#and like this applies to the pride parade as well.... and its not like i love seeing naked men at pride but its just not that deep to me

[moongay]

can’t stop thinking about the argument i had with my friend about swearing and nudity at pride

[mytragedyperson]

Did I ever talk about the horrific body horror type shit I found in a BNHA x OC fanfic? Like I wasn't prepared for it but it was really cool but also just horrific to think about? Well allow me to discuss than now. If body horror type things disgust you, maybe skip this post. Like I'm not going into too much detail but, you know, it's fairly gross so if that's not for you, maybe skip this one. If you've ever read Freeze Frame by good old Strawhat_Pirate, who I've mentioned before because I love their BNHA fics, you may know where this is going. Hint: Monoma. Congratulations, you now have a memory that you may not have thought about since reading it, unless that didn't help at all. Again I may have discussed this before but, well, its time to discuss it again.

So let me paint a picture for those who haven't read Freeze Frame or did reas it but need their memory refreshed. Freeze Frame is a BNHA x Female OC fanfiction. There's a lot that happens in this fic, a lot of it traumatising for the characters and its fairly angsty. At first, it seems like the OC is going to get with Shinsou but she ends up getting with Bakugou instead. The friend group is the OC, AKA Lillian Faust, shinsou Hitoshi, Neito Monoma. Todoroki, Bakugou, Deku and denki later join the friend group. There are also adults involved, but most of them are OCs or would spoil other things, and I really want there to still be surprises for those who choose to read it.

So it's time for the apprenticeships. And Monoma, in this fic, likes boys and likes Hitoshi. When he first starts exploring this, the apprentice ships are coming up, he applies to join Jay (I believe his hero name is Songbird or something), an openly gay hero. At first, things seem to be going well for Monoma, he seems to be learning about his sexuality and having fun, he even goes to a pride parade with Jay and meets his husband. I'm sure the husband is named but I can't remember his name.

Then, for a few chapters, nothing. No Monoma POV. The only mentions of him come from his friends who haven't heard from him. Other than that, he's just gone, until he drags himself into a hospital. Now he is dead, or at least he should be, bit then it turns out he's not. Turns out Jay, and everyone in his agency, were killed, including Monoma, who I'm pretty sure was decapitated. "Well, mytragedyperson, what happened? How is he still alive?"

Let's turn our attention for a moment to Jay's husband, shall we? Jay's husband has a very interesting quirk. He can essentially make people immortal, as long as he's in contact with them. And he's been missing since the attack on the agency. "So what? Was Jay in contact with Monoma when he was decapitated or after?"

Technically, yes. See, Jay's husband, along with about four or five others, have been turned into nomus. Now, let's recall, Monoma's quirk, shall we? He can temporarily copy the quirk of anyone he touches.

What does this have to do with body horror? Well it turns out, someone had a little fun with Monoma's organs, as each of the people turned into a nomu has had one of their organs put in Monoma, and I think, recieved one of Monoma's in return. Including Monoma now having Jay's husband's heart. So Jay's husband's heart is, technically, always in contact with Monoma, who is constantly copying his quirk and, in turn, keeping the nomu alive. And he can hear Jay's husband and possibly the others in his head. So the nomu are immortal and also Monoma is functionally immortal but also kinda technically a zombie. This, right here, is a horrifying thought. And the thing is, with a shitty writer, it would sound dumb. But because it's revealed piece by piece and treated seriously, it becomes yet another traumatic event.

Also it's a really cool idea even if the idea does give me some sort of crisis. And it's stupidly smart in the villains' part.

[gaycrashbandicoot]

I don't know why (actually i know exactly why) cis white gay men act like they are the face of the lgbt community or the be all and end all of the lgbt community. to some extent cis white lesbians as well. whenever someone posts anything lgbt the cis white gay men love saying "I'm gay but this doesn't apply to me" to distance themselves from us so they can be one of the normals and we are the weird freaks.

like someone posted on smth recently how a pride parade wasn't gonna go ahead in their city and a cis white gay man commented "I'm gay but I think the government should spend the money on better things" like. okay ??? its not for you.

also even more infuriatingly that Instagram account that posts news with the spongebob fish made a post saying that Joe Biden has declared trans day of visibility is on the 31st March and people are pissed bcs its the same day as Easter. which is so not a news story because Joe Biden didn't declare shit, trans day of visibility has always been the 31st March, Joe Biden didn't invent it also who the fuck cares, Easter is on a different day every year and trans ppl being visible is not gonna ruin ur Easter plans fuckheads. but anyway so many cis white gay men in the comments were like "this is so unnecessary we already have pride month" or "I'm gay but this wokeism has gone too far"

I know this is very much a foot on the ladder of privilege and automatically push other people down type shit but cis white gay men don't just have a foot on the ladder they have been on the ladder and push the rest of us down while complaining about being oppressed. not to make this the oppression Olympics and shit but cis white gay men being the most privileged queer ppl with the most rights and the most support but still being the face of the lgbt community is what leads to things like gay marriage being seen as the be all and end all of lgbt rights and pride being seen as a party rather than a protest but what a fucking nightmare all round.

[freyito]

HI ITS KENSHI ARM ANON HERE TO ASK for smth-

May I ask for Kenshi with a ftm reader who wears dresses and such, he's super feminine in style and all, but gets really uncomfortable one day when someone refers to him as a girl and starts to shy away from the style he likes because of it?

IM NOT PROJECTING WITH THIS ASK WDYM???!?!

projecting.... together, my dear anon. we are in this together.

apply my recent experience to this as well, soooo... changing it just a little. ANYWAYS... uhm. been wanting to writing this for a bit but i am an adhd freak and my mind is everywhere all at once... el oh el

lowkey inspired by puttin on the ritz by taco?? might make a little fic based off it too cause this made me fall head over heels for yakuza kenshi ough

little edit: this might be my favorite thing i've written. im genuinely proud of this and. ugh. yakuza kenshi.

cw: male reader, ftm reader, catcalling, pre-blind kenshi, ... yakuza kenshi cause he's been in my head, fluff, not proofread

ᴋᴇɴꜱʜɪ ᴛᴀᴋᴀʜᴀꜱʜɪ + ᴀɴ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ꜰᴛᴍ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Kenshi loves your style. He is proud to know that his boyfriend is not afraid to dress how he likes. And he makes it known.

Particularly, he loves spinning you around, dancing, anything when you are wearing a flowy dress. Serotonin, really. It's pure joy on his AND your end.

And he loves to know that you are happy dressing as such. It is the one thing he thrives on. Getting pictures from you, in every little outfit, while he's out. It is the highlight of his day. His entire camera roll is full of just you.

Kenshi cannot spend as much time with you as he'd wish, however. To keep you out of the spotlight, for one. He'd love nothing more than to parade you around, show you off to his 'buddies', maybe even competitors. He's cocky, like that.

In this instance, however, he's finally got some time with you. Even if it's lurking in some shady alley, the evening sun descending over the city. A less than savory scene, yet just basking in your presence is enough to make it worth it.

This particular dress is one Kenshi bought for you. An expensive gift for his sweet, a Chiffon loose sundress, decorate with beautiful floral patterns. Vintage. He believes you look quite dashing in it.

Across the alley, someone calls out. Something something, objectifying. "Wish I had a girl like that," That's really all you can catch before your world devolves into static. An uncomfortable feeling sets in, your stomach feels empty, now.

Kenshi is quick to shut down the catcaller. As much as he prides himself on being logical and calm, it is not his finest moment. Nor is it the right time to do something like this. Catcall not just Kenshi Takahashi's boyfriend, but a Yakuza's boyfriend, no less. There are no cameras here, and he is not afraid to talk big.

After that incident, Kenshi finds you shy away from your style. You hide your body in sweaters and over-sized t-shirts. While he quite enjoys seeing you in his own clothes as well- your favorite is a godzilla shirt- he is sad to see the sudden dismissal of your confidence, as well.

He wants nothing more than to show you off and show off your confidence again. Oh, how he misses his darling, twirling you around in your pretty skirts in the kitchen, just how elegant you looked as you walked, as you breathed, really.

Kenshi's supportive. He's a lot more present, now. Much to the dismay of his buddies. But he doesn't care. He's slowly building your confidence up brick by brick, he doesn't outright shove it down your throat. He scrolls through his camera roll with such longing.

It works, you have to admit. It's a very very slow process. Once a month, about, you start wearing longer skirts again, or shorts. Then it moves on to shorter skirts, dresses, etc. And by the end of it, you have an entirely new wardrobe of dresses and skirts and all of it. Kenshi showers you with gifts once you've found your confidence and style again. Many, many expensive dresses, all different sorts. And he loves it when you wear them out with him, again. Dinner dates, dancing, late night drives, all of it.

© freyito, 2023 | masterlist | queue | kofi DO NOT REPOST AS YOUR OWN OR USE FOR AI/AI CHATBOTS.

[demonir]

reasons why i think the charisma house guys would be/should be transgender/nb

Rikai: hasn't realized it yet because of lots of internalized issues and the idea that he has to conform to society's standards, the other charismas are gonna vibe check him so fucking hard (not implying he was transphobic before this though, I believe his morals are clear enough to know that's bad and he tolerates NO badness, he was just one of those "this doesn't apply to me bc it would never happen to me haha" type people)

Ohse: neurodivergent - depressed - baggy clothes - suicidal - artsy guy. Don't tell me he wouldn't have a tumblr where he posts incredibly well made vent art about his gender dysphoria while he listens to kikuo songs all day

Sarukawa: his first act of rebellion in his entire life was saying "NO" when his parents told him he was a girl (or maybe the other way around if u want)

Terra: Do I even have to say anything? look me in the eyes, do you really need me to say it?

Iori: when I was on twitter half the ppl in there said iori was a trans girl so like take that as you will (also you could make a point out of the fact he seems to not value himself as a human being beyond his capability to serve others and how that would mess with someone's identity down to their gender, idk I'm an advocate for it/it's pronouns iori maybe dog pronouns iori)

Fumiya: Idk he's got so much t-boy swag to me but also butch lesbian swag at the same time, if faced with transphobia he'd be like "oh its wrong? why?" just to fuck with them. Might also just lie about his gender if it benefits him, like saying he's a woman just so someone will open the door for him etc. Might get gender euphoria from catfishing people online as a hot lady

Amahiko: his whole thing is sex and hes like very obviously bisexual (or pan) you cannot tell me this guy isn't out there in pride parades hitting it up with all the trans people, I believe he's very lax about gender, he respects people who see no use for it and people who take it seriously but personally his priority is the eternal quest for sexiness and pleasure, gender has at no point posed an obstacle for him.

[aortaobservatory]

hi AO!! i would love to hear ur take on the life aspect, and maybe some of the ways it can ghost other aspects!

Certainly! The Life Aspect is very interesting. There's quite a bit to it that I feel gets misunderstood or overlooked.

Life is another aspect that I feel gets flattened down into something misunderstood, and I think this might partly be because its inverse is poorly understood. Ironically enough, I did not understand Life until I understood Doom. Where Doombound are commiserators of suffering, Lifebound are celebrators of comfort, joy, and pleasure.

From The Extended Zodiac, I pulled these keywords from the Life Aspect description. These would be the "canon" traits; they are what I adhere to when analyzing, but it should also be understood that this concept encompasses much more to do with than these keywords. Its "vibe", if you will, is much more than what is written.

TEZ Life Keywords: Healers, betterment of everyone, growth, progress, empathetic, medicinal, therapeutic, advisors, listeners, caretakers, nurturers, (passive aggressive, pushy)

The keywords I chose to represent Life are "Growth, Perseverance, Empathetic, Healing". This aspect, like all the other aspects, is inherently neutral. It is not good or bad, but has the potential to be either.

Life is about celebration, and finding the joy in being alive. It is euphoria in existence. It can be the joy children feel just going out into the world, or it can be finding a safe space and finally feeling comfortable enough to exist. It is allowing yourself to grow, acknowledging the wrongs and mistakes of yourself or others towards you and healing from them to grow. It is persevering onward into a better version of yourself, or a better version of the world for yourself and for others. Something that comes to mind are Pride Parades, in that they are a celebration of everyone present and pushing for the positive progress towards acceptance. This example will not apply to everyone, but I feel as though Life is also the euphoria of being transgender in some way and hearing your correct name and pronouns be used to refer to you.

This is why Lifebound "grow bitter when they feel their own self-care has had to be shunted aside"; they will push for the growth of not only others, but themself as well. If they are not allowed to grow because they are busy healing and helping everyone else and receiving no breaks to themself, they will most certainly become unpleasant to be around, as I'm certain most people will when their boundaries are not respected.

We can see this very much in canon with Feferi, Witch of Life (Active Changer), who repeatedly has her boundaries disrespected by Eridan, and ends up snapping at him. Feferi is also often referred to as a bubbly and excited character; she celebrates life all around her by taking care of her cuttlefish and her Horrorterror lusus equally. We don't very much get to see this with Meenah and The Condesce, who are Thieves of Life (Active Allocators), nor with Jane, who is a Maid of Life (Passive Enhancer), and I am inclined to blame it on their classes. Thieves don't understand the value of their aspect, but they lack it and fiercely want it despite that, while Maids rely on others for their aspect. Meenah and The Condesce do not understand the value of Life, but take it anyways; this is why Meenah is obsessed with money (a very surface level metaphor for Life, growing wealth, money can buy many things required to live, etc.), and why the Condesce's Alternia positively reeks of Doom; she stole all the Life from it. Jane, meanwhile, is trapped, controlled, and forced to rely on the Life others have set out for her; she doesn't get to figure out what Life means for her until much, much later.

[mariacallous]

An estimated several thousand people marched through the centre of the Serbian capital behind a rainbow-coloured banner on Saturday as the Belgrade Pride 2024 parade went off peacefully, protected by a high-profile police presence.

The march, described as the biggest ever by the organisers, paused along the route outside the Serbian government and parliament buildings to voice demands for the adoption of new laws on LGBTQ+ rights.

During the march, unknown persons hung a rainbow flag from a window of the parliament building, sparking cheers from the participants.

The organisers said that the LGBTQ+ community in Serbia is still waiting for the adoption of legislation legalising same-sex partnerships and a new law on gender identity.

“Politicians, with political will, could easily fulfil the demands. Of course, it is also important that these laws are then applied,” Goran Miletic, a representative of the Pride organisers, told media.

“The law on gender identity is not a matter of the rights of trans people, but of basic human rights,” said activist and trans woman Ana Jovanovic.

Serbian Minister of European Integration Tanja Miscevic told media at the Pride event that the government is “talking” about potential legislation on same-sex relationships, although she added that it is not in her mandate.

“The issue is protecting the rights of various citizens, which must be equalised with the rights that we all have,” Miscevic said.

To the beat of a troupe of drummers, marchers carried placards calling for LGBTQ+ rights, with slogans like “Love and Be Brave” and “Homophobia is Sooo Boring”.

But some also carried placards protesting against a controversial lithium-mining project in Serbia, which has raised environmental concerns among locals.

Among the marchers, Natalija, a 30-year-old who lives in Belgrade, told BIRN that she attended Pride “because I’m planning to leave this country and I’d like to leave it a little nicer when I leave”.

“The LGBTQ+ issue is one of the reasons I’m leaving because I don’t feel safe and I don’t see a future here for me and my girlfriend, or ‘roommate’, in the eyes of the law,” she explained.

Another marcher, Vukasin, a 34-year-old from the Serbian capital, told BIRN he thinks that the LGBTQ+ community in Serbia needs to fight more for its rights.

“We need one ‘serious’ protest [at the Pride event] before the march and concert,” he said.

The slogan of the event was “Pride is people”, which organisers said was intended to show that LGBTQ+ community members “are just people who suffer from the same problems as everyone else, but with additional challenges caused by homophobia and transphobia”.

The campaign group Da Se Zna! (Let It Be Known!) said in its most recent annual report on LGBTQ+ rights in the country that there was “almost no improvement in the status of queer people in Serbia” in 2023.

The report said that the security of LGBTQ+ people in Serbia is constantly under threat, citing 85 incidents of violence and discrimination motivated by homophobia or transphobia in 2023, as well as an attack on two young queer people in their apartment during a police search. Charges against the police officers were dropped.

Da Se Zna! also expressed disappointment that there has been no progress towards legislation legalising same-sex partnerships or a new law on gender identity, while a centralised database on hate crimes has still not been developed.

Although Saturday’s event went ahead without security problems, Belgrade Pride has been targeted with homophobic violence on several occasions in its history.

The city’s first Pride parade in June 2001 was attacked by members of right-wing organisations and sports fan groups. More than forty people were injured.

Attempts to revive the Pride event in 2004 and 2009 failed, but in 2010, a parade was held under the slogan “We Can Do It Together”, with more than 500 participants.

Although the authorities gave security guarantees to the organisers, street battles erupted between the police and football hooligans in central Belgrade, leaving 132 police officers and 25 members of the public were injured, while around 250 were arrested. The same year marked the first time Pride Week was organised, which went ahead without security issues, however.

Pride was banned in 2011 and 2012 by the authorities, who claimed that the state was unable to guarantee the safety of the participants. In 2014, the first Belgrade Pride without incidents and organised violence was successfully held, protected by a massive police presence.

In 2022, the city hosted Euro Pride, but only a curtailed march was allowed by the authorities, who again cited security fears. The Belgrade Pride organisers said that after the march, “up to five participants were attacked by hooligans and violent groups”. The 2023 Pride march went ahead without incident.

[a-frog-in-a-bog]

do you rlly think queer is a slur? why? and if you don't use queer why use other words that are also consideree slurs now or in the past like gay, lebian, trans, homo...

sorry for taking a while to respond. i think queer is a slur because...well... it is. the wiki page on the history of the word is pretty interesting, but tldr:

originally meaning strange, it gained popularity as a derogatory way of referring to gay men in the late 1800s (at the trial of oscar wilde, the father of his lover called him a snob queer). in the early 1900s, it was used alongside fairy, faggot, and invert as slurs for gay men. in gay male subculture, queer referred to stereotypically masculine men "who were repelled by the style of the fairy and his loss of manly status, and almost all were careful to distinguish themselves from such men". outside of gay circles, however, it was still being used as a slur.

by the mid-1900s, many gay men were choosing to call themselves gay, "as a means of asserting their normative status and rejecting any associations with effeminacy" (interesting, considering that within early gay culture queer referred to masculine gays who rejected effeminacy). it's worth noting that in the UK, queer was regularly used as a self-identifier through the mid 1900s, although unlike america it had retained its original meaning and in pop culture still meant odd, strange, mentally ill, or someone who uses counterfeit money (yeah idk why either).

wide reclamation of the slur didn't start happening until the late 1980s, but those who chose to reclaim were still respectful of the individual's choice to reclaim or not, as a flyer at a 1990 pride parade said: "Ah, do we really have to use that word? It's trouble. Every gay person has his or her own take on it. For some it means strange and eccentric and kind of mysterious […] And for others "queer" conjures up those awful memories of adolescent suffering […] Well, yes, "gay" is great. It has its place. But when a lot of lesbians and gay men wake up in the morning we feel angry and disgusted, not gay. So we've chosen to call ourselves queer. Using "queer" is a way of reminding us how we are perceived by the rest of the world".

homosexual, lesbian, and bisexual were scientific terms, not slurs. many people adopted these terms because of their factual and unbiased definition (the definition was unbiased. medical professionals and most cishets who used them were not).

queer, dyke, faggot, fairy, etc were applied to gay people for the purpose of dehumanizing and hurting us. if metaphors help, here's an example: "fat" is not a slur. it's an unbiased adjective. just because some people use it in a derogatory way to hurt and bully others doesn't change that. some people have no problem calling themselves fat, but some people associate it with trauma they've faced and choose not to call themselves fat. the same is true for homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and gay. calling someone a whale or cow, however, is only used with the intention to hurt and imply that being fat is bad. the same is true with queer, dyke, faggot, and fairy.

the purpose of reclaiming slurs is to take power away from oppressors, but it is a personal choice. not everyone wants to call themselves the same thing that bullies and cops called them before beating the shit out of them or trying to kill them. and since it's a personal choice, a slur can't be reclaimed by the entire community, because we are not a monolith. so if you want to call yourself queer, or a dyke, or a faggot, go ahead, but don't call other people slurs unless they have also reclaimed it. and if someone explicitly asks that you don't call them a slur, respect them. that goes for all identifiers, as some people have more trauma associated with the word gay.

personally, i chose not to reclaim queer, given its history and the fact that it hasn't been used against me, so i feel it's not my place. if someone identifies as queer, i have no problem with it. i just hope they made an informed decision and reclaimed it because it's a slur, not because they think it's somehow more inclusive and progressive than gay or LGBT, because it's not.

[badedramay]

@roobylavender replied to your post:

thank you for answering! this is super insightful and i really appreciate the point you make about intention and how despite include some repercussions of feudal traditions, addressing that niche of pakistani society as a whole was not actually the central aim of the drama (so in that aspect it’s distinct of dramas like sang-e-marmar, sang-e-mah, malaal-e-yaar, badshah begum, etc.). i definitely think that’s a valid defense to shielding it from some criticism bc like you said the more pertinent intent is to address misplaced judgments, rectification of old mistakes, the harms of parents projecting onto their children, the plights of stubbornness and inflexibility, etc. that definitely holds when, like you said, you approach ruhi’s arc as a whole, bc it’s about much more than a mere reaction to societal practice  and i like the point you bring up in the tags about faarah too! i’m less endeared to wali this go around bc some of his alpha male behavior towards her in the beginning of their relationship seriously turns me off lol but it’s true a lot of faarah’s relationship to the haveli is premised on her dynamic with agha jaan first, and that’s definitely where the show wins a lot of viewers over (including me! they were so sweet and i loved them) in any other show that tried a similar approach of “wait and see that this guy you got married to isn’t Actually so bad even though he’s trying to dictate everything you do” i think i would probably still remain super turned off bc there’s not often a character like agha jaan present to balance out that transition into accepting that maybe your judgments of your spouse and their family are not entirely solid. so aH he was here lol! such a crucial character to tie everything together truly 

(making this reply a new post rather than continuing in comments cuz I need my space with me especially when talking about Wali akjsdhakwjeahw)

Yes! exactly! I was thinking of dramas like Sang-e-Marmar and Mere Humnasheen as examples when I was making that point. In those dramas, the background of the characters is the plot. because when you remove the background the entire story falls flat on its place. the characters and their actions in those dramas they are not justified but also plausible because of the characters’ backgrounds. the same doesn’t fully apply to the characters of DeD. Aga Jaan’s family could’ve been from any non-specific feudal background and the story would still take place. the reasoning might have to be altered to fit that but on the whole, the plot progression could’ve happened in the same way as it originally did.

As for Wali...oh boyyyy yahan pe aata hai conflict. because Wali remains my most criticized AND most beloved Pakdrama hero. my history on PakDrama fandom world is witness to how much I have dragged this man for his actions (even as recently as just a few days ago!) however, regardless of how much some of his actions continue to irk me..on the whole Wali’s character journey is so fascinating and intriguing for me that I can never see him as a “red flag bad guy”. there are layers to him!! I do sometimes wonder how Wali would be perceived in today’s landscape. like i am SURE he’d be criticized a lot more than he was back in 2015. some of his actions wrt Faraa are so ruthless that I can vividly imagine some people on stantwt making it their mission to start “Cancel Wali Suhaib Khan!!!” parades.

But like I said, the beauty of DeD is how a character comes across when you take the context of their situation when they were performing a certain action. Wali’s abusive kidnapping of Faraa and the initial manhandling he did with her within the first few days of her return to the haveli..these are things added in the drama for well drama’s sake. Wali of the novel was always the picture of perfect gentleman. Wali of the drama was prideful. for six years he had witnessed his own pride be spat on by Faraa’s cold demeanor. Wali forgave the insult to his pride, where he fully lost his senses was when he witnessed his Aga Jaan, his most beloved grandfather, be reduced to a man just breathing not living because of all the hurt Faraa’s attitude had caused him for years...that was unforgivable for Wali. in a very pathetic attempt to be his defense..Wali was pushed to show his most brutal self to Faraa and confirm her worst fears about him that she had nursed for years all because there was no other way Faraa would just LISTEN to him. Wali had never tried to impose the power their nikaah gave him over Faraa except just this once. and he did that not for his own self but for his grandfather’s.

Wali is not a perfect character; good heroes seldom are (hence why drama!Wali is more beloved to me than novel!Wali) The show had already established Wali as someone who had the habit of exercising his dominance where he could. We saw it in how he would scold Zarminay when she tried to be nosy in his affairs or him reprimanding her for planning picnics. but at the end of the day that strictness was not what defined him. we saw how Zarminay confided in her brother and leaned on to him in the time of intense grief. because he was raised by Aga Jaan, he didn’t learn to put walls around his heart and was taught to have more love and respect in all the relationships he shared with anyone. THAT BEING SAID..Wali was ALSO a young man with all the hotheadedness youth brings with itself. it was his initial youthful blunder of putting himself across as a lazy, entitled brat to Faraa which made it easier for her to cement her bad opinion of him. it were his own insecurities that made him unable to empathize with Faraa when she found peace in Moiz’s company. yeah sure Wali’s guess about Moiz being a leech ended up being true but we cannot deny that Faraa’s proximity with Moiz wounded Wali’s pride as a man to the point where he started to question that maybe him assuming duties far beyond the capability of his age had rendered him into an undesirable man. Wali was also well..petty.

Despite all that..I cannot see Wali as someone who, after his rage died down, was incapable of asking for forgiveness for his actions. YEAH I KNOW THE SHOW DIDN’T GIVE ME THAT SCENE AND I WILL FOREVER HOLD A GRUDGE AGAINST IT FOR DENYING ME THE SCENE OF WALI ON HIS KNEES BEGGING FOR FARAA’S FORGIVENESS FOR TREATING HER SO HORRIBLY but i also know that how Wali’s character was shaped up..there did come a point when he did apologize for it all. HECK! I can imagine Aga Jaan severely reprimanding Wali if he so got a whiff of HOW ACTUALLY Wali managed to bring Faraa back to haveli and refusing to talk to Wali until he SEES Wali on his knees holding his ears and awaiting Faraa’s forgiveness. which she’d give him of course. not only because she loved him but because she is at that point in her life where she wants all the past mistakes kept aside to start afresh.

Wali works because Aga Jaan works. if Aga Jaan who started as the villain of the story can have a character arc that makes him THE BEATING HEART AND SOUL of the entire story, Wali also cannot stray too far away from the circle of redemption purely because of his connection to Aga Jaan. it’s because of Aga Jaan Wali is mercifully not given the “he’s good because we say he’s good so whatever you saw and how you interpret him is wrong” treatment that so many of the current Pakistani dramas subject their protagonists to (coughmeerabcough). because we SEE Wali’s connection with Aga Jaan and we SEE how Aga Jaan’s sheer love won over Faraa and gave her the peace and acceptance that she was craving for for years..we can SEE why Faraa, by this connection, falls for Wali. not just because he’s her husband and she has no choice but to love him. i see it in a more poetic manner...’the beloved’s beloved becomes my beloved’.

[clonedchaos]

“Did You Just Propose to me with Crochet Dinosaurs?”

Just a little Drabble for @fyeahjurassicocs Jurassic Pride Month featuring two of my Jurassic World OCs (whom I really need to get around to writing more 😭). This is just for fun/practice with them and many of the prompts so far have been interesting, so might as well jump in. (I'm late, I'm so very sorry ;-;) Sooooo… Enjoy!

Prompt: Day 1- Jurassic World Pride Parade

“Danny! Take a look at this!”

Jordan turned away from the vibrant collage of colors parading down Times Square. The sounds of the crowd deafened her senses, but she was able to detect her girlfriend’s voice anywhere.

Natalie stood a few feet away at one of the nearby Pride market booths with a giddy look on her face. She had decided to go all out for the New York Pride festival, an uncommon contrast from her rather modest clothing. Her black curls were done up in a high bun and her face was adored with intricate flowers and star designs painted with blues, purples, and pinks. She had on a flowery blue top with faux flowers on the collar and a purple and pink ombré petticoat.

Jordan on the other hand was blanketed in a lesbian flag that doubled as a cape. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and held tight with a pink flower clip. Natalie had painted a heart on her cheek and applied a smoky eye shadow look for extra flair that Jordan was careful not to smudge despite her aversion to makeup. The colors framed her like the setting sun itself.

She ducked and weaved through the crowd towards her girlfriend. Natalie spun to face her with a wide grin. In her palms was a tiny crocheted hadrosaurus crafted in various shades of orange, white, and pink. “It’s a… ‘Lesbeosaurus.’ Get it? Because it’s a Lambeosaurus?”

Jordan chuckled as Natalie placed it in her palms. She gave it a little scratch on the head, fondly reminiscing on the times she had raised infant dinosaurs after they had been birthed from the hatchery. Despite the fall of Jurassic World, she still missed the dinosaurs on the island dearly. Especially Indie. How was the Indominus Rex doing, anyways?

“It’s adorable, Nat,” was all she said as she forced the thoughts away.

“And this one too,” Natalie added, reaching over to pluck a crocheted Dilophosaurus from its stand. “A Bi-lophosaurus… Do we need these? Or… DO we need these?” She smirked.

Jordan reached up and placed the hadrosaur on her shoulder like it was her mini partner in crime. “I think I’ve learned now not to let you run off on your own during a pride parade. Our wallets will thank us later once we ditch the market.”

Natalie gave a mock pout as she held her Dilophosaurus up to her head. “Oh, come on. It’s just one purchase.”

“You said that at the last four booths we went to,” Jordan snorted with a smile. Natalie had swore to her that the beaded necklace sporting the bi flag’s colors and a rainbow blanket for the apartment was a necessity, not a want. And of course a pride flag for the balcony, because their resident canine and feline had a habit on chewing on anything they could sink their teeth into and Natalie wasn’t about to let them tarnish something so important during pride month. Which, naturally, led to Natalie purchasing collars and toys for their ‘fur babies’. Jordan needed to pull her out of the market fast, before she blew their life savings in one day.

“This is perfect for your locker at work and my office at the vet,” Natalie claimed, already pulling out some cash from her purse. Before Jordan could stop her, the transfer was complete. If anyone was more stubborn than her, it would be Natalie-- though others had stated she was a lot more calm and collected about it like a forest stream while Jordan's emotions tended to crackle off her like a firework.

“There. Now we have two new buddies for our collection,” Natalie smiled, nudging her on the shoulder. As if either of them needed more dinosaur merchandise, they’d already gotten far too many memorabilia from their time working at Jurassic World.

Jordan smiled and reached up on her tiptoes. Natalie stood a full foot taller than her. It annoyed her to no end that she was the "small girlfriend". It annoyed her even more that Natalie occasionally liked to sweep her up bridal style when she was annoyed or flustered to calm her down. Well, that second part didn't annoy her truthfully, but no one else but Nat needed to know that!

She put her Lambeosaurus in front of Natalie's Dilophosaurus and made the two plushies give each other a swift peck on the cheek. “There. Now they’re dating. Like us.”

Natalie set her hand in Jordans as the two headed back into the throng of people. The roar of the crowd nearly drowned out their words, but Jordan could undeniably hear Natalie’s comment. “Dating? No, they’re engaged.”

Jordan’s head whipped toward her girlfriend as a blush crept across her cheeks. Natalie was suddenly down on one knee, diamond ring in hand. The paleo veterinarian seemed flustered, her usual collected exterior flooded with anxiety as she awaited a response.

Jordan was momentarily stunned and unable to cling to any thought spiraling through her head. It was really happening? Here? Right now? She wasn’t dreaming this, was she?

Her heart felt light for the first time in several years. She lunged forward, nearly tackling Natalie to the ground. Taking that as an acceptance, Natalie began to laugh. Jordan laughed with her as they held one another in a gentle embrace.

“…Did you just propose to me with crochet dinosaurs?”

[riftwalker-limbro]

I know I sent you numbers last night. I doubt I was the only one. I don't care, I'm dumping more rotations on you bc i need to know and it's Topical (get excitedly listened to idiot)

Does Pride exist in your verse in any capacity? If yes, how is it celebrated? And how do your OCs specifically celebrate?

you were in fact the only one and i am mentally sending you a very tight hug about it

you're tormenting me with my own limited drawing abilities so fucking much. do you even know.

well, you know that my verse is enormously self-indulgent. therefore, this post is going to be enormously self-indulgent by definition as well. if i manage to do this right it is going to be sickening levels of wholesome. you've been warned

first,

general setting exploration.

i think that all the -phobia nonsense is, well, nonsense, so i think that people in my verse should have gotten over all of that and instead everyone's just chill with each other in that regard. there's still other kinds of discourse but none like that anymore.

therefore, the part of pride's purpose that's "this is a riot, we're here, get used to it" is fulfilled. instead, in my universe, i think it'd be fun to make it more of a kind of.. celebration of all kinds of love thing. like valentine's day but less individualistic, more just the concept itself and all of its variations on the same level. idk i don't celebrate valentine's day myself or know anything about how others do bc it's just. Not That Big except for corporate nonsense around me

it should still be celebrated with parades and rainbows and music and joy and flag-waving and hugs between strangers and just-being-together because i've only ever been to a parade myself once and the atmosphere was fucking incredible. trying to recreate that vibe here with the extreme limitations of the written word is not doing it justice. i think that pride month would still be a thing and people could wear rainbow-colored things to everyday activities and functions. you know where i'm going with this

and now

the fun character-specific stuff.

(disclaimer after side-eyeing this section for half an hour: this was Harder Than I Thought what the Hell. so it doesn't explore Everyone. this is going to be on the brain for the rest of the month though.)

the one who popped into my mind immediately is verica, pre-warframe - she'd sponsor her own whole float and just spend the whole parade making music with her band on it. once she meets pule and jay they help out too - pule's running around the float and handing out freebies/snacks; jay's doing something more behind-the-scenes, probably driving the float. another image in my head immediately is either or both of the academics wearing inconspicuous rainbow items to their respective lectures/lab hours/meetings during pride month. they now both own several pairs of rainbow socks for specifically this. maybe a (bow) tie. it is so unfair that i'm completely out of drawing juice right now. i am mentally screaming at my drawing tablet

during warframe era... hm. having trouble coming up with anything for parades beyond "they would go to at least one a year with the full hyena squad" but they absolutely have rainbow paints and ribbons on board for the whole month. oh, and if only there was someone with a perfectly blank canvas of a hat somewhere. that he conveniently leaves off when he sleeps.

other assorted thoughts..

pule should get a shitty rainbow-colored paper crown.

verica should be able to make the little feather thing on her helmet change colours if she thinks about it really hard.

bruiser would go for the full body paint job. yes this is as chaotic and fun to apply as it sounds

kali learns verica's trick for Rainbow Fire. if this was a setting where people would still be nasty about it this would be an incredibly useful trick in addition to being obviously awesome

ohhh what if helver learns to do some kind of flame choreography for this specifically. i think that would be cool

[ao3feed-timkon]

Just let me adore you, oh honey

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/O7P5sMq

by NocturnalAnomaly

"Okay, so I'm just gonna-" Bernard awkwardly hopped up onto the couch and carefully climbed on top of Kon, placing one knee either side of the other's chest so he was leaning over him in a good position to do his makeup. "-hop on right here, that okay?"

Kon was frozen, his eyes staring up at Bernard blankly for a few moments as his brain malfunctioned. His cheeks flushed bright red, as they so often did around Bernard and Tim.

"I, uh. Um." He stuttered out, he blinked and then asked, "What?"

Bernard grinned, his lips tilting crookedly, "I asked if this was okay? It's easier to do your makeup like this."

"Oh." Kon muttered, his eyes flickered to where Steph was doing Duke's makeup perfectly fine by standing next to him. "Yeah. Yeah this is great. I mean- yeah, fine."

OR:

In which the gang prepare for Gotham Pride. Bernard flirts, Kon is panicking, and Tim is having many realisations about himself.

Words: 2442, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of and they were roommates universe

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Webcomic), Young Justice - All Media Types, DCU

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, F/F

Characters: Bernard Dowd, Tim Drake, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Dick Grayson

Relationships: Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, background Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Bernard Dowd/Kon-El | Conner Kent

Additional Tags: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Canon Queer Character, Canon Queer Relationship, Pride Parades, Timber - Freeform, TimBerKon, Bisexual Tim Drake, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Bernard Dowd Knows Tim Drake is Red Robin, I am single-handedly going to make that a tag if it's the last thing I do, Established Relationship, Polyamory, ...well its in the works, Tim and Kon's Bisexual Panic, seriously, Bernard has them wrapped around his little finger fr, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Never thought I'd be using either of those tags fr, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Bernard Dowd is a Menace, Tim Drake is oblivious, Bisexual Kon-El | Conner Kent, BAMF Bernard Dowd, POV Bernard Dowd, Bernard Dowd-centric

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/O7P5sMq

[mementoasts]

Sup, I'm the same anon who talked about how Kaguya sama openings being connected to Daigo ships is possible. I saw that you would love to see my thought process on how I came up with that and ngl, I'm dying to to share it anyone so here it is lol.

I'm not proud to say it, but ngl this has been on my mind for atleast a year now 😅🤣. It started when I revisited Kiwami 2 which is also the time I became a fan of the show or fan of the opening to be more precise. I tend to watch anime that I'm not familiar with if it has very good opening songs. (Death Parade tricked me with its opening, and I love it. Ya boy Koming, that one has a banger op and a great show.) I usually watch anime that I already heard of or know because of the manga. Very good fan animations also gets me to watch the anime. Anyways, back to what I was getting at.

RyuDai with op 1. First the visuals, allthroughout the opening we see the main characters pointing weapons at one another, which emphasizes the war in "love is war". This just reminds me of how Ryuji and Daigo are at war in a way, whether it is due to personal or clan affairs. The weapon of choice also got my attention. We've seen Ryuji with a sword and Daigo with a gun so this works since in the op1 Miyuki and Kaguya are pointing their respective weapons at one another, just replace that with RyuDai The lyrics pretty much works well, like too well imo if you look at it with this ship in mind. Depending on how you translated the lyrics, it can even become more suited for this ship. In addition, the whole vibe of the song screams tension to me. The translated lyrics " this game were playing Are you aware that this is one where no one wins" And "I don't need a fairytale ending Cause happy ever after ending only exists in movies" Connects well to this ship cause frankly this is not a lovey dovey relationship that will end up good, especially with how the canon story went, but plays to the theme of yeah despite the what tragedy it may/ have turned to, there is/was love in there. "You and I are playing a dangerous game" Is it talking about something spicy or the fact that they are technically from the rival clan of one another? Both can work. Have you read the fanfic "Circling Dragons" (link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474858?page=5&show_comments=true&view_full_work=true )? 'Cause, oh boy, that really is what pushed me to go, "Yeah, Love Dramatic can be its theme song"🤓🤣. Like seriously though, whenever I hear the song, the visuals in my head mainly comes from this fic. Bruh, I'm losing my mind. Anyway, in addition to all of this is Daigo and Ryuji themselves. I feel like if they believe in something they will do it no matter how dangerous it could be. They also both have pride/stubborn and I don't see one of submitting to the other, though at the same time both of them can show care, which connects to the premise of the show as well. I'm probably talking out my ass at this point but keyword in my last message is "probably" so ehh.... The "I can't decide" animatic on youtube by uhh... "北极光" (I can't read this but that's their channel. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/B4a3fJS1aXc ) also helped fan the flames for my imagination to go wild. I actually connected the bridge and the last chorus of Love Dramatic with the last two to three chapters of "Circling Dragons", it just fits imo. I won't explain cause I might spoil people who haven't read it.

With that, I went from, "This is a silly idea😂, I wonder if this could work?🤔" to "Okay how about the other openings?🤔😃💡 How can I connect it to other Daigo ships?" and this spiralled out of my control.

ShinaDai with op 2. You might ask, how did I came to this conclusion that it can work since they're not really at war at all or didn't interact that much. First and foremost, I just wanted to say that fics that I've read also helped in creating this connection to my mind. This also applies to other ships I love. Anyways back to ShinaDai. Let's start the visuals, I admit there's not much connection, but boy, if you changed the first fifteen seconds of the opening, where Kaguya is using the bow, with Shinada or Daigo using a bat and instead of a sudden shield it is them catching the ball, it works. It can allude to the fact that they are the target of their affection like how it is as well to Kaguya and Miyuki. The school setting also helps since that's usually where their (Daigo primarily but Shinada also if you want) love ✨blossomed✨🤣 for the other. Another connection I see is with the vibes of the song, the songs is a bit more playful, but earnest and wholesome, which I think fits Shinada. The song is also like alluding to love making or driving them crazy, which I think fits Daigo's whole thing, sort of... 'cause bro, beating the other school's students for a baseball game which ultimately led to you being expelled is crazy. I graduated as a Valedictorian in highschool so this fact is like so much more crazy to me. Like I get that Daigo doesn't feel like he has a dream (hehehe "Yume") of his own, cause I was the same, but being top of your class opens up more opportunities in the future. I was content with follwing my parents' careers but I eventually got my own goal/dream (hehehe "Yume"). In addition, the baseball plot being connected to Omi and Tojo business is fine and all but seriously though first impression I got after finishing that chapter was that Daigo went there cause he wanted help Shinada and that he knew him when they were in highschool, that's crazy and ridiculous but I love it XD🤣. Another thing I would like to connect is the fact that shinada could've just stayed but he still sent out of his way to help the other protags like bruh you're a civvie joining in to a yakuza business. I know Akiyama is there but he's there because of Haruka and Kiryu. I say he has more connection to the main plot cause he's there with Haruka. Okay, let's come back to how ShinaDai works with op 2. The translated lyrics "Throw my heart to the flames" Fits them cause boy you're getting close to the danger or harm's way just because of someone. Have you read the fanfic "Mob" (link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30643031?page=2&show_comments=true&view_adult=true&view_full_work=true ) or "Immovable" (link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15002513?page=3&show_comments=true&view_full_work=true ) ? Cause some parts of that fics, as well as other fics, sparked my imagination on how I could connect this to the opening. I also found a connection with the lyrics in the bridge of the song "Suddenly I'm falling, into a great unknown A while new world before me, But I'm not alone" It fits with the whole thing where Shinada really doesn't know anything about the Yakuza world, but he knows he'll be fine since Daigo is with him, that is if that's part of your headcanon on how this ship end up.

MineDai with op 3. I love this ship and ngl when I heard season 3 for kaguya sama is coming, one of my wish was for the op 3 to work for this ship. Insane I know. Imagine my joy when it did lol. RGGO I love you cause man, whenever I hear this song, the Mine sotries from that game comes to mind. I love games like that (RIP Naruto Blazing I love that game 'cause collecting all those characters is amazing. The art is cool and I can see some ninjistsu that was only mentioned but was never animated in the anime. I'm a free to play so no, I'm not spending my money on games like this) please tranlsate it rgg even the stories only, please. Anyway back to how MineDai fits with GIRI GIRI. The lyrics imo, is in Mine's perspective and I know I'm right. The song is all about wanting to get close, wanting to get to know them, wanting for this love that they feel to be true and I guess reciprocated. Mine is like this in his rggo stories he has some dialouge where he says something along the lines of he wanted to know more about Daigo, heck one of his mission (sort of) is to get the attention of Daigo just to see for himself what kind of Daigo is, wondering if Daigo is being true in his intention of being friendly. That sort of stuff. The lyrics "Your love, your love, Your love, just confess it to me" Fits if we want to look at Daigo egging on Mine or being "haha unless...". I feel like this fits cause in the stories from fanfic or rggo, Daigo is trying to reassure and get Mine to relax, you know just be friendly with him. Him flirting subtly to Mine works, but alas Mine seems to be too... professional, but it was nice to know they eventually became drinking buddies. You know the fan comic by Alciedoodles, basically like that, that's what I'm trying to get at. I actually have created a whole scenario with the 2nd verse The lyrics "I feel my patience growing thin, You whisper "Don't you ever leave me." with a wisful dream Trying to pinch a nerve, but I've started to learn That your cunning, crafty ways Won't ease this feeling deep in my heart" The Majima family in the bar singing while Mine and Daigo are there just chilling and drinking. Mine is being irritated with the singing, then Daigo hits him with that line and a flirty smile where Mine then proceeds to be flustered, hahahaha. I love and hate my imagination. The first verse also connects in how I'm sure that Mine/Daigo vice versa knows that they're not exactly an angel and they do stuff around them that might not be ideal/good in their perspective. The visuals, I like to replace the student council room with the chairman's office 😅. The sequence of all the students, replace that with the clan members. Now here's where my imagination and knowledge about some RGGO stories really kicked in, you know the pre chorus part in the op 3, where Kaguya and Miyuki are in the student council room then it transitions like a film until Miyuki is gone and Kaguya looks back and sees that he's no longer there then it spirals. If you've read the "Character Story - Mine (RGGO)" translated by cryingcow (for anyone wanted to read or re read this here it is: https://cryingcow.tumblr.com/post/628065021946150912/character-story-mine-rggo ), the end half of chapter 2, that's basically what I imagine that sort of parallels in my mind to this part of the opening. While the chorus where Kaguya runs, I connect that to the chapter 3 of that story event since Mine is basically running around in Kamurocho trying to find out where Daigo went. (My favorite thing about that whole thing is that Mine called cap when the Barker told him that Daigo went into a taxi with a woman then bought every taxi company just to know where Daigo is 🤣🤣.) The bridge of the song fits them, where Mine is really affected on how Daigo acts as well as how it can be hard for Mine to explain his feelings. Depending on how you translated it, you can also interpret one of the lines as " Trigger on the gun, Towards the one you love" That fits with that Yakuza 3 cutscene.

I also wanted to add that op 2's visuals fits with MineDai as well: Mine as Kaguya and Daigo as Miyuki, the majima family as the other students dodging the arrow, and Kashiwagi as Hayasaka in the first 15 seconds. Then in the chorus, Majima with his family as Chika and others being the love detective. Aouxjsishdj hahahahaha I love and hate my brain.

MasaDai with op 4. Now we finally got to the part where this is fully created and fabricated by imagination. This is brainrot or creativity at the highest level. Love is Show definitely fits when things are going well between them. Tbh, with the visuals and song being classy, especially in the chorus, I can just see that hey maybe tojo clan holds an event where every family attends and that's where we can have Daigo and Masato dressed up properly and dance together. Though I like to think that they danced out of sight of anyone, like idk in the gardens? lol. The lyrics " The romance is about to wear off, I'm not normal, and neither are you Is it love or is it not?" as well as in the second verse, imo fits their whole thing. Like yes I ship them, but is it truly love or just attraction? Add to that there's also a lyric where it's saying that they don't want to be alone, which I think both of them feels. I see them as a parallel to one another where they both hated being part of the tojo clan or yakuza in general, which resulted to them being feeling rather lonely. I can see them finding solace and comfort in finding someone who can understand them. You know the MasaDai comics by todayisfridaynight and the fic "Sons of Bosses" (link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45958153?show_comments=true&view_full_work=true ), works imo with the lyrics for both first and second verses, where they mostly talk in cabarets and have some tension going on. I know that the song is actually very sweet, but I also can't help but imagine the lyrics in the chorus as something alluding to this love is just a show, something they use to escape the reality of their world atm. I know it might sound far fetched but isn't that the beauty with art, we can twist it in our own interpretation (just be respectful, especially for differing opinions). The bridge of the somgs also compels me, I have this voice in my head that it works with MasaDai, but I can't see how atm.

Anyway, I think we can all agree that I am clinically insane and has a stage 5 brainrot for Daigo ships. Look he's my favorite I want to give him love, but it won't make it easy since when there's conflict it makes the payoff much more sweeter and deserving. Yes, I love angst with a happy ending. Look this gives a chance for a character arc, evolution, or growth and I like that.

So... this is it. My essay on how Kaguya sama openings can be connected to Daigo ships. Ngl, I enjoyed writing and sharing this since this have been eating on my brain for atleast a year now. Have a good or atleast decent day or night. Sorry if it's too long and I sincerely appreciate anyone who read all of this. 💙💙💙

P.s. I wrote all of this after I woke up, while on work (don't worry it's holy week, nothing much to do), as well as after work so that might clear up the confusion on why it can be all over the place lol. I can probably explain each one better but I'm not really that eloquent and concise to write it better as you've seen. English is also not my first language, so it can be a little tricky on how can I express something clearly, cause man there are some words that has the same meaning, but apparently usually used with a context in mind. I also honestly can't believe I have links and stuff to actually back up my claim, but as i wrote all of this I remembered all of this.

HI ANON!!! i'm late replying to this aaaa i saw it earlier today but couldn't sit down to read through it until just now dsjfkskjgs SORRY IM JUST GONNA WRITE DOWN MY THOUGHTS AS I GO SO IT MIGHT NOT BE REALLY ORGANIZED SDFJKHSKF

i don't really talk about them much on here (it's a crime i haven't drawn them yet) but gosh i love ryudai so much 😭😭 i read circling dragons last year and it ruined my week in the best way. it's absolutely one of my favorite fics ever and i've been meaning to read it again!! it's so interesting to connect that here aaaaa ryuji and daigo's whole relationship is such a whirlwind… most of the time it's less than gentle, but they DO clearly care for each other, even if they're not the best at showing it lol. still, there's so much holding them back from each other, as you pointed out; like their pride, their ambitions/goals (especially on ryuji's part), the omi and the tojo,,, they keep gravitating toward each other, but given their situations and personalities, everything is just a mess aaauugugghh *screaming as i think about them*

also totally random to note, but there's that shot toward the end of the op where shirogane and kaguya are facing each other with guns behind their backs that makes me think specifically about that part from y2 where daigo and ryuji are just walking around each other at omi hq before they fight. i just like the image of them staring at each other surrounded by hearts dshjsfkj

THIS ANIMATIC. THANK YOU FOR LINKING THIS BECAUSE I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE AND I LOVE IT and the song too omg i haven't heard this song in years

alright this is where i admit i only sorta casually ship shinadai so i haven't read any fics 😭 i still love shinada though. but i will say i do enjoy thinking about daigo and his high school crush on this cute guy from the baseball team, so after your first ask i was reading through the lyrics and some lines kinda made me think about that hehe. and on that note, i think it'd be cute if it were daigo hitting a baseball toward him, sorta like he's trying to get shinada's attention with it ? something like that sdjsfkhshg

i'm just nodding along at what you're saying about giri giri because i had similar thoughts when i heard the song lol. i just loooove thinking of daigo not-exactly-subtly flirting with mine and it driving mine crazy. the lyrics made me think about that. mine is going nuts over it because he wants daigo so badly, but also still sorta holding himself back when it comes down to actually DOING something about it because that's how he is sfjsdfjhk

YEAH THAT RGGO STORY IS ICONIC… i love the fact mine hears daigo went off with a woman and he just immediately knows it's a lie. 💀 anon you're making me wish i had more of an ability to animate than i currently do because i wanna like. draw some of these visuals ajdsfhjkfdhskf oougughhh i love minedaaaaai i love how insane mine just. is.

"kashiwagi as hayasaka" wait wait wait hang on help now i know in this specific example we're saying mine is kaguya but. i'm kinda visualizing daigo like. ranting to kashiwagi about how he's been trying to get mine's attention and getting flustered because he isn't sure mine likes him back asdfgfsd (this is unrelated to anything, but i think it'd be cute for wagi to be like a cool uncle to him,,, daigo goes to him for this kinda stuff because he's SO not talking to majima about it) ((majima just gets involved whether daigo likes it or not))

don't worry anon, masadai itself has been created from crumbs that do not exist anyway LMAO. but YES i forget if i really mentioned it in your last ask, but op 4 mostly made me think of them like, when they first started dating (still in their honeymoon phase, so to speak). their 'love' is flashy and perfect (and they are annoying everyone around them) but despite all their similarities, there's still some massive differences in their personalities and how they view things, and i think it eventually leads to them fighting all the time,,, but they still keep getting back together because there isn't anyone else that understands them as much as they understand each other y'know,,, daigo, especially, WANTS to make it work; meanwhile masato just sorta likes how daigo keeps coming back to him,,, something like that anyway. i'm still trying to find the words exactly and that's what that fic i was working on is about adfjkgjhflkjhg

i think this is a neat intepretation of the song! with them, their love isn't exactly… good, and obviously it eventually goes to shit. though when it comes to kaguya and shirogane, i think the song is more about how their love should be like, shown off and celebrated now that they've confessed

aaawawawawa anyway anon your brain is huge i had fun reading your thoughts about this, thank you very much for sharing :3 daigo is my favorite character too so i understand how he can infect your thoughts like a bug fdjkhfsjkds every morning i wake up and think about him 😇❤️

as someone who only speaks english (and sucks at it sometimes), i'd say yours is perfectly fine! ^^ hope u had a happy easter!!

[imissyoual]

I don't know what to do without you. It feels daunting having to find something else to fill the time I would usually be talking to you and I don't like the thought of it being filled with boring things. I don't like the thought of me just filling the time and feeling numb. So many things remind me of you and I'm torn between looking through all our old stuff to fill the void and avoiding it completely because it hurts. This is very dramatic and this shouldn't be dependent on you. I know that and I am happy for you moving forward. It just feels so final and you are who I've been going to for everything for years. You were the first person I talked to when I woke up and the last person I talked to before going to bed. You were the first person to know almost every important thing and who I went to for comfort. You talked me through panic attacks and stress and I was looking forward to all the things we'd do this year but none of that might even happen. The closest thing was Pride. I was talking to you throughout my first Pride parade last year and I thought I'd be doing the same this year but now it looks like I won't be. I miss you. It's alright for me to mourn my loss, even if it's not a full loss, because you'll still come back, although a part of me is afraid you won't. I've had other online best friends I never talk to anymore and I miss them too but they never meant as much to me as you do.

I am so glad I still have L. They're my rock and my love and I really appreciate them and maybe I'm being dramatic about this, maybe it won't be as bad as I feel like it will be. And maybe you'll still talk to me, just less. Time will tell how this will go but time feels daunting right now. I have to fill out an application for an apartment and soon I will have to apply for a job and it's so hard to think I'll be doing that stuff without having you there to talk to. But it's your right and I want you to do this. I want you to move forward with your life in the direction you want to go and if that means I have to talk to you less I will gladly do that for you (not that I have a choice). You were patient with me as college got harder and I will be patient with you, wait for you, and always, always welcome you back. I love you.

I keep holding my breath when I see Discord notifications hoping you have gotten back online to reply to my messages one last time. I just hate that I didn't get to actually talk to you. Just read your messages and send you mine. I know you saw some of them because you emoji reacted to them, which I appreciate. I wish you'd do that to the more recent ones, though, because I'm concerned about you not getting my new email address and trying to send something to the other one that I can't be sure I'll receive because its storage is full. I'm trying to clear it but it's not working well, so I'm concerned. Also, if you're not asleep already I know now is when you'd be going to bed and I wish I could be saying goodnight to you like I usually do. I miss you.

[aspecsoflove]

I don't know what to do without you. It feels daunting having to find something else to fill the time I would usually be talking to you and I don't like the thought of it being filled with boring things. I don't like the thought of me just filling the time and feeling numb. So many things remind me of you and I'm torn between looking through all our old stuff to fill the void and avoiding it completely because it hurts. This is very dramatic and this shouldn't be dependent on you. I know that and I am happy for you moving forward. It just feels so final and you are who I've been going to for everything for years. You were the first person I talked to when I woke up and the last person I talked to before going to bed. You were the first person to know almost every important thing and who I went to for comfort. You talked me through panic attacks and stress and I was looking forward to all the things we'd do this year but none of that might even happen. The closest thing was Pride. I was talking to you throughout my first Pride parade last year and I thought I'd be doing the same this year but now it looks like I won't be. I miss you. It's alright for me to mourn my loss, even if it's not a full loss, because you'll still come back, although a part of me is afraid you won't. I've had other online best friends I never talk to anymore and I miss them too but they never meant as much to me as you do.

I am so glad I still have L. They're my rock and my love and I really appreciate them and maybe I'm being dramatic about this, maybe it won't be as bad as I feel like it will be. And maybe you'll still talk to me, just less. Time will tell how this will go but time feels daunting right now. I have to fill out an application for an apartment and soon I will have to apply for a job and it's so hard to think I'll be doing that stuff without having you there to talk to. But it's your right and I want you to do this. I want you to move forward with your life in the direction you want to go and if that means I have to talk to you less I will gladly do that for you (not that I have a choice). You were patient with me as college got harder and I will be patient with you, wait for you, and always, always welcome you back. I love you.

I keep holding my breath when I see Discord notifications hoping you have gotten back online to reply to my messages one last time. I just hate that I didn't get to actually talk to you. Just read your messages and send you mine. I know you saw some of them because you emoji reacted to them, which I appreciate. I wish you'd do that to the more recent ones, though, because I'm concerned about you not getting my new email address and trying to send something to the other one that I can't be sure I'll receive because its storage is full. I'm trying to clear it but it's not working well, so I'm concerned. Also, if you're not asleep already I know now is when you'd be going to bed and I wish I could be saying goodnight to you like I usually do. I miss you.

[tastydregs]

Free AI Video Generators Are Nearing a Crucial Tipping Point

You may have noticed some impressive video memes made with AI in recent weeks. Harry Potter reimagined as a Balenciaga commercial and nightmarish footage of Will Smith eating spaghetti both recently went viral. They highlight how quickly AI’s ability to create video is advancing, as well as how problematic some uses of the technology may be.

These videos remind me of the moment AI image-making tools became widespread last year, when programs like Craiyon (formerly known as DALL-E Mini) let anyone conjure up recognizable, if crude and often surreal, images, such as surveillance footage of babies robbing a gas station, Darth Vadar courtroom sketches, and Elon Musk eating crayons. 

Craiyon was an open source knockoff of the then carefully restricted DALL-E 2 image generator from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The tool was the first to show AI’s ability to take a text prompt and turn it into what looked like real photos and human-drawn illustrations. Since then, DALL-E has become open to everyone, and programs like Midjourney and Dream Studio have developed and honed similar tools, making it relatively trivial to craft complex and realistic images with a few taps on a keyboard.

As engineers have tweaked the algorithmic knobs and levers behind these image generators, added more training data, and paid for more GPU chips to run everything, these image-making tools have become incredibly good at faking reality. To take a few examples from a subreddit dedicated to strange AI images, check out Alex Jones at a gay pride parade or the Ark of the Covenant at a yard sale. 

Widespread access to this technology, and its sophistication, forces us to rethink how we view online imagery, as was highlighted after AI-made images purporting to show Donald Trump’s arrest went viral last month. The incident led Midjourney to announce that it would no longer offer a free trial of its service—a fix that might deter some cheapskate bad actors but leaves the broader problem untouched.

As WIRED’s Amanda Hoover writes this week, algorithms still struggle to generate convincing video from a prompt. Creating many individual frames is computationally expensive, and as today’s jittering and sputtering videos show, it is hard for algorithms to maintain enough coherence between them to produce a video that makes sense. 

AI tools are, however, getting a lot more adept at editing videos. The Balenciaga meme, along with versions referencing Friends and Breaking Bad, were made by combining a few different AI tools, first to generate still images and then to add simple animation effects. But the end result is still impressive. 

Runway ML, a startup that’s developing AI tools for professional image and video creation and editing, this week launched a new more efficient technique for applying stylistic changes to videos. I used it to create this dreamlike footage of my cat, Leona, walking through a “cloudscape” from an existing video in just a few minutes.

Video: Will Knight/Runway

Different machine learning techniques open new possibilities. A company called Luma AI, for instance, is using a technique known as neural radiance fields to turn 2D photographs into detailed 3D scenes. Feed a few snapshots into the company’s app, and you’ll have a fully interactive 3D scene to play with. 

These clips suggestt we are at an inflection point for AI video making. As with AI image generation, a growing rush of memes could be followed by significant improvements in the quality and controllability of AI videos that lodge the technology in all sorts of places. AI may well become a muse for some auteurs. Runway’s tools were used by the visual effects artists working on the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once. Darren Aronofsky, director of The Whale, Black Swan, and Pi is also a fan of Runway. 

But you only need to look at how advanced images from Midjourney and Dream Studio are now to sense where AI video is heading—and how difficult it may become to distinguish real clips from fake ones. Of course, people can already manipulate videos with existing technology, but it’s still relatively expensive and difficult to pull off.

The rapid advances in generative AI may prove dangerous in an era when social media has been weaponized and deepfakes are propagandists' playthings. As Jason Parham wrote for WIRED this week, we also need to seriously consider how generative AI can recapture and repurpose ugly stereotypes.

For now, the instinct to trust video clips is mostly reliable, but it might not be long before the footage we see is less solid and truthful than it once was.