#especially to address how some fans don't like seeing the sex

[fyeahstormandwolvie]

"Why would you include those images in the book?"

In most sex scenes in Marvel comics - there is none [no sex], actually. You just see - oh, yeah, they wake up from the bed, and the deed has been done. This is one of the comics where we go into it as far as we can. So I think that's what made you think - you find it extremely steamy, or made you think "Oh we need to find a new writer, I'm going to go to your page and say the nastiest things," because of how far we go with it. But I think it's something that is necessary in this art form; we need to push things as far as we can. You wouldn't believe that a major X-Men event came out this same week because there were almost the same amount of discussions about this single page as much as there are on an X-Men event - a crossover event between two X-Men titles is having maybe even less discussion online than a single page from a Storm solo series. So that's the thing - we need to push the envelope. We've got to explore the different aspects of this character's life, [...] she's going to fight, she's going to do all that stuff, and sex is part of human life. It's part of the art form, it's part of storytelling.

- Murewa Ayodele, on why he included the Ororo/Logan scene, and its polarizing online response.

[wreckedhoney]

^^ "coming to the conclusion that positioning the "can people enjoy things that would be immoral IRL in their fiction" debate as a proship v anti fandom debate is akin to pretending that "should we have the death penalty" is a discussion that only matters in Death Note discourse"

not proshipper not anti but a secret third thing (person who has a career in the media and, through covering legislative politics, has watched "associating with problematic fiction or entertainment is an indicator of moral degeneracy" rapidly become a mainstream GOP position that they are encoding in legislation to target the queer community under the guise of protecting children, thus coming to the conclusion that positioning the "can people enjoy things that would be immoral IRL in their fiction" debate as a proship v anti fandom debate is akin to pretending that "should we have the death penalty" is a discussion that only matters in Death Note discourse — the extent and manner to which fiction affects reality is an issue that is immediately relevant to today's US politics, and to summarize my opinions on the matter in fandom terms would be to diminish the ways this debate is affecting america Right The Fuck Now. and i have stopped taking "this person is bad for shipping the wrong anime thing and being horny about it" in any sort of good faith ever since I saw it literally used as part of a GOP smear campaign against a transgender state legislator in an attempt to defend the right from backlash after they used their supermajority in the Montana house to prevent her from speaking on the floor. Anyway I think everyone on this site, especially Americans, could benefit from ceasing to think in proship v anti vocabulary and instead developing coherent political positions on the nature of fiction that do not directly align with current fascist political tactics)

[naoreco]

I figure it’s worth putting on the Tumblr radar since much of this is current discussion of Niosi is happening on Twitter.

(content warnings for sexual assault, abuse, manipulation, and otherwise taking advantage of people)

On Chris Niosi, and Kyle McCarley’s defense of him:

Recently Chris Niosi (aka Kirbopher), who has admitted to abusing people around him for at least a decade, was cast in Honkai Star Rail as the character Moze. Five years have passed since his public apology, where he addresses some specific callouts from victims to debatable effect, but unfortunately he’s lied about apologizing to all of his victims (1, 2), and the specific apologies he has written are now deleted from his tumblr, calling his efforts into changing for the better into his question. Furthermore, as he has a history of taking advantage of his fans even in his more underground days (1+2, 3), putting him in a situation where he has access to more fans to put him on a pedestal is dangerous. Other users have iterated much of this already on tumblr, where it was already discussed in previous years, so this is just some context.

But I’m here to talk about something related that hasn’t gotten any Tumblr coverage. For example, people here have talked about Griffin Puatu’s reddit post defending him already. But nobody has mentioned Kyle McCarley defending him yet.

On July 19, 2024, in the replies of Moze’s introduction tweet, he had this to say:

He addresses his use of “bad boyfriend” downplaying legitimate abuse later. I don't think it's great but we’ll get to that. However, “the court of public opinion” is a concept that he does stand by, perhaps reinforced by the backlash he received for this. Some of this was vitriolic, given the kind of person he was defending from further criticism, but others did try to reason with him, including some of the above and more as evidence that Niosi isn’t being entirely truthful about his atonement, and overall most responses expressed disbelief and disappointment more than anything else.

Still, he deactivated his account the following day, on July 20, 2024.

Unfortunately, our story doesn’t end there. In the early morning of July 21, 2024, he made an announcement in his Discord server.

So here's the thing about Niosi not being a confirmed sexual abuser or rapist or pedophile. I don't have everything, with this being such an expansive case so this is off what I've found. You know the time he planned to take advantage of his girlfriend at the time while said girlfriend was intoxicated (plus this follow-up where he attempted to cover for himself)? Drunk people cannot consent, especially not when drunk sex is already a hard boundary. Although this technically doesn't make him a rapist, to my knowledge, if you're gonna argue semantics it'll just sound like "well he didn't ACTUALLY rape someone so it's not as bad". Is it not already terrible that he tried to and still downplayed it when called on it? Besides, as mentioned in Lighty's testimony linked above, he's let other in his sphere groom minors under his watchful eye, and his other ex Audrey had things to say about how he weaponized sexual favors too. If someone actually has more on a history of sexual abuse and pedophilia, though, please bring it to my attention. I'll add it to this post.

Either way, we don't know what he knows. At best, Kyle has a very incomplete picture of the situation, and at worst he does have a complete picture and he just doesn’t think it’s valid or up-to-date criticism. The person who first brought this to people's attention on Twitter also mentioned that her messages in the server were being deleted when she spoke up to provide evidence, so for someone who welcomes others to share evidence how open he actually is to it is questionable. (UPDATE: There's more to this part of the story but we'll get to it in a future update.) His final message a couple of hours from these just solidifies it.

Having joined the server myself to see, around the time of the announcements seems to have been scrubbed clean, but there is some current discussion of the topic as of this post. Furthermore, someone there has stated that they're compiling sources to send his way to give him a better understanding of the situation (even if they're not sure if he still wants to talk about this), so maybe this will finally get him to reconsider his stance! Only time will tell.

Overall, though, I stand by my point that if Niosi makes a living, it should be somewhere far away from the public eye. Don't give him a platform to find new fans to take advantage of. Don't give his victims the opportunity to be retraumatized whenever they start a new game of show. He's been given more than enough chances. It's time to turn over a new leaf instead of digging his heels into the ground.

Still, I don't know if Kyle will change his mind at this point. I want him to - I tried, back when his Twitter was still up - but even at this stage he's doubled down on a situation he knows he might not have the full story on and I'm not sure if I can trust that. For any other fans, give this some thought - keep an eye out for any future developments if you still want to have faith in him, move on from him if you can't stand it. I just want him to at least hold his friend accountable instead of trying to shield him from the lasting consequences of his own actions.

(I'll be linking future updates here: #1, #2 and #3 for now.)

[perfectprettypisces]

I try to stay out of tabloids and gossip sites and I'm probably end up deleting this, but something really irked me and I felt like I wanted to share...

⚠️ WARNING: LONG POST INCOMING (BUT IT'S IMPORTANT, I PROMISE) ⚠️

To be completely transparent, I am a big fan of both Glen and Adria as actors and I, admittedly, have not seen Hit Man yet. I also don't know personally (obviously) or as people. But I'm writing this post not as a fan, but as someone hoping to work in the industry one day as a writer. Something that bothered me about Entertainment Tonight taking this quote from Glen and Adria's InStyle interview is that it's almost trying to make cheap gossip out of what was actually a very important conversation that they had with the interviewer about filming the sex scenes in Hit Man.

This is the quote with context. The interviewer asks them: This movie is such a tonal mix: action, noir, comedy. How did you find the right balance? Were there other movies you used as touchstones?

In an industry that notoriously undervalues, mistreats, and silences women's voices, ESPECIALLY women of color, I think it reflects well on this film (as well as on Richard Linklater and Glen) that Adria felt safe enough that she was able to provide her input on these intimate scenes and how they can do it in a way that they're both comfortable.

This has NOT always been the case and unfortunately, still isn't the case for many women in film. Entertainment Tonight taking that quote out of context to make a graphic out of it cheapens the entire conversation because unfortunately, not everyone cares to read the rest of the article and will take that quote and run with it. Some people might not even read the caption. However, their caption wasn't that much better either.

This movie doesn't work without Adria and I know that even without watching. Both Glen and Richard Linklater have stated multiple times that they needed Adria to make this film work. By what they say about each other, it seems like there's a lot of trust there.

I hope my obvious fangirling on Tumblr about Glen and Adria (mostly Glen) doesn't discredit this entire post. Still, as I said in the beginning, even if I wasn't a fan of Glen and Adria, I would still side-eye this post after reading the entire InStyle article. Hollywood has always needed to do better when it comes to the treatment of women on film sets and seeing this important conversation boiled down to an out-of-context graphic is just not sitting right with me.

I highly recommend reading the entire InStyle article. With the way they talk about the film, it's obvious they both worked really hard on it and are proud of the outcome.

This could be me overreacting, but as someone who wants to work in a (hopefully but doubtfully) changed industry, I truly despise narratives like these blocking out bigger issues that deserved to be addressed.

[t4taletyler]

Noah(TDI) and Queer characters in media.

In 2007 Teletoon premiered Total Drama Island, Apart from that cast was Noah. Noah quickly became a fan favorite along with Cody in the episode 'The Big Sleep' where Noah is shown to be kissing Cody's ear in his sleep, The two wake up and freak out. They quickly run away from each other.

This becomes a running gag of sorts, As in the episode 'Haute camp-ture' We see all the characters who got voted off this far in the show at the resort Playa Des Losers.

We see Noah featured in some of these scenes in the episode, As Noah is describing his experience on Total Drama Island he says he's gotten nothing out of it and that it was completely uneventful to him. We see Izzy pop in and say, "He kissed a guy!" The two bicker back and forth about whether it happened or not, Trent rebuttals Noah's no's with "He totally did" and then shows a flashback to Noah and Cody kissing with Noah saying he has no comment. We see this gag again in Total Drama Action in the Aftermath show, We are introduced to the people who didn't end up making it on TDA. In Noah's introduction, we are shown a clip of him kissing Cody AGAIN. They are also shown sitting with each other in a lot of the TDA aftermath segments.

One question I have is why is this gag shown over and over again? In the episode where it came from it didn't move the plot along, it was just a few-second gag. I feel as if this was hinting at Noah being gay, Freshtv who was producing the series has made gay characters before in their other show 6teen. I firmly believe that Noah is queer-coded at the very least. When Justin is introduced to us in episode one of Total Drama Island we see Noah, Owen and Trent all swoon over him much like the girls

In the Total Drama flash game 'Oh No U Di'n't' we see Noah say this about Cody

Though this saying can be said by any of the characters in the Flash game about Cody it sounds the most like Noah, especially with his sarcastic voice. Noah's personality is also a gay stereotype, at least in the first three seasons. In the 2000s typically gay men were depicted as feminine, sassy, and sarcastic. We can see this in TV shows such as Sex in the City and the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Noah emulates a lot of these traits with his sarcastic personality and how sassy he is. He is also depicted as skinny and having a 'girly' scream, shown in the special Total Drama Drama Drama Drama Island.

A lot of these scenes are played as a joke as LGBTQ+ representation was very hard to find that wasn't played as a "haha funny" moment.

In Celebrity Manhunt we see Cody and Noah parallel two straight pairings in this scene. We don't see Noah actually smile a lot but the times he does we see him with men such as Cody,Alejandro and Owen

(aftermath show)

(Newf kids on the Rock)

(I see London..)

On FreshTV's now-deactivated Tumblr blog, they said in response to an ask about Noah

This along with the existence of Nemma (Noah x Emma from rr) has always confused me, Why would Fresh TV go back on their character and suddenly change him to be less sarcastic and sassy? I think if they addressed Noah's queerness they would get backlash because he is A stereotype of a gay man BUT! I think the way they did it was actually more harmful to the queer TDI community. It made a lot of Noco,Alenoah and Nowen shippers face backlash till this day. Now with the TDI reboot we finally have two canon queer characters that are dating which is exciting and I'm glad they fought so hard to keep them but i think this was a way to pay their respects to characters they couldn't make queer like Noah and Owen.

Final Notes/TLDR;

Noah is a queercoded character that wasn't allowed to be queer which still hasn't been answered to this day. I hope with future seasons of total drama we will get more queer rep!

[luneemeritus]

Hello! I've been reading and liking your posts on Hazbin Hotel (especially the analyses of Angel - he's my favourite character!) and I wondered if I could ask you something about Huskerdust?

It's something that's been playing on my mind that I'd be interested to get another perspective on.

I ship Huskerdust, like many Hazbin fans, but I'm aware that not everyone likes it. And I've seen the arguments about Angel's initial treatment of Husk and whether it was sexual harassment and how much that ruins the Huskerdust ship and so on.

One point I see made a lot is this:

"If Angel was a straight man and Husk was a woman, everyone would agree that this behaviour was creepy and wrong and no-one would ship those two! But because Angel is gay and Husk is a man, it's fine apparently? No!"

It's been stuck in my head. And I've not seen many Huskerdust defenders addressing the claim (apart from, like, one YouTube comment I doubt I'll be able to find again).

So I'm turning to you because I enjoy reading your Angel Dust posts and you're pretty good at pointing out flaws in haters' arguments.

What would your response to that be?

OMG thank youuu!!! I also love your posts, specially how you mix Angel with Jessica Rabbit, she's gorgeous, I simp for both of them honestly 😭

Ok ok. Now, let me sigh veeeery heavily because 'anti-Angel Dust' requires a lot of patience to deal with. Huskerdust only came to be because Angel stopped his behaviour, which everyone, including the writters, know it was fucked up. Their argumentation ends there, to begin with.

(tw: SA, rape)

And this take "If Angel was a straight man / If Husk was a woman" is beyond delusional. Guys, do anyone here thinks being creepy and pushing boundaries is ok? No, right? Literally no one thinks that's ok. Angel don't think that's ok. This is why he stopped. This is why, even before opening up to Husk, he stopped the moment Husk pushed him away. It was clear to him that there was a limit he wouldn't cross. Notice how they 'dehumanize' (he's a demon spider but, you got it) Angel to "a creep", ignore his victimhood AND shamelessly wish for him to not be loved because of a mistake he committed AND fixed it, but then Huskerdust fans are the wrong ones? Angel is overly hated (and lied about btw) because 1, he's a victim, 2, he's an imperfect victim, and 3, he makes mistakes *because* of his victimhood, but idk, his haters live in some alternative reality where a gay man victim of human trafficking is well accepted and understood. Even if their hatred towards the character proves the opposite.

Angel didn't do anything he can't amend for. Do these people also think the shipp was "ruined" because Husk was an Overlord in the past? No, right? Obviously not, the AMOUNT of Angel haters that justify and ignore Husk's flaws is absurd. Husk also pushed Angel's emotional boundaries and made unnecessary rude comments about his work. Is he a monster for that? Obviously not, the moment he realized what Angel was going throught, he changed his perspective completely and that should be the case with everyone. Because yes, Angel's victimhood DOES matter, his hypersexuality is a coping mechanism, a facade, all of this matters, it matters SO MUCH MORE than Angel asking for Husk to bang him. "But it doesn't justify" boohoo Sherlock Homes, Angel stopped his behaviour. There, satisfied? Lol no because hating a victim is never enough, always a new reason (I also wish Angel would verbally apologize, that would be great too, and Huskerdust is still a slow burn, always keep that in mind). Angel is a victim of human trafficking. It's not Val being mean to him, it's Val using him as a slave. A slave. Rape. Collective rape. Sex trafficking. Sex slavery. Yall know what that means?

Here, an example and a study about how enduring abuse fucks up your brain.

https://www.bianj.org/abuse-brain-injury/

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1238225255/domestic-violence-is-now-recognized-as-a-leading-cause-of-traumatic-brain-injury

Imagine how Angel's brain is. Like. Angel haters, I know putting yourselfs in someone's place is not your thing, specially when you have to weaponize someone's gender identity and sexuality to make a point, but imagine having your brain deformed by years of abuse. Abuse from the person you once loved. Bad, right?

It's just that Angel's haters are unable to analyze any kind of nuance. Doing a bad thing, like pushing boundaries, doesn't make you an irredimable person. Angel, because of his hypersexuality caused by years of severe abuse and isolation, harrassed Husk. He realized he fucked up. He stopped. Husk also seem extremely guilty for his past. They're both owned by people that have pleasure in torturing others, violating every single part of their body, mental state and soul. See the difference?

Victims aren't perfect. Victims will make mistakes. Husk is also a victim (by Alastor), and he also makes mistakes... HUGE mistakes, cause you know, being a Gambling Overlord... not the best vibes. Angel's haters should really stop pretending to care about poor Husk's feefees and just admit they don't want a victim to find love and peace.

...ANYWAY. Sorry, Chrysalys, for the big ass response but I feel like I said everything I wanted to. I hope the haters didn't changed your perspective about the shipp! Because, as yourself said in your amazing analysis, they're not perfect people, but they're perfect for each other. Huskerdust is precisely what a wholesome, healthy couple is, even with two flawed people: they talk and communicate about their problems. They opened up. Understood each other. Support each other. I reblogged someone joking about how Huskerdust was able to make in one episode what Stolitz didnt to in two seasons LMAO

[liaa--qb]

This might sound overly dramatic, but I'm so sad and disappointed right now because of all those horrible leaks. I know they still might be false, but honestly I believe that save for some details, they are mostly true. There are few things that sadden me the most :

1. Helaemond not being canon. I know that this ship has been controversial, especially among TG, but it really had a lot of potential and was one of my favourite (still is). And I don't care what antis say, there were a lot of hints and undertones in s1 about helaemond, more than for Alicole and look, Alicole apparently becomes canon in the worst possible way. Which brings me to the second point -

2) Alicole being canon. Don't get me wrong. I like this pairing, but it would be much better and more in character if they never acted on their feelings. Not to mention that two sex scenes in ep 1 (if the leak is true) will seem too much and out of nowhere. And to include it in B&C scene with helaena walking in on them having sex right after Jaehaerys is brutally murdered is an atrocious writing decision. F*ck you Condal and whoever is responsible for this.

3) B&C made into a joke. According to the leaks, Helaena won't be given a choice, there will be some upsetting details about getting naked the children and so on..and to have her walk in on her mom having sex with a member of a kingsguard.. Again, f*ck you Condal.

4) Aemond and the brothel madame. Why would he go to the same woman who SAed him when he was 13? And he obviously felt uncomfortable around her in ep 9. And to make him cry while naked in fetal position...I also read on reddit that they will include a mommy kink with breast sucking and whatnot... but this seems way too much and is probably someone's shitty headcanon. At least I hope it is, because if true I'll vomit.

And this is only the first episode. Idk, if this turns out to be true, I'll probably stop watching and it sucks since I really like this universe and was excited about s2. Two years of waiting and for what.. Not only the shortened season but also all this garbage. We'll see in few days, I guess, but I'm not hopeful. Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. I would love to hear your opinion on this.

Ya the way heard about leaks is sooo😂😂😂😂😂😂😭😭😭☠️ wtf they have done 😬☠️☠️

IT'S MY ANSWER FOR ALL QUES LIKE THIS FILLED IN MY INBOX CZ I GOT SAME QUES FOUR TIMES in different ways😅, so I am answering for them all but it's but long

See it's a kind suggestion from me very sweetly that it's better if you are not expecting something high from makers n watching it without any expectations because if we are hating just because they did some ships wrong then acc to that alot of changes were already done since s1, like Rhaenicent , Larys alot of things but we never had problems.

Listen I am kinda sad also but you know what..... be happy because you know Ewan and Phia are shipping helaemond🥰. They acknowledging it , loving it and adding some own elements to this ship is really amazing of them moreover just for a fan service.

Like "do it for helaemond" 😭 they are so adorable. See I knew very well that it's not gonna happen, I had a very less surity and that's how exactly it turned out.

But you know what not a single ship is going to have any good romantic future 😂 either all of them even Daemyra main centre couple is not being done well by the makers. What can you expect for others ?

because I knew helaemond had lit ceslu potential but it has to be done correctly and Ik hotd makers would ruin it or make it bad even if it was shown canon look at Alicole now. So being non canon yet addressed by makers and actors who specially said they would act on it for fan service is a kind of little serve.

To me it's like I won ( but at what cost 😭😅) but also winning well wasn't there on cards ever. Every ship is going to be destroyed by makers. see what they did with Helaegon(ik it wasn't any good already) but like I am crying on leaks ( I thought atleast this s2 helaegon would be done but better for Aegon's sake but no😭)

All ships barely are going to have small amount of time without any romantic bullshit, just in one or two scene then seperating apart n dying 😂☠️ as I said earlier so to me Ewan phia trying their own things for helaemond in background in genuinely a small cake😂. ( Atleast we have some scenes with them, idk if there would be😑😬 not expecting much)

One thing I really hate that you know they gave Juan and Cesare arcs to Aegon n Aemond making their pair up way intresting to watch. I really wish that Helaena was given the same authority or bit of freedom of exploring herself like Alicent. Sorry if someone as strictly religious like Alicent can do it then it was way easy for Heleana. And whole Borgias recreate would have been so interesting to watch.

I wish I could see Helaena scolding, shouting at Aemond for starting all this shit n hating Aegon for being a useless father after b&c. There should be a sense of of cheating or fraud when she sees her mother who claims to be a religious person but doing everything against it while she had to suffer her whole life with bad marriage.

Not seeing her any active is what which annoys me so much.

they gave her dreamer arc for Nothing just being ignored by her important family members.Phia should be awarded for her acting n carrying heleana despite of their dirty writing.

The thing is Helaemond would have been a shock and surprise more fitting for audience, making Helaena active with this part instead of doing Alicent dirty an don't even ask how I am feeling about Helaena catching Alicent and Cole . It was sooo😭🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😑

And most ironically funny thing is that same thing happened with Borgias, Cesare and lucrezia were not canon initially and never meant for canon, both actors said we will just play into into it but when I rumours started later runners had no choice to make it canon for later season ��

So never loose hope or stop loving or hyping any of your ship or helaemond I would say because Ryan can pull any stunt any time. The way he is going I don't think he gives much f about book canon, he is doing anything he wants😂😂

So who knows... if he ever liked Helaemond he can pull it anytime 😂(I m not kidding) bcz Alicole fucking specially between b&c since s1 is so ooc I could not even describe. I am not even hardcore FNB fan but they quite messed up Alicole angst and guilt arc which could have been so beautiful. It's so inconsistent with their parts from S1 like what ?🤦🏻‍♀️

And I hate that blood & cheese should have been how Helaena is suffering instead I am afraid whole light will be thrown on Criston/Alicent fucking reveal.

no couple is gonna have any beautiful story so it's kind of better if they are just playing with helaemond behind back.

Atleast there is so much for Helaemond content and on other hand my other ship Rhaemond is literally carried by lil warriors Leo and Eva 😭 on their shoulder with that one scene for all seasons. I never gonna see them interact again😿.

And yes I also hate how Aemond is sent to back his abuser. Like they could have used any other female if they have to show his milf attraction or some kind of guilt kink something but not his groomer. It sucks he is finding comfort in her arms. Like these show runners forgot how all these characters were exactly in season1 bc such changes r so😭

Overall I would say don't leave the show just in terms for ships to be endgame as not a single ship is going to have any happy ending or any romantic drive in HOTD main focus will be on Rhaenyra, Alicent getting depressed and Daemon will be haunted 😭 but still it's your choice in the end😅 I am no one to say anything.

Now I am mainly watching for Aegon & Aemond n how other new entries like Alys, Alyn, Cregan or Addam are gonna introduced ( well who knows if Daeron is also gets his Cameo in the end )

if I am being honest just like the way I started this show after reading book without having any great expectations. It works better that way and may be for Ewanphia Crumbs for few secs if they don't cut their scenes of which I have very much doubt.

( while how I wanna see Ewan phia/Phiwan crumbs on screens in delulu mind😭😭 :

Like this is how I wanted Helaena to jump n beat the shit out of Aemond after b&c n that's how it should be bc that's his brother not any stranger, she had full right to , but there... it's complete opposite :

[ngkr-backyard]

Enstars x Reader Smut Month 2023 - Jun Sazanami

Tags: Fem!reader, first time, hook up, idol & fan relationship

Word Count: 902

Summary: You accidentally date your favorite idol, Jun Sazanami, who doesn't expect to date his fan. Your secret date feels like a dream.

Note: English isn't my first language, and I don't play ENGstars so I'm not sure how Jun talks in EN. I'm sorry for grammar mistakes and weird expressions😭

Ao3 Link

MINORS DNI

You must be crazy to have your first sex with someone from a dating app, especially someone who doesn't even have a clear profile pic showing his face. But you could tell this guy was good-looking from the eyes in that photo. So you sent him a friend request and swiped right. Luckily, he accepted and promised to meet with you, sending you the hotel's address. 

You are nervous about your first date but excited too. You lie on the bed in the hotel room, frequently checking your phone while waiting for your date. Finally, when your date texts you with a simple "I'm here," you know it is the time.

He wears a hat and a mask, covering most of his face. He quietly walks into the room and sits on the bed. It feels so awkward in the room, and you can tell that he is as nervous as you.

"Uh… Should we start with kissing?" You ask him, gripping your clothes awkwardly. 

"I guess yes…? It's my first hookup. Please tell me how you want it."

He sighs and takes off his mask and hat. As you expected, this guy has a pretty face. You are proud of your straight sense, but soon after, you realize how bad the situation is.

—Wait, he looks way too similar to Jun Sazanami, the idol you love so much. But you know Jun too well. You see his face every day. The guy you are dating now is Jun Sazanami himself.

You almost shout his name but hold back because you don't want to cause trouble or make Jun feel awkward. You close your eyes when you kiss him, trying not to look at his face. But it is like a dream when you feel his soft lips on yours. Isn't it how you have dreamed of the whole time? As Jun slips his tongue between your lips, you can't help but shiver and moan into his mouth. Soon you lose your strength, leaning helplessly against Jun's body. 

Jun starts stripping your tops while carefully lying you down on the bed. As soon as he removes your bra, he kisses your neck, nips your collarbone softly, and finally reaches your breast. Jun licks and sucks on your nipple while caressing your tits. His other hand reaches down and takes off your remaining clothes. Jun teases your clit for a while and then pushes his finger into your wet pussy, making you whine and squirm under him. It feels so good, much better than you playing with yourself alone. And your favorite idol is now making out with you. All these thoughts make you more and more horny, and you can only throw your head back helplessly and moan for him.

"Ah…Jun, please…!"

Jun suddenly stops, looking into your eyes in surprise. And you realize that you just said his name out loud, and you are terrified of ruining the whole thing. 

"I'm so sorry…! I didn't mean to make you feel awkward or anything…I won't tell anyone about this. Please forgive me…"

"Well, I know it's gonna happen at some point…" Jun sighs and smiles embarrassedly, "I'm an idol, after all. People are gonna recognize me, aren't they? You don't need to say sorry."

Jun explains why he's using that dating app—Hiyori is behind the scenes and urges Jun to find some fun stuff. Jun didn't put anything showing his face on his profile, wishing people wouldn't notice him and protecting his reputation, but he didn't expect to hook up with his own fan. 

"So that's everything…Can you keep it secret?"

You agree without hesitation. After all, you want to protect your favorite idol's reputation, but it's also because of your little selfishness. You want Jun to be yours, even if it's just for a night. 

Jun pulls you closer to wipe off your tears and give you another kiss. Your tongues tangle with each other. Soon, your body heats up, and you are turned on as just now. Jun smirks and licks his lips, taking the small package on the nightstand. 

"You're doing great. Now's the time for special fan service~."

It doesn't hurt at all when Jun finally pushes his cock inside you, probably because you want Jun so bad. You are so happy as your needy pussy is filled up by him. You still can't believe what's going on now, but the pleasure of Jun thrusting into you brings you back to reality. Jun fucks you hard, making you think of nothing but only him. He groans into your ears, telling you how good he feels inside you. In return, you put your arms around Jun's neck, moan his name loudly, and say that you love him so much. The two of you kiss again and again, just like a real couple.

…

You can't remember what happened afterward when you woke up. Jun already left, leaving some snacks and water for you. He also wrote a short note that he had a great time with you last night. 

You decide to keep that note from Jun as a secret memory between you two. You believe you will never see Jun again like that as the relationship between you two returns to idol and fan, nothing more than that. It was a dream. 

But you never expect Jun will reach out to you again. That's a whole different story. 

Note: I did it!!! I finally wrote a fic not in my native language for the first time!!!🥳 I always wanted to write something about idols having sex with fans which idols are not supposed to do…Sorry for bringing real life idol culture stuff into this, but I think that's very thrilling (for me at least Thank you Rei for holding this event! I really had fun writing this. I hope you enjoy it☺️

[bluecatwriter]

For that Director's Cut thing?? uhh uhh O'erthrow Me, please???

Ahaha, you want to see me suffer (ramble about embracing the eroticism of the divine), don't you??? *trying to look offended but actually just grinning like a goofball*

The fic in question: "Renfield asks Jonathan to read him some poetry."

(For anyone unaware, this is a smutfic, so keep that in mind before clicking the "Keep reading…" Also contains mention of sexual assault, Christianity, and spoilers.)

-The idea for this one came when I was rereading some published fics (as I often do), and was thinking about how I'd like to do another Jonathan/Renfield fic. I am obsessed with this ship for many reasons, especially what Jonathan and Renfield bring out in each other, and so I always have some ideas brewing in my head. The thought of Renfield asking Jonathan to read him some erotic poetry seemed like a fun idea to run with, and so the brainstorm began in earnest.

-Despite my premise, I have read very very little erotic poetry, so either I could go on a poetry-reading binge, or I could grab the first one that came to mind: "Batter My Heart, Three-Person'd God" by John Donne, which I've always been a little feral about (despite not really reading anything else Donne wrote. Fake fan, I know). It's a poem addressed to God, but it's incredibly erotic, and fit well with the themes of possession and loyalty that had showed up in my earlier Jonathan/Renfield fics. (I think I'm really into the erotic as a path to the divine as a result of 1) being raised in a branch of Christianity that just. does NOT allow eroticism in any form and, paradoxically, 2) coming of age right when the "Jesus is my boyfriend" rhetoric was really strong in evangelical circles. Learning to find God in all aspects of being human, including the erotic, has been a big deal for me the past couple decades.) I looked up some of Donne's other poems, too, to include, and it worked out really well.

-Usually my smutfics have some sort of build-up beforehand to explain how the characters end up in bed together, but in this fic (and in the previous one in the series, "Enough"), I just dive straight into the sex because this is an established relationship and I don't need to justify why they're having sex right now. (Unfortunately in this fic it's not abundantly clear that this whole thing is taking place with Mina's consent and blessing— but that's just a rule of thumb whenever I write the Harkers.)

-This was the first Jonathan/Renfield smutfic I wrote from Jonathan's perspective, but I knew I wanted to because the other ones had been in Renfield's head, and I wanted to show what Jonathan was thinking and feeling here. It also addresses the elephant in the room: in this version of events, Jonathan has been sexually assaulted by Dracula repeatedly in the past, and so having sex with a different intense old man is going to dredge up some memories. I got the chance to delve into that in this fic, showing how this is a healing experience for him.

-Then we get the Sexy Poetry Reading! Again, I bring up an intentional parallel to abuse that Jonathan suffered in the past, showing how even something simple like someone asking him to read can dredge up feelings.

-Figuring out the logistical details of the physical description vs. the spoken lines took quite a bit of shuffling; I was arranging and rearranging stuff a bunch up until the very last draft. But I'm happy with how the sequence turned out in the end.

-Plus the lines in the poem fit really well with a narrative that has emerged from shipping these two. ""Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain/But am betroth'd unto your enemy/Divorce me, untie or break that knot again/Take me to you, imprison me…" Again, brings up a lot of the themes that I'd been exploring earlier in the Jonathan/Renfield series, and fit together even better than I expected.

Thanks so much for the ask! :D

(Ask game here)

[sylvarantii]

Being a fan of crossovers, this movie was pretty exciting for me to check out. Definitely didn't disappoint!

Lupin the III vs Detective Conan: The Movie is sort of one I wasn't sure how to feel about since I think I've only watched maybe one season of Lupin and it was definitely one of the more "modern" seasons.

That said, while I knew what to expect considering I do at least know the general direction the series takes, I feel it's fair to warn people who aren't familiar with the series to tread lightly.

To sum it up, it's, well, raunchy. There's sex jokes and lots of seeing women in provocative ways (especially Fujiko, my god that woman is the poster girl of extremely sexual women, even in this movie). Tons of cleavage. A bathing scene. It's very adult. Haha.

Which normally isn't a problem, but...I wasn't too fond of the fact Haibara got dragged into it. I just think when you're discussing certain things about the woman body and it's addressed toward a child (regardless of how old she is mentally) it feels a little wrong. Especially with an adult implyingly getting handsy with said child while making said comment.

So just...keep that in mind if you're like me and you're a little put off by it.

The humor of the series was a very good addition to this movie. I really do enjoy some of the gags of the Lupin series and it certainly delivered in this movie.

The characters were all really fun. I think my favorites were Jigan and Inspector Zenigatta.

I love Conan and Jigan's little playful banter of "being father and son". It was very precious.

By the way, there was a tv special before this one (Same name, just doesn't have "the movie" added on in the title). I would highly recommend watching it first as it provides a lot of context for the movie. Not to mention they do bring up some things from the tv special in the movie.

That said, you CAN watch the movie without the context. It's not like it's hard to follow otherwise.

I also want to say that Satou was an absolute delight in this movie. I love how she's willing to admit Lupin was her first childhood crush, but has no issues taking him down. She's hilarious and I just really enjoyed her in this movie. I kind of wish there could've been more of her.

It's rather funny to me as well that you can easily pick out which designer was doing which of the background and side characters. Like, I do think the Lupin series and Detective Conan mesh pretty well, but there are VERY MUCH artistic differences between the two that can be spotted at a glance.

Now before I add this to the rankings, I would like to note I'm not going to add a movie number to it since technically "Dimensional Sniper" is considered the 18th movie. But since this one came out after the last one, I figured I'd watch and write a little something up.

1.) The Raven Chaser (13th Movie)

2.) The Fourteenth Target (2nd Movie)

3.) The Lost Ship in the Sky (14th Movie)

4.) The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1st Movie)

5.) Magician of the Silver Sky (8th Movie)

6.) Captured in Her Eyes (4th Movie)

7.) Crossroad in the Ancient Capital (7th Movie)/Lupin the III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie

8.) Quarter of Silence (15th Movie)

9.) The Phantom of Baker Street (6th Movie)

10.) Countdown to Heaven (5th Movie)

11.) Strategy Above the Depths (9th Movie)

12.) The Private Eyes' Requiem (10th Movie)

13.) Full Score of Fear (12th Movie)

14.) The Eleventh Striker (16th Movie)

15.) The Wizard of the Last Century (3rd Movie)

16.) Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure (11th Movie)

17.) Private Eye in the Distant Sea (17th Movie)

Perhaps it doesn't make a lot of sense, but for some reason, it just feels best to give it tie status with another movie. It could just be laziness on my part so as not to have to fix the numbers, but I kind of feel like this is the way to go.

Especially since it feels almost like an unofficial official part of the Detective Conan Movie saga.

I don't really expect anyone to know what I'm talking about, I already know how confusing I must sound.

Either way, ending notes, great movie! Highly recommend when you just want a fun watch to give you a few laughs

[papirouge]

There’s something about every alpha masculinity account that screams “fed” to me. I really think these account are fake and ran by the fbi to monitor men online and who would be likely to commit mass violence. Other times it’s bots.

But really, look at how they cry about how men are gods on earth for women to forcibly worship them (idolatry God will strike down every man who calls himself the lord) and the need to protect children from leftist but will welcome Kevin spacey and man who preyed upon children openly all because they don’t believe in “cancel culture” unless it’s them. This is such a insidious agenda happening and it requires a lot of attention from Christians to avoid this.

That's an interesting theory

I also heart the one saying that the incel movement was incepted by old scrote trying to make younger men look as stupid & insane as possible so that women of their age be repulsed by them and instead consider dating older men on the basis they won't be as unhinged. It would make sense if older redpiller weren't as much demented as the younger ones. And it's not like they were good concealing their "opinions" those scrote are unable to have a normam conversation with a women not involving sex, breeding, female's "role" or some other redpill bs

These old scrote are much more cunning and calculating than they will admit. Andrew Tate proudly admits he has no issue lying and deceptive tactics with the girls he's trafficking so why his fans think he wouldn't do the same to them? 🤔

Now to come back to your theory, I definitely think the redpill movement is indeed a psy-op to divide society. What irks me so bad is that so called 'free thinker' media wil have no issue seeing this when it comes to race, and call the BLM movement "divisive" and breeding hate among society, but will say absolutely nothing about redpiller and their visceral hate against women. I'm thinking about Vigilant Citizen especially.. it's been a while I realized dude was shady but I realized he was definitely full of shit when he made an entire article to dunk on Barbie and its feminist propaganda that will destroy society🙄 (btw I didn't forget he never approved my comment on that article calling him out lmao Mind you, he's one of those whiny people asking for more fReEdoM oF sPeEch/truthers are cEnsOreD, but is unable to apply that freedom of speech on his own website🤡). Meanwhile he has yet to address the redpill movement and the well documented femicide attacks/shootings perpetuated by men who explicitly expressed their hatred against women. Is that enough to finally call the redpiller/mra movement "divisive" too?

VC loves making articles pointing out the occult symbolism anywhere he can, so...why didn't he say shit about Andrew Tate Russian guru who happens to be a black warlock? Or Tate xitter handle being COBRA Tate? If you look into it, dude has whole thing going on with snakes... What about his weird triangular hand symbol too. VC would've a field day making an article developing the theory that Tate is actually a plant seeking to breed chaos and gender wars - it would have made a lot of sense bc there's a lot of shady shit going on with Tate and how he's being wk'ed by the Conservative right when he's a British pimp living in Romania. Also wasn't his dad CIA? Reaaal shady shit going on... But VC won't cover that shit bc he's of his bias.. but don't worry he'll make a 567th article about celebrities hiding one eye and the awful LBGT+ propaganda because lf *checks notes* rainbow on a note book🙃

You'd think the way these people talk about feminism women were out there turning society upside down, hounding & harassing men....but nope. IDK for being so dangerous & radical, feminists seem to be very quiet 🤔 there's a reason those men have to look into movies and video games to claim oppression. The so called oppression they get from women doesn't translate IRL.

[crazykuroneko]

Tbh I think a lot casual viewers / non book fans are probably going to not continue the show after s2 unless it diverges quite drastically on louis's storyline? iwtv is very bleak and I genuinely think they underestimated how much show viewers ended up hating lestat after s1 (and they may end up in a similar situation with armand in s2) and then you're asking the audience to watch an entire season of this guy's whole backstory. plus you're killing off one of the two likable characters by the end of s2 and shifting louis into more a side character.

a big red flag to me was the lady who hosts the podcast who doesn't have a book background saying a lot of the same stuff as show-only people. like she clearly does not like lestat or loustat at all lmao and its literally her job to promote the show.

First, I want to address the "shifting louis into more a side character" because no I don't agree with that. Contrary to fans believe, Hollywood-standard wise (from the number of episodes they are in, how integral their characters are to the story), both Jacob and Sam have been considered as lead actors/cast of IWTV. You can see industry news outlets calling them both as such. But because IWTV is about Louis' past specifically and AMC knew IWTV still has some hope in Emmys even though it's small, they put them in different categories to not split the votes between them (they even only submit one actor in each category for it). So, look at what we have now, Louis is the narrator yet we still get Lestat in all episodes, and he's leading the NOLA narrative forward together with Louis despite not existing in the Dubai narrative. I bet we'll still get Lestat in most, if not all episodes, in S2, because Rolin has said many many times, the show is about both of them. And I expect they'll do the same in TVL season(s); Lestat is telling the story while Louis is leading whatever will be going on in the modern time. (No, i don't believe they'll make Louis stuck on a couch the whole season to listen to Lestat's story even though it sounds tasty. He'd definitely have a way to know what Lestat's saying, but I don't see anything good writing-wise from sticking your well-developed character in one place for such a long time)

About whether the audience will be willing to listen to Lestat's past, I'll see how S2 goes first before judging that. A lot of people don't like him, but there are a lot of them who are like, "I will miss him if he dies, he's an interesting character".

And IWTV is a niche show, its genre is gothic horror/romance. Who the hell is doing gothic romance for a series in this decade? (Hannibal doesn't count, it's not gothic and still about will/won't they). Like, what AMC is doing with IWTV now is extremely daring. And with a niche show, it's always the same: you can't please everyone. There will always be part of the general audience who will leave because either it's simply not their cup of tea or they can't stomach it. Especially now when there's this purity sentiment going so strongly in general (apparently now we shouldn't ship fictional characters, every sex scene has to have a grand purpose, and you shouldn't watch any portrayal of abuse even though it's produced by the victim herself). God forbid IWTV would ever want to please those people yikes. So, IWTV won't ever get as "mainstream" as what, Succession, Ted Lasso, Better Call Saul. But IWTV would still appeal to people who appreciate good writing, people who are "idc how bad the characters are as long as they're exciting!", and people who really love horror (not that "comfort horror" BS) - there's this review of IWTV from an horror website who is like "I wish they gave us more gore and horror of vampires", oh these people would love S2.

So, tl;dr you could say it's a natural selection (hell yes Darwinism), it's inevitable. I'd rather have that audience leave than stay and ruin fans' experience by whining about the plot that won't ever satisfy them. And I'd always applaud writers who don't give a shit to what people say and stick to what they're meant to do. They slay!

EDIT: ah I forgot about this. but don't underestimate the number of old fans who will probably check the show again when the TVL season(s) come. Because no matter how big their hatred for AMC is, it will be the first time ever for TVL to be adapted on screen. First time in 38 years (yes no one considers QotD movie ever existed). That's too big a temptation!

[prismatoxic]

i'm not one to add commentary directly to posts, but i really, really liked this article, and the replies on this post to the tune of "wow no fun allowed huh?" and "this is too long to care about" were extremely frustrating to me, so i wanted to maybe put some of my thoughts into words here instead of in the tags.

i think it's worth noting that OP did not write this as some sort of on-high moral judgement. she wrote it as her own thoughts and opinions, which is, you know, a valid form of media analysis? and if this article makes you mad you are allowed to stop reading it. in fact, you're allowed to still like hazbin hotel! no one is saying you can't. that isn't what this article is about.

(and, genuinely, it being "too long" is not a mistake on her part. if you don't want to read a long article, don't. if you do but don't have the spoons, read it in chunks. we're all adults here. you do not have to decry a large word count as being some sort of flaw, especially when the entire thing is a pretty in-depth analysis.)

anyway, onto the actual thing: this article brings up a lot of really solid points that i think are worth acknowledging. when people say you need to be critical of the media you engage with, a lot of the time the point is to just keep in mind the things it implies or reinforces, regardless of whether it makes you like the thing any less. it's important to understand what we're consuming, for better and for worse. and this article is important for that: it highlights the very real issues inherent to HH's narrative and characters.

this doesn't have to change your mind, if you're a fan. but i think it's worth examining why, exactly, the end goal is for sinners to get into heaven, and how this is never addressed as being an inherently flawed plan. why sex is only ever treated as a sin. how, because of this, the canon wlw couple is never implied to be sexual, at all, because one of the characters in it is the one trying to reform the sinners. you can like the show... but be aware of these things. if the second season deals with all this, great! and if it doesn't, be aware of that, too.

i can't say any of this changed my mind because my interest in HH was miniscule-to-none already, but it did give me a bigger understanding of what the show actually is (not only in a negative sense, just in general), which i appreciate if for no other reason than having more context when i see people talking about it.

anyway, i recommend it. it was a good read.

hello everyone i wrote some thoughts on why i didn't particularly enjoy a certain cartoon set in hell

[hanszoe]

do you fluently speak Japanese? How has your knowledge on the language impact how you perceive the aot story? I feel that a lot of people who are only English speaks or don’t read translations lack context when it comes to characters, esp Hansi

hi, thank you for the ask!

i am not fluent whatsoever, that's actually why i haven't read the manga in full. i had a lot of exposure growing up so grammar and sentence structure is intuitive to me, but my knowledge of kanji is near nonexistent and i don't know much technical vocabulary, which is difficult with something like snk that has a lot of it. when reading/translating i use https://ejje.weblio.jp/ for example sentences to get a feeling of how a word is used and https://www.weblio.jp/ to check precise definitions of words. snk is great for me because all canon text has furigana that spells out the reading of words, i'd probably have a lot less patience for it if there were no furigana lol

as for perception, i have to give maybe a surprising answer and say that i don't really think any japanese fan interpretation is unique to japan; for example het ships with hansi specifically levihan is the most popular in japan and led to all of their feminization and fanservice in the anime adaptation

for fun here's the worldwide search popularity of levihan vs the ship name written in japanese (which doesn't change noticeably when limited to japan)

and the west is much more tolerant of queerness, for example i read a japanese fan response recently to the line "levi and erwin married" from this news article about the attack on titan musical saying that the press is so free in the west. the recent response to hansi being depicted in male obi is also related, as this is hansi violating a very strict gender rule that doesn't really have a comparison for those viewed as female sexed in the west anymore.

so i wouldn't exactly say japanese comprehension is correlated with narrative comprehension, i think the only difference is some mistranslations or language/culture misinterpretations don't exist in japanese fandom. words can still be interpreted in many different ways even if you're reading the source, and narrative analysis i think exists beyond language

but if one was looking for an exhaustive understanding of the text including how isayama himself may have seen it, i do think that japanese comprehension is necessary since he uses words really intentionally, the same phrasing comes up a lot of the time in ways that may have been translated differently in each case by the english translator. i actually do see this a lot, people trying to draw linguistic similarities across parts of a translation as if they were intentional where whatever was said is written differently in original language.

the one thing on hansi i would say is pretty much impossible to communicate in english is actually the issue of their pronouns and use of gendered grammar. isayama requested gender neutral pronouns be used for hansi in english, but because people addressing hansi in the text can see them, the use of "they" would be a refutation of their status as either gender and absolutely would not happen without inconsistency or establishment. whereas in japanese isayama is able to never gender them, which i think would have been his preference if it were possible in other languages.

hansi also speaks quite masculinely a lot of the time, but people viewed as female can still speak like that. i think actually a larger contributor to this is how others address them, especially men around them, mima masafumi who is the sound director for the anime and in my opinion absolutely essential to hansi's adapted voice since romi doesn't quite get it when he's not there told her to voice hansi as "unisex" based on them being called omae by others lol. so there is an element there about how hansi speaks and is perceived that i would say unfortunately does require japanese comprehension

[icarlycarl]

Is "Bakla" Still a Derogatory Term?

Disclaimer: This is just my two cents. I'm trying to share my thoughts and how I've changed my perspective over time. It's important to remember that words can mean different things to different people, especially across cultures. I’ve tried my best to be respectful and understanding, but I know everyone’s different. If anything I’ve said has rubbed someone the wrong way, please know it wasn’t my intention.

I remember a time when calling someone "bakla" was a way to tease, insult and degrade. I was guilty of doing this when I was a kid and getting called that in return during playground fights. While it used to be a common, casual term, people now use it carefully.

The term "bakla" has a complex history in the Philippines. its usage can still be sensitive, depending on the context and the relationship between the speaker and the listener. While it's often used casually among friends, using "bakla" in a hostile way can be hurtful. When used by a stranger or in a hostile environment, it can be deeply insulting and disrespectful. Similar to racial slurs, if used by a non-LGBTQ+ person, this can be seen as derogatory, especially if it's used to mock or belittle. We should be careful about how we use the word and who we say it to. It's important to be respectful always.

In recent years, there's been a growing movement to challenge outdated and harmful stereotypes. You may have heard the term "woke" from some GenZs. Many people, particularly those who support LGBTQ+ rights, consider the term "bakla" to be outdated and offensive. They argue that it reinforces harmful stereotypes and promotes discrimination against gay men.

Although "bakla", has been used in the Philippines for decades to describe gay men or even now women, it has now transformed into a term of self-empowerment for many. It's no longer a source of shame, but rather a badge of pride.

While the LGBTQIA+ community continues to make strides, there are still instances of discrimination and prejudice. That incident with the transwoman personality, for example, highlights the need for empathy and understanding. While addressing workplace misconduct is important, it should be done with respect and dignity. Not how this person did it. Unfortunately, there are still people closed-minded and not accepting, bringing in religion as a reason. We should not force them to change their beliefs and force people to theirs, but don't condemn or shun the community because of that.

The Philippine Government's stance on LGBTQIA+ is complex and ever changing. The country is still working towards greater LGBTQIA+ rights. While there's growing acceptance, laws are still needed to protect the community (Yaas, SOGIE Equality Bill!). Same-sex marriage remains illegal. But, despite roadblocks, they continue to fight for equality and inclusion.

As I see it, people of the LGBTQIA+ simply wants equality, acceptance, and freedom of expression. They just want legal and social recognition, supportive communities, and policies that protect their rights. They also want to emphasize the importance of embracing individuality and celebrating the diversity.

I'm fortunate to have many wonderful gay friends, and I'm proud to call them my own. They are individuals, human beings deserving of respect and dignity. In today's world, we must embrace equality and respect everyone's right to love and be loved.

And let's not forget the fabulous world of drag! I'm a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and am always amazed by the creativity, talent, and humor of the queens. They fearlessly express themselves, challenging norms and inspiring others. Werk! Sadly, some people view them as strange or abnormal, even going so far as to accuse them of being sexual predators who prey on children. Like, seriously?!

As a straight ally, I stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+. Just because I support them, hang out with them and enjoy watching drag queens, doesn't mean I'm gay myself. But, I believe that everyone should be free to be themselves, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. So what if you're bakla, bading, beki, beks? Embrace it! Be proud of who you are. Yaas, Kween!

[they-them-that]

A ramble about my problems with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (And Scott Pilgrim overall)

I know this will come off as nitpicky because it semi-is but I also had a hard time getting into the series with how much tired and sexist tropes were compacted into it. Although some of my complaints may seem to go against the entire antithesis of Scott Pilgrim (the "it's supposed to be that way!" argument), I also think that just means the entire comic and it's extended projects has always had a sexism problem. That doesn't mean you're wrong for enjoying it though! I fully understand the appeal and I'm not actually against the playful concept of gender dynamics in romantic relationships. But Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is the latest works of the franchise that reimagines the comic's story thus, potentially being a better, more educated version of itself and is in some ways it is, but is still ignorant in many others.

Good Changes:

-Todd's bisexual awakening

-Knives gets to be mostly happy

-Scott isn't there most of the time lol

Ok now the problems.

Wallace was a treat the whole series and I enjoyed Todd's bisexuality arc but Stephen's romance and coming out was shafted. As someone who didn't read the comics, I had no idea he was a gay character and it felt like we were trading one m/m development for another.

Kim makes out with Roxie instead of Knives in the anime (thank god) and I found the close up of them french kissing to be... Off putting, especially when Todd and Wallace's makeout, even with tongue involved, did not get the same voyeuristic treatment. This lends itself to an issue that's also in the comics which is the fetishization of w/w relationships for the pleasure of men. Even if we argue it's also for queer women, women are usually above just watching two girls frenching each other and no matter what, it's still a fetishistic scene.

Julie is written to be stuck up in the comic with misogynistic undertones. She's quite literally called a "bitch" and throughout the comics, she is constantly defined by the sexist term.

(source: wiki. Even if this plot summary could mostly be a fan's interjection on Julie, it still shows how her personality is antagonized in a uniquely misogynistic way by the comic)

In the anime, Julie gets together with Gordon Goose, formerly known as Gideon Graves (also retconning his ten year age gap with the main cast for some reason). He quickly crashes at her place and their relationship reflects an incredibly exhausted trope of the pessimistic woman and freeloader man. I found their relationship more interesting when they were both being evil together because it didn't feel parasitic but for the most part, their relationship was playing on a patriarchal and toxic dynamic that's nothing refreshing or cute.

Knives whole situation throughout the Scott Pilgrim franchise is deeply upsetting, especially because it never gets properly confronted in order to withhold accountability from Scott. Scott sees her when she's a minor and although it's pointed out throughout the series, it never actually gets addressed by Scott or Knives. Despite her being taken advantage of and then cheated on, Knives is portrayed as a crazy obsessed girlfriend and soon after, a bitter obsessed ex.

Although the comic and anime lampshades about the age gap problem, it also tries to minimize the situation through excuses like how Scott never made it official, he hasn't gone further than holding her hand, he had no real interest in Knives to begin with, and so on. This doesn't negate what he's doing and in the comic, he even asks for sex from Knives when she becomes of age which is blueprint grooming.

I find it suspicious that the protagonist we're meant to root for is the character who dates a 17 year old and hardly faces consequences for it. In the anime, we don't get to ruminate on the problem at all.

Scott disappears quickly and Ramona, despite hardly knowing him and frankly leaving little to be impressed by, searches for him throughout the anime where Scott gets painted with this unearned endearment of being a "good guy". When Scott returns, he gives a weak apology to Knives, saying "Apparently, a 23 year old dating a 17 year old is frowned upon by society" that actually fails to acknowledge why. It ends up coming off as down playing Scott's action and I can't help but feel that in a way, Bryan Lee O'Malley is also justifying dating minors as just some reckless mistake a guy can make.

Kim also makes out with Knives in the comic and it even seems to hint at those two being an item in the game which entirely negates the age gap issue the comic pretends to recognize with Scott.

Ramona's relationship with Scott is frankly NOT CUTE. Although it may have a more compelling narrative in the comics, I just find it difficult to support the relationship when Scott has such cishet energy. He fetishizes Ramona's bisexuality but then becomes jealous and insecure when he learns that Ramona actually dates women and doesn't just have sex with them. He's shown to groom and cheat and in the anime, it's pretty much one of the first things Ramona learns about him which should instantly be a red flag. Despite it, Ramona is head over heels for Scott, even when she learns how future her leaves him and he becomes a hellbent bitter ex himself with no sense of responsibility for how his actions drove Ramona away.

There is quite literally nothing about this guy that makes him appealing to me yet the series romanticizes their gendered dynamic, the movie being used as one of the biggest examples of a stale white wonderbread boy and a manic pixie dream girl by media analytics.

When we meet older and even-older Scott, we get told his age as well as see him visibly aging. With Ramona, there is essentially no visible aging even when she's in her 50's and we get the sexist gag of "don't ask" when it comes to how old she is, leaning into the harmful shame in being a woman above 25.

Although I understand that the entire concept of Scott Pilgrim is confronting Ramona's exes, knowing the anime was an opportunity to finally flesh out many underdeveloped characters, it was disappointing to see Ramona still really only exist in proximity to her romantic relationships, including Scott. I hardly learned anything about Ramona as an individual and I didn't get any sense of character progression. She started off as this mysterious woman and ended that way too.

In the end, the series just felt very cliche and heteronormative to me, even with its abundance of queer characters. Although it's not terrible by any means, it definitely still has issues I can't look past.