#amato mention

[screwzara]

LDF AU headcanons

Amato and Ghazali once lost Bbb and Ali in an IKEA, for at least 7 hours. They went to IKEA like to buy furniture for Tok aba new house in Pulau Rintia after he moved there after Umis death, and they have to bring the boys cause their wife's are working, and like imagine these two stupid men arguing about whether they should get the plates that are boring and a bit plain, or the ones that look like a drunk person with zero coordination skills made them, guess who wanted to buy which plates, and in the middle of the argument Mechabot blurts out "Where are the kids?!"

They both stop point blank and spend the next hour running around the ridiculously big IKEA warehouse, why did they have to go to the biggest one in Malaysia looking for their sons. It never occurred to them to try and go to the front desk and ask the worker for help.

The boys just got bored of hearing their daddies argue and sneaked off to the kids area. Tok aba and their wives kill them after they find out.

Tok aba tells the story to their friends once and since Ali and Bbb were too young to remember their a bit shocked it happened.

Boboiboy & Ali: Wait, that happened????

Tok Aba: *oddly happy sigh* Indeed, Boboiboy and Ali, indeed

[thisispoggers]

How did you found bbb? Like i genuinely thought this show was like a niche thing because i found it on accident back in 2021(?) And it exploded my mind by the amount of views it has but like.. i've never heard of anything like it?? Got even more shocked with the fact it apparently has 2 MOVIES???

It was a series I’ve watched on and off as a kid! It just appeared on the TV and it looks cool so I watched it lol I didn’t watched everything per se I’d say around half of season 1 and the beginning of season 2

Then I just remembered about it on a random Wednesday honestly like it just popped in the back of my mind like “hey remember this?” and me being the unsuspecting victim of the time went “oh! Yeah I do I wonder if the seasons are posted to YouTube” and it went downhill really quick

I found the two seasons I was expecting then oh damn a season 3? That’s nice! Imma watch that- THEY HAVE A MOVIE????? TWO MOVIES?????!!! A SEQUEL AND A PREQUEL SERIES????!!!!! Shiiiyetttt I’m too curious to back down rn I better watch all that- THERE IS EVEN A PREQUEL MOVIE???!!!

Yeah and boom I realised after my fifth time going down the fandom just for Daun content that oh nawr I’m in it too deep now like bruh how did I get into a fandom I thought was just niche to me and uncovered that it is much bigger than I thought????

Anyways vv cool ride lol lost some of my sanity in the process tryna sit down and watch everything but it’s cool seeing the awesome fandom behind it teehee

[cagandante-communistoide]

Obligatory Why is aphobia A Thing ask

-💜

Get ready, this is my manifesto.

Content warnings for mentions of sexual violence and intimate partner abuse.

Before I can answer why aphobia is a thing, I have to answer what aro and ace phobia are, and for that I have to define amatonormativity and allonormativity. And for that, we need to define romance and sexuality as social constructs.

WHAT IS LOVE (baby don't hurt me):

THINGS I WILL NOT BE ATTEMPTING TO DEFINE FOR MY OWN SANITY:

the emotion of romantic or sexual attraction. the question of what these emotions are like is highly individual, partially socially constructed and entirely irrelevant to asking about the effect of certain positionalities in society related to these concepts.

THINGS I WILL BE DEFINING:

the social construct of romance and sexuality and how the dominant relationship model operates in society. Basically, what is considered romantic and sexual and what romance and sex is "supposed" to be, not what romance and sex actually feel like.

So: what is love? Romance is the whole motley of expectations that come with a romantic relationship- monogamy, priority over platonic relationships such as friendship, cohabitation and sharing of all assets and life decisions, and among most people on earth today, heterosexuality and the bearing of children. Sex in society is a social currency, something that is required to secure romantic relationships and for normal human psychology, but that must only be present in certain amounts in the context of a normative romantic relationship (or normal amount of hookups, in some cases) to be considered moral. It is the automatic placement of these models of romance and sex as universal goods, goals to be strived for as well as the “natural” order of things and lack of adherence as significant of some form of problem a la “maybe you have hangups, maybe you have a medical issue, maybe you’re single because you’re a bad person”.

Too much romance and sex (polyamory) or too little (aspec) both fall outside this norm. To not be asexual in any way is to be ALLOSEXUAL, and to not be aromantic in any way is to be ALLOROMANTIC. The status of being somewhere on the asexuality or aromanticism spectrum will be referred to as ASPEC. ACESPEC is for asexual-spectrum and AROSPEC is for aromantic-spectrum. The social construct of romance + its mandatory nature will henceforth be referred to as AMATONORMATIVITY. The social construct of sexual attraction + its mandatory nature and rules will henceforth be referred to as ALLONORMATIVITY. When a statement applies to both amato and allonormativity, I will simply write allonormativity. When it applies only to aromanticism and amatonormativity, I will write amatonormativity. WAIT, BUT IS ALLONORMATIVITY REAL? (yes):

here's some things people who are in romantic and sexual relationships and experience normative attraction on both counts, especially ones that progress into legal marriage, get most everywhere in the world that people who are not don't - regardless of whether they'd want to or not!

Tax benefits. The government literally gives you free money just for being married.

Lower prices for a lot of things: "family rates" for all forms of insurance, tuition discounts for education you have to pay for. additionally:

Greater financial benefits. It's easier to be approved for rent if you have a partner. it's easier to get bank loans and finance expensive things if you're married. If your spouse dies you automatically get insurance payouts and inheritance by default, without probate or even being taxed. A lot of the time your cohabitating partner or spouse is the automatic beneficiary of your financial services. Informally, everything is priced for couples. When there's economic downturn, the default bourgeois media excuse is "if you don't want to struggle financially, get married". Poor economic conditions are used as a lever with which to push people into amatonormativity. Additionally, the only relationship you are financially punished for for legally leaving is marriage through an expensive court proceeding. If your romantic relationship has been reified enough, the incentive to remain in it is literally that you have to hire a lawyer to leave.

Legal recognition. Your next of kin is automatically your spouse. If you are not a minor child and you want someone to inherit your things, make decisions for you when you can't, or receive say, jubilation or insurance payments on your behalf, the only way you can do that without filing power of attorney documents is marriage. The only relationship you cannot leave without going to court is marriage, and the only other people who are so difficult to leave because of societal and legal pressure to cohabitate and share assets with them is your nuclear family. Want to make sure cutting contact with you is so expensive, exhausting, and difficult for another person that they would never even try it? Be in a relationship. Then get married. Also, if you're asexual but in a marriage, your marriage only counts if you have sex with your partner in a lot of places. Allonormativity is a requirement for amatonormativity- the normal definition of romance makes normative sexuality obligatory.

Social currency. Romance and marriage are considered "essential life stages". People in relationships are automatically seen as more functional, more trustworthy, more mature. if you don't express interest in relationships you are labelled mentally ill or antisocial and if you can't get one by a certain point you're labeled a failure of a human being. There is much invested in the social narrative that "everyone's purpose is to find love", and not finding it results in a perception of having failed said purpose. Leaving a romantic relationship, especially for reasons of incompatibility instead of some kind of wrongdoing, is frowned upon. Most benignly, it's seen as an inherent tragedy to leave a partner you didn't want to begin with or don't want anymore. Often, it marks you as a bad person. Romance carries immense social currency as a universal good that washes any situation or person of their horror. See:

In many parts of the world, marital rape and physical abuse is legal to some extent. If you're partners but not married, or it's illegal, then even so partners are the people least likely to be suspected of abuse right after parents, even with proof. Many an abuser has gotten away with obvious abuse just by saying "it's a lover's spat". many forces like misogyny, homophobia, and racism compound this effect, but ultimately what they reify is a system where romance and family are considered automatic goods that negate or permit abuse. "It's okay because he's your boyfriend" is just as common as "it's okay because he's your father". Again: want to have an unhealthy amount of control over another person with complete social acceptability and cover? Be in a relationship. Then get married.

Psychiatric legitimacy. Again, romance and sex are considered automatic goods. Allonormativity asserts that regular romantic and sexual activity within a monogamous heterosexual relationship especially (but not exclusively, this expectation exists regardless of whether any individual subject is accepting of queerness or nonmonogamy) is universal healthy human behavior and should be strived for. Romance and sex are frequently said to be human "needs" and denial of either to another person is almost always treated as an aggression by the person saying "no". If you fall in love and have sex, you are automatically the "healthy" person next to someone who does not. Your reality is the default life goal for everyone, in both casual and clinical settings - whether they want it or not.

AND NOW FOR THE BENEFITS OF SEXUALITY SPECIFICALLY:

Medical legitimacy. Again, you are the "default" healthy option for human behavior. Development of sexual attraction labels you a normal, untraumatized, healthy person by default and doctors will never use your sexuality to question you about your hormone levels or whether you have an intersex condition to be "fixed". Your sexuality is not a currently diagnosable "condition" internationally and people will not suggest physical therapy, medication, or surgical intervention to "fix" you into having sex. (Of course, people who actually DO have medical or trauma related reasons why they don’t have sex who may or may not want to reduce them have a lot of pressure on them to resume “normalcy” as soon as possible - this is an example of the social asexualization of the otherwise allo subject.)

Legal legitimacy: again, marriages are only valid in several places when sex is involved.

Social legitimacy: same applies as for the latter iteration of this but slightly differently- you can lose sexuality based social currency by being polyamorous or otherwise too promiscuous. However, if you have the "correct" amount of sex with the "right" people, you are by default considered a more mature, correct person. You command more trust and inspire more respect than someone who clearly has not had the "right" amount of sex just by being someone who is presumed to do things "correctly", because you've cleared an "essential life stage". You are natural, you are normal, and those are both very powerful social positions to wield over someone who isn't. Just look at how much social currency cis people have over trans people for an example of the same thing. Your relationship is also not at risk because of "withholding sex" in the vast majority of cases (because you are compliant with your partner's "need", of course).

WHAT ABOUT APHOBIA?: WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO AS THE POOR BASTARD WHO IS ARO/ACE

On the flip side is arophobia and acephobia, the bigotry and structural injustice that enforces amatonormativity and allonormativity onto those who do not fit. Here's a trying-to-be-comprehensive list of the smorgasbord of indignities, injustices and inhumanities aro/ace people can be and often are subject to on the basis of their orientation:

Pathologization- asexuality. "Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder" is an internationally diagnosable condition in which doctors attempt to "fix" that you don't want sex and are unhappy about it by trying to "fix" the "disordered" sex drive. Because being unhappy about asexuality is something that would only happen because it's wrong, and not because normal sexuality holds immense social, medical, and legal capital, amirite? If you need to be explained why taking a natural harmless variance in sexual orientation and making it a "disease" to be cured is wrong, ask yourself if you think homosexuality should still be a disorder to be "treated" with medications and conversion therapies.

Pathologization- aromanticism. Romance is considered a "need", a universal part of life and achieving a romantic partnership is considered a universal good even in clinical settings. Not desiring romance is considered a sign of antisocial behaviors associated with a range of pathologies, including depression, social anxiety, avoidant personality disorder and conduct disorder/antisocial personality disorder. Every single aromantic person I have ever met, whether personally or in passing, who has set foot in a psychiatric setting has experienced some form of conversion therapy through continued harassment to date or through abuse of medication. ALL OF THEM. It is legitimately unavoidable.

Legal disadvantage: all of the above privileges reserved for romantic partnerships, especially marriages,  are barred from aromantic people either entirely or functionally through the creation of a long, difficult process to achieve the same thing marriage gets by default. If you are alloromantic but asexual, all of the above privileges reserved for marriage can be revoked if your marriage is declared invalid due to lack of sexual activity or your partnership is dissolved because of your asexuality. In addition, while aro/ace people are subject to almost all the same indignities of homophobia + aphobia, we are functionally not considered a protected class anywhere where homosexuals are because allonormativity obscures and denies our very existence. This is the third of many examples of how being aspec is its own positionality which intersects with and worsens other queerphobia, and how allo queer people benefit from specifically not being aspec. I will elaborate on this later.

Financial disadvantage: as opposed to the legal category where if you waste enough time in court you might be able to appoint someone with the same rights and benefits to confer upon you (given that they are not prioritizing their own romantic + sexual relationship), aro/ace people will NEVER benefit financially from the structure of the economy being designed to reward couples. I hope the above list has explained sufficiently why this is significant and that the preference for romantic relationships monetarily is not at all a victimless or neutral happenstance.

Social neglect + abuse due to allonormativity: Do you perhaps enjoy everyone you know and love leaving you behind because they have significant social and financial incentive to prioritize their romantic relationships over you? How about being considered automatically less valuable to your partner because you won't have sex with them, or less valuable to the people you love because your relationship is purely platonic compared to a partner that literally waltzed in a few months ago? Do you salivate at the thought of being bullied everywhere from school to your home to your doctor's office for being a virgin? How about for being single and never dating? Do you derive enjoyment from being called homophobic slurs without, contrary to popular belief, being able to "opt out" of it by saying you're not gay? Do you like seeing every person who is like you treated as a joke, a crazy, presented as an unnatural perversion of human behavior and mocked resoundingly in every public sphere as a human who has failed to mature? Who has failed to develop humanity? Do you enjoy the thought of the definition of what makes people "human" excluding you? No? Too bad. You can look forward to this anyway.

Corrective violence, including sexual harassment, molestation, assault, all forms of abuse and murder, especially for rejecting an allo’s advances and/or in the context of intimate partner violence.

Homophobia from straight people, and aphobia from allosexual queer people as well. Remember, the other marginalized groups still benefit from being more "normal" than you! But you're not oppressed, because you're not gay.

HEY, NONE OF THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO APHOBIA! IT'S ACTUALLY HOMOPHOBIA/MISOGYNY! (deep sigh) :

You're right, it isn't. But no analysis of bigotry is about having a "unique experience". It's about identifying the ways in which society is designed to hurt you, in which other people have power over you, and who benefits from your suffering.

A gay person and an asexual have the same experience having a slur hurled at them for denying a straight person's advances. But a gay person and an asexual person do not have the same experience going to the doctor and mentioning their sexuality, because it is entirely likely and extremely common that a gay person gets to walk away free and an asexual person is diagnosed with "hypoactive sexuality". An asexual person does not have increased social license by established norms about sexuality and romance to rape their partner for denying them garlic bread, but a gay person wields the power to do so to their asexual partner and have it justified by "they were denying me sex. They’re being cruel to me by denying me this when it means so much to me". A gay person can sexually harass an asexual on the basis of their virginity with "why haven't you had sex? you should really do it. stop being frigid. go to the doctor, that's not normal. maybe it's a hormonal imbalance", or say things like “All these people are virgins now because they’re afraid of sex. All these people are single now because they have bad personalities." without having it questioned. A gay person, in many countries, can reap the benefits of marriage, and aromantic people famously do not often wish to marry. The aspec experience is to have this denied - asexuals and aromantics cannot be victims of the homosexual or heterosexual in the allo imagination because the aro or ace is not real to them. They are always a perpetually shifting list of character defects but never a real class of people. Just a disease to be eradicated. Something wrong with an otherwise allo person - a failed allosexual, but also someone who has deliberately reneged on their humanity and thus forfeited dignity or even existence in the public consciousness. Invisibility for us is not safety. It is our guillotine.

You can be oppressed for your sexuality and still be privileged for NOT being aspec. Being aspec is its own positionality, and our oppression is specifically targeting US. We are not caught in your crossfire, or anyone else’s. You, reader, whether you be a woman or homosexual or transgender or nonwhite, may have similar experiences as described. But if you are allosexual, you will never experience it for BEING aspec. You can opt out of aphobia, you are privileged on the basis of your allosexuality and alloromanticism. I can not "opt out". I will always experience meaningfully different and more social scrutiny on basis of sexuality than you, allosexual reader, ever will, because every single allosexual and alloromantic can wield aphobia towards aros/aces. Yes, even if you're gay. THAT is aphobia. AND NOW ONTO THE HORRORS OF CAPITALISM:

Now it's time to answer the original question: WHY does aphobia exist? Well, let's think about what else romance and sexuality are. They're extremely useful tools. Ever since there has been a class of people who lived off the labor of others and a class who had nothing to sell but their labor, there has been financial incentive for the former to make sure there is a steady supply of the latter. The next generation of serfs, peasants, and later proletariat needed to be secure for an economic model in which a select few live entirely off a many laboring on their private property to survive. And what better way to do that than to enshrine the two emotions most associated with reproduction as mandatory parts of life? To then construct a model of romance and sexuality that rewards those who create an easily traceable geneaology as property for the patriarch and continue producing children to become laborers without creating children that would complicate this process, and punish those who do not?

Tie sex to marriage and that’s more incentive for people to marry just to have sex. Make the process of reproduction a mandatory aspect of life. Make it so that it’s only acceptable with your spouse, who has control over your finances and legal processes to some degree (it was very common in feudalism for the wife to outright be a husband’s property), to tie you to that person forever, and then make it a very socially elevated role to fill and a very hard bond to break to make sure the maximum amount of people keep reproducing with one family patriarch for as long as possible. What’s the end result? A socially engineered values system which serves to ensure that there will always be new laborers in the working class, because every person MUST marry and MUST have sex with their partner and therefore must reproduce. This is the same reason homophobia exists economically, except allo gay people wield additional social capital over aspecs by subverting the direction allonormativity expects you take in terms of partnerships instead of eschewing it. Why? Capitalism can still sell allonormativity back to allo queers with some slight tweaks. That’s not to say that the gains of allo queers are not significant liberation from homophobia, but it’s just that - it creates holes in homophobia. Holes in homophobia for gays that are “close enough” to how things are “supposed” to be done, at that. It does nothing to address the allonormative cisheteropatriarchal superstructure that creates both homophobia and aphobia. For example, it is extremely important for gay people to earn the right to marry, but then the institution of marriage which creates a single standard for a “correct”, respectable relationship and then rewards compliance for it is not questioned at all by that step. It just expands the box you are allowed to be in slightly, and ultimately reifies the same institution from which homophobia stems - allocisheteropatriarchal capitalism and its legal code. Detractors then argue that gay marriage isn’t “real” marriage or isn’t moral, and the purely gay positionality oriented argument against this (that being that attaching morality to gender of partner is a construction of heteronormativity and is artificial), while correct, fails to destroy the angle from which this bigotry continues to emerge repeatedly - that being that ALL the trappings of the “normal, moral, natural” relationship are artificially constructed and oppressive in nature. Including the institution of marriage itself. Aphobia is a thing for the same reason racism, homophobia, and misogyny are a thing: it has made the bourgeoisie money for generations. It is a social invention inherited from feudalism that serves the same purpose as it ever did- population control for the army of laborers.

[azrielgreen]

Prism Deleted Scene: post-Nancy’s house after dinner party

as requested, the missing scene from Jon's POV

Jonathan Byers and Eddie Munson sit in Eddie’s new truck.

They meet around this time some nights, just sitting together smoking, catching up. It’s not business, but it’s never fully social either. Eddie is mostly social with Jon in front of other people.

Jon doesn’t mind.

He’s not social, he doesn’t require friends the way Nancy does. Eddie is perfect for what he needs. He knows Eddie as well as he wants to. He likes him. They see one another to a degree that allows closeness, friendship, loyalty. Jon also doesn’t know Eddie, not really.  

He thinks he knows him better than most. In some ways, better than Steve.

But Eddie’s actions, just sometimes, make no sense even to Jon.

So this night after they’re done talking about this new dealer Jon has helped get set up, Eddie’s gonna run his usual stuff through the guy, Callahan’s poised to look the other way, none of the boys from Last Light have come near Will again, nor have they made waves… shit like that, they fall quiet.

Eddie’s just… got his eyes closed, face forward. It’s like he’s meditating or some shit, like he’s fucking zen, just chilling or maybe thinking a thousand things, Jon knows enough about how his mind works to understand it’s usually a frightening combination of both.

Jon finishes the cigarette, tosses the butt. They’re outside the Harrington house. Steve is presumably asleep inside. Eddie had told Jon to walk here later, have their little catch up.

‘Why’d you do it?’ he asks before he can change his mind.

Silence.

Jon looks at him. It’s like he’s asleep almost, only Jon knows better.

At length Eddie says, ‘Do what?’ without opening his eyes.

‘You told me Steve was a model,’ Jon says, not really choosing his words, but there’s ways to speak to Eddie and he knows most of them. ‘You mentioned it that day when we did the wallpaper. You said he was a powerhouse, a big deal.’

‘He was.’

‘Yeah but, you said it after I told you Nancy was putting together a package to attract investors for the magazine.’ He stares ahead, can’t see whatever Eddie sees behind his lids, doesn’t think he’d want to. ‘You knew I’d tell her, or remind her. Why’d you do it?’

Eddie opens his eyes. ‘When are you going to tell her?’

Jon almost sighs. It’s so like Eddie to shut down a question he doesn’t want to answer with a question aimed at you instead. ‘When I get the offer letter, I guess.’

‘Spring?’

‘Yeah, maybe. I don’t know yet. I’m worried about leaving Will.’

‘You know I’ll take care of him.’

Jon looks at Eddie. ‘Yeah, I know. I might take him with me. Just the three of us, new city. Might be good for him.’

‘Hopper’d flip his shit.’

‘He’s not our real Dad and he can’t handle Will on a good day.’

‘That’s ungenerous.’

‘You knew it’d make Steve upset when she mentioned it,’ Jon pushes, talk of Eddie taking care of Will ruffles him just enough. ‘You knew he’d panic like that at dinner. Why’d you do it?’

Eddie looks at Jon.

It’s like… sometimes it’s like being underwater and looking all around and seeing nothing and then you turn around and there’s this fucking massive shark… just staring, still, inches away.

Jon likes sharks.

He likes Eddie.

But even he’s not stupid enough to think he’s indispensable.

He’d know.

He helped bury Tony Amato, after all.

Not far from where Eddie helped Jon bury a body of his own, many years ago.

Eddie asks, ‘Why haven’t you told Nancy you’re moving to New York?’

‘Because it’s not certain yet.’

‘Liar.’

‘You should talk.’

Eddie snorts, looks away. Jonathan relaxes slightly. ‘I did it because I wanted to see how he’d handle it. I wanted to see what would happen.’

‘Not to put distance between Nancy and Steve?’

‘That’s not what happened.’

No, it’s not. Steve was on the floor of Jon and Nancy’s den playing with Eddie’s ankle and was so drunk he’d probably have said yes to a foursome.

Nancy would tell Jon sometimes how sex addicted Steve was, back when they were together.

Eddie’s eyes are closed again.

‘Don’t worry about Steve.’

‘I’m not. I was just curious.’

‘And don’t ask me shit in front of him again. He’s too smart for that.’

Jon nods slowly. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s fine. You got the radio frequencies for the next few weeks?’

‘Yeah, all here.’ Jon hands over the notebook to Eddie. All the copland frequencies so Eddie can scan and tune in as he likes. Jon gets them every few weeks from Hopper without the older man knowing. ‘You could have Steve get ��em from now on.’

‘No, he likes what he does there. He’s making good changes. That’s important.’

Jon doesn’t ask. ‘Hargrove wrote to me.’

‘He wants to know about Steve?’

‘And you.’

‘Tell him what he wants to know.’

‘You sure?’

‘I want him to trust you.’

‘I don’t think he trusts anyone.’

‘Nah, he’s too dumb for that. Be his guy for a bit. He always liked you down at the ring.’

Jon remembers.

Munson’s legit, Jon had told Billy when he asked about Eddie. Sells quality stuff, but get what you need and get out. Don’t turn your back on him.

Advice that Billy had not taken.

‘He’ll hear we’re friends eventually.’

‘And you’ll say you hate me and you’re scared of me and he’ll like you even more.’

‘You probably should’a ganked him if he’s this much trouble, though.’

‘I like trouble.’

Jon rolls his eyes. ‘I know.’

‘He’s useful.’

‘For what?’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘You just want to go taunt him.’

It’s too far, Jon can tell the moment he’s said it.

Eddie takes a sharp breath in through his nose, smiles too bright.

‘Right as always, Jonny Boy.’ He looks out the window to the topmost room where Steve is asleep, the only source of soft light. ‘Right as always. Except about Nancy. She won’t go with you and when her plan falls apart, she won’t be able to bear you getting that offer in New York. You’ll go alone, and you’ll be happier for it and when you call Will, he’ll talk about me and Steve and you’ll know he’s safe and fine even with you in New York because your little brother,’ Eddie says, clapping his thigh, ‘is always safe with me.’

Jonathan blinks rapidly. ‘Eddie, I didn’t mean—’

‘I know what you meant.’ The older man gets out, doesn’t look back. ‘And I appreciate your honesty. We’ll talk soon.’

He closes the door.

Jon lets out a shaky breath.

‘Fuck.’

[transmascutena]

what do you think about the incestuous relationships in revolutionary girl utena, and the root causes of the abuse? one of my favorite analyses I've read so far talked about how rape and incest aren't deviant, they are an extension of the patriarchal family unit. And do you have any thoughts/analysis about how it specifically manifests in RGU and the way the narrative communicates these themes?

It's so annoying the way some people act like the incest is just regular brother and sister complexes that's common in a lot of anime, and not an integral part of the show's themes about the Family fostering an environment ripe for abuse. The show treats these heavy themes seriously, and I wish I was smart enough to articulate my thoughts about Miki and Kozue, Anthy and Akio, etcetera. Hence, this ask.

Jsjsksks I know I sent an ask just yesterday about Revolutionary Girl Utena, but your analysis is so cohesive, and I really appreciate you bringing family/marriage abolition and amato-normativity into your analysis posts. It's very affirming to me as an aromantic asexual.

thank you so much! i will admit i also have a hard time putting my thoughts about these themes into words, because they are . a lot, so forgive me if this is a little rambl-y. but they are a huge and very important part of the show, so they're important to talk about.

i think i know the analysis you're talking about, and it's spot on. every kind of abuse we see in the show is a product of The System (patriarchy, the school system, the nuclear family, etc.) that's not to say that the abuse isn't purposeful, or that it doesn't often come from people choosing to do harm, but their ability to cause that harm is facilitated by these systems. for example, the system is not forcing akio to do what he does (although it is the reason he knows it will get him what he wants) it is just giving him the tools to do it effectively. abuse does come from people, but the systems are what makes the abuse so effective, and that's why we need to dismantle them.

this is something i've mentioned before, but a big part of why anthy was so trapped in her situation until the end, is because of the expectation to value family above all else, and to always love and forgive them no matter how they hurt us. and that is the reason why incest is so inherently toxic and abusive. it's not that it's "gross and unnatural" (such rhetoric really only serves to hurt and alienate victims anyway) it's that you cannot ever have a healthy relationship in a framework that tells you that you always have to stay with someone, and forgive someone, and love someone, no matter what. it doesn't matter if there's no age gap (seen in the kaoru twins) to create other kinds of power imbalances and it doesn't matter if they're not actually related by blood (seen in nanami thinking touga isn't her "real" brother, and in touga trying to use that against her.)

i've talked about how all this affects utena as well, and how even the state of not having a family makes you vulnerable to it, here.

it's not that siblings (or other family members) are more likely to be abusive people, but when they are, it is a lot harder to escape said abuse. leaving a regular abusive relationship is already incredibly difficult, but if they're you're family, it's even easier to fall into the mindset of "oh, but they really just want the best for me." when you've been taught that family is the most important thing in the world, leaving them is a huge decision. especially if you rely on them for material needs as well, like housing and food (which also happens a lot in romantic relationships and marriages.) there's also the way that with sibling incest in particular, especially if there isn't a big age gap, the victim will often be made to feel complicit in the abuse, either by their abuser or by society at large. like it's something "weird and taboo" that two people are doing together, rather than the abuse it really is.

that last part definitely manifests in the show, with the victim-blaming anthy recieves. from nanami especially. her desire to prove that she's "not like anthy" comes from an understandable place. she's dealing with figuring out that her feelings for her brother weren't what she thought they were, but it ends up with her putting equal amounts of blame on akio and anthy for the abuse she witnessed, even though there is a clear perpetrator (not helped by nanami already disliking and distrusting anthy.) it's clearest, i think, when she refers to them as "those perverted siblings" to utena.

it's funny (it's not) that this kind of thinking even manages to happen in the fandom itself. anthy is obviously not a perfect passive victim, and it's reductive of her character to say so, but the idea that she is as much an active participant in the abuse as akio is, is a take i have seen too many times for comfort. like, congrats, you fell for the exact kind of thinking that the show was trying to critique!

[purplecritter]

Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance (Ep. 6)

Official episode transcript here

My notes while I was listening under the cut… Spoilers ahead!

For anyone with emetophobia or gets grossed out by vomit, skip from 00:43 to 00:46 if you haven't already listened to the episode

"I don't mean to be a wet cloth" oh Drayden I love the self awareness (affectionate)

I'm not over how confident Taash is in combat 🥰 I also get the feeling it's going to be a bit of a whiplash because there's an established friendship with Nadia so Taash's behaviour with Rook could be something else entirely

Woooah I did not anticipate Antivan Drayden?!

Borgiani Borgiani… I knew I remembered the surname from a leak a while ago, because “Borgia” is a pretty significant family during the italian renaissance and so I was sure they’d be in Antiva given the similarity… Here’s felassan’s post about it, the other names listed are all characters from the podcast but I didn’t make the connection until now lol

I love that Lucanis could have let him choke on the poison and instead chose to stab… 

Yet another “earthquake” mention 🎉

OOOH is the teleport because the fade is being weird? Orrr does Lucanis already start manifesting. powers? Nah it’s probably the first one idk

Marethari!! And implicit Feynriel mention!!! Da2 fans we win today

Besties I think demons have already been attracted to Elio a while ago

I was certain for a moment that Drayden’s birth name was mentioned already, but turns out I was thinking of Aristide Am-ell, not Am-ato. Aristide Amell was Hawke’s grandpa (Leandra and Gamlen’s father)!

Drayden’s VA did amazing on those wails 😭

Ah the poetic narrative of the very family who let their kid be ostracized because they were connected to the Fade, stepping up to investigate possible “dark magics” that affected the community and being killed for it…

“Hopefully safe but probably not” is enough for me. I’ll be keeping an ear out for any Amato family members while we’re in Antiva in DATV lol

Okay they described Lucanis so much like “socially awkward dumpster fire disaster” that I was blindsided here. This man is being smooth here hellooo

My heart wants Ophelia to be a gigantic creature but my brain is telling me it’s probably a guard dog

Captain is being mad sus btw 🧐

“There is no ghost, it's a man!” Lmao nice words considering what we know of Lucanis “The Demon of Vyrantium” so far

Today I learned: “garrote” is not only the sitting execution method, but also a portable wire-like weapon. Which makes much more sense in the context of “we have people to get rid of as quietly as possible”

Achievement unlocked: Nadia and Drayden have successfully trauma-bonded for the foreseeable future!

Gkfbjsvj I was iffy about Eliza insisting that Drayden’s parents didn’t actually hate them and they did love them and just didn’t know how to express it or whatever. But I guess… I want to believe people want to change and amend for their mistakes 🥺 If their father knew of their new chosen name (because he told Lucanis before dying), I’m assuming he did research / tried to find Drayden and successfully tracked them down but didn’t make himself known to pressure them into coming back, which makes his supposed regret more believable to me (unlike for example Dorian’s father in The Last Resort of Good Men). Idk maybe I’m overthinking it

BIG DOG. This is how a mabari in The Veilguard can still happen–

They got Drayden an actual whole war hound after they got attacked? 🥺

(takes out my whiteboard labeled “men and women are equal in Thedas” to write down: “Episodes since a character was misogynistic: 0”) 

The episode title lied to us?! I was waiting for when the captain attempted to stab Lillemar only for her to pull a Frodo Baggins with his mithril shirt and instead DRAYDEN GETS STABBED?

What if… Drayden dies but due to their connection to the Fade, Emmrich binds their spirit in the next episode… 👁️👁️

[p-receh]

Analysis time! :D

What better way to make another thesis for certain parts of the last episode?

This post, I'll be talking about how strong the Power Spheres could take over its owner's mind.

As I ever mentioned it before. Even though comic book already covered the story of season 2. Again, we still need to look at the TV ver. Because whatever happens, TV shows is still the roots of Boboiboy's franchise. Whether you like it or not.

We good? Now shall we begin?

Re edit for grammar correction

See, of all every Power Spheres that had been introduced, only Kokotaim gang were not yet been "confirmed" what was their Power Spheres look like. Sure, the only elemental bot that had been shown were Hang Kasa's Crystal Bot and Retak'ka's Light Bot, but that's it.

Monsta already established two rules about the Power Sphere:

Every Power Spheres have their mind and soul. They could talk, think and feel like a living being.

Whatever happens, their contact with their first owner emended to their traits and it impacted to their next owner as well.

My first suspicion obviously came from what Gopal had said before in one of anon ask box about the first debut of Taufan and Hali in OG series.

"In the past, Boboiboy Lightning turn into Thunderstorm because he felt extremely angry. Boboiboy Wind turn into Cyclone also because of felling an absolute joy."

Another interesting aspect is from Mechamato movie. Specifically when Amato in Mecha suit mode was being locked to a flashback scene triggered by Mecha Bot uncontrollable sense of fear.

(excuse me for putting the Indonesian sub ver. :/

*translation note in order:

"Mechabot, Shoot!"

"Mechabot! What's wrong?"

"C'mon Mechabot!

From this point, I think you can guess what I would want to go from here.

As the tweet mentioned. It is interesting to note the similarities between the two. Whenever the Power Spheres' soul take over the owner's body more deeper, their eyes will glow and the scars spreads to their skin.

And by that logic, the Power Spheres consume much more energy than before. Thus the heavy drained out both mentally and physically from their owners.

Amato knew this and to fix the same issue, he convinced Mecha Bot during their final battle against General Grakakus in the same movie.

"Mechabot, close your eyes! I will be the one to handle our moves! Trust me!"

It goes back to one of my ted talks about this topic and a highlight some particular line from Kuputeri.

One of my favorite Boboiboy account also solidified his statement again about Oboi's being controlled by Power Sphere or in this case, elemental forms.

In my opinion what Oboi went through was somehow worse than any other Power Sphere wielder out there.

Not only he wields seven strongest powers in the galaxy but also might be the most unconstrained one to control them. Then again he still not reach his age of consent, but he already hold big responsibility to become the hero and most wanted target in the galaxy.

Think about it, even their original owners were a bit struggled to learn their power. Hang Kasa travel planets to planet only for learning his power with other elemental masters, Kuputeri needs to harness for at least hundreds years until she could tame Beliung/Tempest's, A small crack Ki'rana's body armor could made her went berserk due to the immense power of the Lightning bot.

In common sense, every wielder still has their Power Spheres as their own companion while Oboi hasn't. What Boboiboy only has to contain that grandiose powers? a watch. A watch that went three times modification simply because of the powers that was too strong to keep and use all at once. Not to mention how frequent Oboi uses split and now with fusion techniques is also add to the list.

He barely managed to ease his mind when transform to Beliung, Ice and Blaze worsen Baraju's conflicts with their near 3rd tier transformation, and he was lucky to be saved by 30 minutes Oakuat Juice so he could keep Rimba under his watch.

Now that we come so far, the questions still remains missing:

With how bad the elementals took over Oboi, will it possible they are gonna be the next villain for him in the future?

Does Amato knows about Boboiboy's Elementals powers? Does he also know Ochobot past before sending it to him?

Did the rest of elementals Power Spheres already destroyed after the first Retak'ka's raid or not?

I guess maybe Mechamato series might be the answer of Ochobot and all elementals Power Spheres in the past. Again we still have no clue what happened to him during the season 2 events.

And also this line up post before Monsta split the title for Dwifusion to "Gentar" and "Baraju"—

—announced the third season of Galaxy series after BM3 Gur'latan(quite close too after the movie you know?) . My only hope is that it cover the elenmentals and also other origins of Yaya, Ying, Gopal, and Fang Power Sphere.

Where were they came from? Were their Power Spheres also get destroyed like all elementals did? Are their owners still alive or not?

🤔

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.

.

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OOT but I just love Monsta's new thumbnail art for full ep marathon of Windara. 😎👍

[vraisetzen]

https://www.tumblr.com/vraisetzen/760495338592272384/httpswwwtumblrcomvraisetzen75994414665714892?source=share

Oh, your answers to these questions are absolutely brilliant. I reread them earlier today.

I adore the way in which you crafted this world and the ease with which you navigate this world.

Firstly, you are so fantastic at characterising every single character in your stories. Even Hinatsuru, Makio and Suma feel fleshed out.

Secondly, I adore the little details that you put into this story. Michikatsu creating a wooden horse for the little boy? How adorable. The little boy wanting to steal the snacks? I’ve observed this behaviour one too many times in my nephew. Clinging to Sanemi like a bear cub? That made me giggle! 😁

Thirdly, your… attention to the historical period is really impressive. Personally, I found your exploration of how Michikatsu’s an old soul in the modern world to be utterly fascinating. Of course he’d feel that way! And Michikatsu disappearing in his study or the forest makes sense! I can’t even imagine the level of alienation he must feel — feeling it on two fronts, first by being human once again, and secondly by being displaced centuries forward.

The idea of Michikatsu working in a bookshop is adorable. Do you imagine he’d also just… read during his working hours when no one visited to learn more about the modern world? He’s also… such an impressive man visually, so imagine if he’d attract a gaggle of people visiting this bookshop just to ogle at the superhumanly attractive giant of a man?? 🤭

The interaction with Tanjiro is super interesting and I think it’s hilarious how Tengen let slip the location of Reader’s residence so many times. Would Reader then end up meeting with Tanjiro alone? Without Michikatsu?

And Sanemi’s wedding!!! I actually really, really enjoyed reading that extract! I LOVE the way you wrote it. I think you chose some really cool descriptions to describe the affair!

And the interaction at the end between Reader and Sanemi… my breath hitched in anticipation! And to have it end on that note, with Sanemi saying this remark… I thought it was brilliant. And you know what? As I read it, I thought… you know what? Sanemi would say that. (Also the detail of Reader resembling Shinobu and Sanemi clocking that was fascinating. I wonder what Reader’s relationship with the rest of the butterfly girls was/is like.)

(Also, since Michikatsu takes care of Amato during the wedding… do you think he gets on well with children? Or rather, that he enjoys their company?)

Can I also give a special shout-out to your writing in general? I think you’re currently my favourite writer on Tumblr. I really enjoy reading your writing style. You use some of the most mature, thought-stimulating imagery in the most effective of ways. I love that plotting seems to come easy to you. I love how your writing reflects how observant you are about the world. I love how you’re able clearly and distinguishably grant each character their own special essence, making all of them feel distinct and different.

Whenever I read your continuations of ‘Notte Stellata’, I always get super excited. I think it may be one of the most memorable fan fictions I’ve ever read? I read it weeks ago and I keep on thinking about it. You’re actually the only reason why I check Tumblr in the first place — I don’t have any reason to be on here otherwise.

Thank you for writing these brilliant extracts and for indulging us in making us learn more about the wonderful world of this story.

Oh gosh, Anon — you're far too kind and thoughtful with your responses too! (And I apologise for getting to your Ask this late; each of your questions were too good for me to give a simple reply!)

First of all, I'm glad that you liked the excerpt! I certainly did enjoy imagining the various scenarios and what exactly Michikatsu would do in this strange new world; as I mentioned in a different Ask, I did wonder if he would be a kendo instructor, or perhaps a craftsman, but somehow, a librarian/bookstore assistant felt the most true to my interpretation of Kokushibo.

I would imaging the bookstore owner, Tanaka-san as being quite kindly and lenient to his new assistant; Kokushibo could lose himself for hours in a book, especially if it is one he has not read. While Western books began to be imported into Japan during the Kyoho era of Tokugawa Yoshimune's reign, he did not have the time to fully appreciate them then, being so occupied with refining his swordsmanship. Now, he, as a human, he finds himself occasionally distracted by the occasional foreign title: The Sorrows of Young Werther, Cartesian metaphysics, and even a sprinkle of fables and fairytales. He is intrigued by the foreign language and distant environs, and their morals which seem at once familiar yet alien; occasionally, Tanaka-san allows him to bring them home, and the Reader would find him in their sitting room, seated by the candelight, with his book propped on the reading stand and a cup of tea beside him.

It is an endearing sight to behold; his grand stature towering over the stand which seems almost miniature in comparison. He does not even notice the Reader coming into the room, and settling down beside him to steal a glance at what has him so engrossed.

"It's getting late," you remarked, leaning your head on his shoulder. Michikatsu keeps his eyes on the page as he extended an arm around your waist, tugging you flushed against his side.

"Just one more chapter," he murmured, turning the page. He does not notice you gazing up at him, taking in his profile and the way his lashes cast a slanted shadow across his cheek. In the candle's glow, he looked serene and contemplative, his expression a touch softer than when he was seated before a Go board.

His appearance at the bookstore, of course, draws many curious eyes, who at first believed Michikatsu to be a bodyguard hired to ward off shoplifters. While he did not speak much, leaving the socialising and idle chatter to Tanaka-san, it was difficult for one to ignore his presence.

The children, in particular, seemed taken by his appearance; at first, they were intimidated by Michikatsu's height and quiet nature, preferring to spy on him while he went about his tasks. And for most part, he was fine with them looking at him; in his past he had been a father after all, and he did not think it strange to help them if needed.

"You go first." Michikatsu heard a hushed whisper while he unpacked a stack of old books for the rental section.

"No, you go first!" another voice argued. "You lost the bet, remember?"

"Yeah, go for it, Gen!" egged another.

Michikatsu pretended to be absorbed in his work even as he spied one of the children — Gen, no doubt — emerging from their corner. The little boy swallowed thickly as he shuffled forward, bumping his index fingers together as he asked:

"Uh... mister," he started, looking at Michikatsu. Flicking his eyes downward, he saw Gen take a step back as if in alarm, but the young boy persisted, jutting a chubby finger at the tail of his long hair, where silky black gave way to tips of scarlet "Is, uh, your hair — is it real?"

Michikatsu placed the books down, before nodding: "Yes, it is."

"He speaks!" one of the remaining two would exclaim, before running out of the store in a gaggles of giggles. Gen cried in alarm as he was left behind, the lollipop in his hand nearly falling out of his grasp while he chased his friends down the corner.

Looking with amusement at their small, disappearing backs as they hot-footed down the streets, Michikatsu wondered — with a small, pensive smile — when the time would come for him to look on at his children with you.

This was only one such encounter Michikatsu had at the bookstore — one he did not mind, especially when compared to the other: the older ladies who also heard about a young man working for Tanaka-san, and gained a sudden interest in the works of Murasaki Shikibu and Ono no Komachi.

"My, aren't you a tall one!" they marvelled.

Most of the time, Michikatsu was more than happy to help the older ladies with their romance novels and poems on the top shelf — the townsfolk, it seemed, were endlessly enamoured of his height. And if they had any questions about his scars, and curiously sharp canines, they made no comment, preferring to steer the conversation quickly to other more pressing topics:

"Are you married, young man? I happen to know a charming young lady who would make a very lovely wife for you," they asked.

Michikatsu arched a single, sardonic brow, but kept his eyes firmly on the books as he arranged all six volumes of the Kojidan. "Yes."

"Oh, and what does she do for a living?" they pressed. "Or does she tend to the household?"

Nothing of your concern, was the reply that came most naturally to him. Instead, he offered: "She paints. Occasionally."

"Ah, an artist," they said, a note of derision masked behind a thin veneer of courtesy.

In a different time, Michikatsu would have been unaffected by their tone, but at the moment a spark of irritation flared in his chest, and he was compelled to add:

"Yes, and a rather splendid one."

It is at this point that the doors to the bookstore open with the faint twinkle of chimes, and you, carrying a roll of kimono and a box wrapped in a furoshiki of green and black checks, floated in, looking a little windswept and out of breath.

"Tanaka-san," you greeted, settling the box down on his counter. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Of course not!" the old man said, peering over his newspaper to search for Kokushibo. "He should be down the third aisle."

You nodded with a polite grin, ready to set off, but Michikatsu surprised you by emerging first. He wore a cryptic expression as he paced towards you in long strides, before suddenly picking up your hand.

"My dearest," he said by way of greeting, kissing each of your knuckles with a firm press of his warm lips. Your eyes are as wide as saucers as you blinked in confusion at the very sudden, very public show of affection; Michikatsu was a generous lover, yes — but only in private where only you knew the depth of his passions.

"D-danna-sama?" you stuttered, a little lost for words as Tanaka-san chuckled behind his papers. Had he been reading too many of those Western novels? Sordid tales from the likes of Moll Flanders and Don Juan?

Then, you spied a small shape emerging from the aisle — a middle-aged lady dressed in Western clothes, who seemed rather annoyed with Michikatsu. Glancing up at your husband, you enquired with your eyes as to what happened, but he only smiled, and remained silent.

"And what is that?" Michikatsu asked, casting his eyes toward the box.

"Oh," you said, and elaborated no further.

Because, by another strange twist of fate, the Reader had bumped into Kamado Tanjiro whilst collecting Michikatsu's new clothes from the kimono store.

After sending her reply to Tanjiro, the Reader had casted aside her worries about visiting the young man as she fretted over other important matters: making pickles for the winter, registering Michikatsu's name at the city hall — a small part of her, perhaps, wondered if Tanjiro had dropped the matter as she did not receive further correspondence from the young man.

What she did not expect, however, was someone calling her name the moment she emerged from the kimono store with Michikatsu's new clothes bundled in her arms.

Turning around, you came face to face with Kamado Tanjiro, who waved his wasted, shrunken arm with enthusiasm as he bounded towards you. The alarm bells clanging in your head drowned out his greeting while you eyes darted around the vicinity for any place to which you could excuse herself — the bank, perhaps? Or the apothecary?

You were ashamed of yourself for avoiding Tanjiro like this, truly — but the young man, who now stood before you, breathless as he puffed small clouds of fog, was as jovial as ever. He asked: "It's so nice to meetyou here! I was just wondering if I should visit your place some time this week?"

"You were?" you asked, instead of returning his greeting. Your knuckles were white as you tightened your grip on Michikatsu's clothes, but you stretched your lips in a tight, polite grin nonetheless.

Tanjiro nodded, and scratched the scar on his forehead absent-mindedly. "But I suppose that would be a little rude of me, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, well..." you said, unsure of what to say even if you did agree with him. Tanjiro spied the fabrics you were carrying — the dark colours, the masculine, geometric designs. There was little mystery as to who these clothes were meant for; it was common knowledge that you were orphaned and had been living alone until your "illness", as Lady Amane had so kindly told them. You gulped as he looked up at you.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Tanjiro began, as you waited with bated breath for his next sentence. "But I'm just glad that you're doing well, especially since we heard so little about what happened to you before-"

Just then, a young woman, petite and dainty, bounded to Tanjiro's side. With a start, you realised that it was Tsuyuri Kanao — she was dressed in a pink kimono embroidered with small white flowers, with a matching kanzashi that tinkered as she looked lovingly at Tanjiro. Uzui had spoken of an engagement between the two, but it had been so long since you had seen her that the couple still came as a surprised to you.

The stiff smile in your cheeks gave way to something more natural, and you found yourself saying: "Kanao-chan — I hope all is well with you?"

"Senpai," Kanao answered, and you were surprised to hear her soft but strong voice, for she has never spoken to you at the Butterfly Mansion. "It's wonderful seeing you again."

"Kanao-chan and I will be getting married next fall," Tanjiro explained. "It would be great if you could come. It's not special, of course, and it would be held at the Butterfly Mansion with the others-"

"Kiyo, Naho, and Sumi would all be delighted to see you too," Kanao finished. "After all the lessons you gave them on drawing and watercolours. I think they would be pleased to show you their progress."

"Though, of course, if you're busy..." Tanjiro added, waving his bony hand in the direction of Michikatsu's clothes. At their warm words, you felt your grip loosened as well as you straightened yourself, and shook your head.

"No, I'll be there," you promised, looking at each of their young faces, and feeling a clench in your chest as you meet Kanao's clouded eyes and Tanjiro's sightless one on his right. After all that did Shinobu did for you, this was the only thing you could — should — do, for the both of them in return. "With my husband."

And perhaps Tanjiro might known it all along, and was only waiting for you reveal — as he had always been a considerate soul — there was a knowing gleam in his eye as he matched his smile with yours, and nodded.

Then, suddenly and rather flustered, he asked if Kanao had something they could give you; and despite your best efforts to reject their gift, Tanjiro pushed a small heavy box into your hand, claiming that it was nothing much, but that he wished you would enjoy this small gesture.

At present, Michikatsu surveyed the bento, unknotting the cloth and lifting the lid. You watched his expression closely as he gazed at its contents, taking a small sniff.

"Tara-no-me," he observed, closing the box with a small grimace. "They're rare around this time of the year."

"You can still find them in the mountains if you know where to look," shared Tanaka-san from behind his papers. "It's rather green and bitter, but very delicious if prepared well."

Michikatsu frowned as he tied the cloth around the pot. Then, ever so slightly, he pushed the box in your direction, letting you know that he would not be eating it.

"Sounds wonderful to me," you remarked, hoisting the box back in your arms.

I hope this answers your question, Anon! Sorry if it was a little bit of a hodgepodge, but I couldn't resist writing a little scene that mashed everything together instead of it being small separate parts~ Your questions were truly thoughtful and I'm so glad that you took the time to consider my writing! I'm always happy to write more for Koku and the Reader ☺️

xoxo, V ♥️

[aroacebaker]

'tis the day of the valentine's, the day of hearts, roses, and romance but is it a day for everyone to go to the cinema with their lover, or on a walk in the sunset?

Not necessarily. Being aroace, seeing how much romance and sex is put on a very high pedestal is annoying to say the least. Seeing how romantic love is the only is the only important kind. Platonic love not being mentioned at all.

Not only is seeing amato - and allonormativity annoying, but the way it's capitalised and in your face (I'm looking at you white and pink balloons) is a new level.

Having very few, and not very close irl friends, deprives of the possibility to do something platonic, making the things I mentioned stick out, and sting even more.

Besides that, love should be shown all through the year, there's no need in my opinion for a special day, especially not such an advertised one.

So, what's an aro's perspective on valentine's? It's overplayed, over advertised, over capitalised, is there any harm with it? Not really, but have it be equal between romantic and platonic love, don't shove it in people's faces.

[thecreelhouse]

try again tomorrow

Steve Harrington x fem!OC (Francesca “Frankie” Amato)

Heads up!— This is part of the Accident Prone AU, and takes place after the series! This could contain allusions to and outright spoilers if you haven’t read the series yet!

Accident Prone masterlist

Includes: hurt/comfort, some angst, mentions of medical treatments and internalized ableism, references to Steve’s PTSD, but the rest is all fluff, coziness, and wholesome Halloween fun 👻

WC: 3.1k

A/N: hi! I’ve been planning on writing some blurbs/ficlets/whatever for AP since the series ended, so here’s the first of hopefully quite a few planned! I’ll create a masterlist when I can and add the link later. This one’s more Frankie-centric, but I hope whoever reads this enjoys it! I’m a few hours late, but it’s always Halloween in my heart. I hope y’all had a fun and spooky Halloween!🖤 also shoutout to @strangergraphics for the cute dividers!!

Halloween used to be a rough time of year for Steve; the heavy heartache Nancy left behind definitely had put a damper on the holiday for a few years. If it wasn’t that, it was certainly the trauma of fighting off demodogs, the tunnels, and stressing to keep the little shitheads (who aren’t so little anymore) safe.

Eventually, it became a time of year he could reclaim. At least it’s one holiday he doesn’t have to hunker down in anticipation of one panic attack rolling into another.

Steve’s starting to actually like Halloween, now that he’s got the first one together with Frankie to look forward to. While it’s not her favorite holiday— she’s a sucker for Christmas, as much as working retail during the winter holiday season sucks— it still brings her joy, and Steve loves seeing her happy.

With treatment leaving Frankie weaker than usual, she’s had to break out her wheelchair again. There’s no shame in it, as there shouldn’t ever be; she’s always been an unapologetic advocate for using medical aids when necessary. A mobility aid doesn’t ruin costume ideas, but sometimes it requires a little more creativity than the average non-disabled person has to put in.

That’s not an issue, either, not with Frankie— but her chronic fatigue begs to differ.

Steve softly opens the door to her apartment, in case she’s resting; upon walking into the living space, he finds her curled up on the couch, drowsy and bundled up in layers. A book slips from her hands as she dozes off, but the spine hitting the floor wakes her up.

“Whoa, hey— “ She slurs, squinting into the dim room. “Wha’happened? Who did that?”

Steve throws a closed fist up to his mouth, trying to muffle a laugh, but catches her attention anyway.

“Stevie?”

“Just me, ‘Key.” He wanders over to the couch, crouching next to her on the floor. She instantly smiles as he cradles her face with his hand; it’s laced with a fragile kind of exhaustion, but it’s a smile, nonetheless. “Still feeling bad from infusions?”

Frankie nods, nuzzling her head into the pillow underneath her. 

“M’really nauseous, and my head hurts, and— yeah, y’know, all that stuff.” Her voice is hoarse. “Can we cuddle?”

“‘F’course we can. Did you eat at all today?”

She shakes her head.

“Water?”

She sucks her lips in before reluctantly answering, “… No.”

“You need that, at least.” He heads for the kitchen while she grumbles, knowing he’s right. When he returns, he sits on the edge of the couch and hands her a water bottle, with one of those straw/sip tips— easier to use and hold than a glass with hand tremors, something they’ve already learned the hard way. “If I make soup, will you at least try to eat some?”

Frankie groans, but agrees, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll try.”

Steve smiles at her, pushing himself off the couch. He tries hiding the way he winces from his own ache, thinking Frankie’s too fatigued to notice.

She’s not.

“What’s all that stuff on the floor?” Steve points over Frankie, still spooning her on the couch. A pile of craft supplies and flattened cardboard boxes lay abandoned on the floor feet away.

She sighs, “I wanted to make panels to attach to my wheelchair, make ‘em look like a tank, for my Tank Girl costume.” She sticks her thumb out, nosediving it towards the floor while blowing a raspberry. “That bombed— no pun intended.”

“You’ve still got a few days, and I can help you,” Steve kisses the back of her head. “We’ll figure it out, no sweat.”

“I dunno… I’m second guessing it now.”

“What? Why?” He asks in shock, sitting up to see her face. “You’ve been talking about this for months.”

“I know, I know, but it’s — ugh— maybe we shouldn’t do the party— or, well, maybe I shouldn’t. You guys should have fun, at least.”

Steve frowns. “‘Key, where’s this coming from?”

“I don’t want to ruin the fun for everyone else.”

“Because of this flare up?”

“Well… yeah. Can’t imagine you guys would have fun with me around right now.”

Frankie had been isolating herself the last few weeks, still allowing her friends to come over,  just not very often. She always wanted to be alone, even had urges to push Steve away while she started treatment again. 

And Steve gets it. He really empathizes with her; though it feels good to have caring friends, who love you no matter what you’re going through, it’s hard to convince yourself you’re not dragging them down. You get used to society warping your mind to believe you’re a drag, that it becomes another branch of internalized ableism.

Though he respects when Frankie needs space, he’s also been able to read her well enough now to understand if she actually needs space, or is just saying it to hide away.

This time is definitely the latter.

“If you’re in too much pain to do anything that day, it’s obviously more than alright to stay home.” He starts off with in a gentle tone. “But until then, we’re gonna plan on having the party. You’ll be with people who are safe to be yourself with, I’ll be there, and the moment you tell me you need out, I’ll leave with you.”

“Steve…”

“Frankie, you’ve got every right to be comfortable when you’re in pain, but you’ve been disappearing on all of us. We just… everyone understands, and no one wants to push you past your limits, but it’s not healthy hiding inside like this all the time. You won’t even let me care for you these days, and I— I know you’re independent, and I never want to coddle you, but I—“ Steve huffs, frustrated with the way he rambles up to his main point. “I love you so much.”

Frankie doesn’t respond, and Steve worries he overstepped.

“And I— I’m sorry, it’s not about me, or our friends, or anyone’s feelings above your own, ‘cause right now you deserve to rest as much as you need—“

“Steve—“

“But you also deserve to be loved, to feel loved, and we don’t want you going through this alone, ‘cause you’re not alone, and I’ll remind you all the time, be so fuckin’ annoying about it—“

Frankie rolls over to face him, wincing as she does from how sore and heavy her limbs feel. “Steve,” She rasps, still with that gentle demeanor whenever she stops him from overthinking too far. “It’s just… very surreal still to believe people care about me despite being sick. After every left 5 years ago, I’ve always been bracing myself for everyone to leave. It’s been hard to remind myself and believe you mean it when you say you’re not going anywhere. That’s not your fault, just my dumb insecurities. I’m sorry.”

Wrapping her in his embrace, Steve holds her gingerly, but close. He kisses the top of her head, still prickly, from regularly keeping it buzzed down.

“Your insecurities aren’t dumb, they exist because of dumb assholes you had to deal with. Don’t apologize for that. Fuck them. Real friends stay with you through the good and the bad.”

She nods, eased by the reassurance, yet something still worries her. “You’ve been pushing through a flare up to help me, though. You shouldn’t hide your pain from me to put my needs before your own.”

Stunned, Steve leans back to glance down at Frankie. “How’d you know? In my defense, m- mine’s nowhere near as bad as yours—“

“No comparing pain, remember?” A rule they agreed on long ago, just as friends. “And really? That first migraine you had around me, I had a feeling we’d have to call 911 when you couldn’t finish a sentence. Sick folks get each other. You’ve seen right through me when I try to hide shit, too.”

Ah, shit. She’s right.

“It’s okay, really.” And it is; if anything, caring for Frankie has kept him moving when his mind fights and tries convincing him to stay in bed. He needs rest, too, but at least the movement stretches some sore muscles out. He shouldn’t push himself, though. “Hey, what if I work on the panels for your chair? Help you out a bit? You can just tell me what to do—“

“No,” Her arms gently squeeze around him. “You’re resting with me. We can try again tomorrow, but right now, I know you need a break, and that’s non-negotiable.”

Steve wants to argue, for her sake, not his, but there’s a bittersweet pang in his chest seeing the worried expression on Frankie’s face. 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” He rests a hand on the side of her neck, while part of his palm and a few fingers reach up over her jaw. He caresses her cheek with his thumb, kissing her softly. It’s gentle, sweet, and short-lived, but they both know intimacy is more than average touches between partners. “Thank you for always looking out for me, ‘Key.”

The worry fades from her expression. “Likewise, Stevie.”

The shop is dripping in Halloween decor, all thanks to Robin, Eddie, and Dustin’s hard work. Frankie gushes over the spooky transformation as they step through the door.

“Guys, this looks amazing!” It’s the first, huge smile Steve’s seen on his girlfriend’s face in a long, long time. She’s like a kid in a candy store, easily amused and impressed. Her excitement attracts the trio’s attention, and they beam at the sight of the couple.

“Oh hellllllll yeah!” Eddie fist pumps the air when Frankie and Steve arrive to the record shop. “I knew you’d go as Tank Girl!”

He’s decked out head to toe in a Dr. Frank-N-Furter costume, fishnets and all. 

Frankie rolls over to her friends, Steve not far behind. It’s a little harder to maneuver the wheelchair with the added costume, so Steve— after asking for permission, of course— helps from the handles every so often if she needs.

“Dude, that’s such a cool idea with your chair.” Robin admires the finished “tank” Frankie and Steve built over Frankie’s wheelchair.

 Frankie beams, pointing up to Steve, who’s dressed in a last minute Beetlejuice costume. “Steve did most of the work, gotta give credit where it’s due.” It’s hard to see his blush under all of the white makeup covering his face.

“Yeah? Nice job, dingus.” Robin commends him. She’s wearing moth wings and antennae, and Steve’s squinting at her— he left his glasses at home, for the sake of the costume, despite Frankie telling him that didn’t matter, but his eyesight does— “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“What the hell are you supposed to be?”

“A moth!” She scoffs, hands on her hips. Steve mirrors her pose.

“Why?”

The doorbell chimes as Vickie enters, grinning at Robin while dressed as a lamp.

“Oh. Ohhhhhhh, yeah okay, I get it now.” Steve and Frankie laugh at their clever matching costumes. 

In time, the Party eventually shows up, with Hopper and Joyce— donning Popeye and Olive Oyl costumes— in tow; they’re both excited to finally visit the four who lived in the city, and meet Frankie, too. They’re both so kind to her, even Hopper, with his gruff exterior, he’s only a giant teddy bear underneath, and everyone knows it. 

Frankie taps on Steve’s arm, beckoning him closer to whisper in his ear, “You weren’t kidding, he kinda does look and talk like my dad.” The two snicker to themselves, with Steve, out of habit, kissing Frankie’s head; he kind of forgets about the helmet she’s wearing, though, but it just brings them more giggles.

 Frankie’s dad even attends, which is weird for Steve, always seeing him in his usual doctor attire for his appointments— tonight, though, he’s dressed as a… patient. Clever, Frankie sarcastically thinks.

The whole Party watches on as Hopper and Frankie’s father meet; it’s as if they’re staring in a mirror as they gawk at one another, mimicking mannerisms unintentionally.

“Oh, this is so weird.” Steve murmurs into Frankie’s ear. “I don’t like it.”

“You think they were long lost twins, or something?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

Among the planned crowd, some customers and kind strangers filter in and out, some adults, some parents and their kids. Frankie and the gang made sure to have tons of candy on hand; worst scenario would be having leftover candy if no one showed up— that’s not so bad.

All kinds of kids in different costumes arrived— typical vampires, princesses, and dinosaurs, and unique ones, too— and that made Frankie even happier that the record shop could be a trick-or-treat stop in the neighborhood. They even had coupons for teens and adults. Everyone that visited got some kind of treat.

Halfway through the night, a young boy and his mom arrive among the friendly chaos. Frankie feels her heart burst wide open at the sight of the kid’s costume; a race car driver, with a “car” made of cardboard, shaped around his own wheelchair. He shyly glances around the room, eyes doing a double take when he finds Frankie in her own costume.

He tugs on his mom’s sleeve before rolling himself over to Frankie, grin wide and shyness left behind as he mimics race car noises.

“Vroom-vroom-vroom!”

“You just might be the fastest race car driver in the world,” Frankie grins, holding her hand out for a high five, one he happily returns. “What’s your name, kiddo? I’m Frankie.”

“Ian!” He ogles over her handmade tank. “So cool….”

“Your car is very cool, too! Did you make it?”

The car’s base design was clearly mapped out by an adult, but he added his own flare through scribbles of endless colors all across the design.

“Mhm! Mommy helped, too.” He stares in awe at her entire costume, then back at her face, as if he’s meeting someone like himself for the first time. “Did your mommy help with yours, too?”

Frankie’s smile almost falters, but she catches herself in time; the innocent question makes her heart ache, wondering what it would’ve been like on Halloween with her mom still alive. She quickly shakes it off, reminding herself her dad has always supported her, especially in all of her silly Halloween costume ideas growing up. 

“No,” She shakes her head, but nods her head over to Steve across the room. “My boyfriend helped, though.”

“Beetlejuice?”

Frankie snorts, “Yes, Beetlejuice.”

“Spooky…” He grins, glancing back at Frankie. “You’re like me?” He points to her wheelchair, and she nods.

“I think we might have the best costumes here, Ian.” His mother makes her way to the two of them, thrilled over the smile on her son’s face. “Hey, your racing flag matches the floor,” she points down to the checkered black and white tiles, and again, he beams with a nod.

“Mommy, look,” Ian grabs her sleeve again, pointing at Frankie’s get-up. “We’re the same!” 

His eyes fall to the port implant peeking out from under Frankie’s vest, near her collarbone. It had to be replaced in the original spot years prior, so her needle and thread tattoo woven into her scar was ruined during the procedure. It’s something that hit Frankie harder than expected, to lose what she naively believed to be a reward of victory, finishing treatment and surviving. 

“I got one too,” Ian tugs at his shirt, with his mother gently reminding him, “careful, careful, baby”; he reveals a port implant of his own, similar placement to Frankie’s. “We match!”

Frankie’s throat tightens and aches, ready to cry; she wishes she had a silver lining outlook the way this child does. Before she can respond, Ian adds, “S’like we’re robots!”

It makes Frankie giggle, genuinely; the urge to cry fades away. “Robots? Why’s that?”

“‘Cause normal people don’t have extra parts like that.” He shrugs, casually explaining. “We’re too cool to be normal.”

“Cool’s your favorite word, huh?”

“Last week, it was ‘sick’,” His mother adds, shaking her head but with a hint of a smile.

“Hey, that’s one of my favorite words!” She glances back at Ian, “Do you go to the hospital often? ‘Cause I’m there twice a week, if you ever needed a robot buddy.”

Ian’s little cherub face lights up, “Uh-huh! We’re friends now?”

“Lil’ dude, we’ve been friends since the moment you zoomed on in through that door.”

While Frankie and Ian’s mom chat, exchanging info on treatment times to meet up in the near future, Steve glances over every so often to admire the long lasting smile on Frankie’s face. It’s the first time in months he’s seen her genuinely happy, longer than a few minutes at a time.

Even if it’s just for the night, Steve knows this party will give her plenty of memorable moments to look back fondly on.

Every so often, her eyes dart to him, blushing like the first time they began to really dance around their feelings; the butterflies and cheek-aching grins haven’t settled since they started dating, and he’s certain they never will.

That’s a chronic pain he’ll graciously accept.

Though Steve and Frankie insist on helping everyone clean up, Robin and Eddie corral the kids up, convincing them into some teamwork cleaning. Frankie figures it’s easier to get home without the tank, so Steve helps her dismantle it from her wheelchair, leaving it behind to worry about another day.

Frankie surprises herself, asking for plans for the first time in months. “Would you guys wanna do a horror movie marathon at my place? The kids, too.”

Dustin nods eagerly, “Hell yeah! We’ll get a ton of sale candy to bring over!”

“That’s right, I forgot tomorrow’s the post-Halloween candy sale holiday.” Robin adds, but Eddie scoffs.

“Robs, that’s a fuckin’ mouthful. I’m not calling it that.”

“Call it whatever the hell you want, I don’t care, dude.”

“Why does everything have to be a debate with you two?” Dustin groans, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, yep, we’re leaving,” Steve rushes to the door, holding it open for Frankie. They holler goodbyes to one another as the couple leave the shop. “Jesus, those two are something else.”

The two continue on in a comfortable silence, the city’s routine sounds mingling with Halloween parties carrying on, conversations and music spilling from apartment windows and crowded bars. 

“Hey, Steve?” Frankie rolls to a stop, where Steve pauses with her. “Thanks for encouraging me to still come tonight. It went better than expected.”

“No need thanking me, I’m just happy you had a good time, ‘Key.” He softly smiles. “I think you made that kid’s Halloween even more special.”

“He made mine special, too. Now I got a new robot buddy.”

“A what?”

Frankie rolls away from him, laughing heartily.

“It’s a cool kid thing, Steve. You just wouldn’t get it.”

Steve lets her continue ahead for a moment, basking in her usual, contagious happiness. 

Guess Halloween ain’t so bad anymore.

[screwzara]

Ok What If....

Amato and his wife just weren't there after bbb was born like they went missing/died or some shit and mechabot got left behind or something?

I imagine the robots in Kota Hilir would be worried about bbb constantly(like c'mon it's clear the robots care a lot about this kid) and mechabot would probably get really protective. Idk if mechabot would stay in Kota Hilir with the other robots or go with bbb(probably the latter becuz, trauma and another thing that i don't have the word for rn, the bot basically lost it's master again in both cases i mentioned. The least it can do is protect its master's/..friend's offspring spawn child)

Oh, and bbb meeting Ochobot for the first time will go so differently if mechabot actually stayed with bbb at Rintis island not only because this would be a chance encounter through and through but mechabot would probably not let Ochobot stay with bbb unless Ochobot did something that proved there was no danger for bbb(it be protective) plus the fact that a power sphere *cough* the destruction power sphere mechabot *cough* is present would be enough to make a big statement about this family in particular(not that helpful in mechabot's hypothetical mission to protect bbb at all costs so)

Also technically speaking, if we go down the missing route the mechanizer never came back to mechabot since technically(I'm guessing here) Amato didn't die like mechabot's previous master so it is kinda safe ig from being forced to harm others(unless they have a different device that allows that)

Going down the death path, however would imply that bbb and his friends would have to deal with the looming threat of someone trying to take mechabot and becoming it's new master which Tok Aba already knows will lead to a lot of problems if that person/alien happens to be bad(which is rather likely) and the risk of Ochobot getting stolen is there too

How would this change affect bbb?

I feel like I'm trying to make things more hectic and complicated for boboiboy, his family(Tok Aba only in the context of this post) and his friends :')

Tell me what u think would happen cuz this thought just struck me-

Edit: Next part to the post *screams internally cuz there is already a reblog for this post and i didn't add this link before*

[coollyinterferes]

//I hadn't been here since around the time the Jojo Musical came out and before they livestreamed it, so I don't know how people feels about it?? or if it is even known here or something??? HOWEVERRRR, I need to mention this now that both Tattoo and Kenpo Fighter (Speedwagon's Ogre Street friends that appear in the anime) got official names in the Musical!! And so, I'll be using their now official names for them, those names being:

Tattoo = Cronin Kenpo Fighter = Amato (yes, both of them have been confirmed to be REO Speedwagon references and to have been approved by Araki himself!)

I'll still be using and adapting them to the headcanon names I had given them originally here, I just need to work out the details first lol. But yeah, that's what will be happening there with the Ogre Street boys.

[vanillaxoshi]

Speaking of Amato’s wifi, ain’t it canon that his wifi sucks whenever he and Oboi are having online face time together??

There was a “Pic of the Day” post that mentioned that but I forgot which one that is and I’m not so sure if it is canon so take it when a bucket of salt

But for now in the Streamer AU, I’m choosing to believe that Amato got that NASA-grade wifi just to see his cute sons stream in 4K Ultra HD

Cuz I would too ngl also hell probs overheated multiple times whenever there is a TTM stream cuz Api and Angin are nawt a good combo in a kitchen setting especially if you include a very much flammable plant boyo

- Duri Stan Anon (Solar probably evacuates the entire house whenever these three are there or already got the fire brigade or Air on speed dial HAHAHHAH)

Nice to know Amato has bad wifi

But upgraded it just for this au

Angin tbh would be in his own world cooking thats hes not paying attention to whatever Api will do

Especially since hes deaf and Apis mute and Daun being blind is not gonna be great

So someone should def be on standby

[andreabaideas]

About my post, Sam Claflin and toxic fandom

Recently I posted about chemistry and Sam Claflin...

And some of people anonimally OFC asked me, attacking, to tell me why i didnt included this one (Shailene woodley and Holliday Grainger) why i didnt included the ex wife...😩😳 Like you know It was about on screen and interviews chemistry right?? As far as i know 1- they haven't worked together, 2 Its fictional chemistry you weirdos !!! and 3- they are divorced for like 4-5 years now??! 4- Fiction is not reality?? You are weird...

If It was about reality , I would have included Cassie Amato, the official girlfriend™ right now, to whom we Sam's girlies should be eternally thankfull, because she post a lot of good content about Sam (Ken Sam, Italy travel, tiktoks...etc) God bless her!!!! If he was my boyfriend I would post a lot about him too. She is real for that!

To the weirdos trolls..whatever you are...

I just posted my OPINION, if you dont like, then dont fucking read or comment It, I either didnt answer or directly blocked. I wont fight, I say it at the beggining of my blog: hate and trolling wont be anwered just blocked. Period.

I also received some very surprising nasty ones coming from CamiBilly fans attacking Riley, that I wont reproduce here, because, unlike them, as a catholic I've been raised to respect Dead people memories and not insult them (Read It the way you wanna to know the type of the insults against Riley and Riley's family) also saying that I cant like both DaisyBilly and CamiBilly also very nastily and so on...🙄 And I complained about X / Twitter hate , how naive i was!!! Anonimity here at Tumblr does wonders too (derogatory).

Just like what happened with Twilight, they'll make me choose sides just with their cunt energy, tbh (Team Jacob fans werent much better) no one in DaisyBilly side has been mean to me so far...CamiBilly has, and they are making me seriously starting to just ship DaisyBilly (for my mental health tbh) no one in that side of the fandom has come at me with all that shit...And they have been nice so far...For such a little fandom ship, I hoped you CamiBilly people would be far nicer, being the unfairly marginalized of DJATS fandom..I was wrong...

Except @jesstasticvoyage @svvy2003 @camiladnne @starsandmovies + the other normal CamiBilly shippers out there that I probably dont know...you all are Angels and i am (and Will be) thrilled to interact with you ! :) You didn't deserve the misadaptation of you ship, for real.

On a positive note and To answer @starsandmovies ask:

Tumblr doesn't let me answer your question the normal way, I dont know why, but It just doesn't let me...So i'm answering you via this mention! Hope you dont mind 😊😅 : i just included the romantic chemistry , not the (to me also sexual) frienship one, I am working on a chemistry with Sam part II with frienship / weird romantic / sexual chemistry included...That one Will exist mentioning both Jen and Jena, no worry!! 😊👋.

Bye!!

[beardedmrbean]

A transgender woman said she was disqualified from running for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives because she did not disclose her former name.

Vanessa Joy, 42, a real estate photographer, had hoped to run as a Democrat and represent Ohio House District 50. That hope came to a premature end when she failed to include her former name, or what’s sometimes referred to as a “deadname,” the name a trans person was given at birth and no longer uses after their gender transition.

Ohio law requires people running for political office who have changed their name within the last five years to include their former names on candidacy petitions. The law exempts people who have changed their name because of marriage, but it does not mention exemptions for trans people who have changed their names. Joy said she was unaware of the law until her disqualification.

“It’s a barrier to entry for many trans and gender-nonconforming people,” Joy told NBC News on Thursday. “Where I personally would have just bit the bullet and allowed my deadname to be on the petitions and likely on the ballot, for a lot of trans people, they don’t want their deadnames printed. It’s a safety concern for many.”

A spokesperson for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Melanie Amato, said her office was aware that a candidate was disqualified in Stark County — where Joy submitted her petition to run — and suggested the disqualification was warranted.

"The law applies to everyone," LaRose said in an email. "It is cynical and unfair to criticize the Stark County Board of Elections for their unanimous and bipartisan decision to follow Ohio law."

Joy's disqualification comes days after the state made national headlines over transgender issues.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, vetoed a GOP-backed bill last week that would have restricted both transition-related care for minors and transgender girls’ participation on school sports teams. Joy noted that her stepfather, Ohio state Rep. Bill Roemer, a Republican, voted for the legislation.

DeWine’s veto was criticized by some Republicans in the state and beyond, including former President Donald Trump.

“DeWine has fallen to the Radical Left,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. “No wonder he gets loudly booed in Ohio every time I introduce him at Rallies, but I won’t be introducing him any more. I’m finished with this ‘stiff.’ What was he thinking. The bill would have stopped child mutilation, and prevented men from playing in women’s sports. Legislature will hopefully overturn. Do it FAST!!!”

The veto is expected to be challenged by Ohio lawmakers in coming weeks.

Three other transgender candidates filed to run for the state Legislature last month, according to local outlet Cleveland.com. If any of these prospective candidates were to make it to the general election and win, they’d be the first trans state lawmaker in Ohio.  

Currently, there is only one trans elected official serving in the state — Dion Manley, a school board member in Gahanna, a Columbus suburb — according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, a political body that aims to elect LGBTQ to public office. There are 51 elected officials across the country who identify as trans women, trans men or trans nonbinary people, with eight serving in state legislatures and none serving at the federal level, according to the institute.

“I wanted to give millennials, Gen X and Gen Z the courage to get out and vote and to run for office themselves,” Joy said. “Because if they see a trans girl from very red Ohio running for public office, in a chamber full of people who despise me for my existence, they might have more courage to get out and vote and see that ‘maybe my vote will make a difference.’”

Joy said she filed a petition Thursday to contest her disqualification.

[achy-boo]

Alvaro Amato

(The Archiver: Ansel and Alvaro share the same link.)

1. Neka

Name: Alvaro Amato

Romaji: Amato Alvaro

Quote: “Why keep remembering the past where you can move on from it?”

V/A: Neuvillette from Genshin impact (both in Japanese and in English)

Gender: male

Sexuality: Closeted Omisexual

Age: 19

Birthday: January 10th

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Eye color: dark purple

Hair Color: black

Height: 6'7

Weight: 104lbs

Race:fallen angel(hidden)

Homeland:Unknown

Family: Ansel Amato

School Status and Fun Facts

Dorm: Scarabia

School Year: 2nd Year

Class: 2-C

Student Number: No.21

Occupation: student at day, Host in a host club(secret)

Club: Light music club

Best Subject: History mostly

Favorite Color: Dark and neutral colors

Favorite Food: homemade food mostly

Least Favorite Food: Lilia's cooking, overly sour food

Likes: Ansel, spending time with his friends, light music club, flying, history, night walks with Ansel, sleepovers, Yuu, helping out students but Yuu held a place in his heart along with Ansel,

Dislikes: seeing Ansel angry, people asking him about his home life, Azul Ashengrotto(He pretty much hate his guts and he never reveals why), Sebek, Rook Hunt, nosy people, mentions of his disowned parents

Hobbies: cooking, baking, making drinks(only at S.L.D), basically what Ansel's hobbies are but he loves reading

Talents: knife throwing, he is a vibe reader

Nicknames: Varo(Ansel, the girls in Sapphire Lake Dorm), Mute boy(Leona), Ally(ADeuce duo)

Other Nicknames: Little Alvaro(Crewel), Mr.Silence(Sam)

Appearance and Personality

Appearance: Alvaro has long black hair that reaches his butt. Alvaro had dark purple eyes that held nothing most of the time. In Scarabia, he wears the typical scarabia male dorm uniform. In the host club, he dressed the same as Ansel but the colors are black and dark blue. Unlike Ansel, Alvaro only wears his glovettes at school but never at work. Ansel wears fake glasses

Personality: Alvaro is the exact opposite of his twin. He is deadly silent, distant, cold, and more like a robot. But unlike Ansel whose eyes held more emotions than his words, Alvaro's words held more emotions than his eyes. He is loyal, compassionate, helpful and just an understanding boy. He only speaks when he wants to.

𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒂

-Alvaro's UM is Eyes reveals Lies

-Have his parents disowned with Ansel at 17 before NRC

-He gets along with Jamil

-Alvaro have a small case of separate anxiety but he got over it

-His eyes held no emotions

-Alvaro sleeps with a comfort stuffed animal and he also sleeps with Ansel on the same bed

-Both him and Ansel are twisted from the lamps of Genie and Jafar

-Both him and Ansel knows the four girls of Sapphire Lake Dorm(my fandorm)

-His eyes had no light and no pupils when he activated his UM

Alvaro's chant: "Every lie is being poured out from one's mouth. Let the eyes reveal your lies. EYES REVEALS LIES!!"

Ansel's chant: "Words are words but there are some words that are hidden like little scared kittens. Reveal those words to me! HIDDEN WORDS!!"