#fanservice looks real different these days

[caustic-tea]

Mappa knew what they were doing

[scarefox]

Haven't watched anything KristSingto recently but he's right

You can think of fanservice what you want. But the moment you want to police or censor it, it turns into something really problematic. And this stance comes from 2 or even 3 different oppinioned sides but they ironically melt into the same outcome.

But at the end of the day most people forget / ignore, regardless of anything, fanservice still helps normalising public queer affection. And let's be real, most of the stuff in those stage and event shows are that... a show or even a performance! Do you protest at your local theater when they have queer characters kissing? Do you notice how this sounds in a sentence? Yes actors are real people and not characters but especially BL actors & idols still perform stage shows and kind of have a public enertainer persona. You notice how different they are on stage vs. in their personal live streams + nowadays most actors are even very honest about just doing fs for show & fun and often genuine (platonic) affection towards their acting partner but don't pretend to be actual dating (and the ones who do will most likely not lightheartedly come out with it like that... apparently there are exceptions but I have not enough insight on them to judge). You should watch some serious interviews or live stream (translations) of your favs now and then maybe to learn more about them and the industry, they are more than just pretty faces... Actors in just my bubble who talked open about the fanservice topic as far as legally possible at least: JamesSu, Perth Nakhun and I guess we can count Pavel and Nut as well.

What fans make out of it is a whole different story.... and one of the reasons people want to shut down fanservice as a whole. But imagine how lighthearted, fun and easy going this whole thing could be if we didn't had all these toxic naive fans who think every interaction is proof of actors dating (or worse: cheating) in RL. That mindset of "we are BL fans of course we are delulu" is not a joke anymore among some of them. They srsly take pride in that... babes you are part of the problem, stop encouraging it!

Then on the other side, being critical of some of the practices of the industry is one thing but it should not lead into backwards queer censoring... but that's what some are swaying to with their "real people queerbait" agenda or getting the cringes when (samesex) people interact romantically or erotically during live events (that's a bit of a you thing my dears. not necessarily in a queerphobic way but in a purity / shy way and that is a you problem to deal with not anyone elses problem)....

And a lot of people don't even understand or get what most people criticise about fanservice and just jump onto the ban-fanservice train. Without understanding the nuances nor the actual industry circumstances. Like one main argument here isn't even true. Lot of people assume actors get forced into fs. Which is not true (source: one of Perth Nakhuns Q&A vids, the 2. vid i think). BL actors usually know what they get into by entering the industry, decide with eo how much they want to do. Now that can still cause internal personal conflicts like one going over board or not playing enough but that's human miscommunication. Or companies can still be bastards but it's unfair to generalise it over the whole industry when we nowadays have companies who give their actors that freedom.

There are still some points to criticise, definitely. Like I personally dislike how MCs and sponsors sometimes treat actors during events or how fans scream at every little move or glance like crazy.... But the topic is a bit more nuanced (as always in this world) than how most people look at it. I just mean it really always sticks out when you talk with people about their reasons why they are anti fanservice that they just repeat after another with no sources or without actual up to date information or only look at it from one side.

I personally am in the middle. I only like fs when the actors have fun with it and are transparent about it. In the end it comes down to actors consent what they want to give to the audience (reason why it annoys me when people write "i feel like i am interrupting something here / am intuding their privacy" the actors consented! they want you to watch if you want to see it! consent babes! it is fine)

(when i see someone coming in with "but Krist is a homophobe" I will bite you. I am not even his fan and already researched what happened back then when I first saw those accusations when I got into BL 2021ish. It is really not that hard to look up the source and reports of people who were live pressent at the time to understand what went down back then. Ya know instead of believing rumors that twist and lie for rage bait)

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Are You Sure?! - Episode 1 Observations

Jimin and Jungkook in the same car together was the gift that kept on giving. Besides how at ease they were with each other, the banter made it all so much better. Because even then, they had a huge smile on their face. I know it's easy for me (and others) to call Jungkook a brat (he can be), but Jimin is no better and sometimes he likes to push Jungkook's buttons to get a reaction out of him.

Yes, that is definitely how a dongsaeng should talk to his hyung. That dynamic was either all over the place or completely absent. It felt more like they were both on equal footing and sometimes it should shift but I couldn't sense any of that more traditional age based relationship they are supposed to be having.

And all this for to me say that I have this tiny desire to witness a real argument. We know how they deal with conflict within their relationship through the retelling of their rainy day fight, but that was ages ago. They are more mature now, with their relationship in a different stage and that brings other issues to the surface. The short and heavily edited conversation about the lack of quality time was a small window into that. Both were laughing and indeed in wasn't a serious conversation, but it did confirm once again how needy and attached Jungkook is. And that doesn't exist in a vacuum. It can show through more cute/funny "moments" on camera, but we all know there's many ways for that to manifest.

What I'm trying to say is that as much as I emphasize that all I want is to enjoy KM, the truth is that it doesn't only include cute moments. I enjoy when they argue or when one is not in the mood or maybe bored, etc. Or when they disagree. It's a mark of authenticity there in terms of how they agree to come across on screen as individuals, but also it's the complexity of their relationship, regardless of its nature.

Often, the issue was (and still is) with the difficulty of putting Jikook in a box. To clearly define their relationship and dynamic. As opposed to other ships which a lot of the times heavily rely on fictional tropes and it's easily noticeable in ships across k-pop fandoms. The behavior might have variations, but the fans are set with their definition of what that pair is like. The bigger part of its component remains the same due to circumstances, personality, type of content, etc.

Even with the BTS fandom/solo stans and all factions of micro-fandoms, they can't really pinpoint jikook and tend to take the fanservice route (which is a confirmation in itself of what they actually see, but I digress). They're not the bickering duo, the married couple or any other trope-like dynamic. With AYS and having access to Jikook in a format that allows us to take a closer look at less interrupted interactions, it becomes even more difficult to pin them down. Which, if not an indication of an actual romantic relationship (the shipping perspective), at least it clearly shows a life spent together outside cameras that seeps in at every turn. At a complaint, a commentary, a familiar touch.

To be continued...

[milaisreading]

hi! Ok, what about fic where manager have to wear something like mascot costume (like ears and tail) or something like maid dress (you can choose anything you want) all day because of JFU and fan service for BLLK TV during the NEO egoists league arc. And when boy see her in this costume, they are frustrated, freaks out and try their best to cover her and get away from the cameras.

Author: I hope you like this and thank you sm for the request🩷 stay safe and healthy.

PS: I really hope people feel included in these stories, that's why I mostly avoid giving any physical descriptions of the reader. Also, English is like my 3rd language and I hope you all aren't too annoyed if I am repetitive with some words. Mostly when I use the words blush or turn red I don't want to allude to the skin tone, but I try to describe the situation in a way that would make sense to me as well. Sorry for that and I will try to work on my vocabulary a little bit more. I am so sorry if smn felt left out bcs of my wording 🙇🏻‍♀️🩷

Warnings ⚠️ : Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

When (Y/n) signed up for the Blue Lock project to help out, she knew there would be hard and easy times. She knew she will be a lot bussier with taking care of not just the team, but also running errands for Anri and Ego from time to time. But with all the exhausting and draining tasks she had, she was greatful for the friends she made at the project, all the connections and fun times that came with it. But and a big but, (Y/n) didn't know that Blue Lock would turn into a reality show with... certain demands from the JFU.

"Respectfully, no way in hell am I wearing that!" (Y/n) shrieked at the clothing item Anri was holding. Ego kept quiet, pitying the girl a little.

"Come on (Y/n)! The JFU did that fanservice polls and the fans really want to see you in this dress... it's not even revealing." Anri tried to argue. And true, the maid dress wasn't anything too extreme. A normal maid dress that went to her knees, nothing revealing and a simple black color, with a white apron and some head decoration.

"Still! I never agreed to this! I don't want anyone to see me in that! And why aren't the boys wearing it as well, seems unfair!" (Y/n) said, feeling embarrassed to be wearing such a dress. Anri shook her head and walked closer to the girl, pressing the item into her hands.

"You came in first place when asked who should wear it. Rin was second by like a 400 votes difference."

"400?!" (Y/n) cried out, feeling betrayed by the audience.

"Just wear it for half a day. I tried to negotiate with the JFU and we came to a agreement for just half a day." Ego said.

'I hate it here!! The others will just make fun of me!' (Y/n) thought, wanting to cry.

"It looks adorable!!" Anri cheered as she finally got the dress on the girl.

"Can't we just get Rin to wear this?" (Y/n) asked for the 10th time as Anri pulled her out of the changing room.

"No, no we can't." The woman said back.

"Get Rin to do what?!" Isagi asked as he walked out of a room. The boy looked at (Y/n) for a few moments, blinking as he finally started realizing what she was wearing.

"(Y/n), why are you wearing that?!" Isagi exclaimed as his face turned a bright red, catching Bachira and Baro's attention.

"I-I didn't want to, I was forced!" (Y/n) said back, causing Anri to roll her eyes.

"Don't you love the fans?"

"Not this much!"

'She looks so adorable in that! What a great day to be alive and witness this!' Isagi thought as he covered up his cheeks.

"What happened with (Y/n)?! Do I have to beat someone up-" Bachira's grin soon faded and his jaw dropped a little when he saw the girl, face flushing to match Isagi's.

'So... so adorable!'

Baro peeked outside too only to freeze up at the sight of the manager.

'I... this is a dream? Or maybe not?' Baro pinched his cheeks to make sure everything was real.

"Wh-what?! I told you this was rediculous!" (Y/n) yelled, expecting them to tease her.

'Adorable!' Baro thought, suddenly getting shy as Bachira ran to hug her.

"You look so cute, (Y/n)! I could just eat you!"

"Bachira, you are making it worse!" (Y/n) yelled, startled by his sudden hug as Nari cheered.

"Told you it looks fine."

"Bachir, let her go!"

"You little piece of shit!" Isagi and Baro yelled as they went in to grab to separate the two.

'I want a hug too...' The two thought, jealous that Bachira got it first.

Otoya fell to the ground and covered up his nosebleed.

'Thank you God. Thank you for making me witness this!' The green/white-haired boy thought, feeling tears of joy cloud his eyes.

"Otoya! Are you alright?!" (Y/n) panicked as she tried to walk to him, but was stopped by Yukimiya standing in the way.

"He is just being weird, don't worry. So when will you be wearing this again?" The brown-haired boy asked as (Y/n) shook her head at that thought.

"Hopefully never. Also can you stop touching my hair, Karasu?" The girl wondered as the said boy kept patting her head.

"But you look so adorable! We need to give you headpats." The boy declared as Yukimiya nodded his head.

"Wait, I want to do it too!" Otoya added as he finally composed himself. Meanwhile Kurona and Hiori were standing off to the side, faces red as they admired the girl's costume.

'So adorable! She looks better than any model!' Kurona thought.

'Ahh~ I live being in Blue Lock~' Hiori sighed dreamily.

She was just doing some pick ups for the medic room when Gagamaru, Niko and Rin walked by, and seeing her in the costume really flustered them.

"I-I... you look pretty (Y/n). Like a princess!" Gagamaru had exclaimed nervously as (Y/n) thanked him, clearly just as flustered as he was.

"You look..." Rin started and then looked away, clearly unsure how to say it in a smooth way.

'She is so adorable! Just like she always is, but now she is even cuter! Thank you God for not sending me off to Spain too.' Rin thought, too shy to look her back in the eyes. And in that moment Niko started stuttering something out, but the more he looked at (Y/n), the blurrier her form was getting.

'So cute!'

"Niko! Gagamaru, can you bring me some water?!" (Y/n) exclaimed as she caught the black-haired boy before he could fall to the ground. The boy quickly nodded his head, forcing himself to look away and get the water.

'Lucky bastard!' Rin tsked as (Y/n) held the boy's figure.

"So.... how long do you have to wear that?" Kunigami asked, covering up his cheeks.

"For like an hour more... then I am free." (Y/n) explained as she fixed up Chigiri's hair, the said boy enjoying the attention he was getting from her.

'My manager taking care of me while dressed in a cute costume... I won at life!' The redhead sighed as Reo kept staring at her intensely.

'Ahh~~ what a day to be alive! Blue Lock is the best place on earth!' Reo thought with a silly grin as Nagi stood to the side with his phone.

'Sorry (Y/n), but God knows when I will see you like this again.' Nagi thought as he snapped some pics of the girl.

"Why are you even taking pictures?" The girl asked as she turned to the albino.

"Blackmail." He blinked and nervously answered.

'Idiot!' Reo and Kunigami thought.

"Blackmail? Literally anyone who follows Blue Lock will see me like this! What's the use of the Blackmail?"

"Hold up! Rewind that, what do you mean everyone will see you?!" Aryu spoke up, deciding to finally stop staring.

"It's like fanservice for the next episode or something." The girl explained, causing them to go into panic mode.

"So... so other dudes will see you like that?!" Chigiri questioned, turning around to face her.

"Yeah..."

"Absolutely not! Take this!" Kunigami said as he handed her his jacket.

"Take mine too." Aryu added, dropping it over her.

"I will just be the wall then." Nagi said in annoyance as he stood in front of (Y/n), shielding her from the camera Ego had put up.

"Reo, can you somehow buy this episode out or something?" Chigiri whispered to the purple-haired boy.

"I could try. Nobody outside of Blue Lock should see our manager like this."

[meraki-sunset]

ur doc is literally nothing but shitty davejade overrated ass fanservice galore where all of the usesless boring ass side characters that nobody cares abt are brought back to life for no legit reason other than fanservice istg, and there’s also no legit way for sprites to even “””god tier””” anyway since they’re literally just made to be sprites for the players and not just some living person or whatever plus davepeta x Jade is better anyway since jade canonically kissed nepeta so yeah/neg

Sup dude, how’re you doing? I think you may have gotten the wrong idea.

I actually really love canon, I love the original story and if I had the chance to change it I wouldn’t. And I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of Homestuck2

I made this AU for fun. You know what fun is, right? Yeah, this is a corny AU where I make the ships I like happen, background characters are back to life and people talk their problems out instead of fighting that much, because I like writing dialog more than choreographing battles Because that’s the magic of AUs, you make shit that didn’t happen in canon happen in a different timeline. Because it’s justified kinda by happening in a different universe.

You can absolutely despise my comic, everybody have pieces of media they hate. But you should also touch some grass my guy, these characters aren’t real. I love them and I share my feelings through them, but at the end of the day, they’re pixels on a screen and words in a file.

Internet content isn’t everything. Take care.

[the-eeveekins]

Why The Witch From Mercury is Important to Me

This will be a long, somewhat rambling and mostly personal thread. It's not about the show's quality or any issues I had about it (and YES, the show is flawed and has issues), but about why G-Witch's characters and themes were important to me and I think many others. Most of this I've already shared to a degree, but I wanted to expand my original thoughts, and put them all into one post.

I've been a Gundam fan for over 20 years, I got into the series with Wing on Toonami and have watched the vast majority of the animated series. As a woman, I longed for the day Gundam would have a female main character in the spotlight of a major show, but honestly at some point I'd given up on it. I just thought that if they hadn't done it by now, they never would.

Then, last March, they released this short 30 second trailer revealing The Witch From Mercury, and showing off Suletta and Aerial, and I was ecstatic! Finally, a female MC in a Gundam series, I was so excited for a new Gundam series for the first time since 00! I watched that short clip countless times over the months in anticipation of the series airing, I even grew addicted to the little song that plays during it.

Over time, the characters and key art were revealed and I saw some people float the idea that maybe Suletta and Miorine would be love interests. I didn't pay it any mind at the time. I was sure they'd milk their relationship for bait along the way, but there was no way they'd commit to Gundam's first female MC being gay. Even after the first episode aired I was still skeptical: There was the bait I was expecting, they're not seriously going to go through with it though.

And here we are, almost 10 months after G-Witch started airing, and Suletta & Miorine are married. It not only wasn't bait, but they committed to it in a way I never would have imagined coming from a franchise I loved like Gundam. It was done with care and respect for the characters, it didn't feel like it was exploitative or added just for fanservice, but was a very real relationship.

I'll admit, I was initially among those disappointed we didn't see a kiss or the wedding at the end, but my greatest fear was the ending would be as ambiguous as possible, or even worse, walk back what we'd seen, so as not to offend people. Instead we got the sister-in-law line, the matching wedding rings, how close they were and they way they looked at each other with love and talking about going home together. We didn't see them kiss or see the wedding, but we got to see them married, and I think that's incredible.

As a gay woman, and a Gundam fan of over 20 years, Suletta is an immensely important character to me. Suletta and Miorine's relationship, and it being a central focus of the story, is immensely important to me. They're things I dreamed of having in Gundam, but never really thought would ever happen. I've been so happy about them for a long time now, but these last two days I've been so unbelievably happy that I was given their story. I love them so much and I'm never going to forget these two.

And this ties into why I think G-Witch has been important to so many people, regardless of how they feel about it's quality, because of it's representation and themes. Suletta, the main character of the show, is a queer, neurodivergent, disabled woman of color. She was well written, and she got to have a happy ending married to the woman she loves, where she's thriving and happy despite her mobility. She's not treated with pity or remorse, and she's still pursuing her dreams of making a school.

And not just Suletta, there were so many characters belonging to different minority groups that got strong representation and happy, satisfying endings. If you're a woman, if you're queer, if you're a POC, if you're any sort of ND, if you're disabled, The Witch From Mercury not only gave you good representation, but also said you're deserving of love, empathy and happiness.

With regard to it's themes, I absolutely love how G-Witch stressed love, empathy, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness over hate, vengeance, punishment and karma. Suletta and Miorine made many mistakes during their journey that they could never take back, but they accepted each other, including their mistakes, and resolved to move on together and makes amends for them if possible. Suletta never got mad at Miorine, Prospera or Eri for the things they did to her and she never blamed them, all she did was understand and accept why they did the things they did, and move forward with her love for them. She accepts the people she loves, mistakes and all, because of her unrelenting love and compassion for them.

Even Prospera, the main antagonist, ultimately rejected revenge for the sake of saving her daughter. She was a less than stellar parent to Suletta, and her actions lead to a heavy death toll, but ultimately Suletta accepted her and her actions to save Eri. And rather than go for an easy karmic death, she was allowed to have a happy ending: Eri was saved, and she's living a peaceful life with her family. A life that was robbed from her 24 years prior.

And ultimately, those themes are why we had an ending where literally no one died, and nearly every character got to have a happy ending. Gundam has always said that violence is bad, but The Witch From Mercury was the first to say "Alright, then we'll solve the problem without violence." We got a big magic spell that was a Gundam Pride Parade in space, and combined with Miorine's actions, events were resolved peacefully.

That's why G-Witch is important to me. It gave me and many others representation in ways you almost never get from a major franchise like Gundam, and without feeling like it was doing it to just check boxes off on some executive's diversity list. It stressed themes of love, empathy and acceptance and rejected hate, revenge, karma and even death. And I think that's incredibly important in this day and age. Representation Matters. Love Matters.

I've been very emotional over this show the last two days because I've been loving it for a while now, and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm so grateful that it happened, flaws and all. I've been crying on and off since the last episode ended and I've had trouble sleeping, but I've been so unbelievably happy over what this one show did and how much it's meant to me. The characters may not be real, but the happiness Suletta & Miorine have brought me is very much real.

For me; Suletta, Miorine, and The Witch From Mercury were truly a blessing.

[lilac-melody]

Anyway, so this was basically Hiyori's anti-fan song and Nonfantasy 2.0.

Most of the song takes place in Hiyori's head- imagining herself as a peasant girl along with lipxlip's Juliettas.

"To every girl, make sure you stay as far away as you can! Make sure you don't catch the infection." Hiyori looks like she's cringing so hard it's physically painful for her...and the lyrics right after are literally "get away from me!"

Followed by this we got the dream of her imagining Aizou and Yujiro doing princely things. The lyrics are as follows:

"This can't be! That's cheating! It's dishonest and unfair!! You don't take responsibility for their feelings for you!! Too much! It's dangerous! So risky and insane!! Cunning is the "power of idols" Still, I can't help it... I need to accept this is how it is."

And then she wakes up with a shocked and mildly terrified expression on her face.

While someone like Chuutan would be crying she woke up from her dream, Hiyori acts as a nice foil against that, knowing what they're really like and, unfortunately, working with them so often she has to see their princely persona and ends up dreaming about it against her will. (And come on, who doesn't have work nightmares?)

The next part of the song is basically Hiyori realizing that, hey, idols get depressed too, they're still people, and realizing that she can't really help them, because...well, I've already gone over lipxlip's relationship here, so if you want to read that, I'd go there afterwards.

This part I think is particularly important because it doesn't take place in her dreams. This is real life. Hiyori tries to offer something to cheer them up (ala some drinks they like). But they completely ignored her, as the lyrics say.

It's sad, but they just won't rely on her for their emotional baggage. You're doing your best Hiyori, just move on...

"Sometimes, their kindness can be a little scary"

I know this is part of Hiyori's dream, but honestly I'm not seeing how this is seen as "aww cute"...anyone showing an ounce of kindness to her, she gets flustered over. To me personally, this reminds me of this moment from HeroineDev...

She superficially fell for Asuka's kindness. And the relationship went absolutely nowhere. Much like how it would be (confirmed by Shito back in 2021 I think it was?) if Hiyori really had actually fallen for lipxlip.

Which, again, who doesn't have nightmares about work?

Afterwards we get more straight bait fanservice while Hiyori sings about how deceitful Aizou and Yujiro are to their fans because their princely persona isn't them. And then it ends off with her singing:

"It's so frustrating but... I'm just as excited as everyone else."

It could be read as "proof Hiyori's falling in love" if you're looking at it through a lhyo shipper lense, but if you're paying attention to the relationship between Hiyori and lxl as a whole, it could easily be seen as "idols are really cool", something that Hiyori has canonically said in the novels. She knows how hard they work and she knows they can charm anyone. That is what Hiyori is referring to.

She doesn't particularly want to be their fan, but she does want to support them. Much like how friends support each other, but still very different from the intimate ways Aizou and Yujiro support each other.

My point is actually proven correct ^ when we see the very next frames.

"This isn't something just anyone can do You need to put in the effort and hardwork."

Hiyori, who is a hard worker herself, admires their hard work and dedication to their fans...which is precisely why the song is her screaming at them for deceiving them lmao.

At the end of the day though, Aizou and Yujiro are still her friends, who get weirded out when she expresses her support towards them.

Or if she's just daydreaming.

The night and day difference between her imagining them doing fanservice in her mind and real life is really...something.

Look how utterly annoyed they look at her for zoning out.

This isn't a cute "I'm falling for my coworkers and daydreaming about them" scenario. This is her trying to imagine them as princes and them not knowing it.

Hiyori is their friend and suspectable to an active imagination. Not just in the MVs but in the novels as well.

And I think it says a lot about their relationship that all of the fanservice is strictly in Hiyori's perspective.

When lipxlip have a fanservice song, they either use Narumi Sena, or just a random girl. But when it's Hiyori imagining them doing the fanservice, it's all in her head. HeroIdol and Nonfantasy are literal proof of this.

It is extremely onesided.

Aizou and Yujiro care for Hiyori- this is undeniable. However, they do not like her in that way. Not only has Aizou canonically stated he doesn't get involved with girls outside of work, but they just don't see her in that light.

I mean, in every single lxl song that included Hiyori, like Kono Sekai or Last Stage, she's there for like 2 small frames and it's her being in the background or trying to stop them from fighting. They never once had a frame where they're talking to her and ignoring the other or venting to her.

She's their "work friend" who they've hung out with like twice outside of work. They only contact her in emergencies.

That's not to say they don't support Hiyori and her dreams, because they do. They support her in finding someone who will take care of her (ie: Nagisa) because they care about her, and they don't see her in that way.

And given that the time skip in HeroHei and Sukiuso shows Hiyori and Nagisa attending the same uni...yeah.

Also, I would like to point out that in HeroIdol, Hiyori thinks of herself as just a peasant girl among the (fake) princes. It's like a metaphor for saying "they're out of my league even though they're really awful". Not a good look for her or for lipxlip, honestly.

But in Herohei, she sees herself as a Cinderella who's worthy of being a heroine. Meanwhile, Sukiuso is about Nagisa saying she's better than Cinderella and she's always been a heroine.

TMK did all three MVs, and I think this was a deliberate choice to show everyone how unhealthy one would be, while the other blossoms naturally.

Not once has Hiyori imagined herself as a princess around lipxlip. Her insecurities come out when she's around them because they poke fun at her too often. (Beat they ass, Nagisa)

The Omoiai album, which is where HeroIdol came from, is about various different relationships. While Aizou and Yujiro's are familial, Hiyori's was a unique one. A, as I've said above, anti-fan song.

Which goes directly against Chuutan's fan songs.

I think it's important to have them both, and I like that we get the perspective of Chuutan, someone who genuinely sees them as princely, and Hiyori, who cringes when she sees their prince-sonas.

And it is important to note that we never get lipxlip's perspective- knowing they find their over excited fans annoying, and only see Hiyori as a friend. Otherwise she would be in more of their MVs and not just a background character.

I think too many people forget to realize that if they were going into a relationship, then we need them to say "yeah I'm falling for her" and not just Hiyori, when she's known to fall into little delusions. (And no, I don't mean that in a negative way)

IN SHORT: No, lhiyo is not canon, and this song was just an anti-fan song.

[dearweirdme]

Hi anon!

I'm not gonna post your ask for obvious reasons, but here goes what you asked me. An explanation of why I feel Jk has not been dismissive of Tae.

To me this is a fandom thing and not something that exists in reality. It's basically the opposite of shipping, but it's not by definition more real. But I think at the bottom of it lies an urge to find something that 'excites' people. Shiping can do that, but finding animosity between members can also do that. Both things keep people engaged and 'searching' for some sort of proof. It's not a thing that's specific to Tkk or BTS, it happens in more fandoms... just like shipping does. The referall to being more rational is an odd one, because we are all dealing with the same amount of information here. To me seeing a continuous dislike from Jk towards Tae is the least rational one, since there's so much that actually goes against that. Why would Jk choose to spend as much time with Tae as he did if he didn't really want to? We haven't seen him spend that much time with any other member, does that mean that he likes them even less? Or do we take the 'it's all fanservice' route? But wouldn't that mean we have to consider that to be true for any members interaction? People don't call Yoongi/Jimin fanservice this way, or Jimin/Hobi, or Namjoon/Jk. So what makes Tae and Jk interacting different? It's only the Tkk of it all that's different... and that mostly boils down to people feeling all sorts of awkward/uncomfortable for whatever reason they have (and those can be several, not just the homophobia..).

People riding the "Jk doesn't like Tae" train have picked some moments they feel were odd and keep their focus on those moments while mostly passing by the many moments where Tae and Jk are obviously fine. This too is very much the same as some shippers like to focus on only a few moments that fit in the way they see their ship. It's how some Jkkrs send me clips like that of a few days ago that doesn't actually show Jm being hurt by Tkk Tkking.. it's not there and yet they absolutely believe that it is. Admitting that you are wrong is a hard thing to do for some... so instead of that people will often just choose to double down.

I don't really care whether people believe in Tae and Jk as a couple or not. None of us actually know anything and in the end it all comes up to how you interpret what you see. But what I do feel a bit touchy about is when I see people talk about them disliking each other, or that vulnarable Tae is the victim of bad guy Jk. A friendship is spotted much more easy than a hidden relationship, so I can understand not seeing the relationship part... but I don't understand not seeing the friendship part. People don't even seem to differentiate between Jk not liking the shipping and Jk not liking Tae, while to him those things would absolutely be different in any case.

People are super selective. Those who say Jk doesn't like Tae only focus on those few moments they feel are odd. They flip past Tae and Jk at the Dream premiere, using Jk's live afterwards as an example of him being down after having spent time with Tae... when the real reason for him having been down is probably way more likely to do with something aside from Tae. People hatch onto Jk doing a live on Jm's face and not for Tae as him not caring for Tae, when Jk's own scedule was completely different at both times. People say Jk went to do a live after Inkigayo to set certain narratives about Tae being there straight, when it is quite obvious that he went live to fill time while his laundry was going (as if that is not a very Jk thing to do) and he only talked about Tae there when asked about him. It's always stuff like this... people take a tiny bit of something that happened and go wild about it.

When you look at the entirety of Jk and Tae's interactions all throughout last year and als before that.. you see two people who enjoy spending time together. They look at each other with kindness (and more if you ask me), they interact casually without boundaries they touch each other easily, they stay in each others space for a prolonged time with ease, they talk about each other with kindness, they choose to spend time together outside of business. Like.. their friendship isn't hidden.. it's a very obvious one even.

[uwushitsuji]

Reading black butler again as an adult, I find myself thinking a lot the sexualization of Sebastian and Ciel's relationship. I was expecting to feel disgusted but.... Morals aside, I feel from a narrative standpoint, it actually works?

We all know most sebaciel scenes are fanservice, Yana used to draw yaoi, the anime was sold as "shonen-ai" etc etc It's 2024 there's no point to debate that over and over again.

But is that fanservice unnecesary? At least in the manga, I dont think so. For the better or for the worse, it does serve a purpose. It defines the entire relationship of the main characters.

Just to make it clear, I think their relationship is very sexual, but not in a literal *they have sex* way. Sex is associated with love, intimacy, passion, desire, but also with violence, possesiveness, domination.

You could get rid of all the "weird fanservice", but that would destroy the complexity of their relationship. It would become either a story about two characters that don't care about each other, or a bland "wholesome" one.

Ciel, despite all his trauma, feels comfortable exposing his body to Sebastian. Having physical contact with someone. Showing his vulnerable self, because he's absolutely confident he won't be hurt.

Sebastian is always close to Ciel. Even too close. And the weird way he carries Young Master. It's clearly unappropiate and he doesn't seem to care about boundaries. Because Ciel is what he desires the most, and he *owns* him. Ciel is his treasure, his prize, his most precious possesion. Ciel is *his*. He's always being possesive, showing the world Ciel belongs *only* to him, while also being (somehow) gentle and caring.

(The topic of how Sebastian uses his sexuality as a weapon is pretty interesting as well, but not today!!)

Surprisingly, the fanservice does wonders to develop the duality of their dynamics. It perfectly showcases both the "light" and "dark" between them. Intimacy, healing, confidence absolute trust, caring for each other. Codependency, unhealthy desire, possesiveness, manipulation.

They're two sides of the same coin.

On the other hand, in contrast with Sebastian and Ciel's relationship, I think it's interesting how scenes involving real sex are not sexualized at all??

Sebastian and Beast are both really attractive characters, and they could be used in a more "fanservicey" way. However, their scene together it's short and uncomfortable. The intimacy between them feels fake, everything seems off. Beast doesn't look like he's actually enjoying anything. It's pretty clear she's being abused, and thanks Goodness there's no romantization nor explicit borderline fetish content. Instead, it does a great a job creating a "something is wrong here" atmosphere.

The Blue Memory flashback. It's disgusting and makes me physically ill, but it's able to do so without being explicit. It's really powerful without being morbid. Absolutely no fanservice here. Thanks Goodness again.

Like in real life, in Black Butler sexuality can be a safe place (Ciel and Sebastian), or a source of violence and pain.

Imo Yana is a better writer than you all give her credit for. She may be a shotacon or whatever, but at least she is coherent with the overall tone of her story and can be respectful when it's due. Despite all the fanservice at some points, I feel she's great at knowing when to do or not do it.

At the end of the day, I find fascinating how sex and sexualization are used in Black Butler. Sebastian and Ciel's relationship has nothing to do with sex, yet is so intense that I could argue that rather than being sexualized, their entire relationship is inherently sexual per se. If you remove that element from the equation, the main characters would be so different that the nature of the entire story would change.

The "fanservice" is not only fanservice, but what moves the characters and story foward.

Is it ethical?? That's up to you.

But for me, even if there are some uncomfortable moments, the result is worth it. A relationship so unique that you can't "tag" it. Both unhealthy and abusive, yet a safe place for Ciel to heal. It's problematic on several levels, but *that*is what makes it interesting.

Anyway, it's just fiction, and it's nice to explore different kinds of stories without hurting anyone.

[gingernut1314]

Welcome back to Gingernut's After-Show Debrief

This is the show where this gingerbread girly completes another series that completely WRECKS her mental stability and she'll never recover

Before I crash out I'm gonna throw a spoiler warning up here real quick because the show I'm about to talk about is...

Arcane: Season 2 Act 3

I actually.....I just feel like....this was....😭😭

So 😭

And 😭

I am actually stunned that this show is over.

I didn't know figure out that is was ending for real for real until the last ep of Act 2 so I'm kinda new to this just distraught feeling and then...then.....

😭

I really enjoyed ep. 7 it was the cutest fucking thing to come out of this whole show. To know that there is a universe out there where they get to be happy, even if it means Vi is dead, is nice.

And Himerdinger's little song was too cute (and he's not dead. I saw someone on tiktok say he wasn't because he's a yordle and you know what I'm gonna believe it because if I don't?? its not gonna be a good time. Also I really thought he turned invisible then because I SWEAR I heard his little footsteps walk away som maybe I'll go with that)

Clogger and Milo being back!!!

SILCO WITH THE GOLD EYE EHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHE

If I were to get my hands on that man omgggggggg ✋😩 the fanservice was fantastic this season I was very well feed.

BENZO 😭 I sobbed when Ekko just attacked him in a hug like yesss he gets to have his goodbye moment and I'm happy for him

But I am UPSET for Ekko because what do you mean he's all alone sitting on the same ledge he was sitting on with Powder??? Why isn't he with friends??? WHY IS HE ALL ALONE SOMEONE GO CHECK ON HIM PLEASEEEEEE

The French song when Ekko and Powder were dancing was wonderful and I love both Stomae and POMME!!

I am upset that Sevika didn't get more screen time then she did, but I am SO happy that she 1) lives and 2) is on the council now!! She deserves it and she IS ZAUN she everything that Zuan stand for and she'd been there since day 1 and just UGHHHH I love that woman let me marry her right here right nowwwww

Piltover and Zuan teaming up to fight against a common enemy was wonderful. I loveee a good war/battle/invasion scene and that whole ep FED ME

Ambessa was badass and I hate her AND love her?? Like I have very mixed feelings on her and that's okay because that's what the writers want.

I'd let her completely annihilate me on the... battlefield....and that's all I'll say on the Ambessa topic.

Well actually that Shadow Black Rose mage was LeBlanc right?? I slowly trying to learn all the League lore and I read a bunch of people saying it was her but I really don't know enough yet to be like oh yeah. That's her.

ALSO MEL YOU BADASS BABE YES GOD YES GOD

Stunning, beautiful, let me sit on your lap as you rule over your kingdom pleaseeeeeeeeee

The creators of Arcane want to do other tv shows right for League? I know they are working on Penelope of Sparta but we've GOT to get some more for Arcane seeing different stories and stuff there are too many characters NOT to do it, Noxus and whatever Mel is gonna do with it being one of them

CaitVi being end game was wonderful. Caitlyn was looking scrumptious these last few eps and unfortunately, I've been a big Cait hater but she's....okay now....i guess....got played HARD by Maddie though like fuck that girly omgggggg Maddie was horrible even those she really didn't get us a reason to dislike her till last ep.

Talking about end games

JAYVIK

WE GOT JAYVIK!!!!!!

I LOVE that that was the victor in the PfP Jayce Wars from tiktok just stunning. 10000/10 right there. Yes, go be little space partners for all eternity love you bothhhh

MACHINE HAROLD WAS AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH SO GOODDD

I like how they changed it to be more in line with the lore for Arcane like the look of those Arcane creatures very nice very good love him would join his cult I don't need free will pffffttttt

And VIKTOR BEING THE GUY WHO SAVED JAYCE WHEN HE WAS A BABY LIKE YESSSSSSAHSGHAGHDGAHGDH they will be together forever and always I love those two

Ekko and Jinx entrance to the battle was perfect and they both were so good and--and--and--

SHES NOT DEAD

NOPE

She just got teleported to a different area in Runeterra like she's with her girlfriend Lux she's okay....😭

I will deny deny denyyyyyy that's dead like I won't even let the thought cross my mind and the ending of the show I think allows me to do so perfectly

The ending, after some thought and not just going off of my instant reaction which was to scream and cry and pull my hair out, was perfect for the show.

I honesty like how it gives you that feeling of I guess unfinished, like you know there should be more because that's what they want us to feel. The arcane world is so big and there are hunters of stories to be tole and even though I'm sad Vi and Jinx's story is done I know it's not really done, done which is in a way comforting.

This show really was beautiful.

I liked the mix between magic and reality. It really has set a high standard for any animated TV shows that I really doubt anyone will be able to replicate.

But I'm pumped for Penelope of Sparta because greek mythology AND stunning animation/storytelling??? Yes please sign me up I will eat it up.

.......now I'm just gonna...sit in my room....in silence for a good while because even though this show was stunning I'm sobbing

[until-another-one-comes]

Since we haven’t gotten a story mode yet, I’ve made up headcanons of at least 3 different versions of what Francis’s character is like in my head. They’ll change once the game’s updated in the future.

1) Average Joe Francis: Francis is just your basic white guy. Nothing remarkable about him. He just wants to live a normal life but gets really worn out by his job. All he wants is to do his work and get back to sleep. Doesn’t like to stand out, really simple but very shy and humble to everyone. He doesn’t have much confidence in himself and is pretty lonely. He may or may not have a normal upbringing or he could have a neglectful family. I headcanon that this version of Francis had a fling with Nacha because he was desperate for companionship but ended up getting her pregnant. He still pays for child support and cares for Nacha and Anastacha but gets very awkward around them.

2) Dead on the outside, dead on the inside: this Francis grew up in an abusive home that warped his perception of others and love in general. He was mistreated by everyone as a child that he developed some form of mental illness that kept him up all night. Francis became an empty shell of a person when he grew up and just works to survive. He’s not afraid to get bloody if anyone crosses him and it gives him a form of sick delight as the life fades from his victims eyes. If some housewife wants to have an affair with him (I.e Nacha), Francis wouldn’t have a problem with it not because he’s excited about wrecking a relationship, it’s because he’s got nothing better to do. Deep down, he believes he’s unlovable and that he screwed up all his life. If he does end up caring for someone, he will turn even more insane for them. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that person stays with him.

3) A true goth underneath: this is based off Yog Sothoth from the nightmare mode. I think the reason why Francis is a vampire is because of the inside joke that milkmen are known for home wrecking like vampires sucking away the blood and life force but that’s based on how the doorman sees him. Contrary to popular belief, this version of Francis prefers to not sleep with anyone at all. He just wants to do his job. Nacha might be an exception because I think they liked each other at one point but their relationship fell off because Francis was really moody and pessimistic. And since Yog Sothoth has a goth design to it, I feel like it can also reflect this Francis’s behaviour as a typical angsty brooding goth who hates life. This Francis loves dark places, loves sad music and writes poetry in his free time. In short, he’s a dark artistic soul /j

What do you think?

I love first one the most! Yeah, thats more or less my vision for him (except I have my own backstory for him and Nacha), just Some Guy tryna live his life while also going through his day with the threat of the doppelgangers. And tbh I think thats the most 'canon' way to see him.

Second one- I don't think Nacho-sama would make it canon, or at least not seriously, but again it is kind of sus that Francis's doppel and nightmare version is related to blood. Even though its fanservice I still see Yog being a vampire to allude the whole 'milkman are homewreckers' thing back in the 50s. But yeah I wouldn't be all that surprised if theres a twist of him being like that (especially since we already got confirmation that Afton has something going on, if one neighbor can be sus why not two. Or three. *Looks at Angus*)

HELP GOTH FRANCIS REAL?? LMAO I love that idea. RIP Francis you would have loved modern alt fashion.

(Sorry you didn't ask for this, but about Nacha- my backstory for them that I hope to write a fic for is that Nacha was married before her husband was a cheater. She had a one night stand with Francis (who didn't know she was married) and then left her husband once she realised she was pregnant. After giving birth to Anastacha they moved around a lot before finally settling into the current apartment. That just so happens to be where Francis lives)

[storkmuffin]

Hello again! I really love picking your brain and hearing your perspective on Seonghwa since he is one of the most interesting idols I’ve ever experienced so any and all information you have harbored and would like to share, I would love to read about!

His onstage persona and offstage persona are so different, which I am sooo glad you brought up along with the voice change. That’s originally why I mentioned why I’m in the in between about him and being actually queer or not since I know at the end of the day to some degree he has a job to maintain and popularity is part of that. He also comes across very clever so maybe the cynical reasoning has some weight to this discussion in terms of standing out. I guess I am just genuinely curious about the general perception of Seonghwa especially in Korea versus their very large international base of fans that feen off of the mlm fan service. How Seonghwa presents himself is very intriguing and makes me naturally curious of who he is since it seems like he has many interesting layers.

I’m getting off topic but he has also posted tidbits of the community like flags and such but I wish idols in general could be more open about their support or truly being in the community rather than leaving crumbs for people to make assumptions but in the same breath I understand and respect their boundaries of privacy since so much of themselves is up for display to the public so keeping what part of their life that they can to themselves is completely understandable.

To sum it up, I think Seonghwa is a very very intriguing person to be in the spotlight and I really love his progression and can’t wait to see what the future beholds for him and his members! Thank you for openly sharing your opinion and answering my questions so thoroughly! I hope I didn’t impose at all and I look forward to you posting more about Seonghwa!

I really appreciate the chance to go off about Ateez! It's not an imposition !!

Paying attention to kpop is basically like choosing to follow a sport, for Koreans. Kind of how if you're a men's baseball team fan, you will probably have no idea wtf is going on in the women's volleyball world, right? Just like sports, there are going to be people who become 'breakout stars' and become famous with the general public- Suzy comes to mind.

Ateez, as a band, has gotten mainstream news coverage for their Billboard success and being invited to perform at important American festivals and stuff, but the Korean general youtube public will put comments underneath those news clips going, Who the heck is this? By contrast, everyone knows who Yunchan Lim the pianist is, even if they don't really listen to classical music.

Because of this, I don't know if there IS a 'general perception' of Seonghwa or what he's doing. Seonghwa is a major deal to the fans of Ateez that will compete to the death to go to the fan meetings or concerts or music show recordings, but he's not a generally famous person.

The MLM fanservice is considered just the for-girls version of having the very slender girl pop singers wear super tight short skirts and doing twerking movements for their male fans. It's catering to the twin and contradictory needs of the boy idol fandom: they want to see the boys 'doing' romance and flirting, but not for real (bc homophobia), and not with women (bc it breaks the self-insert fantasy). It's sort of the compromise the industry came up with, to have the guys play at romantic connection with each other. My general impression is that previous generations of pop idols didn't like that this was being asked of them but from 4th Gen onwards, either they started looking for people who would tolerate it or the performers just accepted this as part of the job. The public narrative is that because the 'most perverse' women fans who spend the most money on Idols want this weird thing, the performers have to take it on as a cost of doing business, but everyone in every boy band is a super straight guy who wants to marry a woman and have 2.5 kids. It's a 2-for-1 attack, actually, of homophobically erasing queer signalling and queer people being in the arts or public figures AND misogynistically expressing contempt for women who like content that isn't catering to straight men.

[theamityelf]

Who gets worse in the entire Descendants franchise? Lonnie or Audrey? I’ve heard that Lonnie was ignored by the fandom, even Descendants instagram didn’t show her as much while Audrey was a broken girl.

Interesting question, and I'd say it depends on how you look at it. (Also, I'm talking about just the movies here, because watching the animated show or reading the books, those are separate choices, and most people will just watch the movies.)

On one hand, Lonnie is given the grace of having her microaggressions toward the VKs largely forgotten/ignored by the franchise, much like Jane, whereas Audrey's microaggressions are taken 100% seriously. On the other hand, they botched the cultural aspects of Lonnie's character on so many levels I'm not qualified to outline (like, her name, her wardrobe, etc.), and Audrey didn't get that axis of mistreatment.

In Lonnie's case, it was more like the series was cheerfully dismissive of her. The writing says, "We don't care about her internal life; she's here to move forward one story beat in the first movie and rehash the plot of Mulan in the second movie and then we're done with her." (Narratively, that is. Beyond that, she's there as continuity fanservice for people who like Mulan.) Lonnie finds out Ben has been captured. How does she react? She doesn't have any questions or concerns; she just wants to go with the VKs to save him so she can sword fight. Lonnie visits the Isle of the Lost. Wow, how would someone like her react to something like that? She doesn't. She gets there and she has a sword fight and she does a good job at the sword fight and she leaves, and Jay learns a lesson about how Auradon is sexist and really, thematically, the whole Lonnie thing was there as a way to have him acknowledge a good thing about his Isle heritage. In the first movie, she's there as the catalyst for the VKs to realize parents who love their kids treat them differently. In the second movie, she's there as a catalyst for Jay to realize that his upbringing had some positive aspects, too. (Granted, you could also make a real argument for Jay's arc in D2 being crafted around the idea "Lonnie but Mulan now" as an afterthought. Like, Lonnie is given more attention in that subplot than Jay is. But I think that's more symptomatic of the series never really knowing what to do with either of them.) But the writing likes her. Like, it doesn't care about her, but it likes her. She's treated like candy; they toss her in there as a treat.

The writing doesn't like Audrey, but it cares about Audrey. Her feelings get focus and have weight. She's not just there to do cool stuff or give focus to the protagonist's feelings or remind people of a good movie Disney made years before this one; she's a character with feelings and beliefs and experiences that are interrogated and explored. Not very well, but I'd say about as well as anyone's are. Like, how well do we know Mal? What does Mal believe in? What does Mal care about? What does Mal want? I would say we can answer those questions in about as much detail for Mal as we can for Audrey.

What does Lonnie want? Well, she wanted to join the R.O.A.R. team, and she did that now. I don't know what she wants now. What does she like? ...Cookies? Sword-fighting? What does she dislike? ...? Who is she close friends with? Who isn't she friends with? What, in the land of meticulously color-coded characters, is Lonnie's color?? Was she into R.O.A.R. in the first movie? She never seemed to be characterized as sporty until D2. She disappeared in D3. Why did she have that haircut if she didn't like it?? Lonnie is not insecure and does not have a strained relationship with her mother like Jane, so why does she have so little agency in her appearance? On a day to day basis, what do we expect Lonnie to habitually do? Well, she's captain of the R.O.A.R. team now, as of the end of the last movie she appears in, so...probably that. (In comparison, we know that Jane organizes school/kingdom events and sometimes delivers messages to her mother. We know Evie has a lucrative design business. We know that Audrey is a cheerleader and has been since before we met her, we know Audrey hangs out with Chad between classes, we know she's close to Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.) That's the thing, is that we have little details of Lonnie that we can use to craft her character if we want to, but it's work the filmmakers didn't care to do. We know that Lonnie has a good relationship with her mom, we know that she likes and is good at sword fighting, we know that she's generally positive and energetic, and we know that she used to have a haircut she didn't like. I can't visualize a day in the life of Lonnie based on that; I would have to use my imagination and make up new things about her.

So, Audrey is a character who is treated spitefully by the writing, but she is a character who is allowed to feel and express feelings that are informed by her own wants, beliefs, and experiences. Lonnie cries in the first movie because she finds out the VKs' parents are neglectful, then in D2 she doesn't blink an eye when she goes to the actual island where villains and their kids live in squalor. Why? Because it's not plot-relevant for her to care, so she doesn't.

[no-shxme]

i have MANY thoughts about the new sett skin so i'm gonna get into it ok

for reference here's the skin spotlight and the voice lines. and here's the skin bio for sett:

Radiant Serpent Sett: A descendant of the Ivory Serpent, Sett is an action movie star who uses his ancestral gifts to wow audiences and give his Ma the good life she deserves. When his hometown is threatened by a crime syndicate, it's time for Sett to play the hero real, too--but will his story star a fame-seeking hotshot, or a humble protector?

my first impression of the skin is that he's hot but like, when is that not the case. and WOW HIS MA IS THERE that's awesome good for her, howEVER. i think this skin is very much a case of 'good execution,' but not 'best execution.'

ive said this before but whenever i write or edit my writing i dont look at what's 'good' vs 'not good' i think about it in a 'this is good' vs 'this is better' way. so i look for the BEST fit. (this is definitely not always successful...)

that being said, the skin is.. FINE/GOOD, but not the BEST. not fine for the price point, obv, but the fact is that literally no virtual cosmetic will ever be worth 250+ usd so im not really gonna factor in price here. the splash is hot and and he's got his mam there which is nice, and he's got three different forms which is cool.

WRITING-WISE, i think the writing is.... not that good. i listened to all the voice lines and i understand that his vo can lean cheesy simply bc of his theme (action movie star) but like, there needs to be a balance and i dont think this vo really struck it. like being so cheesy here kinda ends up as a cop-out in order to not write actual good lines?? also it's a paltry amount of vo compared to jinx's exalted skin, only half as long, 9 minutes instead of 18, and i think he REALLY could've used more lines because he needs more to talk about? it's kinda weird because while the voicelines talking about his ma are cool,, it becomes kinda one note when the ONLY thing he talks about is his ma and like, being strong/protecting his village. It reads very much like 'cardboard cutout' not 'complex character' as you'd want him to be. they've flanderized him which is an utter DISSERVICE.

as a positive note though, i'm glad he didn't have a line with aphelios like I was expecting. not bc i utterly detest s*ttphel or anything, but i dont like the idea of riot constantly bowing to fanservice and i miss when they used to throw in random skinline relationships to stir the pot. AND sett has a line with high noon skins so i can imagine that as a talon interaction flksdjldf

my biggest problem however is with the theme. i think the theme itself is a miss. i understand the theming of him as a snake in LNY mythology, bc yeah he DOES fit. he goes from fire snake to water snake to gold snake and he does fit those traits.

so like, respect to making that fit, thats cool. HOWEVER. i just think the theme just isn't that good. Here's the bio for the skinline as a whole.

Radiant Serpent Sett is part of a skin line called Modern Mythos. Skin line bio: Myths and legends happened long ago, but their echoes are still felt to this day. Beneath the surface of the mundane world, mythical power uplifts a new generation of heroes.

This is totally fine in isolation, but in practice i think its so fucking messy. Sett is a fighter, he's also a movie star, he's also related to a folk hero (voice lines) he's also got the magical power of a serpent, he's also trying to save his hometown from a whole ass crime syndicate. we're throwing too many elements in here and we dont really... need them. so many league skinlines are about having that 'special power,' or being a chosen one like a power ranger. even sett already has obsidian dragon, where a dragon chooses him and bestows power on him. sett does perfectly well with skins where he's just a guy (pool party, heartsteel) he doesn't need eleventeen modifiers to make him interesting. he is ALREADY INTERESTING. (or he would be, if his voice lines didnt paint him so ONE NOTE and reduce him) i think if they just made him a movie star that'd be good enough. sometimes less is more. as it is, this skin thematic doesn't necessarily add anything new. he's already famous in heartsteel. he's already magic and chosen in obsidian dragon.

THAT BEING SAID i think a much better execution of a form changing skin for sett would have been an actual professional fighting skin (modern au), where the three forms are different costumes but at various stages in his career. one fit for when he's just starting out and maybe angrier, one where he's in the thick of it, and one where he's 'made it,' renowned as the best fighter on the circuit and fully providing for his ma. that would give more room for voice line variation and provide a story in itself within the forms, beginning middle and end, instead of the unfinished premise the current sett skin lays out. (radiant serpent sett keeps saying 'stay away from my town' or whatever but we dont know how its resolved or even really who's involved.)

ofc thats just my personal bias. the skin im suggesting also isn't 'crazy innovative' or anything, considering soul fighter and heartsteel still both exist with similar theming, but i think getting to see sett BEFORE he became the boss is a really cool concept for a line, and lends a lot to being a multiform skin.

anyway im out of words now i just really wanted to ramble about it bc to me its kinda a wasted opportunity, even if he's handsome and cool looking. :')

(although, i do find it funny that sett is just collecting animals in various skinlines. pls, talon next)

thanks if you read all this.

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog - Connichi 2024 - Part 2

Convention Friday or: "Is that true fear in your eyes or are you acting?"

Welcome to the actual first day of Connichi, the Friday. After we took photos of Bookman Jr. and a quick outfit change we finally got to the convention.

A few words about Mana here... I did Nea last year and I joked about the fact Mana was overdue as I use the same name (for different reasons) as its a mash up of my two names and I got the wig for Mana last year at the convention. The Earl bag was an idea I had at the con and I am amazed I actually did the whole thing in time.

So it was about time to give Mana a few hours of attention.

As we had arrived we went through the park and were super quick found by other D.Gray-man cosplayers and invited to a meetup in like a few minutes later.

While we waited for the others to be finished with their scheduled photoshooting I took over to lead a part of the group to the museum to take some photos there.

I have to say I was purely acting here, it was fun saying "Let the Earl manage that, follow the Earl!", but that is... not me. I just switch to be the extrovert when nobody takes a decision.

We had a lot of fun, doing some roleplaying as the characters before the others arrived.

To be honest I was not included in that many photos but Alu did an amazing job to take photos of everyone, I had some moments with Clavis (Allen) and Loki (Cross).

A bit shoutout to Clavis, Jesse and Ruka whom I had met the last year for the first time and I was so incredible anxious back then (you maybe remember the Nea debacle back then) and now we had so much fun and it was my highlight.

Also to Loki who traveled 8hrs just to attend the Connichi on friday to be my Cross (I'm glad you got the days off later on and that we were able to gift you the ticket we had left over due one of my friends not being able to attend).

Loki also had to endure my sorry ass during the attempt of doing ManaxCross photos, as I am as sexual as a brick lol and was actually asked if the fear in my eyes was real or acting (tbh it was real because i had no idea what the f I had to expect). But if you are my friend and you ship certain characters I might do you the favor ( *eyes @zuyurio *) if possible. Call that fanservice :'D

Just as the other 3 were about to leave the rest of the group arrived and we took some group photos together. I had meet Rhym at the Bookfair the first time and then at the Dokomi. I am still amazed by your group and I am super sad I missed your Miranda and Crowley. You all looked so amazing and I was just ... impressed. It must feel so wonderful to have a full group within your favorite series.

After that it was super late already and we got inside to attend the actual convention. First we went into the artist alley and then the general vendor's hall.

My purchase that day were those two Funko Pops, I am not much into Funkos but damn I love Furuta and Takizawa and had no idea they got Funkos each!

As it was already super late we headed out to a photo spot we had seen as we drove to the location for Nea on thursday, it was time for Mana to shine a bit.

Have two previews as I am not through with editing them all, but those are my favs. Mana is kinda hard for me as there is so little known about him aside him being a crybaby T_T you can see I actually removed the hairband, it's part of the photoshoot. Somehow I went with the idea that he battled with his own sanity during the photos, I am not sure if it truly turned out but I like him more on me with open hair somehow??

The time passed quickly and the light got too dark for photos and we were super tired.

So we headed out for dinner, as you can see we actually managed to eat at a restaurant this time. As we stumbled upon that one on our way back.

We came across this giant clock on our way back.

Also there was a street food festival that weekend! And as Allen is a little foodie we decided we needed to get some food there the next day.

This was the first convention day, the next one would be me premiering the Clown Cosplay and I was super excited.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

I know that many pple look out for sweet, flirty and loud Jikook moments to be able to determine if they are together or not but i somehow always looked for the not so sweet moments! The moments when the air was thick with tension and when it was clear that something wasn’t right with them. Why? Because to me, that was what really set Jikook apart from the rest of the ships in BTS. Taekook had/have very sweet beautiful moments and it’s really easy to just sit there watching their moments for hours just feeling this sweetness in your tummy but that is what made me 100% sure TK were just friends. With Jikook moments, i cannot tell you how many times i cried watching some of their moments, their history and the whole push and pull phase. Their dynamic is complicated and doesn’t fit into the mold of a ship. Jikook are confusing as hell and there were certain moments i almost pulled my hair out trying to figure them out. I was trynna look at them through the lens of fiction and rom coms where everything is sweet and honey. But when i took a step back and applied reality, real life relationships, real life struggle and simple human strengths and weaknesses, thats when I understood.

There is a reason why some parts of the fandom believe Jikook don’t like e/o. Except Taekookers who are spuns of the devil themselves and will do anything to invalidate Jikook’s bond, there are some other Army, including non shippers who genuinely think Jikook don’t really like e/o, hence their relationship is all fanservice. Now why do they think so? Now depending on the day and specific content u come accross, jikook could either look like sworn enemies or two pple who love each other to death and are ready to tear each other’s clothes off. Imagine you seeing a compilation of Jk ignoring Jimin or Jimin pushing Jk off him (probably in their petty moments or couple fight moments) when u see stuff like that more than a few times, it kinda gives you an impression of their bond and sadly not a very good one. Non shippers will have no other way to explain this, other than, they may not really be fund of each other so when u see them being nice and sweet to each other or being flirty, you automatically assume it is FS. It takes someone who biases Jimin, Jk or both and who cares about their bond to want to dig a little deeper to understand their dynamic and see it for what it truely is. Pple who don’t care enough will take certain things at face value and form certain opinions. Have u ever wondered why Jikook’s bond is the most hated and ignored in the fandom? It’s not just because half the fandom are tkkrs, it is also because Jikook’s dynamic is COMPLICATED as hell and it tends to stir up different emotions in different pple! Also sometimes they interactions make pple uncomfortable cuz they seem too real and pple (especially homophobic fans) don’t want to deal with it. All other BTS duo dynamics in my opinion are easy to understand. But Jikook, not so much especially when you are a non shipper or are a shipper but don’t really have alot of real life relationship experiences. This aspect of Jikook is what set them aside for me. Like I mentioned, immediately i started using a more realistic approach, understanding that humans are complex beings and not some cartoon characters with assigned roles, when I realized that relationships have their up and downs and also considered the fact that these boys are NOT in a NORMAL dating situation, it all started making sense to me. Instead of thinking Jk hates Jimin because he avoided skinship with him at a certain moment, I thought he probably wasn’t very comfortable with the place and time and was also probably flustered and didn’t know how to handle things when he wasn’t in control. Instead of thinking Jikook don’t like e/o cuz they weren’t smiling at e/o, I thought oh, they might be fighting or going through something in their relationship which is perfectly normal. To the onlookers who have no idea what goes on behind the cameras, it’s so easy to misunderstand certain actions or gestures but when u remember the fact that u also get mad at ur partner and you sometimes go days without talking to each other or even break up or takes breaks from your relationship, then it’s easier to relate to Jikook.

Why did i decide to write all this? For those who get insecure at certain points when Jikook don’t look very pleased with e/o or when they didn’t do something you expect a couple would do. Always remind yourselves that these are human beings and they do go through rough patches in their relationships. Personally, i am 101% sure Jikook are/were not just platonic friends or bros. Are they still together now? I can’t tell for sure but the only way they are not together is not cuz we read things all wrong and they were never together, it is probably because they broke up (God Forbid).

And like i said, there is no way in hell Taekook are together or have ever been! Why? No romantic relationship is that perfect! TK said they had never fought with e/o. In 10 years, they NEVER had an argument with e/o? And you think they are dating each other? 😂😂😂. Not saying that couples have to fight or argue with e/o all the time but inorder to argue with someone you love and care about, there has to be an emotional connection, there has to be feelings to hurt or reasons to disagree! No offense but knowing that TK never argued with e/o just confirmed what I thought about them not having any emotional connection. What were they going to argue about? Games? I’m sure they are much closer now but b4, there definitely wasn’t an emotional connection with those two.

Hello,

Ah anon, your thoughts are so good and I agree.

Jikook is not a ship like the other ships. Thinking in terms of rough patches, the other ships in BTS don't have the ups and downs for years or random petty little moments the way Jikook does. The other ships follow friendship patterns. You get close to a friend, then get distant, and maybe get close again. Taekook too but try explaining that to them.

Some of the bad Jikook moments are enough to make you cry, yes. Like how I feel with the Vegas concerts -_-. There is this blog around here that swears Jungkook hates Jimin because of those concerts and I understand that, honestly. Like you said, people's view on Jikook will depend on the day and specific content they come across that day. Some of us stick around when we see the rough patches and see that there is resolution because we care for them both as individuals and as a couple. Other people don't.

I was discussing this with a fellow Jikooker and she was saying that my way of thinking is flawed because no couple comes back together the way I say Jikook does. But I've witnessed it many times. Stepping back and readjusting the lens you view them with will help you understand their dynamic better.

Anon, I really can't imagine all of us being this delusional where we have imagined all the stuff Jungkook and Jimin have done. All that stuff is real and I would question my brain for the rest of my life if they really were never anything. Then I would move on because I'm not going to live my life visiting Jikook land forever like the fans from One Direction lol

But yes, let's not forget they are human beings and not characters from a "novela", which is the Spanish equivalent of a kdrama but with 1000 times more drama, sex, and romance. Life doesn't work like that. People are ever changing and relationships too.

Anyway, I appreciate your ask.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!