#i think their relationship is SUPER complicated

[rabbitindisguise]

This is why one of my fave lines from Witch King is the bit about "they only have two genders" (barely disguised disdain) because it shows that 1) multiple cultures have different understandings of gender and 2) they have feelings about it and 3) it impacted the information that went from one culture to another, their war practices and mistreatment of captives, and their understandings of their own cultural practices (superior for having more than two genders and genders not conformed by dress vs superior for having 2 genders and modest dress)

There was also a great scene where the main character was half naked but it was scandalous to the guards who kept asking him to put a shirt on because apparently he was underdressed. He was a man possessing a man and yet the men were expected to wear a certain number and kind of layers, with the skirts being less important than the top layers. That's hella interesting and makes the worldbuilding just better imo because it's not like they don't have gender in many of these they just don't talk about it. (Not realistic to irl, people simply talk about gender across cultures and time periods. The first word people often say is often heavily gendered.)

And on top of that in the side characters queer relationship the cross cultural relationship is way more complicated than the lesbian aspect (I forget if they call themselves that though). You can totally have both.

I think since "representation" has become a term people have gotten super self conscious about what they write and heavily over-correct. There's lots of people putting consent 101 in jarringly unrelated scenes to "show" that their characters are consenting. It's a lot like that imo

I feel like a sentiment growing in popularity is that queer people want stories were queerness is incidental, because they're tired of stories about struggling against oppression and want something more escapist. But I've been reading some speculative fiction recently where the queerness of characters is completely unremarked upon, and finding it deeply unsatisfying. It feels less like like escapism to me and more like a gaping hole in the worldbuilding. It's not an issue that the societies depicted are queer-neutral or queer-positive, it's that there is like nothing addressing what those societies think about sexuality, gender, and family systems at all. There's a lot of interesting ways you can write about third genders and same-sex societies/relationships in speculative culture and ignoring all of it entirely to plaster over a surface level modern queer culture veneer is just tragic, in my opinion

[yoichiin]

isagi yoichi's fluff alphabet !! (from a to k)

as stated, it's a fluff alphabet for isagi!

no notable warnings. gn!reader. fluff. second person pov.

note : first post !! i kind of repeat myself im ngl but it's okay probably. also no j because i couldn't think of anything sillying

a is for activities (what does he do in his free time with you?) :

isagi is somewhat of a simpleton. his life is eat, sleep, soccer so the things he does with you reflect that. if you feel like switching it up, you’ll have to tell him directly.

when he does have free time with you, quiet cozy days in or spontaneous brunches on the weekends are his go-tos. they’re simple, yes, but with yoichi, less is always more. he isn’t the type of person to find value in super extravagant outings and in his mind, the memories that ring loudest are the mundane things that no one else seems to remember. so even though his heart aches when you don’t recall the late night conversations when he fell in love with you for the first time, isagi doesn’t mind. the warm winter naps and simple mornings over not-very-luxurious breakfasts may melt like snowflakes in your memory but as long as you’re content in that moment, it’s all he could ask for.

b is for beauty (what does he find most beautiful in a partner? what is his favorite part, inside and out?):

the simple answer that yoichi says is someone with a nice smile and laughs a lot. the real answer is a bit more complicated. 

as someone who has observed and analyzed his whole life, he’s noticed the kind of glow joy seems to have on people. from the small perk of the shoulders to laughing so hard you feel like throwing up—this phenomena sings to isagi. the existence of real, visible, audible emotion.

when he’s on the pitch with his teammates there’s a fire in every one of their eyes—all-consuming like the sun. it’s that light that pulled him into blue lock in the first place. the joy of victory, of evolution and change. seeing all of these emotions on someone’s face is yoichi’s favorite thing about human connection and he treasures it with his life. 

(and he likes thighs too, i guess.)

c is for comfort (how does he help his s/o when they’re sad or overwhelmed?):

it’s a nice surprise that isagi’s soccer awareness translates well into relationships. he can assess your state immediately and run to your side and comfort you with verbal affirmations. his words are so real and from the depths of his soul, it’d almost be an insult to call them sweet nothings. 

yoichi’s feelings come out as easy as gentle wind upon autumn leaves, even philosophical at times. if you weren’t overwhelmed by your own emotions, you’d be racking your brain a bit trying to figure out his. it gets theoretical to the point where it flies over your head but that’s how you know it’s genuine. no matter how he layers his words, his intentions remain clear. “it is a privilege learning to understand you.”

d is for dreams (how do they picture a future with their s/o?):

before isagi got with you, he had never imagined being in a relationship. not like he didn’t want one but it just slipped his mind. his first love is soccer, through and through. he thought he never needed anything else.

still, his vision has always been simple. win the world cup, become the greatest striker in the world, and now you’re there too. when you’re with such a simpleton, he’ll always have space for you in his future and now that he’s got you, you’re never leaving.

e is for equal (are they the dominant one in the relationship or passive?):

as much as i want to be self-indulgent and say that isagi would be submissive, i think he leans towards being dominant in a relationship.

perhaps before blue lock, when he was unsure of his ideals, he’d follow his partner with no question. but that’s not the person he wants to be. now that blue lock has reassured the things he’s been thinking for years, he likes being in control, leading, and making decisions. he doesn’t disrespect you or dismiss you, of course, but yoichi feels most secure when he voices his opinions freely and decides things for himself. yoichi can lose sight of you at times because of this so your relationship might have to be negotiated to be more equal but in a way where he doesn’t have to compromise his values.

f is for fight (how does he argue? how do you work through your problems?):

while isagi is good at voicing his thoughts, he’s a little too good. his thoughtful words and passionate soccer theories can quickly turn into paralyzing venom when he’s angry and it comes out in hyper-specific insults that pierce some of your deepest insecurities. fights happen infrequently but when they’re bad, they’re bad. he’s not so stubborn that he’ll drag on a fight but he says things so out of turn, it leaves you needing space.

recovering after these arguments takes a lot of time and talking and trying your hardest to understand each other. it’s hard to make sense of everything isagi is thinking because he thinks so much, but know, after all is said and done, he wants you two to come out of these fights stronger.

gentle (how gentle is he, physically or emotionally?):

as good as he is with his words, isagi doesn’t really know much about physical affection. he’s gentle the way a child takes care of a pet or baby, cautious and a bit eager. you can feel his nerves travel up your spine as he hesitantly puts a hand on the small of your back to hold you. though awkward, it just makes it even more endearing.

h is for honesty (what’s something he keeps secret? any rules for honesty?):

isagi doesn’t have any specific rules when it comes to honesty. obviously, he wants you to trust him but if there’s something you want to keep to yourself, it’s fine with him and he’ll do the same. 

i is for inspiration (a trait about him that you might look up to):

how much he thinks. isagi’s mind is an endlessly growing puzzle—a garden of ideas and theories he’s been nurturing like he’s been at it for fifty years. you watch him in awe as he sits studying a match, eyes slightly squinted and nose all scrunched up. yoichi’s constantly redefining and reorganizing his thoughts and you can’t help but giggle when you say something random and he perks up with what you’re sure is a fresh idea. his drive is a beacon not just for his rivals but for you as well.

k is for kiss (what was the first kiss like?):

i imagine your first kiss is after a match. isagi has shot the winning goal and both of you are full of excitement and adrenaline you don’t realize what you’re doing. after swimming past all of his teammates surrounding him and seeing you in the front stands, he’s so overwhelmed he pulls you in for a kiss. it’s warm, exceedingly so, and a little awkward, noses softly bumping against each other. yoichi’s hair is somewhat stringy from his sweat while his face glistens under the stadium lights as you realize what has just happened.

truth be told, he’d been stressing himself out wanting to kiss you and he revealed he’d have rather done it in a smaller, more secluded place but his red cheeks while he bashfully explains himself is too cute that you go in for another peck between his brows.

fin.

[annavolovodov]

i fear ctm is super close to wrecking lucille, cyril and rosalind. i cannot fathom a couple as devoted to their faith as cyril and lucille jumping to divorce so quickly without trying to work things out. i can't imagine the cyril of previous seasons giving up on lucille and chasing after someone else. even if he didn't want to leave poplar permanently, it would make way more sense for him to plan more trips to jamaica in response to lucille's request instead of giving up on his marriage.

and i know the whole thing is complicated because leonie wanted to leave but zephryn didn’t, and i don’t think zephryn should be forced to quit because leonie wanted out, but the way it's been handled has been awful. like ctm has kinda make cyril look like an asshole. like lucille went through a traumatic miscarriage that required medical intervention, had to deal with rising levels of racism at her work and was close to committing suicide. when she went back to jamaica he visited her a handful of times AT BEST instead of staying for any extended amount of time and supporting his wife while she was seriously ill. when he did eventually go on a lengthy trip to visit, her mum died unexpectedly and, again, he basically went back to london asap. when lucille asks for a divorce after all this (which tbh is understandable), he isn't willing to put in any effort to save his marriage and is more interested in how this will impact his social standing at the church. and when the divorce goes through, he already has a younger replacement ready for his next wife. truly a character assassination for the ages. they took a man who was genuinely sweet, decent and cared for others and have totally annihilated him. yet the prevailing attitude i've seen from the general audience is that LUCILLE is the selfish one for “leaving him behind” which is absolutely boiling my blood. you cannot tell me that if the shoe was on the other foot, if cyril had moved back to guyana permanently after experiencing a traumatic medical event, rising levels of racism and the community, and suffering from suicidal ideations and lucille had decided to stay in poplar, she wouldn’t have been CRUCIFIED for being insensitive, heartless and evil for abandoning her husband when he needed her most.

rosalind has only been on this show for two minutes! we've barely gotten to know her! yet we're shoving her into this disaster of a storyline!! my god, all three of these characters deserve better. hell, i didn’t even want lucille and cyril together, but what a slap in the face this has all become to the fans who were invested in their relationship.

idk. I like cyril, or at least i did before the writers decided to do this. but the show is call the MIDWIFE. it’s about the women, and I don’t like that the first Black main character of the show is essentially getting written out of her own story for the sake of her husband. that’s not even getting into the issue of the show having a Black mentally ill woman being replaced by a younger, white blonde woman.

[sleepyslag]

Loving your perspective on the launch and feeling comfortable. Notice how Dan is touching Phil again in the new end of show pics? I really feel Phil is letting Dan decide how to navigate the new boundaries and letting him take it at his own pace but there's no doubt things are shifting.

I just want them to be happy and know we all support them regardless but I think Dan who thought himself unlovable, loving openly & being loved would be so amazing.

Yeah, it seems like Phil lets Dan take the lead in these sorts of things a lot. Not that it doesn't matter to Phil, since he's always been the more private one, but Dan has a more complicated past and relationship with his queer identity, so I think he has more to work through. For Phil I get the sense that once he decides he's ready to take a step like this he doesn't think about it as much? Whereas Dan might be ready but he still needs to work his way up to it. But either way this is a major step for them and they've been taking it super slow pushing the boundaries little by little. I'm going to be so proud when they do hard launch the last 15 years have been tough on them.

I think it'll be good for them to be more open. What we've seen of their love is so beautiful, and I'm sure they'll still be very private but just being able to acknowledge it in some way will be amazing.

[danse--macabre]

ch'lakhou, my durge (grey) and gortash (blue)

[inkskinned]

we were sitting on the floor and i was cutting out tiny pictures to make a collage for a friend's birthday. you were on your phone and you laughed about something, and i was still in love with you then, so i asked what had you giggling.

"sorry. i was just..." you took a moment and went back to texting. "i was telling someone about how you're afraid of the dark."

i'm afraid of the dark because something bad happened. "oh." i felt a little slinky of shame crawl down my throat.

you glanced up, and maybe it showed on my face, because you rolled your eyes and held the phone to the side casually so i could see the group chat. "what? was it a secret?"

i looked down to the scissors in my hand. "i just..." no, it's not a secret. it just felt like something private, something serious. saying why would you tell someone that just feels like an accusation. it's unfair. i honestly am not even ashamed of it, it's just a fact about my person that i don't usually share.

what a strange experience. is this a human thing or a generational thing? for our grandparents: did they need to worry about how quickly someone can just... share your personal information? again, i didn't even really have a true objection. what could i say? i want any person in my life to feel they can be honest with their friends. it's not like i said don't tell anyone this.

i cut out another letter to complete the rainbow happy birthday, started hunting for the exclamation mark. i heard you sigh dramatically.

"don't make a big deal about this," you said.

this entire conversation was a pattern for us, and this was when we got to my least favorite part of the pattern. i would get my feelings hurt in some oblique not-technically-terrible way, and then it would be making a big deal about something. you'd get frustrated for me for being soft, but i was born soft. you knew i was soft when you pierced me. it's one of the things that made controlling me so easy.

"i'm not," i felt my voice crack. the question came without my wanting. "why are you guys talking about me?" and why are you saying that thing? why not like - i'm telling them how you're generous and kind and pretty.

you let out this low, tragic groan. "oh my god." you tossed the phone away from your body. "there, see? i just won't talk to them if you don't like it."

the rest of the hour went the way it always went, between us: i said i don't actually mind if you talk to your friends but -, you found a way to call my minor expression of discomfort "being dramatic." you got upset that i had been offended. i ended up apologizing, even though i hadn't actually done anything.

afterwards, you picked up the phone again. after texting for a little bit, you snorted. "okay," you said, "but it is kind of funny you're afraid of the dark. i mean, when you think about it."

[blousemouse]

I'm so obsessed with Jean's feelings towards Neil. They're absolutely not romantic or sexual which we know for sure now but they're so strong anyway. He says he should have been his forever partner! He really trusts Neil with his life despite only knowing him in the Nest for a few weeks- something that never happened with Riko or Zane despite knowing them both for years.

[efexumukoroxlc]

Efe flashed an uncertain smile. "I don't think you're alone in that." His own lifelong relationship with magic had proven complicated. On one hand, some part of him wished he had it. Growing up in this town, seeing his friends mature into themselves in various ways, learn to wield the powers with which they had been born, he had felt terribly small, inadequate. But on the other, the capability for individuals to misuse that power, as had occurred over and over again in Lunar Cove, frightened him. For as much as he cared about this place and the people in it, he thought, even now, if his family decided to leave, he would follow them. But he did not allow those thoughts to linger. "Well, he can put them away. I guess that helps, yeah?"

Efe knit his brow, giving a low hum at the question. "Ah, well, I guess I can't say I'm not into the adrenaline. There's a rush to my job, sure. But..uh, well, the Super Bowl's in February. That's fun. People get worked up about that? You ever been to, like, a Super Bowl party? Even if you're not into the game, people like the halftime show. And the commercials." He nodded.

He smiled. "Well, there you go. Some happen around here in Lunar Cove. People have tried to recruit me into them. Since that talent show, but I don't think I'm much of a performer. Have you ever wanted to be in show? Even if it's not a musical maybe." He imagined it was more complicated for sirens. "Ah, well...I don't know about land mammals. But aquatic mammals, sure. Orca. Dolphin. There were a few...stinging land animals I guess. The Scorpion. Tarantula. Viper. Believe it or not, there were two Unicorns, both unfinished, but even they were named after a narwhal, unicorn of the sea."

Billie gave a little huff. Quietly, she said, "I don't particularly care for magic, either." It was true; everything she said had to be true. But it was more specific than that. Billie didn't care for her own magic. At best, it was an annoyance. At worst, it made her feel like she wasn't a person. She was trying to get better about that. But such grievances weren't meant to be dumped on people. She looked down at her nails, mildly perplexed. "That seems terribly inconvenient, metal claws. I don't know if I would like such a thing." They had to get in the way of a lot of times.

Humming, Billie nodded. "I think that roller coasters would be fun. Perhaps." She didn't know if she'd find it stressful, or not. She found driving rather stressful, but roller coasters might be nice, so as to not actually be in control of something. "I'm not sure I enjoy a lot of particularly exciting things," she said sheepishly. "I feel rather anxious a lot of the time. Excitement sort of contributes to that. I don't enjoy surprises. But what do you find exciting? Normal exciting, proper exciting? I'd like to do more normal things."

Tilting her head to the side, Billie couldn't help but be mildly intrigued by the concept. "Slime tutorials is a strange name, but I do like watching musicals. Ah, there. I find musicals exciting. I've been able to see a few live. I really enjoyed it." A reward for good work. The memories were a little tainted, now, but she still remembered being young and actually getting to be happy, properly happy, if only for a moment.

She listened to him speak, actually interested in the topic. Boats were pretty irrelevant to her. If she got in the water, it was typically to swim. The thought of being on a boat or ship or in a submarine was unnerving because of the increased likelihood that she might get wet on accident, forcing her to be stuck with a tail and deal with that for an extended period of time. "I don't think you're being boring at all, I promise. I asked, and I was curious. Were the animals exclusively aquatic in nature, or did they pick, perhaps, land mammals as well?"

[canisalbus]

Machete has parents?? I'm not familiar with their actual lore, so I've been imagining Machete as a desolate victorian orphan boy

Everyone has parents, he didn't materialize out of thin air (or evolve from a crumpled napkin).

But he lost contact with them early on and doesn't remember much of anything about them. Machete was a sickly kid and his family was going through a rough patch at the time, they were constantly struggling to find the time and funds to care for him. Child mortality was high and it was starting to look increasingly likely that he wouldn't make it. He was around three or four when they left him at the closest monastery that accepted foundlings and he hasn't heard of them since.

[a-stars-art-blog]

🎸🦈

Sooo…KlavRyan/KlavDar/DaryKlav????

[minnow-doodle-doo]

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Created by TumblrTop10

[conkreetmonkey]

I really be thinking things like "Scars are generally cool and beautiful and hot and I love them. Except for mine, of course, mine are objectively hideous." daily reminder to sniff out your "positive when others, negative when myself" double standards.

[lucabyte]

🐮

[spotaus]

Late Night quick thing (New Age Sillies)

Bad news: That joke post about including Reset + Orchid is definitely not canon. (I legit got sad thinking about Reset being in a universe where Orchid isn't- because their stories are so so intertwined- but Nightmare 100% would NOT risk the whole twins exploding Error's soul thing.)

Good news: This means I COULD include Kane (Reset's older brother who usually dies in timelines where Reset is born) and use it to develope his character a bit more! Also! Perhaps a Blue × Dream kiddo is finally in the stars for me to design?

[camellia-thea]

one thing the show didn't really touch on is why armand is so against claudia in the books. this is definitely linked to casting and backstory changes, especially related to age, but i think it's really important and still rings through in the show.

armand in the books was turned at seventeen. his ambivalence to claudia's death, his dislike of her, are both completely intertwined with his perception of himself. in the books claudia was turned at five years old. he saw his inability to age, his permanent youth in her, and saw his sire within louis. a benevolent savior turned captor, lover, father. he resents her because she was turned too young, like he was turned too young, but displaces the blame onto lestat and claudia, rather than louis.

louis, who dragged a dying claudia to lestat for her to be turned. compared to amadeo, dying of sickness (or poison) and being turned so a father does not lose a child, a lover does not lose his beloved.

i think it makes his jump to maître with louis even more complicated, especially when you consider that armand was bought by marius from a brothel, and was frequently "donated" to marius' venetian contemporaries, and louis' status as a former pimp.

this comparison between marius and louis becomes more complex when you look at claudia's desire to leave and how armand was taken away from marius by the roman coven. i think armand in some sense overlays his own traumatic separation onto claudia and louis. this could make bruce's presence a comparison to the children of darkness(/satan) and the torture armand received at the hands of the roman coven. if you leave, you get hurt. i think he resents claudia wanting to leave louis, wanting to join the coven, wanting, wanting, wanting. armand is so stuck in himself and his history, his need to have purpose that the idea that claudia wants to and is trying to create herself a space away from louis is practically unthinkable.

"without the burden of her" weighs a lot heavier, i think, when you also consider that marius lived through the fire, immediately made a new fledgling, and did not follow armand. and it's unclear of how much armand knows about marius post-fire in the show, but armand has been left behind so many times, by marius, by the roman coven, by lestat.

i think he is caught up in both his idea that a maker and fledgling will, no matter what, hate and ruin one another, and his longing for someone to step into that role for him again. but he also so desperately wants control over his situation in a way that claudia mirrors. both lacking agency for reasons outside their control, with dependence on external figures who are a significant part of their lack of agency. he hates her, i think, because she has the courage to do what he does not.

another thing to note about armand is his certainty that claudia will cast herself into the fire. his conversation with madeleine was as much a conversation about himself as it was about claudia. armand has spent almost the entirety of his vampire life at the very least passively suicidal. he cannot commit the act himself because he desperately wants to live and connect with the world, but if something were to harm him, it is unclear whether he would try to stop it. madeleine's certainty that she would be enough to stop claudia from feeling the same way was, i think, extremely confronting to armand, as his desperate attempts to attach himself to people have all been attempts to live again. except; they've all left him in the end.

it's easier for her to die, in the end. to assure himself that louis will want him forever without the barrier, to assure himself that he can live where she doesn't, to prove to himself that he is right about everything, than it is to consider that her circumstances -- the want to leave and love and live -- could've been his.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Have You Seen This Girl

YA mystery/thriller

a nonbinary teen who’s ostracized in their small town because their father killed 5 girls 10 years ago

now another girl has shown up dead - found in the same lake his victims were left - and since their dad is in prison, the only person who doesn’t suspect them is the new girl in town

the latest victim has started haunting them - like the previous girls used to - but this one wants them to investigate and find out who the copycat killer is, which means finding out exactly why their father did it