#Ideal Toy Corporation

[colonellickburger]

Al Barry. Santa Heads, 1955

[inkskinned]

one of the things that i think we should pay attention to, socially, about the disney v. desantis thing is that it is really highlighting the importance of remembering nuance.

in a purely neutral sense, if you engage in something problematic, that does not mean you are necessarily agreeing with what makes it problematic. and i am worried that we have become... so afraid of any form of nuance.

disney isn't my friend, they're a corporate monopoly that bastardized copyright laws for their own benefit, ruin the environment, and abuse their workers (... and many other things). this isn't a hypothetical for me - i grew up in florida. i also worked for the actual Walt Disney World; like, in the parks. i am keenly aware of the ways they hurt people, because they hurt me. i fully believe that part of the reason florida is so conservative is because it's been an "open secret" for years now that disney lobbies the government to keep minimum wage down, and i know they worked hard to keep the parks unmasked and open during the worst parts of Covid. they purposefully keep their employees in poverty. they are in part responsible for the way the floridian government works.

desantis is still, by a margin that is frankly daunting, way worse. the alternative here isn't just "republicans win", it's actual fascism.

in a case like this, where the alternative is to allow actual fascism into united states legislation - where, if desantis wins, there are huge and legal ramifications - it's tempting to minimize the harm disney is also doing, because... well, it's not fascism. but disney isn't the good guy, either, which means republicans are having a field day asking activists oh, so you think their treatment of their employees is okay?

we have been trained there is a right answer. you're right! you're in the good group, and you're winning at having an opinion.

except i have the Internet Prophecy that in 2-3 months, even left-wing people will be ripping apart activists for having "taken disney's side". aren't i an anti-capitalist? aren't i pro-union? aren't i one of the good ones? removed from context and nuance (that in this particular situation i am forced to side with disney, until an other option reveals itself), my act of being like "i hope they have goofy rip his throat out onstage, shaking his lifeless body like a dog toy" - how quickly does that seem like i actually do support disney?

and what about you! at home, reading this. are you experiencing the Thought Crime of... actually liking some of the things disney has made? your memories of days at the parks, or of good movies, or of your favorite show growing up. maybe you are also evil, if you ever enjoyed anything, ever, at all.

to some degree, the binary idealization/vilification of individual motive and meaning already exists in the desantis case. i have seen people saying not to go to the disney pride events because they're cash grabs (they are). i've seen people saying you have to go because they're a way to protest. there isn't a lot of internet understanding of nuance. instead it's just "good show of support" or "evil bootlicking."

this binary understanding is how you can become radicalized. when we fear nuance and disorder, we're allowing ourselves the safety of assuming that the world must exist in binary - good or bad, problematic or "not" problematic. and unfortunately, bigots want you to see the world in this binary ideal. they want you to get mad at me because "disney is taking a risk for our community but you won't sing their praises" and they want me to get mad at you for not respecting the legit personal trauma that disney forced me through.

in a grander scheme outside of disney: what happens is a horrific splintering within activist groups. we bicker with each other about minimal-harm minimal-impact ideologies, like which depiction of bisexuality is the most-true. we gratuitously analyze the personal lives of activists for any sign they might be "problematic". we get spooked because someone was in a dog collar at pride. we wring our hands about setting an empty shopping mall on fire. we tell each other what words we may identify ourselves by. we get fuckin steven universe disk horse when in reality it is a waste of our collective time.

the bigots want you to spend all your time focusing on how pristine and pretty you and your interests are. they want us at each other's throats instead of hand in hand. they want to say see? nothing is ever fucking good enough for these people.

and they want their followers to think in binary as well - a binary that's much easier to follow. see, in our spaces, we attack each other over "proper" behavior. but in bigoted groups? they attack outwards. they have someone they hate, and it is us. they hate you, specifically, and you are why they have problems - not the other people in their group. and that's a part of how they fucking keep winning.

some of the things that are beloved to you have a backbone in something terrible. the music industry is a wasteland. the publishing industry is a bastion of white supremacy. video games run off of unpaid labor and abuse.

the point of activism was always to bring to light that abuse and try to stop it from happening, not to condemn those who engage in the content that comes from those industries. "there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism" also applies to media. your childhood (and maybe current!) love of the little mermaid isn't something you should now flinch from, worried you'll be a "disney adult". wanting the music industry to change for the better does not require that you reject all popular music until that change occurs. you can acknowledge the harm something might cause - and celebrate the love that it has brought into your life.

we must detach an acknowledgment of nuance from a sense of shame and disgust. we must. punishing individual people for their harmless passions is not doing good work. encouraging more thoughtful, empathetic consumption does not mean people should feel ashamed of their basic human capacities and desires. it should never have even been about the individual when the corporation is so obviously the actual evil. this sense that we must live in shame and dread of our personal nuances - it just makes people bitter and hopeless. do you have any idea how scared i am to post this? to just acknowledge the idea of nuance? that i might like something nuanced, and engage in it joyfully? and, at the same time, that i'm brutally aware of the harm that they're doing?

"so what do i do?" ... well, often there isn't a right answer. i mean in this case, i hope mickey chops off ron's head and then does a little giggle. but truth be told, often our opinions on nuanced subjects will differ. you might be able to engage in things that i can't because the nuance doesn't sit right with me. i might think taylor swift is a great performer and a lot of fun, and you might be like "raquel, the jet fuel emissions". we are both correct; neither of us have any actual sway in this. and i think it's important to remember that - the actual scope of individual responsibility. like, i also love going to the parks. Thunder Mountain is so fun. you (just a person) are not responsible for the harm that Disney (the billion dollar corporation) caused me. i don't know. i think it's possible to both enjoy your memories and interrogate the current state of their employment policies.

there is no right way to interrogate or engage with nuance - i just hope you embrace it readily.

[toskarin]

i really dont know how to tell people that Copyright Laws Are Good, Actually. every time a company like disney or nintendo abuses copyright laws people always start talking about how copyright should be abolished, and in an ideal world, copyright laws wouldnt be necessary. but in the world we live in copyright laws are very much needed for creatives. while it's easy to be reactionairy when nintendo unfairly removes a fangame or disney threatens people over mickey mouse, people really need to understand that copyright laws are the only things stopping corporations and even other people from exploiting smaller ips. like, imagine if hasbro started making toys of your projects with no consent or contract or payment. that's what copyright laws are stopping

taking this in best possible faith, this is still an opinion completely unmoored from any material understanding of how IP works to the point where I can't take it seriously.

if hasbro started making toys out of my project without my consent, in the world we currently exist in, I would have little to no recourse simply because I could not win a court case against hasbro. they would drag it out and I would be in financial ruin long before I could achieve anything

if I made something similar to a hasbro property without infringing on their IP and they came down on me under the pretense that I had infringed, I would likely have to reach a settlement and shutter my project. it would not matter whether or not I was right

copyright does not protect you: it protects people who can afford to wield it

and making an assumption that you and I are more likely to be economic peers than not, we cannot afford to wield it

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Heads are rolling! The heads of Santa Claus dolls fall from a conveyor belt to be transported to the next department at the Ideal Toy Corporation, Hollis, Queens, ca. 1955.

Photo: Al Barry via Three Lions/Getty Images/photos.com

[aita-blorbos]

Am I the asshole for having a blorbo?

(🐐)

Hi ok so!! I (older than you, M) have this friend slash favorite little guy who'll I'll call... Bear! (36-56, M). Me and Bear— we have lots and lots and lots of fun, you know? Even if he's only aware I exist about half the time.

Bear's a funny guy. But he's also such a fucking ASSHOLE. Like just objectively. You'd all agree with me if you met him. The fact he's an asshole is what made him funny to me at first, but when we met, he had gotten black-out drunk at his best friend's wedding! (actually I'm not even sure if they're that close). That's not nice and that's not fun. So I whisked him away!

In my universe (Yeah, I'm aware the multiverse is real, shocking!) there's like, basically infinite timelines. So I found one Bear would like and then sent his consciousness there! He thought it was a bit disorienting, but I promise you, this was like, his life's ideal. All his coworkers instead worked under him on the corporate ladder, and, he was getting married to the love of his life instead! I figured it would be easier to meet me if I open it nicely.

Besides, if he was gonna be my toy– er, blorbo. (Is that the word?) If he was gonna be my blorbo, he'd have to cooperate for the first little while. And since he was an asshole with baggage he never addressed, he complied easy peasy. Became a time traveller with my help!

And like I expected, he took a bit too much advantage of it. Bear went so far back that he couldn't go back forwards again. Like, "before the timelines started fracturing" levels of far back. And so he'd have to live back through everything he's already experienced again. Whoops! Not my fault he didn't think about the implications.

And if he murdered the love of his life a little, that's not my problem.

He's like, perfect now. He can't be an asshole to anybody if he's my toy. I'm getting kind of bored of him now, though. Think I might broaden my horizons; aim for his brother and get the whole set! Doesn't that sound fun? I think it sounds so fun.

Am I really the asshole???

[sanyu-thewitch05]

I feel like there aren’t as many “dominant/sadistic” female reader stories. Like don’t get me wrong, I love dominant men, but let’s make that story a bit more spicy…So here’s another idea I had…Male Yandere Fiancé X Female Sadistic Reader

Darling grows up from a prominent old money family, and from young childhood was put into an arranged marriage with one of her father’s longtime friend’s son (who was the same age, and also from a old money family, hence the arranged marriage). Darling was born with a sadistic streak (inherited from her mother, cause we gotta love generational femme fatales), and just thought “why not play what’s already been promised to me?” So she decides to cruelly play with her fiancés feelings even at a young age. (Goes the whole gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss route). For example, fiancé (the yandere), falls in love with her easily since Darling easily manipulates him. Once fiancé is hooked, Darling abuses him into becoming her “ideal man,” forcing fiancé to workout relentlessly, spend countless days/nights studying to become more intelligent, perform extravagant acts of love/devotion to her, etc. Fiancé is pushing himself to the limits in every which way for Darling, because if he doesn’t, Darling is threatening to break off the engagement and leave him forever.

Last day of college arrives (it was agreed between the two families that after the kids graduated college, they’d get married asap), but Darling being the cruel thing she is, makes out with another man in front of yandere fiancé and declares that she loves the new man more and wants to marry him instead. The new man is the total opposite of yandere fiancé (physically weak, lowest ranking in each class, from a “poor family/ugly,” etc.) and in a sense Darling breaks yandere fiancé’s psyche, cause what has he been working for his entire life now? Yandere fiancé snaps and sets a plan into motion to get his Darling to stay with him, because no matter what she does to him, he will always love her (he’s absolutely delusional and off the rails). After all, he’s going to make sure he gets his fairy tale happily ever after. 

So maybe in the end he does become the “dominant” one, or maybe Darling is still the “dominant” one. Who knows? But I hope this idea of a story could have some fun exploring various power/relationship dynamics, and how they can spectacularly backfire. I hope you can have fun with this one too! <3

TW: Noncon, manipulation, corporal punishment

You always liked Barbies. You love the fact their Ken's are just dolls to them. Another accessory to their closet. Their only job is to be a fool in love.

"Y/N, what are you doing?" Lucian, your future fiance, says.

"Playing with dolls," You reply, looking at him.

17 years have gone since then, and Lucian has shaped up quite nicely. You planted little suggestions about what you liked in his head, and he eagerly followed like a horse trying to eat a carrot waving in front of its face. He wears contact lenses because you hate brown eyes. He dyed his hair blonde, changed his style, and even got on steroids for a while to bulk up for you. If he didn't, you'd threaten to end the engagement.

Now, you're in your senior year of college. You're an A+ plus student and a vivid party girl as well. Lucian never knew about you sneaking out from his eye to party all night. He never knew about all the guys you hooked up with. The poor boy would be furious if he knew you fucked with the guys who were antithesis to him. Dumb, jock, alcoholic, trouble, everything he thought you hated.

"Oh, Jeremy, you've gotta try this jungle juice! It's amazing!" You exclaim, practically hugging your jock boy toy Jeremy.

"I know it's amazing. I made it," Jeremy laughs, turning you around and kissing your neck.

You kiss Jeremy's lips and make out with him. You didn't even know kissing Jeremy was your metaphorical kiss of death.

"God, I wanna marry you," You coo as Jeremy snaps your bra strap.

Now you've signed your death warrant.

"How could you?" Lucian mumbles, crushing his red party cup.

"Jeremy, let's head to your bed," You whisper, kissing his neck.

He leads you to his room, and Lucian takes advantage of the large crowd to pull you away. Lucian drags you outside despite your complaints.

"Luci, what the hell are you doing?" You drunkenly say, trying to get your hand free from Lucian.

"Listen to me! You're not going to treat me like I'm some doll anymore. I've changed myself beyond recognition for you. I've obeyed your every order. You're going to love me!" Lucian snaps, throwing you into the passenger seat of his car.

"Don't threaten me. Dogs don't growl at their masters," You hiss, making Lucian stop the car.

Lucian unbuckles your seatbelt and slaps you across the face.

"You're going to respect me for once in your life," Lucian monotonously says, buckling you back in and driving back to his apartment.

You stay silent for the rest of the ride until Lucian carries you inside. You don't know what's wrong with you. You would never let someone, especially Lucian, treat you like this. Where did your wits and words go?

"If you even think of trying to run away or stop me, I will tell your parents all about your dirty alcohol and party drugs addiction. Mommy and daddy tolerate lots of things, but they won't tolerate their junkie daughter spending their money on drugs to party," Lucian threatens, putting a change of clothes next to you. "Now, change. I don't want you sleeping in my bed smelling like booze and sweat."

You nod your head and change into fresh clothes.

"Lay across my lap," Lucian commands, rubbing your butt. "Call me my love, master, sir, or my name. Do you understand, pet?"

"Yes, sir."

Lucian takes off his belt and slams it across your ass. You flinch, but Lucian holds you still.

"Sir, please stop," You whimper, trying to hold your tears.

"Pets don't disobey orders," Lucian says, slamming his belt across your butt again.

"Sorry, sir."

Lucian spanks you fifty more times, and each time is worse and more pleasurable than the last.

"Ah, master!" You moan, cumming onto Lucian's pants.

"Damn it, you messed up my pants!" Lucian groans, pulling your pants down.

"I'm sorry, master!" You yell, Lucian pulling your hair back.

"Suck my cock, pet."

"Yes, my love."

You kiss and lick Lucian's cock. It shivers with every touch, and your soon-to-be husband grabs the back of your head and forces your mouth to take his whole dick. You gag on it for a while, then get used to it. He pushes your head so far down that your lips touch his balls. Once your lips touch his balls, he cums into your mouth and yanks your hair back to get your lips off his cock.

"You've learned your lesson?" Lucian asks, holding your head up by the hair.

"Yes. I'm sorry I manipulated you!" You cry, your mascara running, leaving black streaks.

"Good. You're mine, and we'll be married once we graduate. You're going to respect me for once in your miserable life."

Lucian lets go of your hair, and you faceplant onto the mattress.

"Now then, let's have some good bonding time. I don't want our relationship to be like it was when you were still in control. No manipulating you into someone else. No cheating on me with someone else. Just our true selves," Lucian says, cleaning your mascara streaks away and kissing you. "I love you."

[shallowseeker]

Could you please do one of your play-by-plays with Dean and Cas fight in 11.03 The Bad Seed?

I have a partial that's embedded into the giant freeform Samwena post! (scroll a thousand years, and it's at the very bottom under "Last Bit")

I think... if you don't mind, I'll talk about the symbols in the set here, since the play-by-play is a bit embedded in the Samwena meta already? If that's not what you wanted, hit me again!

///

High Ground, low ground, and meeting in the middle

This scene is steeped in symbolism, illustrating the connection and contrast between Cas and Dean. The motifs surrounding them visually embody their respective struggles and personalities while framing their journey toward mutual understanding and, as Dean maybe views it, forgiveness and equilibrium.

///

Cas:

Creepy blue-eyed mask, brown-and-tan-bear, imposing larger-than-life soldier, tall red scaffolding.

Tall "Heavenly" scaffolding

Symbolism: The scaffolding represents Heaven and the heavy burden of Cas’s celestial duties. It symbolizes the high expectations placed upon him. The responsibilities always seem to loom over him. (We often see him pictured with skyscraper paintings for the same motif.)

Fragility: Scaffolding is both strong and precarious, reflecting Cas’s internal struggle—holding others up even as his own foundations are unstable.

Juxtaposition: Its towering nature contrasts with Dean’s low "valley" of stacked pallets, visually framing their dynamic as one of opposites that complement each other.

Creepy blue-eyed "Jimmy Novak" mask

Uncanny familiarity: The mask evokes Jimmy Novak, Cas’s vessel, but it's wearing a wicked expression. It’s a haunting reminder of Cas’s sacrifices and the cost of his mission, as well as the evil he's committed in the name of Heaven.

Puppet symbolism: Paired with the attack dog spell, it reflects the manipulation Cas has faced, being lured into false choices by others. Metatron’s schemes, Sam's pressure to save Dean his way, and now Rowena’s attack dog spell aimed to mold Cas into a tool for their ambitions.

Contrast: Where the mask is lifeless and haunting, Cas’s actions—falling towards Dean—are full of life and vulnerability, reclaiming his agency in their shared connection.

The brown-and-tan teddy

Overcoat resemblance: The coat evokes Cas’s steadfast loyalty, symbolizing his commitment to the "lower" human family over the lofty ideals of higher corporations or celestial orders. It represents his role as a protector and provider—a fatherly duty he has embraced with quiet resolve. Beneath its stoic, utilitarian exterior lies a softer, more vulnerable core, reminding us that his dedication to humanity is not just a role but a choice rooted in compassion and love.

Truck connection: The brown color also ties to Cas’s truck, a practical and grounded symbol of his efforts to navigate the human world. It suggests Cas's willingness to carry burdens alongside Dean.

Heart: The teddy bear symbolizes Cas’s emotions—a visual representation of his big heart. "Too much heart was always Castiel's problem." Interestingly, the bear also ties him to Mary, Dean, and Jack, who each have their own connections to this symbol. Together, they form a thread of resilience and affection, woven through their shared stories and struggles.

Toy soldier behind the fence

Imposing presence: The tall toy soldier is standing at attention, evoking discipline, duty, and resolve, embodying Cas’s role as Heaven’s soldier and champion.

Fence as separation: The soldier stands behind a barrier, symbolizing the divide between Cas’s celestial obligations and his desire for personal connection. It reflects his struggle to reconcile these two worlds, the tension between divine orders and his own choices. The fence is not only a literal barrier but also a metaphor for the isolation Cas feels as he struggles with the roles imposed on him by Heaven, feeling often like an attack dog behind a dog fence, especially in the face of manipulation like Rowena's attack dog spell.

Contradiction: The rigid soldier contrasts with Cas’s current vulnerability, highlighting how far he has come from being Heaven’s unquestioning weapon to someone who prioritizes free will and love.

///////////////////

Dean:

Panda bear, trash bag, supporting shipping pallet, "low" valley

Shipping pallets ("low valley")

Grounded symbolism: The stacked pallets behind Dean represent a low and grounded point, reflecting his pragmatic, earthy nature. While Cas’s scaffolding reaches upwards, Dean's structure is rooted to earth and his newly restored humanity. Both the scaffolding and the palettes exist to support others—a foundation and a framework, designed not for their own glory but to uplift and enable those around them. Whether holding the weight or providing the colors, they are essential yet humble, serving quietly so others can stand tall or shine brightly.

Contrast: The pallets create a "valley" beneath the towering scaffolding, visually framing their dynamic: Dean grounded on earth, always supporting his family at the expense of his own happiness, Cas's connection to Heaven, carrying out Heaven's missions at the expense of his own emotions.

False choices: Just as pallets are tools for transporting heavy loads, they symbolize Dean's emotional labor. The false choices imposed on him—becoming Cain’s heir to the Mark or succumbing to Crowley’s manipulation to get ahead in Hell—tried to burden him, framing his suffering as necessary to support others' ambitions. (And often taking away his agency through dishonesty, disinhibition, violation, and manipulation...)

Black-and-white panda

Symbol of duality: The panda’s stark black-and-white design mirrors Dean’s struggle with his inner contradictions—his tough exterior versus his deeply caring heart.

Dean's heart: Like Cas’s teddy bear, the panda hints at forcefully suppressed emotions. It represents Dean’s suppressed desires for simplicity and peace, often overshadowed by his heavy responsibilities to others.

Caretaker role: Pandas are famously “lazy” but also intensely nurturing. This parallels Dean’s role in the group: someone who masks his nurturing instincts behind a gruff exterior, often doing the “heavy emotional lifting” further embodied by the garbage bag nearby.

Garbage bag

Emotional labor: The garbage bag signifies the emotional burdens Dean has carried, often for the sake of others. He cleans up messes, both figuratively and literally, reflecting his tendency to internalize pain to protect others.

Self-worth: Dean’s bag highlights the emotional weight he shoulders for those around him, often suppressing his own feelings as he prioritizes the well-being of others. Dean’s bag represents internalized responsibility, highlighting his struggle with self-worth and his tendency to see himself as expendable. :(

///

Coercive roles: Overcome by Rowena’s attack dog spell, Cas’s violent actions against Dean reflect how external forces have repeatedly manipulated him—first by Metatron, then pressure by Sam, and now by Rowena. His motifs emphasize the imposed expectations of Heaven, his vulnerability, and his struggle to reclaim agency. Dean’s recent history with the Mark of Cain echoes Cas’s experience. Both were enticed by false choices that appeared necessary or inevitable—first with Crowley manipulating Dean to get him to take out Abaddon, then Dean being force-fit to Cain’s parallels—all engineered while damaging his free will. Each was a tool, trapped in narratives designed by others to fit their ambitions, often at the cost of autonomy. Dean in particular is framed as a support character. Dean is the one who defeats Abbadon, but Crowley takes the credit and at first relegates to Dean as a side accessory in his own Kingly narrative.

Agency (temporarily) restored: In trying to free Dean and restore both his free will and decision-making faculties, Cas lost his own, becoming overwhelmed by the attack dog spell while trying to follow Sam’s coercive plan. (Despite voicing his misgivings and pushing Sam to come clean, Cas found himself bound to the plan he couldn’t fully support... and he suffered the consequences for it.)

In this moment in 11x03, Dean rushes to save Cas, and Dean and Cas are temporarily broken free from their imposed molds, reclaiming their right to define themselves. The act of reaching for each other becomes a shared rejection of the constraints that others tried to impose on them.

Unfortunately for them, this victory is only temporary—an uneasy re-establishment of equilibrium. The cycle will inevitably repeat, but next time, it will be Lucifer who claims Cas's free will, as Cas sacrifices it once again in a desperate attempt to save Dean, whose free will is now beholden to/enslaved to Amara.

[muffinsin]

What punishments do you think would the sisters give and dread?👀 (as a submissive and dominant)

Thank you for answering my other request!🥰

- 🌲

Very interesting ask! I might’ve gone on a little long about this one! XD Let’s get into it! ;)

Masterlist

Bela

Punishments she likes to give out

Edging; she loves teasing her partner and denying them pleasure

Hearing slurred moans and begs for her is extremely arousing to her

Overstimulating; should her pet not behave, or be greedy, she might teach them a lesson regarding not to ask for too much

She loves exploring her victim’s sweet, sensitive body and dragging more and more orgasms from them

Spanking. A relatively simple one, yet effective

Unlike others, she doesn’t need things such as paddles for this, but will usually stick to her hands to carry out this punishment. They are plenty capable

Should she consider a very serious one however, one should be prepared to be pulled over her lap with a brush slapping against their ass

Punishments she dreads/are effective on her

Bela is naturally sensitive, but even more so after being toyed with

Edging; edging this submissive, sensitive blonde is the sweetest form of torture to her

Whether she attempts to be still or not, within a short time she will be squirming and begging, screaming and mewling already

No penetration; Bela’s mind turns foggy and she feels as though driven crazy when she is toyed with, and is not granted penetration at all. She wants to be filled, badly, especially when her breeding kink is acting up

Using hands and toys on her body will drag plenty orgasms from her, and still she will beg for penetration for hours

Overstimulation; she is sensitive already way before her orgasm, and yet grows more and more sensitive after.

Overstimulating her is easy, and will drag moans and tears from her, but deep down she loves it too. At times she will misbehave sorely in hopes of getting this

Cassandra

Punishments she likes to give out

Overstimulating; this is a huge one for her. The sadist loves the tears and reactions she gets from this particular punishment,

and she absolutely enjoys dragging her partner to their absolute limit, often even go as far as to fuck them into unconsciousness

Depending on her partner’s pain level and limit, she enjoys any sort of corporal punishment

Whipping and cutting is her favourite. She loves hearing her prey scream for her, and will often mix this pain with pleasure by using toys on them

Aside from this she enjoys paddling and spanking, as well as biting and marking her partner’s body up

Lastly, a little more creative, but she will absolutely exploit her partner’s weaknesses and kinks. They enjoy breeding? She will be sure to cum on their skin, never inside, and laugh bitterly at them, reminding them of their punishment

Her partner likes to suck her off? Too bad, she will merely pleasure herself in front of them

She absolutely loves pleasuring herself in front of her tied up s/o and denying them touch

She’s a very rough dom and her punishments reflect this as well, no matter what punishment she has in mind, she likes to leave you completely aching

Punishments she dreads/are effective on her

Cassandra, as much as she is a sadist, is a masochist

She will get off to the pain and scream, even cry if it just hurts bad enough

It’s the most beautiful type of torture to her

She loves whippings and such, but her absolute favourite is such a precious, dangerous kind of pain, she must trust you entirely; ice play

She loves screaming in pain from the little ice cubes rubbing across her skin, and will cry the longer it goes on. It’s an ideal, hardcore punishment that she cannot stand often, and yet enjoys partly

Being overstimulated; now, it’s a very difficult task to overstimulate our Cassie. She’s very eager, has a high stamina and endurance. But even she is worn out at some point

Tying her up and leaving her with dildos and vibrators, then taking your turn on her will leave her absolutely crazy. After hours of this torture, she will beg for you and forgiveness

Be sure to be rough with her, and leave many marks. She loves admiring them for the time they stick around before her body heals up again all too soon

Another especially effective punishment is edging her. She will be the biggest brat for a time being, shocked at how you dare deny her

When hours drag on and she’s no closer to an orgasm, she will behave eventually

Daniela

Punishments she likes to give out

If you thought sweet, innocent Daniela forgives too fast to punish, you’d be wrong

Deadly wrong

She isn’t as sadistic as her sister, but oh, she loves watching her partner whimper and writhe on the bed for her

Overstimulation is the punishment she enjoys most. She can’t hold back enough to edge or ignore her pet, she knows this

But watching them squirm when a vibrator is between their legs, their moans for her so sweet and lovely,

Their tongue inside of her…

She can’t get enough

She’s very kinky, and very much into sex toys

Misbehaving automatically means to her that she gets to try them all out on her pet and rail them until their holes are stretched and dripping

Additionally, she will use the opportunity to humiliate them. She loves seeing their cheeks light up and hearing their precious heartbeat quicken

Her favourites among these are using her toy in public, degrading names as she uses her pet for her pleasure, and costumes

Punishments she dreads/are effective on her

Daniela is so very eager, edging is such an unfair tool against her!

Yes, she will whine and whimper and squirm for her love, beg them to please, love, allow her release!

Even meaner, however, is denying her touch

She hates to be ignored and will not even take it as a punishment, but being denied touch is such sweet torture

Daniela often finds herself tied up and made to edge herself or overstimulate herself without even a graze of her lover’s fingertips against her. When she is at last touched, it’s as though she is ready to explode

Like her sisters, Daniela enjoys a little bit of a spanking, although by far less than the other two

She isn’t all that about this type of pain on herself, but will moan at light spankings and tugs on her nipples, even bare her neck when her lover bites her. What she dislikes, however, is cuts. Those aren’t fun to her

[vixivulpixel]

There is something so inherently hilarious about the typical card-game anime, or a show about any toy where the product itself is the subject of the setting. There is so much cynically corporate audaciousness in just out-front and saying your ideal version of the world is one where every single person on earth has upended their whole lives and ejected all their other hobbies to be undyingly obsessed with your product.

[tygerbug]

BARBIE (2023) - Toward the end of writer-director Greta Gerwig's Barbie, America Ferrara (as Gloria) gives a speech about the tightrope that women must walk, the impossible and contradictory standards that a woman must navigate in order to be taken seriously in society and seen as a person. It is an overtly feminist moment but also serves as a metaphor for the film itself, which has to balance very contradictory tones in order to please several very different and contradictory audiences and owners. Is Barbie a fish-out-of-water comedy about two fashion dolls traveling to the real world? Is it a serious feminist statement about growing up in a patriarchy which does not value women enough? Is it Blade Runner? Is it a toy commercial? As Will Ferrell's character might say, "Yes." It is all of these things and a lot more, and in the hands of a less capable director that would have been a bigger problem than it is.

Like Barbie herself, Barbie the movie is expected to be everything all at once, to all people. Some of the things this movie is expected to be contradict each other pretty heavily. The film is trying to do a lot, and there's a lot of evidence of roads not taken. So much is unexplained or left hanging, and so much of what happens is silly and frivolous. This is a very smartly-made movie, which at times seems very dumb or makes dumb decisions, partly because what it's trying to accomplish as a film is nearly impossible.

It is possible to imagine a better version of this film, one which explains itself better, leaves less characters unexplored, leaves less plot threads hanging, goes to darker places, and does not make so many compromises. But I can't imagine that film getting funded as a $145 million toy commercial from Mattel, with an extra $150 million spent on marketing. Under the circumstances it's impressive that the film is as good as it is. That imaginary version of the film would be more coherent, and probably Oscar-worthy, but you'd have to call it "Malibu Stacy" or something, as The Simpsons did, and it wouldn't be one of the biggest hits of this year. What we have instead is a very complicated gymnastics act to satisfy many different audiences and the demands of corporate capitalism. The film sticks the landing, and comes out of all this looking as beautiful as a doll-sized Margot Robbie. But it's also full of moments which are out of place, underwritten, confusing and weird, like a doll-sized Kate McKinnon.

The toy company Mattel has been trying to get into the movie business for some time, as Hasbro already did with "Transformers" and "My Little Pony," among others. They've been trying to crack the code of a Barbie movie for adults for years. (And apart from Barbie, the idea of Mattel getting into movies is mostly a bad idea.) At Sony, up until 2017, Diablo Cody was writing a more ironic, deconstructionist version to star Amy Schumer, as a Barbie who didn't fit in. (Cody has said that the more traditional Barbie was not seen as feminist enough at the time, and that they struggled with comparisons to The Lego Movie.) Anne Hathaway was attached to a version written by Olivia Milch (Ocean's 8) until the project reverted to Mattel, and moved ahead at Warner Bros.

Greta Gerwig's Barbie feels like a film rewritten over the scattered corpse of a worse film, or many possible worse films. It walks the tightrope of being both an ironic deconstruction of the character, and an unironic celebration of Barbie which shows her in the best possible light. This film has a lot to say about Barbie's place in pop culture, as an ideal that little girls want to be like, which also saddles them with unrealistic expectations that can be very harmful. Since this film is also a toy commercial by Mattel, Barbie the movie can't interrogate these issues too negatively, but it goes farther than you'd think. It starts a conversation about what Barbie has meant to girls and women since 1959, which gives the film much of its meaning. The film raises some basic questions that it's not actually allowed to answer, while ignoring others. The chaotic script feels like the product of extended battles with Mattel, where the filmmakers are allowed to say certain things, and get away with certain things, only in specific scenes and in specific contexts.

Consider the rebellious teenager Sasha, as she meets Barbie for the first time. Sasha believes this is just a woman pretending to be Barbie, or that this is a crazy woman believing herself to be Barbie. Sasha and her entire friend group unload on Barbie about the negative effects that Barbie has had on society, to the point of calling her a fascist, without quite explaining why. This is a strange scene, because they've just met this woman and have very little reason to see her as "the real Barbie," or a representation of Barbie. They have barely been provoked to unload on Barbie like this, and we don't really hear this kind of talk from Sasha (or the movie) afterward. But the scene is written this way because that's where Sasha and Barbie are, at this point, as characters, and so this is the scene where Sasha is allowed to say these things, and where by extension Greta Gerwig is allowed to raise these questions, without openly agreeing or disagreeing with them. By the end of the film, Sasha will be saying stuff like "Barbie, you got this!"

Or consider Will Ferrell, as an executive in charge at Mattel. While we meet him in the "real world," he is a whimsical and comedic character, whose motivations are concealed behind several layers of irony. We are supposed to read him as "a Will Ferrell character," perhaps identical to his character in The Lego Movie (something that Barbie was compared to often, in development). He could also be Buddy the Elf from Elf, or George W. Bush from SNL. We know who this characters is, because he's played by Will Ferrell, but it would be very hard to explain his character otherwise. That's because this character has been forced into an impossible position, and gets around it by being several contradictory things at once. Will Ferrell, vaguely, occupies the space of an antagonist or villain for this film. He represents the real-world corporate patriarchy that Barbie is really struggling against, and his ostensible goal is to capture Barbie and restore her to factory settings. But he also represents Mattel, in a movie produced by Mattel, so at no point can he actually be the villain. Will Ferrell coats the role in several layers of irony and comedic schtick that make him hard to pin down. He plays the role with a wink. When his men are chasing Barbie, he is doing schtick rather than seriously trying to capture her. He forgets or changes his motivations quickly, while still pursuing Barbie, and most of his lines afterward are about how he's a nice guy really, and the son of a mother. He does that with a wink too, making his character hard to explain generally. He occupies the general space of a villain or antagonist, but also has to assure you that this is not the case in any serious sense. The daftness of the character papers over any holes in the story by assuring you it doesn't matter.

This is equally true late on, for the exact same reasons, when (spoiler alert) Barbie struggles with the Kens. The Kens can't actually be the villain in any serious sense, despite the serious real-world threat they represent, because this is a toy commercial for Barbie and Ken. When the Kens go to war, it needs to be as serious as possible, and as silly as possible, at the exact same time. Tonally, this film always needs to do everything backwards in high heels. It's a tough tone to hit. Ryan Gosling distinguishes himself as Ken, whose job is just "Beach." Gosling must convince us that he's both the generic, harmless (and stupid) Ken doll, and a character with much deeper psychological issues that he's working through, without the one overshadowing the other. Ken becomes a cautionary tale about how someone who is missing something in his life can easily become radicalized into something much darker, but not to the extent that he is irredeemable and can't be Ken anymore. This is a film which puts its actors in a very contradictory position when it asks anything of them, although the other Kens and Barbies are not explored deeply as characters. The film must have it both ways. It tackles toxic masculinity in a way which is both deeply serious and unserious. There is a very cutting remark, at one point, about a recent superhero film, which must only have been allowed because Warner Bros also owns that film, and which could also be very loosely interpreted as saying it appeals to its desired demographic. At one point in the film, Ken tries to figure out the rules of the Real World, and whether the opportunities he wants can simply be given to him. This opens a few questions about the many layers of societal gatekeeping - of wealth, class, race and so on - which makes opportunities harder to attain for the unconnected. Unfortunately these are also questions that are well beyond the scope of this movie. Despite a diverse cast, race and sexuality don't enter into this as themes.

Another thing the film doesn't- and can't- mention is that Barbie was not an original creation of Ruth Handler, but was based on the German "Lilli" doll, based on a sexy comic strip for adult men. The doll caught the attention of little girls precisely because it wasn't initially meant for them. As Helen Mirren's narrator notes, Barbie seemed much more exciting than dolls of little babies. She seemed to open up a world of adult possibilities, precisely because she was originally an adult fantasy. Ruth Handler is played here by Rhea Perlman, with probably a bit less gravitas than the role calls for, although she gets in a few good joke lines about Ruth Handler's real-world issues with financial fraud, yet another thing I'm surprised Gerwig got away with referencing here. (The contributions of Jack Ryan, and his troubled personal life, are not referenced.)

Margot Robbie holds the movie together as Barbie, also known as "stereotypical Barbie," the Barbie you think of when you think "Barbie." While there is a diverse cast of Barbies and Kens played by familiar faces, they're not cast to be "Barbie and Ken" in the way that Robbie and Gosling are. At one point in the film, at Ken's urging, a Nobel Prize in Horses is given out. For her part, Robbie seems to be trying to win an Academy Award in Barbie. Once again, this role carries a lot of contradictory expectations with it. We all know about Barbie, and her perfect, silly, fake little world, where everything is pink and plastic, and about 23% too small. Robbie gets laughs by parodying the doll Barbie, but also embodying her unironically as if it's the role of a lifetime. This is a silly, frivolous, comedic character, which also requires extremely serious dramatic acting, and the one side informs the other. This is both the fashion doll "Barbie," and a real person who is having a nervous breakdown, either because she's becoming a real person, or for other reasons which are only barely explained, and arguably outside the scope of this film. (America Ferrara's "crazy drawings" and parental angst are only hinted at, as is whatever magic connects Barbie to Mattel.) Margot is good enough as an actress that you never question it. She brings some serious drama to scenes which aren't otherwise filmed like serious drama. It is also fun to see Barbie wear all her little outfits, an energy which she also brought to the worldwide premieres of the film, with a different Barbie outfit at each event. I believe the SAG-AFTRA strike meant that we missed out on some of her final Barbie looks, and this thought will haunt me. Margot Robbie fulfills one of the requirements for playing Barbie in a film like this, which is that you should be a little too attractive to be playing someone as bland as Barbie. This is something that Mattel understood when they turned the adult property "Lilli" into the kids property "Barbie." Even Helen Mirren's narration points out, at one point, that Margot Robbie has difficulty playing Barbie as "ugly," even when "ugly crying." She has no such difficulty playing Barbie as a cultural monolith, or with a wink as she floats downstairs as a Barbie girl in a Barbie world.

That song, Barbie Girl by Aqua, parodied the character in a way which got them sued by Mattel, and which would still be inappropriate in this film if played in full. But audiences would also notice if it wasn't played, so once again the film is put in an impossible position, and tries to have it both ways. So the end credits have a song which features portions of "Barbie Girl." The intro also features Lizzo, discussing Barbie's pink world in a way which gives it a little more street cred. And there's a sad ballad by Billie Eilish which better reflects Barbie's identity crisis- and the film's.

I wasn't left wanting more- the film does not call for a sequel- but I was left wanting more clarity on what we got. What have we really achieved, at the end, for the Barbies and Kens, and does it matter? What have we achieved in the real world, and does it matter? Does this journey only really matter for Barbie herself? What does it even mean to have Barbie in the real world? Okay, that's better left unexplained, probably. Like most of our journeys it's about growing up, learning how the world works, and realizing you actually can't go back home again. Even Barbie never really had a choice. The connection between the real world and Barbie world is probably best left unexplained, although the transition is handled well with rear-projection backgrounds. it does raise the question of how "real" Will Ferrell's character even is, as he acts almost like an escaped Ken. How "real" is the real world when it also has magical elements and exaggerated characters? What is Barbie's connection to the ghost of Ruth Handler, who only sort of created Barbie anyway? Why is "Barb" from "Barb and Star" here? Is that to make the movie more "Barb"-y?

At one point an FBI agent calls in, tracking Barbie. This is never mentioned again- I believe that those tracking Barbie afterward are Mattel employees, and not a lot of them. Is Gloria connected to our Barbie because she works at Mattel, and played with a discarded Barbie? Were her "weird drawings" really all that weird? Can we assume that the Barbies reflect the dreams of the girls playing with them, including a doctor played by trans actress Hari Nef, and a President played by Issa Rae? Wouldn't there be a lot of Barbie Lands in that case, with this little town just standing in for all of them? That sounds too complicated. Does it matter?

If this is a current Barbie lineup, without "discontinued" dolls, why are the retro pair of pregnant Midge and rainbow-shirted Allan present? We never see them together either, so what is Allan? Is "Allan" its own gender entirely? What would it mean to be Allan-gender? (Allan appears to be, simply, Michael Cera, no more and no less.) What is Allan's motivation? Is it enough to say that "Allan is Ken's Buddy" and that "all of Ken's clothes fit him?" Probably! Would it fix the Kens' problems if they figured out whether any of this is a gay thing, or not? Is "Weird Barbie" (Kate McKinnon) a gay thing? Isn't she "weirder" in the real world than she is in the "Barbie world?"

I believe we never hear about Skipper, Barbie's younger sister, in the film until hearing that a Skipper once escaped into the real world. Two Skippers, including the bizarre "Growing Up Skipper" (with growing bust) appear as discontinued Barbies later. It is clearer, for this film's purposes, to just refer to a lot of Barbies and Kens when setting up this world. But I'll bet there was a draft setting up Skipper. There have been a lot of animated Barbie movies where Barbie has a family and other continuity, but this film is more interested in a personal experience of Barbie rather than any of that corporate lore. I've heard that some of the animated Barbie Dreamhouse content is jokey and meta.

Basically none of the male characters have motivations that make very much sense or are explored in any detail, which I think was a good choice on the director's part.

And that's just the stuff that seems to matter, until it doesn't, like the entire plot. There are a lot of throwaway moments and details which will make you say, that was kind of weird. Or, I have questions about that.

There's a few jokes in the film about "guy movies," and it seems significant that Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which was originally tracking to open to much smaller audiences than Barbie, has been very successful in piggybacking off of Barbie as a double feature. For one thing, this is Ken behavior. For another, the online reaction was sometimes very toxic. People excited about going to see Barbie on social media were often harassed with all kinds of slurs. Even by itself this supports the very basic point about what women have to put up with. The opening was a huge success for both films, with Barbie surpassing $200 million and Oppenheimer crossing $100 million between Thursday and Tuesday or so, opening weekend.

I was reminded of how Barbie's trailer sets this movie up as really something special, which the movie itself delivers on. The movie has something to say about Barbie, and about the world we live in. It's visually beautiful and funny. It calls back to classic films of the 20th century, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Grease, golden-age musicals, The Matrix, The Wizard of Oz, and the work of Jacques Tati. When I saw Barbie, on the big screen, it was preceded by some of the worst movie trailers I've seen in my life. Often movies based on toys and familiar IP, with nothing interesting to say, saying it in the most obnoxious way possible.

Barbie is a silly toy commercial comedy that also manages to, for the most part, be a meaningful piece of cinema with something to say, crafted masterfully by the director. It does what a "guy's movie" would do backward in heels, making an impossible situation seem relatively effortless. There are things that this movie does not accomplish, but under the circumstances I wouldn't expect it to. Barbie is a concept by which we may measure ourselves, if we so choose. It is the start of a conversation, asking questions that it is not at all prepared to answer. For the Barbies and Kens, nothing needs to be resolved. For us in the real world, nothing ever can be. Barbie does not have the answers. In its desire to please many different kinds of audiences, as well as its corporate masters at Mattel and Warner Bros, there is something inevitably missing at the heart of the film. This Barbie is a gorgeous piece of plastic, but it is also, in the end, inevitably hollow. And in that missing space in the middle, it is inevitable that audience members will insert themselves. That is true whether you see yourself as a Barbie, a Ken, a Gloria, a Sasha, a Greta, whatever Allan is, or something else entirely. This Barbie has more personality than other Barbies have, and I think this movie could be very meaningful to people, but that's going to depend on what they, personally, are bringing to this movie as viewers. I hope, in the end, you too realize that you are Kenough. More reviews: https://letterboxd.com/garrettgilchrst/films/reviews/by/release/

[sscarletvenus]

i see you did a genderbend fic, thoughts on how fem!goo would look? :3 headcanons?

omg hello anon!! and thank you for the question!!

THREE FEM!GOO HEADCANONS, FROM YOURS TRULY:

. appearance- kinda imagine her looking very much like kim hieora...sharp facial features, bloodless skin, dark undereye circles, pin straight hair, tall and lean... like ethereal, but in a truly unsettling way. something inhumane and cruel and alien but she's so gorgeous that you cannot comprehend properly the intensity of her being all of those things!!!

. i think she would still be the kind of general moral vagabond as in canon. blood and blood and replay. she's very insatiable and intense at all times. she loves chaos, horror, and being the cause of that turbulent terror. gloats over it. is nourished by it.

. she has NO instinct for nurture whatsoever. her moral compass is a roulette wheel. she doesn't have exaggerated, hypocritical ideals like Gun does. she just needs something to kill, endless, itchy waiting for her prey to deliver itself to her open mouth and bared teeth. SHE doesn't enjoy hunting. Gun does. She likes her prey willing, because that is how and when they taste the sweetest...

. as a teenager she's terrifyingly self-possessed and intense. is it a facade for her weakness? can weapon ever be weak? should the one who wields the weapon deserve to kill if they're weak? the sword is the vessel for her brutality as well as her defence against annihilation...

. another aspect to be pondered over is the role her assigned sex at birth or gender identity and expression would play in her portrayal as a character. Goo is someone who has, always, loved and lusted over money and power. both her and Gun are children weaned on poison who take comfort and pleasure in extreme violence and sadism. BUT. BUT. But it's not the same, never the same.

. what happens when your best friend betrays you long before YOU betray him, simply by being a man, just because he has, inherently, without even trying, by birthright, everything YOU wished to be? what do you do when he is the one with the natural, omnipotent power that you so ardently hunger for, and you are nothing but a weapon, a toy, a wild animal to poke and prod? familiarity breeds contempt.

. Goo is someone that hates being underestimated and undervalued. AND THIS is where i think her irreconcilable fragmentation from Gun and Charles and Tom begins.

. She surrounds herself with incredibly strong and equally morally corrupt men (secret friends) to vicariously live through them her own fantasies of enacting unbridled slaughter just for the sake of her own pleasure, her desires that would otherwise be looked upon with unforgivable contempt by a society diseased with patriarchy...

. i would love to go into her experiencing disillusionment under Charles... stowing her beliefs in a fallible God, worshipping said God with blood and until he ends up demanding her own... would a believer betray the deity? if she loses her identity, what is the basis of her existence, then?

. some style analysis- I feel like she would EAT in these vintage corporate high fashion pieces from jacques fath/ralph lauren/christian dior

. lmao I feel like I rambled without making much sense but I would love to explore fem goo more and thanks to you anon!!! HAVE AN INCREDIBLE DAY ILY

edit. THIS IS MORE THAN THREE BUT I YAP TOO MUCH AND CANNOT COUNT SO FORGIVE ME!!!

[miekasa]

i wish i could spoilg nanamj and make him a stay-at home husband lmfao

Okay okay I know the househusbandification of Nanami is widely known and recognized because of his competence and passionate distaste for late stage capitalism and hustle culture, but I think we need to acknowledge two more important points:

Firstly, he’s always believed that homemaking is a craft and though he knows better than to idealize his life, a small part of him couldn’t be helped from fantasizing about a life where money wasn’t the object or the only answer to caring for his home and the people inside of it. Still, because of the gloomy reality of the world, he always thought the only ends to that means—even in his far off fantasy—was to be able to work enough to provide for those people. Until, you have your first kid together.

Admittedly, Kento’s toyed with the idea before your little girl came along—seeing you come home from work late, only to stress about cookies you forgot to bake for an upcoming benefit, or coursework that got put off, or laundry because you need a specific part of your uniform for the next day; he only ever wished in those moments to free you of those troubles—and while he did his best to help with the damage control (helping you bake or study or hand washing your lab coat for you to dry by the morning), he couldn’t help but think that you both could have been saved the last minute late night jitters if one of you had the time to take care of these kinds of things all day—if he could dedicate all his hours to taking care of you. So, it’s a natural progression to loving the extra time spent at home together while you’re pregnant, to growing reluctance to even leave once you’re nearing your due date, to almost flat out refusal to step foot out of your shared apartment when your baby arrives.

You’ve always known this, though—Kento is kind, tending to people he cares about even if his methods seem brash at first. He’s gentle at heart, far too rounded beneath his hardened facade to have to endure a soulless, corporate world. You know he likes things with meaning—and that you, your home, your life together, is priceless to him. So, it’s not a surprise, really when at the end of his first month back from paternity leave, he sits you down to talk about him staying home permanently.

(“It’s not worth it,” is his ultimate confession, words spoken softly into the back of your hands, punctuated with kisses to your knuckles, “Missing out on spending time with her—with you—no amount of money is worth it. I did some looking and… I think it can work like this. If I stay. I want to be able to take care of you.”)

And so, he does. You make more than enough for your little family, and Kento had already saved up enough to live more than comfortably should any emergency come up. Money could never be the problem anyway, not with the support you have (as if Satoru Gojo would ever leave his precious goddaughter in a pinch, as if between your friends and family, you didn’t have the love and blessings of a lifetime)—all of whom, by the way, not that Kento looks the happiest they’ve ever seen him ever since he’s dedicated all his time to taking care of your family and your home.

Secondly, it makes his dick hard, real talk. All he ever wanted to do was provide for you—and sure it’s not in the way most would think of, but it sure as hell still counts. Knowing that he can spend his days caring for you, sorting through all your pretty clothes and dressing you up for him, preparing the bed you’ll both lay in at the end of the day, that he’s caring for the woman who carried his child—that any his actions can make you happy. Pride isn’t a strong enough word—he feels lucky, blessed even, to be able to call you his, to know that it’s him providing for and protecting you at the end of the day, that you call him and nobody else your husband. Almost makes him want to have another baby with you. Having you home with him for a few more months doesn’t sound like a bad deal at all.

[helloescapist]

I'm Home | Gyomei Himejima

Word Count: 697

Setting: Gyomei Himejima x gn!reader (established/modern relationship)

Content Warnings: SFW, just fluff

Summary: having given up a day off from your sweet partner in the hopes of adding to your savings, you return home tired and weary, welcoming Gyomei's embrace.

A/N: there is just not enough Gyomei content, and you cannot convince me--- he would not greet you with the best snuggles.

Leaves tumbled across the sidewalk, toyed upon the step of stones to your home. Greeted the veranda covered by the shade of the day. Leaves tumbled across your home danced across one another, playfully entranced in one another’s company. The weariness of your feet heavy from a long day’s work revealed upon the sight of your shared home.

The events of the day drawn to a close, you had intended with all of your heart to curl up with your lover, snagged by a book you had been longing to read. To enjoy a quiet day at home snuggled into your giant. Snack on Gyomei’s cooking, he had been hinting at tasty treats inspired by the autumn season, the addition of chestnuts, persimmons, and sweet potatoes had not escaped your notice in the last grocery trip. If anything, it was further proof of how you had been robbed. The exhausting reminder of how you had intended to spill your day bearing on each thought. You had been called in on the weekend, your manager’s number spread across your phone screen plummeting all hopes of an enjoyable day. Allowed the exhaustion to escape your lungs, before being lulled in with the promise of bonus pay. Bid farewell to the ideal day spent at home curled into Gyomei’s arms as you placed a kiss at his brow. Allowing him the rare opportunity to sleep in before sneaking away to feed the corporate monster. You knew, with all of your heart that he would understand. He was if anything, a giving man. With the promise of adding to your savings, he would appreciate your efforts, but knew that the tender giant would fret over your health. Himejima. Not that his concerns weren’t well placed, the extra hours had worn on you, added into your already extensive work week, alongside the crunch of numbers, and the obvious agitation of peers who had been called in as well, it had been a terrible day. You shouldn’t have answered your phone. The touch of leaves playfully teased upon the small chill that traveled down your spine. The puff of your breath into the diming light, warmed your cheeks and called attention to how cold the hours had drawn. Autumn.  The touch of your home alit in the fading hours. Warm and tender, welcoming the fading of the day. The leaves that rustled across the veranda, danced upon aged would. Whispered to the late hour. Intertwine as lovers caressing one another. His warm smile comforting to your heart, whispering reassurance as the weariness of your bones settled with his gentle voice, “welcome home.”

                Rest setting on your shoulders. Allowing the bag to drop from your shoulder, your shoes to slip from your toes as you dragged your form across the porch. The affectionate smile touched upon his lips, the drop of long thick eyelashes. His large form almost humorous in the way he welcomed you home so similar to the housewife next door, the ends of his onyx hair bearing resemblance to the cat nestled into his lap. The depth of tan skin as fresh as the soil of the earth. The touch of his cable knit sweater beneath your fingertips as you urged his embrace. Guided his hands to you, giggling at the cutesy motifs a starch contrast to his demanding presence. The distinct mewl of disappointment, drawn from obvious annoyance, and perhaps jealousy as it was ushered from Gyomei’s lap. You draw into his embrace. The curl of his large frame quick to captivate your back. Provide you warmth from the escaping day. Wrapped you into his arms, and eased all the burdens of your duties, whispered affections and soothed the ends of your hair under calloused hands. The sweet smell of chestnut clinging to his sweater revealing how he had prepared sweets for your arrival. Thought of you throughout the hours of departure. Melting into his touch, savoring the sweet scent that perfumed his sweet reassurance. The touch of mugs at his side, revealing his kindness. Allowing yourself to be threaded into his lap, leaned against his large shoulder, hummed against his throat. Welcomed home with warm apple cider.

                “I’m home.”

[poke-of-the-month]

~ Propaganda ~

@fablefangs’s Fable the Hydregion

My sweet baby my beautiful girl who loves to show off for a crowd and does happy wiggles when she gets a treat or a new toy. She's so round and fluffy and silly. She likes to put cardboard boxes on her head and float around the house like that. Please vote for her she'll be so happy if she wins

@fog-with-a-blog’s Zekrom the Zekrom

it's the legendary dragon of thunder! it helps fight for the ideal future by rescuing abused pokemon and going to protests against unethical corporations and helping fight against team plasma remnants or other major threats! it's also really good with kids and a good friend and wants to help everyone live up to their ideals.

[adracat]

GWitch: Elnora and The Sword of Dios

We know the story. Ochs Earth absorbs Vanadis and adopts GUND for militarized use instead of the peaceful medical intent of its creators. Their ideals are corrupted by corporate greed. Folkvangr, a lab dedicated to these new operations, is purged. Only two people survive; Elnora Samaya and her young daughter. Decades onward, Elnora is tainted by revenge and a desire to regain what she lost, becoming Prospera.

She's undeniably our Akio analogue. A nefarious manipulator who toys with our cast for his own ends. There was a nobler side to Akio as well once; Dios, the idealistic prince who thought he could bear the burdens of humanity and whose loss of innocence still haunts Akio. Elnora, like Dios, believed in an ideal that was ruined by the world's greedy nature.

Throughout the show, Utena wields the Sword of Dios to fight in the duels. In the final episode, Utena is stabbed by Anthy for her brother's sake and the sword is given to Akio. He then attempts to forcefully open the door to eternity.

The analogue to this sword is Calibarn/burn as revealed in episode 21

How does this relate to Elnora? Because this gundam, like the Sword of Dios, once belonged to a time when the ideals of Vanadis/Elnora were still alive. Though without a permet filter, it's described as immensely powerful, like the Sword of Dios. The name even alludes to its nature as a holy sword as a variant of Caliburn.

Yet Akio does not succeed when using the sword of his former self. He can never return to the idealistic prince and time he remembers. Likewise, Prospera cannot return to the days of Elnora, though she seeks to preserve the last she had of them. They are tragedies who commit heinous deeds in a futile pursuit of eternity. I've already talked about how the Door to Eternity can't be opened by Calibarn in my earnest opinion, but that's purposeful. It's a tool of war for a past that no longer exists; a legacy tainted by greed and loss. After realizing this, I'm positive we'll see either Suletta forsaking this sword or it being 'stolen' and given to another. Eri overriding the machine as our Anthy possibly

As always, don't take me too seriously on future events~

[whompthatsucker1981]

hallooo im a freshman in fine arts and in really interested in understanding discourses surrounding art right now. Your takes on ai are really interesting and what ive been looking for in terms of self reflection. Im pretty sure you mentioned it already, but i wanna hear it elaborated more. Whats your ideal scenario on how we as artists move forward with the existence of ai? How should our perspectives of art grow into from here?

heehee i'm glad you appreciate, but i think that's above my pay grade as i'm not studied enough on the subject to be able to tell with better accuracy. but as my two cents, i think it's gonna be a tool like many others. ai is already part of many digital art programs, and has been for a very long time. if you ever used a magic wand tool, that's machine learning, for an example. adobe (spits. ptooey. hate adobe) incorporating ai generation into photoshop isn't a surprise development for one. tbh i think that once the novelty of ai generation wears off it's gonna be something considered from the range of a tool to a toy.

however what i can't tell is how the legislation on ai and copyright is gonna end up, especially with mass media enterprises and giants of the art market as adobe lobbying for control. we don't want the same that happens to the music industry to happen to visual arts. but with how the wga turned out in regards to ai, and knocking down the monopoly corporations wanted to have with ai tools, i think there's room to be hopeful here

in the end ai art is relatively harmless. the big ethical concerns with neural networks lie in other places such as surveillance, policing, marketing, warfare, the questions of digital labor, etc, and whoever was the dipshit that decided to market neural nets as ai in the first place. also good luck with your studies!