#classic case of ‘i need these two to end up together’ fighting ‘i need to be with him’ jshsh

[the-travelling-witch]

Been a while since I checked in, how you doing Hun? Besides your move and internship that is! Lord of love!

hi, nice to hear from you again!! <3

i‘m doing pretty well, considering everything but i really want to do nothing for a while; since i activated a free trial for crunchyroll, i‘m trying to absorb as many animes from my watchlist as i possibly can

i caught up with spy x family already (it’s so wholesome, i‘m melting) and am now finally watching the reason why raeliana ended up at the duke‘s mansion after wanting to for a while; i really enjoyed the manhwa when i read it ages ago and i‘m basically squealing over it now again (@/watatsumiis would know, he‘s at the receiving end off my feelings hsjsj)

[artbyblastweave]

So this was a one-and-done beat from Marvel Zombies 4, by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker, which featured a zombie outbreak in the quote-unquote "regular" Marvel Universe, on the fictional Caribbean island of Taino (not sure if this is a deliberate historical reference or not.) Two panels after being introduced, these three are annihilated by an airborne cloud of zombie virus and stitched together into a shambling monster that rambles about how it fights for Truth, Justice, and the Corporate Way. That's ancillary to the point. Ignore that. What this gets me thinking about again is this concept that I have of Super Hero "Dark Matter" worldbuilding, which is the fact that basically every horrible deconstructive beat, every subversive cynical implication of the existence of superheroes you can think of, everything you'd associate by default with The Boys or Invincible (or, on the lighter end of the spectrum, Astro City,) all of that is probably already canon within the DC and Marvel Universes; canonized in niche little miniseries or cult-classic runs of niche characters. Often, canonized in ways that imply the existence of common, broad dynamics that exist within the world, outside the protagonist-centered provincialism of New York or Gotham or Metropolis; all sorts of shit going on that we don't see until it comes into fleeting contact with Spider-Man's knuckles. In this case, the logic is that if superhumans exist- indeed, if superheroes exist- then superhuman-backed neocolonialism would follow. These three aren't here to protect Taino; they're here to protect a fucking resort from the people of Taino, in the event that the American tourists need to leave in a hurry. They work for Roxxon, which is the by-default evil Marvel corporation, the name they break out whenever they want to quickly signal that they're doing a story about corporate malfeasance; what are the odds that these were the only three like this that Roxxon had on Payroll? The one corporate holding being protected this way? That'd be a hell of a coincidence. You can infer an entire ecosystem of these corporate thugs floating around in the background of Marvel, becoming an explicit presence in ones and twos when Mark Waid or Al Ewing need some vile corporate sellouts for a quote-unquote "real" hero (someone with their name on the cover) to beat within an inch of their life. But you start doing the numbers on how many times this kind of plot beat comes up, and you start to come to the conclusion that the Marvel and DC universes have, in fact, always been exactly as dystopian and fucked up as something like The Boys. It's just that in a single-author dedicated deconstruction, the story is allowed to actually notice and remember.

[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.11

And now the cooldown, thank god

The classic fade-in at the clinic, of course. Thank God Taylor's in one piece at the end of this arc

Holy shit, okay

Don't leave Taylor on pause while she's telling her bugs to do something, Jesus

Oh hey, power upgrade? Is that normal? I don't know if that's normal, but Taylor's fucking panopticon powers are getting even stronger

I like the banter

Oh hey, Danny gets to feel the sheer fucking agony of his daughter being caught in the crossfire of a supervillain attack, and he doesn't even know the full extent of what's been threatened towards her! What fun!

Wow, she didn't even last a week before the collision between her cape life and civilian life

Lisa is really fucking good at this, hell.

Taylor, love you, but if something makes you feel guilty to the point where it's borderline physical, that might mean you should rethink your choices at least a little?

Taylor is so lucky her friend is a dark empath or whatever they're calling it now

She hoped so bad that these two parts of her life would never come together, and now it has and she's got no contingencies or anything

Aww

The rundown of what we missed in the Bakuda fight fills in some of the gaps, and also it's a little funny that Taylor has claimed two and a half toes off of ABB's newest cape

Bakuda escaping makes sense, her takedown wasn't nearly as much a priority as the team's survival, but Lung's breakout feels like a low blow. Makes sense that the bombing campaign was a feint to break him out, but hell of a way to lose the progress that'd been made

And of course any hope at restoring the former equilibrium before Lung's arrest is dashed immediately

Escalation on top of more escalation seems to be the order of the day

Everybody needs to be cuddling Taylor to make up for the years of touch starvation she's endured at this point, that's a mandate and I will not budge on it

Current Thoughts

I hope the Undersiders actually get to cool off for a bit after this but somehow I doubt it, their luck isn't so hot

Here at the end of Arc 4 and I'm still a bit blown away by the pacing. I knew Bakuda was coming at some point before Leviathan, but the specifics evaded me, including the goddamn Bomberman cosplay, so here we are

Somehow I suspect things are gonna keep moving this fast if not faster for the foreseeable future, although I gotta be real I don't know what the hell kind of time frame this story takes place in if that's the case, barring I guess a timeskip? Ideally there's some time to slow down and cool off that isn't immediately ruined by the newest villain who decides to ruin everything

Interlude next, then my thinky thoughts on the whole of Arc 4

[deathsbestgirl]

for the least favorite eps: Arcadia, PVB

okay let's go!!!

arcadia.

i watched this one last night and i felt like i had nothing to say. generally speaking, i think a few others have talked about it better than i can lol and they've kind of covered why i love it! and for me, i really have to step back from the general fandom view of it. this is one i have to look at the broader context of season six. if you just watch arcadia, i don't think it hits right at all. (also i think i need to dig into other episodes it reminds me of, but that might be a later separate post. we'll see. usually the connections i find make me love an episode more.)

season six is at one time one of the most msr seasons but also so tense. in the end, diana fowley shows up and it twists scully inside. this woman she knew nothing about, who was there when mulder found the x files & worked on them with him, who's been with him in the way she never has, and she shares mulder's beliefs. right into fight the future, where she may be absent but shes heavily impacting scully. to the point she's ready to walk away, believing mulder doesn't need her & she's only held him back. he gives her this whole speech, telling her how important she is to him, she saved him, made him a whole person. they almost kiss, before everything shatters & she nearly dies. but she's drawn back in. in the beginning, mulder's mad that that she couldn't hand over proof to the fbi, that she won't believe and she clings to what he told her in his hallway.

season six is very tropey, but most of it is also erased, they don't remember the events of dreamland or monday, triangle is a dream/the past. arcadia specifically, is taking a trope fandom usually makes fun or to bring two characters together, and uses it more like mulder & scully are working out some issues.

as kae says, mulder is peak annoying. almost insufferable. but it's these moments that tell us a lot. mulder says at the beginning that 'this isn't an x file.' he's not thrilled with the assignment, he's excited to get back to their work. scully disagrees, tells him 'it's unexplained,' and teases him. but it's tense. i think at other times it would have just been. funny. but he's making marriage jokes, 'not taking the case seriously,' and taking jabs at scully about 'fitting in here' — which is actually misunderstanding what it is that she really wants.

scully was also excited to get back to their work. she was just as bored without the x files, especially with the work they were forced to do. and maybe she did want to 'play house' but i think mulder ruined any fun she was having and her walls went up. so she started being annoying too lol

i love that this episode is tense, a little angsty. but their work partnership is still intact, even if a little strained. they go about their investigation in a fairly typical way, although mulder just tries to piss off the neighbors thinking this is simply human for most of it. i honestly love the way he tries to shake up the neighborhood. it's similar to mr. kline and is ultimately what got him & his wife killed. so he's on the right track (what a surprise). (and even when scully's right that it's an x file, i don't think she's right about anything else lol so classic.)

i always really liked @randomfoggytiger 's mulder analysis & this post lol, and i love the way kae connected the theme of this episode to a common theme running through the show.

i think fandom tends to view this through an msr lens, and not that isn't but it isn't the very in love & together phase of season seven episodes. it's them figuring out how to get there. not understanding what the other thinks or wants, what a relationship between them would like, or what it would mean for their work.

now for some scene specifics that i LOVE.

i love the way mulder reflects the man murdered in the beginning. mr. klein? is so fed up with the ccnrs & the uniformity. he's annoyed by win painting his mailbox. he's excited to get that weird lawn ornament. his wife is very accepting of his bothers, though she doesn't seem to care personally. it's just. it's very reflective of m+s through this episode.

and THIS moment. the way scully puts her hands up to be like 'okay enough, back off.' it's so funny. like. mulder & scully are affectionate. but it's mostly gazing, lower back / arm touches, hand holding...hugging is rare, it's reserved for deeply emotional & vulnerable moments. not just because. but here they have to. and i think that's uncomfortable for them even as they're soaking it up.

then after they're all moved in, as soon as they're alone:

this part says to me they were excited (personally) for this case, at the very beginning they're having a great time. i think scully is even amused by his "honeymoon" tape joke & his (bad) sandwich joke, i love when she throws the gloves at him lol

it's also just funny to me to see how they play these roles. like they just aren't good at it, they're not very subtle. but these people don't know them so it works. the neighbors are overly friendly and overly concerned, and mulder & scully are trying to find out why but they're not the easiest group to crack. despite the intense fear & worry cami clearly feels.

i also think this episode sets mulder up as a house husband, which is soooo fitting. i actually think this is closer to what he talks about in home than he's willing to think about. it's got a small town feel, close knit community, safety. it's just ... extremely suburban with too many rules. and he likes breaking rules atp more than following them. and this time, it actually is his job to break them. this was a perfect case for mulder, with or without the monster angle.

i think i've said this before in other season six talk, but from the moment i saw someone talk about how m+s don't have a blueprint for their relationship, it's the lens i see season six through completely. they start trying to communicate more clearly, not well but they're getting closer. here they're in a very particular limbo (especially after two fathers/one son), where neither of them can deny their feelings (but scully's are "the problem"), and their trust & partnership has been tested. agua mala was about reaffirming their trust & partnership and some off the clock bonding. arcadia is their first on the clock test, which undercover as a married couple is probably also kind of a nightmare for them given their circumstances lol

BUT GENUINELY they were both enjoying it at the beginning, and they have different moments throughout where one is and the other isn't.

one particular thing i love is the way scully puts up boundaries. because i think after a few jokes, and mulder telling her she fits in perfectly...she feels she has to. mulder isn't ready and he doesn't understand, it makes her retreat.

like after mulder sees the monster...scully asks him if he cares to hear what she thinks. he pauses, looking at her, before he tells her "always." they really getting back into step with each other but after hurt & confusion, all the tension...it takes time. they need to hit certain beats to get there and i think this episode does that very well. the moment when mulder thinks scully's been attacked by the creature, that he's about to find her eviscerated. it before that when he's searching the hole they dug, and she comes out speaking quietly & gently, telling him to come in and "call it a night." this is so domestic and partnerly it kinda kills me. he really does always listen. scully is the only person who can pull him back, keep him grounded. and she always give him the space to explore his theories and she investigates them seriously.

the way mulder is terrified when he sees the door and walks into the house. it's every time he's almost lost her flashing before his eyes again, not that long after tithonus. after he could have died in agua mala, before they even patched things up. to me, agua mala, arcadia & alpha build up to milagro, open the door for the unnatural & field trip. it's the perfect set up for biogenesis, the sixth extinction and amor fati. the final hurdle mulder needed. all of these things slowly build scully's confidence back up so that she's ready too. even though she still won't make the first move.

[unhealthy-reading-habits]

Like many people, I binged watched Season 2 of Good Omens on Friday. I had a couple of days to deal with all the emotions, and I’ve now reached an epiphany. What follows here is the mad rambling of a GO apologist.

Warning: Good Omens Season 2 spoilers ahead, do not read if you don’t want spoilers. I will be spoiling the ending of Season 2 in this post. Please go watch it first. I’m also going to mention the ending of two of Jane Austen’s works (P&P and S&S)

The epiphany: Good Omens is a romantic story. Both Crowley and Aziraphale asked for this heartbreak but both are so woefully naïve about what love is, they didn’t even realise what they were asking for.

What do I mean by this?

In episode 2 (S2), they both describe what they think a romantic scenario is, but both are only focusing on the romantic finale. They are not thinking about the build-up to that moment, which includes a heartbreaking separation which only then leads to those romantic conclusions.

They are actually describing the same romantic scenario of having a separation and then reuniting in love again, they just present the scene differently.

Crowley describes his idea of romance as two people looking longingly into each other's eyes in the rain. He does say “beneath a canopy” but follows the above line by saying that if you “get humans wet and staring into each other’s eyes”, this is what makes them fall in love, so Crowley is talking about confirming your love in the rain.

Examples in Richard Curtis films

Four Weddings and a Funeral - No cover, just rain kissing

Bridget Jones's Diary - No cover, just snow kissing

At face value, we think Crowley is saying the rain thing because of what happened at Eden, and I think that is part of it. But keep in mind that during the "before the beginning" scene and at the Eden scene, neither of them stared into each other’s eyes. They both kept facing forward.

What Crowley is actually describing is the romantic trope of the protagonist couple having a love-confirming kiss in the rain. The issue is the “confirmation” love kiss occurs after there is a period of separation or break-up in the relationship itself.

It’s sometimes called the “Second-Act Breakup” or "Third-Act Breakup" and the ending of Season 2 is a classic set-up for a Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario.

The trope often happens after the couple get into a big fight/misunderstanding/some event that breaks the two people up. The “under a canopy” bit isn’t the important detail here, the actual romantic scene Crowley is eluding to is the reunion kiss in the rain. To get a reunion kiss though, you need to break up properly first.

The romantic film story for the reunion kiss in the rain is only fully satisfying because it’s the moment after the horrible low of the two breaking apart, trying to forget the other person and thinking that they might not be together. So when the two characters do reunite at the end, it is a great romantic conclusion to the story.

Aziraphale described his idea of romance as going to a ball in a Jane Austen novel, where the characters realise they misunderstood each other, but the misunderstanding has to come first in this case.

It’s very obvious that the Good Omens 2 story is only halfway through and is written like a Jane Austen novel, which is blatantly said throughout the show.

[Side note: it’s been years since I read these novels so I’m hoping I’m not misremembering.]

Pride & Prejudice – Elizabeth angrily and rather viciously rejects Mr Darcy’s proposal mid-way through the novel and the remainder of the story is the “being separated” phase of the romance until they are reconciled at the end.

Sense & Sensibility – Elinor’s affection for Edward is disrupted by Lucy Steele’s presence as Edward’s fiancé half way through the novel. This “break up” of the courting between Elinor and Edward is only resolved at the end of the story when Lucy leaves Edward and he is now free to propose to Elinor.

The two most well-known stories by Jane Austen have a break up/separation scene about half way through, which the characters have to work through to then have the reunited happy ending.

For the Break-Up/Make-Up story, the two romantic interested need to finally realise/decide to disregard everything else, settle the misunderstanding and reunite, that’s the finality of the romance. To get this scene, you have to go through the break-up where the two separate first to get those raw emotions, which makes the reunited ending so incredible.

Yes, Aziraphale and Crowley have had fights and temporary lapses in their relationship, like the bandstand scene. But it’s not really them that are causing the break-up. It’s outside forces pressuring them, the environment around them making them act this way. They are also only fighting about something external (raising the antichrist, finding the antichrist etc).

This break-up is more personal, it is them individually instigating the break-up over their own intimate relationship. It’s not the usual song-and-dance, this is Aziraphale choosing a plan and Crowley choosing a different plan and both are too stubborn to relent.

It is Crowley and Aziraphale choosing to split because they cannot reconcile their opposing views about their own relationship and both choose to walk away from the situation.

There is a hypothesis about the “coffee” and Metatron’s maybe brainwashing here, but in my opinion, Aziraphale still chose his plan for their relationship over Crowley’s plan for their relationship. This was a conscious choice on Aziraphale's part.

This time, they were arguing about themselves, which led to a true break-up. An irreconcilable argument between them that they must work through so their relationship can mature:

Crowley still cannot understand that Aziraphale will never run away with him to be just the two of them. Aziraphale cares too much about Earth and humanity and wants to help people, so Aziraphale will never just leave.  

Aziraphale still cannot accept that Crowley is not and does not want to be an angel. Aziraphale is not listening to Crowley when he says he does not want to go back to how things were before because he is genuinely happy with just being with Aziraphale.

Aziraphale consistently reminds himself that Crowley is a demon because (maybe knowingly, maybe subconsciously) he still sees him as an angel.

Crowley’s good actions further emphasise what Aziraphale already knows, that Crowley is a good person, but it’s very difficult for Aziraphale to separate the concepts of “good” and “angel”.

Both of them are not accepting the other as they truly are. Their relationship needs a real break-up, caused by themselves so that they can learn to accept each other as their full authentic selves.

We have to endure the low points to fully enjoy the high points.

Neil Gaiman has been very clear he intends there to be a season 3 so this love story is only halfway through, and frustratingly the break-up scene is the end of season 2. It’s like ending P&P when Elizabeth rejects Mr Darcy’s first proposal, or ending The Notebook as Allie sees the newspaper article about Noah but not showing them getting back together.

We know Crowley and Aziraphale will end up at the South Downs cottage. It’s just an emotional heart-wrenching journey between the two points. But when we get that reunion between them, it’s going to be delicious.

P.S. Neil Gaiman, you goddamn tease, if you are going for a full P&P/kiss in the rain experience, I really hope we get an Aziraphale wet shirt scene

[rednleafff]

You better explain why leo and usagi at first became bf/bf and then broke up and then bf/bf (I think)???

Why did they break up at first?

I will try my very best to explain my idea for the Leo & Usagi story line

It will be a messy ride cause there are some parts that are missing + my English is mid so buckle up.

(Important information beforehand: this is just the base idea- things might change- but for now- it is what it is)

GOOD? FUTURE - Leo & Usagi

A little bit about Usagi yuichi first:

He’s a rabbit Yokai from another dimension, who came to this reality cause apparently his grand-grandfather was a battle Nexus champion, and Usagi is going - or at least tries to go the same path that he did, and to become the greatest Samurai there is.

He has limited time on this earth to achieve his goals before he will need to go back.

(I’ll explain later the dimensions hopping thing)

But to his surprise- to become the battle nexus champion is much more difficult than he expected - and furthermore - staying in this dimension is harder too-! So he gets a job, Between his training and fighting in the Naxus. Yep- at the pizza restaurant-

From a samurai to a waiter-

And that’s when he meets-

Him 🙄

(Around season 2)

In the classic way of serving the turtles table, Usagi got the first glimpse of Leo and instead of sharing a joke or something, the two somehow end up arguing a little bit about something, and from that day,

It was hate from first sight <3

Usagi tried not to serve them specifically but the universe had other plans and he always ended up doing it, he even asked

“You guys don’t have other places to go to??”

Which Leo replied

“I wouldn’t suggest to tell your customers to go to other places - not great for the business” or something along the lines.

It didn’t got better when the rabbit found out they were Ninja’s as well, and that Leo specifically used a sword similar to him- like- this loud mouth, arrogant- Kappa???

They were more similar that they wanted to admit.

In Leo’s end, he thought messing with Usagi was more funny than actually disliking him? He wasn’t a fan of him don’t get him wrong, he tolerated him at most-

Until some shenanigans happen- I think Leo was on another adventure with hueso that involved Usagi somehow and the two ended up fighting along side each other-

Which Usagi hated fighting along side a ninja but Leo? He thought he was pretty cool- and even tried to befriend Usagi, but the rabbit didn’t want to waste his time on building friendships when his time here were limited, and he will probably will end up leaving and never seeing them again, so he brushed Leo off, which only causes Leo to annoy the hell out of him even more.

I believe it’s only the beginning point of Leo starting to look on Usagi in a more positive light, so no crushes yet-

And from this point forward, the two will meet more and more by accident- or fate- hehe- and fight alongside at times, until one point that Leo said he could take Usagi out with ease- (he actually meant it as a joke- but Usagi took it seriously) and excepted the challenge- cause he will gladly fight and WIN against Leo who- he totally didn’t learn to appreciate a little bit and absolutely didn’t maybe like the times the hang out together- even though most of the time he was his waiter or they where in a life and death situation- that’s not the point-

And that’s when they started to fight aka train together. Their first fight , I’m not sure yet who won actually hehe- BUT since their first fight together, Leo took notes on Usagi fighting abilities, you know- just in case, and in their first fight, Usagi noticed how well Leo predicts his moves, a little to well-! And that’s annoys him as well- cause he’s not predictable!! Or so he believes.

So from fighting it became training, it didn’t happen often, cause each had there own life, but if they did train, it wasn’t in the turtle lair, but on a building roof top or something, and usually by accidentally meeting each other cause to this point- they don’t have each-others phone numbers yet-

BUT EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE SHREDDER ATTACKED.

Usagi, used to see the turtles at leastttt once a week in a random pizza night, suddenly noticed he haven’t heard from them two or three weeks already. Not that he care or anything- they weren’t friends- or something- sure did he enjoy talking with the Red one the most and likes the orange one good energy? Sure sure, just a casual relationship nothing more. Did he get a weird side eye from the purple one that made him feel like he kinda hates his guts? Maybe- he didn’t like them either! They were Annoying as hell too-!

And sure, maybeeee it was nice to talk to someone once in a while, and train with another person, who for some reason kinda gets him but he also wants to push him off a building, his dumb, smug face and his stupid very un-funny (funny) jokes Leonardo might - not be as bad as he originally thought. But again, not friends or anything-

So he totally wasn’t absolutely relived when he saw the gang again , some bandages up, some not, but something felt different, they acted the same but with sense of tension between them. They didn’t elaborate why they were missing for so long- obviously- not friends- remember? But just knowing they were alright was enough for Usagi.

His and Leo’s next meeting was a bit different. The blue one came to the restaurant alone, which did happen sometimes, but instead of going to mess with his boss, or think which Pizza will be the best way to say “I’m sorry”, he just set there all by himself for sometimes now it actually made him feel somewhat bad for him so he tried to- well- he wasn’t sure.

He came up to him and they started to talk a little, it was clear Leo wasn’t in a mood cause he said something like

“Why do you even care?”

He didn’t-! He just tried- to be- nice!

So he went- only to comeback not even 5 minutes later cause ok maybe he did care a little bit-

And they talk for awhile, it’s probably their first conversation that Leo is so open with Usagi. About he’s new role as a leader, which Usagi thought was great-! Being a leader is an honorable position, but Leo explains to him why it didn’t make any sense- which was like??? Usagi was used to arrogant, high confidence, mr. can’t do no wrong cause he’s great in everything Leo and suddenly hearing him being so- unsure of himself- was - odd. So odd that Usagi had to say something- and maybe he came off a little strong with his opinion statement which was

“Are you a complete idiot?”

Sue him-! He did continue by saying that- even though sure Leo wasn’t perfect, from the moments he saw, he has all the qualities

Of a good leader. And the smug he got from Leo kinda made him want to punch him in the face, but they end it on a good tone, couple of pizza boxes to go and finally Leo asked for his number, because APPARENTLY they were friends- and they should be able to contact each other if needed.

The next couple of months, they trained more and more together, Leo may or may not, choose to- run away from a problem by - literally being away from the house when he could, that’s when these two started to get a little bit closer and Usagi told h about his plans with the battle Nexus. He in fact didn’t believe Leo when he told h that he’s a battle nexus champion -

But he was also worried for him, apparently he and a raph were fighting - well 9/10

Of the time. He didn’t want this role and act like that- and when Usagi tried to talk to him about it, Leo would brush it off by leaving or changing the topic.

So imagine to his surprise when one day- apparently something something- aliens attack the human world - something something- everything is ok now- and Leo doesn’t pick up his damn phone even though he was the one to insist to have each others phone numbers so they could communicate!!!

No pressure, I mean what’s the worst that could happen? He did and Usagi will never know? Pfff yea right.

Right?

He wasn’t pleased to say the least when he found out what happened. And what state all the turtle were. He didn’t know to much, just that they were a little bit to hurt to get outside at the moment. That new guy Casey Jr invited him to come and visit, which surprised April the human girl that was with him, APPARENTLY- Our dear fearless leader Leo, didn’t tell anyone- ANYONE- about him getting close to Usagi, or training together?? Talking like- for literally hours?? No? No one? Well apparently that Casey boy knows something- even though Usagi never met him before-

It was devastating to find out Leo’s state, even though he acted - alright , and i guess he went through some character development cause the air between the got a whole lot lighter :)

Leo was also surprised to see Usagi, and then getting a while lecture about the point of a phone, which he replied that he got kinda destroyed, so any complaints send it to the manager of the Kraang, which Usagi didn’t really understand what’s a Kraang, and Leo wasn’t so quickly ready to talk about it either.

Some might say that from this point, Leo was kinda into Usagi, seeing a more caring side of him, after kinda admiring his motivation and fighting skills. Which wasn’t so great cause Usagi didn’t feel the same yet. He was wayyy to focused on his goal which ok- cool but like an imagine having your goal and a boyfriend?

Leo didn’t push to hard even though his dear brothers teased the hell out of him about it.

Once again- shenanigans happens. This time, Usagi tries again and fails to in the last battle of becoming the champion, and so he starts to take the training much more seriously. He tries to tone down with every diversion, and just to focus on this one thing-

But alas Leo. And it will become a problem, cause Usagi doesn’t want to go back home a disappointment, and the stress starts to get to him. He has this weird feelings towards Leo that he avoids, and nothing goes right for him, so he might be a little snappy and agitated. Something something- after some drama , new realizations , help from Leo and understanding that- his path won’t be the same as his grand-grandfather and it’s ok to fail and it’s ok to have goals but not to let them consume you and make you push other people away- especially the one you love,

Love? Yep apparently he like Leo

Well shit.

Leo doesn’t know Usagi will have to leave eventually, Usagi doesn’t want to let this- whatever this thing that goes between them to keep growing cause it will be doomed eventually- it won’t work - it can’t work! And yet-

They end up dating after some heartfelt confessions, Usagi tells him about the fact he has to leave this dimension eventually, and Leo tells him that until then- they can make the most of it.

Meanwhile he and the other turtles, help Usagi to train better for the battle Nexus, and he wins in the end, becoming a champion and all- but-

He didn’t admit out loud be he wasn’t happy with it- it was his only reason to stay here and now that it’s over?

And Leo helped him with it knowing that it will probably end with them breaking up and never seeing each other again- so why? Why did he helped him?

“Because it’s important to you”

He said,

“And you’re important to me”

Since when he was such a romantic?

They are about 19 years old close to 20.

And the portal to Usagi’s worlds will open soon and the next one will open only couple years later if at all-

(The portal basically opens with some magical phenomenal from Yuichi’s world)

they act like everything is ok up until couple of days before Yuichi leaves.

They like to pretend like everything was ok, even though they both knew they will have to talk about it eventually.

And it happens the night he suppose to leave- Leo admits that- if they could do it all again, he wouldn’t wasted so much time on teasing and would have asked him out a lot earlier, which Yuichi replies with

“It wouldn’t work, I wouldn’t say yes”

And Leo would answer with

“I wouldn’t stop asking then until you would say yes”

Y: “that’s harassment”

L: potato tomato

Y: I’m pretty sure the saying is “ potato potatoes”?

They laugh it off and then they will actually talk, I won’t write the conversation just yet hehe

It will be the first time they both admit they actually love each other (rather then liking)

Leo doesn’t ask him to stay, he can’t, ask him to give up his family for him.

Yuichi wants him to ask him to stay but he’s not sure he could really say yea to that-

It was doomed from the start, and they both knew that.

Fast forward ~

5 years later

Who’s back in town?

Out rabbit that right.

There are 2 portals with a gape of 2 weeks between them so he decides to come and visit -

The last couple of years

We’re

Something that’s for sure.

And he’s very very surprised seeing Leo with a freaking human baby-

But it’s very odd to talk to Leo suddenly. He really did change- and so did he.

He goes home after these 2 weeks

And thinks. About everything. About his life, about his goals, dreams, wants.

And in all of them he thinks about Leo.

The next time he visits it’s 2 years later. Yummi - the baby- is 4 years old and she’s a cheeky little girl, which isn’t surprising if Leo raised her.

This time the next portal will open only half a year away- and close for at least another 6 years-

In that time he’s doing a lot of thinking

Serious thinking about his future

Present

And past.

About everything.

One evening, the three of them are coming back home- Leo’s home- after some shenanigans. Leo has to play the soundtrack of high school musical 2 cause Yummi recently watched the movies and is very much obsessed with the songs + music in the car is a very effective way to make her sleepy. and the mission succeed! She falls asleep, leaving the other too with the tuns of “gotta go my own way” from the second movie- which they sing together very passionately cause nothing beats karaoke night !!

Just to make it clear- they are no longer together, they are “just friends”

They get home, Yuicihi putting her to bed while Leo checks up on splinter who’s also asleep and then comes back to Yummi’s room where Yuichi is still there, saying something like

“Thank you for the help, you really don’t have to do all this”

And Yuichi answers

“Of course I do. She’s important to you, and you’re important to me”

They talk a little bit more after that-

And come to the conclusion that they might - can - if the other one wants - to try - maybe - date -

Again ?

And when Leo asked him about returning to his own dimension, Yuichi replies that- he would like to stay as long as Leo is willing to have him here-

And from that point onwards- they are together again- :>

There is more stuff in the future but I digress-

Wow that was longer then I expected it to be- ops-

I hope everything is written clear enough- hehe

[lurkingshan]

Some Highly Recommended Kdrama

My pal @troubled-mind asked me if I had any recommendations for good kdramas to watch, and my answer to that is: literally always. I put together this short list for them and decided to share in case anyone else is interested.

Parameters for this list: modern setting, strong focus on friendship dynamics, mix of genres, avoid university settings, no one-sided romantic pursuits, and no terribly sad endings

Be Melodramatic/Melo Is My Nature (Viki)

Fantastic friendship focused drama about a group of close friends who all move in together in the wake of personal crises. A healing drama that includes a couple love lines. And an out gay side character (still extremely rare for mainstream kdrama, unfortunately). This one will make you laugh and cry.

Happiness (Viki)

Pandemic zombies attack! Now I am not really a zombie person, but I absolutely love this show. It’s about a pair of working class besties who decide to get married in order to win a housing lottery (one of them may or not be hoping this fake marriage turns real), then immediately get caught in a lockdown with all their new neighbors when there’s a zombie virus outbreak. Shenanigans ensue! This is more action thriller than horror, and the two main characters are some of my all time favs. The writing, plotting, and pacing are tight as hell and it’s a rare perfect 10 for me on that front.

Coffee Prince (Viki)

MY BELOVED. This is an absolute classic genderbend kdrama that I’ve watched several times. The show that made Gong Yoo famous. An honest to goodness queer narrative about a chaebol who meets a girl pretending to be a boy for poverty reasons, falls in love, and has a bisexual awakening. This show was way ahead of its time even if it doesn’t use our modern language (you will not hear the words trans, non-binary or bi/pansexual but trust me, they’re there). Also features a fun friend group who all work together at the coffee shop. I try to make everyone watch this one, and recently got @bengiyo and @kyr-kun-chan to watch and validate my read of the story, and they enjoyed it a lot despite the messy hets. Be warned though that this drama is old old, so you’ll need to adjust to the visuals.

Fight for My Way (Viki)

My all time favorite friends to lovers drama, this is a coming of age tale of two best friends and their long journey to getting on the same page about romance. Their dynamic is fantastic and the story is mostly set in their early adulthood as they try to establish themselves in careers and make sense of their bond as adults. Also features their close friends who form a fun little group with them. And Park Seo Joon, a god among drama actors.

Hospital Playlist (Netflix)

If you want excellent friendship dynamics, look no further. This show is all about a group of five friends who met in college and have stuck together for over two decades and all of life’s ups and downs. The story begins when they find themselves all working in the same hospital for the first time since med school and decide to restart their old band. Yes, there will be singing, and no, you don’t have to cover your ears - the cast is stacked with South Korea’s best musical theater talent. This drama is slice of life and takes us through a couple years with them as they reforge their bonds and each deal with their own family baggage and love lives.

Misaeng (Netflix)

My all time favorite workplace drama that has the unique distinction of being the only show to ever make me literally burst into happy tears. No romance in this one. Story centers on a former baduk prodigy (think if Reply 1988 Taek stalled out instead of becoming a master) who attempts to enter the workforce with no discernible skills. He bumbles and fumbles and alternately competes with and bonds with his fellow interns, and forms a deep and lasting relationship with his mentor. When I tell you this show is a master class in writing to create emotional stakes, phew! How else can you explain me getting deep in my feelings over the success or failure of an import/export company?

My Mister (Netflix or Viki)

This one is a bit darker, as it deals with themes of intergenerational trauma, abuse, poverty, depression, and general ennui. Not a romance, this drama focuses on the strange and unexpected bond that forms between a middle aged man and a younger woman working on his team. They meet at an important inflection point in both their lives and forge a friendship that changes them both. Really moving and utterly beautiful, with an ending that will make you feel happy to be alive.

Extraordinary You (Viki)

Time for a change up! This is a fantasy show in which the main character becomes self aware and realizes she is a side character in a manwha. Technically set in a school (inside the manwha) but not actually about that. She bonds with another side character who is self aware, and the two of them start working to change the story so that they can break free (and fall in love while doing it, naturally). The concept of this one is just so cool and they do a lot of interesting things with it, plus the visuals are stunning.

The Uncanny Counter (Netflix)

Because I know you liked Oh No! Here Comes Trouble, I’m adding this one about a kid who discovers he has superpowers and teams up with a little found family of grim reapers to fight evil. The family unit is great and there’s lots of good stuff in their various relationships with each other. This one is a lot of fun but also touches on the characters’ sad backstories and family lives.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Viki)

You said to avoid university settings but I’m adding this one in case you want to give a classic college romance a try. My fav in that category, it’s a sports romance between a weightlifter and a swimmer who used to be childhood friends and reconnect in college while they’re struggling with performance issues, body image, and romance. It’s a friends to lovers slow burn and they are utterly adorable.

If you like any of these, let me know and I can give you more recs!! Y’all can hit me up anytime, getting other people to watch my fav shows is one of my number one joys in life.

[thenewblackcanvas]

Spooky 3 (California Kings// Poly Chanlix)

poly chanlix (bang chan x reader x felix) themes: polyamory/throuple, fluffy, funny, two boyfriend shenanigans, mention of sex, alaskan king bed (not californian king), three parts of halloween with your boyfriends ♡ Spooky Season 2023♡

Part I: Costumes

“Ok boys,” you announced as you jumped onto the bed where the two were relaxing. “spooky season is upon us. It is time to decide on costumes.“

Felix sat up excitedly. “Oh yeah! We have to do something good.”

“Should we go trio again?”

Chan, who was watching tv, paused his video. “It’s one of the fun things about being together. You have to take advantage of it.”

You nodded. “Important question: are either of you opposed to wearing dresses?”

Chan seemed confused but Felix just shrugged. “Nah.” Chan echoed the same sentiment after a moment before adding “Do you have a good idea or do you just want to see us in dresses?”

“Yeah,” Felix added. “Because we’ll do it anytime.”

The thought made you giddy but you refocused. “In that case, we could always go classic trio. Powerpuff Girls!”

The men seemed less than enthused. 

You shrugged “Just a thought.”

“Hmm,” Chan hummed in thought. “What about Ghostbusters?”

“There are 4 Ghostbusters.” You frowned.

He groaned, rolling his eyes. “Ok maybe we just say Stantz is sick.”

Felix shook the mattress as he jumped up and down in excitement. “O! What about Batman, Robin, and Batgirl!”

Your eyes light up. “That’s a great idea!”

Chan sat up, now excited as well. “Good idea, Lix!”

“I wanna be Robin!” the younger says.

“I’ll be Batman. Robin shouldn’t go kissing my girl though.” Chan jests.

He starts searching for costumes on his laptop as Felix protests next to him. “Actually Dick and Barbara were together-” 

“Sure, Boy Wonder.”

Felix jumps on Chan as they begin to play fight. You laugh as you take the laptop and peruse through a list of trio costumes. Some are interesting though less fun than Felix’s idea, others have you cringing at the suggestions.

“Oh what about Woody, Buzz, and Jessie from Toy Story!”

Chan sits up from where he has Felix pinned under him, holding the boy’s wrists in his hand. “Oh that’s a good one too!”

Felix squirms under him. “I wanna be Buzz!”

“Trying to get with my girl again, Lightyear?”

“Buzz and Jessie are together!”

Chan knows that but has fun egging his boyfriend’s ranting on.

Next to them, you add both positively received ideas to the list, knowing you might have to deal with it more later since your boyfriends seem riled up now.

Part II: Party Party...yeah?

Three drunks at party can get rough.

Part of the time you three are glued together, somewhere in the middle of where the dancing is happening, grinding on each other in a way that has people that don’t know you questioning if they’re going to see a threesome and the three of you about to give them that show.

Or

The other times you are all lost in the dim party lighting unsure of when you separated. You become aware of the lack of warmth you’re used to and drunkenly look for your boyfriends. Thankfully, you find your oldest boyfriend with a trash bag. Somehow he’s managed to clean part of the kitchen in the time you lost track of him. With a groan, you take the bag from him. “We need to find Lixxie. I’m tired and the music is making me want to hit someone.”

He seems to sober up ever so slightly, recognizing you’re at the point where you can’t handle being around other people like this. Last time he and Felix insisted on you staying with them you ended up passing out in a linen closet and they couldn’t find you for three hours.

He takes your hand intending to lead you but you walk much faster. You want to find your third before you start crying. Alcohol and your emotions make for a rollercoaster when you aren’t careful. 

And with the way the three of you were downing "ghost shots" when you arrived, you weren’t careful at all.

Chan spots the blonde in his Robin costume. You didn’t see him at first but saw the man sifting through the bowl of candy as you approached. 

“You remember we have candy at home right?” Chan says making Felix jump. He was barely phased by the older being strangely close, instead, his attention turned to your purse. “Yeah, but this is free candy.” He gently tugs you closer to him by the strap. You’re confused for a second, not having paid attention too much thanks to how good he looks in his costume, until you realize what he’s doing. He unzips your bag, dumping his loot in. The purse is more decorative than anything else but he doesn’t seem to care much.

“Technically our candy IS free for you because I bought it.” Chan chastises though doesn’t try to stop him. Clearly, he wasn’t listening anyway as he took a final mini snicker before zipping the bag.

He finally looks up at you, whining. “Can we go home now?”

Chan rolls his eyes probably muttering how that is why you both came to find him but you're so endeared by him you just nod and take his hand.

Part III: Back to Bed

Coming into the house was already alleviating the pressure you felt. As if you couldn’t stand it anymore you started to strip as you made for the bedroom immediately. Felix follows suit, mask then cape, before basically breaking the back of the outfit to pull it down around his waist. Chan starts cleaning up behind you two silently.

By the time you flop back on the bed, you’ve somehow managed to pull yours completely off.

Chan sees Felix struggling with the tightness of the pants. You open your eyes at the grunt Felix lets out. As you watch Chan start to strip Felix you feel the sparks of arousal. Felix in turn helps your Batman do the same. Your mind starts to delve further into desire as he fixes Chan’s hair after undressing him. It’s short-lived as Felix pouts, putting his arms out to hug you but tackling you backward onto the bed instead. You laugh as you stroke his head. His hair tickles you while he buries his face in your neck. You look up, wondering why Chan hasn’t joined yet. 

Silently, he’s picking up everything on the floor. You watch for a moment as he flints around the room like a fairy, cleaning the tornado that is his drunken partners. You laugh to yourself as you get up. Doing as you did earlier, you take the discarded costume from his hand. He looks confused but lets you lead him to the bed. You sit on the bed, holding his hand to drag him with you as you scoot back. Felix finds you again with his eyes still closed as Chan lays on his back with a deep sigh. 

The alcohol settles in your system again as you feel how tired you are. 

Chan seems to feel the same. “Only two more to go.”

“Huh?” you look over to him, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

He opens an eye to peek at you. “Minho’s party is next week.” Chan states.

“And our company party is on Halloween.” Felix adds.

You groan loudly rolling to your side to curl into a ball. Somehow you’d forgotten it was only the 20th. “We shoulda just gone as ghosts.”

Felix laughs and he sits up resting on your side. “Sounds like more free candy to me.”

spooky season mlist * poly chanlix

[margarine-archives]

General Dating HCs with : Royal Margarine Cookie !

notes : hello ! I apologize that this took a massively long time. For reasons unknown I had quite the difficulty writing for him for the first time. Though, I may start completing requests before or after I post his courting hcs ( it will depend if my mind starts blanking out again .. )

- the dragon rider can't go on a day without giving you atleast one flirtatious remark, or even a praise ! Whether or not you swoon over his words is up to you.

- how could he not ? he thinks of you as a divine god that simply roams around dragon city, and for him to successfully pull you ? He feels so complete !

- adding along to this, this cookie greatly enjoys classic, romantic gestures. He will not be embarrassed to remove his coat, covering the very obvious puddle, and assisting you to walk over it, all the while looking at you with such love, one that you could only ever see in romance movies, and could only ever be described in poetic novels

- before becoming his partner though, you need to be approved by buttercream first ! He feels that it is dictation that it's not only him who has trust and love for you. If you want to be his, make sure to give as much love to his beloved dragon ( wyvern ) as you do for him ( he won't admit the fact he gets quite jealous of her sometimes .. )

- he most definitely enjoys a partner that can beat him up if they wanted to, but also a cookie that's sweet, who's willing to embrace his affections ! If you travel with him on the way to dragon's valley, buttercream can sense the sickeningly lovestruck heart eyes he gives your way as you fight, supporting you from above.

- " hahahah !! that's my lover right there ! go mayhem on them sweetie ! ~ " he has most likely bragged about you during the travel too ( you don't know if he loves you too much or he wants to embarass you, you appreciate it nonetheless )

- tries to fight aswell to impress you too, but he's quite embarrassed of his low hunting score in comparison to the others ( you and tarte tatin cookie have a tied score together ! )

- although, he does not mind a partner that relies on him aswell ! in fact, it gives him a very massive ego boost. Of course he wouldn't mind in becoming your knight in shining armor ! Saving his significant other from any form of danger ! ( even if, in most cases, they aren't really harmful )

- " do not worry darling ! THE dragon rider has arrived to rescue you ! " and it's simply trivial things such as taking you away in unpleasant conversations, carrying you bridal style. He will be quite amused to see your embarassed face

- on a more serious side, whether you can fend for yourself or not, he is willing to sacrifice limb and body just for you to be alive, breathing, safe, who is still there with him. You had promised him you would stay until his very last crumb, he isn't willing to give up on that so easily.

- and as his partner, soaring through the sky or even going on lovely walks with buttercream is an everyday date ! ( he is a firm believer that a day is incomplete without a small date with you ! ), most of the time visiting the bar for a drink or two afterwards ( typically more than just two anyways .. ). Be sure to prepare yourself to bring him home, as he's too busy being a flirt with you than to think about resting up !

- alongside this, it's typically difficult to achieve privacy when he has a swarm of fans behind his tail, he tries his very best to make it up to you at the end of the day ~

- he is very understanding if your jealousy sparks up because of his behavior ( he can't imagine seeing you acting the same as him to any other cookie either ! ) and constantly tells cookies that he is most definitely taken by the loveliest cookie on earthbread !

- some of which are either not that much of a fan with him or isn't even a part of dragon city ( hollyberry, wildberry and pitaya dragon cookie ), which leads to more than just the citizens being aware of your relationship due to how obvious he is about it

- everyone can see how hopelessly in love royal margarine cookie is with you. The second longer glances he gives your way and the oh-so enchanting eyes of his that stares at you with such love and affection ! All his fans simply dream of being you !

- behind all of this though, he definitely has a softer side indoors ! He is reduced to nothing but a smitten man, clingy for his lover. Please give him hugs and kisses ! He feels himself falling harder for you every time you praise him

- the cookie feels as if you're too out of his league, and dreads the thought of you finding out his true identity, the actual weak and cowardice royal margarine cookie. Would you leave him if you had found out ? He would leave himself too

- now with royal margarine, he's insistent of you opening up to him, whether that be negative or positive. He thinks that it is a strengthening bond to open up and learn more about eachother !

- but because of his inner thoughts, he isn't as willing to open up about his feelings, maybe never opening up at all. The only way he'll ever open up to you is when he's drunk (which makes him feel lower most of the time), he feels like a weak cookie if he ever tries opening up while sober. He dislikes being a weak and simple cookie than his persona tells him to be

- he feels like a failure for not pursuing what he truly wants, and to be reminded of that as he opens up never makes him feel any lighter. Do not be insistent with it ( he will avoid such topics in every possible way ), give him some time to be more trusting of you. Sooner or later, you won't need alcohol just for this man to open up ( will only open up around 1/4 of how he feels but to him its a big step ! )

- he cannot avoid the feeling of being judged, to be completely seen of who he truly is. To even think about finally trusting you with who the true royal margarine cookie is like without getting wasted is a big enough step for him, for you to figure out that the royal margarine isn't as royal as he seems.

- He feels as if he takes any more than one step then he will truly break, he never wants to reach that point, especially if you are there to witness it all, the littlest thought of it makes him shiver from humiliation. He needs to seek out buttercream for some form of comfort, he wouldn't know what he'd do if you ever found out

- you do find out though, just not in the circumstances he wants..

- nonetheless, coward or confident, you continued to love and adore the cookie you chose to be with, and royal margarine cookie feels happier than succeeding his goal in becoming a true dragon rider. The cookie did not care if he could never pursue his goal, you and buttercream can never replace, nor can it ever compare the happiness that you both give him !

[twinkboimler]

August Fic Recs

people seemed interested, so here are some recs from the trek fics I read in August! I reread a few old favorites this month but I figured I'd still recommend them even though they're already incredibly popular.

MCKIRK

jim kirk's guide to starship management: how to work with people you don't like by espressohno. AOS mckirk. Explicit, 23,352 words. An anonymous hookup while on shore leave turns complicated when the Enterprise picks up their new CMO the morning after. Enemies to friends to lovers. So, so good.

Instinctive by laughter_now. AOS mckirk. Explicit, 9,066 words. Classic case of miscommunication - Leonard and Jim have sex for the first time, but they probably should have talked some things over beforehand. I was losing it the entire time, kicking my feet and shrieking. Very, very sweet.

SPONES

Eyeshadow by Lokak. TOS spones. General Audiences, 1,222 words. Fluff with some classic spones arguing and insulting each other. They do each other's eye makeup. Exactly what I want in a TOS spones fic.

MCSPIRK

My World is No Longer Hollow by existentialcrisistime. TOS mcspirk. Teen and Up Audiences, 2,097 words. Fluff, first kiss, and bedsharing. Post-episode "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" - Leonard is feeling exhausted and lonely. Established spirk to mcspirk, so sweet.

SPIRK

Beautiful James by spirkme. AOS spirk. Explicit, 8,742 words. Post-Star Trek Beyond. Yearning and accidental bonding. This fic re-contextualizes all three movies. Jim and Spock were so vulnerable with each other in this and it gave me so many feelings. The smut at the end was romantic and sweet, I really enjoyed this one.

Send Me the Moon by lily_winterwood. Tagged as both TOS and AOS Spirk. Teen and Up Audiences, 5,911 words. AU - 21st Century, Canon Divergence. Major Character Death. Vulcan is sixteen light years from Earth. Jim becomes pen pals with Spock, with a 32-year wait between each letter he receives back. Once I started crying, I didn't stop. Very good if you need a cry.

out of obscurity into the dream by spectralPhobia. AOS spirk. General Audiences, 87,794 words. A Tangled AU that did a really good job of building off of the plot of the movie but doing something new with it. I liked the world-building and how this fic used Nero.

Bitter Dregs by kinklock. TOS spirk. Explicit, 9,707 words. Spock's POV. This fic is for the episode "Plato's Stepchildren" - very poetic and just SO good at getting inside of Spock's head. Really nails the character voices for TOS Spock and Jim.

Sha Ka Ree by ThereBeWhalesHere. TOS spirk. Explicit, 180,505 words. Survival + time travel. Jim is a lieutenant on the Farragut and Spock is a science officer on the Enterprise, captained by Pike. After coming together for a landing party, Jim and Spock have to fight to survive on an alien world. Had to give this one another reread - there's a reason it's such a popular fic in the fandom, and it's because this fic is SO good. The plot is fantastic, and the slow build of their relationship hits every time.

Heated Consummation (AOS) by Gimmemore. AOS spirk. Explicit, 2,326 words. Porn Without Plot, established relationship, shore leave. Sex in front of a fireplace. This fic is a part of a series where each fic has the same set up, just for AOS, TOS, and TOS Movies. All are good, but this one was my favorite.

Halloween by BisforBread. TOS spirk. General Audiences, 2,300 words. Mutual pining, first kiss, fluff. Spock goes to the Enterprise Halloween party dressed as Jim. Fun and cute.

love is a drunk man's tale by BisforBread. AOS spirk, past Jim/Carol Marcus. General Audiences, 6,962 words. AU - Jim is a country singer and Spock is his manager. Mutual pining, angst, drunken love confessions. I enjoyed this, it's always fun to read an AU for something you don't see very often.

One on a Side, Two Together by JackHawksmoor. TOS spirk. Explicit, 17,108 words. Must be logged in to read. The accidental bonding in this is SO good. This was a reread - I really love this fic, especially how Spock really, really doesn't want to explain what the hell is up with the bond.

[ellas-journey]

The Red Oni & The Blue Oni

The moment I saw the confrontation of Jack and Tsugaru I realised that they were a pretty obvious omen to the Red Oni and Blue Oni. What is this Red Oni and Blue Oni? Well, a little classic story in the Japanese imagination.

Hamada Hirosuke wrote “Naita Akaoni - The Red Oni who Cried" that is a story that talks about a Red Oni that wanted to be friends with the humans, and so, his Oni friend, the Blue Oni, attacks the humans so that the Red Oni could be seen saving them. "Hamada's Oni are righteous and pure-hearted: the red Oni is friendly and prepares tea and home-made cakes for the humans, while his counterpart, the Blue Oni, espouses qualities of self-sacrifice by putting the needs of others ahead of his own. The blue Oni is considerate enough to leave the are so as to prevent his friend's cover from being blown. Such conduct among human was increasing rarity at the time the story was written." (Reider, 2003) This story ended up starting a trope trend, as we can call it, the Japanese media where we see two individuals either enemies or allies that represent the two sides of the spectrum of the personalities. And when we start to take notice of this, we are going to notice it everywhere. “This trope is about two individuals (or occasionally, factions or civilizations) that are significantly linked together somehow (such as through a rivalry, friendship, being siblings, co-workers, competitors, etc.) that have differing personalities and, with it, often different approaches to the world in general, especially whatever they might be competing in/for/over” (TVtropes) The Red Oni normally does have a more extroverted personality, associated with passion, wildness and defiance, most of the times being the “idiot hero” that does not care about criticism about them. The Blue Oni on the other hand tends to be the introverted one, associated with serenity, control, and authority, mostly being respected in a way that can be confused with intimidate. Now, have you realized something? Yes, in the case of two Onis the personalities are swapped. “While many expressions of this trope play it straight, it is also not uncommon for the Blue Oni and Red Oni to mix traits” (TVtropes) While Tsuguri, having the colour blue is the dumb one, Jack is the intimidating one. Also, we can see the contract in their fighting styles. “In a show where it's relevant, differences in fighting style may be something like Technician Versus Performer.” (TVtropes) (Which is extremely funny coming from the fact that Tsugaru is literally a performer)

It’s funny to think that the author decided to go with such a clear reference, and still make it so different. It also can make you think what Tsuguru does have store to surprise us even more. We need to continue watching the anime, or read the books to a better analyses of the characters, but at least we have a surface idea of their psych.

            REIDER, Noriko T. 2003 - Transformation of the Oni: From the frightening and symbolical to the cute and sexy. Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 62, 133-157. Ohio: Miami University. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/1179083>;

            TVTROPES. N.d – Red Oni, Blue Oni. Accessed August 28, 2023 <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedOniBlueOni>

[originalwinnercheesecake]

What if the Teen Titans were pokemon trainers

Doing this summary again. So basically pokemon is something I loved as a kid/teen, then I outgrew it around the time Black&White came out. Now I am back into it and am having a lot of fun imagining pokemon teams for characters from other cartoons I like now/liked as a kid. I have done a bunch of posts for Disney cartoons, and a couple od cartoon network ones (No Nick ones.. yet). Teen titans was one of my favorite shows growing up and I have been wanting to do pokemon teams for a while. So here are teams for the Main group of Titans, Titans East, and 3 anti hero’s. Now I used the 2003 version of Teen Titans, since that was the one I watched every week as a kid but if anyone really likes Teen titans Go you could probably still use most of these pokemon for that show too (Change out a certain one of Raven’s for a Ponyta, and maybe another certain of Robin’s for I don’t know farfetch.)

Now one thing important about the 2003 version is that when describing the dynamic between the titans the writers (using Robin’s name/voice) summed them up as “We are not five hero’s. We are one Awesome team". In this version the titans were all extensively trained in combat, and did everything together as a team. I do not want to take there powers away, or change their dynamic. Since they do have powers (In Robin’s case gadgets and lots and lots of martial arts experience), and already have numbers through each other; I do not think any of them would feel the need to catch a full team of six. So I am giving everyone 3 pokemon.  

The main titans will also each have a shiny pokemon, the one I think would be their top pokemon, or the one that best encompasses their emotional arcs/places on the team. I also gave each of the Titans East a fairy pokemon, mostly because I saw half of them had fairies and figured okay this can be their teams version of shines. Without further adieu, teams below

Main Titans Robin

 The Leader of the team

Taillow: Well of course the iconic “Bird Boy” needs a bird pokemon. It scouts ahead, trails bad guys, and yes does fight in battles. I picked Taillow for Robin due to the birds flying and normal type (Headcannon that Normal or duel Normal types are Robin’s favorite, because they are similar to him) and brave gutsy nature, which mirrors the boy wonder’s own.

Hitmonchan: Robin’s strongest pokemon. Given his martial arts and combat knowledge Robin would also have a fighting type pokemon. I picked Hitmoncham because it’s a classic fighter, that can land a serious punch, and is always training to better itself. Wiki also says it will train by sparing with its trainer, if said trainer is tough enough to be able to keep up. Since Robin definitely could, this pokemon would be a great partner for him on and off the field.

Shiney Absol: So n the 2003 version Robin walked the line between good and bad more than Raven, or any other titan. (I exclude Terra because she ultimately decided she wasn’t/did not want to be a titan.). In season one Robin believes that their is “Good” and “evil”, the two have a very clear divide, and that because he places himself on the side of good, he has justification to take any risk or try anything. A belief that clever villains (Slade) learn to exploit, and even Robin himself crosses at times. 

I am giving Robin an Absol because at the end of his arc, and in episodes centered around him in later seasons , Robin is forced to admit that he thinks very similarly to Villains he fights against, and has the potential to be like them. I am making this his Shiny pokemon to show his relationship with his friends, and how at the end of season 1 he tells Starfire that he will never turn out like the villians he shares these similarities with, because he knows that his friends will never let him.

Starfire

The strength of the team. Proof that innocence does not mean ignorance

Starmie: A star shaped pokemon, for Starfire. One that like her is equal parts strong, powerful, and beautiful.

Shiny Blaziken: I will make Starfire’s ace her shiny to show her prowess as a fighter, lying underneath all her curiosity and sweetness. I really wanted to give Starfire a strong fire type. The torchick line is a good line, that’s popular among girls. I am giving Starfire a fully evolved one because our girl is more than capable... I also kinda really like the idea of Robin and Starfire both having fighting types for their strongest pokemon, Robin’s being a regular fighting type and Starfire's being a duel fire/fighting type. I think that really suits this couple.

Dunsparce: Yeah yeah yeah. I know its a pretty lame, weird looking pokemon. It’s the closest Pokemon I could find to Silky okay. It’s Starfire’s pet.

Cyborg

The Muscle, mechanics, and resident big brother of the team.

Electrode: a good electric type for Cy. It helps stop his systems/machines from overloading/taking to much electricity. Its detonation could work as a substatue for Cyborg’s sonic cannon if he finds himself in a situation where he has taken damage or needs to conserve power. I also think it would make a really good guard Pokemon for Cyborg’s room, or any place he keeps machines that for safety reasons only he should touch (be where of Electrode Beast Boy).

KlingKlang: here is Cyborg’s strongest pokemon. Steel is another type I feel like Cyborg would favor/want to train. And since he is a shop class guy with an expertise with cogs and gears, he and a fully evolved gear shaped steel type pokemon just to me feel like a match made in heaven

Shiny Mechop: This one is Cyborgs little buddy (For real I love dynamics where one person is really big/tall and then the other is really small. So since Cy is an already a big muscle man gonna say that an ever stone was used to keep Machop as mini muscle) and extra pare of helping hands. It knows how to use tools and crawls into tight space Cyborg cannot fit to fix things. If the pare are not training or battling together they can often be found outside throwing the footballs around. Cy has even tried to teach it to play video games with him and BB (though it sometimes destroys the controls).

Raven

The Hope and steadiness of the team.

I picked her pokemon from a Psychological perspective. In addition to her not having a ponyta I also excluded “Raven” Pokemon like Murkrow or Crovisquire because while they may match Raven’s “esthetic” I do not see them as matching in other ways.

Haunter: a ghostly spirit pokemon. Clever, somewhat creepy, kinda looks a bit like the shadowy magic Raven uses. It's not a dark type though, because Raven does not do dark spells. It's also generally a very silly pokemon and goes to lengths trying to get Raven figure out that she will not accidentally blow up the world if she laughs or has fun ever now and again (Haunter gets along really well with Beast Boy. It will enlist his help if it seems like it's trainer is being particularly difficult in this area.)

Alakasam: A strong psychic pokemon for this heroine with such strong powers. Alakasam and Raven's meditate together, and are able to use the similarities in their abilities to communicate telepathically, and could maybe even draw assistance/metronome from each others power pool. They have done a lot of good together. But they also both share that internal fear of "what kind of destruction would I be capable of if I ever lost control". This holds them back considerably. I don't think they would be brave enough to really give it their full power until season 4's finale battle with Trigon.

Shiny Togepi: Raven was the Titan that turned out to be great at and really like babysitting, so baby pokemon for Raven. I picked Togepi due to it being an empath (just like Raven) pokemon. More than that though, Raven has always feared that her heritage means she is fated to be bad. Togepi's sense what is in others hearts and refuse to obey those they see bad in. Being Togepi's trainer assures Raven that she is not her heritage and is fully capable of choosing to be/do good. It is her shiny because it's the pokemon that helps bring out the best in her.

Beast Boy

The comfort and laughter of the team.

So my original plan was just to give him a sea, land, and flying pokemon, since he has performed Hero work in all three. When I picked the three I found I could not leave them less than fully evolved. BB has been these animals and knows full well what they would need. This led to him ending up with the strongest team.

Manatine: Beast Boy's water/sea pokemon. Helps him keep his friends and the T-Sub safe. It evolved from Mantyke all the way back in season 1 after Beast Boy and Aqua Lad were able to put aside their differences and beat the army of Tritant's.

Donphan: this is BB's land pokemon. He liked elephants in the show and donphan's being a rock type also works because rock/earth had so much to do with the terra arc. To which BB was integral. So I am going to say that BB's little phanpy liked and wanted to help Terra almost as much as BB did. Her betrayal was all the worse for it because not only did it lose a friend, but then it had to watch its, normally carefree and happy go lucky, trainer go through such a long period of heartbreak. It evolves into Donphan in the first part of Aftershock, while trying to protect Beast Boy from Terra. It isn't able to that time. But it is still a comfort to him after the season 2 finale, and the pair get stronger over the next 3 seasons.

Shiney Altaria: Beast Boy's Ariel pokemon. I chose Altaria because of its strong typing, and because it is covered in fluffy pillows. It's his shiny because of the three it best represents the lightheartedness and support Best boy brings to his team. For most of the show its a little bird. It evolves at the beginning of season 5, like the first or second episode. The doom Patrol see it evolve. By the end of that arc (when Beast Boy and what's left of the titans Allies go to face the Brotherhood, not when Terra comes back) Best Boy and Alteria have found stones and mastered mega evolution.

(Okay so it looks like I didn't mention this up higher, but Starfire and Beast Boy are the only two Titans I could see using mega stones with their partner pokemon. Raven and Alakasam are scared of the effects/loosing themselves, and Robin and Absol are stubborn and adamant say they do not need "extras" to be Hero's).

Terra

the lost girl, trapped in a cycle she could not beat alone

Dugtrio and an Alolan Marowak: Terra first two pokemon that she has pre meeting the titans (though her Marowake was probably a Cubone then, and it evolved in between her first meeting and when she came back, a ghost of the sweet girl they met before). They represent her loneliness and how unstable her life feels to her. She is close with these two pokemon and they do care about her. Terra set's them free before staying to stop the volcano. The Titans want to take Dugtrio and Marowak back to the tower and keep them until they can figure out how to reunite them with Terra. But after everything that went down the pokemon pair decide to leave Jump City to wonder again. They are eventually found and picked up by Terra's older bother Geo-force, and live happily with him.

Onyx: This pokemon actually belongs to Slade. When he and Terra commonsense their plan in Aftershock he places its pokeball in Terra's hands with instructions to use it to help bring the titans and the city to their knees. The thing is big, mean, and super destructive. Laying waste to the town alongside Terra, Slade's other goons, and robots. Terra leaves it behind when she gives up during the battle at the start of part 2. What ever happens to Cinderblock/Overload/Plasmus happens to it. The next time we see it again would be the amusement park in "Things change".

Butterfree: I know, I know I said each character would only have three. But a.) Onyx wasn't really Terra's pokemon so she technically only had two. b.) Terra acquires Butterfree after coming out of the statue (before seeing Best Boy again). By this time she has released Dugtrio and Marowak, and is starting over with an empty slate.

Terra finds butterfree as a caterpie one evening when she gets caught in a storm on the way back to wherever her place of residency is. The storm is clearly scaring caterpie and Terra take pity on it, and takes it back with her. It turns to have been right at evolution, and was holding off until it could find a safe place to. It evolves into Metapod that night and Butterfree a couple weeks later. Terra keeps the butterfree as an emotional support pokemon. If it can go into a chrysalis, come out as something new, then go on to live a good life... well than maybe so can Terra.

Okay so this is already getting posted late because my computer crashed and the repair shop could not fix it, so I had to order a new one. Plus i think it's long enough with just these six. So I will post it as is and if it gets enough likes/comments I will post a part 2 with my pokemon pics for the The Titans East, and the two other anti hero's. The two other anti hero's are Red-X and Jinx if that gets anyone wanting to leave likes and comments in an effort to motivate me to write part two faster

[league-of-blorbos]

This is gonna be a long and weird post from me, and I don't know if it'll even be comprehensible in the end, but I just wanna put my thoughts out there about my feelings for Jhinhwei and why even as everyone else has fallen in love with this ship, I'm struggling to get into the idea of it.

(And to get this out of the way, this is all just my personal interpretation of these characters, I'm not gonna shame anyone for shipping something I don't or reading a character differently than I do. I'm doing this mostly cuz I just wanna voice my thoughts on this pair and maybe hear from people who think differently than I do. Also the other ships I tagged will make sense in a moment I PROMISE!)

It's not that I don't understand the appeal, oh no, this ship feels like it was handmade to appeal to Tumblr's love of darker, tension-filled, inherently toxic, homoerotic romance. It's LoL Hannigram, it's someone who's at least somewhat moral falling obsessively in love with a psychopath, and now they're at a cross roads of if they want to try to remain a decent person but abandon their love, or embrace the darkness within them and allow themselves to be in love with this horrible person. There's so much potential for drama and complex explorations of love and obsession that this ship should absolutely grip me.

But it doesn't, even as it's gripped others who like the same other pairings that I do.

My two other favorite ships (bear with me, I think understanding why I love these two helps rationalize why I don't ship Jhinhwei), the ones that have actually worked their way into every crevasse of my brain and I think about scenarios of them while trying to fall asleep is Kayn/Rhaast (big shock I know /s) and Simon/Betty from Adventure Time. They are also two pairings that delve into obsession and where neither partner is fully good (or in Petrigrof's case, more like good people with unintentionally toxic behavior).

Let's start with Rhaayn cuz I've rambled enough about that ship on here to fill a library (hehe voicelines references). Rhaayn is more of a classic enemies to friends to lovers with the Symbrock dynamic of Rhaast being a parasite that is fighting for control over Kayn's body being thrown in there for spice. The fun with this ship is seeing how their fight forces them to have to share moments of closeness and eventually bond with the other, and how through those moments, Kayn and Rhaast both find a perfect mirror for themselves. They find someone with the same level of bloodthirst and similar war-related trauma, but also someone who balances them as they are opposites and the same in so many ways.

Petrigrof (spoilers for both Adventure Time and Fiona And Cake) is sorta the opposite of Rhaayn in that a lot of Rhaayn focuses on how they fall in love, while Petrigrof's main story starts after already being together. The other way they're different is that while I very much SHIP Rhaayn, I'm kinda lying when I say I SHIP Simon and Betty as my favorite part is that they don't stay together in the end. The Youtuber Sarcastic Chorus has already done an amazing analysis of this ship that matches a lot of my feelings on them, but to sum up, how Petrigrof ended is all due to Betty and Simon's mistakes. They loved each other so much that Betty was willing to throw so much of herself away for Simon, while he was blinded to how much she was doing for him, and even in the moments where he did recognize Betty was doing too much, he let her keep trying as he thought it would undermine their relationship if he didn't. And I love that their story is a lesson in how even well-meaning obsession can be toxic and that you need to know when to walk away and move on, even when it hurts you and the person you love.

Simon is just as madly in love as Betty is and vice versa, and they're both equally responsible for the way they ended up. While with Rhaayn, both crave each other's company because they've found someone who is just as violent and fucked up in all the same ways as they are.

But compared to those two pairs, Jhinhwei feels too unbalanced, and not just due to the power imbalance. To summarize it, my other ships feel like two people who ruin each other (or heal each other, or both!), while Jhinhwei mostly feels like Jhin trying to ruin Hwei and the main draw is Hwei choosing to accept the ruin and his internal struggle about it. The story of them, as I read it, focuses almost solely on Hwei's arc and you could theoretically have him effect Jhin just as much, but first, any attempts for Hwei to "fix" Jhin would just recreate the issue for me in the other direction, where it's now about Jhin's internal struggle with Hwei trying to heal him. Second, I have a hard time reading that as anything other than drastically changing Jhin's character to the point where you might as well make an OC.

That last point is definitely more of a personal problem as I have way more trouble getting into Jhin's headspace than I do with Hwei or Kayn or even Rhaast. But to me, Jhin is almost more of a force of madness than a character I can dive into the complex mind of, and I'm kinda ok with that. A lot of people love trying to figure out how these characters' brains work and why they are who they are, but just like how Riot never wanted to unmask Jhin (until that goddamn concept art came out!), I'm ok with leaving the mask on and letting some things about Jhin remain mysterious, even at the cost of Jhinhwei not meeting a lot of the criteria to be a ship that I really fall in love with.

[cyclesprefectpress]

[image description: 8 photos of a letterpress broadside printed from handset type and a linoleum block illustration. the poem is titled The Secrets of Magic, written by a young poet for the 2023 edition of Words of Courage. it describes the magic powers of a world with mermaids, dragons, wizards, and magical animals, and a game the creatures play. The text is set in Goudy Oldstyle in a justified block in the center, with a red drop-cap and red fleurons to mark the line breaks. the linoleum block is a wide border illustrating a magical flying dog on the left, a witch or wizard in flowing dress on the right, parts of a fishy tail and dragon claws and crashing waves across the bottom, and the light rays of the magic staff and the dog's halo of power intersecting across the top. full text under the cut. end description.]

🎉🎉 weekend activities: delivering my part of the edition for this year's Words of Courage publication :)) 🎉🎉

WoC is a yearly publication of poetry broadsides written by patients at Seattle Children's Hospital, and designed, printed, and handbound into portfolios by local letterpress & book artists. this year's whole edition will be scanned and posted there in a couple weeks & previous years are always there to see!

i've been trying not to overthink it when we do the poetry assignment step—if i have a single design Thought the first time i read a poem, it goes on my list to fight for. i read this one and thought yes 1930s illustrated fairy tales, y e a h hefty border and one (1) spot color, y e h Beardsley's Le Morte D'Arthur, John Austen's Hamlet—a dream assignment :)) just wanted to make their story as cool and dramatic as it could be—an excerpt of a larger work, part of an Artifact.

i have meandered off historical accuracy firstly by uh using linoleum instead of wood and the line quality is markedly different for it and, also, i warmed it up from a classic black key plate BUT at least one person did look at it and immediately say sure sure turn of the century book illustration i get you, so i will judge it a success. very fun to carve. i left the spellcaster's clothes for last because i knew i would enjoy that the most. title in Devinne, body set in Goudy; both of those cases are pretty worn but that's not necessarily bad in this instance and also i needed a pretty full case to get the body done in one go!!

I will call it a misjudgement to have done the text as a red underprinter/brown overprinter as i did—unlocking and re-locking the forme without the cap & fleurons went fine, but there are instances of mis-alignment in the type between the two passes that from sheet to sheet don't look to me like a registration issue. They're not consistent with torque of the sheet, they shift around the forme a bit; i have a suspicion that i shouldn't have done this with a letter-spaced forme, which is pretty spongy with brasses and coppers and may have made small expansions and returns as the run went on. hubris comes for all, lesson learned, etc.

full poem text: "We all have regular animals. — But in the deepest, deepest part of the world — there are magical animals —like talking animals, unicorns, and dragons. — All animals have a good owner. — Regular people have regular animals. — But magical animals have wizards, and witches, and mermaids. — I talk to animals, but I don't understand them. — I would like to have a talking dog that has magic (like Louis). — All magical animals have their own magic: — like moving things around with telekinesis, — and mind reading, — turning objects into different objects, — forming into an object or person (very powerful) — flying, — or turning invisible. — One of my pet dogs will have talking ability, — because she likes to talk a lot and bark. — And another one will have teleporting ability; — she likes to sneak up on people. — And another dog I know — will have mind reading. — Together we'll make a game out of all our powers. — We'll hide around 30 objects. — And the dogs will use their powers to find the things, — and whoever has the most objects at the end — will get a prize of a big bowl of sandwich meat, — but because they're magical they'll get colorful meat!"

[roundtabletea]

Disney Villains as Arthurian Characters

We compiled a list of our favorite Arthurian villains, and compared them to some of our favorite Disney villains. Surprisingly, there’s a LOT of similarities; whether it’s motives, gender expression, or character traits, there are some great, classic Disney counterparts to traditional Arthurian villains.

Morgan le Fay as Maleficent

This one is a bit self-explanatory; “evil sorceress obsessed with killing a certain member of a royal family” is a category that both Morgan le Fay and Maleficent fall neatly into. In Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay does whatever it takes to kill King Arthur, her brother. She’s portrayed as vengeful and cunning; definitely not a good character. Likewise, in the 1959 Disney film Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent curses Princess Aurora to die and spends sixteen years trying to make this happen! She devotes her life to revenge against the king by cursing his daughter, and her scary presence makes for one of the most iconic Disney villains ever. This is just the most obvious similarity between the two, though; when you look deeper into it, they’re really very alike!

One of the biggest similarities between the two characters is their ability to shapeshift. If you read “Aftir Thes Questis” in Le Morte D’Arthur, you’ll remember when Morgan le Fay transforms herself into a rock while Arthur is chasing her. Because of this, she’s able to get away—she even boasts about it later, saying that she’s not afraid of Arthur since she can do magic and shapeshift whenever she wants! Her kinda-bravado is a notable aspect of her character and shows how capable she is with magic—she can’t fight with a sword and shield like the male characters, so she turns to magic to keep herself squarely in the game. Honestly, it makes her so much more interesting than Arthur; her motives are confusing and, while we know we should be on Arthur’s side, we want to see what she does next!

In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent has a similar shape shifting moment of her own. Near the climax of the film, Prince Philip breaks free of the dungeon Maleficent had imprisoned him in. While he’s on his way to save Aurora, Maleficent transforms into a terrifying, purple dragon in order to stop him. This was honestly such a scary scene to watch as a kid and it still holds a lot of authority; it’s the classic hero vs. villain end-scene battle, and is the ultimate expression of Maleficent’s power. Can Prince Philip shapeshift??? I don’t think so. Even though she loses the battle because the story needs a happy Disney ending, it’s still an iconic scene; we remember Maleficent as the terrifyingly interesting sorceress, not just the loser of the battle. She’s such an interesting character because of her wickedness (which is a lot like Morgan le Fay…); I rest my case on the fact that she got her own film series with Angelina Jolie.

What really brings these two characters together, at least for me, is that I still end up liking them even though they’re villains. Their feminine characteristics are so fleshed out, they possess insane magical powers, and they devote their whole lives to revenge—they’re way more memorable than boring Prince Phillip and do-nothing King Arthur! They’re the real stars of the stories they’re in.

Image one credit: Sleeping Beauty, 1959, Walt Disney Productions

Image two credit: Morgan le Fay, 1862, Edward Burne-Jones 

Image three credit: Sleeping Beauty, 1959, Walt Disney Productions

Guenevere's mom as Ursula

Surprisingly, Queen Guenevere’s mom from The Awntyrs Off Arthure is very similar to the one of the most beloved (or feared, depending how you look at it) Disney villain, Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Despite the obvious differences due to both the time periods, existence and the settings, the way they embody their femininity is one and the same.

Both are portrayed/described as hideous and powerful characters. Ursula uses her power to control Ariel and in turn King Triton, similarly Guenevere’s mom uses her ghostly state to scare the men into changing the way they portray their masculinity. Their power caused them to be feared by the characters in the stories. Ursula was shown as a manipulative con-women and Guenevere’s mom was described as a spiteful ghost condemned for being too prideful and as an adulterer.  Guenevere’s mom is also fairly manipulative, for example, she uses christianity’s hell to scare Guenevere into praying for her soul and the future death of Arthur to scare Gawain into changing the way he portrays his masculinity.

I think we can all agree that this powerful portrayal of femininity is what makes them such great villains, as it challenges gender norms and threatens masculinity. Who doesn’t love that? Strong female characters are personally my favorite villains or not.

Image 1; “Ursula the Sea Witch Animation Cel”, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, 1998

Image 2: “Ghosts in Medieval Literature” Medievalist.net, Lady Guenevere, Howard Pyle, 1903

Mordred as Jafar

One thing that both Mordred and Jafar have in common is betrayal. Mordred betrayed King Arthur by usurping him (also playing a key role in the downfall of Camelot (and himself)), while Jafar betrayed Amara by turning her into a serpent. Both characters sought to gain more power and authority at the expense of others; both wanted to gain control of a kingdom. And, in the end, both characters’ lust for power and control ended in their downfall—Mordred ended up dying while battling Arthur, while Jafar ended up dying after his lamp was destroyed by Iago. Traditionally, Mordred embodies a more toxic masculinity, driven by things like ambition and, once again, a desire for power, just like Jafar.

While both characters embody these particular power-hungry toxic traits, it’s important to note that these portrayals are dated and don’t align with today’s values of masculinity.

Image 1: Mordred, 1907, Howard PyleImage 2: Aladdin, 1992, Walt Disney Productions

Lancelot as Hans

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of differences between Lancelot and Hans. One is the greatest hero of Arthurian Legend and one is the twist villain of one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time in 2013’s Frozen. But at the end of the day, there are quite a few similarities as well. Both are love interests to a female member of a royal family, with Lancelot pining for Guinevere and Hans and Anna establishing a rapid connection with one another (I mean, they sing a song about their love for one another, so you know it’s important to Anna at least; after learning Hans’ plan, the song kind of loses its umph, though). They both also are seen loyally serving the one they are romantically attached to without question, as Lancelot is constantly saving Guinevere from danger and obeys all of her commands and Hans takes over the kingdom in Anna’s absence while she tries to save Elsa because she tells him to.

The main crux of their connection is the trust they gather before their betrayal. Hans knows exactly what he is doing and has been trying to gain Anna’s trust from the very beginning and yet plans to betray her when the time is right. He is thirteenth in line for a crown he will likely never get, so he goes to Arendelle to take that crown instead. Meanwhile, Lancelot betrays Arthur not because he wants to, but because his love for Guinevere was too strong to ignore. One feels no love for their supposed romantic partner and one feels such strong love that it causes problems. When it comes to Hans and Lancelot, it is more of the idea of the betrayal that connects them over any other aspect, as they are mostly polar opposites otherwise. However, behind the scenes, they have another connection. Lancelot is a later addition to the Arthurian Canon and, similarly, Hans is one of Disney’s more recent animated villains in their own “canon”. And yet, everyone agrees that Lancelot is essential to the Arthurian Canon and many people, including myself, see Hans as one of the more recognizable and important villains in Disney’s vast library of such villains. But really, Lancelot. You could have avoided the whole betrayal problem if you could keep your hands to yourself for five minutes…

Image 1: Frozen, 2013, Walt Disney Productions Image 2: Sir Lancelot du Lake, 1907, Howard Pyle

[demonslayedher]

Why do you like Demon Slayer so much?

I---I don't know, Anon, w-why do you like breathing so much?

...because BREATH TECHNIQUE LOOKS WICKED AWESOME AMIRITE!??!!?

UFOTABLE MADE SUCH A FREAKING COOL LOOKING ANIME that both looks and sounds amazing with all that care put into it HOW COULD I NOT LOVE IT!? Such good source material too, ALL HAIL WANI-SENSEI!!!!

Or rather, to more eloquently express myself, I'll answer this in two parts: the "why" and "so much."

Why do I like it?

- Simplicity

It's a classic Good .vs. Evil story, a triumph of working hard and working together. It's Coming of Age and Hero's Journey, all themes that never get old because they're really good themes. KnY isn't even that fresh of a take if you boil it down to this, but it didn't need to reinvent the wheel, it just needed to be a good wheel to keep the story going.

I was grateful it ended when it did, it had a goal to accomplish and everything in the story worked toward that goal. I've fallen away from adventure shounen because I can never stay interested in super long series that get mercilessly extended past their natural life as cash cows. Not to sound like a Swamp Demon here, but this manga got to end while it was still young and beautiful.

The fighting mechanisms are complex enough to be fun to explore, but it's not as complicated as other shounen series, making the barrier to entry lower for first-time anime viewers. That's part of why I think it's been so successful. Plus, even though we get things like Red Blades and Marks later, their existence as ultimate techniques was in place from the start, so they felt believably set up and paid off. They made sense within the world building, even if they had to be dropped on the readers later so as to weekly serialization interesting.

It tackles deep themes, but doesn't overcomplicate them. Muzan being a simple villain and Tanjiro simply being good-hearted created interesting tension just fine, the motivations throughout the cast keep the story nicely driven.

- Depth

Although the story, world, and characters are simple enough for people of all ages and familiarity with anime to enjoy, if you want to scratch deeper than the surface level, the hundreds of thousands of words of meta and cultural background throughout my blog go to show that it's very, very easy to bury yourself deeper in it. In my case I already have years of obsession with Japanese culture to build on, so KnY fit very nicely into my niche. I already love samurai and oni and swords and such so that was already playing to my knowledge, but as a passionate nerd, it's also given me lots and lots of exciting new material to learn more about. But more about that later, suffice to say here that Gotouge is a very, very knowledgeable gator.

- Characters

THEY ARE JUST GOOD AND FUN AND UNIQUE DESIGNS IN THE FIRST PLACE, but also, I don’t feel like I already know these characters from other anime. Many of them defy being typecast, and even the ones that do feel like like other characters in a plethora of anime have such a unique spin to make them stand out in my heart. I'm sure I could be a nerd for plenty of other series, but it takes the right characters to make a fangirl.

Also, my emotions got manipulated excellently; I like Tanjiro and immediately wanted to root for him, but I ha-a-a-ated most of the rest of the cast until I got to spend a teeny-tiny bit more time with them, and then I liked them hopelessly. I got totally strung along and I love it when I can get strung along like this.

Why do I like it so much?

A lot of that comes down to my personal recipe of brain soup and the situation I already felt stuck in by the time I got into KnY, a few months prior to the pandemic. Watching the anime and feeling really into it came as a comfort while I was finding myself in what felt more like a situation than a good career move and feeling frustrated with the second draft of a novel which wasn't working. Then just as I had hoped there might be some improvements to my situation which I was holding out for, the pandemic changed everyone's plans.

Simply put, the isolation and stress in those early stages of the pandemic both gave me lots of time to explore and write fanfic and made me rely a lot on the joy I got out of KnY, and then I got so practiced at making KnY fanwork that this blog became like my bonsai I could cultivate in peace while most other things in life have continued to feel out of control. And dang it, I'm good at cultivating this bonsai of a blog! It's gratifying to feel good at something when real life is making you feel otherwise!

Hopefully the upcoming new start in a new city and in a new job that'll hopefully make me feel good at things again and provide some smidge more control over my life will make me less reliant on KnY for such a big share of my happy hormones, but...

THE HYPE IS PART OF WHAT I LOVE

IT IS

SO MUCH FUN BEING OBSESSED WITH A MAINSTREAM PHENOMENON

THERE ARE THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY EVERYWHERE

I SAY THESE CHARACTER NAMES AND EVERYONE KNOWS WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME

IT STAYS ON MY BRAIN BECAUSE IT IS EVERYWHERE

AND THIS IS SO COOL