#and her relationship to her role and rejection of perfection
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dross-the-fish · 1 day ago
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Frankenstein stories that explore familial relationships either that being in a positive or negative way >>> Frankenstein stories that have the creature and creator falling in love 
This. I cannot do anything that even resembles incest, it's so disgusting to me as a concept. I don't care if the characters aren't technically related, if one of them has had anything resembling a parental role or influence towards the other then I'm out. I can't do teacher/student or mentor figure either. That's also why I don't like Victor and Elizabeth together, though I think it's at least interesting in the book how Victor will talk about how he loves Elizabeth but will do absolutely anything to avoid marrying her and the inherent dissonance between what he says and what he does in regards to fulfilling his duties to his family. Frankenstein, as I tend to interpret it, is a deconstruction of the horrors of parenthood and childhood, or rather, the horrors of those things gone wrong. The expectation of a perfect, normal, healthy child and then the reality of a deformed or disabled child in a society that heavily rejects and stigmatizes anything that is "other" and in some ways this doesn't just apply to the creature, it also applies to Victor and his own family. Victor as an unwilling parent who internalizes the shame of bringing a stigmatized child into creation and the creature as the child bearing the brunt of that isolation and rejection is the crux of what makes this story interesting but the pattern of dysfunction actually starts with Victor and his own family. From the start of the book we see the dysfunction at play. Victor is heavily burdened by the constraints of duty, generational trauma and the weight of expectations placed upon him by Alphonse and Caroline. His parents also had kind of a fucked up thing going on with Caroline being the daughter of Alphonse's friend. Alphonse essentially rescues her from poverty and marries her, so in a way she too was an orphan brought into the family like Elizabeth. When Caroline passes she encourages Elizabeth to take on a motherly role in the household, as if she's been grooming Elizabeth to be Caroline 2.0. It's no shock that Victor has a nightmare about Elizabeth turning into his mother's corpse. I find it endlessly fascinating that Victor tries to paint an idealistic picture but even the smallest bit of examination reveals that he's not happy and he's doing everything he can to avoid his family and his home life. I tend to interpret that things in the Frankenstein household are actually so much worse than he's letting on. Adam is not just a botched creation, he's the manifestation of familial of trauma and a resentment for the society that enables and even encourages the trauma to continue.
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sacrificialalt · 6 months ago
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ID: A colored sketch of Pluto from Heaven Will Be Mine with a wide smile, though she's slightly covering this up with the Cradle's Grace sash hanging loosely around her frame. She's surrounded by messy starry and plant designs, and has both the veil of her ship-self and a laurel crown atop her head. End ID
The perfect princess of Cradle's Grace.
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anthyies · 9 months ago
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Please tell us about Shiho!
omg hi. shiho suzui my favorite persona 5 npc. i think she was genuinely robbed by not having a larger role like she could totally have been a confidant...
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cassieopeauh · 2 months ago
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What is this feeling?
Pairings: Elphaba x Reader x Galinda
Summary: You are in love with the two most well known girls at Shizz. They both love you, but loathe each other and loathe that the other loves you. They try to steal you from each other and win you over. Intercourse is had. Feelings are hurt. Everything works out in the end.
Word count: 5100
Warnings: SMUT⚠️, like so so so much smut ya’ll. Porn with some plot. Eating out. Fingering. Thigh riding. Grinding. Slight dry humping. Bra used as gag. Semi public sex. Y/n is lowkey a bop. Brief dom/sub dynamics (the roles are reversed a few times cause y/n is written as a switch) brief hate sex. Angst. Feelings are hurt. Apologies are said. Based off movie knowledge only. They all make up and get together in the end. I think that’s everything.
A/n: Galinda and Elphaba are probably a bit ooc in this srry. I’ve only watched the movie but have been listening to the musical soundtrack for years. Plz don’t roast me if I got some of the stuff about shizz wrong 😢.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
“What is this feeling so sudden and new?” Galinda whispers to herself as she watches you below from her shared dormitory balcony.
She shifts her body so her head lays up her arms which lay atop the stone wall surrounding the balcony, as she dramatically sighs and continues to dreamily look at you from above.
Her usually confident and cocky persona felt like it crumbled to pieces whenever she was around you, leaving her uncharacteristically awkward and nervous. Vulnerable. Thus, to her, confessing to you seemed out of the question.
She had tried to wish away these pesky feelings, but to no avail. She had fallen hard.
She watched as you walked over and struck up a conversation with her irritating roommate. Oz, you were so much more kind than her. You had been going out of your way for the last week to befriend the girl because you saw the unjust treatment of her and knew it was undeserved. The same girl that has been nothing but a thorn in her side since they were unfairly roomed together.
Meticulously manicured nails scraped against the concrete beneath her grasp in deep jealousy, as she watched you and Elphaba’s conversation become a bit “too friendly” for her liking. She felt like she was going to scream if this kept up!
“It’s not fair! I am ten times more perfect in every way than that little goth prude! Why does she get first dibs on everything I deserve?” She said aloud to no one. Theatrically slumping down behind the balcony wall and draping her arm over her face.
If overcoming her fears of confessing to be with the one person who had made her feel a true connection with meant keeping her little rival from having what she wanted…
She made up mind right then. She was going to push aside her fears, put on a confident mask, and use her natural charm to snatch you away from Elphaba.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
“I felt it the moment I laid eyes on you.” Elphaba was never one to want much, never one to think herself attractive or desirable from the perspective of others, but you had brought out a part of herself she thought she had buried along with all her other wishes.
You were both still new to each other only having been friends for a few weeks, but Elphaba now having understood her feelings saw no reason to wait any longer. Always one to never hold back when it came to speaking her mind, despite fear of rejection, she asked you to accompany her to a secluded part of Shizz so she could communicate her feelings to you.
“I don’t know what to say…” you replied.
It wasn’t that you weren’t overcome with a sense of giddiness whenever you were around her. It was that while having feelings for Elphaba, you had also been harboring the same kind of feelings for your other gorgeous friend Galinda.
You were also well aware of your two love interests' rivalry, knowing no that if you were to start a relationship with Elphaba, the pink obsessed blonde would take it as an act of betrayal.
But at the same time you couldn’t bare to turn down Elphaba, with how much you liked her and knowing her deeply rooted insecurities and how much she must have overcome just to confess to you.
You were fucked either way.
“I… I need time to think… please don’t take it the wrong way, I like you! I do..I just… it’s complicated.” Your heart withered at the sight of Elphaba in front of you putting on a brave face and masking her disappointment. Concealing her feelings and pretending she doesn’t care what people thought of her was her specialty.
“I… understand…….I think it’s best I go now.” Elphaba cast her head downwards as she didn’t want you or anyone to catch a glimpse of the newly forming barley concealed tears. She was so stupid to think you could reciprocate her feelings.
“Elphaba wait!” You called after her, but she carried on striding away from you. What could you say to her anyways? Nothing you could say could soothe the black hair girl’s pain of rejection. It wasn’t even a full rejection! Oh Oz why did you say that! Why does liking more than one person have to be so complicated!
Little had you known a certain blonde haired socialite had followed behind you and Elphaba after overhearing the ravenette asking you to follow her somewhere more private. That same girl had eavesdropped on conversation from behind a stone pillar a safe distance away.
She was now more determined than ever to win you over in light of her now confirmed suspicions of Elphaba having a crush on you as well.
Her heart initially felt like it had broken upon hearing you say you liked her back, and then mended itself at hearing you half reject her. Giving her hope for a chance. She was usually so confident, knowing what she wanted and taking it. That half a second of heartbreak and vulnerability was enough to let her know not having you was simply not an option.
——————————————————————
“What is this? What did you do!” Elphaba’s morning routine was immediately halted as she stepped out of bed at the sight of a wall of pink decor, suitcases, lamps, bags, etc.
“Oh that? I’m simply making room. I’m having y/n over for a girls day after our plans for today. Oh and of course I had to hide your hideously plain side of the room.” Galinda hadn’t even bothered to raise her head to look in her roommates direction as she spoke to her. To busy going through the steps of her complex morning hair routine.
“What? Why would y/n be coming over here? You’re much too stuck up for her to willingly be around.” Elphaba said. Annoyance clear in her voice. The mention of you had caught her off guard though, especially since the two of you hadn’t talked since that mortifying confession.
“I’ll have you know y/n and I are actually friends. And I’m not stuck up, you only happen to think so because you’re the bottom rung of the popularity ladder! You’re simply jealous of the fact y/n would rather be friends with someone perfect like me!!” Elphaba didn’t need to see her face as she could practically hear the girl's smug look in her voice.
Elphaba felt that familiar tingling sensation of the magic building up inside her at Galinda’s harsh words. Words that were unusually cruel for the girl who claimed to be ‘oh so good’. Words born out jealousy and insecurity for the affections she held for y/n.
Just as Elphaba felt like a burst of magic might leave her and crack a second balcony window, a set of four knocks came from the dorm door with the many carved details and brass trim.
A glance between them. One of masked anger and one of feigned innocence with a smugness behind it. Galinda got up to open the door.
“Y/n hiiiii!!!! I’m ever so glad you could make it! Let me show you in!” The blonde took you by the hand and brought you in, closing the door behind her.
“Oh and I don’t believe you’ve met my roommate! This is Elph-“ She started with faux politeness. An attempt at making things more awkward between the two girls in front of her and then whisking you away infront of her rival in a show of pettiness.
“Oh, we’ve met…” You trailed off. Sheepishly avoiding the ravenette’s gaze.
“Yes… we have…” Elphaba suddenly felt very exposed, awkwardly standing. The floor had suddenly become very interesting.
“Oh well I’m so glad that my very best friend and my roomate already know each other! Well, we better be going now, come along now sweetness!” Galinda threw a not so inconspicuous wink your way, much to the bewilderment and then jealousy of Elphaba, still stood in her nightgown.
“Oh! Uh…Alright! Coming!” You were thrown off balance by the sudden use of a pet name only to come to and scamper after the pink figure fading down the hall. Not before casting one last longing glance at Elphaba. Both of you shared a look before you too disappeared down the hallway.
As Elphaba closed the door shut the sound of a window pane breaking shot through the silence you left her in. A magical manifestation of her jealousy and sadness.
——————————————————————
*Thud*
Galinda, empowered by her regained confidence, pinned you up against the empty classroom door. Both her hand on your waist as she looked down at you with blown out pupils and unsteady breath.
“Oh… y/n, I know this must be a sudden shock but I positively just couldn’t resist anymore!” She rubbed her thumb across you hip where her hand laid as her eyes flickered between you eyes and your lips. You stayed frozen between want for the girl in front of you and want for the girl you had left in her dorm.
“I do wish you feel the same… I haven’t felt like this about anyone… a few flings here and there, yes… but I really care for you… I… feel vulnerable.. around you.” You could see the sincerity in her eyes as Galinda watched for you with baited breath.
“I… I feel the same way, b-“ Galinda cut you off with a hungry kiss, her brain only having registered your words of reciprocated feelings
Your brain suddenly feeling like mush in the midst of Galinda’s onslaught of heavy open mouthed kisses. Your hands wandered up to grasp the back of her head, tangling in her golden curls. You completely forgot what you were even going to say.
The taste of her lip gloss mixing with your own, while Galinda nipped at your bottom lip. Per usual, Galinda got her way, as you opened your mouth for her to explore. Galinda wasted no time.
The two of you parted momentarily. A string of saliva connecting your mouths, both of you panting, before the blonde dove right back in. Simultaneously lifting her leg slightly so her knee was wedged up against your core. You made a noise that was instantly swallowed up by the girl pinning you to the door.
“Is this okay?” She asked, seemingly just now remembering her manners.
“Yes… please don’t stop.” The blonde went back for another kiss before her mouth started traveling along your jawline and then to your neck. Your head turned sideways and up to give her better access. You had lightly started to grind down on her leg that was in between yours.
Galinda had started to hastily mark you, not caring if anyone saw it on you. (Maybe hoping a certain someone would see it). As she worked her way down to your clavicle her hand started to unbutton your shirt. Helping her shed your outer clothes and being left in your bra, she took a moment to admire you.
“You’re beautiful..” She said as she unashamedly raked her eyes up your exposed skin up towards your face. Giving you a gentle kiss this time. Your hands cupping her face, while her hands reached around your back to unclasp your bra, dropping it to the floor.
Hands began to grasp and fervently pull at your breasts as the intensity of the kiss came back once more. All noises being lost to the blonde in front of you.
Some of the fog left your mind as the sounds of someone walking outside the door and down the hall brought you back to reality.
“Wait.. *pant* someone might come in..” A slight look of fear graced your features. Surely you would be expelled for this kind of behavior.
Galinda only smirked in reply. She held you face with one hand, flicking the deadbolt on the door with the other.
“Guess we’ll just have to be quiet then” Pulling you from the door to the mahogany teachers desk in the center of the room.
She hopped up on the desk and slightly leaned back. Patting her thigh while looking at you expectantly, you complied. Climbing up and straddling her thigh you couldn’t help but wish Galinda was a little more exposed, like you were.
Settling down with your clothed core pressed against her thigh, you gave just the slightest of pouts as you reached up and gently tugged at her top while locking eyes with her.
She let out a breath chuckle.
“Oh baby… you want this off?” She watched as you nodded and then guided your hands to unbutton her blouse and revealed her bra underneath.
Your eyes hungrily swept over pink silk that barely concealed hard nipples. Your hot breath fanning down on her now mostly exposed chest. Once again taking the lead, she guided your hands to her back, where you unclasped her bra. Tossing it aside.
“Wow…” was all you managed to get out, making her lightly giggle. You looked at her, and after receiving a small nod, you experimentally ran your hands over her breasts. Thumbs stopping over her nipping and gently rubbing.
She let out a quiet moan which encouraged you to continue. Her noises slowly building up in their frequency. She then took control again by leaning forward and capturing you in a kiss and bringing your hand to her face.
“Let’s get you out of this skirt…” she smiled at you. You stood up, putting on a little show for her, as you removed your skirt, undergarments, and shoes. Giving her a little spin and then climbing back to your original position.
“There we are… now.. take what you need sweetness.” Her words commanded you to start slowly grinding your now unclothed core against her thigh. Her hands went to guide you by your waist, as you held onto her shoulders for support.
“Oh…Oh my..” your breathing picked up as Galinda urged you into a faster pace. Moving her hips back and forth to meet you halfway. Her leg by now being soaked in your arousal.
“Oh.. that’s right sweetheart…keep going..” Galinda praised you as you grinded down harder. Clit dragging across milky white thighs. That feeling of heat starting to build up more and more in your lower area.
Panting now, as your noises started to grow, Galinda connected your mouth to keep the noise to a minimum so no one would hear. Your little whines and moans being muffled by pink lips.
What felt like too soon, you had started to get close. The pink clad girl could tell by the way your hips started stuttering in their pace.
“Come on sweetness… come for me..” Galinda panted, getting worked up just from the sight of you getting off on her thigh.
Her words seemed to help push you over the edge, as you came. A loud whine escaping your lips. Riding out your orgasm for a few seconds before slumping into Galinda. Both your bare breasts pushed against each other. Your head resting on her shoulder, while her fingers rubbed up your back and in your hair and gave tiny little kisses to your neck.
“You did so well… you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to see you like that.” The blonde whispered in your ear, causing good bumps to appear along your nape in her wake.
“I’ve wanted you for a long time as well…” you said while catching your breath.
You stayed in that position of embrace. Waiting for you to recover from your exertion.
After a minute, you started to feel Galinda squirming a bit below you. You sat back so you could look at her.
“Do you want me to..?” You said.
“Please.” She replied.
You slowly peeled yourself away from her and slightly sat back. Hands resting on her thighs, feeling the slick from where you were a minute ago.
You tugged at her last remaining garments, as she helped by maneuvering herself in order to remove her skirt and underwear. Eyes raking over her. Taking in every aspect.
Leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the lips before trailing kisses down her neck. Then to her sternum. Next, her navel. Then finally reaching the place where she needed you most, you glanced up to her eyes once more before shifting your mouth forwards.
She let out a breathy moan as your tongue made contact with her slick. You took a couple of long licks before focusing on her clit. She tasted sweet. Your hands found their places around her upper thighs
Your movements continued to coax airy whines and moans from her. These only spurred you on more. Now deciding to add one finger in the mix, you experimentally poked your right ring finger at her entrance. That elicited a slightly louder moan. Heat pooled in your stomach at that.
You slowly started pumping your one finger in and out of her core while still continuing to lick at her clit. Galinda’s hands were suddenly in your hair, pushing you further into her and groaning.
Deciding to add another finger, you slipped a second one into your rhythm. Stretching her out further. After a particularly loud moan though, you stopped your movements which in turn brought out a whine and a pout from Galdinda.
“Why… *pant* why’d you stop?” She questioned. Not a fan of being teased. You brought your head up to meet her gaze.
“I’m sorry, you were being a bit too loud. Someone might hear us. Here… this should solve the problem.” You took hold of her previously discarded silk bra and brought it up to her face.
“Are you okay with this..? Being.. um… gagged I mean..?” Galinda’s pout was replaced by a smirk and a little laugh at your sudden shyness. She thought it was adorable.
“Of course, now I can be as loud as I want. To show you how you make me feel.” She grinned and took hold of the bra you held out to her. Clamping her teeth around it and leaning back to give you access once more.
You returned to your previous position and activities. Speeding up to get her back to where she was. You heard her muffled noises, much more frequent and high pitched. It was clear she had been holding back a bit before as to not be heard and subsequently caught.
Her hand returned to the back of your head as she grinded her hips against you. Getting closer, her grip tightened and her hips started to fervently rut and buck up into you.
With one last drawn out muffled whine from her, you felt her come on your hand. Feeling her walls flutter around your fingers, you helped her ride it out before pulling away. Crawling up to her once more, you sucked her juices off your fingers before pulling the bra out of her mouth to bring her into an embrace as she had done for you. Letting her rest.
Once she had recovered, she leant back to pull you into another kiss. This one was slow and full of love. Parting to breathe you both only paused for a second before going back in for another.
No words needed. Only the moment.
——————————————————————
A set of four knocks sounded on the intricate door.
“Galinda’s not here!” Elphaba called out to who she assumed was one of her roommate's little henchmen. Galinda had left for the afternoon to meet a secret importer for a new collection of dresses she was sneaking into Shizz.
When the set of knocks continued after Elphaba had called out, she sat up from her study material, and strode over to the door to open it.
“I told you she’s not he-…” Elphaba was greeted with the sight of your face. Holding a small sheepish smile.
“Hi… I was hoping we could talk?” You looked up at her through your lashes with baited breath. Hoping you hadn’t ruined things with her.
“I thought you’d be out with Galinda. Seems you two are never apart these days.” She replied with a displeased look on her face. She was no fool. She knew there was likely something going on between her roommate and you.
It was true though. Galinda had insisted you stayed glued to her side since your “girls day out”. Practically dragging you along on a leash. Not that you minded being around her all the time, but it left you no time to resolve things between you and Elphaba.
“I… I wanted to come and apologize for not speaking to you since… last week.” You guiltily looked away. You had been rather horrible to her for not speaking to her. And sleeping with her roommate who she loathed.
“Go on.” Elphaba crossed her arms. Giving you a blank face.
“Well… I’m ever so sorry for not talking to you. I like you, I really do! It’s just… I also like someone else and if I were to be with you it would hurt them. Though I see that the opposite has happened and I’ve hurt you instead.” You tried to keep your composure while you apologized, but it was clear that your eyes were becoming watery.
“Galinda…” Elphaba stated what was already known. The sound of defeat in her voice. Her posture sulked downward.
Your eyes widened as you took a few steps toward her.
“Oh no! Please you must believe me that I never wished to hurt you! I just-… I want to be with both of you! But I know that’s not possible because you two hate each other and I wish her friends weren’t so cruel to you and it’s all so complicat-!” You were cut off by green lips silencing your rambling.
She pulled back. Tears in her eyes as you looked on with shock on your face.
“Please, I’ve never been one to want anything. I shouldn’t let myself want anything. But I just want you. You hurt me, I can’t forget that, but I can’t stand that she has you. Please just be with me… even if it’s just for this moment…” Her words were heartbreaking. She had endured more than her fair share. Given so much, yet received so little.
“Anything you want…” You gently reached up and caressed her face. Leaning in and connecting your lips and a soft and tender kiss. Tasting salty tears from where they had fallen from her emerald eyes.
Growing more confident, Elphaba brought you both inside the dorm and shut the door with one hand. All while never leaving your mouth.
What started out as slow and emotional had started to become more passionate. Hands sliding up to tangle in hair. Being pulled closer by the waist.
Your hand moving down to tug at her button up.
“Would you let me take care of you?” Your voice barely above a whisper. Waiting for permission.
“I’ve.. I’ve never…because of my greenness… no one’s ever…” Elphaba nervously sputtered out.
“That’s alright… if you want me to, I can lead. All you have to do is let me take care of you. You deserve it Elphie…” You said as you looked into her eyes.
“Okay… please just know… I am green everywhere…” She looked so vulnerable at that moment. Fear of rejection due to her complexion having been hardwired into her brain.
“I don’t care about that, Elphie. I think you’re truly beautiful. All over, inside and out.” You said with a smile of reassurance. And with a small smile and nod in return, you went ahead.
Careful fingers danced their way from one button to the next before pulling the white shirt over her shoulders and down her arms.
She gasped at the foreign sensation of fingers ghosting over her black bra covered nipples. Hands coming to rest on your waist.
“Let’s get you somewhere where you can relax, pretty lady.” You giggled slightly at the evident blushing at your use of a pet name. Guiding her over to her bed. Laying her down on her back with you sitting in between her legs.
“What now?” Elphaba asked, not knowing what to do or what exactly came next.
“Next, I’m going to get you ready. And then I was going to use my hands. Are you okay with that Elphie?” You watched for her response. Making sure to give her plenty of warning and above all ensure her comfort and enjoyment and give her room to say no.
“I trust you…” Her eyes conveyed the same thing she said. Her hand reached for yours to hold.
A small smile graced your features as you leant forwards to kiss her. Hands dragging along exposed collarbones until they reached the bra clasp and undid it. Sliding it off through her arms.
Hands started to gently grope at her bare breasts as your hips slowly pushed forwards into Elphaba’s to add pressure.
“Mmff!” The girl below you’s moan was muffled by your mouth on hers. She held your waist. You started to slowly grind into her. The both of you getting worked up.
Continuing your movements while slightly changing the rhythm now and then. You watched as the girl beneath you slowly relaxed.
When you thought you had made her wet enough, your grinding ceased and you moved over to straddle one of legs to make room around her core.
Breaking apart while one of your hands trailed up underneath the girl's long skirt. You once again made sure.
“Is this okay?” The words felt familiar to your ears..
“Please.” So did hers.
Reaching her undergarments, you felt around to find the seam. Your fingers finally finding purchase around them as you pulled them down and over her legs. Watching the string of arousal that attached to it as you tossed them aside.
“You’re so wet… that’s good.” Looking up to meet her blown out pupils.
You moved so you were laying over top of her while keeping your hand around her core so you could make out with her to ease the tension.
Your middle and ring finger trailed up and down her slit. Collecting the slick and rubbing it around on your fingers.
Next, you gave her clit a gentle rub, eliciting a whine from the ravenette. You continued to rub and then press down with your thumb, while your other fingers circled around her entrance.
Finally, you stuck a single finger into her. Her body reacted by bucking up. You were getting riled up just watching her.
“Nngg, t-that’s, so so good.” Elphaba’s usually reserved nature was coming undone.
You added another finger and sped up the pace. Thrusting them up into her while letting the back of your palm rub her clit.
“Good girl… that’s it.” You praised her. Elphaba’s noises were becoming more frequent. You could tell she was getting closer by the way her walls were gripping your fingers, trying to suck them back in.
Speeding up your movements and then latching onto one of her nipples was enough for the witch to climax.
Her loud moan came with the fluttering of her walls. Suddenly, for just a few seconds, the both of you were floating, before gently landing back down on the mattress. She had unknowingly used her magic.
Her pants slowly subsided. After pulling your hand away and licking it clean, you trailed kisses from her chest to her face, where you peppered light kisses around her mouth.
“You did so well… you’re so beautiful Elphie…” you whispered into her ear. Rubbing her shoulder then going to nuzzle into her neck.
Elphaba, still coming down from her high, wrapped her arms around your back, and planted a kiss on your head.
“Do… would you like.. a turn..?” She slowly said, unsure of her words.
“No, but thank you for offering, sweet girl.” She could feel you smile into her neck.
“I just wanted to show you how much I care for you. You don’t have to give anything. You deserve all the pampering in the world.” Your genuine words brought liquid emotion to the girl with the emerald eyes.
She pulled you closer. No more words needed. Just the moment.
——————————————————————
You were screwed.
In the last few weeks, the two girls you had slept with rivalry had only grown since you had seen both of them. Both of them going out of their way to try and best the other to get closer to you.
They openly loathed each other, no more fake politeness or toleration. Simple unadulterated loathing.
Galinda would sweep you away from Elphaba to sit with her and her friends at lunch. Then Elphaba would retaliate by making sure you sat next to only her during class.
All the back and forth and the complicated feelings was making your head spin.
Currently you were on your way to the two girls' dorm to return study notes Elphaba and graciously lent you.
As you approached the wooden door, knocked, then opened it halfway, you stopped. What were those… noises… you were hearing? They sounded… angry? But also…… oh. Oh.
You pushed the door open the rest of the way and froze.
Galinda and Elphaba. The two girls who swore loathed each other. We’re in bed together. Naked.
Phrases like, “I hate you so much, ohhh!” And “I hate you m-more, she doesn’t *pant* deserve you. Ahh!”.
What the fu-
*thud*
Out of shock, you had dropped the heavy notebook you were carrying. Both girls let out a little shriek and sprung apart as though they had burned one another.
“Um… i-I…. Uhhhhh…. Glad you two aren’t fighting anymore……???” You nervously stated. Feeling very awkward at interrupting what was happening between them. Though at the same time ecstatic that they were finally getting along in their own weird way.
“Y/n!” Both of them said at the same time. They glanced at each other and then back to you. Your cheeks flushed and eyes looking anywhere but them. Everything was quiet and still.
….
“Well…. You might as well get over here and help.” Galinda’s unwavering confidence had come back into play as scootched over and patted the empty bed space next to her.
“G-Galinda!” Elphaba stated in shock at her roommates sexual confidence in adding a third.
Both looked at you and waited for a response.
“Uhm…. O.. okay” You replied quietly, still embarrassed.
You closed the door and walked over Galinda’s king sized bed.
You let out a help as Galinda yanked you into bed and into a fiery kiss. Her giggles reverberated through the room. Elphaba laying beside you so she could trail kisses along your neck.
Your head was reeling under the sensual onslaught from the two girls.
This was exactly what you wanted. Your girl problem dilemma was over. They both liked you, you liked them, and now they liked each other. This could really work out.
Your heart's deepest desire was fulfilled .
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sleepingdiaryzzz · 2 months ago
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I am obsessed with your yandere dick and kory!
how would they react if reader wasn't really into girls?
Yandere Nightwing x reader x yandere Starfire
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At first, they wouldn’t take your feelings seriously. Kori’s bright smile wouldn’t waver as she gently brushed her fingers along your cheek, her voice warm and full of optimism. “Oh, [name], perhaps you simply have not had the chance to see how much love we can give you—together.”
Dick, standing close beside her, would chuckle softly, his tone light but tinged with determination. “Kori’s right. Relationships are about trust and connection, not just preferences. You’ll see that we’re perfect for you soon enough.”
They wouldn’t see your lack of interest in women as an obstacle, but rather a misunderstanding you simply needed their help to overcome.
From that point on, they’d both work together to subtly mold your perspective. Kori would overwhelm you with affection—soft kisses, warm hugs, and constant reassurances of how deeply she and Dick cared for you. Her physical affection would be framed as natural, part of her Tamaranean culture, and she’d always have an excuse ready if you hesitated.
Meanwhile, Dick would take a quieter, more strategic role. He’d gently guide conversations to remind you of everything Kori brought to your life—her kindness, her beauty, her unwavering love. “You don’t have to decide anything now,” he’d say, his hand lightly brushing yours. “Just let us show you how much we care.”
They’d carefully orchestrate moments where you’d rely on them—whether through Dick’s protective nature or Kori’s nurturing care—until you began to feel like there was no one else who could love you the way they did.
As your resistance persisted, their obsession would grow deeper, their possessiveness more apparent. They’d start limiting your interactions with others, especially anyone they felt might “confuse” you. Kori’s grip on your hand would tighten when someone lingered too long in conversation, and Dick’s charming demeanor would shift into something darker if anyone tried to challenge their claim on you.
“You’re safest with us,” Kori would say one evening, her voice soft as she rested her head on your shoulder. “We love you more than anyone else ever could. No one else can understand you like we do.”
Dick would nod, his arm wrapping around your waist. “We’re a family, [name]. You, me, Kori—and eventually, you’ll see that this is where you belong.”
They’d double down on their affection, working as a team to drown you in love and attention. Kori would bring you thoughtful gifts and shower you in praise, while Dick would go out of his way to ensure you felt protected and supported. Together, they’d create an environment where their presence felt inescapable, yet comforting.
In their minds, your lack of interest in women wasn’t a rejection—it was just a hurdle they’d overcome together. For them, the solution was simple: love you so deeply, so completely, that you’d have no choice but to stay. And with the way they worked in perfect sync, it was hard to see how you could escape their grasp.
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(A/n: I suck at making characters talk, sorry y'all)
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anonymousewrites · 3 months ago
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A Not-So-Disastrous Love (Book 2) Chapter Four
Saiki Kusuo x Reader
Chapter Four: Cute Girls and Ghost Girls
Summary: There's a new cute girl in the school, and there's also a haunting.
            Saiki and (Y/N) watched a first-year walk through a crowd of students. All the men were giving her gifts and trying to help her find her way around the school. It reminded Saiki and (Y/N) of Teruhashi, except…
            “Who is she?” whispered (Y/N).
            “No idea,” said Saiki.
            Clearly, though her beauty was immense, she was not the perfect pretty girl Teruhashi was (honestly, it would be scary if there was another person with Teruhashi’s presence and powerful beauty in the world).
            “When I heard the boys, I thought it was Teruhashi,” said Saiki.
            “I wonder if Kokomi and the freshman will meet,” wondered (Y/N). “It might break the world.”
            “Yare yare.” Saiki sighed. “Let’s avoid her.” He didn’t need more bothers (especially not people who drew attention) in his life.
            “She’s not in our year, so it should be simple,” said (Y/N).
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            Wrong.
            As Saiki, (Y/N), Nendou, and Kaidou walked to their classroom as break ended, they found a group of their second-year students peeking into a first-year classroom.
            “Wow, she’s super cute,” whispered some of the boys.
            “It’s Imu Rifuta,” sighed another dreamily.
            “What are those guys doing?” wondered Nendou.
            “Probably checking out the cute freshman,” said Kaidou.
            “Oh, the girl from this morning,” said Saiki.
            “I wonder what she’s like,” said (Y/N).
            “You mean more or less annoying than Teruhashi?” said Saiki.
            (Y/N) leveled a look at Saiki, and Saiki quieted. “No, I mean if she’s actually a nice girl or not.”
            Inside the classroom, Rifuta stood and walked towards the door. It’s only a matter of time before I dominate this school. This is a pain. However, as soon as she opened the door, the boys blushed. But I guess they deserve a treat. She put on a shy smile. “Do you need something from me?”
            “Do her thoughts match her appearance?” whispered (Y/N).
            “She wants to dominate the school,” said Saiki, directly into (Y/N)’s mind.
            “Huh,?�� asked (Y/N). They knew that Teruhashi felt the pressure to be the perfect pretty girl, and while most of her kindness—especially to her friends—was legimiate, she did make sure to present herself well to the world. That was understandable, so (Y/N) didn’t hold it against her. And Teruhashi was learning to be herself, like rejected Saiko and such.
            Hopefully, Rifuta was like that. If she wasn’t…that could spell trouble. And conflict. And an unhealthy relationship for Rifuta with her self-image in the long run.
            “Are you seeing anyone?”
            “Are you dating?”
            “Do you have a boyfriend?”
            The crowd of boys had no idea that Rifuta knew exactly how to play them, though, so the questions just kept coming.
            “What? A boyfriend?” Rifuta blushed. “No, I don’t.” She lightly hit an older boy, playing a “petulant” but cute role. “That’s not something you can simply ask a girl.”
            I wish she would hit me, too, thought all the boys.
            “But if I do get a boyfriend, I want someone older who can take charge,” said Rifuta.
            All the boys gasped and blushed.
            (Y/N) groaned. “So she’s that type of girl.” Rifuta was able to manipulate boys and did so intentionally.
            They’re such easy targets, thought Rifuta.
            Nendou approached and leaned in to look at Rifuta. She jumped in surprise and fear.
            “What is this?” he asked.
            “Nendou!” exclaimed the other boys.
            “Fine, I guess she’s cute,” said Nendou, “But Teruhashi is cuter.”
            Teruhashi? Who is that? thought Rifuta. What, did he just say she was cuter? She narrowed her eyes. There’s no way this dump of a school has someone cuter.
            “Hey, Nendou, what are you talking about,” said a classmate.
            You tell him! thought Rifuta, smirking.
            “She’s an aggressive Kokomi, isn’t she?” said (Y/N), reading her like a book.
            “Yes,” said Saiki.
            “That’s not a fair comparison!” continued the classmate. “You can’t compare her to an angel!”
            Wait, I lost?! Rifuta’s mouth dropped open in shock.
            “What a blow,” remarked (Y/N).
            “This girl is ten times cuter than the average girl, not a hundred times cuter!” said the classmate. “They’re in different leagues!”
            Another blow.
            She’s that cute?! thought Rifuta incredulously.
            “Shut up, back off,” said Nendou as the boys advanced on him.
            “It’s fine. I’m not that cute at all,” said Rifuta, trying to pretend to be humble. “I’m-I’m a little curious to meet this Teruhashi.” This is nuts! I need to see her!
            Yare yare.
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            “How do you feel about that quiz, (Y/N)?” asked teruhashi as she stood up for lunch.
            “Pretty good,” said (Y/N). “On one of the triple integrations, I definitely started with the wrong axis, so it took me a while, but I think I sorted it out in the end.” They smiled.
            “Oh, yes, I’ve done that, too,” said Teruhashi, smiling.
            Outside the door of the classroom, Rifuta looked in, and her jaw dropped open. Teruhashi’s smile shone just as much as she did.
            How is she so beautiful?! thought Rifuta. I can see why they call her an angel now. I can even see her wings. She shook her head. No, those are just clouds! Even the sky is on her side? I-I can’t let anyone be cuter than me.
            “Look at her,” whispered some second-years. “She’s so cute.”
            I haven’t lost yet! Rifuta smiled triumphantly. Everyone’s calling me cute!
            “Look, it’s Teruhashi,” said a boy, running to the door to look in. He was in another class, so he didn’t get to see Teruhashi as often as other people.
            “She gives my life meaning just by living in the same world,” sighed another boy.
            That goes far beyond just cute! Rifuta couldn’t believe it. A world that doesn’t revolve around me?! I will never accept that! “E-Excuse me,” she said to the boys. “I wanted to go to the cafeteria, but I got a little lost. Could you please show me the way?”
            “Of course!” said one boy.
            “Yes!” said another.
            “What?”
            “She asked me!”
            “Want to fight?!”
            Rifuta inwardly smirked. I’m going to steal every boy fawning over you.
            And then, a shining light rained down on the squabbling boys.
            “What’s this commotion? Are you fighting?” asked Teruhashi.
            She’s even prettier up close! Rifuta just stared. Her eyes flicked to (Y/N). And she even lets random people hang around her?
            Hey. Saiki thought (Y/N) was better to look at than either Rifuta or Teruhashi, so he didn’t appreciate the thought.
            “Of course not,” said one of the boys.
            “We were just fooling around.” The other smiled. They were like best buddies now.
            They stopped fighting just because this girl showed up! My beauty causes conflict, but her beauty goes beyond that. She brings people together!
            “You want to go to the cafeteria?” said Teruhashi, smiling at Rifuta. “(Y/N) and I can show you the way.”
            (Y/N) just smiled, as bright and cheery as ever. Rifuta felt very confused and intimidated by the whole thing.
            Saiki was annoyed that his partner was getting stolen for lunch, which meant he’d be stuck with just idiots.
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            “This is the fastest way to the cafeteria,” explained (Y/N), ignoring the “oh, wows” being created by the sight of Teruhashi.
            What is that “oh, wow” sound I keep hearing?! thought Rifuta.
            “You’re name is Imu, right?” said Teruhashi. “That’s such a cute name. Your pigtails suit you.”
            Rifuta blushed. “Really?”
            (Y/N) tilted their head as Rifuta gazed adoringly—on accident—at Teruhashi. Huh.
            “They are very cute,” said Teruhashi.
            No, what am I getting happy for?! Rifuta couldn’t believe her own reaction. People only give compliments when they think they’re better than you. I’ll show her! “Is that so? But you’re much prettier, and your skin is so smooth.”
            “Oh, stop.” Teruhashi blushed. “I’m not wearing any makeup today.”
            No makeup! Rifuta was being blown out of the water.
            “Let’s get a meal ticket,” said (Y/N) cheerfully. They were used to Teruhashi and what happened around her by now, so while Rifuta kept being shocked, they just kept walking to the counter for food.
            “Three noodle bowls coming up,” said the servers. He smiled at Rifuta. “This cute freshman gets a fried shrimp on the house.”
            Yes, look at that! Rifuta felt victorious. When you’re as cute as me, then they give you free food at the—Her eyes bulged upon seeing Teruhashi’s tray.
            The bowl was twice as large with a lobster, egg, and three pieces of fried shrimp.
            “Oh, (Y/N), I got too much fried shrimp. Would you like some?” said Teruhashi.
            “Sure,” said (Y/N), smiling as they were passed the free food. Hey, they might not have been changing the world order with their looks, but they had a good friend, so what did it matter?
            She got a whole lobster?! And she shared?! Rifuta’s head was spinning. A world that doesn’t revolve around me? “I can’t handle this!” She put her tray down and ran.
            “Imu?” said Teruhashi. Inwardly, she smiled. I’m sorry, but you must learn your place. The world doesn’t revolve around you. It revolves around me.
            In my opinion, they’re both as bad as each other, thought Saiki.
            “You were really trying to impress her, Kokomi,” said (Y/N) as they sat down.
            “I was just showing her who the perfect pretty girl is,” said Teruhashi. “She’s cute, but she’s not me.”
            (Y/N) waved their chopsticks at Teruhashi. “We’ve talked about this, you don’t need to attach all your worth to that. Besides, she’s doing the same thing, and you can see that it gets bad if someone is better than you in some way. Next time, let’s try to be a little nicer? Maybe you two could be friends. Then the world would really revolve completely around you.” They laughed.
            Teruhashi paused and considered. She smiled shyly. “I guess you’re right. I was a little harsh. I’ll be a little gentler to my kohai if we meet again.”
            “And that makes you the perfect pretty girl,” joked (Y/N). To them, what was inside counted.
            Teruhashi’s cheeks burned, but she smiled at her friend. At least someone was honest with her and treated her like a regular friend. It was refreshing.
            They’re as bad as each other, but Teruhashi is nice to (Y/N). I’ll put up with her for that.
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            “You hear a not from the music room,” whispered Kaidou. “When you open the door, you will see on the piano keys a pool of blood!”
            Nendou, Saiki, and (Y/N) didn’t react and just stared at him.
            “Why aren’t you reactin?” Kaidou sweat-dropped.
            “Just wipe up the blood then,” said Nendou.
            “That’s not the point!” said Kaidou.
            “Why are we always scared of ghosts? I can’t imagine they’re all like the horror movies,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “Maybe they’re just having a good time.
            “Ghosts are scary!” cried Kaidou.
            “A ghost in the music room? Wasn’t there someone who knows about ghosts? I can’t remember who it is,” said Saiki.
            “You’re just pretending not to know him because he’s a pervert,” said (Y/N).
            “Yes,” said Saiki.
            “Saiki!”
            “Speaking of the pervert,” said (Y/N) brightly.
            Toritsuka stood in the doorway of the classroom. “Please help me.” Blood dripped down his forehead.
            “It’s a ghost!” cried Kaidou.
            “That doesn’t look right,” remarked (Y/N).
            “Don’t worry about it, I just got punched when they caught me listening by the girls’ bathroom,” said Toritsuka.
            “So you deserved it? No worries then,” said (Y/N), humming.
  ��         “That’s why I pretend not to know him,” said Saiki.
            “Can we talk, Saiki? Please?” said Toritsuka.
            “Yare yare.” He knew he would be bothered, so he stood up and went with Toritsuka. (Y/N) gave him a thumbs-up as encouragement.
            “I am begging you,” said Toritsuka. “Come with me tonight to exorcise the ghost in the music room!”
            “Help you again?” Saiki was uninterested in the idea
            “I promised some people that I would handle it,” said Toritsuka.
            Saiki considered. The extra attention the ghost brings is bad for me. Too much ESP things going on could be a problem for the one psychic that didn’t want to be found out. Yare yare. “Fine.” He was going to hate this.
l
            “There’s something exciting about being at school at night!” said Toritsuka.
            (Y/N) yawned. “I’m ready for bed.” They’d only come so their boyfriend didn’t have to deal with Toritsuka on his own (plus they wanted to see a real ghost).
            “I’m surprised. I figured a coward like you would be scared,” said Saiki, looking at Toritsuka.
            “Are you kidding? How could I be scared when there are ghosts everywhere?” said Toritsuka.
            “Most people would be,” said Saiki.
            “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” chirped (Y/N).
            “See?”
            Plink!
            “I heard a piano!” cried Toritsuka.
            “Clairvoyance.” Saiki crossed his eyes and looked at the music room. “No one’s in there.”
            “Let’s go see,” said (Y/N).
            “To the music room!” said Toritsuka. He flung open the door. “Stop right there!”
            “Nobody is here,” said Saiki. “But what can you see?”
            Toritsuka had a strange look on his face.
            “What are you seeing?” repeated Saiki.
            “Only he can see the ghosts?” (Y/N) sighed, disappointed.
            “See it for yourself with your psychometry,” said Toritsuka.
            Saiki touched Toritsuka with one hand and (Y/N) with the other, sharing the ghost-seeing ability.
            “What is it, something bad—”
            “Oh,” said (Y/N).
            It was a girl their age, a ghost, playing the piano.
            “She’s so cute!” cried Toritsuka.
            “Who cares about that?” said Saiki.
            “Let’s talk to her,” said (Y/N). “Excuse me,” they said.
            The girl stopped and looked up nervously. “You can see me?”
            (Y/N) nodded. “Your playing is very nice.” They smiled.
            “But, uh, you’re scaring people,” said Toritsuka.
            The girl’s face dropped. “My playing is scaring the other students?” Her voice was small, disappointed.
            “That’s because nobody can see you except for this weirdo,” said Saiki.
            “I’m sure no one would be scared if they saw you,” said (Y/N) kindly.
            “I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” said the girl. “I just realized I could touch this piano for some reason. Playing it really relaxes me.”
            “You must be able to touch things that meant something in your life,” said Saiki.
            “So you’d be able to eat coffee jelly if you were a ghost,” said (Y/N).
            Saiki couldn’t exactly argue with that comment.
            “Play as much as you’d like,” said Toritsuka. “I’d love to hear a ballad!”
            “He’s seriously flirting?” (Y/N) sighed.
            “We can’t just let her keep doing this,” said Saiki, and Toritsuka frowned.
            “That’s true,” he admitted. He looked at the girl. “I’m sorry. As a spirit medium, I can’t just ignore a ghost causing trouble for others. Now, please be gone.”
            “That’s a bit harsh, poor girl,” said (Y/N).
            “Please! You’re frightening everyone,” said Toritsuka. “Will you leave this place? I’m begging you?”
            “What?” said the girl, confused.
            “You’re trying persuasion?” said Saiki.
            “That can’t be effective,” said (Y/N).
            “He can’t even touch ghosts,” recalled Saiki.
            “You can come to my house!” said Toritsuka. He grinned. “Please? Just for a little bit?”
            (Y/N) looked directly at the ghost. “I’d suggest moving on to the afterlife at this point. He’s weird.”
            “No, no, you can come to my house!” said Toritsuka.
            “Over my dead body,” said the girl.
            “Nice ghost joke.”
            “I’ll stop playing,” said the girl. She bowed her head. “I’m sorry for all the trouble. Goodbye.” She faded away.
            Toritsuka deflated from disappointment at failing to flirt with yet another girl. “I feel kind of bad.”
            “We didn’t have a choice,” said Saiki.
            “At least she can move on,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “And then she’ll be at peace instead of lonely at school playing all on her own.”
            Toritsuka sighed again. “But I could’ve brought the piano back to my place for her.”
            “Don’t ruin a nice idea by being a pervert.”
            “Weirdo,” chirped (Y/N).
            The piano player would move on in peace, but Toritsuka got ganged up on. All was well in the world once more.
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transmutationisms · 1 year ago
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from a non-academic, i find parts of comphet to be useful (heterosexuality becomes compulsory when you’re raised in a heterosexual society) but the foundations . suck. what do we do with theories like this, that have touched on a truth but also carry a lot of garbage? can we separate the truth from the founder?
i have to be slightly pedantic and say that i don't think rich's essay is an example of this phenomenon. my central issue with her formulation is its bioessentialist assumptions about human sex and therefore also sexuality. if i say "capitalism includes economic mechanisms that enforce heterosexual behaviour and exclude other possibilities", then what i mean by "heterosexual" is plainly not the same as what rich means—and for this reason i would seldom formulate the statement this way, without clarifying that i am talking about the enforcement of heterosexuality as a part of the creation and defence of sex/gender categories themselves. so rich and i do not actually agree on the very fundamental premises of this paper! rich was not the first or only person to point out that economic mechanisms as well as resultant social norms enforce heterosexual pairings; i actually don't even think the essay does a very clear job of interrogating the relationship between labour, economy, and the creation of sex/gender; she means something different and essentialist to what i mean by sex and sexuality; and i think her proposed responses to the phenomenon she identifies as 'compulsory heterosexuality' are uninteresting because they mainly propose psychological answers to a problem arising from conditions of political economy. so, in regards to this specific paper, i am actually totally comfortable just saying that it's not a useful formulation, and i don't feel a need to rescue elements of it.
in general, i do know what you're talking about, and i think there's a false dichotomy here: as though we must either discard an idea entirely if it has elements we dislike, or we accept it on the condition that we can plausibly claim these elements and their author are irrelevant. these are not comprehensive options. instead, i would posit that every theory, hypothesis, or idea is laden with context, including values held and assumptions made by their progenitors. the point is not to find a mythical 'objective' truth unburdened by human bias or mistakes; this is impossible. instead, i think we need to take seriously the elements of an idea that we object to. why are they there? what sorts of assumptions or arguments motivate them, and are those actually separable from whatever we like in the idea? if so, can we be clear about which aspects of the theory are still useful or applicable, and where it is that the objectionable elements arise? and if we can identify these points, then what might we propose instead? this is all much more useful, imo, than either waiting for a perfect morally unimpeachable theory or trying to 'accept' a theory without grappling with its origins (political, social, intellectual).
a recent example that you might find interesting as a kind of case study is j lorand matory's book the fetish revisited, which argues that the 'fetish' concept in freud's and marx's work drew from their respective understandings of afro-atlantic gods. in other words, when marx said capitalists "fetishise" commodities or freud spoke about sexual "fetishism", they were each claiming that viewing an object as agentive, meaning-laden in itself (ie, devoid of the context of human meaning-making as a social and political activity) was comparable to 'primitive' and delusory religious practices.
matory's point here isn't that we should reject marx's entire contribution to political economy because he was racist, nor is it that we can somehow accept parts of what marx said by just excising any racist bits. rather, matory asks us to grapple seriously with the role that marx's anthropologically inflected racism plays in his ideas, and what limitations it imposes on them. why is it that marx could identify the commodity as being discursively abstracted and 'fetishised', but did not apply this understanding to other ideas and objects in a consistent way? and how is his understanding of this process of 'fetishisation' shaped by his beliefs about afro-atlantic peoples, and their 'intelligence' or civilisational achievements in comparison to northwestern europeans'? by this critique matory is able to nuance the fetish concept, and to argue that marx's formulation of it was both reductive and inconsistently applied (analogously to how freud viewed only some sexuality as 'fetishistic'). it is true in some sense that capital and the commodity are reified and abstracted in a manner comparable to the creation of a metaphysical entity, but what we get from matory is both a better, more nuanced understanding of this process of meaning-making (incl. a challenge to the racist idea of afro-atlantic gods as simply a result of inferior intelligence or cultural development), and the critical point that if this is fetishism, then we must understand a lot more human discourse and activity as hinging on fetishisation.
the answer of what we do with the shitty or poorly formulated parts of a theory won't always be the same, obviously; this is a dialogue we probably need to have (and then have again) every time we evaluate an idea or theory. but i hope this gives you some jumping-off points to consider, and an idea of what it might look like to grapple with ideas as things inherently shaped by people—and our biases and assumptions and failings—without assuming that means we can or should just discard them any time those failings show through. the point is not to waste time trying to find something objective, but to understand the subjective in its context and with its strengths and limitations, and then to decide from there what use we can or should make of it.
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loriache · 8 months ago
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honestly i'm kind of interested in the idea of laios in an arranged marriage. because obviously straight-up inherited monarchies are ...bad, to say the least! but it's what the characters are familiar with (even laios' father's extremely local, extremely minor leadership role is inherited, presumably through the male line). and it isn't just about what they think the best way to run melini is; in terms of ensuring that the other longed-lived nations respect melini's continued sovereignty, having it passed down in a manner that's close enough to their own ways for them to understand it and respect it is important. And it seems like most of the other nations have leadership through inheritance - thought that isn't confirmed for certain except with the elves.
Also, a marriage carries the potential to establish foreign allies - something melini is certainly lacking. A marriage could come with resources they'll badly need, treaties of mutual defence, money, legitimacy and political capital... not that these things can't be worked around, but if laios isn't strongly opposed, there are a lot of advantages! and i don't think he would be, because that's the framework for marriage (conferring practical advantages, building intracommunity relationships and providing a partner to do important work that he can't do) that he had grown up with. he isn't exactly a romantic and I doubt he's holding out for any sort of relationship of that nature.
Like, I don't think it's impossible that they would go with this path, because it's the most obvious and it carries a lot of advantages and it's what almost all the decision-making characters would consider normal and not objectionable. and it could be so interesting.
I think Laios would have major hangups if expected (i.e., by Marcille) to establish a genuine, romantic interest in a woman. Whether because of his sexual or romantic orientation, or just his own deep-seated trauma about rejection and being inherently disgusting and scary. And I think he'd hate the idea of having kids, too, and be very frightened of being like his father. But I don't think he'd refuse on that basis; he could cope with a marriage contract, with clearly laid-out expectations and responsibilities. And when it came to having a kid, I think he'd be reluctant to express that he doesn't want to do it, because he isn't naive and he understood when he agreed to be king it would carry responsibilities like this. It's clear from his nightmare that he already felt pressure from his parents to have children, probably magnified by the fact his father has got a position, responsibilities and wealth to pass on. Obviously he isn't a perfect martyr, so he might struggle when it comes to actually going through with it - but I don't think he'd actually, outright refuse. I think he might do it even though he doesn't want to, and I think that could be really messy in a way that appeals to me.
I don't know, there's something about negotiating these kinds of complicated situations that's interesting to me. and i love a platonic marriage. If they find a woman who has an interest in education, for example, and can work with marcille on setting up schools and universities. she'd ideally be politically savvy enough to be an able partner to laios: even though kabru can and would continue to do a lot of that, there are different spheres that a queen and a prime minister can work within!
how would their relationship work? maybe she finds laios' perspective on the world, and his frankness, unexpectedly liberating after an extremely controlled, cloistered upbringing. maybe she had a rebellious phase, has magic, or something else which makes her a relatively unpopular candidate for marriage - even as melini grows in power, i doubt that they'd be getting offers for the cream of the crop in terms of perceived value on the marriage market, because laios' relationship is a bit too ambivalent/monstrous for that, and melini too new. maybe she's a widow! an older woman, wouldn't that be cool - though they'd want her young enough that she could definitely still have kids.
certainly i think he'd be happy for her to pursue other relationships, though ideally in a manner that couldn't produce illegitimate kids. with other relationships in play, that's even more interesting. like, both kabru and toshiro have complicated emotions relating to infidelity. i think kabru would actually find it quite cathartic to be in the kind of high-status environment that rejected his mother for perceived infidelity, pursuing an affair that all parties consent to, though he'd likely be incredibly aware of the public image - since "image" is what he was rejected for. toshiro... i just really really love the way he'd feel about being the "other woman" in laios' marriage, considering his feelings about his father and maizuru. especially given how much closer he is to maizuru than his mother, being in her position...! his emotions would be so complex, it's incredibly tasty. i bet he'd make a bunch of assumptions about how laios' wife feels about it and be totally wrong, and that's so interesting. also, i think laios' wife should fuck marcille (she and falin have an open relationship).
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maxdibert · 3 months ago
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Lily. Is she just a popular Petunia? On the surface they’re two sisters that could hardly be more different, the elder unattractive, dull and untalented and the younger beautiful, vivacious and magical. But they both chose domineering upper class bullies. They’re both concerned with social respectability. They both place themselves in physical danger for their sons. And while I can’t see Lily shoving a child in a cupboard, she also seems to operate within the framework that violence is acceptable if she can justify to herself the victim deserves it. Lily gets called a Mary Sue a lot and I get why but I think JKR put just enough in there to make the case that that she’s as grey as her chosen company lol
This take on Lily as a “popular Petunia” gains even more depth when we consider their working-class backgrounds and how each ultimately chooses a partner who offers social mobility—though in questionable ways. Petunia finds security and an upward social shift by marrying Vernon, a man who embodies traditional middle-class respectability with all its rigid, judgmental values. Lily, on the other hand, ends up with James Potter, who, by magical standards, is akin to a wealthy, privileged elite. James’s status, confidence, and the power that comes with his family’s legacy mark a clear jump for Lily in the wizarding social hierarchy, just as Petunia’s life with Vernon marks a leap into conventional middle-class security in the Muggle world.
Both sisters align themselves with men who embody aspects of control and social status within their respective worlds, suggesting they value security and social respectability—even if it means overlooking or accepting certain flaws. Petunia tolerates Vernon’s small-mindedness and cruelty, while Lily accepts James despite his past as a bully and privileged figure. Yet Lily’s decision is often portrayed in a highly idealized way, with Rowling rarely delving into her motivations or background beyond her role as Harry’s mother. This lack of context is perhaps one of the biggest issues with Lily’s character: she’s preserved as an almost saintly maternal figure, untouchable and morally pure, which can feel one-dimensional and even hypocritical, especially when we learn about her past friendship with Snape. Rowling’s reluctance to explore Lily’s complexity leaves her moral standing somewhat hollow, given that she rejects Snape for his darker choices while forgiving James for his own troubling traits.
In the end, both Lily and Petunia are driven by a desire for social respectability and stability, but their different worlds shape those ambitions in distinct ways. By elevating Lily to an untouchable status as Harry’s “perfect” mother, Rowling misses the chance to flesh out the complexities that make her choices relatable, instead framing her as a near-flawless martyr. This leaves her character feeling almost like a “Mary Sue” figure, unable to reconcile the murkiness of her past or the double standards within her relationships.
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imkazz · 1 month ago
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saiki k season 2 lore is insane
cant believe some of my moots said there was barely any lore or character development until the last 2 episodes because what the fuck is thissss (huge spoilers)
making this more organised than my last post about season 1 and the finale
teruhashi at first i really really hated her- of course, i loved and adored her as a character but as a person? no. she is a play on the anime trope of 'perfect mary sue girl' and its so fuckin weird becuase its both exactly that and exactly the opposite. she is perfect and looks beautiful and nobody can compare and basically everyone is falling in love with her or completely and utterly jealous of her- exactly like one of those stereotypical girls in those kinds of animes. but then at the same time shes not. teruhashi is intelligent, cunning, calculating, and puts up a delicate facade practically 24/7. she knows her abilities and utilises them to her absolute fullest, and i completely respect her for that. teruhashi recognises that she is 'gods favourite' and she is not shy in the slightest to manipulate that to ensure she gets the advantage. however, this knowledge of everyone else completely obliterates her own self-perception: she believes that she herself is the very role she is acting. teruhashi is determined that she is absolutely kind and perfect and is in no way wrong with anything she does. and with her lack of experience involving rejection and plainness, she completely overlooks saiki and is utterly confused with him as a whole. and at first, teruhashis obsession with saiki is about getting him to just become another guy- get him to say 'offu' to her. she bugs him, follows him, comes up with ploys, manipulates the world around her to try and get it to happen, uses all of her skills to her advantage, only for nothing. i didnt like her as a high school student to another because she painfully reminds me of a lot of girls i was friends with.
but then as the series goes on...... teruhashi changes. i think it was a gradual thing (such as teruhashi becoming friends with yumehara, even- i dont think she actually had female friends up until yumehara because of the amount of guys around her +the fact that all other girls near her would get overshadowed), but it really showed up for me in episode 17 of season 2. where teruhashi got jealous of aiura (fuuck i gotta talk about this diva). yeahhh it was not pretty. teruhashi began changing herself so that saiki could notice her (and i notice that before, teruhashi had only tried to use her own personal skills to get him to say 'oh wow' so this is the first time shes tried changing herself) and i found saikis attempts to dissuade her interesting too. typically, with all of his attempts, saiki would go into her mind and use his powers to try and turn her off, but this time, he actually told aiura to do it.
i think it was also very interesting that aiura was also changing around her appearance, as it really helped set things in for teruhashi. as they both changed what they were like (teruhashi for a boy (saiki), aiura for a girl (teruhashi)) so teruhashi was only getting more and more confused with that bit. 'if im getting more gyaru and aiura more kawaii then why isnt he reacting to either of us?'. and then saiki gets aiura to talk to teruhashi, and i also found what aiura said to teruhashi interesting. it was all that stuff about saiki and what kind of girl he liked. and i really think that she was telling the truth. i really feel that aiura was just saying things about saiki about a whole for all his relationships, romantic or platonic. he likes people who stay true to themselves. kaido is unafraid to feed his delusions/imagination (whichever you please), toritsuka is always honest with saiki (even if nobody wants to hear that pervy stuff), aiura is unafraid to be boisterous and stylish (even if she is a little bit freaky), kuboyasu is genuinely trying to become a better person (even if it sometimes doesnt work), akechi is determined and didnt let saiki sway him (despite all the obstacles that saiki put in his way), nendo is undoubtedly stupid but he is still kind (saiki watched him jump in front of a truck to save a kid thousands of times), on and on and on.
not only that, it is painfully clear to us the viewers that changing appearances doesnt matter in the slightest to saiki- he only sees it for like 3 seconds (i think he said) before it becomes muscle. curling hair or applying makeup or having more meat on the titties doesnt matter to him at all. what matters is what happens in their head, because while he doesnt get an extensive idea about their outside, he gets overly surrounded by everything on the inside. and thats probably why aiura saw that and said that to teruhashi (even if she cant explain the full reason). so teruhashi returns to normal and says that she will make saiki gasp with her own abilities.
but the strange thing is that shes already given that speech before. i cant say exact episodes from the top of my head but she has totally already said that she would use her charms and looks and sweetness to make him say 'offu' and he has always tried to dissuade her using his powers. but it was this one that made him gasp. and like. i was not expecting it in the slightest ok. but i think it makes sense- she has discovered that she can be confident in herself as a person rather than just her natural looks and is determined nonetheless. i think that saiki recognised around this area that she genuinely liked him as he was, even if she had thought he was 'gloomy and hard to read' (i believe she thought that when with his perv grandpa?) she still wanted to be around him and still had that crush. i love how when teruhashi is talking with other girls (kuriko too, but in this specific case im thinking about is rifuta) about her crush on saiki kusuo, that she would mention that at first, it was pure spite and disbelief that anyone could ignore her like that. and then, teruhashi wouldnt fail to continue and say that she grew to have a genuine crush on saiki that wasnt built upon annoyance at the fact he walked past her. and he discovers that he doesnt particularly mind being the object of her affection (unless her fanbase gets in the way oof) so i think that the offu from was a sort of embarrassed yet begruging acceptance towards this parasite of a girl who has attached herself to him lol
aiura shes sososo cool. i love the freshness(?) of her personality for the rest of the cast. finally a female psychic and i am in love with herr. at first i was a bit skeptical with the whole 'finding my soulmate' thing and i was cackling when saiki was just like 'ah yes she is legit but i am Just Better'. and then she continued to show up more and i love her. shes so quirky and very different from the other girls, who we see as much more feminine and in tune with romance anime tropes than anything, and then she comes in with the gyaru style and i love that so much. not only that, her slang and way of speech compared to the other girls (teruhashi, yumehara, mera) is also very interesting.
not only that, i really loved seeing the anime through her eyes and the auras of other characters including the shock-comedy of saikis. then, as she finds out about his powers and all i really loved how they worked together. i know a lot of other characters also saw that, seeing through teruhashi who commented that they were like the 'opposites attract' trope with 'boring' and 'flamboyant'. but then i also really liked how they worked even without any of the other characters opinions. aiura is still not giving up about the whole soulmates thing and saiki just lets it happen. because his ulterior motives is that she would ward off teruhashi so he begrudgingly accepts her to be near him as she pesters him to date/bang.
and then adding toritsuka into the paragraph, the pk psychic kids are golden. i love love love their dynamics. saiki has more respect for aiura only because he holds none for toritsuka. toritsuka sees saiki as superior and saw aiura as a pair of boobs in the beginning. aiura wants to be with saiki and just hates toritsuka because he tries to flirt. and for every mission they try to do together it always ends up in comedy. when saiki turned kaido and nendo to stone? holy fucking shit that really summed up what they were like. the psychic kids really are a weird band of teenagers with powers and it really showed their personalities in that meeting because. aiura stripping in saikis bed and toritsuka peeking through the door and saiki only sees a pile of muscles on his bed and a perv watching through his door. like cmon
i also want to dig deeper into her powers. she is completely ok with people knowing about her powers (like toritsuka but unlike saiki). she uses them to help people out (unlike toritsuka but like saiki). she uses her powers to her own benefit (like toritsuka but unlike saiki). she doesnt want to burden people with her powers (unlike toritsuka but like saiki). i find them soso interesting too because she questions why saiki doesnt use his powers more openly esp because he just has so many at his disposal. and then he sort of shows her why its a bad idea to so openly help people out by the result of mera and her father and i feel like she toned it down a bit after that too (at least publicly).
childhood lore this was insane. the buildup and everything and how it was presented. it first started with akechi being introduced as a new student and it was already unsettling to see saiki be actually a bit nervous about this guy. and then even more of a shock to see this guy blatantly ask saiki if he was a psychic because what- how the hell would this guy suspect, much less know?! and we learn that they were classmates in elementary school and we see a barely-there flashback to saiki standing in a classroom with childrens bodies scattered around him. so the suspense has started. and then we continue to get pestered by akechi but we know what he wants, but not why and thats the whole deal of it. he is the embodiment of those anime characters who are scarily good at deducing things and has a perfect memory too which makes it all the scarier because we know hes not an idiot unlike the rest of saikis friends.
and then to actually know what happens while saiki is going back in time to change it? masterpiece. we learn more about why akechi is pursuing this answer along with what actually happened to make that happen, along with why saiki cant change it without some sort of grave consequence. and the new knowledge that saiki as a kid without limiters is stronger than teenage saiki with limiters is even scarier because of course saiki wouldnt be able to stop himself.. truly an op main character. i also found it interesting how saiki k (the anime) manages to reuse powers over and over too and in such creative ways and in strange comebacks. he went back in time for his parents, he rewound the earth to one year prior because of the volcano, relived the same moment of nendo dying like thousands of times.. they really only ever hinder him.
and then to know what happens? i thought akechi was a creep for following/knowing everything about saiki but.. knowing everything that he knew at the moment? makes sense. definitely creepy, but much better understood. i feel like it was a good decision from saiki to tell him about his powers. if this isnt the first time theyve been like this, then it really does make sense. they were kids. they still are kids. and omfg saiki saying "i decided not to tell anyone about my abilities after that" because all it did was get akechi into more trouble from bullies. but they are now teenagers and have better cognitive understanding than when they were elementary kids so i feel it was justified for saiki to tell akechi because, after all of that trying with time travel, saiki couldnt stop the series of events unless he was making the world suffer. and akechi deserved at least a bit of closure about what actually happened and why saiki left.
and i feel like this series of events is also what makes saiki who he is in the beginning of the anime. he doesnt want friends at all because if they found out about his power they would be curious and want to know more and blab about it to others. and saiki knows the result from having lived it. because if he gets attached, people he loves get hurt. trying to make friends only causes suffering as akechi got bullied for claiming all those things and saiki hurt other kids using his powers because his emotions got out of control (rightfully!! he was like 8 and his best friend was getting bullied!!! of course he wouldnt be able to control any outbursts).
shipwrekced shipwrecked. i cant forget about this one but i was saving this. i realise i didnt write any notes for this one because i was wayy too focused on the actual happenings to comment. because what the fuck. 
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yeah that about sums up what i thought at first.
the tropes. holy shit. they added so so many tropes into this one it was. the teenagers on a ship get shipwrecked on an island. all they have are the clothes theyre wearing and miraculously the pantry which washed ashore along with some supplies to build a raft. like all the typical anime things. and even when they suggest to build a raft, saiki agrees with them because its a good cover up. and i really loved the stereotypes that were put upon them: the loner (saiko), the cannibal (mera), pretty woman (teruhashi), leader (kuboyasu), idiot with good ideas (nendo), then saiki and kaido as the ‘followers’ or ‘helpers’.
then i found how saiki got them out genius, despite the fact he was panicking in the beginning about how to fix it. like of course he should be panicking because you cant see any rational way to get out of the situation without telling the rest of them about his powers. and so he tries to keep them alive for a little bit (going home and sleeping, buying food :sob holy shit bruhh), and then when he finally finds a way out (the raft) they play it off as stupid despite being such a stereotype of any shipwrecked movies. and even teruhashi realised that something was off, right? how his clothes were perfectly clean and all, but when he ‘went to work’ (i totally thought he was off to kill something with the saw helpp), he came back dirty. and of course! only saiki would make a whole new island near japan as a way of keeping his powers secret..
i honestly have no idea how to feel about this because.. how did they move on so quickly?! your students/classmates got trapped on an island for a couple of days. shouldnt this be a bigger deal- shouldnt saiki be known as ‘the kid who got trapped on an island’? like bro…. anime logic (if anyone else could. tell me what the hell was up with the shipwrecked episodes other than being satire towards other shipwrecked medias and being a bit of a comedy along with character development towards some characters like saiko)
friends+classmates so like. kuboyasu is a previous gangster and trying to become better/normal (anime trope). and kaido has middle schooler syndrome and thinks hes so cool (/affectionate). they are the two people you would least expect to become besties right. and yet they fit together so well. kuboyasu wants to become normal while kaido wants anything but. kuboyasu is actually strong and able to protect people while kaido can only dream. and it really shows during that mugging episode where kaido knows about kuboyasus past and yet still tells him to run. kaido is so weak and delusional that he probably gives kuboyasu a reason to remain calm and to 'protect his innocence' while kaido wants to be jet black wings and protect everyone no matter their pasts or abilities despite constantly failing and getting into danger and needing that saving himself. and even after that, they continue to hang out with or without others (such as building that fort or taking motorbike classes together??? or even may i mention when kaido trapped himself inside the coffin and kuboyasu was trying to coax him out). so then imagine my shock and delight when they started calling each other shun and aren like OMFGG?? calling people by their first names in japanese culture is a sign of being close with each other (such as chiyo and kokomi). theyre always in close proximity to each other and i adore themm
okok then saiki. and his friendssss. these episodes as a whole just show how much hes grown to care for themm. he follows yumehara and her boyfriend-sworn friend(?) to ensure that neither gets hurt from their misunderstanding. he warms up the classroom for all his classmates because he caress. he foils the plans of the news team to make teruhashi look bad. he stops hairo from getting killed during a robbery. he makes kaidos prank actually happen. he tries to throw akechi off in order to protect both of them from his power. he fucking saved yumehara from falling to her death. he gets beaten up by some fourth graders to help out yuuta. he gets everyone to return their gifts to mera on her birthday. he uses hypnosis to get his class to look better while they perform that play. he catches teruhashi before she falls and carries her to the nurse. he probably wouldnt have done half those things in the first part of season 1. so many of those require him to genuinely care for the people hes helping and not only that, some of those things draw attention to him and he would only let that happen if he truly cares for who he is aiding.
then to add to more about relationships between characters that arent saiki. kuboyasu and saiko. it definitly started as a hate-hate relationship. but then we see saiko crying in the bathroom because mean things were written on his desk and then we also see kuboyasu had tried to clean it off before saiko got there. my heartttt. not only that, but saiko who didnt care about peasants who went out of his way to redo his mansion to fit their tastes? and at first it was for his own ego (so similar to teruhashi omfgg) but then just like her, saiko began to actually care and didnt even understand it himself about why he was so focused on getting them to like him. and ofc he is an ass. he rolls down the window only to close it and drive away because its cold. he withdraws funding from the play just because the class was going behind his back. but its barely his fault. everything is handed to him on a silver platter and he doesnt know better. while kuboyasu had to work for everything. before he was working as a gang leader but now he is working towards being better. and aughh
world lore first off i need to say that the foreshadowing for this was INSANE. do you hear me. i am shaking you by the shoulders while i say that i am still utterly speechless by the implications and impact of episode.
the fucking volcano. holy shit. holy shit. there is so much i have to talk about considering the anime +worldbuilding +foreshadowing +buildup. this is a comedy anime. this is an anime that makes fun of anime tropes constantly. girl running to school with bread in her mouth. background characters. siblings who are a lil too freaky with their siblings. mary sue anime girls. the idiot friends. and then this???? the fact that saiki has been in a time loop for the same year for four years straight is. its literally mentioned by saiki himself when he says 'you might notice something off about this anime' and its poking fun at the fact that high school animes always loop around in order to continue publishing (like how its meant to represent just one year for the main character but theyve had seven winter episodes/chapters and three birthdays for a character). its poking fun at that bit and it uses saiki himself to do it.
the worldbuilding and foreshadowing come hand in hand. in the episode where kuboyasu was first introduced, toritsuka began talking to him about being a transfer student. when kuboyasu asked when toritsuka had entered he said 'second term of second year' so the same as kuboyasu. and we brushed it off as toritsuka being a dumbass. because of course we would, of course kuboyasu would too. but fuckk. we have four transfer students in one year all in second term?? we thought it was just a fucking anime trope thing again. but no. it was all purposeful. and then to add to that, we already knew that saiki had time travel powers. he could control time, we know from his restoration along with (later on from this episode) how he travels back through time for his parents. it was all deliberately set up in that way and so just holy shit.
and now i have to actually talk about that segment itself. the earthquake in the beginning was seemingly comedy and then we see saiki training. cool but not too big of a deal. and then he starts telling us about what the fuck is up just as he tries to stop the volcano. like excuse me?? i found it so very interesting that he continues rewinding time in order to build up his powers daily yet keep the volcano from exploding and intertwining both the time powers and mind control in order to achieve it. and hes gone through second year of high school four times, yet his parents know. it was crazy how nonchalant they were about it too, saying 'oh he can always do it again right' like he is saving the world. how much longer would he do it? how much would he be willing to do? i find saiki so very interesting because he could always just. let the volcano explode but it is in his core to be kind and to help the ones he loves (including the rest of japan). he tries and he knows his limits and yet he is still ready to try again with a new set of abilities.
final thoughts before reawakened too hyperfixated. OOF. anyways im so sad the anime is almost over (for me loll). its sucked me into its grasp because it has everything im looking for. as a high schooler i love all the shenanigans but then as an anime lover i enjoy the satire tropes and as a theatre kid i love the gags and commentary and as a person who looks wayy too deeply into things i love the implications and dark undertones of the series.
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sugar-grigri · 1 year ago
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Miri does the chair as much as Denji
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The chapter confirms the suffering of the hybrids who turn out to be the "weapons" (thank you Fujimoto for confirming at least one of my theories).
But let's go into a bit more detail in this chapter, which only talks about alienation and never about freedom.
What better title than 'A Chair's Feelings', which is a perfect antithesis.
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I have the feeling that something specific has happened, let me explain.
Firstly, Fumiko Mifune plays her role as Denji's guard perfectly. She's not protecting him as a person but as the property of the public hunters.
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How does she do this? Firstly because she sticks to Denji, but more importantly she seriously disrupts the discussion between Denji and Sugo.
Every time Miri puts an advantage on the table, she questions it. A high position in the church? Chainsaw Man deserves to be guru.
Steak every day? We're getting tired of it, other dishes would be preferable.
The public hunters represent the opressor who uses Denji as a tool. In other words, the entity that Miri is trying to remove Denji from.
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But what's particularly interesting is that Miri doesn't demonstrate free will and spits out someone else's arguments.
What's even more fascinating is that Miri thinks he's going to convince Denji with his own arguments, which turns out to be in vain.
Miri seems like someone who operates on principle and has taken on board concepts such as dignity and freedom, which he now intends to protect. Denji doesn't think like that; he needs concrete arguments to engage him.
For example, Miri presents Denji as his liberator. This has no effect on him, as he was unaware of it because it was Pochita who was fighting. Once again, we're projecting onto the figure of Chainsaw Man the image we'd like him to represent here: the first weapon to free himself from the oppressor that was Makima.
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But Miri is far from imagining that not only was Denji not conscious, but that he consciously 'saved' Makima by allowing her to become a new version of herself who would be cherished and loved. Because Makima was never the oppressor, she was merely the object of the Japanese government, which surely also used a few weapons.
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That's why I think Miri's way of presenting himself is a step backwards. I don't know if it's intentional, but the way his name appears in the dialogue bubbles and the suspension points…… The syntax is important. Miri knows that his name is just a number given to him by his former oppressor.
In fact, that's why he calls Fumiko "sushi-woman" or refers to the students as rubbish; he doesn't think of them as they never thought of him.
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Sugo has no intention of forming a relationship with the humans, whom he seems to reject, which clearly shows that weapons are used by humans, not demons.
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But Denji grimaces when he sees that he is so easily popular and integrated, and that he would prefer to be rejected.
Miri rejects humans, wanting only to make friends with weapons, while Denji continues to define himself only by humans. One holds a grudge and wants revenge, while the other still prefers integration. Which already demonstrates a fundamental difference.
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Swordman's arguments move from the abstract to the concrete. He starts by talking about abstract concepts such as gratitude (Denji saved him), freedom and having a community, and then starts to integrate the concrete.
He already includes food by using the precise line that Denji had used, namely steaks.
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Miri isn't interested in the debate about food, deploring Denji's interest in it, and reiterates in a cruder and more brutal form what he was saying before, "being used by bastards", instead of talking about instrumentalisation and freedom. And again, he has to push Denji to confirm this.
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It's obvious that Miri, who presents himself as the messenger of the church, either sent by someone or is carrying out someone's order, is contradicting himself and is not yet free. As Fumiko points out.
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When Miri confronts Denji, who is still in the chair position, Denji has a more interesting response than it seems: being a chair suits him because he can feel buttocks against his back.
Being a chair means contact, and physical contact with girls. Even if it's a rather perverse line (and far from the most poetic), it shows that Denji is once again interested in being a chair if it allows him to make contact with his own kind. That he has no abstract concept built in like self-esteem or claiming his dignity.
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Even becoming a friend is too abstract for Denji, who doesn't react. He will only react when new physical contact is mentioned, reacting unusually comically.
Miri mentions this last argument as a last resort, leaving as if he was already sure it would be pointless. It's as if someone had told him to mention low, childish things like steak and sex because they were the only things that would convince Denji.
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There's a clear dichotomy in Miri's speech between the arguments that convinced him (surely used by the church to hire him) and the other kinds of arguments that would convince Denji, whispered to him by someone in the church who knows Denji.
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Who knows Denji? No hybrids, they don't have any memories, so surely not Reze.
I like to imagine that it's Kishibe, since the steak and sex with several girls are explicit things that Denji mentioned in front of him when he proclaimed his dream.
He was also the only one to observe the fight between Pochita and Makima. So he's the only one who can tell us about the hybrids' past. If we support his link with the hybrids through Quanxi...
It all ties together!
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If we go back to the title... A Chair Feelings. It takes on a whole new meaning.
Note the use of the indefinite article "a" and not "the" when only Denji is doing the chair? Wouldn't a chair be a broader metaphor and category? The chair would be the form of alienation accepted by the weapons. Still not freedom.
In short, Fujimoto questions one thing: is the man who claims to be free so far removed from the man who makes the chair ?
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sleepydaemon · 3 months ago
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The complexity of mentor/sidekick relationships adds so much depth to the Young Justice characters.
Robin’s mentor is Batman, but he’s also his adoptive father, and he seems to be a decent parent (compared to other versions). But Dick has this need to prove himself both to Batman and Bruce, so he gets crazy intense about being the team leader, which then spirals into self hatred (“Just Aqualad??”).
Aqualad has a kind but firm mentor in Aquaman, but that’s also his king, so it’s almost impossible to be truly emotionally vulnerable with him. And then as the leader, he has to ba a sort-of mentor to his teammates. So he’s left with no one to really emotionally lean on when confronted with Tula.
M’gann has her uncle J’onn who she clearly has a close relationship with, even though he has no idea the scope of her powers. But, he’s also her only ticket to Earth and she’s been lying to him about her status as white martian, because she feels like he won’t accept her for who she really is.
Superboy was literally programmed to be as close to Superman as possible, making him a perfect mentor. But Superman fully rejects him, leaving him without purpose, and being forced to see everyone else’s (perfect) mentor relationships. Superboy eventually reaches out to Black Canary though, seeking out a mentor who will actually engage with him.
Kid Flash clearly has a close relationship with Flash, who’s his uncle and mentor. They have a lot of fun joking around, but Flash really doesn’t seem to acknowledge a lot of KF’s ideas and they don’t have them at much screen time together. KF also had Kent Nelson as a role model, though, which seemed to have a much larger impact before they were separated.
Artemis really doesn’t have a mentor. Her dad taught her most of her skills, but almost none of her morals. She used to really look up to Jade, but gave that up when she got left behind. Green Arrow is supposedly her justice league mentor, but he’s barely gotten over Speedy, so for a while they have very little relationship. I think this makes her feel even more out of place on the team.
And everyone is just forced again and again into the realization that they have to make their own decisions and be their own people now. Everything can’t depend on their mentors if they want to be anything more than sidekicks.
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moistvonlipwig · 3 months ago
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Eternity, Growing Up, and Why Buffy Keeps Dating Vampires
Vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on a most basic level, represent stagnation, a desire to stay young forever, the refusal to grow up. The show emphasizes this several times: in the show's very first episode, Buffy recognizes a vampire by his outdated outfit, and in 2.07 "Lie to Me," Ford claims that becoming a vampire will allow him to "die young and stay pretty," the dream of "every American teen." Buffy's role as the titular vampire slayer can thus be read as a metaphor for her choosing to grow up and become an adult in the face of temptations to do otherwise. So what does it mean, then, that Buffy's two most narratively significant love interests are vampires -- that she repeatedly, across seven seasons, courts eternal immaturity? I would argue that Buffy's relationships with Angel and Spike represent her inner struggle to accept the reality of growing up and getting older.
Buffy and Angel's relationship is marked by repeated references to the concept of "forever" or an eternal relationship: "When I look into the future, all I see is you" (2.12 "Bad Eggs"); "Love is forever" (2.19 "I Only Have Eyes For You"); "Forever. That's the whole point" (3.01 "Anne"); "You still my girl?" / "Always" (3.17 "Enemies"); Buffy's "Buffy & Angel 4ever!" doodle on her notebook (3.20 "The Prom"); "How's forever? Does forever work for you?" (5.17 "Forever"). At first glance, this may appear to be a romantic cliche, but taken in context of what vampires represent, the motif takes on new meaning. To be eternal is to be like a vampire -- to stagnate, to never change or grow or mature. Indeed, Angel's final line on the entire show, in his and Buffy's last scene together, is, "I ain't getting any older" (7.22 "Chosen"). In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, immortality is synonymous with immaturity. To want a "forever" relationship, then, is to want to never grow up.
(This idea is revisited in the Angel episode 2.13 "Happy Anniversary," a disturbing tale about a man who responds to his impending breakup with his girlfriend Denise by attempting to freeze them both in time mid-coitus forever. Lorne's response -- "I can hold a note forever. But eventually that's just noise. It's the change we're listening for. The note coming after, and the one after that. That's what makes it music." -- is a perfect summation of the Buffyverse's stance on the concept of eternity. To last "forever" is not romantic or beautiful; it is simply to be in stasis.)
Buffy and Angel's relationship is also frequently associated with death, and Buffy's death in particular: "When you kiss me, I wanna die" (2.05 "Reptile Boy"); kissing against a gravestone reading "In Loving Memory" ("Bad Eggs"); Angel's dream of Buffy bursting into flames in the sunlight like a vampire after marrying him ("The Prom"). The implication is that, if Buffy stays in the relationship, it will metaphorically kill her, cut off her future, freeze her in this moment of teenage love until the end of time, like the first episode's vampire whose fashion sense was stuck in the past or, indeed, like the fate that almost befell poor Denise. To borrow a metaphor from Revolutionary Girl Utena (another show very concerned with the dichotomy of eternity vs. growing up), Angel and Buffy's relationship is their coffin. They can choose to stay trapped in it forever, to never grow or change, and thus to metaphorically die; or they can choose to leave, to grow and change and mature, to gain "the power to imagine the future" (Ikuhara Kunihiko, Utena DVD commentary), where before they could only imagine each other.
It's no coincidence that the second season's finale, an episode all about "becoming," about growing up and maturing, is when Buffy finally finds the strength to kill Angel in order to save the world. In doing so, she rejects her desire to stay young forever, trapped in her coffin with Angel for all of eternity, and chooses to continue to grow up instead. But, of course, growing up is never quite so simple; Angel comes back, and Buffy falls back into her relationship with him, falls back into her desire to pretend the events of the second season never happened and she is still the same young girl who never lost her "innocence" at his hands. Even when we consciously choose to grow up, it is all too easy to seek comfort in the idea that maybe, if we try hard enough, we won't have to. In the end, it is Angel who recognizes the harm their relationship is doing to Buffy, and he departs, taking Buffy's childhood with him. Her youth leaves her, as it leaves us all, whether she wants it to or not.
But Angel is not the last vampire she has a relationship with. In the show's sixth season, Buffy emerges from her literal coffin only to climb right back into a metaphorical one. In the time since she said goodbye to Angel, Buffy has attended college, had to drop out of college, had another romantic relationship fail, lost her mother, essentially become a parent to her newly-acquired sister, died through suicidal self-sacrifice, and been resurrected only to find that she is still just as depressed as she was before dying and is now swamped with bills she cannot pay. Her problems are firmly in the realm of adulthood, and at many points throughout the first half of the season, she longs for the grave she left instead of the life she has: "I was happy. [...] I think I was in heaven. [...] This is hell" (6.03 "After Life"); "There was no pain / no fear, no doubt / 'til they pulled me out / of heaven" (6.07 "Once More, with Feeling").
It is at this point that she begins a sexual relationship with Spike, her second dalliance with eternal immaturity. Buffy and Spike's relationship is also marked by references to death, with an emphasis this time on graves: Spike notices and verbalizes the shared experience they have of clawing their way out of their graves ("After Life"); Spike and Buffy fall into a grave together during Spike's song, during which he beseeches her to "let [him] rest in peace" ("Once More, with Feeling"); several of their sexual encounters literally occur inside the crypt Spike lives in; this crypt is brought into focus especially in 6.13 "Dead Things," in which Buffy and Spike place their hands on either side of its door, separated by her status as living and his as dead. Buffy additionally uses Spike as a proxy to call herself "dead inside" ("Dead Things"). Buffy may have literally risen from the dead, but in a metaphorical sense, she is still trapped in her coffin, unwilling to leave it.
There are, of course, multiple layers to the grave and coffin motif in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sixth season. But I would argue that one such layer is that it serves as an extension of the death metaphor from Buffy and Angel's relationship, in which death signified Buffy never growing up. In this reading, Buffy's longing for the "heaven" granted to her by the grave is really a longing for the innocence of youth, now lost to her as she must continue to grow up. In Buffy's confession to Spike in "After Life" about where she was in death, she makes particular note of how "time didn't mean anything" in the place she labels "heaven," whereas in the real world, it's hellish "just getting through the next moment, and the one after that." Unlike Lorne, who saw beauty in the progression of time, Buffy sees only suffering, and longs for a time in her life when time itself seemed not to march forward at all.
It is no wonder, then, that she seeks comfort in someone who is frozen in time, who can never grow up. If Buffy's relationship with Angel represented her childhood desire to stay young forever and never face the hardships of adulthood, her relationship with Spike represents her adulthood desire to return to that period of youth and never leave it, to curl up in her coffin and close the lid. But unlike Buffy and Angel's relationship, which is littered with references to eternity, Buffy repeatedly insists on the temporary nature of her dalliance with Spike: "What we did is done. But I will never kiss you, Spike. Never touch you, ever, ever again" (6.08 "Tabula Rasa"); "Not gonna happen. Last night was the end of this freak show" (6.10 "Wrecked"). Buffy is furious with Spike for his hold over her and hates herself for wanting him, but returns to him again and again. She believes she shouldn't want to return to her unattainable youth, she knows she should accept her adult life and face its difficulties head-on, yet when confronted with its difficulties, she repeatedly goes to Spike to escape them, as in 6.11 "Gone," 6.12 "Doublemeat Palace," and 6.15 "As You Were."
If Angel represents Buffy's youth and Spike her nostalgia for that youth, then of course it follows that Angel must leave Buffy, but Buffy must leave Spike. Nostalgia, unlike youth, does not depart from us so easily. But she does leave him, and in the sixth season's finale, she finally crawls out of the grave she's been trapped in, represented by her leading her sister out of a literal grave and smiling at the world before her. As Buffy tells Dawn: "Things have really sucked lately, but it's all gonna change. And I wanna be there when it does. [...] And I want to see you grow up" (6.22 "Grave"). Change, the inevitable forward march of time, the reality of growing up -- these things no longer strike Buffy as hellish, but rather beautiful. She is an adult, and she is living in this ever-changing world, and she embraces that reality fully, leaving the coffin of youth behind for good.
What to make, then, of Buffy's relationship with Spike in the show's seventh season? I would argue that her evolving feelings towards Spike in the final season represent her reconciling with and forgiving her past self, the Buffy that didn't want to grow up, before finally letting that part of her go. She comes to recognize that Spike, like her past self, was capable of change, eternally immature though he may seem. She forgives herself for wanting him. When he offers to leave, she tells him she is "not ready for [him] to not be here" (7.14 "First Date"). She has already chosen to embrace and accept her adulthood, and she no longer resents her desire to return to childhood, but she still needs her inner eternal child with her.
It is in the very last episode of the series that she lets go, demonstrating her full-hearted and joyful acceptance of ephemerality in the process. Buffy has not told a romantic partner she loves them since Angel, although she told Angel she loved Riley in Angel 1.19 "Sanctuary," and from episodes like 4.03 "The Harsh Light of Day," it is clear how much the unexpected transience of her supposed-to-be-forever relationship with Angel has haunted her. But in 7.22 "Chosen," Buffy tells Spike she loves him in a moment when she knows for sure that his death is imminent and that their joint existence together is temporary. She no longer fears a love that is not eternal. Through Spike, she expresses her love for her past self and for the part of her that never quite grew up, and then she lets that part die with him, and with Sunnydale itself, the place where she spent her adolescence, another representation of the grave that was her dream of forever childhood. Despite this destruction and loss, Buffy only smiles in its face, and it is this smile we leave her on. She has grown up, she has forgiven herself for not wanting to grow up, she has let go of the last remnants of the childhood she once hoped would be eternal, and she has come to not only accept the ephemeral, ever-changing nature of life, but to meet it with love and joy. "The power to imagine the future" is hers to wield. And her smile tells us that she is finally ready to wield it.
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neyafromfrance95 · 18 days ago
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s3 needs to explore galadriel's desire for power.
it's a very complex and interesting essence of her character and her most defining trait that hasn't been really tapped into that much other than her never following anyone as an authority and her possessiveness of nenya.
her motivations for hunting sauron mostly stem from vengeance for finrod, but her desire for him comes from him personifying her desire for power. if being stabbed by morgoth's crown binds galadriel to sauron and gives her access to and amplifies her witchy powers, it will be a perfect way to explore her relationship with power in all its' complexity.
galadriel is a great leader who leads her own way. her power itself is not an issue. it's her pride and unwillingness to share any of her power. it's her addiction to gaining more and more power.
in theory, she could have succeeded her father, the high king in valinor. but there were other elven kings in valinor, so galadriel would never have the kingdom of her own where she is the sole authority as the valar would be above her.
in trop, sauron is a personification of galadriel's desire for power. he would make all middle-earth bend its knees to worship her. but this domination of all would turn galadriel into a tyrant. ultimately, she would lose power over her own self. sauron would serve her but he would also control her.
and that's why she refuses him and refuses the one ring - she chooses absolute power over her own self and rejects absolute power over all else. so she remains galadriel, staying true to herself.
frodo perceiving galadriel as a great queen later and galadriel having a great enough authority in valinor to let gimli in is interesting. and with trop's context, galadriel keeps wearing nenya - the symbol of her connection to power + bond to sauron.
galadriel is immortal so her story continues forever. it's reasonable to assume that so does her ambition for power, even if she controls her addiction to it and resists the temptations. it could be that now she would be a worthy successor of her father in everyone's eyes. by overgrowing her pride, she becomes a great leader.
so, in dagor dagorath, she would definitely play a major role and be in the frontlines of the action. and in trop's continuum, if sauron was to repent, his bond with galadriel would definitely play a central role in that and it would make sense for him to bind galadriel to power again as she binds him to the light.
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ninadove · 5 months ago
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hi!
i’m so sorry if you’ve already made a post or answered an ask like this before, but i remember you saying a couple times how the lovesquare is queer-coded.
i think that’s such an interesting observation, and i was wondering if you’d be willing to elaborate on that a little more?
i’d love to hear your thoughts!! and thank you for taking the time to read this. :)
Absolutely Anon! Thanks for dropping by! ❤️🖤
I’m sure there are a lot of wonderful, more complete posts on the topic out there — my Sentikids tunnel vision means I don’t always grant other characters/relationships the attention they deserve. That being said, here are some things that popped into my head:
1. Secret identities
You know ‘em, you love ‘em. Secret identities are the core of the show — the very reason the Love Square is a square! Hiding part or the entirety of who you are for safety reasons is a theme most queer people unfortunately relate to, and the great thing is that we get two very different perspectives on the matter from our two protagonists.
For Adrien, Chat Noir means freedom: being away from his father’s grasp (read: from a power structure that tries to sculpt him into something perfect and bland — more on that later) allows him to become bolder, funnier, more like himself or at least more like the person he wants to be — which very prominently features being in love with Ladybug, aka exploring romantic connections outside of Kagami, the only acceptable option for Adrien.
And yet… Chat Noir is also something dangerous. When Chat Noir gets rejected, Adrien tries to renounce his Miraculous, aka to bury this part of himself as far down as possible; when Chat Noir gets unmasked by Ladybug, the object of his affections, IT’S THE LITERAL END THE WORLD (twice and a half now). There’s an entire post to be made about Cat Walker and Aspik and Adrien folding himself into what he thinks Ladybug’s perfect partner should be.
The point is: Adrien being himself puts him (and the people he loves) in harm’s way, both emotionally and physically. You see the themes, I see the themes, we cry together and hold hands.
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Marinette, on the other hand, fucking hates being Ladybug for most of the series. She wants to be a normal girl (!) with a normal life (!!) and it’s just not happening. The reason? There’s something about her that no one knows yet (!!!) ‘cause she has a secret (!!!!).
If anything, being Ladybug keeps getting in the way of her romantic shenanigans: she can’t be with Adrien/Chat Noir because Apocalypse, she can’t be with Cat Walker because her Lucky Charm doesn’t like him, she can’t be with Luka because she has to lie all the time! Not only that, it endangers her friendships as well, as seen in The Gang of Secrets. Look at the wording of her talk with Alya in this episode:
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“I won’t try to figure it out our force it out of you. If you can’t tell me what’s in your heart… it’s your right.”
“Will we still be friends?”
“Marinette, I’m your best friend, and I’ll always be. That’s why it kills me that I can’t help you with whatever’s making you feel so alone.”
[…] “You know why I broke up with Luka? Not because I don’t like him! He’s amazing! It’s because there’s something that I can’t tell him. You know why I have to forget Adrien? For the exact same reason. You’re right! I keep secrets, I lie all the time, I lie to my friends, to my parents, everyone, and the worst thing is I can’t do it any other way. […] I tell you, things will never be the same between us again, it will mess up everything — maybe even destroy it!
“Marinette, I’m your very best friend.”
“And I… I’m Ladybug.”
If this isn’t a coming out scene, I don’t know what is.
Of course, Marinette progressively steps into her role as a superheroine and learns to navigate her relationships accordingly — but she’s still carrying this secret that sets her apart from the rest of the world. It’s the othering, isolating part of queerness, and it’s really well portrayed throughout the seasons.
2. The Adrigaminette-to-Lukadrinette pipeline
I cannot not mention it, because what the hell was going on here.
Adrigaminette felt less like a love triangle and more like the girls voting themselves out of the polycule in quick succession. We got an entire episode of the three of them running around, holding hands and jumping in ballpits together. Both Adrien and Kagami went heart eyes over Marinette’s loose hair.
Then André came in with his cart and clown shoes and said “Nah you can’t all share the Magical Ice Cream Of Romance. :( Yeah sorry my ice cream is for two people and two people only. :( Also I guess I could serve Marigami and Marigami only but the flavours would taste gross together. :( Don’t look into the subtext too much” HE JUST HAD TO RUIN IT FOR THEM DIDN’T HE
I’m really happy he ruined it for them, for bird reasons, but still. Adrigami is also the one time we get to see Chat Noir ruin Adrien’s love life, and most of the fuel for my aroace Adrien thoughts, but I digress — LUKADRINETTE
Luka is in the unique position of knowing both Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities, aka the most secret part of their souls, and immediately went in repression mode in Wishmaker upon finding out his two crushes were basically soulmates. It pays off in Migration, when he becomes their de facto safe place, the one person they know has both of their backs no matter what. Just look at the way they all look at each other:
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With Marinette knowing she does not have to lie to him anymore and Adrien being Adrien. I’m sorry but in my mind they both independently proposed to him right then and there. This is the timeline I live in now.
Parenthesis over. Let’s get back to business:
3. Feligami Adrinette
By which I mean the themes explored throughout their relationship.
Adrinette’s story has always been about rescuing Adrien from the abusive environment he grew up in, as Marc and Nathaniel so helpfully drove across through their delightful storyboards:
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(Note the gender role reversal here, blurring the lines between Marinette and Ladybug as she takes on the role of the knight in shining armour, while Adrien is the princess locked away in her tower… Adrien’s gender deserves another other essay in itself, but for today, let’s just agree that he is Not Cis.)
In S5, this theme escalates into a full-on Romeo and Juliet situation. Gabriel and Tomoe are of course the main obstacles to Adrinette’s happy ending: given A. Gabriel’s history of forcing his son into a mold, B. the strict expectations placed on Tsurugi women and C. the oppressive, uniformly white world they want to create through Perfect Alliance (Perfect!!! Alliance!!! Rings!!! Marriage!!!), it’s not a stretch to see them as the messengers of a certain vision of masculinity, femininity and relationships. You see it, I see it, Marinette doesn’t see it because she’s too busy sobbing on the floor, which finally brings me to my favourite thing ever:
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“But Nina!” I hear you protest, “you’re making everything about Feligami again!” To which I reply: first of all, yes I am. Second of all, you can’t stop me. Third of all —
Third of all, characters don’t exist in a vacuum, and this is particularly true of the Adrinette & Feligami quartet. Kagami’s name literally means mirror; Felix is a foil to Adrien, of course, but also to Marinette (and Gabriel and Emilie and a bunch of other characters and I love him so much but let’s not stray too far from the point). Of course Feligami is going to parallel and contrast Adrinette, especially since Felix is Aware of the Themes and Motifs and has decided to make it everyone’s problem.
So in June (!) 2023, a little thing called Representation (!!) aired.
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There are sooo many things to say about the queer-coding of the Senti-lore in general and of Felix and Feligami in particular. Today, though, I want to draw your attention to the way the kids talk about themselves at the end of the play, drawing clear narrative links to the Love Square (and most specifically Ladybug):
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“You know what it’s like to not be able to love the one you want.”
“To constantly fight to save the people you love.”
“To have to lie all the time and never reveal who you truly are.”
[Wipes a single tear away] They grow up so fast…
At the end of the day, this is what both Feligami and the Love Square are all about: embracing who you are and the love you feel, no matter its form, in a world that perpetually tries to enslave and/or kill you for it. I don’t know about you, but I find it hella queer in nature.
Thank you for coming to my DUUSUTalk! 💙🦚
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anonymousewrites · 3 months ago
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A Not-So-Disastrous Love (Book 2) Chapter Four
Saiki Kusuo x Reader
Chapter Four: Cute Girls and Ghost Girls
Summary: There's a new cute girl in the school, and there's also a haunting.
            Saiki and (Y/N) watched a first-year walk through a crowd of students. All the men were giving her gifts and trying to help her find her way around the school. It reminded Saiki and (Y/N) of Teruhashi, except…
            “Who is she?” whispered (Y/N).
            “No idea,” said Saiki.
            Clearly, though her beauty was immense, she was not the perfect pretty girl Teruhashi was (honestly, it would be scary if there was another person with Teruhashi’s presence and powerful beauty in the world).
            “When I heard the boys, I thought it was Teruhashi,” said Saiki.
            “I wonder if Kokomi and the freshman will meet,” wondered (Y/N). “It might break the world.”
            “Yare yare.” Saiki sighed. “Let’s avoid her.” He didn’t need more bothers (especially not people who drew attention) in his life.
            “She’s not in our year, so it should be simple,” said (Y/N).
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            Wrong.
            As Saiki, (Y/N), Nendou, and Kaidou walked to their classroom as break ended, they found a group of their second-year students peeking into a first-year classroom.
            “Wow, she’s super cute,” whispered some of the boys.
            “It’s Imu Rifuta,” sighed another dreamily.
            “What are those guys doing?” wondered Nendou.
            “Probably checking out the cute freshman,” said Kaidou.
            “Oh, the girl from this morning,” said Saiki.
            “I wonder what she’s like,” said (Y/N).
            “You mean more or less annoying than Teruhashi?” said Saiki.
            (Y/N) leveled a look at Saiki, and Saiki quieted. “No, I mean if she’s actually a nice girl or not.”
            Inside the classroom, Rifuta stood and walked towards the door. It’s only a matter of time before I dominate this school. This is a pain. However, as soon as she opened the door, the boys blushed. But I guess they deserve a treat. She put on a shy smile. “Do you need something from me?”
            “Do her thoughts match her appearance?” whispered (Y/N).
            “She wants to dominate the school,” said Saiki, directly into (Y/N)’s mind.
            “Huh,?” asked (Y/N). They knew that Teruhashi felt the pressure to be the perfect pretty girl, and while most of her kindness—especially to her friends—was legimiate, she did make sure to present herself well to the world. That was understandable, so (Y/N) didn’t hold it against her. And Teruhashi was learning to be herself, like rejected Saiko and such.
            Hopefully, Rifuta was like that. If she wasn’t…that could spell trouble. And conflict. And an unhealthy relationship for Rifuta with her self-image in the long run.
            “Are you seeing anyone?”
            “Are you dating?”
            “Do you have a boyfriend?”
            The crowd of boys had no idea that Rifuta knew exactly how to play them, though, so the questions just kept coming.
            “What? A boyfriend?” Rifuta blushed. “No, I don’t.” She lightly hit an older boy, playing a “petulant” but cute role. “That’s not something you can simply ask a girl.”
            I wish she would hit me, too, thought all the boys.
            “But if I do get a boyfriend, I want someone older who can take charge,” said Rifuta.
            All the boys gasped and blushed.
            (Y/N) groaned. “So she’s that type of girl.” Rifuta was able to manipulate boys and did so intentionally.
            They’re such easy targets, thought Rifuta.
            Nendou approached and leaned in to look at Rifuta. She jumped in surprise and fear.
            “What is this?” he asked.
            “Nendou!” exclaimed the other boys.
            “Fine, I guess she’s cute,” said Nendou, “But Teruhashi is cuter.”
            Teruhashi? Who is that? thought Rifuta. What, did he just say she was cuter? She narrowed her eyes. There’s no way this dump of a school has someone cuter.
            “Hey, Nendou, what are you talking about,” said a classmate.
            You tell him! thought Rifuta, smirking.
            “She’s an aggressive Kokomi, isn’t she?” said (Y/N), reading her like a book.
            “Yes,” said Saiki.
            “That’s not a fair comparison!” continued the classmate. “You can’t compare her to an angel!”
            Wait, I lost?! Rifuta’s mouth dropped open in shock.
            “What a blow,” remarked (Y/N).
            “This girl is ten times cuter than the average girl, not a hundred times cuter!” said the classmate. “They’re in different leagues!”
            Another blow.
            She’s that cute?! thought Rifuta incredulously.
            “Shut up, back off,” said Nendou as the boys advanced on him.
            “It’s fine. I’m not that cute at all,” said Rifuta, trying to pretend to be humble. “I’m-I’m a little curious to meet this Teruhashi.” This is nuts! I need to see her!
            Yare yare.
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            “How do you feel about that quiz, (Y/N)?” asked teruhashi as she stood up for lunch.
            “Pretty good,” said (Y/N). “On one of the triple integrations, I definitely started with the wrong axis, so it took me a while, but I think I sorted it out in the end.” They smiled.
            “Oh, yes, I’ve done that, too,” said Teruhashi, smiling.
            Outside the door of the classroom, Rifuta looked in, and her jaw dropped open. Teruhashi’s smile shone just as much as she did.
            How is she so beautiful?! thought Rifuta. I can see why they call her an angel now. I can even see her wings. She shook her head. No, those are just clouds! Even the sky is on her side? I-I can’t let anyone be cuter than me.
            “Look at her,” whispered some second-years. “She’s so cute.”
            I haven’t lost yet! Rifuta smiled triumphantly. Everyone’s calling me cute!
            “Look, it’s Teruhashi,” said a boy, running to the door to look in. He was in another class, so he didn’t get to see Teruhashi as often as other people.
            “She gives my life meaning just by living in the same world,” sighed another boy.
            That goes far beyond just cute! Rifuta couldn’t believe it. A world that doesn’t revolve around me?! I will never accept that! “E-Excuse me,” she said to the boys. “I wanted to go to the cafeteria, but I got a little lost. Could you please show me the way?”
            “Of course!” said one boy.
            “Yes!” said another.
            “What?”
            “She asked me!”
            “Want to fight?!”
            Rifuta inwardly smirked. I’m going to steal every boy fawning over you.
            And then, a shining light rained down on the squabbling boys.
            “What’s this commotion? Are you fighting?” asked Teruhashi.
            She’s even prettier up close! Rifuta just stared. Her eyes flicked to (Y/N). And she even lets random people hang around her?
            Hey. Saiki thought (Y/N) was better to look at than either Rifuta or Teruhashi, so he didn’t appreciate the thought.
            “Of course not,” said one of the boys.
            “We were just fooling around.” The other smiled. They were like best buddies now.
            They stopped fighting just because this girl showed up! My beauty causes conflict, but her beauty goes beyond that. She brings people together!
            “You want to go to the cafeteria?” said Teruhashi, smiling at Rifuta. “(Y/N) and I can show you the way.”
            (Y/N) just smiled, as bright and cheery as ever. Rifuta felt very confused and intimidated by the whole thing.
            Saiki was annoyed that his partner was getting stolen for lunch, which meant he’d be stuck with just idiots.
l
            “This is the fastest way to the cafeteria,” explained (Y/N), ignoring the “oh, wows” being created by the sight of Teruhashi.
            What is that “oh, wow” sound I keep hearing?! thought Rifuta.
            “You’re name is Imu, right?” said Teruhashi. “That’s such a cute name. Your pigtails suit you.”
            Rifuta blushed. “Really?”
            (Y/N) tilted their head as Rifuta gazed adoringly—on accident—at Teruhashi. Huh.
            “They are very cute,” said Teruhashi.
            No, what am I getting happy for?! Rifuta couldn’t believe her own reaction. People only give compliments when they think they’re better than you. I’ll show her! “Is that so? But you’re much prettier, and your skin is so smooth.”
            “Oh, stop.” Teruhashi blushed. “I’m not wearing any makeup today.”
            No makeup! Rifuta was being blown out of the water.
            “Let’s get a meal ticket,” said (Y/N) cheerfully. They were used to Teruhashi and what happened around her by now, so while Rifuta kept being shocked, they just kept walking to the counter for food.
            “Three noodle bowls coming up,” said the servers. He smiled at Rifuta. “This cute freshman gets a fried shrimp on the house.”
            Yes, look at that! Rifuta felt victorious. When you’re as cute as me, then they give you free food at the—Her eyes bulged upon seeing Teruhashi’s tray.
            The bowl was twice as large with a lobster, egg, and three pieces of fried shrimp.
            “Oh, (Y/N), I got too much fried shrimp. Would you like some?” said Teruhashi.
            “Sure,” said (Y/N), smiling as they were passed the free food. Hey, they might not have been changing the world order with their looks, but they had a good friend, so what did it matter?
            She got a whole lobster?! And she shared?! Rifuta’s head was spinning. A world that doesn’t revolve around me? “I can’t handle this!” She put her tray down and ran.
            “Imu?” said Teruhashi. Inwardly, she smiled. I’m sorry, but you must learn your place. The world doesn’t revolve around you. It revolves around me.
            In my opinion, they’re both as bad as each other, thought Saiki.
            “You were really trying to impress her, Kokomi,” said (Y/N) as they sat down.
            “I was just showing her who the perfect pretty girl is,” said Teruhashi. “She’s cute, but she’s not me.”
            (Y/N) waved their chopsticks at Teruhashi. “We’ve talked about this, you don’t need to attach all your worth to that. Besides, she’s doing the same thing, and you can see that it gets bad if someone is better than you in some way. Next time, let’s try to be a little nicer? Maybe you two could be friends. Then the world would really revolve completely around you.” They laughed.
            Teruhashi paused and considered. She smiled shyly. “I guess you’re right. I was a little harsh. I’ll be a little gentler to my kohai if we meet again.”
            “And that makes you the perfect pretty girl,” joked (Y/N). To them, what was inside counted.
            Teruhashi’s cheeks burned, but she smiled at her friend. At least someone was honest with her and treated her like a regular friend. It was refreshing.
            They’re as bad as each other, but Teruhashi is nice to (Y/N). I’ll put up with her for that.
l
            “You hear a not from the music room,” whispered Kaidou. “When you open the door, you will see on the piano keys a pool of blood!”
            Nendou, Saiki, and (Y/N) didn’t react and just stared at him.
            “Why aren’t you reactin?” Kaidou sweat-dropped.
            “Just wipe up the blood then,” said Nendou.
            “That’s not the point!” said Kaidou.
            “Why are we always scared of ghosts? I can’t imagine they’re all like the horror movies,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “Maybe they’re just having a good time.
            “Ghosts are scary!” cried Kaidou.
            “A ghost in the music room? Wasn’t there someone who knows about ghosts? I can’t remember who it is,” said Saiki.
            “You’re just pretending not to know him because he’s a pervert,” said (Y/N).
            “Yes,” said Saiki.
            “Saiki!”
            “Speaking of the pervert,” said (Y/N) brightly.
            Toritsuka stood in the doorway of the classroom. “Please help me.” Blood dripped down his forehead.
            “It’s a ghost!” cried Kaidou.
            “That doesn’t look right,” remarked (Y/N).
            “Don’t worry about it, I just got punched when they caught me listening by the girls’ bathroom,” said Toritsuka.
            “So you deserved it? No worries then,” said (Y/N), humming.
            “That’s why I pretend not to know him,” said Saiki.
            “Can we talk, Saiki? Please?” said Toritsuka.
            “Yare yare.” He knew he would be bothered, so he stood up and went with Toritsuka. (Y/N) gave him a thumbs-up as encouragement.
            “I am begging you,” said Toritsuka. “Come with me tonight to exorcise the ghost in the music room!”
            “Help you again?” Saiki was uninterested in the idea
            “I promised some people that I would handle it,” said Toritsuka.
            Saiki considered. The extra attention the ghost brings is bad for me. Too much ESP things going on could be a problem for the one psychic that didn’t want to be found out. Yare yare. “Fine.” He was going to hate this.
l
            “There’s something exciting about being at school at night!” said Toritsuka.
            (Y/N) yawned. “I’m ready for bed.” They’d only come so their boyfriend didn’t have to deal with Toritsuka on his own (plus they wanted to see a real ghost).
            “I’m surprised. I figured a coward like you would be scared,” said Saiki, looking at Toritsuka.
            “Are you kidding? How could I be scared when there are ghosts everywhere?” said Toritsuka.
            “Most people would be,” said Saiki.
            “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” chirped (Y/N).
            “See?”
            Plink!
            “I heard a piano!” cried Toritsuka.
            “Clairvoyance.” Saiki crossed his eyes and looked at the music room. “No one’s in there.”
            “Let’s go see,” said (Y/N).
            “To the music room!” said Toritsuka. He flung open the door. “Stop right there!”
            “Nobody is here,” said Saiki. “But what can you see?”
            Toritsuka had a strange look on his face.
            “What are you seeing?” repeated Saiki.
            “Only he can see the ghosts?” (Y/N) sighed, disappointed.
            “See it for yourself with your psychometry,” said Toritsuka.
            Saiki touched Toritsuka with one hand and (Y/N) with the other, sharing the ghost-seeing ability.
            “What is it, something bad—”
            “Oh,” said (Y/N).
            It was a girl their age, a ghost, playing the piano.
            “She’s so cute!” cried Toritsuka.
            “Who cares about that?” said Saiki.
            “Let’s talk to her,” said (Y/N). “Excuse me,” they said.
            The girl stopped and looked up nervously. “You can see me?”
            (Y/N) nodded. “Your playing is very nice.” They smiled.
            “But, uh, you’re scaring people,” said Toritsuka.
            The girl’s face dropped. “My playing is scaring the other students?” Her voice was small, disappointed.
            “That’s because nobody can see you except for this weirdo,” said Saiki.
            “I’m sure no one would be scared if they saw you,” said (Y/N) kindly.
            “I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” said the girl. “I just realized I could touch this piano for some reason. Playing it really relaxes me.”
            “You must be able to touch things that meant something in your life,” said Saiki.
            “So you’d be able to eat coffee jelly if you were a ghost,” said (Y/N).
            Saiki couldn’t exactly argue with that comment.
            “Play as much as you’d like,” said Toritsuka. “I’d love to hear a ballad!”
            “He’s seriously flirting?” (Y/N) sighed.
            “We can’t just let her keep doing this,” said Saiki, and Toritsuka frowned.
            “That’s true,” he admitted. He looked at the girl. “I’m sorry. As a spirit medium, I can’t just ignore a ghost causing trouble for others. Now, please be gone.”
            “That’s a bit harsh, poor girl,” said (Y/N).
            “Please! You’re frightening everyone,” said Toritsuka. “Will you leave this place? I’m begging you?”
            “What?” said the girl, confused.
            “You’re trying persuasion?” said Saiki.
            “That can’t be effective,” said (Y/N).
            “He can’t even touch ghosts,” recalled Saiki.
            “You can come to my house!” said Toritsuka. He grinned. “Please? Just for a little bit?”
            (Y/N) looked directly at the ghost. “I’d suggest moving on to the afterlife at this point. He’s weird.”
            “No, no, you can come to my house!” said Toritsuka.
            “Over my dead body,” said the girl.
            “Nice ghost joke.”
            “I’ll stop playing,” said the girl. She bowed her head. “I’m sorry for all the trouble. Goodbye.” She faded away.
            Toritsuka deflated from disappointment at failing to flirt with yet another girl. “I feel kind of bad.”
            “We didn’t have a choice,” said Saiki.
            “At least she can move on,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “And then she’ll be at peace instead of lonely at school playing all on her own.”
            Toritsuka sighed again. “But I could’ve brought the piano back to my place for her.”
            “Don’t ruin a nice idea by being a pervert.”
            “Weirdo,” chirped (Y/N).
            The piano player would move on in peace, but Toritsuka got ganged up on. All was well in the world once more.
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