcanon that Tech is autistic. It adds a lot to Tech's characterization where it shows Tech's meeker side. Besides, I already self-project onto Tech and Rev a ton. So I declare that Tech is autistic!!! LOL. :3

I will admit that Tech was often used as a plot device by the writers. Typically, I would be fine with powerful characters.

However, there are some moments where Tech is excessively powerful, and none of it is acknowledged in the episode.

For instance, in Sypher, Tech just recreates everybody's individual powers with suits.

What?

Honestly, I think that this idea could have worked if Tech only built one suit (*cough* REV *cough*). However, having Tech construct suits for all 6 members of the team seems very unlikely, even for his intellect.

In the same episode, the fight scene lasts a fourth of the episode.

During the fight scene, the Loonatics only defeat Sypher because Duck throws one egg.

WHAT?

I don't think that Tech making suits that recreates everybody's powers was necessary in this episode. Maybe I'm just overthinking this part of the episode. I just think that Sypher could have ended in a better way.

Tech is incredibly overpowered in other episodes of Loonatics Unleashed, too.

This can be seen in the first episode: Loonatics on Ice. Here, Tech is able to command a set of flying motorbikes from a remote AND make a flying boat.

WHAT??

In the same episode, Tech's lasers fail to melt the iceberg AND the jetpacks malfunction.

WHAT???

And none of this is acknowledged whatsoever.

WHAT?????

I think that at certain points of the show, Tech's power could have been better implemented. Thankfully, Tech's abilities are more balanced in other episodes.

(I apologize for bringing up the first episode so often in these asks. Loonatics on Ice is one of the weakest episodes of season 1, and it's a shame that this show began so poorly. If the first episode of Loonatics Unleashed was stronger, then I think that the public perception of this show would be way more positive. Honestly, I am tempted to write my own version of the first episode, but this isn't a priority of mine.)

With all of this said, I think that Tech's positive traits outweigh his negative ones.

As an aside, Tech IS Rev's boyfriend (and this fandom's collective boyfriend lol).

EVERYONE knows it...except for Tech and Rev!

Hahaha.

I know that I am ranking my favorites between individual characters, but I think that Rev brings out the best traits of Tech.

I think that these two complement each other's positive traits so well that it is a wonder to witness (both in canon and in fanfics).

Also, I just got confirmation from EVERYONE who worked on Loonatics Unleashed that Tech and Rev began dating after season 2 and are married and are madly in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(THIS IS A JOKE; I AM JUST FEEDING MY TECHREV DELUSIONS; THE CLOSET IS MADE OUT OF GLASS; REV AND TECH ARE IN LOVE; NO ONE CAN CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE)

As a final point, just look at him. Cuteness overload. 2nd fav.

Enough said.

3 — Danger Duck

Danger Duck is a very interesting character to discuss.

I LOVE his power. It's quirky and it fits him perfectly.

His voice fits him perfectly, too. Jason Marsden was the perfect fit for Danger Duck. His voice accentuates Duck's personality so well.

Duck was present in a lot of episodes. And if he wasn't the focus of certain episodes, he at least had something to say. For wanting Rev to shut up so often, Duck was one of the team members who talked the most.

I think that Duck was one of the funniest characters on the show. In nearly every episode, Duck makes most of the jokes.

However, this comes at a fault.

At times, I think that Duck's positive character traits were weakened in favor of prioritizing comedy. And I think that that is a shame.

In my mind, I think that Duck doesn't want to intentionally hurt others. And so I don't like it when Duck makes comments that intentionally put others in physical danger.

For instance, I think that the weakest episode that features Duck is It Came From Outer Space.

Yes, I know that I've said that this is one of my favorite episodes of the show, but I can still critique things that I like.

In the scene above, Duck says a few lines to Ace about the "positives" of letting Melvin abduct Lexi. Later on, Duck makes comments about abandoning Lexi and dividing up her stuff. These parts are the worst parts of the whole episode, for these scenes weaken the previous interactions between Lexi and Duck.

I mean, Lexi and Duck go to New Chinatown together in the fifth episode of season 1!

Lexi and Duck care for each other.

Or at least, it is out of character for Duck to want Lexi to give herself up to Melvin without a second thought.

I think that it is fine to characterize Duck as callous sometimes.

I think that it's also fine for Duck to not be very smart either.

However, that doesn't mean that Duck wants to endanger others.

I keep ragging on Duck in It Comes From Outer Space because there are much better Duck-related episodes.

For instance, I love Cape Duck. This episode shows the more callous side of Duck's personality while still staying consistent with his earlier portrayals. Here, Duck does a press conference after claiming to have caught the Stomper.

I think that this scene works so well for two reasons:

First, Duck is clearly playing up his accomplishments. After all, he accepted the credit for capturing the Stomper, and so, he is using this opportunity to boost his social credit. Duck isn't maliciously targeting or endangering the other Loonatics here.

Second, the entire team can react to Duck's comments. In the scene right after the press conference, the entire team confronts Duck about what he says.

I want to analyze this entire portion of the episode since I have more to say about it; this section is already becoming lengthy...

My point is that Duck's portrayal in Cape Duck is much better than in episodes like It Comes From Outer Space. When Duck is written well, he is one of the most charming characters. However, when he isn't, he becomes one of the more grating characters to watch.

I really enjoy Duck's interactions with the others. I like the banter between Duck and Ace. They seem to have the strongest relationship besides Tech and Rev, and they genuinely seem to care for each other.

I don't know where else to put this, but here it goes:

Personally, I headcanon Duck as having NPD (narcissistic personality disorder). I think that his backstory as an orphan contributed to an unstable childhood environment. And I think that Duck didn't receive proper emotional support as a child.

I definitely don't think that the writers intended Duck to have NPD. Danger Duck is similar to Daffy Duck in this sense. I also headcanon Daffy Duck as having narcissistic personality disorder (especially in The Looney Tunes Show). It is heavily implied that Daffy Duck has some form of childhood trauma (Daffy doesn't remember anything about his childhood before the age of 15, his only clear childhood memories involve him and his grandmother). And it is quite easy to see how Daffy would have NPD (most notably in "To Bowl or Not To Bowl").

With that said, I would definitely like it if fanfic authors explored Duck's character more. Oftentimes, Duck is relegated to a comic relief in the fics that I've read. I would really enjoy it if more authors explored the possibility of Duck's NPD. And even if Duck isn't characterized with NPD in particular, I would still like to read more experimentation featuring this mallard.

As a final point...

LOOK AT HIM!!!

SILLINESS OVERLOAD

4 — Lexi Bunny

I enjoy Lexi.

Honestly, when looking for screenshots of each individual character, I found it difficult to find a shot where Lexi was the only character in frame. I think that this says a lot about her character.

Lexi works very well in the presence of other characters. In most shots, Lexi is standing besides someone else. She tends to ask a lot of questions, and Ace or Tech tends to answer them.

I think that there are a few faults in her character. Most of these faults relate to Lexi being too archetypal. After all, Lexi was the only woman on a superhero team in a 2000's cartoon. There were a few moments where the writers relied too much on this archetype.

Typically, Lexi is the only character who makes comments about beauty.

I also noticed that Lexi was crushing on this one mountain climber in The Hunter.

Thankfully, Lexi's crushes/love interests didn't become a pattern or a running gag (thank goodness).

Lexi's character could have been WAY worse, so I am glad that her character managed to stay enjoyable in retrospective.

As a final point, I really like it when Lexi and Duck work together. I have noticed that Duck and Lexi are paired up a lot, and they are really fun together. I even like their smaller interactions.

For example, in Going Underground, Duck says "You tell him, sister."

(shown below)

I think that this scene is SO cute.

I wish that the canon explored more of Duck's encouraging side, especially towards Lexi. It would have been interesting to see.

Overall, I enjoyed Lexi's interactions, particularly with Duck as her foil. She's fun to watch.

5 — Ace Bunny

I am not an avid Ace fan. Generally, I enjoy his character, but at times, his screen time eats up the screen time of the others (most notably from Rev and Slam).

I do like the fact that Ace is competent at his role as leader.

At times, I really enjoyed Ace's implementation in certain episodes. Honestly, season 2 uses Ace a lot better compared to season 1. For instance in Cape Duck, Ace is the person who discovers that there were "two" Stompers (the actual Stomper and his mother disguised as the Stomper). To me, this reveal was really well done in this episode, and it shows Ace's strong perception skills.

I wish that we saw more of this part of Ace's character in the first season. Of the entire team, Ace improved the most from season 1 to season 2.

However, other than this part of his character, Ace isn't a particularly favorite character of mine.

I especially don't like how Ace treats Rev. It's really inconsistent. Sometimes, Ace is happy around Rev. For instance, at the beginning of Sypher, only he and Rev went to the game.

However, at other times, he is incredibly condescending to Rev.

I wish that Ace and Rev's relationship was more consistent. It would have been really cool to see their friendship more in season 2.

As a final note, I still am mad at Ace in the episode The Heir Up There.

HOW COULD YOU, ACE???

Lexi and Slam would NEVER.

6 — Slam Tasmanian

Slam was treated poorly in terms of writing.

The only real thing that stands out for his character is that he is strong and was a wrestler before the meteor crashed. Oh, and that he eats a lot. That's his only joke.

That's really all that the canon shows of him. This is a shame.

I like how the fandom has taken to Slam's potential softer qualities.

In canon, I don't have a particular fondness to Slam. I think he's cool.

I just wished that he had more defined relationships with the rest of the team. This is especially a shame when Rev is not on screen, even in episodes that I like!

For instance, in Cape Duck (shown below), Rev is barely on screen; meanwhile, Slam just stands on screen and does nothing.

Why is Slam on screen if he is not going to talk???

In general, Slam only really talks when he is prompted by Ace.

His character deserves more justice.

Also, my favorite villain is...

Ralph Runner!!!!!

(Okay, I am half-joking here. Although I don't think that Ralph Runner is truly a villain, I do think that The Family Business is such a compelling episode because of Ralph Runner's character. After all, the audience only sees a portion of Rev's home life.)

My favorite traditional villain is either Melvin the Martian or Mastermind. I've already explained in further depth in another ask. The short answer is that both villains required the team to work together instead of solely relying on Tech's weaponry or the Loonatics' powers. Also, their designs are cool.

Thanks for the question(s)!

[danggirlronpa]

On Transfem Chihiro

Over the years running this blog, one of the most consistent asks I've received is regarding whether or not my inclusion of Chihiro as a girl is correct or not. I've been told that it's deeply meaningful for some people. I've been told that I'm an idiot and it's the biggest problem with my blog by others. So now, as I'm finally building out an FAQ, it seems like a good time to lay out my reasons for including Chihiro on this blog and how it personally connects to me.

Chihiro gender discourse has been around since Trigger Happy Havoc was initially released and translated. There's nothing I can say about this that hasn't already been said somewhere; as such, I ask everyone to have patience as I say things that have probably been said by 50 other people before. I know. They're right. Good for them.

However, I will not be fielding conversations about this. I am not setting out to argue with people; I am explaining the reasoning behind a blog policy. (This will also briefly discuss transmasc Chihiro headcanons, for purposes of thoroughness.)

This post will consist of three lists: a list of reasons why people generally headcanon Chihiro as trans; a list of reasons why they specifically headcanon Chihiro as transfem vs transmasc; and a brief refutation of popular reasons why people insist trans Chihiro is a bad headcanon.

For our purposes, I will be using they/them for Chihiro throughout this post; this is not in any way a commentary on which Chihiro pronouns are 'correct' or better, but a gender neutral convenience. Apologies for the really long paragraphs. I just like hearing myself talk.

Reasons People Headcanon Chihiro as Trans

Chihiro presents as one gender, but is "secretly" another. This is fairly obvious, and also the crux of the whole thing. Anything from here has a certain degree of reading between the lines, but this is explicitly canon. Where the discourse stems from is the reason Chihiro presents as a different gender, but it is an inarguable fact that they do present as a different gender - and obviously, that lends itself to a trans interpretation.

The secondhand retelling of Chihiro's story. Chihiro's portrayal as 'a boy who adopts girly traits' is never once stated from Chihiro's own mouth. The primary account of it comes from Monokuma, who is perhaps one of the least reliable narrators in Danganronpa, and who in the very same scene presents Mondo's survivors guilt as Mondo "murdering his brother," and should obviously be taken with a HUGE grain of salt. The only time when we see Chihiro come firsthand is in the School Mode alternate universe - in which the exact conversation is not explicitly lain out, but instead brushed over by Makoto's summary (after Chihiro briefly explains that their body is different from how they've been presenting). As such, the "canon" of Chihiro's gender is in fact very fluid, and as it's so deeply connected to gender and presenting differently from their assigned gender, there is an obvious thread to trans identities. The only definitive knowledge is that Chihiro has, when alive, gone by she/her and presented as a girl.

Real-world transphobic connections to Chihiro's death. The "trans panic" defense is a legal strategy that attempts to excuse murder of trans people under the justification that the murderer was shocked and/or disturbed by the victim's gender; in most famous examples, the assaulter is described as 'blacking out' and doing it in a 'fit of rage.' This has an obvious connection to the way Mondo reacts when Chihiro tells him about their secret, as he says he "felt something break", and who explicitly states he blacked out before murdering Chihiro and came to with them on the floor, covered in blood. In addition, historical trans people have often only been outed after death, and have then posthumously been treated differently from their actual gender despite living as that gender all of their lives. This is similar to the invasive way that Kyoko reveals Chihiro's secret after their death, and the way that the entire cast immediately starts treating them as a boy.(Disclaimer: this is not an argument that any THH characters are transphobic; rather, it is an argument that real world transphobia was used by the THH writers to emphasize Chihiro's gender.)

Gender roles. This is briefly addressed before, but Chihiro's preoccupation is never presented as being with 'boys vs girls' (except by Monokuma, who, again, Grain Of Salt); it is presented as being 'strong vs weak.' Chihiro never says 'I want to be strong like a man,' just 'I want to get stronger.' There is an argument to be made that Chihiro's internalized toxic masculinity plays a part in their inability to recognize they identify as a girl because they are a girl, rather than out of 'weakness'; there is an argument that Chihiro's desire to become strong actually plays into internalized masculinity in that they conflate 'I'm actually a trans boy' and 'boys are stronger than girls.' Either way, there is no reading of Chihiro's perspective on gendered strength that is truly disconnected from transness.

Conclusion: There are many reasons that Chihiro can be interpreted as a trans character which do not contradict canon, and, in fact, it is an extremely likely reading of the character for people who are closely connected to transness in the real world.

So, Transfem or Transmasc?

The reason people often headcanon Chihiro as transfem (AKA a trans woman, or MTF in old-timey terms) is because this aligns most closely with Chihiro's actual presentation in the games. Chihiro goes by she/her when they are alive; they are visibly feminine, including in ways that only possibly be intentionally done to emphasize their femininity, such as posture; it is indicated several times that they have a flat chest and a penis. Additionally, a very large number of trans women really enjoy computer coding, which was definitely not intended but does lend itself to the interpretation.

The reason people often headcanon Chihiro as transmasc (AKA a trans man, or FTM in old-timey terms) is because of the way others treat Chihiro in the games. It can be difficult and even triggering for people to see Chihiro's friends, including ostensibly good people, actively calling a trans girl "he/him" and a "boy"; as such, the easiest way to remove this issue is by interpreting Chihiro, not as a trans girl who comes out as having been a trans the whole time, but as a trans boy who still isn't out to their friends (and potentially hasn't even realized they're trans yet themselves).

These interpretations are both perfectly valid. Neither of them are actively transphobic. They conflict with each other solely in that it isn't possible for both to be canon at the same time. However, many people who believe strongly in one side can feel uncomfortable or even be directly triggered by the other, due to the perception of "misgendering" a comfort character and the feeling that their own interpretation of the character is being disrespected. As such, it is perfectly normal to see both sides avoiding each other.

This blog puts forth the perspective of transfem Chihiro because it is what the blog owner most closely identifies with, and it is more popular in the fandom. This is not a commentary on transmasc Chihiro headcanons! If transfem Chihiro bothers anyone, this blog is carefully tagged, and will happily add more tags at request. However, I will not be fielding discussions about it.

Common Arguments Against

Now, if you've kept up so far, you may still have some common arguments to bring up. Here's some responses to save you from heading into my inbox!

Actually, Chihiro is a commentary on a specific gendered trope in Japanese media!: This is like saying that because drag queens exist in the USA, headcanoning any American character as transgender is disrespectful to them. Japan has a number of trans people who face discrimination every day in a country that has no anti-LGBT discrimination laws and has had regular reports from the Human Rights Watch over the years that are increasingly worrying. My gender and sexuality studies have largely been Western, and I do not claim to have thorough knowledge of Japanese relations to gender; however, acting as though Japanese people cannot be trans is both racist and reductive.

But Chihiro says "I'm a boy!": The context in which Chihiro says "I'm actually a boy" is, 100% of the time, with no exceptions, when they are coming out as trans. For a transmasc reading, this is fairly obviously connected; for the more popular transfem reading, as a teenager in Japan, Chihiro likely does not have in depth knowledge of transness or LGBT terminology. It is very likely Chihiro has no words to describe their experience except "I'm a boy, but I want to be a girl" or "I want to be a boy but I'm not." This is a well-documented phenomenon among real world trans youth, too - people often use language that people in the community consider offensive simply because they have no other words to describe their experience. That does not make the experience less valid.

But the Danganronpa writers have said Chihiro's a boy!: 1. Look up 'Death of the Author.' 2. The writers also have not said that Kyoko and Makoto are dating, but this is near universally agreed on amongst friends as the most 'canonical' interpretation. That's what headcanons are.

I just don't like it! It just makes me mad!: You're transphobic. Consider why it bothers you so much that people want a character to be trans. Is there a valid logical reason? If not, why is this your instinct? Is it a good instinct? Is it possible you are hurting people around you by blindly acting on it?

In Conclusion

This is my official, catch-all, "Chihiro is on this blog and you can't do anything about it" post. My current policy is that every time I receive in ask against trans Chihiro in my inbox, I add a post that is specifically about Chihiro being trans to the queue. I will keep doing that. And I will @ you. With a smiley face. I will not respond in any other way. ✌️

[gayalienwilde]

I could write an infinite amount of essays about the possible meanings of the alien gay sex pin in Velvet Goldmine, but I'll just write a couple, feel free to add your own theories/analyses I would absolutely love to read them!!!

Everything's under here because otherwise this post is too long to scroll by, nonetheless enjoy <3

First an observation, the fact that the pin has a lifetime of its own in the movie: Oscar Wilde has it since birth, Jack discovers it in his childhood, Brian steals it in his early 20s, Curt gets it around his mid 20s and Arthur in his late 20s/early 30s, this is connected to both the theories I'm gonna talk about so keep that in mind.

The first theory I want to discuss is that of the pin as a metaphor for queer identity and it's connection with art, all the people that own the pin in the movie are queer and almost all of them are artists, it's easy then to see the pin as a physical manifestation of how queerness inspires art and artists, it's not shown since the movie ends but it would make sense then for Arthur to also get inspired after receiving the pin and start focusing more on his passion, whatever that might be. As a viewer it's also very inspiring and validating to see people connect to their identities and passions no matter their age, so don't worry too much about "lost" time, your moment with the alien gay sex pin will come :^)

The second possible meaning for the pin I want to analyse is that of queer connection and community. Just like the green carnation, the pin as a symbol for gay community is "born" with Oscar Wilde, and it's alien powers are manifested in the way it always appears when it's needed the most, this also connects to the way the pin changes ownership throughout the movie. After Wilde the pin (read as community) is found by Jack at his lowest, and it gives him hope, all of this is clearly stated by the voiceover that talks about his unhappy childhood that changes "one mysterious day, when Jack would discover that somewhere there were others quite like him", maybe he doesn't meet other queer people immediately, but he probably discovers he's not alone through learning about Wilde (at school or maybe thanks to the pin), it's even more obvious later seeing Jack being fully confident and comfortable in his identity that he'd been sure of who he is from a pretty young age. Then the pin is stolen by Brian. We're shown Brian as a newcomer to the Sombrero, so Brian knows where to find community, and he's not doing bad like Jack was when he finds it, so it makes sense for him to be the only person that has to steal the pin, he doesn't find it and it's not gifted to him either, he greedily takes it even if he's already got everything it could offer. Alongside the pin Jack's entourage is also "stolen" and they begin to work with Brian, but it's not just them, we see Brian use people, fashion and ideas from the queer community for his own gains, Mandy, Cecil and even Curt become stepping stones for him to reach mainstream popularity. At his most confident, he gives the pin to Curt, and we go back to the pin's usual modus operandi. After the breakup with Brian he's left sad and alone in a foreign city where he can't find community on his own, that's when he connects with Jack, so the pin either predicted that he was gonna need someone or as soon as Brian gave it up it took its revenge for being stolen by causing Brian's downfall, as seen by basically everyone abandoning him and the community of fans turning on him. The pin reaches its final owner when it's given to Arthur by Curt. Even if young Arthur's story in the movie is all about him finding his community after leaving his house, we see that in the 80s he's all alone. In the movie Arthur says that "money, the future and a serious life" made him forget his past, but we can guess that having moved to a different country and the 80s being horrible is also something that probably caused him to lose his connection with other queer people. Arthur has clearly lost all hope until he starts doing his research and meets Curt again, he is no longer alone. To him Curt is both a connection to his past and queerness, but since in the 80s gay people need to hide once more they have to use symbols again to communicate with eachother, so Curt gives the pin to Arthur, to let him know that he recognizes him and also to give him something that will help him find his community of "unspeakables of the Oscar Wilde sort" again. So the pin is very important because connecting with an understanding community is very important, not just for gay people but for everyone, since it's easy to read the pin also a symbol of being a fan of something and finding other fans through wearing pins and merchandise of your favourite show/band etc... and of course many other symbols used by different communities to recognise each other. Funnily enough, even in real life the pin is the symbol of a community, our fandom of alien gay sex lovers <3

[vivvy-of-the-lake]

I'm gonna go on a dumb rant but this means a lot to me because it just hurts so much thinking about it. I feel stupid and silly and immature getting this worked up over it but also entirely justified and valid in my feelings and I need help (more under the readmore)

so I've been reading the manga for Bocchi the Rock after having finished the anime (no spoilers in this rant, don't worry) and even before having started reading it, I had come across all the major 'gay Bocchi' meme panels and i was definitely keeping an eye out for them as i was reading

(also i was reading it at https://bocchitherockmanga.com/ which for reasons i will get into I do NOT recommend AT ALL. all the issues i'm about to talk about aren't there in the mangadex version)

i've gotten through most of the series with no issues whatsoever, until I got to chapter 58. These latest chapters were being scanned by someone new to scanlations as a whole, and in particular bocchi stuff (I won't name names because that's not what this post is about, you can find who to blame just by reading it yourself from anywhere that isn't mangadex)

I was very keenly on the look-out for this panel, because for very obvious reasons it's become a very popular bocchi meme:

...but reading the version i was reading, not only were there very blatant grammar and spelling issues, but when i finally got to the panel-

what the fuck. what the fuck is this bullshit

"I've it's been popular nowadays..." doesn't make any fucking sense and had i not read the other version first i might not have understood what it was trying to say, and all of the text is so horrendously scaled and placed so awfully

but the real issue is in that "fine print":

"I already know the scope of the test, and it seems I'm going to be that one big-breasted popular girl on the exam!"

what.

the.

fuck.

this makes ZERO FUCKING SENSE given the actual illustration, i know bocchi has big boobs in the manga but WHO'S THAT GIRL WITH THE BIG BOOBS, HUH??? WHAT'S HER SIGNIFICANCE???

it doesn't take an expert to realise that what bocchi's saying here doesn't even make any sense if she's not even the one with big boobs in her fantasy of what will happen if she repeats a year

now i always lean on the side of never attributing to malice what can be attributed to stupidity, and i was ready to just assume this was a piss-poor translation

but i found the scanlator making a post on the MangaDex forums about the situation, and in it they said this (reminder that the panel in question comes from chapter 58):

so it was intentional. it was a person actually trying to censor the original intent of the author because they didn't like that there was gay representation.

...

i'm done. i'm so fucking done with this.

"i have given up on the lame goal of censoring bocchi the rock" yeah that's a little too late pal. the damage this guy has done is still apparent because in almost all of the places online, including the TOP RESULT for searching "bocchi the rock manga", they still use this guy's awful, rushed, and - let's be honest - homophobic scans instead of the new ones that are actually good.

oh and of course only one guy in the thread actually calls out OP for censoring it in the first place, and then another guy backs up OP and that's the end of that.

these things are small, but it feels like being queer is just kinda not possible nowadays. everyone tries to take it away from us and it's inescapable, even in the places we go to in order to get away from all the bullshit and awful stuff happening in the real world.

stuff like this seems minor but it sends a very real message to queer fans of stuff like this:

we can't have anything.

[munsons-maiden]

since half the fandom sees eddie as having a mean streak and the other half vehemently seeing him as a human golden retriever what's you're take on it? 🔍

Oh dear the answer is gonna be a whole ass novel I fear so please bear with me.

Humans aren't black and white - and neither are complex, relatable characters. Like Eddie.

He doesn't have a mean streak in the way that he likes being mean, but like we all, he can be mean if he feels threatened. It's obvious in the cafeteria scene where he offends basically all the other social groups of Hawkins High students just for their interests the same way they do to him and most probably have been doing to him all his life. He lashes out, but it's not to be mean or cruel or bully anyone but because it keeps people away and if they already call him a freak, it's best to lean into it, right? He must have made a name for himself as mean because Jason is very obviously scared of him and so is Chrissy, who later admits she thought he was mean and scary, because mean and scary is what keeps the popular people like Jason from bullying Eddie and his friends.

(I've seen some people say he was being mean to Dustin and Mike in the cafeteria scene and they were scared of him which is just not what happened. Eddie is the leader of Hellfire and he leans into it because he's an extroverted, hyperactive and dramatic guy. They respect him, but they're not scared of him. It's the same effect my cheer coach has on me when I'm several feet in the air and she screams at me to stay tense or else she'll throw her sneakers. It's all in good faith. Eddie matches the way he treats people with how they treat him and what they can take - in lack of a better word rn: Dustin and Mike share Eddie's streak for the dramatic and the rough humor which seems to be a thing in Hellfire, and so does Erica who has no trouble putting Eddie in his place, so he matches his behavior to theirs by showing his revved-up, unfiltered humor. With Chrissy, he senses she's scared of him, so he reacts by showing his soft, vulnerable side, opening up a little because she does first and thus showing him it's safe to drop his guards. And the way he is with Chrissy - making sure not to get into her personal space, making sure to set her at ease and showing her he's no danger to her (after realizing she's no danger to him, unlike he first thought) is as 100% his true self as his rough, revved-up version we see in the cafeteria scene and later during the game of DnD. Even the dramatics are the same in all these scenes. It's all Eddie, and that's what makes him such a beautiful, complex, relatable character. I once talked about this with @kedreeva , how Eddie is using different masks for different people only that none of these are masks, just different sides of himself and all 100% himself, and the fact everyone who gets to know him also gets to love him, like Dustin so beautifully summed up, is because Eddie has a way to read people and react to them by showing them the part of himself that best matches their energy.

As for the whole postponing-the-game thing with Eddie and Lucas, I already made an in-depth post about that a while ago which you can find here.

Now, a little deep-dive into his scene with Erica: we know Eddie's been judged and bullied and mocked all his life for being different and for loving DnD, just like the party - so of course he's protective over that hobby that means so much to him and that's so awfully misunderstood in the society he lives in. He tests whether Erica, a little girl he's never met before, is up to playing this game with the rest of Hellfire which, as is established by then, all have a rough and revved-up kind of humor for her own sake as well as for the sake of his friends who've been excited for this important game because it's the finale of the campaign that spanned over moths, and for his own sake because you can tell how much work and thought and love Eddie poured into planning said campaign and its finale and of course he doesn't want that spoiled by a little girl who can't even play DnD. Plus, let's not forget Eddie knows who Erica is and has already heard a lot about her ("so this is Sinclair's infamous sister") which means if the stories about Erica were true, she'll be up for banter. Which she is. And he likes her for it and welcomes her into Hellfire. Not as a substitute at the table for one game, but he literally says "welcome to Hellfire", including her because she's proven herself worthy of it.

So yes, Eddie can be mean and show his claws when he feels threatened (directly and indirectly) just like all of us do, and I find it beautiful because knowing he can be mean if he wants to but doesn't want to be mean as soon as he feels 'safe' is much more of a testimony to his character than him not being capable to be mean.

I loved writing this so thank you for asking 🖤