#Idk maybe I'm just relating to the show on a subconscious level now

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

me, hyped up about Star Trek Enterprise again after finishing my beloved season 3: I wonder if there are any posts about it on tumblr *searches*

me, twenty minutes later, closing the results: ah. I see. it has suffered from fandomification, where fans threw out canon and replaced it with fanon. one hundred and thirty seven polls asking "what was your first/favorite star trek" and it is at the bottom of every one. this between 14million other posts about every other star trek series. some funny memes thrown in for ~flavor~. great. wonderful. I'll just go back into my happy little corner with my parents who unironically enjoy the show with me then.

[pttucker]

Okay so it seems to me like the Fourth Wall (AKA “the largest Fragment of the Last Wall”) is becoming more and more present in the story. And by that I do mean more sentient but also just more there. In the world that Dokja is living in. It’s almost like it’s being pulled into the story more and more, or maybe like the barrier between the it and the world is getting thinner?

It’s gone from being a passive skill that only Dokja could see with very general [The Fourth Wall is strongly activated] type of messages to being something that seems alive when it eats Nirvana (which was outside the physical world, actually, because Dokja and Nirvana were both in soul form inside of Joonghyuk iirc) and then it fully becomes sentient and can directly talk to Dokja after it eats Devourer of Dreams, but more importantly, after Dokja turns it off for the first time and looks at his Attributes Window. And then it’s only after Dokja turns it off a second time (and looks at his Attributes Window again) that Secretive Plotter can not only see it, but identifies it as Fragment of the Last Wall, as does the sentient portal door.

Not to mention it can act independently of his will to show 1863rd Joonghyuk Dokja’s story (…the story that mirrors the actual opening of ORV itself…) whereas before it only acted independently to activate. And when he gets back to Earth, for the first time ever it’s “shimmering faintly” and now Metatron and Briareus can see it too. I won’t be at all surprised if it starts to shimmer more than “faintly” in the future and more and more beings of lower power levels begin to see it.

And now Dokja has turned it off only a tiny bit and TWSA comes flowing out of it.

I think that the Fourth Wall is the novel itself, or perhaps the concept of everything being a novel, which I’ve sort of talked about before and which ORV has kind of shown us because we saw way back with Nirvana that it contained the text of TWSA and Dokja has long since realized that it’s protecting him from being too immersed in the story. A weird theory I’m starting to develop that kind of goes off an old theory that I had is that it might actually literally be TWSA in the form of a "character" and the real “novel” in ORV is…ORV itself. (I just can’t get over the fact that it start showing 1863rd Joonghyuk the literal opening of ORV…)

More than that, though, I think that every time Dokja either turns it off or looks at his Attributes Window, I’m not certain which maybe both, he makes it (and thus TWSA) more “real.” Possibly by losing his protection long enough for doubt to begin to creep into his subconscious? Or maybe just for TWSA/the Fourth Wall itself to creep more into “reality?” Or something like that. It’s worth noting that after Dokja turned it off the second time is also the first time Dokja saw a message stating he was a “character.” I'm thinking that if Dokja keeps messing with it, he may end up fully immersed and at that point idk if he'll even be able to read TWSA anymore? Because he no longer sees it as a novel?

Also, on a totally different note, I see that Dokja’s “new” Scenario Interpreter skill (who knows if it’s actually new or if it’s been there the whole time but he had to know about it to be able to use it since it appeared after he looked at his Attributes Window the second time) is actually giving Dokja information that he didn’t even know but which could have technically been “canon” to TWSA in between the lines. It was kind of glossed over when it allowed him to know exactly where to stab Surya in the previous scenario but it’s now outright showing him the memories of the giants.

I’m not quite certain how this is possibly related to the Fourth Wall becoming more sentient or Dokja being a character or anything like that. Maybe it’s not really related at all because technically interpreting a scene in a novel and thinking up what might be going on in the background is something a reader would do.

[petrichoraline]

I agree with everything you said, Cathrine is delightful, naive but stands her ground and she's only going to get better with age. Yeah, the whole age gap is a bit... But considering the time period it was written in I just imagine him younger idk. The action part is when they're in the abbey ig, that's the most fun part and I'm not going to spoil it to you ofc but I'd do the same as Cathrine if I was in a place like that lol maybe without saying certain things tho. I would love to know your thoughts on the novel, by the end I did like henry, he did show up and out when he needed to. I'd have to say that my favorite austen romance is persuasion, the man did annoy me in the begining even tho ig I understand that one considering their history but his letter in the end has to be the best austen letter, I'm not a fan of love letter in general but since they already have a history together it hits differently idk also talking about relatable heroines Ann Eliot my beloved, the people pleasing is next level (but we're working on that)

I waited to finish the novel to reply and now I understand what you meant hahah, a lil warning about spoilers ahead for anyone who might come across this that wants to read Northanger Abbey

Catherine's imagination running wild annoyed me a bit only because she was using it on a real person and in such a way but I understood she's an avid reader seeing patterns in real life and im sure her subconscious craved to make a villain out of the general - he was too attentive and polite for her to have an excuse to say anything bad about him though he was the most dreadful part of her experience in the abbey. but the way she talked to henry about it, I can't help but laugh, she feels so at ease with him and trusts him so much that she forgot all about manners and common decency and asked him questions that so obviously show her suspicions- like what heroine would share she suspects his father of murder with her crush 😭 propriety and common sense were sent out the door faster than her lmao

as for henry yeah, he did show up when it mattered and related the information to her in a very considerate way, he was also extra caring after she ran away in tears all ashamed when her suspicions were revealed so all in all you can tell he can be a little shit when he's in a silly goofy mood but also be extremely sensitive in certain situations, we love a man with a high eq 😄

the novel itself... I am not going to lie to you, I am a bit disappointed - I pushed through some boring parts in the hopes of some grandiose drama but things were resolved in a very bland way. the conclusion to the engagement situation is related through letters, we don't see either the thorpes or james himself at all, later on we only hear about what went between the general and john and I get it creates this feeling of "we're done with them, let's wrap it up, chop chop!" as if we didn't spend half the novel with those characters around. the way catherine moves on isn't technically quick but in writing it feels like it. aside from that part being rushed, so was the ending- eleanor having a fiance and catherine not knowing anything of it does make a bit of sense because she is a more discreet person but tying the whole thing together with "and his servant left behind the washing bills from so many chapters ago!".. I wouldn't call it lazy but it was a random choice. (I did find the part where she says she can't name the fiance cause the structure of a novel wouldn't allow it entertaining tho); the resolution for the thorpes was very similar to a fairytale - bad guys left vexxed, good guys in complete bliss. in sense and sensibility the "bad girl" at least got a man out of the whole ordeal lol so I was expecting some twist or another but it's fine, just as austen was done with the characters, so was i lol

I think most of all I wanted a more dramatic moment of getting together for henry and catherine but I suppose the whole point is this it's a regular story with regular characters where the only dramatics spawn from some very common behaviours in people in higher society. the final chapter was just rushing everything which honestly isn't a bad thing considering i was not too curious even three chapters prior as to how it all ends, I think austen mightve known it was gonna be predictable anyways so might as well not waste much thought and time on it.

I did like the book, as I do with every austen book, because it's an experience - I like the humour, I like the writing style (though some sentences could do with being shortened, I have to reread again and again when I'm sleepy sometimes), I think the fact there are less descriptions of surroundings and more cheeky commentary on society and fun dialog works for me very well. this novel is no different in these aspects than the ones I've previously read and im glad about it. when it comes to characters, I'm fond of Eleanor particularly but I appreciate the Morlands as well - they seem very simple in their thinking but very loving and caring, they give their children freedom and support them unreservedly, im sure henry and eleanor would love to be in their company in the future (im also so happy for eleanor and I hope his family is the warmest and help her heal from all she's endured)

it was a fun read and im satisfied i finished it regardless of anything, also very glad I got to talk with someone about it 😊

the letter in persuasion you mention sounds exactly like the type of profession of love i want, here I just mostly got austen describing events and we didn't even get to see catherine find henry at the door, we had to follow her mother to the bookshelf upstairs 😂 so a letter in the character's own words sounds great!

people pleasing would drive me up the wall, that's why I was so happy with catherine but! relatable it is. so I will probably yell at her with affection and understanding hahah (I'm sure you're doing great, one "no" at a time)

i think I'll probably think of other things to say on the matter after i've posted this but alas :') sending you hugs, thanks once again for talking to me about it <3 I hope I haven't disappointed you with my answer, I'd love for you to correct me if I've said smth wrong but also just share whatever 💓

[parachutingkitten]

So here's the sitch, Pixal has ice powers, she knows it, and the show has been dancing around it for seasons now, and I'm here to tell the writers how to make the reveal happen.

(Fair Warning, this is a long one)

So, for those of you who have somehow never heard this theory before, Zane gave Pixal half his heart, Zane's heart is heavily implied to be the source of his elemental power, hence Pixal should theoretically be able to use it. Let's go over the evidence, shall we?

Season 3 Zane splits his heart and his spinjitzu stops working. He gets it back later in the series, my guess is just over time his body gets used to the amount of power available to him. But this clearly shows the heart has some effect on his powers.

Season 8 they make a point of having Zane mention that "you have half of my heart" implying that though these two have been rebuilt, those two pieces are still a part of their hardware.

Season 11 Pixal is able to use the staff of forbidden spinjitzu. She doesn't get crazy hair, but her eyes do glow. As apposed to Kai (whose powers are stolen at this point) who gets no reaction from the staff. This implies some level of powers, right? Maybe dormant powers that have yet to reach their true potential? Thing is, the ninja must have known whoever sent them had to have powers of some kind (at least subconsciously) and Pixal must have volunteered to stay behind. So she must have known it was possible for her to use the staff.

Her whole arc the past few seasons has been about the ninja... kinda ignoring her. No one guesses or finds out early that she's Samurai X (like happened for Nya). She stays behind on missions all the time. The ninja don't notice when she builds a giant base in the house, and kinda take her for granted time after time, depending on her gadgets to get them out of tight situations, and then running off to have fun with them. Granted, most of this is played for laughs, but it wouldn't be too far fetched for Pixal to reach her true potential connected to this kinda tension. There are two ways this could go over the course of the season, but the end result is the same.

The Big Moment:

The ninja did something stupid and get captured, even though Pixal told them very deliberately to be careful cuz her suit is out of commission rn and she's not sure how soon it will be ready to go into action again. But, she's the ninja's last resort, she gets the distress signal, grumbles for a second, but decides to take her unstable mech out to save them. She finds them. They're in some giant cage in the middle of some evil lair or something. Idk. Anyway, she fights the villain. She has to abandon her suit at some point cuz it's malfunctioning. The team is all like "oh no, she'll never make it! Get out of here while you still can Pixal!" Pixal looks around at the room, and then back at the team, and then directly at Sensei Wu, and sighs. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." Sensei Wu is all like "It's time." They all start freaking out cuz the robots on the team have a tendency for self sacrifice. No one wants that. But Pixal calmly approaches the villain, closes her eyes, she starts floating, epic true potential glowy eyes and BOOM! Ice blast destroys the villains and saves the day. The whole room is coated in ice. The Ninja are flipping out over what just happened. "WHAT?! PIXAL CAN USE ICE?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN YOU COULD DO THAT?!" Pixal just knowingly smiles. "Long enough."

There are two routes from here.

Option 1: that wasn't her true potential, she reached it long before then.

The next episode is a flashback to an episode earlier in the season where we only saw her at the beginning of the episode. It's the story of her reaching her true potential. It's an episode about her going back to her roots and clear out the baggage from her past that’s holing her back. Stuff with Borg and coming to terms with the fact that she’s pretty much the only droid from that original season 3 line that survived. True potential on top of Borg tower. That would be an awesome image. Just another true potential episode. Wu is the only one on the team who saw this/knows about it. Maybe they have some talk at the end of the episode about "do I even use this power?" And Sensei Wu is just like "You'll know when."

Cut back to the end of last episode, the ninja have a bunch of questions. Maybe you can have a funny montage of all the times she's used her ice powers to help the team without them noticing. This option is a quicker way to do it, and results in Pixal looking super epic and on top of everything. But, it has a true potential episode with none of the ninja present which is kinda abnormal.

Option 2: that WAS her true potential and there has been build up all through the season

Pixal is feeling especially disregarded one episode. It ends with her being kinda bitter towards the team, and as a closing stinger maybe she slams a door, and we zoom in, and right where her fingers were, there's frost on the edge.

What?!

Next episode, there's a scene of Pixal meditating. She has some Zane style visions of things to come in the season all relating to ice- but she gets interrupted by someone- again we see some trace of ice as she leaves the room.

Maybe you have a few more teases like this if you want.

Later, she approaches Wu. She's known since season 11 that she has potential for ice power. He's known too. They talk it out. She's felt the ice more prominently lately, but she doesn't know what to do about it. She hasn't reached her true potential yet or anything. She doesn't want to step on Zane's toes, she likes just being Samurai X, and she knows that the power isn't really hers. It was given to Zane for a reason. Wu is all like "yeah, but Zane then gave it to you for a reason." She doesn't have a responsibility to use it necessarily, but she shouldn't be afraid to use it if she needs to. Some other wholesome bonding stuff and what not.

There's a couple of glances between the two over the course of the season, finally culminating in the true potential scene with the ninja from earlier. This option is defiantly longer, but results in a more rounded character arc.

Extras:

The important thing here is that in either scenario, Pixal rarely uses her ice powers after this. Especially in combat. It's like a last resort, season finale superpower sorta deal.

If you want a more concrete reason for this other than she’s just humble and doesn’t feel like using it, maybe Pixal's systems aren't equipped for ice powers, and it actually damages her whenever she uses them. She can be very up front about this and the team gets worried, or maybe she tries to hide it, but eventually it becomes too much for her. You could also use this as a way to get another droid self sacrifice scene, cuz we all know this show loves those.

Also notice, her true potential doesn't have to do with Zane in either of these scenarios. Her true potential should separate her from him to be her own independent character.

Of course, there is a third option of having a whole season dedicated to Pixal as a character and she reaches her true potential at the end. Bring back Cryptor, maybe. The main villains are the 15 older models of herself. Lots of wholesome Borg content. But that's very unlikely at this point.

Thanks for reading this far! On a very small side note... I don’t think I’ve ever seen any Pixal-as-an-ice-elemental-art. Just kinda strange considering this theory has been around since season 3.

Anyway, there's some good ideas in here. Pixal is an awesome character with awesome potential. Don't waste it writers.

[sometimesrosy]

Hi Rosy! i've read one of your recent asks and in one of them you said something about a hand metaphor? i'm kinda new to the fandom and was wondering if you could explain that metaphor to me. Thanks ;)

Sorry for not answering this earlier. I’m trying to clean out my inbox which is at 125 backlogged asks right now. I won’t answer them all, because some will be outdated, and some are questions I didn’t want to answer and some are parts of multiple asks that i did answer but didn’t erase, so this is my housekeeping time, (while I have turned off anon.) A lot of these questions might be things that felt like really big questions that i had to focus on and didn’t have the time or brain power to do. This falls into that category. So let me see what I can do with this.

It’s actually a really striking visual story that has been happening since season 1.

Bellarke’s relationship can be illustrated by the close up shots of their hands, and the way they touch each other. It’s hands and wrists. The contact between that part of their bodies, is VERY interesting. That the camera has a tendency to focus in on them is a sign that they want us to PAY ATTENTION to that. Because it is not part of the script or dialogue or even action, usually, we don’t necessarily READ it as part of the story, but it’s a visual story that affects our feelings, often unspoken, about their relationship, and works on a subconscious level.

The first time we saw it, was when Bellamy caught Clarke as she fell into the trap. He saved her by her wrist. The camera focused on that. This was the moment when both of them realized that he could easily have gotten rid of his rival by letting her go, but that he couldn’t, that it wasn’t his instinct, means this was NOT who he was. They both came out of that with a different experience of Bellamy.

Then we saw the hands touching again, when, after torturing Lincoln, he reaches down and removes the awl from her hand, taking the burden of the morality from her, telling her “who we are and what we need to be to survive are two different things.” This goes back to when she killed Atom for him because the burden was too much for him to bear. Their relationship has become one of mutual support. BIG change.

let me think. The next time was, I think, in Day Trip, when he’s trying to teach her to shoot and his hand on her back gives him the shivers. Or he is thrown by the intimacy. Notice that her hand was not involved. So it was more about how his feelings towards her have moved forward, and she is still unaware.

There is physical hand contact after that, but I’m trying to focus on the close up shots on camera. Because the act of shooting a close up is not just about characters moving through the action who might touch each other but is about part of their storytelling intention. Because of that, I’m not counting the full body shots where their hands touch each other, like the reunion hug in season 2. And I might very well have forgotten some moments, in which case, it can be your job to do the investigation and watch for hand touches in the Bellarke relationship. Or if you want, look for them with other characters (I don’t think we actually GET that kind of shot with other characters, but you can look for it.)

So I think the next time we get a focus on hand touching is when Clarke is pulling the lever, and Bellamy puts his hand on hers, and they say “together.” One thing I noticed in that shot was, even though that was hand on hand action, they were still separated from skin to skin touch by some impressive armored fingerless gloves that Clarke was wearing. But, even despite the separation, that hand touch was a sign that they were together, and supportive… although, since she left him shortly afterwards, that barrier she had between him and her really, perhaps, DID keep them apart.

The next hand closeup? I think when Bellamy finds her captured by Roan. The first thing he sees is her hand, tied to the post. Then he touches his hand to her hair/face. She does not return his touch because she is tied up.

Then there is Hakeldama. BIG scene. Big for hands. Because he kneels down and takes her hand… no he takes her wrist. And she takes his. And they stroke each other’s wrists with their thumbs. Very intimate, and infact, rather sexual. Mutual. But over the clothes. They are still holding something back. It is almost like proposal scene. I personally think that’s when Bellamy realizes he’s in love with her. She’s just glad to get him back, but he’s so freaked out by the intimacy and realization of love, that he panics and handcuffs her. Which is, well, not a good sign for their relationship. 

After that? The next hand touching? Is wrists. And it’s in Nevermore. He takes her wrists and wraps her wounds. Followed, shortly after, by her taking his hand and wrapping his wounds. Mutual care for each other, although each time, the touch is not returned. They are still separated, not on the same page, but show mutual care and attention. And their love for each other does seem to be equal, if not open to being received. I’d say they aren’t ready to be together. But they are ready to be partners again.

The next hand touch is pretty significant. When Clarke is taking the flame and she is afraid. She reaches out for Bellamy and he takes her hand. This is full skin contact, mutual hand contact. Not him touching her or her touching him but both touching each other, and there is nothing in their way. There is also no narrative reason to touch. No excuse. No tool. She just wants his hand because she’s afraid and wants to hold onto him. And he holds onto her to give her strength. That’s it. It is ENTIRELY about their relationship and feelings for each other. They are emotionally in the same place. They are emotionally laid bare to each other. They are mutually caring and needing and trusting.

The next hand touch is ALSO pretty significant. It’s the list scene. He puts his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and she puts her hand on his, to deepen the contact. And THEN she presses her cheek to their hands, making it even more intimate and taking their touch, and their relationship to another level. Yes. A romantic level. I maintain that is Clarke making a romantic move on him, because it is the same move she made on Niylah, but this time with emotion involved. He however, is again thrown by the intimacy and maybe worried about what it means. Whatever it is. He leaves. Vulnerable. (he forgets his armor aka his jacket. that’s another symbolic piece of storytelling that was confirmed by cast and crew. the jacket is his emotional armor. if it’s off he’s vulnerable, if it’s open, he’s comfortable.) She takes it as rejection. Their emotional relationship takes a few steps backwards, and is teetering on the edge, with lots of uncertainty on both their parts.

The next hand shot? Hmm. IDK. I’m now thinking about solo hand shots. For instance, when Bellamy is bloodying his wrists to get out of confinement. And when Clarke is holding the gun on him and her hand is shaking.  They are definitely separate there, but reacting to something the other has done.

No. The next hand shot where they are touching is actually when Clarke hugs him on science island. He comforts her, and she, still thinking she’s about to die of radiation poisoning, grabs onto him tightly, clenching her own hands around him, not wanting to let him go. This is a decision on HER part. That she wants to hold onto him, that perhaps she’s not letting go of him and he is the good in the world. Actually, even though we know she lost him in the following 6 years, that is an accurate assessment of her thoughts of him. She held onto him thought he was gone and her memory of him is what kept her going. And he was the good in the world. 

The next touch is actually 6 years later when the reunite. And THAT’S where we get Bellamy’s hand on her back, with all her bare skin, in a shot that looks like a love scene. But isn’t. This represents HIS OWN emotional state on getting her back. She’s not there yet. We don’t really get hand closeups from her during that. Just him. And his hand is so gentle and intimate and protective of her. That is a lovers hand. But she is not on the same page, still reeling from his absence and torture and near death and having him back. 

I don’t think there were any other hand close ups, but I feel like I’ve forgotten some.

Anyway. I think there are various elements that can go into the symbolic reading of what the Bellarke hand close ups mean in their relationship. 

Is there bare skin contact? Or are there clothes and other barriers in the way?

Is it mutual? Is he touching her? Is she touching him? Are they touching each other at the same time? 

Is it hand to hand or hand to wrist?

You can also look at the touches that AREN’T given close up status. They might also contribute to how their relationship grows, but for the symbolic story? I’m sticking to close ups. 

And if you think this is all just bullhonkey, and I”m making a big deal about random touches that don’t mean anything (i mean go ahead and insult the filmmakers, cinematographers and editors, but okay,) then COMPARE the way Clarke and Bellamy touch each other to the other characters. Or RATHER, compare the way the Bellarke touches are treated ON SCREEN as opposed to the way OTHER touches are treated on screen. 

My specialty is the written word. I analyze story and character and books and text. But I also have a LOT of training in art, which is often about symbolism, and a little training in film, which is a VISUAL medium. If you only look at dialogue or scripts when analyzing film, then you are missing a lot of the story.

So take a look at the visual, symbolic story of Bellarke hands, and try to think about what it means to the larger story. 

Oh. Well. It doesn’t mean A THING to the larger plot. It does not relate to the plot. It ONLY RELATES THE TO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLARKE GRIFFIN AND BELLAMY BLAKE. And it’s a story that goes back to season 1. When they still hated each other. 

[moonstruck-writing]

Aaaahhhhh!!! Okay. Okay. I've finally read all of it and I'm so ready to comment💕 (FYI when I got the notif on my emails I just ajshaksbdkaj, it completely made my day and my weekend~ I was so excited for this and I still am✨)

Sakuya, I agree a 100%. Funnily enough I always saw him as one of the "younger" characters (although Muku is younger than him, and Yuki too...), so I never really wondered why I didn't see him dating anyone anytime soon. But I definitely see the potential for it once he grows into himself a bit more. I also feel that because of his background, he is more focused on friendship and family than romance. But that doesn't mean it can't happen in the future💕

Tsuzuru. Ah, Tsuzuru. I always felt a connection with him because he's the writer of the group (and king of overworking himself kinda? And not even realising? Just thinking it's totally normal to exhaust yourself), but I relate even more to him now 🙈🙈 [Also, I'm totally down to hearing the story you thought up for him, just saying... Even if it's a brief summary...]

He has extremely "best friend" vibes for me with Izumi, and there were some stories where I thought, wow, how comfortable they are with each other could lead to them dating (in my head, not in canon ofc), so the whole demiace thing makes so much sense!

Mmm I think I HC Itaru as aro but not ace. Like he seems to have fun with those dating sims but in a way that doesn't exactly seem romantic to me (?). I think he'd be down to have a FWB relationship if he could simply laze around and be his gamer self 🤣🙈 but also, I kinda see him being like "no sex, more gaming time", and he'd feel it's a win-win situation so🤔

I don't have an opinion on Chikage. I just- I still have some issues with him so🤐

OKAY. Muku. I'm not gonna lie, at first I was shocked, but it makes so much sense!! Also, reading his part made me think of cupiosexuality (I recently learnt about it so I may be wrong), because he likes romance so much in fiction, but he seems to only actively pursue it there. But I do agree that he may be a late bloomer (and also dealing with some self-esteem issues that could prevent him from confidently allow himself to pursue what he wants). And I totally love the QPR for him in the future 🥺

Banri, I agree a 1000%. Idk how to explain it but he always showed such "primal" energy to me (? It sounds so bad I'm so sorry). But like, I see him sort of having the same relationship he has with physical "violence" (but not like real violence, he's just a brat). He is quite physical, quite comfortable with getting in contact with others on that level, and just like he seems to be ready/need to fight, he could be kinda the same for other physical desires. However, I see him really caught up on admiring others or other platonic feelings. Even calling Izumi "director-chan" doesn't really seem flirty in a romantic way to me(?). It feels kinda cheeky but in a friendly way. Totally leans towards FWB territory. And if he finds someone he wants to spend his life with, I totally see him admiring qualities of the other person, but he would still have their back a 100% and be super loyal. Just not in a "soulmate" way but more... Partners in crime 🤣

The Azami part was so enlightening! I hadn't thought about how certain touches can sometimes lead to something more and other times they don't. Also, the "vibes" explanation, it really made me reflect.

"Sakyo is the straightest straight guy who ever lived" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 why did I find this so funny??

I have a different HC for Azuma, though. But thinking about it, maybe my idea of him is closer to ace than allo? Maybe gray? Idk, I'm confused now 🤣 reading your HCs made me realise I was subconsciously thinking of certain characters as ace without realising at all. Like, oh yeah, this makes sense for this character, that's it, no questions. Tbh sometimes it's still difficult to remember that behaviour does not equal attraction.

But I do see Azuma as someone who enjoys seducing people (on a platonic or romantic level, not necessarily physical), but that doesn't have to be linked to actual physical attraction... So idk. But I HC him as pan.

As for Guy, I'm so glad you brought this up. I think there's so much he needs to unpack before he has the sense of "freedom" (that's not the word, more like relief? But it's not that either), to allow himself the space to explore his sexuality. Maybe having a QPR would give him the space and support he needs, but also I just want all fuyugumi to move to a house and be a family together 🥺

I'm still learning about the aroace spectrum myself so my ideas may not be the best (also sometimes I kind of feel like I used to think I understood other people when I really didn't. It's been recently that I discovered someone being hot or sexy doesn't mean just aesthetically pleasing... And since I only felt aesthetic attraction, I believed everyone else was just exaggerating 🙈🙈 so I have the feeling that I may still forget sometimes that other people feel attraction in different ways).

I had a lot of fun reading this, thinking about A3!, and learning from your experiences too💖💖

How Aspec is Mankai?

This is just a list of A3 characters I feel may be on the asexual or aromantic spectrum. As an aroace myself, I always wind up looking for myself in characters. With the A3 boys, there’s very little that’s canon (that I’ve seen) about their sexualities. Some of the older boys flirt with Izumi, Sakyo canonically has a thing for her, and Yuki once mentioned that he’s into girls. That’s literally all I can remember.

Because it’s a joseimuke game, the emphasis isn’t on their love lives or sexual interests, so there’s a LOT of wiggle room for headcanons. Obviously, I’m pro-everyone’s headcanons and I love reading all of them :) Frankly, I don’t even HC what I’m writing all of the time; it’s just a sense I get. A lot of characters are here, not because I think Mankai is some kind of aspec sanctuary (although, let’s be honest, a dorm of 24 hot guys and not one of them has a partner in 3 years??? c’mon), but because my HC’s rotate around depending on what scenarios or AUs or whatever I’m playing with. I might see a character as ace one day, and the next time I play with them, I see something else. The glory of interpretation and media :)

I’m also chucking in my basic assumption on the rest of them. I’m dealing only in sexuality, not gender. I also wind up bringing a lot of my personal bias and experience into this, since I’m a sex-repulsed aroace myself. I know a lot of people don’t have these same experiences, so I want to make them clear.

Spring Troupe, IMHO, is like 65% aspec.

Sakuya: Ace, possibly/probably aro.

He’s so absolutely devoted to the guys that he seems way more into “bromance” than anything else.

I know a bunch of that is the fact that he never had a family and he just gloms onto these guys who become his family, but it’s like there’s no room in his life for anything else. He puts ALL of his energy into the platonic relationships around him and seems to have absolutely no interest in romance or other people (in a relationship way).

He’s one of the only (18+) guys who doesn’t flirt or blush around Izumi AT ALL. Even Tsuzuru (who’s next on my list) flirts, and even Juza gets flustered around her sometimes.

My guess is that because he’s so young, and so wrapped up in theatre and the guys in Mankai, he’s not even thinking about looking for a partner - in fact, he’s probably not even realizing that he’s not looking! The fact that none of the other guys have partners helps isolate him from realizing this.

Whether or not he’s aro, I do definitely see him seeking out a long-term partner (either romantic or QPR) someday - probably as he settles into himself a bit more and sees the other guys start to move into romantic relationships of their own.

I figure that if his partner was allo, he’d be a very sex-positive ace and would absolutely enjoy sex and enjoy pleasing his partner, but without a partner (or with a sex-repulsed partner), I doubt he’d give it much of a thought. (For the record, I do not have a steady HC for him about this - this one’s more theory than belief.)

Tsuzuru: Demiace. Definitely not aro.

This is 100% because of the way he evolved when I created an OC for him and dreamed up a huge story that’ll never get written down because it’s too complicated.

Thing is, like Sakuya, Tsuzuru seems absolutely clueless about romantic relationships.

I feel like it would take him a long time to realize that he didn’t seem to be “progressing” the way a lot of other guys his age were when it came to the physical side of relationships - because he hadn’t ever really had a relationship.

Like, he wouldn’t even notice that most people his age have had girlfriends or boyfriends and have had SOME kind of sexual experiences - and if they haven’t had them, they’ve thought about them.

If he bothered to think about it, he’d just decide he was too **busy** to think about it because it’s not a priority compared to working 16 part time jobs to help your family.

When he finally does get into a romantic/sexual relationship, he’s really surprised at how STRONG some of these feelings are but doesn’t really wonder about why he’s never felt it for anyone else.

(Y’know, for a guy who writes about people and relationships, he doesn’t realize how much he doesn’t know - or since he writes about platonic stuff 95% of the time, maybe he does?)

But then he realizes that his partner has some of those feelings for, like, random hot people they see on the street. Not judgey about it with them, just a little weirded out. Is way more okay with it once someone (probably the partner) helps him figure out the whole “demiace” thing.

(I 100% HC him as demi. Like, this is a standing HC that I don’t see changing for me.)

Itaru: Possibly aroace.

He could also just be lazy about other people and more into his games than anything else, or just have a low sex drive, or be ignoring it all because of his Trust Trauma.

But the fact that we see him charming the shit out of everyone around him with the Popular Prince Persona, and we hear about all the girls that like him at his job, but he only seems annoyed by them…..

If he were screwing around at his job, Chikage would have said something by now.

(Granted, this is a mostly-clean game, so WE wouldn’t hear about it - but he’d probably mention SOMETHING, like Itaru taking out one of the secretaries for a date or something. Right? Just to rub Itaru’s nose in how much he knows about him?)

(Like some of his very early backstage stories talk about the girls at work pestering him and maybe he should give one of them the time of day…but it‘s played like a joke. And later stories abandon that completely.)

So he’s not getting sex there, and he’s not going out on dates that Mankai is aware of.

BUT. He also flirts a lot with Izumi and I definitely kinda ship them in canon (and I also have an OC for him and their relationship is sexual), so….I have no real HC for Itaru, but he does sometimes give off ace vibes.

I think he might want a relationship one day, but he’s like 26 and has NEVER mentioned a former relationship. (Granted, he’s got trauma about trusting people, so that could easily play into it.) The flirting with Izumi could just be habit, part of the Prince persona….

I don’t know, he’s confusing.

Chikage: Sex-repulsed aroace.

Now, to be fair, I don’t have a great grasp of his character.

But I DO get that he’s very, very uncomfortable with women.

He could just be gay - that’s fine!

But a lot of his standoffishness, that most ppl relate to him being a spy, reminds me of me and how I relate to the world.

Like 90+% of the world is experiencing all this stuff, and exchanging energy and understandings, and I have NO IDEA WHAT THEY’RE ON.

It keeps me from wanting to connect to people, just in case. Like, I’m often nervous about being too chatty or too friendly because I don’t know if someone’s going to see me as flirting.

I dunno, maybe I just feel disconnected from people in a way that seems familiar in Chikage’s character.

But the fact that he can only be comfortable with Izumi when he stops seeing her as a woman - ie, she is now a non-sexual being to him - just hits me close to home.

He seems to want a family more than anything else. I know there’s a lot of April/August/December poly stuff out there, and cool :) To me, it seems like the emotional connection was most important to him.

(As for the others - I see Masumi as pan. He wants someone to love, someone to love him back. I don’t think gender factors into it. TBH, Citron is a complete mystery to me. I definitely think he’s into girls - he’s a MAJOR flirt! - but whether he’s also into guys or is pan or just straight, I don’t freaking know. But he’s definitely DTF.)

Summer Troupe is a little young, but here we go. Only one :)

Muku: Somewhere on the ace spectrum. Possibly aro (hear me out).

It’s the reliance on fictional media to fulfill something that’s uncomfortable in the real world.

That’s something I do, too, and it’s a really common occurrence for aces.

All of his romance is fictional.

We know that girls like him, but he doesn’t seem to realize they exist - yet he still wants to be someone’s prince!

To get your “crushes” only on fictional characters (or in your imagination) without realizing it, because you will never be required to DO anything to/with them.

To take all your cues on romance from fiction because RL romance is uncomfortable, makes no sense, or both.

Like, all of the allos I know had crushes on real life people. If you asked them to put together a list of people they wanted to sleep with - or even just kiss! - that list would include a mix of fictional people, celebrities, and people they know in real life.

The funny thing is, because he’s SO obsessed with fictional romance, I think most people wouldn’t see him as aro. But I’m aro and I’m 100% obsessed with fictional romance lol.

I have romantic OCs for most of the characters I like in fiction, I read romance novels, I play otome games religiously.

But I don’t want any of that in real life.

It’s possible Muku is the same.

Muku is 100% obsessed with fiction, and doesn’t seem to even SEE that girls are around him or like him.

However, BECAUSE of his fascination with being someone’s prince one day, I’m hesitant to truly HC him as 100% anything.

He may simply be oblivious and daydreamy and a late bloomer.

If he IS on the ace spectrum, he’d  probably be like Sakuya or Tsuzuru (you know, when he’s NOT A MINOR) - possibly Demi and/or very sex-positive and into pleasing his partner.

If he is aro, he still wants a QPR with a lifetime partner. He still wants to be someone’s prince.

(Yeah, everyone else in Summer Troupe is gay or bi. Sorry, but I don't make the rules.)

Banri: I see Banri as Aro, but not Ace.

To be honest, I don’t know why.

It’s just the vibe I get from him.

Like he doesn’t need or want anyone but himself.

Currently, probably because he’s still young, he’d be way more into FWB or casual dating, but probably not too much into random hookups.

Too much trouble, too much dancing around and getting drinks.

Just text a FWB, meet up, do the do, go home.

Or go out with his casual date partner, see a concert or play, go to the arcade, grab a bite to eat, whatever, THEN do the do and go home.

*shrugs*

Take it up with the manager.

May wind up with a partner, may not.

I don’t see it bothering him if he’s alone, he’s perfectly content in his own company.

He’s found something he’s passionate about that takes up his time and pushes him to do better; that could easily be enough for him.

Even if he does find someone that he loves enough to want to commit to, I can’t see him being **in love** in the way most other people are.

Azami: Sex-repulsed aroace.

Technically, there's a lot of reasons I feel this, but also a lot of reasons why this is a hesitant HC.

Is too young for me to truly want to HC him, but that desperate aversion to witnessing or being a part of physical affection is VERY sex-repulsed ace.

I will literally fast forward through sex scenes in movies, skip the pages in books, whatever.

Sometimes I’m cool with sexual contact in media (hello fanfic), but I’m always uncomfortable with it in real life.

Now, for Azami, this could also be his age combined with a restrictive upbringing.

But the thing that always makes me pause about Azami is that he seems to equate ALL physical touch to sexual touch.

“No sex til marriage” makes sense, but no hand-holding?

That only seems to make sense if you’re making hand-holding a sexual thing, or ALWAYS a step on the ladder TOWARDS sexual things.

Like, 3-year-olds hold hands. Obviously that’s not sexual.

But the moment it’s between two people of sexable age, he freaks out.

And, as someone who is a sex-repulsed ace, I always got really confused about physical affection when I was dating (before I knew this about myself).

Is my boyfriend holding my hand just being sweet? Is his kiss on the cheek just that? If we cuddle, is that physical contact permission for his hands to start wandering?

Every single act of physical affection became a (potential) gateway to sexual actions because I couldn’t understand or sense the difference.

There WAS no difference to me. The “vibes” that indicate the difference to allos is missing in me.

Sometimes a kiss was just a kiss, sometimes it was more, and I flat-out couldn’t understand intention through the subtlety of just physical touch.

Everything is the same to me, so EVERYTHING is potentially sexual. And therefore, every form of physical touch became a danger zone.

It seems to me that the same thing is true for Azami - literally every physical interaction is a sexual interaction, because he can’t ever see that it’s NOT.

So while I don’t HC Azami as ace necessarily (only he can say that, and his behavior is confusing), I wouldn’t be surprised if he was.

As for aro or not, I have no idea, because I think the desperate desire to avoid physical affection is clouding the issue.

(I figure Juza as pan, Taichi thinks he’s straight until he realizes he’s in love with Yuki, Omi as bi, and Sakyo is the straightest straight guy who ever lived.)

Azuma: Ace, not aro.

The opposite of Azami.

All touch is non-sexual touch.

All flirting is non-sexual flirting.

Both of these things wind up being masking behaviors.

Like Itaru, Azuma seems to have people buzzing around him regularly.

If he wanted a sexual relationship, I feel like he'd have one. Pretty easily.

He jokes about things, but it seems more like everyone assumes things about him and his relationships and he just . . . lets them.

He even goads them on a little bit, but it all seems really jokey. Not serious at all.

While we have the word “asexual”  going back to the early 70’s (and probably further), it wasn’t a really common LGBT+ word until, I’d say, the mid-to-late 2000s.

While Azuma’s age is unknown, we know he’s older than Sakyo, so that would probably put him around 35 IMO.

That means he was coming of age in the 90s and early 2000s. He was also, very heavily, a loner.

He had no adults in his life to guide him, no one to confide in.

What are the odds he would come across that word in his teens and early 20s?

All he knows is that he’s different, maybe even broken.

All these things he’s supposed to be feeling, especially since he makes his living via close physical contact, are missing.

Might blame his trauma.

So he flirts heavily but keeps his distance, to mask the actual lack of attraction he feels.

He lets people believe what they want about his former profession, but it’s probably one reason he was so popular as a cuddler…all the women felt safe even if they didn’t know that was the reason.

I’m guessing he’s sex-neutral - sex is a take-it-or-leave-it thing to him, and he’s mostly had one-night stands, and almost entirely to avoid spending the night alone rather than for the sex itself.

By the time someone (possibly Tsuzuru, as he figures it out about himself) brings the concept to him, it’s a shock to him that asexuality is just…a sexuality like any other.

He’s not broken.

I think he would still want a partner (he doesn’t want to be alone!), but whether that was one all-consuming love, or a polycule, I don’t really know.

I just know he wants love and romance in his life.

(I do not HC this all of the time - for some reason, canon Azuma gives me ace vibes, but my personal fanon Azuma doesn’t. Given that I’m about the same age as Azuma, I might be projecting my own history and trauma about feeling broken onto him.)

Guy: now, I refuse to HC Guy as ace, but he needs his own space here anyway because I have An Issue. (To be fair, I have not seen ANYONE in the A3 fandom do this to Guy!!!! But I feel like it needs to be said anyway.)

He, like some of the others, shows absolutely no interest in romance or sex.

BUT.

He’s repressed pretty much everything in order to survive his trauma growing up.

He made himself into an android - an android would be both asexual and aromantic.

I think he’s still healing from that and, at some point, will have to address his own sexuality.

Because I don't think even he knows what his sexuality is.

He may wind up being ace, but even if he is, that ace-ness needs to be separate from the whole android thing.

There’s so much that’s problematic about taking someone who thought they were a robot and diving right into “hur hur not wanting sex makes you a robot!”

It’s a false equivalency and it’s potentially damaging to the ace community, so I’m not having it here.

I think Guy’s history is really really sad, and I think the fact that he probably has no idea what his sexual/romantic orientation is is also really really sad.

HCing him as ace would feel (TO ME) damaging and disrespectful to the character.

I have NO doubt there’s aces out there who relate to him or like him because of the ace vibes and that’s peachy :)

He becomes a comfort character at that point.

However, the immediate jump society makes to “hur hur robot” or “hur hur plant” or any of the “you don’t like sex? you must not be human!” jokes?

Kinda done with it.

I’m saying what I want to say very badly, so I hope I’m not offending anyone here.

(As for the rest - Tsumugi is bi, Tasuku is definitely gay af, Hisoka is pan, and I can’t help but see Homare as straight for some reason (I KNOW I’m in the major minority here!) - but panromantic and with a low libido/mild touch aversion. Like I could see him and Azuma in a sexless romantic relationship or part of fuyupoly. Totally happy with the romance/family, not inclined to care about not having sex.)

And there we have it!

@moonstruck-writing seemed really enthused about this, so - tag!

[illfoandillfie]

Hi, a tarot reading for a specific question please. This guy L and I have been fucking around a bit whenever we get drunk for the past two months, nothing serious. For me it’s just for the fun of it, I hope it’s the same for him. But he’s kind of in a rough spot right now. He’s the type to try and distract himself from his problems tho. I don’t know if I should start anything the next time I see him (tho idk when that’ll be bc of our exams)? I'm also not sure about his feelings. Thanks!

thank you for that clarification! hopefully this helps clear things up for you!

tarot: ace of wands, justice, king of cups, 4 of cups, ace of cups, the high priestess, 2 of pentacles.

So I focused on asking about L’s feelings regarding the casual hookups to try and gauge where he’s at with it all. If you have any follow up questions though feel free to ask and I’ll pull more cards (probably over the weekend lmao)

Anyway. The first card is the ace of wands. This symbolises desire, creation, willpower and inspiration. And it’s being clarified by the 4 of cups (contemplation, disappointment, overactive imagination) as well as the ace of cups (new feelings, attraction, new relationships). From these cards it looks like he might be thinking about something more serious than you are. With the ace of wands it definitely started off as just a fun sort of thing, just a desire to make out a little or whatever but with the other two cards it seems like that might not be enough for him anymore and he’s starting to develop feelings towards you. 

Our next cards are justice and the high priestess. Now, the justice card is about balance, clarity and truth. You said that L is in a rough spot right now and this card is making me feel like he’s trying to rebalance his life by forming an attachment with you. Like, things aren’t going well for him in one aspect of his life so he’s trying to create a positive shift in another area, if that makes sense. Generally this card in a romance reading would indicate an almost karmic return - a partner treating you as well as you treat them, if you cheat the truth will come out but if you put in effort you’ll be met with a supportive and caring partner. But in relation to L it feels like a very internal sort of a decision where he’s trying to tip the scales in his favour a little bit and has (consciously or subconsciously) come to the conclusion that what you’re doing is fun and good so taking it further can only be better. I think part of what makes it feel like that is that justice is being clarified by the high priestess. The high priestess is a card of secrets and mystery but also intuition and an inner voice. There’s some really interesting connections with these cards. truth and clarity vs mystery and an unrevealed future. But ultimately the high priestess is about knowledge and listening to that small intuitive voice in your head. If L’s inner voice is telling him you can provide a form of happiness that he’s not getting somewhere else and can rebalance his life, then he may be considering that option. 

Our final two cards are the king of cups and the two of pentacles. The king could represent L or it could be you. Because I was asking about L’s thoughts on your situation while I was drawing the cards I would be inclined to say it’s possibly how he views himself but, you may have a clearer idea of who the king is representing. So, the king of cups is compassionate but in control. He’s mature and wise (because he’s a king) as well as creative and a good friend. Interestingly there’s a connection to the high priestess as the king can also represent the unconscious, particularly connected to emotions. But, even more interestingly there’s a connection to justice here as well as the two of pentacles. Balance. All three of those cards (justice. king of cups. 2 of pents.) are related to balance in some for or other. 

Justice, being major arcana, is like the big picture stuff, it’s the balance of the universe. The king of cups is an internal balance between intellect and emotions. And the 2 of pentacles is a day to day sort of balance - balancing priorities or decisions and adapting to changes.  But balance is clearly a key part of L’s feelings towards you and about your hook up situation. I can’t say if it’s a choice he’s settled on or a vague notion in the back of his head or just a feeling he hasn’t even really noticed yet but there’s definitely a strong chance he’s projecting more feelings onto your encounters than you are and probably more than he should be.

I also pulled from my channelled messages oracle deck to try and get a sense of what his thoughts regarding you might be. Take these with as many grains of salt as you like. Anyway, here’s what the messages say:

I want to get you drunk. Listen. I nearly screamed when this one came out. Clearly, he enjoys being with you while you’re both drinking and fooling around and would like it to happen again. But under it we have this love scares me. Now in this deck, grey cards reflect confusion so this isn’t a clear thought he’s having, likely it’s not even really consciously “love”. He might know he’s attracted to you and that something in how he sees you has shifted but he’s not fully aware of exactly how or why and so it’s kind of unnerving him a little. Part of his interest in seeing you again under similar circumstances to the last however many times might be related to curiosity and wondering if something really has changed. 

Then we have I just wish things were different. To me this is about his general situation, the rough spot he’s in. There’s a desire for it to be different, better. And then under it is you make my heart full. Which seems to evoke a similar sort of vibe to that justice card where thoughts of you and the fun you have together are sort of an antidote to the shit he’s experiencing elsewhere. Mentioning his heart is also another indicator that the king of cups is his version of himself because the suit of cups is tied to the heart and emotions and having a handle on them. 

...Maybe... another card of confusion and followed by the bold and bright Love Me. This is another sort of thought that isn’t deliberate (yet). He’s only beginning to piece together the connection he’s seemed to have formed between things bad but you good and this is like his brain clicking over and joining the dots and arriving at... love me....maybe. It’s still not certain but the is the seed of an idea there. 

Then we have I just want you all the time and I want a fresh start with you, both in reverse. This is one of the few decks where I actually taking reversals into consideration because I think reversing a card can change the meaning of the words. And I think it definitely does with these. He doesn’t want you all the time, he enjoys being with you when you are together but this reversal shows that it’s not a desperate need to be with you, it’s not his main driving force whenever you see each other. He likes you, he has fun with you, but he hasn’t yet reached a point of wanting to pursue you. The fresh start one definitely has the energy of an ace (hence the giant 1 on the card lmao) and if that was the right way around I’d say it was an indicator of him wanting to ask you out and move your relationship to the next level. BUT. With it being reversed, I don’t feel like that’s the case. I think theres a possibility it could one day reach that point, especially if his rough spot doesn’t start to smooth over any time soon, but for now it’s a bit of a passing fancy, a little crush maybe.