#a real 'WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN' type scenario

[edsbacktattoo]

OH I WOULD BE FUCKING DELIGHTED!!

titty whale, more formally known as The Skywhale, was created by Australian designer Patricia Piccinini, who specializes in hyper realist sculptures with themes surrounding bio-ethics and dystopian futures. Her work is stunning and often a bit confronting. I won't attach pictures here, but I highly recommend her work!

The thing about Canberra is that this place is fucking boring. It's the capital of Australia where almost nothing ever happens. It's expensive as fuck to live here, and there is virtually nothing to do. The parliament of Australia is here, so most of the goings-on involves politics.

So the centenary rolls around and our government thinks, 'let's prove to the world how not boring we are' and commissions our beloved Patricia Piccinni for a piece.

Behold. Titty Whale is born. Observe here in all her glory.

people on twitter were calling her 'terrifyingly nipply.' can you believe that?

As you can imagine, some folks loved her and some hated her in all her breasty majesty. Now, her harpooning incident was in fact a satire article, though people were angry enough at her mere presence to threaten her livelihood. The joke itself, however, was funny enough that we've (Canberrans) largely adopted at as truth. We have a habit of doing this. If there's one thing this country does, it's commit to the bit.

She did, unfortunately, suffer a boob injury before one of her flights in the humble city of Ballarat, this time alongside her new companion, the Skywhalepapa.

here's the happy couple <3 (papa rears the young btw)

Skywhale has (thankfully) since seen repairs. The National Gallery now keeps the happy family safe

In regards to the furry incident, it was super cool going to Woolies for a weekly grocery shop and coming home with Free Furry Art for the kids. It was a simpler time.

What about that time Australia hired a furry artist for the Olympics. Still better art than the ACT centennial hot air balloon.

2021: The Royal Australian Mint puts out a call for artists to submit portfolios of "Japanese style" cartoons, in preparation for a commemorative series of coins and artworks to be released for the Tokyo Olympics.

The campaign would have a cross promotional tie-in with Australia's largest supermarket, Woolworths where 24 million collectables themed on the artworks would be given away.

It wasn't until the final artist was selected that they realised the people at the Royal Australian Mint had somehow mistaken the anthropomorphised animal-humans that seemed popular on the internet for a popular children's cartoon franchise.

“They knew exactly what they wanted," explained the artist, "we worked together to make sure they got what they envisioned, I tailored what I made to their examples/feedback. They just didn’t know there was a word for it, basically, or that it was SO popular.”

Needless to say, when the artworks were released online people immediately called a spade a spade, headlines were made around the world, and the furry community expressed bemused joy that the Australian government had apparently just released an official fursona.

Unfortunately for those innocent soles that had planned the campaign, given they had just minted $24 million worth of furry coins they couldn't exactly scrap the whole thing, and they were forced to just push ahead while doing their best to ignore the large community of internet oddballs salivating at their every move.

Anyway, here's some of the art:

Here's some of the collectable cards given out free to kids by Woolworths:

[heartfullofleeches]

VA Reader pulling a harmless prank on seemingly innocent yan-

Shhh.

"Be quiet, it's ringing!" Stifling your own baited laughter, you press a finger to your lips as you hold the phone to your ear - shushing your partner in crime. Huddled together on their couch, you and your accomplice hover over their phone like two kids. about to take part in the same comedic pastime. Similar to those fictitious children you both had trouble containing your excitement for the mischief planned to unleash. You angle the speaker below your lips as the line connects.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is Y/n in today?"

The line goes dead.

"What?" You dial the number again, beginning to wonder if this was as good an idea as when it was shoved in your head. You've been in the voice acting business for a couple months now - a lifelong passion finally realized with dedication and training. Paid roles were far in between, but you had fun with what you did, and were on the road to starting an asmr channel with the assistance of a good friend. Being somewhat of a prankster, that same person suggested you prank call your job and already had a script to boot. It was a little hard to say no with the effort they put into it.

"Hello?"

You regain peace of mind as the phone clicks. Too late to go back now. Once again you relax yourself, swallowing as you breath through your nose and draw your voice from the reaches of your throat.

"Hi, I called just a minute ago? I was asking about someone who may work there?"

The line goes quiet - again. You would've suspected them to have hung up again if not for the labored breathing on the other end. Your coworker forces out a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, nobody by that name works here."

One thing you learned after spending so much time together with this particular coworker was they were a terrible liar. It's what made you glad they're the one that picked up on top of their obvious caution in fear of your safety. Others would be glad to rat out your location if it meant less time take out of their schedule. If anything, the person you were speaking to now would drop everything to help you out. Just the type of person they were.

"Are you sure? We went out the weekend and they mentioned this place while we were talking. They suddenly stopped answered my calls after chatting not stop and I'm worried about them."

You read over your notes to pass the time until they reply. Wow, your friend really thought of everything. At this point you could possibly wing things out, but they had witten heavily in-depth paragraphs detailing possible scenarios and what to say as a result. Real gushy things too. If it weren't for their goofy nature you'd start to wonder what the true motives behind this prank were.

"maybe that's for the best."

"Pardon?" Your voice falters. That certainly wasn't what you expected. They seemed abrasive from the beginning of the call, but that drop in their tone was something you've never heard from them before.

"What do you mean by that?"

Your coworker mutters something you can't quite make out. "It means take a hint. They clearly aren't interested in you if there's no explanation for their disappearance - not that you deserve one. Who the fuck do you l think you are?"

Your hand clinches around the phone hearing that subtle hiss in their voice. Your friend grips your shoulder, worry clear as day. You wanted to drop the act, but had to see this out. "Look, I just wanted to know if they were available-"

A heavy object clatters to the floor.

"Stop. Saying their name. If they won't speak to you then you're as good as dead to them, and I'll make that happen if you don't learn your place. I won't let anyone ruin what we have..."

Your friend reaches for the phone. "Maybe we should hang up-"

"If you hang up this phone I will slit your throat. Your friend can be a witness before I do the same to them. Maybe they'll get a grave. I will hang you out to bleed like the worthless pig you are and leave your body for neighbors to find. You don't deserve to go missing. A cold case is more than you'll ever be worth it you think you can take what's mine. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill yo-"

"It was just a joke!" You hang up the phone and chuck it onto the table like a hot coal. It worms back into your hold with the vibration of dozens of texts flooding in, crashing to the carpet as you recoil from the shock. Yours starts to blow up with messages too, screen still opened on their chat from when you punched in their number.

"Was that you?"

"You're doing that voice acting thing, right? You really had me fooled. Haha."

"I was messing around too. Your safety is really important to me so I panicked."

"Are you still coming into night?"

"Y/n?.... Please?"

"Hey, Answer me... I'm sorry."

"I think I cut myself picking up the glass I broke. Can you take me to a hospital? Please.."

You shove your phone in your pocket before your eyes can register the picture loading on screen. "I gotta go"

You're out the door before your friend can get out a single word. Ten minutes later, they receive a request for a window call from an unknown number. They answer it.

All that's on screen is the trail of red an empty bottle of food coloring. Your coworker holds up a peace sign off screen.

"How deep should I make that grave?"

[roboj0e]

"girl please" is a neutral phrase lmao but my bad ig. anyway, to 99% of the population a fetish and a kink mean more or less the same thing. if there's a difference could you explain it? thx... btw you're not a feminist if you think it's ok to draw or get off to sexual art of children, even if they're fictional/cartoon... you do realize a lot of shota and loli content is traced from photos of kids, right? my abuser made cartoon csem traced from my photos. :/

My dad used to force me to watch csem and distributed csem of me also exists. I actually get sent it sometimes on facebook who I know are just my dad using sock puppet accounts. Did I win the CSA Olympics? Am I now enough of an authority of this trauma to make unsubstantiated claims? I could trauma dump unsolicited on you too but I have compassion so I won't and also I'm not about to plead for my humanity from someone who won't listen and engage in good faith anyways.

I'm sorry that happened to you but it would have happened regardless of the existence of lolisho. Abusers are gonna abuse no matter what. This was the first thing I learned in therapy. What's funny is it was lolisho that help me realize my abuse. Yes I understood sexual abuse conceptually but I couldn't recognize it happening to ME until I saw my situation reflected back at me in a safe sane scenario. My therapist said it was bc I was repressing it in denial and only allowing myself to fantasize about it in a safe environment was I able to recognize it as abuse. Funny how life works like that huh.

Oh to explain I completely forgot bc I had to write this twice bc Tumblr crashed. A fetish is a sexual reliance on something to achieve sexual arousal or gratification and can be sexual.outside of sexual contexts. A kink amplifies sexual gratification, usually has to do with roleplay or sexual acts/positions/height/weight and has to be negotiated and communicated and consentual. Ppl do use them interchangeably BUT specifically with the word fetishize ur using it wrong in this case. To fetishize something there must be both dehumanization and objectification. U can not dehumanize or objectify fictional characters they are not human and are already objects.

No I don't support sexual art of children. This sort of phrasing is just a deliberate misrepresention so u can position urself as morally righteous and disengage from the conversation early and not have to examine what anyone is actually saying. They are fictional characters. They can be any age, any race and body type and have any name at any time. They are objects. They don't exist and can not accumulate trauma the way you or i can. They do not need protection.

If u don't like it that's fine. Especially considering your trauma. But ur claim is unsupported and wildly inaccurate. Do not projects ur trauma onto others especially as it pertains to facts about criminal psychology and sex crimes. This is unhealthy and will lead to paranoia that same paranoia that brought u to ur conclusion here. This is not pervasive enough in lolisho to be considered a trend or even the default. But you also could be sharing real abusive images/scenarios no matter what form of media u engage with. But that doesn't not mean we should sanitize art and media on the off chance someone could be evil. Your not exempt from the same personal responsibility ur trying to place on me just bc u don't engage in fictional pornographic material and it's not especially heinous when it's fictional art versus and any other medium. We could all be unknowingly sharing and engageing with abusive material but all we can do is protect and believe victims and figure out as a society how to reduce harm.

No banning lolisho or any media is not a solution. Studies show most csem is produced/distributed by parent/guardians. The best way to protect children is to advocate for children rights and the reduction of parental rights. Experts have been saying this for years. Children being treated like property both by law and society is what is perpetuating their abuse. Not fictional art.

Censorship is not the solution. Any historical application of censorship has always ALWAYS lead to the mistreatment and silencing of victims and marginalized communities. This will make it difficult for victims to appeal to censors and share their stories which are valuable for understanding abuse but also valuable bc it is art. And incentivizing ppl to invade other peoples privacy to be sure they have the right identity/trauma to create a specific type of art is fascism. So is censoring or banning that art. This will do nothing but silence and shame victims. This is happening still right now and has happened plenty in the past. Guilt and shame ONLY perpetuates sexual abuse.

This is also forcing ppl to engage in art and fiction with a paranoid analysis FIRST. telling ppl they can tell whose a good or bad person based on what they draw/write or engage with is not healthy and is antithetical to educating ppl on how to recognize abuse. It's irresponsible and It's giving children and teens anxiety disorders. Look at any ex anti/proship anonymous confessions. Look at the damage ppl are causing with this third grade level of word association and cause and effect. Ppl are developing POCD. Me included ALMOST.

Experts have been saying for decades now that fictional sexual material has no link to escalation into sexual violence or engaging in paraphilias. No fiction doesnt effect reality. these same psychologists that have debunked claims such as "violent video games cause violence" have also researched how it operates the same with fictional sexual material. There's no special circumstance just bc it's sex or porn.

Just bc u navigate the world on disgust and paranoia doesn't mean I have to. I listen to the science and research. While also having my own experience to draw from.

As a CSA victim with a SEX THERAPIST do u really think I would not have done my due diligence before engaging in any community?? I've done a hell of a lot of work to get where I am now. Sexually liberated and healthy. Both personal growth and LOTS of research into sex crimes. And I really don't feel like hearing regressive religiously programmed sex negative thoughts on the fiction I enjoy.

I am a feminist tho. I'm just not regressive and reactionary. 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

[zatna]

i know i know, i'll give my first chapter review of z:bdth!! personals leave me alone i do NOT fuck with u.

review: its good. 10/10 (no one expected anything less).

now my silly little thoughts:

it opens with with zatanna being ridiculed for messing up a ball-disappearing trick, then promptly going to her father for some advice on real magic. zatanna's backstory has never been heavily consistent, even in her early origin days, so to see an actual scene where she's younger and doing her own actions.. it's different than the regular flashbacks we've been getting with her that just exist as a sort of "here's how magic works" to the general audience.

this page above is SOO GOOD i'll be thinking about it for the rest of my life. the colors, the shapes, the poses for both young zee & her father.. i'm glad they're bringing attention to their relationship prior to magic teaching, because it creates a distance between them that we don't see a lot, but i consider all the time. zatanna's most remarkable teacher was her father, yes, but zatanna had way more years of self-teaching than being a mentee to someone else. giovanni had never wanted to teach her anything beyond a few simple spells, and for a man who spent his life fighting supernatural horrors and threats i don't blame the fact he didn't want his daughter going into the world-- even though it's apparent they're both consumed by it already. the magical tomes, books, the obscure objects (floating or not), typical assistant bunnies. smthn smthn a visual clash of the two types of magicians we see in the room. giovanni's face is shadowed in, he's mysterious and direct, if not somewhat dismissive: "you said you'd teach me magic..." "did i?"

this could be read as not dismissive as well, since in the next scene she does use magic. so maybe he indulged her. but the spell was definitely not what she asked for and looks way more like a strong desire that developed into a spellcast out of emotion alone. maybe she grabbed one of his books when he wasn't looking, or we can go a different route and assume giovanni did teach her that spell, a backwards lesson of the difference between parlor tricks and real magic. he's always written as very coddling of zatanna, so to see him even demand her to "speak up." when she's got her head down was a bit of a surprise in itself, i don't know what he might've done..

i will never get tired of overpowered children having to deal with the fact they're overpowered children. this is the second time, that i can remember at least, where a younger zatanna had used her powers in a scenario where she thought they were justified, only to deal with the cruel consequences after the damage is done. how zee wielded magic in her youth, intentional or not, drastically impedes how she views it in her adult life. she's scared of it, this immeasurable power that responds to her slightest command. its a type of power that grown men yearn for, but giving it to a critical, impulsive child that's still learning the world around them, the people around them, and it'll just end up as a disaster and they'll grow to fear it.

nothing is important here besides the first signs of something is wrong, with her bunnies being cowered as far from her as they can while one bites in retaliation. ok there's like, smthn big going on but just look at the fact zatanna wears boxers... shes so hot. also transfem. thanks.

also omg little notes is the magic poster of herself being a wall for the rest of the kitchen. identical top hats on shelves. the drawn out man on the wall with knives sticking out of it jksgjkds. you can't see it exactly in this crop but there's just a bucket of chains and cuffs... she's such a weirdo... get another hobby im begging u. also mattress-on-the-floor zatanna is real and she is out to get you.

just a casual shadow of a creature following your shadow, no big deal. idk if the book will go this route, i think it's just another *team-up with someone who won't ever appear again in any continuity, but i like to think this is a canonical example of the consequences of zatanna under-using her magic. enter me forcing my headcanons and portrayal onto panels that definitely represent something else. anyway i'd like to think her magical presence becomes so dense when there's no "output" on her magic, and it's the equivalent of dangling a steak in front of a carnivore... or a carnivore's shadow. it's a mirror to when magic wielders overdo their own magical output, leaving them drained and instead an itty bitty fish in front of a carnivore. foods still food. i'm done with these metaphors i hope everyone caught the gist already..

pretending to hypnotize someone is so silly of her. but even more importantly there's a justice league mention oh wow!! and she turned them down :( zatanna's passion of the stage was very much outweighing the possibility of being a hero. this, as far as i'm concerned, has always been a fact. zatanna desired stardom and was perfectly content to sticking on stage, it was her fathers disappearance that had her jumping through mystical hurdles.

at this point on i'm not gonna post anymore panels because im lazy and this is getting so ridiculously long and also you should read it yourself. but i'm happy they're incorporating the fact zatanna doesn't use real magic on stage. outside of the premise of this series, where she has a present fear of it, zatanna in the past was of the stern belief that she shouldn't need to, and so she didn't. these lines kinda got blurred, and then discarded completely, and then now her main act is using illusionary magic and leaving it up to the audience to decide if it was real or not. i like both interpretations, personally, but it's nice to see the former again.

a bit of a disappointment that this is yet another zatara-led storyline.. or maybe this is just where it starts? you'd think they've run out of "cleaning up my fathers messes" plotlines but you'd be wrong!

*team-up wise smells like yuri... even better it smells like doomed yuri so i'm here for it for as long as it'll stick around.

[princess-of-the-corner]

For the BNHA Pokémon AU and the dynamic between Izuku and Katsuki, you could make Izuku similar to Wally from Emerald: he has some health condition that would impede him from going on a journey (or at least make it harder), yet he still wants to be a Pokémon Master, so the others look down on him for chasing an unrealistic dream. Granted, you could argue that makes everyone else worse for basically bullying a sick child, but then again I've seen a lot of stories that treat being Quirkless as an in-universe disability, so it still kinda tracks.

As for the Todoroki, how about this scenario: Enji is the Fire-type Gym Leader, while Rei specializes in Ice-type (maybe a coordinator?). No Quirk marriage, it's a normal opposites attract romance, but Enji would like one of their children to take his mantle someday, so he has expectations for them: except he ends up with Fuyumi and Natsuo preferring Ice Pokémon to Fire, and while Toya is more receptive, he ends up in an accident like in Canon,and just like in Canon Shoto ends up having to shoulder his father's aspirations. If Shoto also has to struggle with having to use Fire Pokémon because of his father, while having an affinity for Ice-type from his mother, it's pretty similar to the Canon conflict. Not sure about the scar, it might end up being a minor accident during training...

So for Izuku:

I mean. God bullying the disabled is just canon.

I don't think that would entirely work though. Because like. For one thing I'd be straight up disabling him in some way. But also. Part of my whole thing with Izuku is that he was entirely capable, but it was others' biases that made them think he wasn't.

And you can tell this is bias because there are so many characters who are 'basically Quirkless' but are still seen as viable potential Heroes. Ojiro's only advantage is a tail. Hagakure's invisibility helps, but she's not strong or durable. Momo creates items and could be replaced with someone who just brings weapons in the first place. And this goes for Pro Heroes too! Aizawa's Quirk only negates Emitter Quirks and some aspects of Transformation/Mutation types depending on their exact nature. So all his badassery comes from 'basically Qurikless training'. Miruko, I love her, but her Quirk is not the basis for her battle ability outside of some enhanced senses. (Argue the powerful legs all you want, everyone in this show jumps around like a goddamn rabbit).

So yeah. Izuku does not have an 'Ability', but he doesn't quite have a 'Disability.

Changing it from just 'Quirkless' to a more real-world disability would be a more genuine and concrete concern of something that could limit him and/or cause him danger. And while a disability could be managed and accommodated, it is still something solid for why he would have a genuinely difficult time and might be incredibly limited in what he does.

And like. I could still roll with that, but it does change the story from a story about just biases to a story about overcoming a disability.

Re: the Todoroki's though.

I think I could technically roll with that? But it'd still be. Very weird? Hm. Because like. Endeavor would have kept training Toya up until his 'death'. Though maybe Toya is upset to find that it seems like Endeavor didn't care about that because Shoto was still there as a backup so he gets very 'well time for murder!'.

This does make Endeavor a bit more chill(ironically) in that he was just like 'Hm okay Fuyumi and Natsuo want ice types? Okay won't force them'.

There's also the fact that since it's Pokemon, instead of the kids being on the receiving end of the abuse it'd be the Pokemon themselves. Which still sucks but would have a different dynamic.

I actually can roll with Shoto's burn being a genuine accident. Without Quirks, the Humans aren't fireproof so.....

..........................

Ya know what maybe I should just embrace the wholesomeness of Pokemon and have everyone's lives be a lot better and make them all better people. Idk man maybe having a bunch of furry companions helps you work out your issues easier.

fuck it no Quirks but everyone's goddamn chill?

[embolden-the-broken]

On finishing the Bold Type

So I finished my binge of this show and I have thoughts. I definitely wish there was more. I think it was nice to turn to these humans in a time when people seemed to be turning on each other and I wish I could see my voice like that again. Feel less alone in media maybe? I don't know that I've found anything like this in a while. Something that helped me through hard times.

It bugged me how badly they needed accessories. So many low cut dresses with no necklace worn!! I know that's probably a personal opinion but dang, they could've showcased so many!

Since this show ended in 2021 I have lived through... more like survived so much. And after being chronically single and dreaming about a true love all my life, I have found it in my current partner. But I was reminded of something while watching this. So in the last few episodes Sutton tells Richard she doesn't want kids but they've already been married for 4 months, so he gets pissed because he's always wanted kids. And it was at that moment, when I watched this episode for the first time, that I knew, as deep as a it was, that was going to be a first date or near first date conversation. I always knew I didn't want kids, and even though it's fictional, I think this show portrays that scenario well. That's a huge life decision that some people base their whole reason for living on. And that's fine. But I don't want to fall in love with that type of someone and too late find out that I've crushed their dreams. Yes, Sutton and Richard worked it out. Richard decided he wanted Sutton more than kids. In real life, that may not happen. Long story short: after some texting with my current partner, when we met up for the first time and he and I both knew we were looking for something serious, I told him straight up "I know this is kind of deep for the first date, but I think it's really important to know that I do not want children, and I can promise you I won't change my mind. I have no more fallopian tubes so I can't have them anymore." You know what he said? "that works for me because I don't want children either." True love folks... Anyways.

I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you writers of the Bold Type. You touched on really complex issues in a time when we really needed it and I honestly learned a lot. And thank you for being revisitable and helping me process another hard time in my life.

Once again, I'll miss you, but I'm glad you got to end in such a nice, wrapped up sort of way.

Until next time.

[sophieinwonderland]

Hi!

What I think is that there is merit in the view that fiction affects reality.

I mean, it's a big part of the reason why we celebrate when shows like Steven universe or The Owl House depict positive queer relationships and help normalize them. If you believe that fiction can affect reality in these instances, then it must in others as well.

This is a totally unrealistic scenario and would never happen in real life, but let's say for a moment that a writer of Frozen 3 happened to be an Elsanna shipper, managed to canonize that relationship, and somehow the Disney execs didn't realize until after the movie was already released.

If the relationship in the movie is depicted in a positive way, one might imagine that this could contribute to incestuous relationships being slightly more accepted in society. Something which could be extremely harmful to children who have been abused by their families.

Like it or not, a lot of the views of modern people are shaped by the media we consume.

So this debate, like many, comes down to freedom versus security. Positive depictions of unhealthy relationships can normalize those unhealthy relationships. This is something that can end up harming victims of abuse.

This argument, to me, makes sense.

But you also noticed that in my example, I'm describing a multimedia company making a movie that costs hundreds of millions of dollars that would be responsible for this normalization.

A problem with anti-shippers is that they tend to care more about bullying random individuals who don't have influence and probably won't make any sort of societal impact at all.

Many of the targets are children themselves, which makes their whole "think of the children" arguments come off as bogus, and as an excuse to harass and bully people for their art.

Overall, I don't support anti-shipping ideology. But I don't think that the ideology itself is invalid. I think that the concern of normalization of unhealthy relationships is a fair one. I think the possibility of positive depictions of unhealthy relationships could result in those being normalized in real life.

But... In the end, I am someone who values freedom over security. I think the ability to create whatever type of art you want is something that needs to be protected.

I just don't think that the idea of the debate itself is necessarily bad. I don't think that it would be a bad conversation to have if anti-shippers were interested in calmly discussing their point of view like adults, instead of harassing and bullying artists.

Healthy debate is how we move forward as a society. It allows us to learn and grow and better refine our values.

This is why my main problem is with the anti-shippers as people, rather than anti-shipping as an ideology.

what are your opinions on stuff like pro/com shippers?

I don't really care. 🤷‍♀️

Shipping discourse is pretty much always the farthest thing from my mind.

If I had a shipping label, it would probably just be anti-harassment. Which I guess does end up falling towards the pro-ship side given how often the harassment is coming from anti-shippers.

The thing is, I don't really see anti-shipping as that bad of an ideology inherently. If shipping wars were intellectuals having polite debates about the impact of fiction on real life instead of being harassment campaigns, that are usually dedicated to harassing minors for their art, that would be totally fine by me.

I don't think anti-shipping is inherently some terrible ideology, even if I don't agree with it. I just think that the anti-shipping community is made up of terrible people.

But I also see shipping as only one small part of a larger problem of toxicity in fandoms.

It wasn't anti-shipping that led to the harassment and bullying of Zamii for drawing a picture of Rose Quartz with a different body type. But it was that same type of mentality, that witch-hunting of artists, that I see in a lot of anti-shippers and that I feel their community propagates. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's largely the same people.

And for that reason, I think proship and antiship labels are both shortsighted, missing the forest for the trees.

[futurewife]

Your post about not wanting kids irl but exploring having kids in a fictional context is really relatable. I like the idea of being a parent in a fictional context, especially if it’s like being a parental figure to fictional children who’s fictional parents didn’t treat them well. Additionally, the idea of a character you love telling you that you’d make a great parent is also really assuring and weirdly affirming. I’m not sure how to further explain it, but it’s just a really comforting thing to me personally.

but having kids in real life? Yeah no, that’s off the table. I have so many reasons why and most of said reasons are out of my control (ie: the climate is fucked) - but mostly it’s because of my medical condition which leaves me really tired a lot and taking care of myself is already hard enough as it is. Raising a whole human being while tired? YEAH NO, that’s not going to happen. But yeah I’m sorry about this ask/2 cents but your post was really relatable.

Yes totallyyy like I like thinking about telling my f/os they're gonna be dads and stuff, I think that's super cute but even then I feel like it's more about me and them and us than the baby itself HAHAHA... Just imagining little contained scenarios like that is enough for me, and it's not even in my ship lore or anything. Great for higher stakes drama and angst though. Plus I lose interest in imagining anything past uhm... delivery and the first 24 hours....uh uh no thank you. selfship inner mind theatre over. once that baby starts impeding on our relationship (jk)

I think it makes perfect sense to enjoy it only in a fantasy way because well... if you do it in real life you get an actual real baby you have to centre around and it won't even be C.able's from d.eadpool 2 ☹🙁😬😬(L)

I agree with what you said about a character telling you you're gonna be a great parent- I think this hits the part of the brain that's like yesssss f/o picked me they picked MEEEEE im going to be their little broodmare for all time :) cuz they just like me sooooo much :)) - which I am all about almost pathologically. It feels kinda gross and biological but I guess i still have that switch that says find the best genes out there and make sure you snatch them up so they get deposited into you and create offspring. ig my f/os are my brain's idea of "THE BEST GENES" so I want them to br**d me for not only sexual reasons. it's like I don't want to actually be a mother but I still want you to want to if I wanted to idk... it's nice to be ASKED ig 🙄😤😤

when I was a kid I just assumed I would have kids at some vague future date, like it was an inevitable thing coming towards me I couldn't prevent. but when I got into my 20s I realised i literally didn't have to and it's crazy that that blew my mind HAHA. I was like wait... this idea never excited me and I never really cared about it or fantasised about babies it wasn't a part of any dream future type plans. I would always wanna rp as the pregnant mother when we played house tho ig that's the only part I liked the idea of HAHAHAHA and still to this day... but hell no i don't want to take care of the doll and tote it around and pretend to feed it. this explains everything

I also agree with your climate change reason for not having kids. That's one of my personal things too- call me a doomer or whatever but I just feel like I'm doing them a disservice, when I myself am already concerned about what the rest of my life will involve with weather messing up food supplies, plastic pollution, extreme temps etc- plus the environmental impact of one more person when in all likelihood I KNOW I wouldn't really enjoy being a mother. The cons far far far outweigh the pros for me (I can only think- my partner may really want kids? but then why are they with me lol. also i feel this is a quick trip to resentment and regret because you only did it for someone else- and as a woman statistically most of the child rearing would be on me too). i also am a bit weird in the brain (menthol illness that i think emotionally stunts me and takes a lot to manage- i need a lot of time to myself to decompress) and a lot of that is coincidentally due to my own mothering experience (bad and scary) + having no positive modelling of motherhood (hence never developing the instincts? behaviours? maternal warmth who?) so it seems like a real surreal nightmare situation to have my own children.

it's ok tho I hc C.able as infertile due to the virus 😎✌

[trashahime]

Anon, sorry for taking so long and the length. There was a lot to address and I tend to ramble. Due to the length I am going to divide your ask in chunks and respond to each paragraph individually for clarity's sake.

I'm curious as to why you have addressed this to Sesskagu shippers both here and later. TBH, this alone will make many doubt that you are truly neutral because you seem to have fallen for the common but false claim that the anti sentiment has it's roots in bitterness over a lost ship war.

Those supporting the end are made up of a variety of people who are simply united in their dislike/disappointment. Among them are shippers and non-shippers, antis, neutrals and even some SR fans who are bothered by how their ship is portrayed.

Personally, I don't think it takes any kind of mental gymnastics to have a problem with how Sessrin is depicted in Yashahime. There are some antis who probably do purposely make the worst possible interpretations to fuel their disgust/anger. But most are being completely sincere in their belief that Rin was married and pregnant by the time she was 15. You have probably already seen and dismissed all the anti arguments to support this view so it would be pointless to rehash them. You can believe it's just about disliking Sessrin but there were many antis like myself who were willing to accept the relationship even if we found it distasteful had Sunrise gone about things differently.

Each "hater" has their own reason for continuing to watch the show and I can't speak for them. Or as a "hater" either as I enjoyed the show. But I also think it's a trainwreck with many issues and problematic portrayals.

If people are targeting individuals and maliciously interacting with their posts then that is definitely harassment. However, I suspect you also mean the general posts made by antis criticizing those who watch the show.

The belief that watching/supporting Yashahime equals supporting a p*dophilic portrayal of Sessrin and other unsavory stuff is an opinion I disagree with. But I also disagree that expressing that opinion is harassment.

I get why you find it to be extremely harsh and hurtful but I also think you are taking it very personally when you needn't.

Consider my position. I'm an anti that still enjoys Yashahime. Most of those posts are made by my moots, some of which I have very friendly interactions with. I have even more reason to feel personally attacked by them but I don't. Just because I respect someone's right to an opinion that doesn't mean I am obligated to agree with it and make it apply it to myself. Unless you agree that liking Yashahime means condoning p*dophilia, then I'd advise you to take the view that those posts don't pertain to you at all.

As for petitions, bad reviews, being glad Yashahime is almost over... Well that's some of the least offensive actions an anti can take. Two of the three are against corporations, not fellow fandom members and the other is just a celebration amongst themselves.

They don't affect anyone else unless the petitions and bad reviews are substantial enough to put the shows future in jeopardy. IMO, the correct counter action is good reviews and supportive petitions, not telling antis to stop. They have the right to express their opinions.

I have seen many grooming and csa survivors say they also don't view Sessrin as having those aspects. However, there are many survivors on the anti side that strongly disagree. While I think that the opinions of those who have endured similar circumstances have more weight, it also creates kind of a never ending tug of war situation where neither side can really "win" the argument because they are equally balanced. For every survivor saying it is, there is one saying it's not.

Generally, I choose not to use the words p*dophilia or grooming when describing the Sessrin relationship or say that everyone who likes the pairing is a P&G apologist.

Many antis don't agree on this, but I think it's possible to have headcanons and scenarios that result in a version of Sessrin in which those things are not present. Fanonwise anyway. To me, the canon situation can definitely be interpreted to believe that they are present.

Mostly, I tend not to use the terms because they have specific psychological and legal definitions. That makes it very easy for SR fans to completely dismiss the idea that they could apply to Sessrin because it's not a perfect fit. I think if it turns out to be part of actual canon or if it's just part of one's own headcanon that Sesshomaru was "waiting" for Rin to grow up and courting her with gifts like the kimonos then that means he had a romantic interest in her when she was too young for it to be acceptable.

He might not be a technical p*do in that he is attracted to children, but his thoughts and actions are of one with regards to Rin. I agree with those that say Sesshomaru would never intentionally manipulate or pressure Rin to be with him, thus not "technically" grooming.

However, informing her via courting that he wants to be with her when she is older does put a type of manipulative pressure on her. For years, she will have to live with the knowledge that her literal savior, the most important person to her in the world, someone she loves and doesn't want to disappoint, is waiting for her. It will absolutely influence her life choices and who she becomes.

No need to apologise, I don't mind being vented at and am clearly prone to long-ass messages myself.

I think you do have some valid frustrations but I don't think they all are.

It's often forgotten that antis are major fans too. Many wanted to love Yashahime but in their eyes Yashahime "bashes" the OG and it's characters. It's ruined something they held near and dear. And they are highly upset about it.

Think about it, that's probably why you and others are so angry at the criticism. It's bashing something you all enjoy or maybe even love and it's making you highly upset. You all are more alike then you realize.

You can let it all impact your fandom experience or realise there is very little you can do about it because that criticism, even if you find it unfounded, harsh or extreme has the right to exist provided it doesn't break the rules of the website. You won't be able to block it all away.

it's a tired old cliche but it's true that you can't control what others do, only your own reaction to it. And frankly I think some of your reactions are as extreme as to what you ascribe to antis. I mean, you want them to stop celebrating the end of Yashahime. How does that really personally affect you?

A change in perspective as I described earlier goes a long way in not taking anti criticism personally. It even works when you are being personally attacked. I have seen posts about me specifically saying I am a deluded and deranged individual with real life mental health issues just because I think Kagura is the mom. Those people don't know me and I know the truth about myself. So why let someone's unfounded false world view affect me or my fandom experience?

Anyway, you probably just wanted to rant and weren't expecting or wanting this massive response. I hope you find a way to deal with the negativity because it's not completely avoidable but it will die down eventually.

[horrorslashergirl]

Akshay Lah-Mo SFW Alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Akshay isn't the most affectionate guy, the first impression being that of a cold, stoic, and emotionless man, but you know what they say... Learn to read through the words. It takes time for Akshay to warm up to people and even then he will sometimes have an abrasive demeanor. Now, if you are his s/o things are different, especially if it's only you and him. He can be quite affectionate with his s/o, especially after a long time in the relationship. He will wrap his muscular inked arms around you, kissing the crown of your head in the morning after you made him coffee, he will hold your hand as you walk with him through the snow-covered tundra. He will even get to speak up more about his emotions in his own way because he is a writer and his emotions are very deep and full of passion once he puts them out on a platter for his s/o. It's a long and icy road to get there but not impossible. In time this iceberg will show little by little his love and affection towards you.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Akshay as a best friend depends on the other one. His best friend is Andrei Kulokova (@the-slasher-files 's OC). They are best buddies but they are also at each other's throats all the time... And the winner? None... They just end up all bloody and bruised, but at the end of the day, they care about each other and would protect the other ones back all the time. So to say so... Having Akshay as a best friend means that you have someone that doesn't beat around the Bush.... He will tell you if you are stupid and an idiot like he does with Andrei. He will make crud remarks like he does with Andrei, but in the end, everything is all because he cares about you.... Even as a friend. In his opinion, the people that truly have feelings for you, even if it's brotherly, they also tell you if you are wrong, they guide you. That's how Akshay is.... An honest man, because sincerity plays a big part in his life.... Be it friendship or relationship.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Full-time cuddling is strictly only for his s/o, someone for who he has true feelings because it's an intimate and vulnerable time. Especially after lovemaking, he loves to have his s/o into his arms or onto his lap, his behemoth frame hiding his true one from the cruel world outside, protecting them, assuring them that he is here with them.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Settling down has a different meaning to him. It simply means living with his s/o into his cabin home on the outskirts of a town in Alaska, surrounded by nature and quietness, enjoying each others company. Akshay is a man who enjoys the simpler things in life and loves the peacefulness that Mother Nature provides.

As for cooking and cleaning. He can cook a decent meal, since he lived alone for years in Alaska he learned to take care of himself. He cooks delicious deer and fish, so you won't be disappointed. Cleaning? Another pro... Akshay is quite a neat freak and likes to have his stuff in a certain order; his books perfectly arranged on the shelves, his clothes neatly folded into his closet. Living with him you won't have to yell at him to not let his dirty clothes on the floor.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

That's a touchy subject. Akshay isn't the type to break up over non-important things. Like, if he fights or argues with his s/o he will always be the mature one and make things right. He isn't one to run away from responsibilities and his s/o is his responsibility. He may be a brutish ice-cold killer but he has some sense in him and knows any relationship problem can be solved after the waters are calm and having a conversation about the problem.... Finding a solution.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Marriage isn't something Akshay is seeing, but if his s/o wants to get married... And he has very VERY strong feelings for them he won't be opposed to it. He wants to make his s/o happy so for their sake they can get married, but nothing big or fancy like. Maybe an exchange of rings into the snow-covered forest while sharing their promises to each other.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Akshay is a very brutal man who smashed skulls and can throw people through the roof. The feral rage of a polar bear, but with his s/o it's different. When Akshay deeply cares and loves someone, the brutish-looking man can be the most gentle person you have ever meet. He knows what deadly strength he packs and how easily is to snap bones like they were twigs so he is extra careful with his loved one, treating them like the most precious treasure made of the most fragile glass. His gentleness will show in time... With men, he is much rougher especially if they match his behemoth frame... With small women? A true gentleman.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

He likes and doesn't like them. Kind of a paradox. He will only hug the people Who are the closest to him like family, very good friends, and his s/o of course. When hugging his friends the hugs are short with a pat on their back. As for his s/o? The hugs are long, his arms wrapping around their form, his fingers running through their hair and if they are small in height he will rest his chin on top of their head.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Akshay isn't a man who straight up says these big words just to be thrown there. He has to really FEEL that connection with someone to say they love words. He may not be a man of many words but he knows once the words are said you cannot take them back. He wants to be sincere when he says 'I love you'... To feel the words sink deep into his chest.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Akshay can be very jealous, especially when strangers get too close to his s/o in a very sleazy way. Just think about this scenario. Akshay and his special someone going to a coffee shop, he goes to take their order and while he does that, some idiot who has a death wish starts to flirt with his s/o without shame. The poor idiot soul will find himself with his jaw broken and teeth all knocked out on the floor.... And that's the easy and good case because this man has to problem ripping their arms out either.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Akshay's kisses could be described as deep and slow, taking his time and savoring the pure essence of the kiss, his hand running through his s/o's hair and his other hand resting on their lower back or simply holding their hip to be flush against his body. He loves to kiss his s/o on the lips, showing them that they are his or he kisses the top of their head if they are small-sized. As for where he likes to be kissed? He cannot deny that kissing the skin of his neck down below his ear really sends shivers down his spine.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He doesn't hate them but neither is he very excited about the little fellas. As long as they don't bother him or anything like that, he doesn't mind them. He is neutral in this aspect. He always finds himself next to the little ones asking him if he is a giant.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Akshay can be kind of lazy as he isn't the type to straight-up jump from the bed the moment he wakes up. He enjoys staying in bed a few more minutes after waking up, basking into the start of the morning. Morning for Akshay also means plates full of pancakes, maple syrup, and forest fruits along with a nice big hot cup of coffee. Mornings full of tranquility.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights with Akshay are as tranquil as the mornings. The nights with the Polar bear can be spent watching a movie, while cuddling under a fluffy blanket, eating snacks and sweets... Or going outside, watching the Alaskan Northern Lights, with a nice small picnic, taking into all that Mother Nature gives you two. Akshay can be quite the romantic type if you look through the hard and cold exterior of the Mountain of an iceberg.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Akshay is like a big real-life novel that you need to take time reading and then re-reading it all over again in order to understand him. He is like an enigma of the snow-covered deep forest... You need to melt the heavy pounds of ice and snow to see under the coldness that he puts out at first... It takes time and effort, but everything will be worth it once he slowly comes out of the frozen shell. He will reveal things slowly without trying once he finds himself trusting you and seeing that you mean well and are genuine into your actions.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Akshay has the patience of a God, but may the Lord have mercy once the last drop of patience evaporates. You know what they say... Beware of the calmest ones because you don't know when they will strike and trust me... You will know when Akshay strikes. It's like the calm waters of the ocean but at some point, these peaceful waters will transform into full-on hurricanes that shall destroy everything in their paths. His s/o is probably the only one who doesn't face these storms because he has a never-ending source of patience for them.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

Akshay has a pretty good memory. He remembers details of your past, your favorite movies, your favorite meal. The simpler things in life mean the most so he will never forget an anniversary or your birthday or if there is a certain special day that has a big meaning to you.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

His favorite moment into your relationship with him would be the first night that you spend with him watching the Northern Lights while talking about all types of certain topics. The first moments about everything mean the most to him; the first kiss with you, the first breakfast together, the first time you two made love. These moments will forever be imprinted into his mind, like a tattoo.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Akshay is overly protective about his s/o and over his beloved ones too, even if you are a friend he will always have your back and never let you down no matter the situation. He will protect you with all he has, always standing in front of you, like a thick wall of ice that doesn't let even a single scratch leave your skin. He is the perfect epitome of a polar bear and he sure shows it when shielding his people most important to him. May God have mercy on the dumb ones that try to mess with his family.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Akshay isn't one for fancy dates or flamboyant anniversaries, but he does put effort into them, like cooking a delicious breakfast, running a hot bath with aromatic salts. For your and his anniversary, you might wake up and look out the window, seeing the words 'I LOVE YOU' written into the freshly fallen snow. He is a man of actions than words and his actions speak of how much he loves his s/o.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

One of Akshay's habits might be sometimes his blunt ice-like tongue and mouth. He is an honest man and speaks up his mind, to the point where his bluntness might be too acidic. Of course, he will try to suppress this habit with his beloved, trying to be more diplomatic about his thoughts and what he tries to say. If he says something that might hurt you emotionally, he will straight up to see the anger and sadness into your orbs and he will quickly soften... He will be the first one to apologize because he knows it's his fault.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

The Polar bear isn't one to be very absorbed in his looks, despite many people telling him how good-looking he is. What's not to like? Soft spikey white hair, deep pools of grey eyes, muscular arms covered by tribal ink all over, the tall and bulky frame that gives of protection vibes... He is a full package. He does take care of himself, like shaving and showering every day but he doesn't spend hours upon hours in the mirror. He is to say so.... Neutral about his looks.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Once Akshay loves, there is no turning back. He does it from the deepness of his heart and if I think about it on a very emotional level.... If his s/o breaks up with him, this man will shield himself well into ice and coldness, like a blizzard that you are afraid to enter. He might not be able to get over the breakup and there also might not be a next s/o. Trust is so easy to break yet even if you put it back together it's not the same.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Akshay is very fond of writing and having his home surrounded by all kinds of plants, being as close to nature as possible. He likes cozy and quiet vibes. Even if he lives in one of the coldest places on earth, there is a certain warmness when he enters his cabin and might make you never leave it, because of how at home you will feel.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Akshay doesn't like the big city, all that agitation and chaos gives him headaches and makes him uneasy as in, he feels like throwing people across buildings. It's like trying to put a polar bear on a leash and take him for a walk through New York City. Just NO. Plus all that pollution and ecologic disaster. He will go nuts.

As in for something he wouldn't like in a s/o? Probably big city 'divas' who would constantly complain about the lack of commercial centers, the weather being too cruel, and let's not get started on these females who are constantly walking with heels.... Nice try walking with stilettos through inches upon inches of snow. I suggest you go back from where you came from because Akshay doesn't put up with snobs.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Akshay is a light sleeper at the beginning but as the sleep progresses, he is a heavy sleeper, especially into the morning after he wakes up. If you try to wake him up he will just grunt and grumble, drapping one of his heavy legs over your body and pull you flush against his chest murmuring 'five more minutes'. Sleeping with Akshay is like sleeping into the big strong arms of a bear and during cruel winter nights you will never feel once a bit of coldness.

[makeste]

There's been a lot of talk about Mina's optimistic line about how they'll all be fine and back to class is a death flag, but if anything I think it's a desth flag for U.A. They'll be fine, but they won't be back to class as normal, because there won't BE a class to attend(RIP Shinsou)

seems like everyone in the fandom is talking about death flags and kids dying and society falling to pieces these days lol. fwiw, as I’m sure most people have seen by now, Viz’s translation showed that Mina was actually talking about Midnight, so if this really is a “famous last words” situation, it would apply to her rather than the kids.

but it seems like the speculation hasn’t really died down despite that! so since the whole “kids dying” thing keeps coming up, I’m gonna go ahead and weigh in on it again here and say that I don’t think it’s going to happen. so far I’ve mostly been trying to keep my reasoning short and sweet and leaving it at “it would be too dark”, but in truth, the real reason why I don’t see it happening is because I don’t think it would serve any purpose.

here’s the thing about character deaths: assuming that the writing is any good (which I would argue that it is, in BnHA’s case, although you are free to disagree!), they should always serve a purpose. and in most cases, that’s going to mean one of four things:

it serves as a way to write the character out of the story for whatever reason (for instance if the character is getting in the way of letting a plot be resolved, or if the actor is leaving, which of course doesn’t apply to BnHA but is a huge factor in a lot of other media). an example here would be Twice, who was written out of the story because his quirk would have prevented the heroes from having any chance at all of winning.

it sets the stakes and takes away the audience’s sense of security by establishing that No One Is Safe, and that People Can And Will Die. this is important in that it builds suspense and makes the audience more invested than they might otherwise be, because they can’t be 100% certain that their fave is going to make it out alive. a good example of this would be the recent massacre at Jakku, which showed in no uncertain terms how powerful Tomura has become, and also demonstrated that Horikoshi has no qualms whatsoever about killing off any number of pro hero characters in this arc.

it completes that character’s arc and serves as a fitting (if depressing) end to their story. this is probably the most controversial as far as “reasons for killing someone off” go, because it’s so easy to fuck up, and because someone will almost always argue that there were other, better ways for a character’s story to end. most “redemption” deaths fall under this category, as do the “character makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect their loved one” deaths. if Endeavor ends up dying there’s a good chance it will fall under this category. so far though, BnHA has been pretty light on these types of deaths, which tbh suits me just fine. ideally this sort of death is supposed to provide some sort of closure, but in practice it doesn’t always work out that way.

lastly, the death furthers the story in some way. it galvanizes another character into action, or serves as a motivation for them. or maybe the death shifts the political landscape of the story and sets new plots into motion. most tragic backstory deaths fall under this category; for example, pretty much the entire Shimura family (r.i.p.). this is another potentially controversial area though on account of there being many other ways to move the plot forward without resorting to killing someone off. not to mention that “fridging” deaths also fall under this category -- deaths where one character is used as a plot device to move another character’s development forward. Nana, unfortunately, is an example of this, but that’s another rant for another day.

anyway, so these are the four biggest reasons to kill off a character in a story. there are others as well, including simply adding some more tragedy and emotion to the story, but IMO that doesn’t really apply to this particular genre. BnHA isn’t a tragedy, nor is it the kind of bleak, grimdark narrative where killing off characters more frequently would make sense. this isn’t the kind of series where gratuitous character deaths are necessary to add shock value or realism. making the shift into that kind of writing this late in the game wouldn’t make much sense, and IMO would do a lot more harm than good.

so as far as I’m concerned, this means that if Horikoshi is going to kill someone off in this arc, that death needs to come under one of these four categories. oh, and something I forgot to mention before -- it should be necessary, as well. in other words, it accomplishes one of these four things, and is the only way that said thing can be accomplished. those are basically my criteria for a “good” character death.

and as far as I can see, none of the kids’ deaths would currently fall into that “necessary” category, or meet any of those other four criteria. none of the kids are so powerful that they need to be written out of the story (and even if they were, there are other ways to do that with AFO and the quirk-be-gone bullets now in play). they don’t need to be killed off in order to raise the stakes; clearly, fandom is already very convinced on that front already, or people wouldn’t constantly be freaking out over death flags and such in the first place. and none of the kids is anywhere near the completion of their respective story arcs. maybe if one or more of them had been featured more often recently, and there was some actual buildup, like we saw with Mirio right before he lost his quirk, or with Nighteye before he was killed. but we haven’t seen anything like that recently for any of the kids, with the possible exception of Bakugou (hence why I’m still pretty certain that he’s currently heading towards what Aizawa would call a “death”, with quotation marks, i.e. the loss of his quirk).

so that just leaves us with “their death would further the narrative in some way”, which is probably the most open to interpretation of the four. but for the life of me I just can’t think of any way that the death of a kid would advance the plot in a way that couldn’t be achieved by other means. want society to freak out about children being involved in a war? just injure a bunch of them, or have one of them lose their quirk on live TV with the world watching. want to traumatize the other child soldier characters for some reason? kill off one of the teachers, then. or, again, take away one of their friends’ quirks, and have them feel some misplaced guilt over not being able to stop it. this was the winning formula for the Basement arc, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work here as well.

tbh a lot of this does depend on what exactly Horikoshi’s goals for this arc are, which still aren’t 100% clear even this late in the game. I’m not sure right now what he’s planning for the aftermath of this thing. will it be like Kamino and Fukuoka, where society is shaken up but still rallying behind the heroes and giving them their support? or are we instead building up towards a scenario where society’s faith in heroes finally crumbles and people are left totally demoralized in the wake of yet another brutal attack, and the total decimation of the Billboard Top 10? the latter outcome is seeming more and more likely to me, but an awful lot of it depends on how the next few chapters play out.

my best guess is that we end up with a scenario where the heroes succeed in staving off total disaster, but at a heavy cost. a lot of the pros are either dead or out of commission, Tomura and the League are still at large, and everyone is basically just sitting around trying to process what just happened and figure out what to do next while they wait for the other shoe to drop. word gets out that the kids were pretty much the only reason the battle didn’t end in even greater disaster, and as a result they get swept up in the ensuing political drama. the HPSC tries to parade them around as the next big thing; humanity’s hope for the future. but meanwhile a growing faction of the general public is furious at the government getting children involved in a war, and start arguing that the hero program should be shut down and U.A. should close its doors. and in the midst of all this, the kids try to lick their wounds and deal with the aftermath, and enter their second year very much unsure of what the future will hold.

anyway, so this all got very long-winded and out of hand as usual, but to sum up, I don’t think any of the kids is going to die here, and I think there will still be a year two of U.A., but that it’s going to feel very different from the U.A. we’ve known up to this point. if the threat of Tomura is still looming over everyone’s heads I very much doubt the kids will be able to focus much on their studies. but it may also be a case of them trying to cling to what little semblance of normalcy they have left. the teachers might decide to press on simply because it’s the only thing they can do. basically I’m anticipating something very similar to the aftermath of Kamino, but with the tension ramped up to 11, and with the adults fighting a losing battle to keep the kids from getting caught up in the middle of it all.

in other words, I don't think it’s an actual death-death we need to worry about here. rather, it’s going to be a much slower and much more subtle death by a thousand cuts. but it’ll be the kind of angst the characters can still work under; the kind that, rather than suffocating them, instead makes them grit their teeth and find a way to push forward. so yeah! anyways though, now that I’ve said all this, watch as Horikoshi goes and fucking decapitates Aoyama next week or some shit. lol maybe I should knock on wood just in case.

[giorgiastastes]

Cidade De Deus (2002)

“Why return to the City of God, where God forgets about you?”

 Let’s start from the title, which is certainly enigmatic. Calling city of God, a suburb that is the scenario of a reality abandoned by God is not a mistake, nor is the frequent recourse to religious faith seen as the only motivation, the last hope of these young men for a better life, that does not lead them in a coffin before the age of twenty. I am in favor of full religious freedom and belief, but I cannot fail to notice how, if faith can lead to extremism, bigotry and fanaticism, very often it is also the only light of those who have already touched the bottom or are about to do it.

Speaking of the plot, the film begins in medias res, in the Cidade de Deus, one of the most dangerous favelas in all of Brazil.

The initial scene, so frenetic and almost surreal, is part of the history of cinema, with the chicken running away through the alleys of the neighborhood, while at least twenty boys chase her, trying to catch her with guns and rifles, as if it were Pablo Escobar reincarnated.

The chicken finally ends up clashing with our narrator, aspiring photographer, now stuck between the street gang and the police.

 Masterfully we see the camera rotating around this boy, over and over again soon becoming an hypnotic rhythm, while at the end of the last turn we find ourselves in another time space, in the 60s, accompanied by the phrase A PHOTO COULD HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE, BUT IN THE CITY OF GOD IF YOU ESCAPE YOU ARE DONE, AND IF YOU STAY YOU ARE DONE, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO, SINCE I WAS A CHILD.

The protagonist, faced with such a difficult choice, returns to the past with his mind and begins to tell us about a naive gang of thieves in order to narrate with their story, also the reality of the favela, which, using the the film’s wording, is too far from the idea of a Rio’s postcard that the government wanted to portrait at the time.

After a series of episodes that I don't want to spoil, we will move on to the next decade. This initially will seem like a positive turn and then will turn out to be only a patination of the neighborhood, which in the end is even more socially structured and cruel than how it used to be.

 Finally, let’s move to the strongest part of the film, the children. They are the ones who make the choices that will most mark them.

In the city of God you cannot live your childhood with carefree, you must immediately decide which side to stand on, and this childish decision, you will take to your grave.

Among the children there are those who immediately think of themselves as an outsider in that climate of crime and violence, but according to them, not because of a sense of morality,but simply because they’re afraid of getting a bullet.

Then we find those who were born for it, and even plan for new robberies, who feels strong and great showing off a gun often bigger than their head.

To say that the film offers us several times the philosophical doubt of WHO ARE GOOD ONE AND WHO’S THE BAD would be redundant and perhaps too direct even to be discussed, with the police who often behave worse than the bandits, and the only “non silent” citizen is the one acting the most violent crime, so I want to focus on other points.

 

Can you choose which side to fight for or are you facing a one-way street? And then, badness, evil and violence are innate or you learn them, you discover them with living?

Answering the first question, the most objective and direct of the two, there is certainly no doubt that in such ill-famed neighborhoods, it is the crime that pursues us and not the other way around. When you are so abandoned by institutions and authorities, often even with a lack of reference figures from which to take example, Crime is not a choice, simply because there are no choices, it is the only option, even if unjustly glorified.

About the second question, on the other hand, in my opinion, the evil is innate, but not because it is to be considered hereditary, more because but it is part of the human nature, of the animal part in each of us, which, unfortunately, is not held back by human intelligence, but brought to extreme sadism from this intellectual capacity which other animal species lack.

It is morality that then represses these instincts, but if we left the world to anarchy, only a few would stop, and as Plautus says, Homo homini lupus.

To better explain my thoughts, I must refer to another masterful work.

I'm talking about Dogville by the controversial but brilliant Lars Von Trier. I won't talk about this film, but just to summarize the idea, we are faced with a town where cruelty is so eradicated in the population that it is a same child who starts the cycle of violence and abuse. This episode perfectly reflects how human’s evilness is, in my opinion as much as that of the director, genetic, and that can also be seen in City of God.

The undisputed head of the city, Ze Pequeno, begins his rise to power at the age of eighteen, as soon as he realizes that he wants to become the absolute king of the favela.

But if we were to talk about his desire for blood, that was born much earlier, when he was still a child and, as the narrator tells us, "he wanted to act out his whim of killing" and then took advantage of the robbery at the motel to make a massacre.

Certainly the number of its victims grows with its age and so its desire for power but, however questionable this choice is, it was not homicide for futile reasons. In fact, he decides to exterminate all the main drug dealers in the area with the intention of becoming the only owner, when he begins to understand that it was necessary to switch to the drugs field.

What makes me reflects is that, although the character will always be easily triggered, and it is not uncommon for them to put a hole in someone’s head, the reason why he killed as a child was not even money, it was just an innate desire to kill, to take the life of another human being and watch him take his last breath.

 

His disturbing laugh proves it.

Even the punishment, albeit excessive, that will lead him to death, inflicted on children who had robbed a rotisserie, is still part of his plan to be the owner of a favelas that respects him because in good or bad it is he who protects the city.

And it is precisely in that scene that we see how the cycle begins again, when Ze Pequeno forces a child to kill another child, or when those same children make up any type of story just to receive a weapon or the same one who will then take control of the city at the end of the film, probably taking the man they killed as an example.

They are always the victims and executioners, as well as the heart of the story. Of course, in the seventies we see the protagonists grown up, but of adult men they only have the appearance.

Their character is still that of the decade before, as well as their choices and behaviors. One of them was marked by the sight of a camera as a child and this became his greatest passion as a teenager and then an adult. The same one, despite knowing who his brother's killer is, decides not to take revenge in order to respect the choices he made years before, that is, to abstain from evil.

I don't even need to dwell on the exceptional and impeccable shots because, although there are unforgettable scenes such as the death of Benny between the screams and the intermittent lights of the disco, each shot would have to be studied and likely more than that, the transitions between one and the other.

The plot remains a rhythmical crescendo, we never get bored and the story remains in evolution: we don't have a real incipit, a problem that upsets the balance, a resolution of the problem and then a conclusion, it is a story that it follows changes without actually being a real beginning and end, just like a cycle.

Another and final theme is the power of art, the only means of escape from such a difficult reality, but art itself can often be used improperly to advertise and almost glorify this underworld. In this case we are talking about photography, but it could be any type of art from poetry, cinema to music.

The film must be said that it has no clear defects, but if I could have put my own I would have made the symbol of the camera even more important, since mainly we see it in the very first scene and in the change of decade, and then obviously for the whole last half an hour, while I would have made each photograph part of a chapter of the story, which did not happen.

All in all, I went too far and if you still didn't get the message, run to discover this masterpiece of cinema.

[greyliliy]

I hope this won't be annoying to talk about this in your asks, and if it is, of course ignore me. In your ABO fics it's funny how you've set up O!Izuku as being infertile and O!Katsuki as potentially fertile, but in their circumstances AMW has a better domestic set up for a baby even if O!Izuku mentally makes it dubious whereas in D introducing a baby would be a cruelty, a psychological ball and chain, I know angst and horror is what D is all about but a baby is already a passive weapon in a (a)

already toxic cocktail. Admittedly I am interested in how a baby would affect the claim game between the Alpha’s. Would it dissolve all interest, would they still want the Omega but leave the baby, would they have some infanticide urges that they have to quell or do they adopt the baby too. Tied to that, once a Alpha marks/imprints on a Omega (and still desires them) will they always have a possessive attitude towards them and how would that affect their attitudes regarding that O’s kids?

[Continued under a cut, ‘cause it’s a long one! :D]

Babies can add problems to the equation, and in O!Katsuki’s case, you can write him still being upset of his circumstance but now factoring in his child’s future, however the scariest chapters in D were 10-17, it was like reading the end of 1984 where you see a character lose themselves and it gets treated like a good thing and I guess my fears would be, you you go in the direction of a baby adding to that. Admittedly I am projecting my real life fear of babies and their toll, they are a huge responsibility and very selfish where the narrative and characters must be distorted to accommodate them such as in real life.

I am sure you probably appreciate how much of parents lives go to revolving around their kids and I can understand the attractive challenge of putting that into your dynamics and I think it’s really cool of you. In AMW that is a (seemingly) safe place to explore fictional babies. D, if a baby is going to be a good thing, the amount of character development needed for that to be a good thing, feels a long way off.

No matter how patient Deku was relative to other Alpha, him being the best of a bunch of bad choices and his controlling, restrictive, conformist attitude as you have written him, if he remains unchanged will make introducing have a baby with him, as a good thing, where the hero (Katsuki) abandons his values would be unsettling and contrived. If it is introduced as not good thing, like something forced upon Katsuki to further keep him from ever being a hero or further deteriorate his own free will and opens the discussion between Katsuki as himself versus the Omega biology.

It would still be hard to read but it wouldn’t be at the sacrifice of Katsuki as you’ve thus far portrayed him but instead introduce a new obstacle he has to work around as part of his life, it would keep him further from being a hero and be a physical and permanent reminder of his “new” life. However, babies are something you can’t go back from and if it’s induced under bad sentiment than that will hang over the baby e.g. Izuku destroys Kastuki’s birth control and rapes him to prove a point, than the baby will always be symbolic of that incredibly negative experience and since Izuku and Katsuki are endgame I highly doubt you would plan that. It’s more likely a “not good baby” of such nature would come from the first alpha since he threatened that before.

Izuku, despite his negative traits, wants Katsuki to accept his life on his own and and be happy; the problem is the whole cohesive circumstances and when we see Izuku’s patience snapping, it’s all antagonistic to Katsuki and his own trust in himself, and that can still be a unhealthy place to bring up a baby. Katsuki being cohered into thinking that is what he wants, which is sort of how the sex in the previous chapters felt, even if he liked it, he was pressured into it. Until Katsuki is not scared of Izuku, a baby between them will be strange because it will always feel like it has been forced on an unwilling or unsure Katsuki and that is still something that will hang over the child.

So I guess it’s about what you want a baby to mean in the story and how you’re going to work the characters up to that point. Even in AMW, a baby can still have cause for domestic drama and emotional turmoil but because both sides are well meaning it’s a better environment for a baby element to be introduced, no one is caged or destroying buildings or using Orders in a harmful way and they can sort things as they go.

If the end of D is Katsuki conforming and so lose himself with a baby to seal the deal of angst, that is an ending, not all endings need to be happy. Some readers will hate it, others will want more, the main thing is to write what you want. I am pretty sure I am just writing things you are already an expert on. They’re very different dynamics to add a baby into (all the more fun of a challenge), and people may have gushed for a baby in 'domestic fluff land with a dash of overcoming trauma condition past angst’ that is AMW but adding one to D, just because, it’s going to be hard, so I guess Good Luck is what I’m saying.

I am not sure how this spam came across and I hope it made sense. In other news, loved the Izuku and the warp gate update, tossing M!Kacchan over the shoulder because of his tired leggies was a nice detail.Hope to read more canon Kacchan as I thought you wrote him in character v. well.

*whistles* Long comment is long! And I love it. Asks about writing and fics are never annoying, so thank you. This was nice to read. Very thoughtful and it’s flattering to see this kinda thoughts come from reading my work. xD

I’m gonna’ answer the world building question first before I get into the Baby discussion:

As much as I love pushing the Alpha’s possessiveness lines to their extreme and kinda like reading A/B/O scenarios where Alpha have a desire to get rid of kids that aren’ theirs, that’s not happening in this universe. I gave Alpha enough problems in this universe and I’m not in the mood for that much angst. Debauchery’s got enough as it is.

So officially in this world, babies are a package deal with the Omega. So say an Alpha wants to take a mate from someone else and they already have kids, they’re taking both parent & children. Now, that’s a give over generalization and the level of affection new Alpha will give old Alpha’s kids is going to vary based on personality and relationships and all that, but generally it goes well. 

So in the hypothetical case of Bakugou becoming pregnant with someone else’s child, be it PR Alpha or Shigaraki or whatever, Deku would be fine with the kids. That probably won’t happen because–again–this thing is angsty enough without that extra level, but if I were to go that route, Deku would treat the kids like his own ‘cause he’s a good guy. But even if he were a bad guy, at worst he’d be indifferent (like in Jirou’s hypothetical case in the canon where she wanted a baby enough to raise the kid alone even if her Alpha wasn’t interested).

But as far as Alpha losing interest in a mate, that usually involves replacing the object of their affection/possessiveness with something else–which is the easiest route. The other one is “I got beaten down so hard by the other Alpha, I submitted completely and my brain gave up the other mate out of sheer self preservation.” It can be one, the other, or both, but Alpha can get pretty fixated.

It’s complicated and there’s always weird outliers (like Kirishima).

Now back to the baby discussion! :D

First: I am in no way, shape, or form an expert on pregnancy or children. (I’m sorry, I laughed a little bit toward that comment at the end where you thought I might be. XD).

What I am, is at that age where everyone I know my age either already has kid(s) or is planning to have kids, or is a grandparent and I hear not only about their kids, but their grandkids, and even the younger people I hang out with have siblings who have children.

So uh. I’m around kids a lot and it’s a topic I couldn’t avoid now even if I wanted to.

Add in that I’m at that age where if I do want kids of my own, I should be having them already. Like. Right now. That ticking biological clock can feel like a beast. I know you can have kids in your forties, but the longer you wait the worse it is and I’m forever trapped in “I kinda want kids, but I kinda don’t” undecided land which is a bad place to be. I don’t recommend it. At all.

So getting to write pregnancy as a great joy (AMW) and a terrifying horror (Deb.) at the same time just feels like it’d be cathartic experience. Especially since I get to explore it in the context of a fantasy society where I can exaggerate emotions and experiences past what’s realistic (though not by too much) and basically Do What I Want.

Because you’re not wrong, kids are a huge thing. They’re a brand new little life and tiny person that’s completely dependent on their parents and it’s a humbling and amazing thing, but also very scary.

In A Mate’s Worth, I still get to cover both, it’s just on the more, typical cliche domestic type: Being pregnant is Deku’s dream come true, but Katsuki gets to be the nervous new parent who was not prepared for that revelation. XD

While in Debauchery, I get to explore more of the Nature aspects of A/B/O and Katsuki dealing with the fact that as an Omega, he’s got some natural instincts that want kids pretty badly and he’s not cooperating. (To go along with the ones that are already there telling him to submit to Deku, etc.)

A baby would be Katsuki’s worst nightmare, so seeing him struggle with dealing with natural instincts that make him adore the little bundle in his hands crashing together with his “I hate being an Omega” struggles just feel like a fun (albeit horrifying) dynamic to explore.

And if it makes you feel better, I was just on the fence of a baby in Debauchery from the beginning, so it’s not a “just because” thought. Ha ha. There’s a reason in the prologue Deku’s excited about Bakugou being a “Beta” because it means he can have kids.

Deku has wanted kids with Katsuki in Debauchery since the beginning of the story, he’s just tactful enough not to have not brought it up to Katsuki’s face just yet. XD

Long answer short, I’m pretty decided on this happening, however it turns out, but I probably will go back and forth all the way up until the chapter before when it comes to added the tag knowing me. HA ha ha ha.

Thanks so much!! :D

(And thank you. XD Deku picking up M!Katsuki was one of my favorite parts. Ha ha ha ha.)