#and here is My Interpretation: childe knows his position and knows it will force him to hurt others

[h0estar]

What are some traits/characteristics of Jinshi, that makes the relationship with him and maomao healthy— in a realistic sense?

where do i even begin :')

i'll try to make this solely about jinshi as much as i can (my interpretation of his character, at least), so here goes:

he puts others above himself. jinshi's #1 character trait is going above and beyond for people. it doesn't matter if they're doing him wrong or hate him; if he can find some way to help others, even at his own cost, he will. now, i know this isn't exactly healthy, but this guy is a people pleaser to his core </3

he listens. many times in the novels, we're shown how jinshi personally visits villages or people directly affected by taxes, laws, or whatever political movement the capital imposes, to gauge the people's reactions. he takes note and does what he can to help them.

he's wise and intelligent. takes one to know one. that's literally how he met maomao. to do his best work, he consults the opinions of those more knowledgeable than him (he's wise not to let something stupid like pride get in the way of his work). he takes their words to heart and takes them into consideration. oftentimes, he doesn't pursue a decision unless he's absolutely sure he's on the same page with trusted people.

he is kind and compassionate. he's been through shit since he was a child, but we don't see a vengeful streak once. this guy is so incredibly forgiving that he's willing to overlook any attempts made on his life (both sexual and murderous). this trait also drives him to help people without asking for anything in return. it's why he helped lady fuyou be reunited with her lover and why, despite his status, he wrote 200 letters begging regional leaders and political big-shots to help the western capital. and most especially, it's why shisui/loulan, suirei, and the shi clan children are still alive.

he is patient and resilient. again, people have been doing him wrong his entire life, but he still puts up with them (e.g., lakan & gyokou). he has a bad day almost every day and is stressed 24/7, but he tolerates it (despite complaining). still, he doesn't give up.

he has a strong work ethic. guy is a workaholic. if he's committed to doing something, he'll do it full-force, to the best of his abilities, and see it through till the end.

he is logical. he doesn't let his emotions dictate all his actions. if he could go about things his way, he would. instead, he uses critical thinking skills: he analyzes different perspectives, breaks elements down, and considers how his decisions will affect certain people. after all his thinking, he comes up with logical conclusions on which to base his decisions.

okay, so combine all these traits together, and we see how it makes his relationship with maomao healthy:

he prioritizes maomao above all else. everything he does, he takes her into consideration. when he makes decisions, he always has her safety in mind. he does this solely because he cares for her and doesn't want to put her in harm's way. he protects her, ensures her needs are met before his, and goes to great lengths to keep her from getting hurt, both physically and emotionally.

he listens and respects her boundaries. maomao is complicated. she has a skewed sense of value, self-worth, love, and all things emotional. she's also uncomfortable with grand gestures of affection, yet that doesn't stop him from pursuing her. and he does so in a way that is convenient for her, even if he has to take so much shit in the process.

he is supportive of her dreams and ambitions. though he views their status difference as an obstacle, he wields it for her benefit (he even created a new position just so maomao could practice medicine and opened up opportunities for her to become a surgeon.). he doesn't find her obsessions weird; instead, he sees value in their potential and actively encourages her to hone her skills. he also respects her expertise and doesn't command others to acknowledge it. he lets her competence speak for her as he stands from the sidelines, watching her shine.

he's incredibly patient with her. do i even need to expound? with all his princely authority, he could easily command maomao to reciprocate his feelings. but because he loves her so much, he doesn't. he sees her as someone he wants to be on equal footing with. however, because maomao is a different breed, he works for her affection and remains patient despite her constant avoidance. thus, the push-and-pull continues for 12 volumes. he's careful not to push her buttons too much and quickly observes how she reciprocates his advances.

he values her intelligence and trusts her. he never mansplains or acts like he knows more than her. he holds her words with heavy weight and consults her with things he finds difficult. even for stuff he's already figured out, he still seeks out her opinion because what she says and does matters to him.

he's loyal to her!!!! my guy is committed! he's thrown himself into this path ever since maomao said he'd always be jinshi to her, and he hasn't looked back or away since. he's determined to win her heart no matter how long it takes, and he will see it to the end.

i could go on and on and on about how self-sacrificial and beautiful jinshi's love for maomao is. the average guy would've given up on her, but he has the wits and intelligence to match her pace. he's likely noticed how maomao treats him differently from the rest and picked up on her kindness and compassion. he held on to that and kept faith, giving maomao the time needed to sort out her emotions and feelings, hoping his efforts would be rewarded someday.

now, i'm not saying jinshi is perfect. in fact, some of his character traits can be viewed as flaws. but when you really think about it, jinshi is a PRINCE living in a patriarchal society where women had little to no rights. yet he's doing all this FOR MAOMAO, a woman and a 'common apothecary.' despite his nobility, he's intentionally making his life difficult in his pursuit of her, yet he doesn't give a rat's ass. he wants her with every fiber of his being, and he wants her to want him too. but he's doing that on her terms.

however, jinshi's traits alone aren't what make their relationship healthy. jinshi loves maomao, but maomao values jinshi just as much. she cares for him, notices even the smallest things about him, observes him and his moods, supports him in any way she can, gets mad on his behalf, and gets worried and frustrated when he hurts himself for her or others, she feels comfortable when he's being his true self, and above all, she feels safe around him. there are so many more examples, and it's hidden in plain sight in the novels; you really just have to read between the lines.

maomao and jinshi are just humans, navigating feelings and personal relationships for the first time. it's an absolute delight to witness their growth and how far they've come, positively impacting each other despite their personalities. now that they're technically dating as of LN 12, they still have a long way to go, especially with communication and maneuvering this unfamiliar territory together. their love is so wholesome, strong, beautiful, and genuinely healthy. they truly bring out the best in each other, and you just can't help but root for these two freaks.

[badgalsasuke]

Continuing the re-read of Naruto Gaiden.

While at first he looks shocked to see Sarada for the first time ever

The rest of the manga he's simply not happy to see her

Like, not in the slightest. You'd think if she was the child Sasuke had with someone he loved and wasn't able to see her due to a very dangerous important mission like SS shippers claim, he'd be happy to see her, a little smile here and there at least.

He's so uncomfortable by his daughter's presence

YIKES

I find very interesting what Kishimoto did here: 1. He had to place Sarada next to Naruto and 2. he had to make sure Naruto was injured and couldn't defend himself to get Sasuke to move and become a shield for them, basically bring back the whole "my body moved on its own" instinct Sasuke has to protect Naruto to then be able to create some sort of father-daughter moment so Sasuke wouldn't look absolutely terrible as a father.

It reminds me a lot of the interview Kishimoto gave years ago about forcing Sasuke to drink the juice he doesn't like, which is basically creating scenarios where Sasuke is forced to interact with certain characters in some way. You can read more about it here

he hates Sakura's guts so bad, like damn not even containing himself for the sake of Sarada.

The difference in Sasuke's reaction when Naruto is stabbed vs when Sakura is sent to a difference dimension.

They really don't give a fuck about Sakura at all, this is so sad.

Mmmmm the hesitation. When Naruto got stabbed and said *four* times it was no big deal Sasuke was still scared shitless for him but when Sakura is kidnapped, he isn't worried (or dgaf) and struggles to talk confidently about her strength as kunoichi. If he was smirking or something it wouldn't feel like he's forcing himself to talk that way, but he still has that uncomfy face he makes whenever Sarada and Sakura are concerned.

Kishimoto really refuses to write an interaction between Sasuke and Sakura where Sasuke shows genuine care for her. Sakura also looks kind of resignated to Sasuke's treatment here.

And this is Sarada's reaction and I cannot really decipher what Kishimoto is going trying to communicate here. It's not really a smile but she's not totally sad either. She looks baffled? Is she, just like the readers, trying to make up where Sasuke and Sakura really stand as a couple? It seems like so to me.

Okay, finally for once he shows some positive emotion towards Sarada and is proud of her strength.

Oh brother, he truly does not give a fuck about Sakura. I also find it an interesting choice that we don't see Sasuke's face when he's talking about his feelings for Sakura.

Don't worry Sarada you're not the first child to come from a loveless marriage, multiple children across the world see themselves in you!

Right here I almost felt like despite not loving Sakura, Sasuke doesn't find it necessary for Sarada to pay for that and that his uncomfortable face has more to do with not knowing his child and not knowing how to act around her rather than some actual misplaced anger against her.

But then Sasuke did this, meaning he has no issues to make false promises to Sarada just like he did to Sakura and just like Itachi did to him. He doesn't feel close to her nor is he interested in strengthening their bond.

Sakura is so pathetic like you cannot even feel bad for her because she herself refuses to stand up.

Some SS shippers interpret Sasuke smirk as him liking to tease Sakura. Now, Sasuke's VA had apparently stated that Sasuke does like to deny Sakura affection as you can see here.

So if that's the case then Sasuke is not denying Sakura a kiss in a playful way as SS imagine (they like to say he doesn't like kissing her in public when Sakura had already implied they've NEVER kissed), but he's rather smirking because he's happy he's on his own again, like he rejected Sakura again plus used the forehead poke on Sarada that symbolizes distancing and false promises, it's a sensical conclusion to me.

And ofc we could not not talk about Studio Pierrot doing damage control of Kishimoto's work. In the family portrait made by Kishimoto Sasuke is the only one that isn't smiling and instead has a hard look on his face which fits his attitude and demeanor during all of Naruto Gaiden, but in the anime they have him smiling and gave him a softer look... Mmmmmmm...

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

so this is what I saw in a reel:

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reminder that it's implied that Alhaitham believes in Aranaras and sees them, meaning he still has a "childish" mind

This was during a web event where the Aranaras are next to Alhaitham and he's looking into their direction

alhaitham grew up full of childlike whimsy & wonders, unlike Kaveh who had to mature really fast at a young age.

Meaning Kaveh never saw a Aranara once in his life but his life and Aranaras are always explicitly connected

(kaveh's dad had a Aranara friend & the Aranaras being very close around kaveh in the official art)

——————————————

My heart is in shambles 😭💔, this stoic logical rock is a soft whimsical baby deep inside. I really really love reading your work cuz am a biiiig Haikaveh shipper so I wanted to hear your thoughts on this 👀. And how'd kaveh react if he knows about this side of Alhaitham??

Here's the link if you need it:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DENMInhoP51/?igsh=bGJ6MmM4d2VzeDEy

Hiya! Thank you so much for your ask, and I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to get to! This is a theory I’ve seen floating around for a while after this web event came out, and at first I was confused by it, maybe because when I played the web event, I didn’t interpret it as Alhaitham actually seeing the aranara when we had to wave at him, to me he just seems to be there vibing ahaha

Overall, while I like the concept as a headcanon, since I think it would be so Alhaitham to be able to see the aranara and just not mention it ahaha, I’m personally not a big fan of the theory for the basis it relies on

I think Alhaitham and kaveh are both similar in that they both experienced loss and grief early in their lives, even though alhaitham’s character stories aren’t so explicit in his emotions at the time as kaveh’s character stories are. whilst Alhaitham did have a parental figure whom he could rely on, whereas kaveh took care of his mother after his father’s passing, Alhaitham lost his sole guardian early on and had no other connection to rely on, ultimately being dependent on himself. So this idea that kaveh was forced to grow up prematurely and lost whimsy because of this whereas alhaitham’s childlike wonder remained intact doesn’t make much sense to me

Kaveh, to me, is a multi-faceted character in his grief, yes, but also in his ideals, and how he hopes and perceives the world; his hangout establishes that he takes pleasure in the small nuances of life and transforms them into creative designs; I would argue that, while it's complicated, he isn’t idealistic as a means to escape from the realities of the world, but to enhance and benefit his reality and the reality of others, overall, I think kaveh is a positive, whimsical person who seeks out the good in things, despite his mental setbacks. Personally, I don’t see how kaveh has lost his whimsy or wonder when it’s such a crucial part of his characterisation

for Alhaitham, i’d agree that Alhaitham has retained the same wonder of the world from when he was younger. Alhaitham’s interest is the ‘truth’ of the world, in all its complexities and ambiguities, and he takes active curiosity in the history that has come before him but also in the current world around him, and he pursues this in the same way from when he was a child, through organising information, comparing, and filtering. but whether this is ‘childlike whimsy’ and maintaining a ‘childish mind’, I don’t think this is the case, as this to me suggests an uninformed naivete, whereas Alhaitham seeks to obtain an objective view of the world, in all of its happinesses and sufferings, and is fully aware of the brutalities of humankind, and is willing to engage in physical combat (and deception (in the archon quest)) in order to live the life he desires

Also there’s the idea of ‘whimsy’ and ‘wonder’ being integral to seeing aranara, and this trait being inherent only in children, which I think contradicts the aranara as a whole. For me, aranaras are always there, but they only reveal themselves to people who have proven themselves trustworthy – regardless of whether they’re a child or not. starcurtain has a really great post on this! I agree with their takes and they explain it a lot more elaborately than I can, especially regarding aranara lore since I haven’t played all of the sumeru world quests involving them ☹

As for kaveh’s father’s aranara friend, arakasyapa, that side quest always holds a special place in my heart! I think it’s so fascinating that kaveh’s father canonically was friends with an aranara when he was a child and taught arakasyapa human script. The small details we learn about kaveh’s father hit hard, and the fact that it seems the traveller will never divulge them to kaveh (like the letter that his father was composing for him, only for it to be lost and never delivered) only add to the weight of the loss. But as to whether this means that aranaras and kaveh are always explicitly related, I don’t necessarily agree with, at least not in the in-game material, as outside of this mention of kaveh’s father having an aranara friend and remembering this into adulthood, there hasn’t been any explicit reference to Alhaitham or kaveh seeing the aranara, or really anything with them in reference to the aranara

as for Alhaitham being able to see the aranara, I do enjoy this concept since it holds a lot of entertainment value ahaha, like kaveh being commissioned to draw an aranara for a book illustration like in his birthday letter, and pondering what one could look like, only for Alhaitham to describe it in great detail? Kaveh would be ASTOUNDED that Alhaitham had just conveniently never mentioned his ability to see them before, and meanwhile Alhaitham would reason that 1) it’s never been relevant until now and 2) it doesn’t affect his day to day life, so he’s never paid much attention to it ahahah

Of course, overall, I would love to see any content with Alhaitham, kaveh, and the aranara in the future!

[mandalhoerian]

Gosh I wish you made such big analize about Xavier and Sylus, sometimes I feel so dumb that I can't read so good behind the lines. 😭😭😭

HEY NO CMON NOW NO NEED TO DISCREDIT YOURSELF LIKE THAT!!!! First of all, this is an ongoing game and story, think of it like an incomplete ao3 fic you have theories for. There are HUUGE gaps in there that will be filled later and until then, they are left to the interpretation of the player. It's only natural, there's SO MUCH stuff and lore out there to be consumed, which are often non-linear that it makes things confusing on purpose. It's all about feeding us crumbs about what's coming, of course we get lost!!

Secondly, I made the rafayel analysis because it confused the lights out of me with the constant nagging feeling that I was missing something and that's why I didn't understand most things and wanted to get my thoughts straight. Like the ebb day theories floating out there as to why he was Like That, why he said the things he did out of nowhere and randomly like "what if i take from you will you leave me?" after the topic was JUST about sceneries and the love and art burns me talk after YET AGAIN another art talk about inspiration in pain. I had whiplash over whiplash and felt the need to dive deep into intertidal zone.

It's not like that with Sylus and Xavier (and Zayne's) cards. At least for me. All of them are fairly self-contained compared to his, I feel like. And I'm sure other people have discussed this already, much better than I can as well -- especially Sylus, but I'll put my two cents in for a general review of both their memorias!

Xavier is experiencing negative emotions such as jealousy FOR THE FIRST TIME with MC. He doesn't know how to process these feelings which are allowed to be nurtured in a safe environment when that wasn't the case before in his life. They manifest in temper bursts that stem from a life of being forced to be emotionally blank. He wasn't allowed to be a child or freedom for himself and his thoughts and feelings and wants, so he starts behaving in a childish way -- it's something he's surprised about as well. This happens when you feel safe with a person that those repressed parts begin to open up and you start being yourself more with them. It's sad when you think about it, as cute as it is coming from Xavier. MC is so understanding of him and finding him being "expressive" more as a really positive thing. She's an amazing partner -- because let's face it, if this behavior came from a man in real life, it would be so annoying. Xavier isn't like those other men though, his jealousy doesn't come from a need to control or possess, a place of distrust, projection or disregard of personal boundaries. It's cute because it's followed by healthy communication to allow Xavier to process and grow and open up more, it doesn't threaten the relationship. This is just my interpretation, aside from the context of their previous lives together (the desire to monopolize now that he finally is with her) and this being Xavier's possibly last year on earth that gives a "i've got so little time left and i don't want to waste it" stuff.

And Sylus is. Well. There's a lot in there. The theme here is "their first time", and it's not limited to sleeping together, in my opinon. Theirs is a burgeoning relationship compared to the other "established" relationships. They're new to each other. We even see domesticity from them in MC's house for the first time, though it is a result of Sylus's Onychinus life making an introduction in their relationship as something that has to be legitimately talked about eventually. MC wants to come along with him and know more but Sylus hides a lot from her to keep her safe and separate from him, and yes it's his business and MC doesn't push (the mutual respect is insane here), but it's affecting their time together. Not that MC sees this as a problem because she's always ready to throw down (AND does lock in and gets one step ahead of him).

I read this as MC's first time finally letting him in and her desires/feelings for him that she asked him to stay and kept making the moves when it had all been him before. Her feelings are growing. And you can see how much it pleases him and makes him happy, he was waiting for this -- for MC to voluntarily want him and be honest with him. That's all Sylus wants. He can see into what she wants, and sure yeah he knows, but her outwardly voicing them to him is a different story altogether. It shows she trusts him, and that's important to Sylus.

She was mostly closed off and withdrawn from him emotionally because they have this dynamic that started off hostile that turned into teasing and provoking where she sees being vulnerable with him as a weakness that would be embarrassing. It's a budding relationship, remember? No couple is all in & open with each other right from the beginning, it comes later. And Sylus is a dominant man (not domineering, that's a different word) and I think MC doesn't like being weak next to someone like him, and she perceives a power imbalance there unconsciously even though Sylus wants her to be open so bad and rely on him more and give her everything she wants and needs.

So it's HUUUUUGE that they showed Sylus intertwine their hands together when he had to FORCE IT before. MC is finally receiving him with open arms and you can see he's delighted. It's so romantic first of all, but mans is hungry, BUT HE'S ALSO SO TENDER AND LOVING !!! GOOD FOR YOU SYLUS GET IT. I love this for him and that he felt safe enough to sleep even though he's nocturnal. Or she sucked the soul right out of his dick and knocked him out cold 😭 the sex was so astronomically soul ascending i guess LMFAO

Again, I'm sorry if I got anything wrong. These are just my thoughts, and they are surface level!

[bogos-bint3d]

random thought bc i was making alphyne sims LOL, do you think undyne would ever want to have children? how do you think she’d be as a parent?

While I personally don't quite have a "definite yes" or "definite no" answer for this I personally think that, yeah, possibly! I think it's a question with a lot of layers to it, "is it something the character would want?" "Is it something the character should do?" "How much thought would the character put into it all beforehand?" "How long would the character wait before making that choice?" And first of all I think I should talk about fandom culture's view on kids in general. Why? Because I'm obsessed with validating my opinions like this

It's been said many times by many people now how there are a lot of times where fans end up writing completely out of character for the purpose of placing characters into positions of stereotypical familial structures- ESPECIALLY forcing women into the roles of motherhood where it doesnt fit or make sense for them to the point where I don't think I can really add anything substantial or important to the topic. The pros have very much said what needs to be said.

HOWEVER. I ALSO LIKE TO HAVE FUN WITH FUCKING CHARACTERS. I LIKE TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT TOPICS AND SITUATIONS WITH THEM. I WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SHAMELESSLY ENJOY THEIR RIGHT TO INTERPRET CHARACTERS WHERE THEY THINK NESCECARY. WHERE THEY THINK FUCKING FUN!!!

So with that said, while demeaning female characters to singular sad and one dimensionsional traits of "Mother" is very clearly to me Not A Good Thing, people should stop acting like it's a fucking sin to imagine the possibility of a character having a child while still retaining all their accurate attributes, because it is a very possible thing that can be and IS done!!!!!

What are my thoughts on Undyne with all this?

Hehhaahehehaa....... strap in.

Where do I BEGIN. How about the inspirations behind the character of undyne herself.

Ok so see this wonderful lass here. That's a sculpture by Chauncey Ives of the mythical water spirit, Undine. Thinking about it, you all probably know this anyway because I do fairly often reblog Undine themed stuff too. Because I'm just like this. But how about the interesting stuff?

The original myth, created by Paracelsus, an alchemist and philosopher born in the 1400s, I believe comes from his work "A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, And Kindered Spirits". I think that's what it was called. I'm too tired to talk fully about it specifically and we need to get to the point so have a video of some guy reading it here

Yay :]

It's pretty much what it says. Paracelsus essentially believed that elemental beings (whom he had adapted and reimagined from ancient or traditional at the time sources) were simply part of the strangeness of God's natural creation and should be studied, as part of appreciation of the Bible etc. And we know ALL ABOUTTTTT utdr and its biblical links/imagery. But back to undine :]

Paracelsus named his takes on the classic concept of elementals: gnomes for earth (YES HE INVENTED THE WORD GNOME!!!!!), sylphs for air (yeah he also invented the word sylph), salamanders for fire (he didn't invent that :[), and of COURSE! UNDINES FOR WATER! He believed undines to be fairly similar to humans, a significant difference being the lack of a soul. Which surely means nothing when talking about Souls Are Important the Video Game. And anyways according to him they were apparently fairly capable of getting a soul through love. Wikipedia also says that Paracelsus says that a child from this love will too have a soul which is nice

Blablabla Wikipedia says undines are like fucking desperate to get a husband or whatever but dudeeeee she can do whatever she fucking wantssssss. I think she can and should be enjoying her life with alphys rather than it being a thing just for a living soul or whatever. They're just happy, no mythology attached

Onto the most iconic interpretation of the myth, 1811s Undine by Friedrich De La Motte Fouque. When you think of the tale of Undine it's almost always that it's this specific story you pull from. Apart from another one I'll briefly touch on later (please hope it's brief). In it, Undine is a woman adopted by a fisherman, who was taken in by the fisherman after his own child died. Hmmmmm wow hmm sort of like how asgore took in undyne after his children died HM BACK ON TOPIC. Personality-wise, Undine is described by Wikipedia (because I don't have the book) as "erratic", and "capricious", which Google dictionary describes as "given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour", which again sounds quite similar to the Undyne we all know and love.

It mentions that when married to Huldbrand (the main guy in the book he's not important tho) she is "kind and gentle" and yeah imo the writing with this IS kinda shit HOWEVER I think if were simply using this as inspiration for undyne I can definitely imagine her *eventually* becoming a calmer and more thoughtful person with A: the presence of someone like alphys to mutually love and understand her for her and B: the absence of having to worry about a war to fight and always sort of being on edge and just being. Like that. And again this would all be a *progressive experience*, rather than in the book where undine literally switches up over night. I do like to consider character and stuff

There's this line from the Wikipedia summary which jumpscared me

I 0% believe this has any significance to deltarune whatsoever however it was so funny out of context I had to add it

Another completely unrelated thing here but there's a fucking guy called "Kuhleborn" and I just. Can homestuck leave me alone. FOR FIVE MINUTES.

Sorry back to cherry picking the story to fit undyne.

Ok so truthfully I don't find anything else from that specific story that I find particularly helpful to undyne, the rest of it's kinda just useless to my point. Re-establishing the fact here that I skipped over a most of the actual significant parts of the story because I specificly want to talk about how I see it parallel to undyne. But that's it really. I just especially wanted to mention this adaptation of the story as it is pretty much the most iconic interpretation of the myth.

That is, interpretations that specifically refer to its source by name. Because by far the most well known media to draw influence from the myth of undine is the iconic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, "The Little Mermaid". I don't have much to say on how the little mermaid does take much inspiration from undine, other than the way andersen himself interpreted the story. Simply, the fact that Hans Christian Andersen, a man who based this story off of his own feelings at the inability for another man to reciprocate feelings of romance for him, and resonated with the story of undine so much that it was a source of inspiration for the little mermaid itself is so crazy to me. Like. Here is a queer man who read the tale of Undine and understood it so much he wrote his own story inspired by it and made it tie in with his own experiences of homosexuality! Like that's so crazy to me! Because it just makes the undertale character of undyne being sapphic so much better to me! It took the sad story of gay tragedy and took it and made it a story of gay joy!!!!!!! We are all so happys forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok ummmm. I got carried away because we are steering very far away from what this post was originally about. Umm. Point is. Original story was of queer sadness but undertale is now of queer joy + the story of queer joy being based on story where being with this person who you really love and being truly and properly bonded in an undeniable and magical way is enough to give you a soul that will live forever. I think that's somewhere near the point I'm trying to make but at the same time it's not quite the point I was trying to make. And this is absolutely just one interpretation of one relationship and this is by no means in any way supposed to be the end all be all of what ANY relationship should be. I really don't think this is what the definition of love is. However for these characters I feel it can be a huge aspect of it for them

NOW FINALLY MOVING ON TO THE ACTUAL CHARACTER FROM UNDERTALE THANK FUCKING GOODNESS!!!!!

Oh undyne. With some of the implications in game that she lost her family, I very much imagine her being cautious with this sort of situation. Would she be able to handle is for example? Would she know what to do. Given its something she might not even have real first hand experience of, is it something she would even want to risk forcing upon another person? I think she struggles so much with responsibility as it is. She wants nothing more than to protect people and cheesus if she had a kid of her own you know she would be doing every single thing in her power to make sure that kid never has to face what she did. Undyne says at one point in game (if you kill her in neutral i believe) she never told alphys the way she felt because if/when she died in battle, she wouldn't want alphys to deal with that. And again, she really would not want to have a kid if she worries that one day that kid would have to worry about someone they truly care about not being with them anymore

So *would* she want them? I don't really think it would be an overwhelming innate desire or anything like that, but really not against it. Sged need a lot of time beforehand first. Some time to live her life to the fullest, time to make sure it's something she can handle without guilt, time to make sure it's something that does bring her joy. And then yeah, 6 or 7 years minimum I can see it happening. And I think it would be nice

"Now let's talk about susie, can we talk about susie? Please stun (and other readers) I've been dying to talk with you about susie all post, okay?" /ref

I don't really have anything to add I just think alphyne should adopt susie. In every timeline. Undertale deltarune I just think ok. Because she doesn't have a good home life to the point where she's like just Not Safe and hm young couple with no children in her area? Undyne would want to help her soooo bad because she understands just what it feels like to be young and alone not really cared for and she would NEED to fix it. That's defo how it is for undertale at LEAST. Idk entirely with dr if it'd be exactly like that cause we don't know what undynes got going down in dr yet.. but even so that's nothing to stop them

Anways yeah I think you mightve been waiting just a wee bit long for the answer to this ask I uhh.....m.....mmmm. yeah man I... yeah. I really do genuinely hope you enjoyed his tho cause uts currently quarter to 2 in the morning and I'm going on a train & to the aquarium tmrw so my ass CANNOT be waking up at 11 am again. Shits fucked. But when I tell you when I'm locked in on an undyne topic I AM LOCKED IN. IT TOOK A WHILE BUT I FINALLY DID IT. MORE THAN HALF OF THIS WAS WRITTEN WITH NO BREAKS OF CHECKS BUT THATS THE BEAUTY!!!!!! FLY MY SCARAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bababerries]

Jack is a lot of things but tbh I don’t really get why people call him a stalker and I do take issue with insinuating he was abusive to Lacie in their relationship (when she was alive that is. His behavior towards her daughters, her best friend/doll and all the things she loved post her demise was extremely awful)

Jack’s behaviour towards Lacie is never normal or healthy and is definitely creepy. But I don’t see how he’s abusive or a stalker. If anything id say one of the issues in their relationship was Jack was too much of a pushover who had such little respect for himself that he never had the will to truly fight for a bond that they both cherished because he just couldn’t see anything beyond. I can’t help but feel like labeling him as abusive in this stage of their relationship a bit cruel towards him and unsympathetic. And I love Lacie to the moon and back but I’ll be honest I do think she was abusive to Jack in this relationship. (I am in no way trying to demonize her for this that’s my babygirl and she’s been through a lot. But I think Jack’s feelings also matter here)

I don't think we talk a lot about how Lacie sexually assaulted Jack (COCSA) in their first interaction with one another. And then later goes onto encourage him to do sex work. And Jack listens.She purposely choose to talk to him as he was someone in a vulnerable position. (Homeless and abused) so that she could play with him. She gives him her earing and tells him to come and find her Do I think Lacie was serious when she was saying this? No. I don't think Lacie genuinely made plans to see Jack again. She was just simply fouling around. This encounter meant very different things for both of them. And for Jack it flipped his whole world on his head. He was shown love for the first time in his life and was encouraged to chase after it by that person so he did. While the efforts he goes to get her is concerning I feel like calling this stalker behavior gives a much different impression and also feels a bit unempathetic to me? And is also just incorrect. Jack spends 7 years trying to find Lacie under the impression that she to wanted this shown physically with the earring. Not 7 years watching her from afar. I think it's also worth noting Jack processed Lacie's love as maternal to an extent. She did things for him a mother should do for a child (give him food, cut his hair, give him life advice and orders, protect him from bad guys, hugs) I don't wanna go super in depth bc i'd love to make a whole analysis on Jack's feelings for Lacie but Lacie even makes this comparison herself

(And once again I wanna preface with I don't think Lacie owes Jack motherhood. In fact i'm very uncomfortable with viewing motherhood in a positive lens in regards to Lacie's arc as it felt like it was always something forced upon her to further abuse and mystify her. )

And the second time. Lacie once again is the one to ask Jack to see her again. (This time however out of genuine desire.) She makes the first move and suggest this of him

I think it's fair to say Jack would probably want to try to see her again after this as an alternative response to "What are you going to do now Jack?" But I feel like it's a bit up in the air/up to interpretation. Of course I 100% think he wants to see Lacie. But he to is scared of overstepping boundaries to an extent that damages their relationship. He doesn't answer his question to her saying "I want to see you again" "I'm going to see you again" "Can I see you again" It's "I don't know." Which I think you can also take as now that Jack has completed the only life goal he's made for himself he doesn't know what to do with himself. He could be hiding his want and desires to surprise her and see her but he has no reason to do that here. Levi also giving him the paper in this scene suggests Jack lacks the knowledge to come back on his own. Point is Lacie made the first move here and asked him to come back once again she's the one pushing things.

Lacie has power over Jack. She's the on with power over him because he was vulnerable towards her. I don't mean to demonize Lacie with this post and perhaps I focused too much of her flaws in the relationship but the main point I wanna make is I do feel like people are too hard on Jack in regards to how he acted in their relationship when she was alive. Unfairly antagonizing him when he's the bigger victim in this relationship.

[1010ninetynine]

a masterpost of what i consider gay subtext in Uramichi Onii San - the Manga

not the Anime quite yet. no offense Touko Machida but I simply do not want to deal with two interpretations of the work at this point in time.

Generally Kinda Romantic Subtext Between Certain Characters that I Think Can Be Interpreted Either Way

Uramichi and Usahara I cite this for the near telepathic communication. Say what you will - married couples are known for this shit - and while it's definitely not anywhere close to confirmed that these two characters have strong feelings for each other, imo this was pretty gay of them. But to put it one way - are you really friends if people don't mistake you for a gay couple at times? imo not really.

additionally, while it might be just beginning chapter art...tell me where our favorite bunny is looking? Is he being respectful?

(honestly i do think usahara is straight but yk...this mangaka likes his gay men pathetic methinks so there is a chance!)

2. Uramichi and Iketeru

back when iketeru was in hs and uramichi's age isn't given - but i think they're the same age? anyway the lyrics over this scene are just...gay as hell. And they're helping a child find their mom. That is married couple behavior.

(obviously could just be a joke/not intended. their relationship is literally a gag on not understanding each other because iketeru is too happy for uramichi)

3. Kumatani and Iketeru

there's also some somewhat strong subtext between kumatani and iketeru. Like first, kumatani was the first guy who got the weird shirt iketeru found.

and next, the constant protection of iketeru from alcohol is courtesy of kumatani our mvp

he even protects him from our favorite loser

while not as extreme as his protection of HACHITA THE BABY it is still noticeable that Iketeru is someone he cares about.

and both kumatani and iketeru hid their love life from the camera (as did the whole cast hehe). Kumatani literally says his love life isn't family friendly - which can mean a lot of things, including that he's homosexual. Iketeru says it's too beautiful to be shared - which can mean anything really, even that he's straight and had a normal love life that he ain't willing to share.

Imo this sequence of behaviors can be read one of two ways. First of all, you'd have to be blind to not see the obvious resemblance between Iketeru and Hachita, so the affection and thus acceptance of strange gifts due to their similarity is natural. But also...gay? Hmmmmmmmmmm

4. Uramichi and Kumatani

They kind of just hang out a lot, and Kumatani regularly reads more positivity in Uramichi than is probably there. Not really as showstoppingly romantic as the other three examples of subtext, but imo still quite a nice bit of fun in its own right. They're probably the ship easiest to imagine writing besides kumatani and iketeru and my personal favorite but before we get to that...

The Predatory Gay Man I Must Mention For The Completionist In Me

ok look. homophobic caricature he may be. but i said I would catalog all gay subtext in uramichi and imo on this website gay subtext include gay text (hxh moment) and capellini furitsuke is in fact. gay. and a horrible predatory man the likes of which rival your worst coworker. And probably beat him.

he torments the men around him and forces them to engage in behavior they're not interested in. i cite here usahara and saito's mistreatment but there might be more I missed.

like you can't describe capellini's behavior as anything but horrid and disgusting. i'll call uramichi onii san many things - particularly pro-lgbt in terms of rep isn't close. Still love it in general - and I'm pretty sure the author himself is gay given the ludicrous amount of male character thirst traps he draws - but i don't think he likes that about himself tbqh. But I don't really know him - just go on his twitter now and then.

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for but you all don't realize is coming maybe idk

Uramichi and Kikaku - a mostly one sided love story

This relationship isn't so much implied as it is easily ignorable yet true: it is obviously intended to be read as a love story of sorts, whether it be a gag about how lonely uramichi is and how he needs some emotional connection, or just plain 'he's gay'. This is literally the only guy who gets the door to Uramichi's heart regularly attempting to open treatment, let alone the fact that when Kikaku begs Uramichi to help him out with work he always agrees...maybe more so due to fear than genuine care but still.

there's probably more examples, but these are enough to prove my point imho

he also invites Kikaku to the first end of year party (there aren't any others at the time of writing, specifying in the case of a reader from the future)...or attempts to. Not to Saito Uebu or any other staff member - perhaps because he expects the ones he's closer to already be there, but still - specifically the guy who's only ever bothered him to help complete his work. It's what being horrifically lonely and dick brained does to you (i would know that best).

which leads to yet ANOTHER HEART DOOR SCENE THING

so uh yeah. uramichi's constant giving in to kikaku i think makes more sense if we consider the (slight) romantic inclination he ""might"" have for him.

BONUS: Uramichi and Utano had a moment that was pretty cute but not enough to qualify as subtext in my eyes because they kind of have no chemistry in canon so i still get to title this gay subtext but I also like them

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Wong Yuk-hei (Lucas) Perspective Reading

Disclaimer: No facts, all alleged. This is my interpretation of the cards and energy I work with.

Okay, I am being pulled to him next, so let's see what shows up for him for this reading. I don't know much about his energy, so this would be pretty new to me the insights I can get from him and what is going on with him.

I had a feeling that the temple of my body card would pop up and there it goes the first card, which usually means for me being used for his body, so there is that. There is this fear of opening up when it comes to him. I can sense fear or the fact that he feels he is being watched or observed.

I think he may be trying to create the life he wanted as a child. I am not sure why I get reliving his childhood. But I see him wanting to live out that he wanted for his childhood. To bring more color and creativity to his life.

I see him feeling shame for some fallout he had or disruptions he may have created. Also, there is a sense of him wanting to shield his body somehow, even though he tends to show it a lot in pictures. There is this sense of wanting to move in a positive direction and leave the past behind him, or the things done in the past.

I see him wanting to escape his problems and mental struggles, but I am not sure how he goes about that really. It is like he uses escape mechanisms to cope with things. I am seeing a bunch of card that seem to me he may enjoy camping or disappearing somewhere to clear his mind and escape all the noise I hear. I am not sure how often he can do that though. Or if he can do that, but may be something he wants to do. It may be something he may need to do to deal with hs struggles, but it is hard for him to go about that.

This could also help him ignite his passion and maybe inspire him to write things, like sitting by a fire can be really inspiring for him and get his creative juices flowing. I feel being somewhere in the middle of nowhere near nature can be beneficial for him. There is this strong message for him to be alone or maybe he tends to feel that way and can only depend on himself. There is this lack of being able to cleanse himself from the past and remove that, even though he may try to make positive changes and move forward.

I see him acting on things and he struggles to be in the present moment and face the reality of his situation to try to make changes and heal. One thing I have learned for myself is to continue to escape to cope is not going to allow you to heal. I see this a lot with these idols and people in general. Although, it sucks the only way to heal and make positive changes and to learn to deal with struggles is to face the situation you are in head on. So, he may struggle with that.

I feel he may have foolishly put himself in ridiculous situations. I see him feeling shame from the past. I mean, we kind of know this. I am not getting anything insightful here. I get unexpecting things happening for him and him learning to make changes and start fresh. This may have had an impact on him. This rescuer card he got seems out of place with this spread.

Well, he seems like he comes from a place of love. And tries his best to help others in need, but not sure he gets much of that in return. He comes off selfless when trying to help others. I am not getting the vibe this dude is as much of a creep as people say he is. I mean I got a card that states, I protect people's boundaries and I expect the same for them. That isn't the vibe of the stuff I heard about him.

Also, I am seeing lies being spread about him, or things not being as true as they seem. Also, he isn't able to speak his truth. He is kind of silenced. Was he part of a humiliation ritual, could be with what I am sensing. Not sure I believe the stuff said about him I am going to be real.

I do see him trying to fight against forces against him and he seems willing to face those challenges. I don't see him as someone who doesn't back down of a fight. I see him trying to focus on himself and his own journey in life. Maybe he is trying to learn more about himself and depend on himself more.

Something is up with his Mother or Mother figures around him. She may play a role in all this. I feel he wasn't protected the way he protects others. Not sure why I get that. I see him being failed by people around him. I don't think he has a good relationship with his Mom. I think he wanted to get away from her. She could be someone who pimped her son as well. I don't see her being very stable either-or providing structure in his life.

Alright, done with going down that memory lane. Now to end with my Tarot cards. Yeah, there is something with his family, Mom, home life not being that great or stable. He may have resentment and be hurt over that situation. I see this Queen of Swords. That could be his Mom's energy. Someone cold, judgmental, critical and mostly logical about things. Someone not very emotional and loving at all.

I keep getting this protective energy around him and this need to protect others, who, not sure. I feel he can be insecure and his Mom may have been manipulative. I feel he may wanted his Mom to protect him more, but she didn't provide that. So, he seems to have Mommy issues here.

It is like he battles with his soft, emotional, tender side, but also has to be more calculated, harsh and logical. There is this sense of wanting to communicate his ideas to the world and share what he thinks, but he can't really do that as being an idol you can't really do that. So yeah, his energy is rather light, not that complicated and barely struggled with his energy. From the energy I am sensing, not seeing anything too bad here.

[youremyheaven]

https://www.tumblr.com/youremyheaven/754446269650452480/they-dooo-notice-everything-i-love-it-sometimes

Jupiter women can lowkey be like this too. Idk about the Freud stuff, but jupiter is the husband. When their dad fails to display positive jupiter traits and becomes arrogant, withdrawn and selfish, they become their own dad. So they embody or atleast attempt to embody positive jupiter traits of generosity and virtue. Now that I’ve typed that out, it doesn’t sound as relevant as it did in my head 😭

However I do think that what OP was describing is more of a Bharani thing than anything else. I’m sure other venus naks do it too but still.

Bharani has major connotations to childbirth and so many women make sacrifices when they have children, some are forced to leave education, some develop long term health problems, and some struggle to leave difficult relationships since children complicate that kind of thing. Before medicine advanced it was somewhat common to just die entirely bc of childbirth.

So therefore I think a lot of Bharani natives (esp moon bc we’re talking about mothers) are overly aware of the sacrifice their mothers made and it weighs on them. It becomes their “burden” as the translation of Bharani, “she who bares” takes on a literal and metaphorical interpretation. So basically Bharanis like to acknowledge the people who came before them and their sacrifices but they can have a bit of a chip on their shoulder bc of it. Inheriting their karma in a sense.

So when they experience that humiliation from their abusive parent they “eat the pain” as part of the burden they bare. Fighting back will always lead to more suffering for them despite their anger and resentment (aries). In mythology Yama was about to kick his mom but even though he holds himself back, she still cursed his foot.

Yama’s father ☀️ ☀️ also got mad at his mother for struggling to look directly at him and cursed Yama as a result, which is such a good example of the dynamics their parents have and how they suffer from it.

In conclusion, Bharanis are stoics become pushovers with daddy issues. Sorry for the unsolicited lecture, it may happen again

Nahh you're right. Jupiter women and their daddy issues are well documented (by me lmao 🤣🤡) they do become excessively giving because their dad's weren't giving at all 😤

Jupiter is a masculine planet for a reason after all. Reminds me of Rekha, Purvabhadrapada Moon. She and her siblings were the illegitimate children of a famous actor and he never acknowledged them publicly. Her mom had many other kids from other relationships etc and they were dirt poor. Rekha even went to school with her father's legitimate kids and other kids in school knew about the whole situation and called her a bastard 🥺🥹

She started acting at the age of 13 to support her ailing mother and 6 or 7 siblings. She hated being an actor and was severely exploited in the industry, esp since she had no mentors or father figures :(((( in turn she made sure none of her siblings ever had to work in the movies to make a living and supported everyone financially until they settled down 🥺 she in turn never got married or had kids :((( (she was manipulated into marrying a guy once and he committed suicide and she was hella traumatized by that as well, but that's a separate story 💀)

Here's a pic of Rekha with some of her siblings (2 or 3 are missing in the picture)

She does embody that Jupiter woman being the man trope.

(This is Rekha & her mom Pushpavalli)

Despite everything, she's never spoken ill about her father or even her mother, who clearly made her the scapegoat and placed undue pressure on her to provide even though she was a literal child. She even named her house after her mother 🥺

Anywaayyyyyssss

I agree that Bharanis are in a unique position because of their mythology and in general I think Bharanis are more dignified and humane than other Venus naks

They're outcaste naks who know what it's like to be the outsider and work their way up

But yes they're pushovers with daddy issues 😭😭😭😭

I lowkey like how empathetic they are to women bc of what they saw growing up 😔😔 like they're genuinely just like "no this is not how it should be, women need to be worshipped period, my woman will never suffer this way" and 🤧🤧😩😩😩i fall for that shit lmao

I had a recent experience with a Jupiter conjunct Purvashada Rising man who thought that broke men did not deserve to have women 💀💀💀 he said men who cannot provide have no business dating or marrying 💀💀and that "real men" should never ask for a 50-50 and put the burden on his partner and if he truly loves her, he should want her to be relaxed and enjoy life. He said things like "what's the point of me working so hard if my family isn't enjoying themselves and having a good time, my wife can do whatever she wants and I'll support her but she will never have to work to pay the bills" and ngl I love this mentality lmfao 😂🤣🤪🤭

Venus men being scarred by incompetent dads and overcompensating by being the provider and father they never had is >>>>> 🥵🥵🥵🥵so sexy of them tbh

[rhizomee]

Deimos. On How to Create New Paintings from Existing Ones

There is a painting by the Serbian artist Dragan Bibin that has a hypnotic quality — it forces me to keep my eyes on it and stare into the darkness for at least a couple of minutes, no matter how many times I’ve already seen and studied it in detail.

It’s titled Deimos — an ancient Greek word that translates into Russian as “terror” or “dread.” And that’s exactly what seems to seep from the far room through the darkness toward us: a paralyzing, creeping dread.

Before we talk about what’s depicted in the painting, let’s consider the perspective from which we are viewing it. It’s not explicitly defined — everyone is free to interpret it in their own way. Personally, I imagine we’re seeing it through the eyes of the homeowner. I picture him sitting at a table, busy with his own affairs, suddenly interrupted by his pet’s strange behavior. This seems plausible due to the eye level in the painting — and it makes the moment more dramatic: Deimos caught him off guard, and from a sitting position, it would take him longer to react when danger crosses the threshold.

The main narrative element, I would say, is the dog. Try to imagine the canvas without it — and it instantly becomes less unsettling. As a creature with the sharpest instincts, the dog likely sensed the presence of something before anyone else. It’s through her behavior that the person in the room — and we, the viewers — become aware of the threat. But did she help by doing so? If not for the dog, could the intruder have slipped away unnoticed? Might they have left peacefully, thinking they weren’t discovered? Alas, now that we’ve stared into the darkness, we’ll never know.

The room we are in is cold and empty — there’s no furniture or décor visible, which makes it feel like there’s nowhere to hide. We’re exposed, vulnerable. There’s nothing to defend ourselves with either. The painting conceals whether there’s a second exit — or if escape is impossible, and we’ll have to face the threat whether we want to or not.

The most remarkable thing about the painting is the endless stream of questions it provokes. What is the person thinking? What will they do? Who hides in the darkness? A hostile intruder? A supernatural being? Or is it all a false alarm, fueled by imagination and the absence of light? And if someone really is there — what will they do next? That feeling of uncertainty — worse than any concrete fact — that dreadful moment of not knowing what to expect in the next second… that’s the essence of what the painting is named after: terror. If we knew what it was, we could prepare. But the unknown danger forces us to run through one scenario after another — without enough time to choose. A second in such moments can feel like an eternity, but soon it will pass, and the threat will reveal itself, whether we want it to or not.

But here’s why I’m telling you about Deimos: it’s a perfect example of how artists can create entirely new narratives and train their imagination by changing perspective and interpreting existing works differently.

Just imagine, for a moment, that we are viewing the situation from inside the dark room. Perhaps we’re standing behind the monster, seeing only parts of its terrifying shape, realizing — it’s ready to step out. In the distance, we see the petrified homeowner, unsure of how to react. He has yet to see the creature. We, the audience, know a bit more and understand what he’s about to face.

Now imagine the creature isn’t looking into that room at all — because something else caught its attention. Let’s say, in the hallway, the monster encounters a child staring at it in shock. From the corner of its eye, the creature sees the room with the dog and the owner, but they’re not its focus. Suddenly the situation becomes even more intense: the head of the household must overcome his fear and take the first step to protect someone he loves.

Now let’s flip the whole scenario. What if the monster isn’t in the darkness, but in the brightly lit room? And we, awakened by barking and strange noises coming from a part of the house where the lights shouldn’t be on, see the unknown creature exploring our home. The dog has turned toward us — perhaps trying to gauge our reaction. It hasn’t been harmed — maybe that means the creature isn’t aggressive, and we can resolve this without violence? But then the guest senses our presence and turns toward us. A better look reveals: only one of us is getting out of this alive.

Maybe you’ve noticed that in all these variations, there’s always a monster. But what if we removed them entirely? In that case, the painting becomes even more terrifying.

In the only lit room of a completely silent house, a man sits slumped at the table, his head resting as if he’d fallen asleep mid-task. In the pitch-black hallway, someone stands, not stepping into the light, still hoping the person they came to see will stir — lift their head, open their eyes, or shift slightly to prove they are still breathing. But it seems none of that will happen. And now it’s a story about someone trying to prolong the moment of uncertainty — refusing to confirm what they already suspect: that the person they loved is dead. Meanwhile, the dog silently stares, as if asking, “Why didn’t you come sooner?”

I’d be glad if any of these ideas resonated with you or inspired your own creative work. I hope the method itself proves useful to someone.

[eyeballplanets]

I have like no one else to ask about this, but how do you feel about a queer interpretation of Anissa/ viewing her as a queer woman (her show version only). I got into a discussion with a friend about it and thought why not bring it here.

oh my god i just want to start by saying that this is the most excited i have ever been getting an ask. i sent this to a friend of my own and she said “dozens of us!” you came to the right place!

and i'm gonna immediately ruin it by talking about her comic counterpart. i know people don't like talking about her. my own experiences as an sa survivor make me less bothered by fictional depictions (which isn't to say that it's wrong to be rankled or that all survivors feel this way--it's just how i handle it, and it's also why the jokes fuck me up so much). it's why i write so extensively on and off tumblr about sexual assault and reproductive coercion and depictions thereof and even coded evocations thereof; it's why the show is so interesting to me--it tackles bodily autonomy violations differently, far more subtly, but far more masterfully.

i think a queer reading of her show version is genuinely important because of the queer coding of her comic counterpart.

this isn't a positive coding. this isn't two male characters saying “you're my partner” or even tumblr's white man de l'année being told he's light in the work boots as he bashfully looks at his boy bestie. she is queer coded in the way that female characters, whether asexual or lesbian or trans, have been coded as predators, as Threats to patriarchal norms, to the institution of the heterosexual family.

prior to the assault, her most prominent characterization on earth was her failed relationships with men whom abused her, being disinterested in having relationships with men, and not wanting children. these are coded choices, no matter what. a female character being characterized by disgust at the prospect of being involved with men is queer coded, no matter what.

and then kirkman chose her, of all the female characters, of all the female viltrumites, the rest of whom conformed more classically to patriarchal beautiful standards, with long hair or braids, to be a predator. if people were more forcible about the implications herein, the state of anissa discourse probably wouldn't be what it is now.

if robert kirkman had no other instances of bigotry in the invincible comics, then we could dismiss this as unfortunate coding. of course, kirkman himself has called out the whiteness of the original series. he made a black character (bulletproof) try to get eve to cheat on mark, and wrote a very obviously black coded alien (kubian, telia's brother) having a relationship with eve during mark's several-year absence, including trying to convince eve to break up with mark while standing in front of him (that's his shoulder in the frame).

kirkman's comics were defined by his fears of the heterosexual marital unit being challenged by outside forces. nolan and debbie got back together almost immediately after his return to earth despite his calling her a pet in even crueler terms than in the show. anissa is ‘reformed’ by marrying a man off-screen and having a child with him.

so, cut to the show's version!

she's younger, she's browner, she's even less gender conforming! she's more muscular, her haircut has been made a bit scruffier, more 90s heartthrob. she has this almost shonen energy about her, gravel to her voice, badass power stances... it's a shame her nine minutes of screen time have been overshadowed by this stupid as fuck illiterate discourse when she genuinely has the most hype moments and aura of all the viltrumites. (and i legitimately think that's deliberate: the fight which mark leaves the LEAST bloodied is the one with the most dbz energy, with the one frame dodge and the teleport right behind him and mark bouncing across the water and the literal awed audience. sorry to be mexican, but she legitimately feels vegeta coded!)

she's been rewritten so heavily from her comic version! i'm sure if you're following me you've already heard me talk about how her design changes play into the same racial coding that influences mark and how conquest has been given her coercive imagery or how she and mark are being posited as equal victims of authoritative structures, or even just seen me point out that she and mark have the same build and fighting style while kregg nolan and conquest are all visually compared (which makes sense given how the show is more maturely positive bodily violence as an inherent symptom of white patriarchal structures).

all that is to say like, you have this younger character who is continually framed as comparable to the protagonist (a protagonist which, by the way, is canonically gay in at least one universe LOL) with an energy that defies the traditional femininity that surrounds the other younger female characters, who is, probably unintentionally knowing invincible, extremely dykey looking, who is a complete revision of an offensively queercoded misogynist caricature... it feels revolutionary and logical to imagine her kissing girls! one of my goals with my illustration is to draw her doing just that! this is partly me speaking as a longtime comic fan, but taking characters written by bigots and making them the identity the author was scared of is a revolutionary feat. it's why people imagine connor hawke, created by noted homophobe chuck dixon, as gay. i think modern kirkman would be a bit more chill about it, but also as a fan of canon dc comics lesbian anissa pierce i feel like gay girls who like comics deserve a little bit of kickback for getting shitty men making jokes whenever you mention dc's most prominent black lesbian (who came out as gay before anissa even appeared in invincible, which i hope is just a coincidence).

and honestly, though we haven't had her interact with a single female character (MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN... season 4 please fix this it can be for literally one scene i have worked with less before), it's really hard to imagine this version of her being attracted to men, especially since the writers at skybound have to be aware of the optics.

i wish i could talk more about how a lesbian reading would fit into the themes of her character as have been seen on screen (the way that people have talked about how gay or trans readings would work with mark), but unfortunately we only have nine minutes of screentime to go off of. however, given the fact that she already is so marginalized compared to the other prominent white men, and given the imagery of resistance she has against kregg, another marginalized identity could be significant in her defining herself against viltrumite ideology.

a friend and i have also been joking for months now about her being given kregg's comic plot of hooking up with women across the globe. i hope the show understands the optics of the white general of a fascist empire redeeming by sleeping with women, and chooses not to adapt that, especially considering that fascist generals being absolved of their crimes happens in real fucking life all the time, but the young brown subordinate muscular woman experiencing racialization and queerphobia on earth would be a genuinely meaningful way to get her vantaged against authoritarian systems.

i have more thoughts but. i dont wanna yap your ear off plz let me know if you'd like to hear them and i hope this was insightful and not too rambly.

[ladysternchen]

Alright. Now, this is gonna be long. And passionate. And the second rant I've written in an unusually short time. But today, I just about reached breaking-point.

Why the hell does the Silm-fadom do to Elu Thingol what it does to Elu Thingol. To be fair, it's not solely him, Elwing gets it far worse (what for????), but that's a post of its own. No, honestly. What the fuck is going on in the minds of people who demonise one character so much while totally glossing over EVERY character fault of others?

Now, don't get me wrong, as much as he is my favourite character in all I ever read or watched in my life, I know full well that Elu's no saint. He makes terrible mistakes, and he behaves at times in ways that make me want to forget that he's my fave. I also admit to reading/interpreting him a little differently from most people in the fandom (you know, being autistic sometimes comes with having a different view on people's motives and behaviours), but my opinions and headcanons are still canon-based. That's kind of the beauty of the Silmarillion with its very shallow character-descriptions, that it allows for various interpretations. That some are more apologetic than others is a result of that, and what in truth makes this fandom so very interesting. So being critical towards him is not at all what I am ranting about here.

But there is a difference between being critical and demonising.

I read a fic today that honestly shocked me to the core. And just in case author should come across this post and recognise their work in this text, please know that I am in no way criticising your story- on the contrary, it was a very good read, I found Elu as the narrating character to be hugely in character and perhaps in other circumstances, I would have quite liked it. I would have written that to you directly on AO3, but I know that critical comments are usually not well-received, and I also really didn't want to pester you about it. After all, it's don't like don't read. So to cut this short, my problem lies NOT with the fic, but with the reactions to it. And it really only was the final straw.

AND, had it been intended as a parody on fanon regarding Elu Thingol , it would have been spot-on as spot-on can be. It was basically saying that each and every thing that went wrong in FA was Elu Thingol's fault. The second and third kinslaying his fault, the deaths amongst the Noldor his fault and so on. And he drew the appropriate conclusions at the end. For which he was called a coward in the comments. And the thing is, that story is fanon on him in a nutshell. The Noldor are always depicted as the victims. And while I'm totally fine with that, be the fuck as apologetic to all characters, fandom.

Like, I'm totally fine with excusing the actions of the Noldor by mental health or just mistakes made or curiosity or hot-temper or a specific view on things. Yeah, great. Compassion is such an important element in all Tolkien's works that I am always in favour of displaying it also in the fandoms concerning his legendarium. But you can't just do it on one people. You can't depict Maedhros as the tragic hero while at the same time condemning Elu Thingol for naming the Silmaril in a flash of impulsivity, when he was telling Beren to begone. Yes, that was idiotic, yes, he was in the wrong there, yes, what happened after was totally a result of that mistake. But still I daresay that he was punished for that in the most terrible way possible, which was the death, the ultimate death, of his only child.

You cannot pass over the Noldor invading Elu's lands and then claim that the ban on Quenya -a language that had by then already been replaced with Sindarin in mixed settlements because Sindarin was easier for the Noldor to learn than Quenya was to the Sindar and Nandor- is cultural genocide.

you can't claim that the kinslayings were caused by Elu and Dior and Elwing's refusal to hand over the Silmaril, that they positively forced the Fëanorians' hands, and at the same be very understanding about the dwarves murdering Elu (yeah, he insulted them, is was an absolute arsehole there, but that still is no excuse for murder)

You can't go saying how the Oath drove the sons of Fëanor to all their actions and then be convinced that what made the Silmaril such a trap for Elu to be nothing but greed.

And just so I make my point completely clear, I am all for being apologetic. About Fëanor and his sons, about Eöl, about the smiths of Nogrod, be apologetic about Sauron and Morgoth even if you can find that in canon for yourself, or if you just happen to feel those characters. Be open and curious about the apologies other people have for their favourite characters. But apply those rules to ALL characters.

Honestly, please stop. Please, if you want to hate Elu, to which of course everyone is entitled, hate him for what he canonically does. Don't make up stories about him just to make him look worse. You know, you can love your faves without having to demonise others.

And please, if you need to vent your feelings about Elu Thingol... tag it as such. It's so so so annoying to try and find content about your character and then get nothing but bashing or the same half-truth repeated again and again and again without further evaluation.

(Even better, stop hating all around. Yeah, it's just fictional characters. But you know, courtesy to the internet, real people look a whole lot like fictional characters. Judging, demonising, bashing, scapegoating, that all works on real people (or peoples!) just like it works on fictional characters. And the trouble is, real people might react in real life just as Elu reacted in the aforementioned fanfic and take their own life. Only that in real humans, dead is dead.)

[pinksilvace]

Fern guides their mutuals and followers through Cats 1998 as if we're all sitting on the same couch watching it and I'm shouting out stuff (4/?)

MASTERPOST

Character Wiki Pages

On to Bustopher!

8: Bustopher Jones

Everybody is SO MEAN about Bustopher Jones (joking). I love him so much but nowadays when numbers are cut his is usually one of them since he usually shows up once and disappears 🥲

The actor for Bustopher sometimes dons a chorus costume for the opening number, often named Peter. They're also usually the actor who plays Gus later, as both Bustopher and Gus traditionally had operatic moments in the show.

Tom Hooper clearly did not know how to interpret media because could you IMAGINE 2019 Bustopher cleaning up his appearance as a first impression???

When I was little, I was under the impression that Bombalurina, Jenny, and Jellylorum all liked Bustopher Jones in similar ways; it wasn't until I started interacting with the fandom on here that I learned how some people interpret Bombalurina as being completely sarcastic in this song. Art's always up to interpretation, of course, and that's the fun of it, but I never really got that impression, even with Rosemarie Ford's eye rolls. To me, this moment shows Bombalurina as a character that can show others respect. It also cements her as being at the older end of the "not-old" adults.

This is YET ANOTHER song that is PERFECT for examining whatever Pouncival is getting up to at a given moment. I am once again saying that the Pouncival cut in this show is the most fun

Subsequently, this is also the "Skimbleshanks is three wrong moves away from a panic attack" song, which to me means that he respects Bustopher just as much as Jenny does. I like to think that they grew up together.

(For an incredibly anxious Skimble, here's Boston 2007; skip to 28:30):

(While I'm at it, there's this part in Moscow 2005 when the boys are all lined up like they're going to take a family photo, and I think it's very silly and cute; skip to 27:45)

Have you ever watched Cats (1998) and wondered who that cat that's really excited to see Bustopher is? That's George. The George Cut (TM) is probably my second favorite version of '98, after The Pouncival Cut (TM).

No doubt, you'll notice the number of Mistoffelees & Bustopher moments in this number. This is probably where the most popular headcanon about Bustopher originates: lots of us like to think he's an uncle, usually in conjunction with monochromatic siblings (Misto & Victoria & sometimes Alonzo)(Alonzo is like. Y as a vowel). I've also seen some folks frame him as Misto's dad, and in those cases, Misto is usually an only child.

Slightly off-topic, but my friend @thepineconelord likes to think of Mistoffelees as butler-core, and I think they're especially correct in this number.

(Yet another side note: the monochromatic siblings staging is a bit stronger in post-US Revival choreography, especially between Alonzo and Misto. Head to 30:00)(<- pretending to see things that supports the tunnel vision)

(Is it obvious yet that I've watched this number, specifically, many times?)

Okay I only just noticed this one but WHAT is up with Plato in this part. This picture doesn't do nearly enough justice to his posing but. My dude are you okay??? He was built to have an arm slung over the back of a park bench and instead he's here and forced to harmonize

The rare moment when Mistoffelees is peeved by Pouncival (and the altogether common moment where Munkustrap is also peeved by Pouncival)

One incredibly interesting thing about this number is that it's one of the most gendered numbers in the whole show, speaking from a choreography standpoint. When I was younger, I thought it came from a position of "all of the girls have crushes so they're all fangirling together," but that's not true. Only Jenny is shown to have a crush, and Coricopat, George, and Skimbleshanks could all very easily start fanboy-ing with them.

What is it, then? Is it because Bustopher presents as a much more "traditional" character than the rest? Do the things they're describing about him ascribe to him a certain level of masculinity that he can only share with the boys? Are these formations all part of some sort of militaristic protocol? Leading from that, is his appearance at the Ball (and approval) a right of passage thing for the boys? It's not something I've really seen anybody touch on, which is odd to me, because Cats in general tends to have interesting messages re: gender roles, especially with Mistoffelees, who obviously shares some sort of close connection with Bustopher! GILLIAN LYNNE REVEAL YOUR SECRETS

The cats know what golf is. Either that, or Bustopher saw a rich person play it, decided to copy them, and everybody else is amazed for his benefit.

[allthefujoshiunite]

Hi, Nora....My friend and I made a list of ace and aro characters from BL, and then we get to Love For Sale. We think Sieon is aro, based on he never regret his previous relationships until he is with Namwoo. And how he felt so indifferent about them. But what do you think? Also, do you have any BL characters that you think are ace or aro?

Great question! And thank you for giving me a chance to talk about Sieon. I'm always happy to do so. If you want the tl;dr answer, I don't consider him to be one. However, as is always the case on Wild Wild Web when you express a thought or preference, people take it as me condemning all the other thoughts/preferences. So here's a PSA: if you consider him Aro, good for you! You can interpret him however you like.

Also, lots and LOTS of spoilers for the uninitiated.

As for how I read his character. I think Sieon is hard to understand for a lot of people because they expect him to be either this or that and try to put him into categories he doesn't fully belong in. It's one of the reasons why I'm so enamored with Love for Sale as a whole, and Sieon in particular. Dal Hyeonji, even though this is their first commercial BL work, does an absolutely fantastic job in this character study.

Back to the point. When the story was still being released, I entertained a similar idea myself about him that, maybe he's demiromantic. Not a romance-aversed aromantic, but still a part of the spectrum. Then I kind of abandoned that as well.

We are a melting pot of our environments, cultural codes, family, and our characteristics. That's why most of the time, it's hard to make out whether you've become something due to some external force or you were that something before anything else. A very lame example would be, do I find red lipstick sexy because I find it arousing, or is it because it was marketed in such a way that I am conditioned to think it's sexy? Similarly, it's not always easy to tell apart whether your feelings are genuine, you feel like you have to feel certain ways towards certain people, or something impacted you in such a way that you don't feel a certain way anymore. I know I'm being vague but hopefully, it'll make more sense now.

Sieon, having to shoulder her mother's emotional well-being and their reversed parent-child roles, has found himself in a position where he seeks gratification through the things he can provide to his partners so he can feel 'needed'. The comfort he can provide for his partner becomes his purpose to be in that relationship. I was throwing him bombastic side-eyes very early into the story where he never expressed any type of preference and was very evasive whenever Namwoo tried to probe. Naturally, it was quite frustrating for Namwoo. As for me, it was as if Sieon was trying to erase himself from the relationship and be there for Namwoo as a combination of 'bank account + lips to kiss + a hand to hold' and blend into the ether as a person.

That's also why his relationships ended the way they did. He knew his mom wasn't happy, and even if he tried to alleviate her pain, it ultimately didn't work, thus, the one last good deed he could do for his mom was to let her go. To not be greedy. To not be selfish and say "I need you, don't go." This is the root of his letting go of his exes 'too easily', rather than him not 'loving' his partners.

Here's where things get tricky. Ideally, a romantic relationship requires you to be vulnerable, communicative, diplomatic, etc. Ideally. But none of us are exempt from carrying our baggage with us into the next relationship, no matter how big or small. In that sense, should we say that just because Sieon hasn't been perfectly vulnerable or has been avoiding conflict, he was never in a real relationship before? I don't think we can. 

One of the moments my heart ached for him was during his conversation with his close friend. He reiterates it later on when they're having the talk with Namwoo, but he desperately tries to convey that, no matter what his partners felt, whether they were satisfied on their own account or not, he was always genuine. Has always been. It may not fit the mold of grandiose, shouting-from-the-mountaintops, I'd-swallow-a-sword-for-you kind of love we are constantly sold in the romance genre, but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of love either. On the contrary, I think he does look for romantic companionship, but he just doesn't know how not to intellectualize his feelings.

So, in my opinion, "he didn't love anyone else before Namwoo" is not exactly the correct way to read him. Up until Namwoo decided that he was going to hold onto Sieon and 'show him a selfish love' in Sieon's mom's words, their relationship was following the pretty much same direction as the others. At first, Namwoo is content with what Sieon provides, but then he develops feelings for him and expects Sieon to return them in a way he can't. The same old story that is bound to end with a break-up.

Emphasis on 'in a way he couldn't'. The way I read it, his way of loving is different from what others deem as 'romantic love', so he's convinced that he can't reciprocate others' feelings. If that's love, and his feelings don't look like that, then he must not be in love after all. And when Namwoo shows Sieon that it's okay to be needy and selfish at times, and it's okay to be vulnerable and honest, we see that was the wake-up call he needed all along. 

The verdict? If you consider his past partners through the "he wasn't able to genuinely love them" lens and interpret his "not being able to reciprocate romantic feelings" literally, you can think of him as an aromantic who's not really averse to dating. But as I've tried to elaborate, rather than not feeling romantic love, he does feel love and seek companionship but doesn't know how to handle conflict and can't break free from the behavioral patterns ingrained in him in childhood. 

About aro/ase characters in BL. There's only one work that comes to mind which, interestingly, makes asexuality/demisexuality one of the core themes it explores and that's This is Love by Ziki Masaya. I have reviewed it before (click me) and I highly recommend it! I can maybe mention Sangwoo from Semantic Error, but then again, I think he's just autistic and his approach to romantic love for another guy is different from his normie boyfriend Jongchan because of that. I can't really think of any other works with Aro/ace characters as there's always romance/sex involved. Or maybe I just haven't paid enough attention! Let me know about the list you two came up with ~

PSA: I added the intro because the original link needs you to login to Lezhin as it's a Mature title, but you know the drill. Read on the official platfrorms!

[thedupshadove]

Lois + Clark roleswap AU (interpret this however you will)

Kala Jor-El lands in rural Colorado, only a scenic drive away from the U.S. Army base where General Sam Lane happens to be serving...

After bringing her back to their residence, Sam felt it was his duty to alert Washington to this clear extraterrestrial presence, and hand the baby--and the shuttle that brought her--over to Area 51 for further investigation. His wife Eleanor had to rather strenuously argue him out of it. What neither of them knew while having this discussion was that one of the abilities granted to Kryptonians by a yellow sun is near-perfect infant recall. After this initial reaction gave way to a childhood of overall better treatment, Lois does love her foster-father. She supposes. But she'll never entirely trust him.

It was also Eleanor who pulled a few favors from her own mysterious circle to have the remains of the shuttle moved to somewhere safe until Lois was old enough to claim it.

Having been raised in crowded environments full of brusque, no-nonsense people, Kala's mask didn't develop in the same way that Kal's did. She tends much more toward overt charisma and force of personality, because surely no one so in-your-face could be concealing anything about herself, right?

If anything, it's Superwoman who's the less assertive persona, since a woman known to be able to crack mountains with her bare hands has to carry herself carefully if she wants people to react with anything other than fear.

Given her renowned beauty and staggering list of accomplishments, it's unsurprising that Superwoman has received romantic overtures from some of the most rich, famous, and powerful men on the planet. But she doesn't want any of them. She wants Clark Kent, the sweetheart of a Kansas-born sci-fi nerd whose overall lack of physical prowess never seems to stop him from trying to talk down a mugger, or pull a child out of the remains of a building ruined by Brainiac.

"I'm not brave, Clark. Nobody with my inbuilt armor and arsenal can be called 'brave'. You've got nothing but your fragile human skin, and you still faced down a squad of Lexcorp goons in the name of letting people know what Luthor's 'charitable donations' were really going to. That's brave."

Clark's background is mostly the same, save for being Jonathan and Martha's biological child. Not needing to hide his powers or cultivate an easily-overlooked persona might make him a little less timid and stammery, but he's still a farm-boy in the big city for the first time, still ridiculously kind-hearted, and still an absolute dork. Also the glasses are real in this version.

Rather than chasing after Superwoman and ignoring Lois, I think the conflict here is that Clark is deeply smitten with both Superwoman and Lois, and his moral code won't allow him to be with either of them while he knows his heart would still be drawn to the other.

As a stepping-stone before telling the truth, Lois might suggest that they go the polyamory route. Clark is skeptical, but says he's willing to try it...as long as the three of them can meet to make sure everyone is on the same page. Whichever persona didn't make the suggestion has to feign unwillingness in order to keep the secret from crashing down too soon.

Lucy would take the role of the Imperiled Civilian more often, I think, now that her position relative to the hero has gone from "My girlfriend's sister and my best friend's girlfriend" to "My sister (and my best friend's girlfriend)". Clark, Jimmy, and Lucy probably get Damsoled about equally (Lucy knows the secret; the other two don't).

[sapphire-writes]

Jo!! Miss!!! Friend!!... I come to you in a time of need. Everyone, gather around. I just finished watching the episode. Mind y'all it's like 7:30 am so my wording will not be wording.

Anyways .. i am just like in a dilemma... Is writing that makes me uncomfortable bad or am I just not seeing a bigger picture?

I think that for Aemond it makes sense. It has been established that Alicent is a shit mom (not saying she hates her kids!!!! She doesn't! But like Cersei proved loving your kids does not a good mother make). She is not affectionate or really knows how to comfort them (it's like losing her mother at a young age and being maritally raped into the role of one kinda stunted her development!)

I can totally see Aemond shedding that arrogant confident super capable persona of his (not that he isn't all the above he just plays it up and uses it as armour) behind closed doors, in a place where HE feels comfortable.

It's just that i H A T E that that person is the woman sexually abused him as a child. Like... I think we are all entitled to that feeling.

I feel very sorry for his character. He was a child he didn't deserve any of it. Much less now deserve to only have a stranger to find comfort in. To be raised in such a family that this is the only logical option for him? Ilhsm, that's devastating.

But i think it makes sense. I hate that he has to be in this position, but i think this whole mess (so uncomfortable a scene) is the point in a way.

Helaena is being exploited by her family and the one to force her in this position is her mother. Alicent feels guilt over the BnC incident and she throws that burden onto Helaena and Criston. Otto started the entire thing and now when his daughter seeks the least bit of comfort he has the audacity to not want to even hear it. Aegon is crying and acting out and still his mother cannot bring herself to give him anything. Not even the slappings she used to. Now she has Criston to make herself feel comforted.

Also the whole scene like... The way it was filmed..idk... And if i understood correctly she tried to like...touch him? And he said not here? Like.. ooooof... Triggering .. okay im not going to touch that one now.. too soon.

But yeah... A man needs his basic emotional needs met and that was his best option.

Idk.. what are you thinking? I think despite the difference in the fanon interpretation of Aemond that emotional core was sth that we all clocked quite correctly. So.. i think the root of his personality is everywhere the same.

Bestie!! Love everything you’ve said and I agree! I can totally see why they went this direction with Aemond, and though im not the biggest fan I can appreciate they’re giving emotional depth to his character.

As for Alicent and Aemonds relationship, I hear what you’re saying but my perception was that Aemond and Alicent were closer than her relationship with the other Targtowers and maybe that’s on me, my fandom goggles on again, so the mommy issues is throwing me a bit— it feels more Aegon coded idk!

I agree— I think it’s super uncomfortable to watch Aemond seek comfort from his abuser and at the same time very realistic!

I’m interested to see where this goes for sure and trying to take off my fandom goggles 😂