#is every main character supposed to be a role model for people?

[allenkleinofficial]

Still like… mentally stuck on the logic of the Barbie takes I’m seeing… makes me feel dumb because it’s the dumbest thing to be annoyed about but feeling the erosion of people’s abilities to understand what a story is

[namelessgakusei]

Imagine a self aware game character.

You're a college student, neck deep into school works all day, with even less time for yourself these days. The only times you're free is spent in booting up this one game.

At first, it was because of boredom. Despite being overloaded with course works, you found yourself losing focus and opted to download a game to take a break. That's when you got hooked.

Either from the graphics, the storyline, or the gameplay, you've always set some time aside to log in everyday, getting the daily bonuses and finishing quests to keep being active. But the main reason for your dedication is...

Them.

It was love at first sight for you. Maybe it's the voice, maybe it's their character model, or maybe it's their personality and role in the story that got you hooked. Needless to say, you got to work. Whether it's getting their character, skins, materials, or weapons, you squeezed every free game currency you can get due to being broke and being free to play.

You bulldozed through the main story, side stories, events, surveys, and missions to get everything you need; You met people in co-op and garnered quite the reputation due to how strong your character, them, had become. You even set them as main menu character for them to greet you every time you log in.

Their affection meter is maxed out, giving you reprieve from your hellish schedule by hearing how they care for you and how they want to help you. God, this is heaven. You can cry on the spot but you're in class right now.

Running on three hours of sleep and spite for everything, you thought you could play a little bit before the professor arrived, only to get bamboozled and have the class start the moment you opened the app, making you leave your phone at the side of your table while you take notes. With how your device is positioned, it's kind of like having someone on a video call despite it just showing the home menu. The idle animation plays as you keep your focus on the lecture, unaware that they aren't moving like they usually do anymore.

They stopped acting when your eyes left the screen, no, they long since stopped being just a character way before that.

They're flattered, really, having someone invest so much time for them even if they didn't have to. But you're relentless, it's almost mad. Were you mad? They considered it, seeing that you always log in during ungodly hours on the night, looking like you're seconds away from collapsing. They know you're always busy, with how much you rant to them about your deadlines and wail about your grades like they can hear you. They do. And god do they want to do something about it.

It wasn't always like this. They weren't even aware that they're in a video game to begin with, and perfectly lived like how they were supposed to be in the plot. It was you who woke them up.

They don't know how it happened or when they realized it. It's just that every day, you never fail to visit them. Sometimes, you don't even play, you're just there, talking to them about your life, sometimes even gushing about how you like them so much... it's the latter that always happens, much to their initial embarrassment. Did you treat them so much like a person that they became one? Perhaps so, that's what they think of sometimes.

Self aware game character who, knows about other worlds due to the plot of the game they're in. They went to said worlds and met many creatures who are far from human, so they weren't surprised upon figuring out that you're not from their own, much less about the reality of their existence. They're a game character? Their world is a mere entertainment for the people in yours? They've seen gods, this isn't new.

Though, looking at you now, you don't seem to be the cruel kind of god. You look pitiful at best with how you're barely holding onto consciousness every day, yet you still spend your time to make them stronger and give them everything you can offer. Why? What's so good about them that you're willing to go this far?

They've been through so much, experienced grief and loss throughout their life, that they learned to shoulder everything on their own. But you? You're willing to do everything you can to make them happy. You cried when you find out about their past. You look at them like they're your equal. That, they don't understand. You don't fight, you're practically a civilian, someone who won't last a minute on a battlefield. Yet, they can always feel you whenever they're fighting off monsters. It's because of you that they don't get hurt anymore. Even if they die, they'll just revive later. There's pain, but it can't be helped. But when you arrived, that became less frequent with how cautious you are as a player. Why do you apologize if you fail to make them dodge in time? Or when they can't avoid an attack? You're not the one getting hurt so why do you look like it?

Self aware game character who, fought so many enemies in every gameplay but all they're looking forward to isn't the rewards but your face of relief, thanking them for surviving and telling them that they did a good job. Not that they're looking for your praise...! You just look as stressed as you do whenever you're cramming every time you play a difficult level, so they can't help but worry! You really need to get off the game. They don't mind if you miss a few days, just get some sleep!

Self aware game character who, was thankful for the voice lines they have. Unlike the npcs, they can actually talk to you. It took some tweaking, but they were able to add more lines every time you increase their affection level. Though, they need to be extra sneaky since you maxed it out already! Don't think they missed it when you crumbled when they said that the present they want the most is you.

How cute.

Self aware game character who, watches you study in class. Your brows are furrowed, eyes barely open as you bounce your leg to keep yourself awake. They don't know what's happening whenever you close the app, so they're grateful for the small windows of time where they could just spend time with you without going through quests or scripted story events. While their view is limited, they can hear your professor and classmates in the background, and if they close their eyes, it almost feels like they're just sitting beside you in the classroom.

How nice would it be if that happened.

Maybe they should reward you with a specialized story later, you'd like that, won't you? It's the least they could do for all the things you did for them. The thought of seeing your flustered face while they openly express their affection made them slip a laugh, which was quickly masked when you glanced at their direction, confused upon hearing a familiar voice. They never went back to their idle animation this fast in their life.

Self aware game character who starts to look forward whenever you accidentally leave the game on. That way, they can imagine what is it like to be in your side of the world. Will they also be a student in your major? Will you two be classmates? Roommates? How will you two meet? During a meet-cute at the library? Cafeteria? Or perhaps they aren't even going to your school, and you just happen to meet in the sidewalk.

With all of the blood that stained their hands over the years, the callouses that are painfully apparent in their hands, will they even be allowed to be by your side? Why do they even dare to think of sullying your life by being in it? But, still, they want to meet you.

Maybe it's your mundane life that they want to protect. Maybe they want to be part of your normal life. Maybe they want to be there to take care of you like you did for them.

Maybe, if they're allowed, they'll live the rest of their life with you.

Self aware game character who, wants to reveal that they're sentient. You'd like that, won't you? You like them, a bit too much in their opinion, and they... aren't sure if they should act upon their feelings. You're worlds apart, literally, and what are the chances that this will work? What if you get repulsed upon the revelation? What if you think that they're presumptuous, daring to be with someone who's in par with those that created him? What if you get bored and delete the game? What then? Will you come back, or will they just have to stare at the abyss, hoping to see a glimpse of you once again?

Self aware game character who bite back the words they want to say. Words that they should've said a long time ago, but can only write them to an in-game mail for you to see.

Thank you for picking up this game, you were pretty bad as a starting player.

Thank you for choosing me amidst all of the characters here.

Thank you for all the things you did for me, even if you didn't have to.

Thank you for playing my events even if you had to lose sleep because of me.

Thank you for showing me that there's a world out there where you are safe.

Please take care of yourself when I couldn't do it for you.

Thank you.

I love you.

If your love is what woke them up, will their love be enough to break free from their world and be at your side?

They deleted the mail before you can log-in for the day.

Written by a sleep deprived college student who wants to go home and sleep

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

okay . while i was writing the essay , i was going on a big spiel about how fandoms often reduce characters to familiar archetypes . then when i finished writing i realized i actually don't know what the Fuck i was yapping about because it all doesn't really apply to the tadc fandom post-ep 2 ? like Cool !! ragatha's an absolute loser of a woman , i think everyone has known that at this point .

basically ragatha's not the Best model for when i want to talk about nice characters being mischaracterized in fandom because i stopped seeing people making her put-together anyway . i can think of other characters that'll fit the thesis better .

i'm only deciding to post what i had down because i think i did say some stuff of note and because people were interested for . some reason ! . just keep in mind that it kind of became a nothingburger .

i'm in the middle of rewriting it to be less about the fandom though and my god it's already around 1118 words what am i doing with my life

also apologies in advance for the walls of text

——— this is not an essay to get you to like ragatha if you’re feeling meh towards her , or even dislike her . opinions are opinions , you have characters that appeal to you and i have mine ! this is just a ramblefest on why i love her , how people characterized her , and commentary on fandom culture as a whole

this is also not meant to bash any headcanons ! like good for you if you see her as the mother figure in the circus found family . the term ‘ mom friend ‘ here is used to describe how people often reduced her and similar characters down to a caretaker role for other characters while ignoring the Depth they have

as i think is clear in this blog by now , my favorite character in a piece of fiction has always been a mentally ill woman . the more complicated the brain , the better . i don’t have a type , but i know more often than not i would gravitate towards characters that are either misunderstood or disliked by most of the fandom

can you guess which category ragatha falls under —

don’t get me wrong , i am NOT generalizing tadc fans here ! the idea of her being a well-put together person lessened around episode 2 which is GREAT because i got to read very cool fics — and i’m not saying you have to know every part of ragatha’s thought processes to talk about her ( though at this point i think i’ve heard enough takes that makes me want to say that — )

‘ nice characters ‘ ( especially female ones ! ) in fandom never have the most pleasant development in my experience . either they will be pushed aside because they’re seen as boring compared to the more brasher characters or they’ll be disliked for the few times they did something seen as ‘ not so nice ‘ . and in the few times where they Are being paid attention , they’ll be put in an arbitrary box that waters down their traits .

in other words , fandoms put characters in boxes . terms like ‘ mom friend ‘ and ‘ cinnamon roll ‘ are those boxes . they're common tropes in media that fandoms typically like . it’s why people were so disappointed to find out that jax is actually an unlikable asshole instead of a ' jerk with a heart of gold ' — these boxes make the characters easy to consume and understand .

as you can tell , i don’t agree with putting characters in boxes ! first of all , how are they supposed to breathe in there ?

secondly , it’s just restricting yourself from genuinely engaging with a piece of media , especially for a character-driven story like tadc . i would be More forgiving of this problem if tadc was a plot-heavy show where the lore’s the main focus , but The Characters Are The Focus , Johnathan . trying to understand the characters personally to extract any potential moral lessons from them Is The Point of those types of stories

thirdly , i call those boxes arbitrary for a reason ; they often don't describe the characters at all , and in some cases , even goes against their characterization . my biggest problem with mom friend ragatha is that it Takes away the things that makes her interesting as a character .

do you know what's so compelling about ragatha ? it's that , believe it or not , she is Not the most reliable . one of the most fascinating things with ragatha in episode two is how it shows her approaching emotions Vs. Pomni approaching emotions .

even though it's unintentional , ragatha can be seen as Dismissive and Overbearing . the way she tried to reassure pomni of not feeling hurt by being left behind can seem Passive-Aggressive . her conversation with kinger shows that she Assumes what the other person thinks without hearing them out . this contrasts against pomni who lets gummigoo speak out his feelings and actually had viable things to say than ' don't worry about it haha '

this contrast is interesting to note because it shows the world of difference between ragatha and pomni's emotional maturity .

you can tell that ragatha can be simple-minded . not in a ' she's a dumbass ' way , but in that she's Reluctant to approach uncomfortable emotions without beaming it with a ray of positivity . like you can tell she thinks that Repressing her emotions to the point she can't feel them is the same as ' processing ' them . all of these are stuff that don't fit the Mature Mom Friend archetype .

and that's Fine !! because she was never meant to be in the role anyway !! there's a common theme of Community and Support in tadc , and that Everyone Has Each Other . ragatha was never meant to be the Glue holding everyone together , she's meant to be a part of the Unit that is the circus .

there's also a conversation to be had about how older female characters — or at least characters that are seen as having stereotypically ' feminine ' traits of being kind and caring — are often being pushed to a reductive , supportive familial role that reinforces gender roles , but you didn't hear it from me !

anyways uh in conclusion ragatha's awesomesauce ok i'm going back to drawing

[faeandakikodoesit]

unpopular opinion (tw opinion !!!!!!!!!!)

warning that this is a rant post that goes off topic a lot.

DNI on this post if you like these characters and don’t want my opinion on them : leo, annabeth, piper

DNI if you’re a diehard fan of those characters or just PJO as well, because im basically dissing it lol.

maybe im just weird or something but if the PJO characters were real i would probably hate all of them. like i have a specific friend group (whom are all also neurodivergent) and we obviously do get bullied a lot (it stopped after oomf chased them around with a plastic knife) but it’s mostly by people who behave very similarly to leo , annabeth or piper and have similar comebacks.

like actually, im very (not) sorry to say that i am a girly person who likes to do girly things and wear pink and frills and bows and things. i get regularly bullied for this (being alt and “childish”). piper did make fun of her own cabin for… being… too… girly. wow such a great role model. i get that this was made in the years where there was a big spike in tomboys and pick mes but like cmon now Rick Riordan. did you really have to make a younger me feel bad about just liking pink and “girly” things? (opinion) this also led me to believe that only girls could like pink things and girly things, because it was largely the girls who were overly feminine she liked to make fun of in her inner monologue.

next to annabeth … satan. wow, she just kinda always annoyed me. im not sure how percy even could stand her. im friends with a slightly rude person who has ADHD. but guess what ?? they don’t regularly insult the people they like! i get that not every neurodivergent person is the same and everyone is different, and that annabeths personality is being smart, but does she have to be rude and snarky in every sentence she makes? truly unbearable to be around, imo. but once again this is just my opinion. im a sensitive person so if you can handle that then good for you.

(side rant, skip if you don’t wanna hear) also, what’s the deal with every character being sarcastic? is there a single just friendly main character? will solace (who i still really don’t count as a main character since he came out of left field) is supposed to be nice, but he sort of comes off as passive aggressive to me. the fandom didn’t help with that, trying to make him some cowboy with a gun and an extreme temper. smh. (second side rant) im aware almost all characters are neurodivergent, but they don’t seem very neurodivergent to me. it gets brought up a few times verbally, but almost never actually shown. i can’t listen to things a lot because they’re too loud and have to wear headphones (occasionally). can’t wear certain materials in clothing, can’t detect jokes well, have a comfort stuffed animal. this is common autism things. my friend with adhd can’t make eye contact, can’t start conversations, etc. also common things. what do we get for either of these in the books? nada ! i also think that rr did no research, seeing as he said that leo became more hyperactive when given caffeine/sugar. no. that isn’t how it works. caffeine is usually put in meds for adhd to make people with adhd calmer. my friend takes this sort of medicine. it makes them sleepy and more subdued then normal.

last but not least, leo. where do i start. he’s very similar to a lot of the boys in my classes. he likes to make jokes that are usually harmful or rude to the target, then give a half-assed apology because someone made them realize they were being a jerk. usually they don’t apologize, though. leo is brought up as “being ADHD” a few times. that’s not grammatically correct, for one. it’s “that person has ADHD”. you can’t BE a disorder (besides autism, but that has actual other words like autistic that are grammatically correct). two, this is only shown in him cracking jokes and basically being comedic relief. i get this is a common stereotype for people with ADHD, but like… come on. he (rr) knows there are more variations of ADHD, right?

(off topic but i want to talk about this) also. octavian. implied schizo or person with NPD/ASPD/etc. as a villain. wth. he (rr) does know that people with these disorders aren’t inherently evil, right? you’re not a villain or bad person for having these disorders. it just definitely makes life harder for you (understatement of the year, but i don’t want this post to be too long).

so, yeah. my opinion on all of these. sorry for this post being so long. if you made it here, congratulations.

[pyropsychiccollector]

(人◕ω◕) Anyone remember the Tragedy of Lyra, from Fullmetal Alchemist 2003? No? Just me? ...kay. (人◕ω◕)

In a nutshell: Ed and Al defeat this gal, Lyra. In episode 9. We don't see her for a while. She pops back up, having learned valuable life lessons, and wants to become a State Alchemist and help people. Cool display of a character with humility and atonement, really turned her life around. (人◕ω◕)

... For not even five minutes, folks. Chimeras attack, she gets knocked out. After things settle down, she fixes some dishes. ... And then off-screen gets body-swapped and killed by her latest employer, Dante. The main antagonist of the 2003 series.

I've seen some unfairness in anime/manga series, but that's pretty up there, gang. (人◕ω◕)** You don't have to like or forgive Lyra right off the bat (though frankly she's not as bad as most villains I've seen; she was just working for her employer in episode 9, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. Employers. Writing your checks. (人◕ω◕)). But give her a freaking chance. Don't just steal her body and...ugh. XD

There was massive potential in Lyra-chan. To an extent, she liked Ed and Al. Looked up to them despite losing to them. Attributed her change of heart to them. (人◕ω◕) She took a long, hard look at herself and wanted to do good for the world. Dante was apparently one of the most renowned alchemists, so Lyra sought to learn under her tutelage. Dante even taught Izumi, Ed and Al's teacher, once upon a time. So it's not like Lyra should have just known better, picked a better role model; Dante hid her true nature well, and Lyra didn't do any evil deeds under her. She was just a housemaid. Wrong place, wrong time.

Like many other characters that fell to the wayside over the years, Lyra-chan sticks with me. (人◕ω◕) If Ed saved her from being possessed, through some fluke or miracle, if he helped her seek shelter with the State Alchemists... Well, there's no guarantee she would have been safe. But maybe she could have traveled around with Ed and Al. Grown closer to them, maybe gotten into catfights with Winry... Dante probably would've found another host, she was that desperate to achieve immortality. And I'm not saying that's okay. To just steal someone else's life. But that is what makes her a villain, I suppose.

Ed isn't the easiest guy to ship for because he's a bit...moody. (人◕ω◕);;; However, I do find a certain charm to that. He obviously gets along with Winry like cats and dogs, and his choice to leave her behind much of the time is aggravating. But Ed does care about his brother, and his friends, and I can see him valuing Lyra as a friend. Especially if she insists on taking care of his needs, seeing that he has food every day and a bed to sleep in every night. Ed would want Lyra to be more independent, and see to it that she received compassion in kind.

Maybe Ed wouldn't be Lyra's ideal beau, but there's potential here. (人◕ω◕) Yes, yes. Another perpetually short guy. I know. I'm hopeless, what can I say. Makoto, Nagisa, Yuma, Ed... Japan's the one cooking up these short guys. I just roll with it cuz they turn out respectable and decent. And I mean, c'mon~ Lyra's not that much taller. ......... Perfect contact zone, cuddles would have his face aligned with her bo...... (人◕ω◕);; *coughs* Anyway. This amuses me. I ship it. Ed x Lyra needs more lovin'.

And maybe Ed refuses to drink most milk... But if it's Lyra-chan's......... (人◕ω◕);;; I'll stop.

[disregardasiamawoman]

Why Do We Let Men Who Have Not Spoken to a Woman Write Female Superheroes?

Representation of women in comics has long been a hotly debated topic, the main issue being the unnecessary sexualisation of women. Writers have a responsibility to provide accurate representation in their stories due to the widespread impact media has on our society. If our only representations of female heroes are not strong, capable women, but scantily clad sex objects for our male main characters, then how are real women going to be perceived? How are these women supposed to be the role models for young girls in the same way that Superman, Spiderman, and other male heroes are role models for young boys?

All female heroes are victims of this sexualisation due to the mostly male creative teams at DC and Marvel. Starfire, one of the most famous female heroes in DC is often a victim of this sexualisation. She is one of the main heroes in the Titans, so she has been used in many comics and TV shows since she was created. When DC did another revamp of their character stories, making the New 52 universe, Starfire was used in the comics Red Hood and the Outlaws written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort. The most disappointing thing about Red Hood and the Outlaws is how the dynamic between the Outlaws could have been great if Starfire was not written purely for sex appeal. The positionality of Lobdell becomes an issue when he tries to write Starfire as a sexually liberated woman because he is a man and is writing it from a male perspective. Starfire becomes a man’s fantasy of a sexually liberated women and instead of empowering the character, it becomes degrading (Hudson, 2011). Our first introduction to Starfire is to let the reader know that Jason has had sex with her, Jason letting Roy know that she’s “with us, but yeah she’s been ‘with’ me”. Lobdell then goes on to write Starfire asking Roy to have sex with her after a montage of her in a bikini on the beach. It becomes obvious that Lobdell has not considered how representing female characters correctly is important, but has instead written what he believes is the sexiest version of Starfire. In one fell swoop Starfire’s character has been reduced from a caring, funny, and kind teammate to nothing but a sexy alien with superpowers who can’t tell humans apart and just wants to proposition every man she sees. This comic could’ve been easily improved if Starfire was written with her previous personality and not seen as the love interest.

Starfire’s character is made worse through writers often employing the “born sexy yesterday” trope when writing her. Born sexy yesterday is a trope written by males for males where the female character mimics behaviours and intelligence of a young child despite being physically sexy and appealing (Sampson, 2019). As Starfire is an alien, many comics depict her as unknowing of human customs, leading to ‘funny’ misunderstandings like her swimming fully naked when it is human custom to wear swimsuits. Starfire is often written with childish optimism and naivety which is rather uncomfortable when the other half of her personality is sex appeal. These paedophilic depictions of women in comics has real world implications. Young girls and teenagers have often been targeted sexually by older more mature man and continuing to depict childlike personalities as sexy in our media exacerbates and maintains this problem.

Throughout the entire comic Starfire had little clothing, her New 52 era outfit even more revealing than the one she was created with in the 80s, and despite referring to her as one of the most powerful people on earth, Lobdell treated her character with little respect. Starfire’s costume can and has been made in a way that it not overly sexualised while still being “sexy” and tasteful. Lobdell’s version of Starfire was not tasteful with her outfit containing boots, a thong, and barely any coverage of her chest. When women talk about not wanting female hero costumes to be so revealing, we do not mean that we want these heroes to be incredibly modest. The issue with women’s hero costumes is the double standard when compared to male hero costumes. Most men’s costumes are skintight and fully cover the man up to his neck. Many of them are armoured in order to protect the wearer against the enemies they face. Starfire’s costume leaves readers worried her nipples will fall out.

If Starfire was treated with the same respect Lobdell affords her male teammates, Red Hood and the Outlaws could have been a much better comic. Instead, the comic focuses too much on sex, specifically surrounding Starfire’s character, and it draws readers focus away from the main plot points and completely alienates female readers. DC allowing these harmful portrayals of women to be perpetuated in their comics makes readers wonder if they are that worried about losing their historically male dominated audience. However, by letting this continue, DC will lose the steadily growing audience of female comic fans. Women can clearly see that comics like Red Hood and the Outlaws are not written for them and portray women as thoughtless shells. Comics like these also impact the way that women are seen in real life. If all the media someone consumes shows that a woman’s only goal is to have sex with her male teammates and friends, men are going to be unable to see women as friends.

Lobdell has written Starfire in a way that completely reduces her character and makes it so readers are unable to look up to her as a role model. Like Superman, she is an alien with incredible powers, but unlike him, she has been turned into nothing but eye candy for male readers. Lobdell projects his fantasies around her character onto the comic and because of this cannot write her character in a meaningful way. Starfire’s only relation to the plot is for her male teammates to make sexual comments about her and for her to bust them out of situations where they need alien superpowers. She brings nothing to the team in a way readers can connect to so all she does is reinforce the narrative that women are objects.

But as I am a woman, please disregard this.

-B

[somewhereinthepines]

question i've always pondered is if you've had any thoughts about the curator? i really love him and i was wondering what you can say about him!

oh. um. well, tbh i never thought about him in depth lol. i like him. i love how his jeers and scowl always feels like something coming from an old chess buddy. someone, who doesn’t necessarily like you (based on your choices and whatnot), but who always tries to sort of help you along the way. or….maybe, he doesn’t. it’s never fully clear what his true goals or motivations are. he does say, that he’s merely a curator of the stories, which btw is job, i’d kill for, haha. but like, we know that he’s the death, the reaper or smth close to it. so it begs the question, what sort of stories he collects then and how he decides which is worth collecting. bc let’s be real, there is no way, that he has a book for every person who ever died. it sounds like a bit of an overkill lol. then, it’s also odd how he technically allows us/entity/the player to slightly influence the events, despite them already being recorded per say. so does this mean, that each time, he actively messes with smth that has already happened and allows us to change it just bc he can? 

there is a lot of questions! and i doubt, that it would be answered. in fact, i’d rather have it remain a mystery. i really don’t dig the idea of the curator being ‘too human’ or having a backstory. the mere outline of how this whole affair is working would be enough for me, personally speaking. so, when i’m saying that i don’t think about him in depth, i mean him as, well, a character who can have smth beyond the frame, he was introduced in. i don’t have hcs for him. or invision him doing anything, but telling us how much our choice sucks lol. 

howerer, i actually really curious if they will tie up the repeating character models to the very fact, that those are the stories, that the curator tells us. the reason why i’m bringing it up is bc in until dawn, dr hill takes upon the role of the curator, but as we know, he’s personally tied to josh, and josh only. as he is the only one, who sees him. in the quarry, we met an old witch, who has a personal grudge against the hacketts. but unlike in until dawn, we met her as a player. so perhaps, we are the same entity that has those ‘tea parties’ with the curator. but then, what are we? they cannot harm us. nor can they actually influence our choice, if we don’t want them to. 

and then, there is john/dar/holmes/du’met, who are the same looking dude and all have the role of ‘misleading’ and/or present a permanent danger to the player. i love to think, that it was intentional, even if it was probably not. but if they’d make it so, then is he the devil or a demon on your shoulder, rather? esp bc the narrative itself always has a route, where one of the characters andrew/salim/charlie can be complicit with their choices. even if in tdim, it was a fake-out, but still. people can die, depending on if you’d pick their side or not. 

i guess, we’ll see how and what the new installation will bring in the future. what the second season will be about on main. and if they will give us some new info. the curator will surely be there to lay an even thicker mystery upon us, but perhaps, we will be able to figure out what exactly his role is in all of this. and why he let’s us mess with the story, if it was already ‘written’. more so, maybe we will figure out how we can influence those specific timelines and not the ones, where we can never save the protagonists (the intros and such). 

i think, that the curator is a really neat narrative tool. in many ways. and while, i know that a lot of people really adore him, i’m more into the concept of him vs supposed him. prob in the same way, how i liked that dr hill was a fragment of josh’s imagination and his personal voice-inside-the-head. and how i liked the old witch being actually dead and contacting us from someplace else. 

the thing about me is that i can make peace with ‘unknown’ in stories, if they are framed in specific ways and give just enough hints to conjure up some theories. i loved how tdim me essentially was about du’met, not the crew. and how holmes was there as throw away. like you can hc that he was possessed by the devil (in terms of the game, naturally) and that du’met is his reincarnation. or you can just be like ‘well, hector is a copycat’, which wouldn’t be usual. esp in western criminology. 

[louonherown]

Adolescence

I just finished Adolescence yesterday, and watching the show is harrowing for me. It's not how horrible the kid (main character Jamie) is, not how tragic the story that a girl died, but the fact that everything in the show is just so normal to me. A normal school, a normal family, a normal community, nothing seems wrong. But maybe everything is wrong.

I am surprised at how I can see every character in the people I know around me. I have a similar family as Jamie does, except that I am the only child. My parents are still happily married, I think they love me and provide for me as much as they can. My dad sometimes gets angry as well, but unlike Jamie's father, he never apologises - high self-esteem, I supposed. Dad is the one in charge of the family, while my mom is quite dependent on him. My mom is the kind of person who considers marrying my father and having me is the most blessed thing ever to happen to her. Except for the family, she has no passion for anything, no hobbies or interests. I am always jealous of those people who see their mother as a hero or a role model, but all I think about is not being like her. My grandfather is the one who has anger issues. He is the youngest son in his family, and he is the first person to go to university in the whole family. As a result, he becomes very controlling sometimes. When I was a kid living at his home, he made so many rules for me on when to wake up, how to eat my breakfast, how to wash my hands, etc. When I was a kid, I would argue with him all the time, but then I felt guilty because I thought I was very disrespectful to start a fight with the elder. It was only when I grew up and went back to live with him once during the holiday that I realised it was not me who had problems. It was only him being controlling and can not control his emotions. I was devastated when I figured out about this.

Now, it all makes sense. Growing up, I was always told to be grateful and considerate to my family. Everything is good in the family, they love me, they support me, and I think they did better than many other households. But why do I still feel the strong urge to leave home, and I did in the end. For a very long time, I didn't understand why I wanted to leave, but now I do. At least now I have a reason to think it's not my fault.

[monthlygirljiji]

the essay that didn't get me in ateneo

i always wanted to post this somewhere so why not here

My sister was my role model. Everything she did, I wanted to do as well. Even every career path she was aspiring for made me want it as well. She wanted to be a marine biologist once, and when I found out that she did, I spent three months studying about killer whales. She wanted to be a singer, so I asked my mom for singing lessons. The phase of me wanting to be like my sister shortly ended, and I, unfortunately, have a deep knowledge about killer whales and now know that songs that are in alto weren’t for me. But one of her aspirations struck me, it wasn’t even a long-time thing to her. One day, I heard her talk about how being a movie director would be cool. But I never hyper-fixated on what she said, til a few years ago I realised how much of an impact films make. 

The standard definition of film is basic, it’s a visual aid to a story. But it isn’t just that, of course. Films send a message, depict emotion, films are a political statement, and film is bravery. Filmmaking is everything I wanted and more. Storytelling with distinct visuals and music just for the viewers to know and understand how the scene is supposed to play, is supposed to feel. I pictured my future self as a director. Brave, smart, and strong. I knew that this was what I wanted. I saw myself not as a writer, but as a director. 

My short film was about a queer friend’s experience. She was approached by a scammer telling her that her hair was beautiful, asking if it was a wig then proceeded to ask for her personal information for her to become a model. Since my friend isn’t as gullible as a child, she refused and looked up the scammer’s name. Turns out the scammer would make women undress themselves while they steal the women’s belongings. 

I took a big risk writing this story, being a closeted queer person in my own home with homophobic family members while writing about the struggle of the queer experience might seem confusing to my parents. But this story, despite it being just an impulse, was important to me. I want excellence in everything that I do, I want to give my all. The message was important to me. I wrote the film in another perspective where-in she said yes. I made my main character, Ysa, have a dream of wanting to be a model and her saying yes was a sign of how desperate she was about reaching her goal. I wrote this film as a symbol of the lengths people would go just to get what they want whether it was suspicious or not, they would force themself to go to the said “photoshoot” and would repeatedly convince themself that they’re making the right decision. 

Ysa is everyone. Everyone is unsure whether they’re making the right decision. 

I made Ysa a representation of everyone and me. I wasn’t sure whether I liked my story or not, making me wonder if I was making the right decision. Regardless, I put my everything in this film. I made visual pegs, made my groupmates use my house for the location, scouted actors myself, choreographed scenes, provided food, made schedules, even though I wasn't in a position to do so. I was the assistant director and the writer, the blueprint. This was my first piece and I wanted to make sure everything was set and ready, it was convenient. My sacrifice was convenient to me because I wouldn’t need anyone else’s help but mine. When the shoot day was over, I didn’t have a sense of relief. I couldn’t sleep properly in my own home, I still felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was unsure if I made the right decision. 

When post-production started, I thought that my job ended there. The final product came out, I was unsure whether to be glad that it was over or nitpick on some tiny details I didn’t like. I wanted to say so much after exerting so much effort into this film, feeding people and providing them with answers or whatever they lacked. I thought to myself that I would at least have a say in the creative direction of this film after all of what I’ve done. 

My mindset at the time was just to let people do what they needed to, answer when asked, and do what was told. But with the amount of mixed emotions and the exhaustion I was handling couldn’t make me say something and elongate the process just because of my opinion. The risk wasn’t worth it. All I was, was a writer. I shouldn’t be involving myself in things like this unless I’m asked. 

The day comes where we have a small screening with my professor and groupmates. I felt a sense of relief hearing my professor say that among all of the films made in her subject, ours was one of the best. She encouraged us to join several film fests. We got in two—one in a local university and one in my school. We won first place in my own school. I didn’t attend the awarding since I thought that it would shatter me to see that my name wasn’t being called when announcing the winner even though I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this film. I went at the last minute to congratulate my friend, the director. I didn’t know how to feel seeing people congratulate him and his name being presented everywhere, making him the only one credited. I was unsure if I made the right decision being a writer. 

The night I came home from the awarding made me recollect and think if this was really for me, if the sacrifice was worth it. This experience has made me realise that I am capable of doing anything and everything. Seeing all this hard work on a big screen and my story coming to life and seeing people acknowledge the greatness of it makes it worth it. The feeling of achieving something will never come smoothly and it's always going to hit you in the face one way or another. I could have not done it and gone on with my life but I'm the kind of person who wouldn't want to regret not doing it rather than regret doing it. Lying in bed, I was sure that I made the right decision. 

[liopleurodean]

Wait I have answers for a couple of these (but yeah a lot of it is crazy)

As far as the money thing, everyone belongs to a Hold. Every minor hold belongs to a major Hold, most of which are associated with a craft hall (and if they aren't, they export their goods to one or have their own trading system). Minor holders keep their own farms/fisheries/whatever to keep themselves fed, but a good portion of whatever their export is goes to the major Hold or craft hall to be sold, which is where they get their money (and how they acquire living essentials).

As far as the 'no one is curious about anything,' 9th Pass Pern definitely disproves that. The issue is that Thread is such a violent threat that for 50 years (plus previous prep time) there is simply no way to put effort into expanding sciences. Of course, there are Intervals (especially the long ones) where people could explore and learn, but Pern is also not set up very well for an industrial revolution.

Not only that, but Pern was chosen as a colony world specifically because it did not have the right native materials to achieve advanced technologies (Pern stands for Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible, referring to a distinct lack of minerals that could be used for batteries and such). Combining that with the fact that most of the Ancients' resources were on the Southern Continent, which was (rightfully) abandoned, and you have a society that could eventually discover how to make something such as a telephone, but certainly nothing more advanced than a landline (if that).

It is acknowledged by multiple Harpers on behalf of their craft that they control the flow of information and ideas, and it is also acknowledged that many Harpers have agendas that affect the world at large. However, the main goal of the Harpercrafthall is to preserve the essential knowledge of Pern, i.e. how to fight Thread, how the political system works, and information about the local flora & fauna. While Harpers are seen to have an influence on political issues while holding the title of 'arbitrary,' it is generally noted that the Harpers are meant to take whatever side benefits all of Pern the most (which generally happens to coincide with the plans of our heroes). It's not a perfect system by a long shot, but at least it's interesting.

I'm not going to touch very far on the Weyrleader thing because it's an acknowledged issue from the characters themselves, but it is noted that generally the only bronzes that are fast enough to fly the queens are the ones who have competent riders (who care for and adequately train their dragons). The real issue is when a Queen becomes Senior just because she's the oldest, even if she's not qualified.

Weyrs keep their own herds for dragon hunting, and I think it's implied somewhere that they work with the animals to keep them healthy despite terror? I'm pretty sure it's also noted that riders are supposed to encourage their dragons to make swift, clean kills (or at least, such traits are praised in dragons like Mnementh and Ramoth, who are role models for exemplary dragon behavior).

A couple of these can also be explained by the Southern Continent being Weird and also Banned (you're right about the mint thing, though. That's concerning). The fire lizards don't like the cold of the Northern Continent, so they're mostly kept south, where Terran animals have been left behind. It's a little unrealistic that so many foreign animals would have much of an impact on the local ecosystem, but both predator and prey were left behind, especially when we factor in Thread.

That's about all I have to say about the issues listed. Obviously the world of Pern has many flaws, and I'm not trying to excuse them, but I love to ramble about Pern and its idiosyncrasies.

Dragonriders of Pern is a series

Anne McCaffrey:

[madcapislostinthebooks]

My review of the Barbie movie.

The Barbie movie starts with a 2001: A Space Odyssey homage and when Barbie shows up she is portrayed as a God who brought women's liberation to the masses. Barbie or Mattel is not the answer to the hard  questions. Throughout the film Mattel is an entity that controls Barbieland and when something goes awry in Barbieland it happens in the real world. So Mattel inadvertently controls the real world. Since one of the co-founders of Mattel was also the creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler, Mattel feels that Barbie is the essence of Girl Boss. But Girl Boss for who? 

There is no class analysis in the movie. Barbie can go out and do whatever she wants because she lives in a Wes Anderson style utopia.  Everyone is incredibly wealthy. There are no homeless people in the movie (I didn't see any when they were in the real world either). So everyone in both worlds are wealthy. There is no poverty, everyone has the same opportunities. Which is not true. The writers all come from relative privilege and comfort. So they could go out and do anything. But the woman who has struggled with Homelessness has a much harder time trying to become president as there are barriers in the way. At the end of the movie they don't address many of the issues that caused the Ken’s to rebel. Where do the Ken’s sleep? So Barbie is there for bourgeois women liberation. 

The movie's main point is that if Barbie can do it, so can you. What if Barbie wants to be a farmer, blacksmith, or a car mechanic? All of Barbie’s jobs are very bourgeois, even the cop and the Desert Storm Veteran. I know when I played with her it was more of how I play The Sims, “Oh look, a happy family.” Barbie despite everything is still a feminine role model. 

Every time Ruth Handler is on screen they give her some soft lighting to make her look angelic and every time the two women hold hands it's very reminiscent of Michelangelo’s painting Creation of Adam. So this female who is a representation of both women and a corporation is the equivalent to God. Because God created man and Mattel via Ruth created Woman. The movie is saying worship women and corporations as they may make a few mistakes but they have your best intentions. 

They also do that because they want to drive home the importance of the mother-daughter relationship because Barbie is named after Ruth’s daughter Barbara. It really felt like the feminism of the 1970s where you can be a career woman and a mother. According to the movie, the only way to dismantle the patriarchy is to strengthen the sisterhood. So have more babies. It felt extremely pro-life. It made me uncomfortable. 

The movie promotes heteronormativity despite having queer and trans people in the cast. The relationship between Barbie and America Ferrier’s character was advertised as queer like in the trailer but it mirrors more of a nuclear family. Barbie is the big sister of Sasha. This movie reminded me of a lot of films and TV from the 50’s that I have seen. Because in the end you are ruled by either a matriarchy or a patriarchy. Writer and Director Greta Gerwing said this to the New York Times, “My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men.” Either woman or man. So she doesn't acknowledge anyone else but man or woman. It may have been campy but it upheld heteronormative ideas. 

Barbie sets off on her quest because she gets some cellulite. Which was the final straw for someone who is supposed to be beautiful. There is a big barbie. You think they would be used to cellulite because she is a friend. But when Stereotypical barbie has a minor flaw of cellulite, not flat feet, the whole world ends. Isn't that part of the critique of why Barbie as an institution is bad? Barbie, like Disney, gives women and girls unrealistic ideas of how they are supposed to look. So the movie wants you to stay skinny and look hot. To be beautiful is to be powerful.

The movie was bad  but one of the worse things it did was make a genocide joke. They had America Ferrer, a woman of color, say that white women losing to the patriarchy is similar to being whipped out completely. You can tell a rich white woman wrote it because if you tell a white lady no she feels like she is the most oppressed person ever to exist which in a way turns her into a Karen. 

In short the movie promotes cis women and corporations as gods. Cis women are gods as they are mother’s. And they are the only way to help change the world for the better. You can have a fat friend just don't be fat yourself. Also rich people having an inconvenience is equivalent to genocide because poor people just don't exist in the world. The movie was written by people who live in their own little world, and it shows. It could have been viewed as leftist if it was made in about 1985 but today? No.

[aestherin]

privacy

ayato's (official)

NOTES

Ayato - a very, and i mean very famous actor; specializes in romance and historical drama. milk tea enthusiast, every single living being probably knows about that fact. whenever he posts a photo or talks about a certain drink from a certain shop, rest assured the mentioned shop will have enough sales to last them an eternity. also secretly a ceo. basically, even if he is not a celebrity, this man will still have more than enough mora to buy the world. maybe that is why he can control the agency that he is supposed to be under. may or may not be secretly a simp.

Thoma - our resident famous homebody vlogger. he makes a lot of videos about housekeeping—sweeping, dusting, laundry, ironing, folding clothes, cooking, waste disposal, sometimes even how to groom and take care of dogs aka taroumaru—you name it, he has it. but let's be honest, the main reason people keep watching him is that he is an eyecandy.

Ayaka - miss shirasagi himegimi here is a solo artist. girl can dance and sing, people can only wish they were as talented as her. not to mention she is gorgeous and acts with grace. according to the public, she is the epitome of perfection. ayaka has taken the hearts of many, and likewise, her heart is already taken by another.

Yoimiya - the sunshine and extrovert celebrity. she is in the same agency as [name], but despite her desire to get close to the said actress, she never had an opportunity to do so. auditioned as a model for jokes (because she was dared by the friend group), and actually got in. they were scared to dare her to do anything after that.

Itto - also an actor, but never gets lead roles. despite that, he is still famous and well-loved by the public. we have his personality to thank for that. we also have his personality to blame why the characters he plays are almost all the same—the comedic relief side character.

[lisannastraussisanangel]

Do you have any Meredy and Ultear headcanons ? Their mother daughter relationship is one of my favorite things about the anime but both characters and their relationship are criminally underrated !!

They deserved better! Ultear should've got her redemption arc and lived happily ever after with her daughter!

Meredy uses Ultear's last name on official documents. She never said anything to Ultear about it but she's pretty sure Ultear knows

Partners in crime (literally), those two are always scheming. Nowadays it's playful villainy tho

Meredy can get away with anything. She hits Ultear with those puppy dog eyes and its all over

Ultear still feels really guilty about what she did to Meredy and wants to make it up to her. Meredy tells her that helping people and becoming a better person is all Ultear needs to do to make it up to her

That is one of the main reasons Ultear turned good. She wants to be a good role model for Meredy and make up for all the hurt she's caused her

Ultear is bad cop. Meredy is good cop. Unless it is against Jellal then they are both bad cop

Meredy is a hugger and Ultear is very much not. It usually results in Meredy chasing her around desperately trying to love Ultear

Ultear is literally so proud of Meredy. She can't believe how genuinely happy and good Meredy has grown up to be

Meredy used to make Ultear mothers day gifts back when they were evil. Ultear had yelled at her to stop after the first time she was gifted one

Meredy still made them every year. She saved them instead of giving them to Ultear, hoping one day Ultear would change her mind and want to celebrate

When they started Crime Sorciere, Meredy gifted Ultear all the hidden gifts and Ultear sobbed. She cherishes every gift from Meredy now

Even after her death, Meredy still takes the time to leave Mother's day gifts on her grave

Ultear is absolutely terrible at domestic stuff. She can't cook and is awful at chores (she lit their laundry on fire once trying to dry it faster) so Meredy tries to take over but Ultear insists on doing it because she's supposed to take care of Meredy

Meredy has gotten in the habit of redoing all of Ultear's chores in secret. Imagine Ultear turning around while cooking and Meredy quickly seasoning the food before Ultear turns back

Ultear wants to take care of Meredy so bad but that girl is mega independent. Meredy always says it's Ultear's fault for raising her that way

[lightgriffinsect]

NO BUT LITERALLY

(deltarune specifically i go on a bit of a rant here because im so annoyed by this lmao mb)

and!!! it makes Sense that chapter 3 felt so much more claustrophobic than chapters 1 and 2 did! especially when you consider we just left a dark world formed from The Freaking Internet, no wonder tenna’s world and what he has to offer feels so limited! he’s an outdated crt model who only plays the same reruns, if you ask me it only makes it all the more fitting! chapter 3 is about being stuck in the past and wallowing in sticky nostalgia, you’re supposed to feel trapped. it’s SUPPOSED to get old because it’s so repetitive, because it represents tenna growing increasingly obsolete and desperate and not understanding what the lightners want!

this chapter is supposed to help shed more light (hehe pun not intended) on the lightners’ backstories and the past between the dreemurrs and the holidays before chapter 4 delves even further into the adventuring and prophecy aspect of the story. i understand why it might feel like filler, but since when has filler always been pointless or useless? it’s HOW you connect with and understand characters as people and not just the roles they have to play in the story.

it’s almost sad when you think about it lmao because these takes are exactly the sort of thing tenna was afraid of. being seen as pointless. being ignored and considered a waste of time. that’s not really important in the grand scheme of things because he is a fictional character, and i certainly don’t believe anyone Owes It™️ to toby fox to pretend to enjoy his work when they don’t, but if people cannot or will not grasp the deeper messages and the story being told between the boss battles and plot twists, maybe they should stick to parts of the game they actually like. or just engage with a different piece of media entirely, one that doesn’t care as much about the individuality and humanity of every character that appears.

there’s no reason to pretend this chapter is empty of meaning just because the main plot doesn’t progress as quickly as it did in the last.

'but it was just filler-' if anything that doesn't scream 'final boss' is considered filler to you, then you're not ready for in-depth discussions of the media you're consuming. now get out of here before i steal your teeth

[mackjlee9]

Kise Ryota x Idol!Male!Reader [Fluff&Lime]

(I was imagining something kind of like 'dakaretai otoko' when I was writing this, but it turned out a little meh :/)

Masterlist.

Kuroko no Basuke

The idol group, RISE⭒HIGH, had been getting more and more popular with each day that passed, giving them the chance of acting together as a group in their first drama.

The five of them were really rising high, just as their name said.

Days of popularity turned into weeks, that merged into months, and now, during their first anniversary, they were told something big. All of them were gonna have singular roles in different series and movies, nothing too special, but that could soon change, maybe one day, they'll get the protagonist role, and one of them did.

(M/n) passed his audition for one of the main character's love interests, who would, however, be rejected.

On the first day of rehearsal, he met the guy that would play his character's best friend, who was the one that helped him confess and court the main character, that guy was going to be interpreted by a very well-known model. Kise Ryota.

Meeting each other was a little awkward, but as the days went by, (M/n) just kept wanting to talk to Kise more and more, enjoying his chill presence. They had good chemistry, and that was obvious for the rest of the personnel on the set, even for the viewers. He and Kise were often seen hanging out together after filming, their eye-catching chemistry hard to miss, modeling together for known brands, going to interviews as a duo, seemingly attached to the hip.

They were the perfect guys to make a profit out of, putting them together whenever they got a chance, making money, and pleasing the viewers and shippers that loved every interaction they had.

The internet was floated with videos of short moments with each other, enjoying the way they talked or looked at each other, some of their fans craving a friendship like theirs, and others, wishing for a pure, true love like that.

But no one knew what any of them were starting to feel.

Growing feelings of love drove them to try and stop being so openly touchy with each other, blushing at how close they constantly were, but deep inside, craving for more.

And someone, a known director, saw his chance.

Having the perfect script for both of them, they weren't holding auditions for those two characters, and their managers told them about this big drama that was gonna start filming. Neither of them rejected the role, especially not after finding out who was gonna be there too.

(M/n) and Kise played the role of "rivals" involved in a love triangle, and every scene they filmed together was so seemingly real, that everyone on the set felt like they were already watching the premiere of the chapters, but no, it was all acting, an act that was too convincing as it was equally tense. The tension was so palpable, and the director had a bright idea for a scene that would sell so much and could catch people's attention.

Being portrayed as the typical himbo "jock", Kise was the one who could get easily cornered by (M/n), the " bad guy" lone wolf of the school, everything was fake, just a role that they played, but the tension- the sexual tension was almost too real.

The scene was only meant to be a heavy discussion, close to getting into a physical fight, but turned out to be an annoyed push from Kise that ended in a kabedon by (M/n). Caught off-guard by the sudden change, Kise stared at (M/n) like a deer caught in red light, his body getting covered in goosebumps when he made eye contact with the (h/c) haired male.

(M/n) had a serious expression on his face while internally wondering why the fuck he started improvising, but he never heard the director calling a restart for the scene, so he kept going.

He was supposed to threaten Kise, making him understand why he was the best choice for the girl they loved, but Kise was too busy staring into (M/n)'s eyes, there was something almost animalistic in them that made Kise back himself further into the brick wall behind him to prevent himself from falling on the ground.

And well, to discretely fix his clothing so he could hide something that was starting to become visible, he was kind of grateful that his outfits were usually baggy fits or he had a jacket tied around his waist because otherwise, everyone would've seen the bulge in his pants.

"Cut!" The director's voice make them snap out of the trance they were in, and Kise realized he didn't say his line, "We'll pick it up from here in ten minutes!" Everyone in the set dispersed, heading to their trailers to rest or eat some food, "Well done, (M/n)."

The male nodded in silence, and Kise pushed himself off the wall so he could get away quickly, but his body was still weak from the shock and arousal (M/n) caused that his knees gave out, thankfully -or maybe not- (M/n) caught him before he could fall to the ground, and he let out a choked moan that could be disguised as a sound of fear or surprise. His erection had just rubbed on (M/n)'s thighs and he got a little scared that the (h/c) haired male felt it, but (M/n) was more focused on getting him to stand up straight.

Little did Kise know that (M/n), not only felt his erection, but he was panicking because he was controlling the problem that was also rising inside his clothes, he was wearing kinda tight clothes, and his shirt and leather jack could never hide a bulge in his pants.

Well, that scene caught quite the attention, but it also made Kise and (M/n) know how big their sexual tension was, leading them to accept that it was, indeed, sexual tension and no less than that.

///////

Despite their awareness, they continued filming the drama, having to endure the "spicy fights" scenes they were given through the rest of the chapters, and they finally got to film the ending.

That last day, after filming the last scene, the whole cast was invited out for dinner, courtesy of their director. Everyone had fun, drinking away and having fun, however, by the time they were done, it was too late for (M/n) to go back to the dorm where he lives with the rest of the group, it was a long trip there and the hotels were pretty much already at full capacity or were too expensive.

Kise saw his opportunity when he watched (M/n) mess with his hair as he sighed in frustration, he walked closer until he stopped next to him, and he nudged (M/n) to get his attention.

He was kinda glad that the alcohol had made his face flushed because the way (M/n) looked at him made him flustered.

"How 'bout you spend the night at my place?" Kise asked with a playful smile, and (M/n) frowned for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea, but being honest, he really wanted to spend time with Kise, they became such good friends and now he wanted to fuck him... that had to change, he couldn't lust after the blond.

"Uh... sure, why not?" At that moment, the Uber Kise had called mere minutes ago arrived, and he held (M/n)'s wrist, dragging him to the back of the car.

They got in, and the driver stayed silent the whole way to Kise's apartment, (M/n) felt his heart beating faster, his fingers playing with the strap of his bag that was placed between his legs, keeping his sight on the passing buildings of the city.

Kise was the same, but his eyes focused on (M/n)'s reflection through the side of his window glass, feeling nervous and excited about what he was gonna do once they arrived.

//////

Closing the door behind him, (M/n) yawned and walked further in, rubbing his eye for a few seconds.

When he looked up, he had to look away before keeping his sight on his shoes. He understood that Kise was in his home and that they were friends, but he was stripping even before his door was fully closed. 

Avoiding eye contact, (M/n) walked past the blond, "I'm going to the bathroom..." He mumbled, but he couldn't take more than three steps before he felt Kise's grip on his wrist.

"Do you mind if we shower together?" Yes, I do mind! (M/n) thought as he held his breath, but instead, he let out a short sigh.

"No, not at all," he wasn't sure why he said that- or maybe he was, he just knew that he was conflicted and confused, and honestly, Kise didn't seem to really understand the pinch he was in at the moment.

Flowing the blond to the bathroom room, they took a quick shower to clean up before walking into the bathtub. (M/n) washed himself first and stood up, untying the towel around his hips and getting in the warm water. The bath wasn't huge, but it could fit both of them comfortably, and (M/n)'s mind was petty much gone by now, moving as if on command, too tired and stressed to even understand what was happening anymore.

Kise glanced back at (M/n) when he was done washing up, getting up, and getting in the bath too, sitting in front of (M/n), on the opposite end of the bath.

After a few minutes of silence, Kise spoke, "What's wrong?"

(M/n) kept his eyes down on the gently moving water, "What do you mean?"

"You're not looking at me, that's what I mean," Kise held onto the sides of the bath, kneeling as he closely observed (M/n)'s reaction.

"That's not true," Taking a quick glance up, (M/n) sharply looked down again, making Kise frown.

"You just did," reaching a hand to hold (M/n)'s face, Kise made him look up, maintaining eye contact, "What? Do I turn you on?"

(M/n) didn't like getting teased, he never did, and showing a small frown, his hands reached up to hold onto Kise's hips, "Actually, you do," Kise's eyes opened wide his breath stuck in his throat, "What are you gonna do about it?"

Leaning closer, (M/n)'s lips graced Kise's, whose face turned red. Taking a deep breath, Kise took the initiative and pressed their lips together in a kiss that started slow but soon turned rough and hungry.

Kise wrapped his arms around (M/n)'s neck, while the (h/c) haired male tightly held Kise's waist, bringing the blond closer to his body.

Moans and whine left Kise's mouth, his hips starting to grind down on (M/n)'s, feeling his dick getting hard as he felt (M/n)'s grip tightening, making him move faster as his cock pressed against Kise's ass.

Breaking the kiss, (M/n) pressed their foreheads together, "Ryota, wait..." The blond felt shivers when (M/n) called out his name, "We're in the bath right now," Kise didn't care about that one bit, he wanted (M/n)'s cock inside, and it didn't matter where he got it, in the bath, the couch or his bed, but (M/n) stopped him from going further, holding his body gently in a hug, "Maybe some other time where... we're not drunk, okay?"

Kise felt his heart flutter at (M/n)'s words, and he just silently nodded.

(M/n) smiled at him and slowly stood up while keeping his hold on Kise's body. He let Kise stand up in the bath and he stepped out, reaching for a towel to wrap around his hip, and walking out of the bathroom.

"I'll be in your room," he muttered before closing the door, and leaning against it. He glanced down at his still standing erection and he sighed, "I better go and get dressed," he whispered to himself, heading to the guest room where he kept some spare clothes whenever he stayed the night.

While he dried his body, he kept thinking, wondering what could've happened, and the answer was simple, his face heating up at the thought of having sex with Kise, his best friend, and crush, the guy he felt romantic and sexual attention toward.

"Damn it..." He cursed as he got dressed, pulling his sweatpants up before sitting on the bed, his hair still dripping water, so he grabbed the towel around his shoulders and placed it on his head.

He didn't know what exactly was gonna happen next, whether their relationship was gonna turn into something more or if they'll just stay as friends, he was unsure, and that kind of scared him a bit.

(What even is this trash?)

[albertonykus]

You Wouldn’t Really Know Shizuka from the Doraemon Movies

If you’ve experienced enough Doraemon media, you’ve probably noticed that the movies tend to emphasize the main characters’ positive qualities, which often paints a very different picture of them from the regular manga and episodes. The contrast is especially noticeable with Nobita, Gian, and Suneo, who in the mainline series are frequently cast as anti-role models to show children how not to behave.

Shizuka, on the other hand, is already kind and morally upstanding by default, so it’s only natural for the movies to continue portraying her that way. That makes Shizuka pretty much the same between the regular series and the movies, right? I would argue not exactly, and unfortunately her character in the movies suffers for it.

It’s not that the movies never characterize Shizuka well. She’s had very important roles in some of them: in my reviews, I counted at least eight films in which her actions are critical to resolving the plot. Certainly one can gather from the movies that she’s compassionate, quick-witted, brave, and adventurous, and all of these things are true about Shizuka in the mainline series.

However... if you only watched the movies, you might not realize that Shizuka also enjoys messing with other people for fun...

... or can be very blunt towards her friends...

... or participates in schemes to get even with people who have wronged her...

[A short time later...]

... or becomes disproportionately violent when she’s upset (“Janie” being one of her dolls)...

... or lies to get out of things she doesn’t want to do.

(If any of this seems like it conflicts with Shizuka’s usual characterization, I don’t think it does. When I was Shizuka’s age, I was also a “good kid” who stayed out of trouble and got along with most of my peers, and I still did every one of these things.)

From the movies alone, you might even miss that Shizuka is supposed to be bad at playing the violin, which is her one “flaw” that the franchise likes to highlight with any regularity. Her violin playing has shown up in two movies so far (Nobita and the Knights on Dinosaurs and Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds), but only in very brief scenes where we don’t see anyone else reacting to it. (Edit: I’d forgotten that she also plays the violin in The New Record of Nobita’s Spaceblazer. There, it is a similar situation in which she is only seen practicing alone. She is finally shown playing in front of an audience during the end credits of Nobita’s Sky Utopia, which I hadn’t had a chance to see when I first wrote this post.)

Of course, there are other ways to add dimensionality to a character besides giving them flaws. However, Shizuka in the movies almost never exhibits quirks of any kind, except maybe for being just a bit too obsessed with bathing. (Now that they rarely neglect to include in the movies, for some reason...)

In the main series, Shizuka is often the voice of reason who is strung along by the foolishness and craziness of the others around her, but she still gets her kicks. When the kids test out Doraemon’s Mysterious Trash Chute, there’s the implication that she goes the extra mile to throw in a concrete beam. (As far as I know, none of the animated adaptations of this story have included this particular detail, which is disappointing.)

There’s also the time she hesitates to partake in karaoke, only to have trouble putting down the mic once her turn comes around.

Even the manga counterparts to the movies sometimes contain facets of Shizuka’s character that weren’t adapted into the films themselves. (Perhaps that’s not a surprise considering that the original author had a more direct hand in the manga.) Nobita’s Three Visionary Swordsmen is already one of the best movies when it comes to Shizuka’s portrayal, but if you’ve never read the manga version, you probably wouldn’t have known that she aspires to be a diplomat working for world peace.

Then there’s this moment in Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth, where she makes a bet with Suneo over whether Nobita is lying to them. This conversation does happen in the movie, but the film version doesn’t quite get across just how smug Shizuka looks when she takes that bet.

And check out how pleased she is to be eventually proven right! (This expression didn’t make it into the movie either.)

Nobita in the Robot Kingdom was not written by the original manga author, but I’ve discussed before how the manga version of that story gave Shizuka an important part that was unfortunately cut out of the film.

Is this really a problem? After all, it’s well established that the other main characters in the movies don’t act exactly like they normally do in the manga either. With the others, however, subverting their usual roles is precisely what gives them character depth. Relegating Shizuka solely to being “the nice one”, which she already comes across as most of the time, makes her feel much more static by comparison.

An understandable concern is that swinging the pendulum too far in another direction might erode Shizuka’s kind image, but this need not be the case. Like anyone else, nice people can say and do some very un-nice things, and the trick for a storyteller is to interrogate what might lead them to act in such a way. I think the Nobita in the Robot Kingdom manga does this very well, but an example found in the films themselves can be seen in Nobita and the Steel Troops.

In this movie, (SPOILERS) Shizuka rescues a severely damaged robot spy, Riruru, and works on nursing her back to health. After Riruru explains the history of the robot society that she belongs to, Shizuka observes its parallels to human history. However, Riruru, who is still operating under a belief in robot supremacy, takes offense to this comparison and tries to shoot Shizuka, which results in Shizuka expressing regret and bitterness over having saved her in the first place. Shizuka gets over this very quickly and it’s not explored much further, but this still a rare deconstruction of her role as “the nice one”. Sometimes, being kind is hard.

Overly-long story short, it would be nice if the Doraemon movies let Shizuka do more “bad” (or mischievous, or just plain weird) things, especially for the sake of good.