#is turning into obsession about subtext again

[inevitably-ineffable-husbands]

Crowley's Bentley = Crowley's Heart?

Putting on them clown damned shoes again, y'all. Had a thought last night while typing out today's additions to my GO S2 Meta...

Is Crowley's Bentley supposed to be a metaphor for his heart?

THINK ABOUT IT:

In Season 1:

The Bentley survives the fire because Crowley believes with all his heart that he and the car will make it to save Aziraphale.

Crowley drives fast because his love for Azzie makes his heart race.

Speaking of driving too fast, when Aziraphale say's "you drive too fast for me Crowley", subtextually he means "your heart moves too fast for me, I'm not ready for you".

In Season 2:

Crowley's houseplants (the only things he supposedly loves) are in his Bentley (home is where the heart is??). He didn't have the heart to throw them away, so... he put them in his heart where they will be loved.

Crowley sends Aziraphale away from the bookshop to protect him from the threat of Heaven, and the safest place he knows is (his heart) The Bentley, which will take care of Azzie. He literally locks Azzie away in his heart to keep Azzie safe and sheltered away from everyone.

Crowley can feel everything happening in and around the Bentley. He knows when his heart slowed down because he wasn't worried about Aziraphale anymore; his heart desires to please Aziraphale and make him happy by driving slow, playing music Aziraphale loves, offering him sweets, and being painted yellow like Crowley's eyes. Crowley only threatens because he's worried Aziraphale will find out that he loves him if the Bentley keeps up with being adoring to Aziraphale. GUYS I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET A DOTING-HUSBAND-CROWLEY is what I'm getting at, here.

That said, the Bentley ADORES Aziraphale, trying to follow him and keep him safe. And immediately does what Aziraphale asks, just like Crowley usually does.

At the end of S2E6, the Bentley plays the music Crowley is thinking about immediately after their spat and his failed confession, then shuts it off angrily because he’s heart broken... so he “breaks the (love) song” by shutting it off and out of his heart.

BASICALLY what I'm saying is that in the 90 or so years he's owned the Bentley is when he truly realized he was IN LOVE with Aziraphale and poured all that love into the Bentley instead to compensate.

Shax even says to Aziraphale in S2E4:

"Sometime, in the last 80 or 90 years, I remember hearing that you and Crowley were an item."

Very specific numbers, mentioned TO the love interest inside of the damned Heart itself, isn't it? And we know Shax can read into people's hearts (she does it numerous times in the season, specifically with the Crowley mirror, Maggie, in S2E5 and again to Aziraphale in S2E6, revealing more about Crowley and Azzie).

I reckon there's a LOT more, but like... DAMN this feels like Phones and Hearts all over again. I'm not sure if this makes the Bookshop Azzie's heart (right now I'm thinking MAYBE??), but that's something else to explore after another rewatch. That would mean, if the Bookshop was Azzie's heart, that he realized a LOT longer ago than Crowley he loved him. Hmm.

Let me know what y'all think! <3

[neyafromfrance95]

"if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

oh and gaze back into her he does.

when the abyss she has gazed into with hatred for so long gazes back into her with love, what does that say about the complex depths of her own identity and feelings?

galadriel basically wills sauron into life after she turns her back on heaven for him, and then she calls for him to bind himself to her.

and bind her to himself he does. over and over again. just like she has devoted herself to slaying the darkness of him, he now covets to own the light of hers he worships. her obsession became his yearning. they were already bound cosmically, by the sea and by nenya, by connection they share. but it was not enough, he intended to merge their beings, to become intrinsic parts of each other. so he binds her by the blood in an act that is disturbingly erotic, a symbolically sexual act, as it is consummated through violent penetration. he opens her up and slithers in, consuming her.

and there are dimensions to this. sauron still wants her to give herself to him willingly when he asks for nenya. this is his ultimate goal, he is desperate for her to let him "heal" her, to the point he is brought to tears. pain -> reward is his love language, and i'd say he hates hurting her while she refuses his gifts, and yet he still gives them to her in the form of binding her to himself, his darkness, and most likely to her greatest desire - power.

galadriel is metaphorically ravished and reborn, she is both killed by sauron and birthed by him into something new, his mirror, drowned witch thirsty for power. the symbol of their bond both on her finger and just above her heart - his eye, always with her, perceiving her.

now they are bound for all eternity, and those indeed are the seeds galadriel herself has planted.

all of this is of course a metaphor, a narrative device. as sexual subtext is an effective tool of storytelling, a tangible way of showing galadriel's complex relationship with the darkness, ambition and power. and on a more metaphysical scale, a metaphor for an eternal push and pull of the dark and the light, for the intertwined nature of these concepts.

[carolinagirl80]

I honestly don’t understand the whole “it’s just a joke”, “that’s how guys talk” like no?

First of all that’s a lame fucking excuse for his behavior. Just because you’re a fan doesn’t mean you have to protect every fucked up thing he says.

Let’s be honest non of us know them personally, we see what’s online and hear what’s said. So pretending like you know them, saying “he’s a good guy” and defending him like you do is embarrassing.

I use to be a fan of Misha. Well, more like I use to respect him as an actor and I enjoyed him in SPN. This year I had the privilege to meet him at a con. I say privilege because I know that many can’t afford to or haven’t had the opportunity.

It was so awkward, he clearly didn’t want to be there. Everything he said during his q&a catered to the audience. It was over all very fake, I still can’t understand how people feed into the stuff he says.

It really put a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve never been his biggest fan, just thought that it would be fun to meet someone, from the tv show the show I’ve loved for years. That being said if I could go back, I’d save my money instead of wasting it.

I’m not saying he wasn’t nice to me, I did have a longer interaction than others that had been in line. But as someone who hasn’t ever been an obsessive fan, I think it might have been easier not feeding into all the crap he says.

People forget that he gets paid to do this stuff. The reason why he’s a fan favorite is because of destiel. So ofc he’s going to milk it, since that’s the only thing he has to talk about.

All the questions were destiel related, he has nothing else to say about the show. Honestly I don’t think he remembers anything that happened in the show, except from all of the scenes where he can confirm that destiel is canon.

Anyway after that con I watched a few videos of other panels online, because Jensen and Jared didn’t attend the one I went to. And I have to say I agree with a lot of the things you’ve posted.

It’s clear that he tries hard to push Jared out of the picture, he forces this idea of being besties with Jensen at cons. It’s always so awkward watching them together. Most of the time Jensen just goes along with stuff Misha says, so he doesn’t have to answer the same questions about destiel being canon or not.

Jensen obviously takes his acting seriously, he played Dean for 15 years. So I don’t get when he says over and over again, that destiel isn’t a thing. That people can’t accept it and move on. I love Dean, but I’m not going to pretend I know him better than Jensen. He WAS Dean. He knows him inside and out.

Then we have Misha that eggs the fans on during these panels. It’s like Jensen tries to answer the question seriously. Then Misha swoops in makes a small joke out of it, like Jensen has no idea what he’s talking about and proceeds to talk over him. Giving them the answer they want to hear.

It even feels like he’s making fun of the fans at times, knowing that they feed into this crap and thinking it’s funny that they do.

Gives me the same vibes of Regina George saying “I love that bracelet where did you get it”. Then going back to the green room and making fun of it.

I mean he’s made fun of the show and fans before, there are literally videos or posts online.

ALSO!!! The whole thing Jensen said about it not being subtext it was clear text, has been so fucking twisted.

This has turned into more of a rant, sorry. But what I mean to say is I agree with a lot of the things you’ve said. I just don’t understand how people can’t see it? It’s so frustrating.

I don’t hate Misha, it just really really fucking bugs me, that people don’t see what he’s doing. I just don’t get that you, like others who point it out get attacked.

People go on and on about how hateful others are, then proceed to bully people online for pointing shit out? Make that make sense.

Hi Anon! Saw your other message, and yeah, I don't blame you there, but you are good, so here we go. Thank you for the message btw. Very refreshing after my last few that's for sure.

I will start by saying that I have never seen a group of people so willing to turn a blind eye to the numerous inappropriate things their fave does/says as the hellers/Misha Stans. Their mantra in life is "oh, it was just a joke". I mean, they have to say it constantly because Misha can't stop being inappropriate. He kinda has to though doesn't he? Otherwise, he couldn't keep them entertained and he'd float on off into obscurity.

Unfortunately, that requires the use of Jared and Jensen's names.

I'll start with Jensen just because I happen to already have a link ready.

So, with Jensen, he's going to play that Destiel/Cockles card as much as he possibly can. Always has, always will. Jensen has always said that Destiel doesn't exist. (Thanks to @Sammyiscat on X for posting this today, just when I needed it!)

Once upon a time, Jensen did do a little fan service and lean into it slightly during JenMish panels. However, he always made it as clear as possible how he really feels. Then the hellers called him homophobic for it. So earlier this year, as you mentioned, he called it "clear text" not subtext. He tried to be as diplomatic as possible. The unfortunate part of being diplomatic is that it allowed the hellers to twist themselves into pretzels making it sound like Jensen said the opposite of what he actually was saying.

What I find the most interesting is that in the last few years, Misha is on his best behavior around Jensen. He only runs his mouth off when Jensen isn't around. Usually when he's at a European con alone. I'd LOVE to know how that transpired. Jensen is also usually in a pretty bad mood leading up to a JenMish panel these days as well. He was surprisingly ok in Charlotte (except for that one damn question). However, let's look back on San Francisco. Remember when he ran from Misha trying to hug him?

That is the definition of an unhappy Jensen....Yet hellers, CANNOT SEE IT! How can they not see that? Anyways...I could go on and on here....

So let's move on to Jared...

Sweet silly Jared. How anyone could be mean to him I'll never know. Something has changed there too. There was a lot more joking from Misha where Jared is concerned once up a time. Now, everything Misha says about his sounds bitter and or malicious.

He loves to point out that Jared was discovered just walking down the street, or that he has no training or that he didn't go to college.

Then there was the airplane story from last month in DC. It was partially true, but heavily embellished to make Jared sound bad, and what happens every time that happens? Tons of hate descends onto Jared online. People telling him to kill himself. Just pure bullying and hate. Misha HAS to know that is what would happen.

Just this past weekend he mocked him: (Ignore the person who tweeted this. You don't want to go down that route)

What an asshole. I mean really. I know, I know hellers, "oh, it's just a joke" right? Let's not start the "you and your friends have no sense of humor" crap again.

As far as con experiences go? I've heard people say many times that they have had negative experiences meeting Misha. Unless you are known to him already he couldn't care less. Been there, done that, can confirm. Like I said in another post, glad I already didn't like him because I sure wouldn't now!

Edited to add another link of Jensen denying Destiel.

[bitterkarella]

Jane Schoenbrun: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the glowing tv Schoenbrun: it's about this kid who's obsessed with a 90s TV series called the pink opaque Schoenbrun: and how estrogen would have saved her

King: Oh, like Pete and Pete! Schoenbrun: what King: the show! it's like pete and pete, right? Schoenbrun: Schoenbrun: no

Poe: steve, it's clearly based on Are You Afraid of the Dark King: you think? it really seems like more of a Pete and Pete thing Poe: trust me King: remember arnie? strongest man in the world Poe: sure steve King: man! what a great show!

Mary Shelley: sup fuckers Poe: jane was telling a story about this 90s show King: Pete and Pete Poe: it's not Pete and Pete Poe: it's clearly got an Are You Afraid of the Dark vibe Barker: really it's more of a Clarissa Explains it All Shelley: now THAT was a show Barker: na na na na na na na Shelley: alright alright! Barker: na na na na Shelley: hey cool! King: wow, mary, i didn't know you were into clarissa explains it all Shelley: there's lots you don't know steve Shelley: i'm a real fuckin enigma, steve

Schoenbrun: well, you're all wrong!! Schoenbrun: it's based on the secret world of alex mack King: King: oh yeah i can kinda see that now Poe: yeah that makes sense Barker: i feel dumb we didn't pick up on that Lovecraft: yeah its obvious when you say it

Schoenbrun: well here's something else that's obvious Schoenbrun: this story's about being trans King: what, really? i didn't pick up on that Barker: oh damn steve was the omnipresent white, blue and pink color scheme too subtle for you? King: the omnipresent what color scheme?

Schoenbrun: the 90s TV show is about these two girls who fight against the evil Dr. Dysphoria Schoenbrun: stop me if i'm being too subtle King: [looks at kafka] Poe: [looks at kafka] Lovecraft: [looks at kafka] Koontz: [looks at kafka] Barker: [looks at kafka] Franz Kafka: what

Schoenbrun: so in this next scene, they're in this bar where this cool badass girl punk is singing Schoenbrun: the subtext is wouldn't it be cool to be this cool badass girl punk? Kafka: well yeah but everyone thinks that Kafka: i mean, right? Kafka: that's just a normal thing

Schoenbrun: next the character turns to the screen and says "do you, the viewer, suffer from gender dysphoria? check all the following symptoms which apply to you" Schoenbrun: again Schoenbrun: stop me if i'm being too subtle Franz Kafka: why are you looking at me

Schoenbrun: what i am saying is Schoenbrun: there is still time to be your own true authentic self Kafka:

Schoenbrun: think about what i'm saying here Kafka: haha i Kafka: Kafka: [stands up, quietly leaves] Barker: oh i didn't expect that Barker: shit Barker: we'd better go after her Poe: no no give her some space Poe: this has been a long time coming Poe: seven years, statistically

[cunty-hunty8]

hot take babes: my thoughts whenever someone says i’m crazy for shipping destiel.

the simple possibility of nephilim tells us that angels can fall in love/have sexual interest in humans. (just like ishim felt something ((obsession)) for lily and lucifer felt something ((sexual desire)) for kelly). so if you say it’s impossible for cas to feel something for dean other than platonic love, the only reason is that you’re homophobic. “oh, but angels can’t be gay” but chuck, who’s literally GOD, can??!?! this goes into another whole area of “we can make the villain gay, but not our precious little dude who all the hetero fellas love so much”. and i’m not even gonna touch the amara subject (who was god’s sister and was supposed to be a being of extreme force and bigger than creation and she still felt something for dean and it wasn’t written by chuck, ‘cause dean is that guy apparently. so an angel can feel something just like amara did ((but shit was weird af)) ).

you can say that maybe dean didn’t reciprocate the romantic love or whatever (even with all the not even subtle subtext that he is a bissexual man in denial), and maybe i’ll get that (MAYBE) but if you say they can’t be together because cas didn’t love him like that, you are blind! watch the show again.

and i’m saying this because jared himself said some pretty stupid shit at a panel about how they can’t be together ‘cause cas is junkless (even though he had sex when he was human and his vessel doesn’t change with grace, this is not even important but ok dude??) and made a weird comparison of romantic love and paternal love saying that you can love your kids and not want to touch them inappropriately and it was the craziest fucking thing ever. so much internalized homophobia i can’t even…

jensen does the same, he acts likes he IS dean and even suggesting that cas and dean might be in love turns into a personal attack to him. but you’ll also find him being a destiel shipper in some videos like the time someone said: “why is it not samstiel?” and jared made 🤢 face and said “sam has better taste” and jensen made a 😒 face and said “dean has no taste, clearly.” so dude, pick a side pls?!

and misha, i have nothing to say about him except that i love him so much. (i love all of them, obviously, but i have my fav).

that’s it folks.

[auramgold]

On Acht and Romance

going into side order, from the september direct trailer where Acht was first revealed i remember the joke at the time clearly being "and now Marina's ex is here".

the way this line [image description in alt] was written was basically the only evidence for this kind of idea, when the theories were kind of "Marina's order tantrum is sucking people in from her past and the DLC will be about going through her memories", so ellipses in a line like this is basically all theory crafters on no info need to go for shipping.

i'm not one who's super into plot theory crafting, i know full well the tendency to theorize something that's cooler than what you actually get and being disappointed that the story didn't live up to your imagination. the things i was obsessed with in side order promotional material was the obvious bleached coral theme, the symbolism of coral ejecting it that which keeps it safe out of stress being mapped onto Marina, the idea of her pushing those she loves (and those that keep her colorful) away out of a spiral (and it does turn out that was basically exactly what the prologue was going for)

so the whole "Acht and Marina exes" thing was kinda just a joke to me, wasn't even on my radar as something they were actually going to lean into, frankly i was still scared nintendo was going to make them kill pearlina by sending Marina to superhell or smth and we'd end up with a splatoonified destiel meme

so when the DLC comes out and it is legitimately a "they knew each other since childhood" thing, and the running bit is Acht feeling awkward third-wheeling pearlina, and it's explicit in text that one of the reasons they're coming back after the DLC is over is to scope out Pearl as the girl who took down the NILS statue who is now dating Marina... it struck me as really interesting.

at first it was me keeping up the "Marina and Acht are exes" as a joke, but as i kept reading dialogue lines, it slowly became less of a joke, they were to some degree dating because opposite but complimentary autisms, and then drifting apart as Marina got pulled away on the big girl assignment with DJ Octavio, and then the despair of knowing Marina left without even saying goodbye to Acht... it fits well into that reading, it slowly became less of a joke to believe that

but the thing that really makes me think this is intentional subtext is the final Acht diary entry you get from clearing Eight's palette. through the rest of side order talking about Acht's backstory, it seemed like they were retconning the OE lore that Acht had gotten themself sanitized intentionally, losing themself so they could explore their music deeper. but in the final diary, where Acht directly says they drifted into the deepsea metro to fall into their music, because, and i quote

"Hey, Marina. You can guess the chaos your desertion caused. I ended up without much to do except make music. "

they fell into a depression spiral when their girlfriend deserted their society without so much as saying goodbye, falling into their music deep away from interacting with everyone else, to the point that, as the old lore implies, they chose to give up their identity to escape the depression, but sanitization so thoroughly did it that they forget even making the choice.

so when they get brought out of that haze back into being themself again, with the only the barest strung-together horrified memories of what happened in the half a decade interim gap in their life, only to find themself replaced by some inkling they don't know at all, of course they're gonna be awkward seeing the two flirting.

they put on a stoic face because that's clearly their coping mechanism within this damaged body they barely recognize, hiding their eyes behind their tinted glasses so they can't be seen beneath. but the only time they let themself be vulnerable, the only time their eyes can be seen, is when they charge out in the climax when the world is at stake, diving in to try to save Marina, leaving the elevator and its protection behind to help the only person they remember ever caring about.

it's why i don't really like the aroace reading that much, because i think this reading is even more tragic and fits into the themes. the world has changed, it can't go back to how it once was, you can't put the octolings back in the canyon bottle. Marina abandoned Acht to the point they got their identity destroyed willingly to escape the pain, and when Acht came back they were replaced by the inkling whose voice they remember even through the haze of sanitized memories.

the lingering effects of sanitization have changed how they relate to everything (i think there's a fair argument to be made for the idea that sanitization took their gender can't have shit in the deepsea metro), but Acht clearly still cares for Marina and still, the slightest bit, resents having to be reminded repeatedly every time pearlina flirts in front of them how they were replaced.

[tjlnn22]

Does anyone else ever think about how the main villains of each HxH arc prior to CAA represent a twisted/evil version of each of the four main protagonists? (CAA also has this but in a much more complex way that I’ll save for a later post)

Gon-Hisoka: I think this is fairly obvious with Hisoka being obsessed with fighting and getting stronger/being the best with no real regard for anything else. We see many hints of Gon having obsessive tendencies that could lead in this direction, also his love of fighting that could very well have turned sinister eventually had Gon been a less moral person than he is/went down a different path. Even then though we still get glimpses of that in the early arcs.

Killua-Illumi: again, pretty obvious. Illumi represents what Killua could have been had he followed his parent’s wishes of becoming a full time assassin and leader of the family, or potentially if he had never met Gon in the first place. Illumi is everything Killua fears becoming. (Also I think it’s worth noting how Hisoka and Illumi also have a “will they, won’t they, what are they to each other” vibe going on with the romantic subtext of their relationship. Not nearly as blatant or prominent as it is with Killua and Gon, but it is there.)

Kurapika-Chrollo: This one’s a bit more subtle, but I think the connection can be made between the two of them. First of all both of their backstories involve horrible deaths befalling those they loved when they were a child, which motivated them to go down their respective paths of revenge. Both are incredibly intelligent and competent nen users as well, and take the leader role in their respective groups, a position that neither of them take lightly and feel an intense sense of responsibility for when it comes to their people. Both are willing to sacrifice everything for their cause (Kurapika’s being Justice and Chrollo’s being the PT as a group) and their personalities are also very similar as well.

Leorio-Genthru: Up until this point the parallels have very clearly come from the rival of each character, however I think this comparison also applies regardless. Genthru and Leorio both share a driving goal of doing what they do for money, although in Leorio’s case it’s so that he can help others while for Genthru it’s entirely selfish. Both of them are smarter then they let on at first, and capable of being very dangerous/powerful when they want to be. However, they also share a deep care and camaraderie with their friends despite their outward personalities. We all know that Leorio would do anything for his friends but Genthru as well is shown to deeply care for his two friends even to the point of his own detriment. There is also the fact that they do share many physical traits as well. Tall, lanky, glasses, etc. (also they’re both a bit underutilized in the story IMHO lol) but yeah, I think it’s clear where the similarities are.

Anyway, I may go more in depth into this at some point, or I may not. It’s just something I think about from time to time and was wondering if anyone else does too.

[glamaphonic]

i don't post a ton about izzy hands bcs, being real, i just don't care that much about him, and frankly, i find the obsessive fixation on him both predictable and annoying.

but it's my blog and i have thoughts that, because of the person that i am, are going to be expressed in the form of a character breakdown. i promise it is as discourse-free as i could possibly make it, but obviously if you don't want to read my examination of izzy hands' motivations as a character then...don't.

i feel like there's a very widespread misapprehension of said character and motivations, and indeed it's a misapprehension that i predicted way last year, and one that helps contribute to a wealth of repetitive arguments and discourse about the character that i am assiduously attempting to avoid in this post. (i am not, btw, proposing any sort of "solution" here; people can argue about whatever they want.)

in short, there's a tendency in meta and fic to take a singular aspect of subtext (izzy is into blackbeard) and center it as the character's primary (and often sole) motivation. and then, to work from there to recontextualize and reimagine and reinvent everything around that assumption.

but the show and the character straight up stop making sense when you do that. because izzy's primary motivation is categorically not desire for blackbeard.

his primary motivation, textually, is that he wants to be captain.

if i was at work and breaking down his GMC as an antagonist in s1 it would be:

g(oal): get rid of stede so that ed can retire

m(otivation): become captain

c(onflict): he is continually prevented from getting rid of stede, primarily by ed

and as happens in well-constructed narratives everything he does for most of the season revolves around this gmc.

to slide into the character section: izzy is, fundamentally, both hungry for power and bad at actually wielding power. izzy cares, more than anything, about his job and being at the top of the field in that job.

in 1x04, he tells ed to his face that he thinks ed's a washed up has-been who izzy has only continued to work for because of the clout that comes with working for the legendary blackbeard. this is because, as we've seen him mention to fang and ivan, he reads ed's increasing disinterest in and boredom with his job, and potentially the attendant depression, as ed having gone "half-insane" and no longer living up to that ideal. izzy later takes this back when ed has once again proven himself capable of pulling off a typical blackbeard miracle, of being the master of the work that izzy venerates. and then ed dangles izzy's heart's desire before him. if ed can retire, then izzy no longer has to suffice with being second-in-command to the biggest, baddest pirate. he can have the mantle passed to him. he can be the master of the work.

but of course, necessary to this plan, as ed presents it, is that stede must die.

and that's what izzy spends the rest of the season trying to accomplish.

to suppose that izzy is primarily acting against stede out of jealousy over thwarted romantic hopes, as the point of a love triangle trying to get rid of his rival, as someone who is desperately trying to have ed's attention redirected at him, is to suppose that he is actively seeking an end-state directly in opposition to his own goals.

because if stede dies, things don't return to the status quo, izzy doesn't get ed "back" to continue alongside him in perpetuity, and he certainly doesn't get the affection and adoration that ed has never before demonstrated towards anyone (nor do i think he even wants it, but that's a whole other analysis). the terms as they were laid out and as izzy continuously pushes ed to fulfill are that stede dies, ed goes away forever, and izzy gets a boat and a captaincy. that is what izzy explicitly wants.

and yes, as ed falls in love with stede, izzy is disgusted by what he sees as ed being corrupted by someone beneath him, turned into some "thing" that deserves to be put down. and yes, he wants to avoid the legendary blackbeard being brought low, be it by stede bonnet's influence or an english ambush. and, yes, repressed gay jealousy is definitely an aspect of izzy's overall dislike of stede, in particular.

but these things are secondary and tertiary, respectively, to izzy's immediate motivations and goals.

he stays in 1x04 because ed offers him a captaincy. he pushes ed to kill stede in 1x06 because it's the plan that will lead to him being captain. he narks to the english because they will give him a boat and a captaincy for it (plus he swore to make ed regret not following through with the original plan that would give him a boat and a captaincy). and he's happy as a clam in 1x09, even though stede isn't actually dead and ed has undermined the legend of blackbeard by signing the act of grace, because his primary goal has been fulfilled. izzy is now captain of his own boat.

and in 1x10 the sole alteration in izzy's motivation all season occurs. he realized his power-hungry dreams, but his regrettable incapacity at wielding power comes back to bite him. after he's mutinied in short order, and his life is saved solely by ed's presence and authority, he's left with limited choices (within the scope of his characterization).

he can leave and go it alone; attempt to climb the ranks again elsewhere, and eventually perhaps meet that same end he just narrowly avoided.

or he can try to go back to how things were before, try to once again achieve the highest strata he ever had: right-hand man to the legendary blackbeard. secure in the knowledge that not only is this a top position in the field, but that, barring all else, blackbeard's power and authority are sufficient to keep him safe from the machinations of the crew.

but of course, in izzy's mind, for all that to happen blackbeard has to actually be blackbeard. and well we need not rehash his opinions on that.

so yeah, gay jealousy over ed? definitely a thing izzy feels, imo, if deeply repressed.

but is it his actual motivation for almost anything he does throughout the season? demonstrably not, or else he would've made some very different decisions.

anyway this is all basically just a rehash of this conversation, but i was noodling on it so.

[jkj-digital]

Saw your reblog and mate if you got queer visual novel recs I got spare time that needs eating.

If you´ve come for gay furry visual novels, this is certainly a place with recommendations

Assume NSFW, Unfinished, and free unless otherwise specified

Adastra – get kidnapped by handsome space wolf and become involved in political shenanigans. The one that least needs an introduction – COMPLETE!

Astatos – A pair of mages (kind of) lose their home, summon a god and a devil, and help solve various political issues using card game mechanics. The queerness of this one is pretty heavily constrained to subtext, but there’s no doubt that all major characters are hot men in various states of undress – PAID, SFW

Chardonnay Romancia – Innkeeper who hates heroes discovers an amnesiac hero who quickly becomes obsessed with him, among many other subplots. The characters find themselves in many explicit scenarios, often enough against their will – PAID

Deers and Deckards – As a college student, get into a relationship with either your best friend, his dad, or both. Also, at some point the game decides it becomes tired of its light-hearted tone and takes a dip into a more supernatural setting. Currently, only the polygamy route is complete.

Demons Within – You play a demon of lust influencing the emotions of a soldier and those around him, attempting to assist your host while also growing your own power and keeping them ignorant of your existence.

Devil’s Gambit – A doctor reunites with an old friend, uncovering a supernatural mystery and kicking off a strange romance.

Glory Hounds – A young man finds himself with an unexpected employment opportunity: becoming a sidekick to a superhero.

The Human Heart – Wake up as the only human in a familiar world and find yourself adopted by a colorful group of friends – SFW

In Case of Emergency – Find yourself as the last of the chosen ones in gay furry Narnia and awkwardly ingratiate yourself into the longstanding group of heroes – COMPLETE!

Kingsguard – When things go to hell at your royal birthday how will you reclaim your throne from the magical forces trying to take it from you and, more importantly, which of your kingsguard will you fall in love with

Minotaur Hotel – Discover the true story of (and also fall in love with) the Minotaur of legends and turn his crumbling home into a home for the lost. Even among visual novels, this one is a slow burn, but it’s absolutely worth it

My Pirate Husbandos – Get rescued from drowning at sea by a crew of rowdy, and very gay, pirates, and help them until you earn yourself a place among their ranks

Nekojishi – Become forced to face an uncertain future when you suddenly awaken the ability to see spirits and find yourself fought over by three handsome cat men who each want you to become the priest of their shrine (or equivalent) – SFW, COMPLETE!

Orveia – Awaken in an unfamiliar and horny world along with your best friend (who somehow arrived about a decade before you did) and several handsome men to become an adventurer. This game contain heavy RPG mechanics

Pervader – Discover your kindly DILF of an employer is a wizard and get infected with “becomes a wizard” disease along with the heir to an order of knights whose primary goal is to stamp out all magic

Shelter – Become enraptured in a strange world of medieval fantasy dogs, and protect your home in a world that wants to take that away from you

The Smoke Room – Learn to trust again in the wild west in 1915 after a man you though loved you tried to kill you, while the world itself seems to want to drown you in your guilt

Temptation´s Ballad – A young rogue trying to live up to his father, a commoner with an obsession with adventuring, and a sheltered chosen one looking to broaden their horizons form an adventuring party by happenstance and find themselves with a quest far larger than any of them believed

[darlingpwease]

The thought of Yuuta having no proper experience and then pervy!reader comes along and corrupts him in the absolutely best ways possible has me drooling

Innocent Yuuta -> Sex addict Yuuta is just <3333

-panna cotta

CONTENT WARNINGS: unhealthy behaviour, established relationship, pet names + name-calling, light virgin shaming (g.), mind break [yuuta]

sex marathon, somnophilia, dubious consent (dubcon), corruption kink, 'loss of virginity [talk], heavy petting, masturbation [yuuta], oral sex (g., r.), hyperstimulation (g.)

virgin!yuuta who had no significant physical intimacy.

when he was younger, he held hands and even once [1] received a kiss on the cheek and once [1] kissed on the cheek of another; now he clings to you when you kiss him, — at first only leaving pecks on his ruddy excited face, — and loves when you sensually hug, breathing into his neck and letting him lie under you or lying on top of you, feeling your heartbeat through skin and warmth even despite clothes.

and yuuta doesn't want to sound wrong, but it's enough for him — not in the sense that he would mind more, but even your kisses make his head spin; when you are so close that he can smell you or hear your breathing, holding you in his arms, which makes it feel like he is lying without clothes.

maybe he's too inexperienced or too not greedy — it's natural to want more, right? — but when you lie together, pressed against each other, as if bound, it's enough for him.

virgin!yuuta who squeezes his thighs together when you put your hand on them; smiles shyly when you throw up your arm to hug; puts his head on your shoulder and buries his face in your neck when you hug.

he doesn't quite understand what you want to do when try to touch his inner thigh, put his head on your chest or kiss his face, stroking his back, whispering about how beautiful he is, — and he really doesn't mind, but it feels strange, incomprehensible, especially when you lightly stroke his stomach, — even if you don't touch anything sexual, it still makes him shiver.

it's not that he finds the courage — or the need — to find out what you mean when you squeeze and lightly pinch him like a toy, as if checking what sounds he can make, — and it becomes even more strange when you tell him that he sounds 'cute' and his cheeks burn not only from the compliment, but also from the subtext, which he catches, but cannot understand.

it's not that you expect him to realize, but his confused, shy face, especially when you tell him how innocent he is, is adorable.

virgin!yuuta who doesn't touch himself often. it's not that he's not familiar with the concept of masturbation or feels dirty, but it's just not exactly what he wants — he doesn't have a high libido, or a strong desire, and even if it helps him fall asleep faster, he's too... shy and clamped to do this.

previously, rika could visit him at any time if the emotions were too strong, — now he just isn't used to being touched and doesn't feel the need. if he has too much energy, he trains; either he is looking for some other activities, or makes his way to you, looking for your soothing presence, which always helps him relax and get rid of obsessive thoughts without having to be sexually active.

when you ask to help you relax after a stressful day, yuuta does not even think to refuse, regardless of what exactly you ask — but when you ask him to turn his back to you and whisper that everything is fine and you can handle it yourself, yuuta is not okay; especially when you cling to him, touching his skin with your lips, pressing your too hot hands to his icy stomach, yuuta is afraid that he will lose consciousness from the unexpected proximity of skin to skin, — and only whines almost audibly when you whisper that he is so good and so obedient, so soft, so sweet.

when you put leg between his thighs, and yuuta wants to squeeze them again, but you kiss his neck, whispering that you feel so good, you feel like you can finally relax, being so close to him, and yuuta can only agree and try to relax, even if you are too close to him, breathing on his skin and twitching slightly in sleep, wrapping his waist so tightly that he can't get out without waking you up.

in the morning, he slides down and hurries to the bathroom too quickly than usual.

virgin!yuuta who definitely doesn't squirm when your pressure gets too tight; whining, trying not to rub too hard, but fidgeting when the friction stops — and whining too loudly when you whisper his name through a dream.

... yuuta who trembles when clings to your clothes, asking you to sleep face to face, red, whispering that he likes to see you, and he is not deceiving you — you are absolutely breathtaking — but when he presses even closer to you, rubbing his body against you, and hears you sleeping, even unaware of what he's doing, his cheeks burn even more.

you're so nice, — he's like in paradise, — and when he moves too much, you just give in, allowing him to choose the most comfortable place and rhythm while he drools, awkwardly humping.

when he sees your eyes, looking at his wet, ruddy face?

his heart stops.

virgin!yuuta who isn't used to touching even himself, let alone letting others do it, and can't look into your face when you caress him, rubbing, saying nothing, but stroking reassuringly, as if trying to convince that everything is fine and there's nothing wrong with him doing something like that, as if you're okay with him, — and his heart would have melted if it hadn't been beating in throat from fear and delight.

when you move your leg too gently and tenderly, as if taking care that yuuta feels very good, hugging him to keep in place, yuuta wants to cling and whine apologies for what he did, just to break the silence, but you shush at any attempts, without stopping, gently increasing the pace when his whining from a plaintive apology becomes excited, as if he is about to cum, just from the fact that you make him squirm on your thigh.

when you force him to cum, abruptly turning him over on back, holding tightly, continuing to rub against even when he tries to squeeze thigh from too much stimulation, having not yet waited out the stimulation period, being so sensitive that the touch of your hand through the fabric makes him squirm even more, trying to hide from you, drooling and slightly crying.

virgin!yuuta who touches himself for the first time in front of someone, and he is even glad that it was you, but not when his fingers are wet with cum and juice, feeling how you hold his thighs apart, whispering something about how beautiful he is and that you have wanted to see him like this for so long, — and yuuta only shyly curls toes, closing eyes, being ready to fall into the ground with shame, and almost whining when hears the wet sounds that his body makes, even more treacherously excited from knowing that you are watching.

when you ask him to be a good boy and cum in front of your eyes and he cums? this is too much for him — he is afraid that he will not be able to be conscious now, getting the third orgasm of the night and knowing that it is too much.

but when you ask him to help you, looking at his charmingly wet and red, confused face, which becomes even more pathetic when he sees you undressing, — and yuuta tries not to tremble too much when his fingers touch you, for the first time in his life, feeling how hot and excited you are, and knowing that it's because of him, — and his head is too dizzy from the huge amount of feelings and emotions experienced. when he tries to clumsily make you cum, feeling too good when he feels the pulsation and hears your breathing, knowing that you are now focused only on your pleasure, that you can cum in his hands, because of his hands, and this only makes him more excited and flustered.

he doesn't know what he's thinking when asks you to relax and lie on back, — he really thought it was a good idea, — but his mouth is so hot and wet, even if inexperienced, trying to serve you as best as possible while his tongue diligently licks you, listening to your every sigh and moan, — and whining plaintively when feels you grabbing him by the hair, moving the way you prefer, sleepily hoarsely telling him what needs to be done to make you feel good, and yuuta can only obey, purring, fearing that he is too out of his mind not to lose consciousness if you continue.

when you hold tightly, making him to accept everything, yuuta almost suffocates, but only tries to bury his nose deeper, relaxing as much as possible.

perhaps he is still not himself when blissfully clings to you, sticky and dirty, but are not ready to part with you, whispering how much he adores you — especially when you stroke him and kisses his face, replying that he can always turn to you.

virgin!yuuta who, perhaps, is too fond of sex — giving you oral until his face becomes sticky and wet, or stroking you between your thighs until you are satisfied, only to see him briefly lick his fingers; when he does not squeeze thighs as tightly as before, allowing you to slide between them even when there are people around, but whispering to you to be careful, fearfully looking around.

not that he was preoccupied, but when he saddles your hips again and again to your purring that if he wants, he must work himself, — and shamefacedly humping, drooling and whining while you look at his face, red with shame, and only tease him even more for how needy he is, almost without getting off you should you be alone.

when you give him oral for the first time, and yuuta is so scared and confused even knowing what you are going to do, interrupting the very beginning several times with a tremor in his voice, apologizing and saying that he is not sure and that you should not, in fact, do this — the meaning is that you can satisfy him otherwise than touching it with your mouth.

yuuta who is frantically grabbing you by the hair, whining and almost choking when you ignore his inarticulate excuses, getting in response more than an exciting reaction from his sensitive body, still overreacting to any stimulation. and yuuta needs a couple of minutes, but you need more, forcing him to push his hips and beg you before you will bring him to orgasm again and again, waiting for him to catch his breath only to continue — which is why by the end he loses consciousness for a few minutes, too overwhelmed by sensations.

you can't keep silent about it when he wakes up, feeling only how much his body hurts, but feeling so happy — and shy, hearing your light teasing.

virgin!yuuta who whines when you tease him that you can take his virginity, squeezing him tightly in your arms and making him feel caught and grabbed, letting him feel how serious you are in your 'threat', — but his humiliatingly red cheeks and ears make you want to laugh, teasing him even more about what a pervert he is, that he would even be glad of this, and gently purring that one day you will definitely do it with him.

he is not too obsessive with 'purity', virginity or inexperience — this is not exactly what is the focus of attention for him, even if he will have unspoken questions if you are too experienced, — but when you stroke each other, too enthusiastic, and you hold him tightly to you, letting him feel how aroused you are and whispering how close you are to just undress him and take, slightly biting his neck or shoulders, yuuta admits that maybe,

if you really decided to take his virginity,

it would be good.

he doesn't believe in something like that, — it's just an indicator of the absence of other partners, nothing more — but maybe if you decided to take him and 'spoil'... he definitely wouldn't mind letting you do whatever you want with him.

and if his virginity is something attractive to you, then you can take it to yourself, especially if you continue to kiss him so passionately, as if hungry for him, sliding your fingers over his body.

[seventeenlovesthree]

What the 2nd audio drama of Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning tells us (potentially) in text and subtext

I've been anticipating the 2nd drama "An SOS to Our Brothers! Takeru and Hikari’s Secret Mission?!" for various reasons and in the end - it was not exactly what I had expected, but I can't say it hasn't caught me off guard. Also in various ways.

So take my little self-indulgent analysis with a (big) grain of salt.

Spoilers under the cut:

First things first: These are not the breadcrumbs I was hoping for, but they are breadcrumbs nevertheless! I will try to analyze the drama from the perspective of what it tells us about Takeru, Hikari, Ken - and the perception of the older children from their point of view AND from a production standpoint, aka "what the creators probably wanted to include in the movie, but couldn't and now tried to portray it in a more lighthearted way".

What the drama tells us about Takeru:

In context of the drama: Let's get the most important aspect out of the way: Let's hope the writing stress won't get to him in the way of turning him into a slight alcoholic. No, all jokes aside, just like in Kizuna, we are told that they're actual adults now by showing them drink alcohol and that will never not baffle me. What absolutely DOESN'T baffle me is that he continues to be an absolute troll that vibes with (and gets enabled by) Hikari 100% - and that he feels comfortable enough to troll and be open with Ken is also very nice development for him. Also, let's not overlook the fact that he basically made (diplomat and spy in training) Taichi the main character of his Totally Spies/Evangelion fanfiction here. Sure, Yamato ("he got my brother, the astronaut-in-training, on his side") and Koushirou ("[he] wasted no time in analyzing it and developing a shield that would nullify its attacks") played important roles in there too, but they were basically just the supporting cast Hikari had to remind him of, so he wouldn't just write an entire novel about Taichi's adventures to prevent World War III. Of course there were still lots of plot holes (which were rightfully pointed out by Ken), but you gotta love Takeru still idealizing Taichi like that, while sprinkling in references to Kizuna's events (and including Imura while doing so, whom he may actually have had some talks with after he regained consciousness again, so that was a nice touch).

In context of the production: I actually adore that they are going all out on portraying Takeru as obsessed with writing and I think it feels very organic in terms of foreshadowing his career AND his role as narrator of Digimon Adventure as a whole. I also maintain that this means to take EVERYTHING we hear about the Adventure canon with a grain of salt, because it may or may not be fabricated by his own ideas and perspectives - and that is EXACTLY what this drama did. It definitely worked for me - because by the end of the drama, I actually went "You litte sh*t really got me good, I actually believed you!" It's also funny that they're contextualizing their obsession with Evangelion references through Takeru - at this point, we can just assume that he is a big Evangelion fanboy himself and that is where all these hints and nudges are coming from.

What the drama tells us about Hikari:

In context of the drama: She actually appears less prone to being a habitual drinker than Takeru and only drinks sweet stuff (Pina Colada) because she's got a sweet tooth - as opposed to Tailmon going all out with the Tequila, holy... That aside, her main role is to enable Takeru and help him write fanfiction. I'd like to believe that she would actually have liked to contact the others for real (hence why she was so keen to talk in detail about Yamato's and Koushirou's involvement and Sora's and Jyou's reactions), but the movie itself already showed us that Taichi and Koushirou were not available and the former actively shouted at her to leave him alone - hence why the frustration over that may have led to them coming up with a little story like that in the first place. And I think it's very telling that they feel comfortable enough to tell their little headcanons to Ken in particular. Even if it was a trolling attempt, it shows that they are supposedly close with each other and that is pretty neat.

In context of the production: The main take-aways for me here are: a.) The fact that Hikari and Takeru are basically glued to one another by the hip, troll partners in crime - and Toei and the writers absolutely have no intention of changing that whatsoever while STILL managing to portray them as strictly platonic. b.) You can tell Hikari is a skilled story-teller by the way she was sprinkling in little details about the "characters" to flesh out Takeru's narration, or else it may have been even less convincing. And that was also a nice touch to showcase she would be great at telling stories to children as a future kindergartener too!

What the drama tells us about Taichi:

In context of the drama: There he is, our busy diplomat in training, working for the "Digital World-related department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Despite all the outlandish and exciting things Takeru likes to imagine about his career, as Ken points out, Taichi is still "too young" to make that big of an impact yet, being able to pull strings and having important connections like that - but at least the movie showed us he WAS working behind the scenes together with Koushirou.

In context of the production: I cannot help but wonder whether they actually would have liked to make a little OVA about Taichi going on an undercover mission, backed up by Yamato and Koushirou (and Mimi????), to prevent his own employer from causing World War III/Third Impact. Granted, Takeru's descriptions there were WILD and I'm still not over the "my brother and Taichi-san boarded an F-16 and rushed into the sky over Tokyo" comment, but overall... Cutting away some of the over-the-top narration, Kizuna already showed us that they absolutely WOULD go on spy missions and that this could have been a great OVA theme to show that the older kids are, indeed, still relevant. ESPECIALLY our main character of main characters, Taichi Yagami. Even if we still don't know the state of Agumon, at least we do know he is making progress.

What the drama tells us about Yamato:

In context of the drama: What we can assume is that Yamato actually already is an "astronaut-in-training", since Ken didn't really disagree with that point. There were a few "details" that may or may not be taken with a grain of salt as well, such as (Kizuna's) Imura being portrayed as "a friend of my brother in the FBI" (could be true!) or the idea that Yamato might already be capable to board a "F-16 and rushed into the sky over Tokyo", but... Hey, since Tri, we have at least seen Yamato giving persuasive speeches, but whether or not he would be as involved in everything remains to be questioned. We actually don't know how or if he was involved at all in this.

In context of the production: I still find it funny that, even in Takeru's own world-building, his big brother is "just" the secondary main character - but that is at least mainly in line with how he is overall portrayed.

What the drama tells us about Koushirou:

In context of the drama: There actually isn't a lot of content mentioned in THIS drama that could be used canonically, since everything mentioned here is just Takeru projecting his Evangelion fanboyism onto Koushirou - but drama 1 and the movie itself already contextualized his role rather nicely, as you will see below.

In context of the production: Interestingly enough, through the course of both the movie and the dramas - aside from Taichi -, he was the character who was mentioned and referred to the most. There shouldn't be any question about his role as tertiary (or even occasional secondary) main character, since, even as a background character, he oozes supporting cast energy - no matter whether he is being referred to as "expert in all things Digimon" (movie), mentioned by Tailmon and Patamon to be a potential sugar daddy sponsor as rich "company president" (drama 1) or is being described by Takeru to pull strings in the back by creating AT fields to support Taichi and Yamato. You can tell that they simply CANNOT tell a story without him and it's nice that, through Takeru's (and Hikari's) narration skills, we are being told that he is vital and influential to everything that is happening. He really deserves the appreciation. (I do wonder if Takeru watched the Rebuild Series and thought "Wow, Maya is so annoyed and fed up with everything, I can use that for Koushirou-san in my fanfiction!!!")

What the drama tells us about Mimi:

In context of the drama: Crazy Mimi being crazy spy Mimi was actually what broke the immersion for Ken. And that in itself is amazing. We actually have no idea what she is doing right now, but apparently, "Mimi, who happened to be passing by, to make an anonymous phone call" is not realistic enough for Ken to accept Takeru's fanfiction as canon. To be fair, it was Patamon who included Mimi - since neither Takeru nor Hikari knew how to include her in there...

In context of the production: ... And Toei probably didn't know either. Which is a shame, since I think we can all agree that we all would have loved to see crazy spy Mimi in action. But at least we know she wasn't the only victim here...

What the drama tells us about Sora:

In context of the drama: I want to believe that Hikari actually IS in (semi regular) touch with Sora. I want to believe that she is currently on her way to "follow the path [she] believed in". Because if she isn't, my reaction to Takeru and Hikari not knowing how to include her either that would be the same as Ken's: "Wow..." At least it being "hard for her to join the fight after all" could be explained by her and Piyomon not being reunited yet, but... All we can do is guess here.

In context of the production: Once again, Sora, just like Mimi and Jyou, gets the shortest end of the stick and we are still led to believe that she is not really in touch with the group and still on her way to self-discovery. Which is still a shame. And maybe they really just (still) don't know what to do with her.

What the drama tells us about Jyou:

In context of the drama: Writing Jyou is easy. Because I actually BELIEVED the course of the story outlined by Takeru here: Them not wanting to contact him, because he is "always busy" and him getting "really pissed at us after the fact, saying that he actually managed to have some free time for once, and we hadn’t let him know", so they "had a hard time calming him down". THAT WAS REALISTIC - and also implies that Gomamon would have been there and ready to take on the fight, but... Yeah, unfortunately, all of that wasn't real.

In context of the production: They love to play with the running gag of Jyou always being busy - but I like that they, through Hikari, acknowledged not only the fact that they should ALL FEEL GUILTY FOR NOT CONTACTING HIM (and everyone in general), but that he is indeed Mr. Reliable if he is given the chance. Even if reading that bit got me mad for a moment, it at least granted him a little dignity.

What the drama tells us about Ken:

In context of the drama: I think the most important take-aways here are that Ken Ichijouji not only is a person of common sense and sensibility in general - but also that he can be assumed to be comparably rather close with Takeru and Hikari, which is a very nice touch. We don't really get to hear a lot about him personally, but the fact that Hikari and Takeru went out with him alone for food and drinks is pretty telling in my opinion.

In context of the production: Ken has the honour of being a stand-in for several parties at once: First of all, he is a stand-in for us, the readers/listeners, to witness the craziness that is Takeru Takaishi's (and Hikari Yagami's + their Digimon's) imagination in real time, reacting sceptically to whether or not the stuff is realistic/believable in the first place. Secondly, by the end of it, he is a stand-in for the writers who (I am sure now) absolutely would have LOVED to go bonkers with the older kids, telling a crazy Totally Spies/Evangelion AU through them (or at least the ones they knew how to include, such as Taichi, Yamato and Koushirou - they OBVIOUSLY would have loved to put Mimi in there too, even going so far as to make Ken TRY to come up with a scenario for her... But then, they didn't even try with Sora and Jyou).

[nitewrighter]

The way you explain it makes sense, it’s just since Gotham and metropolis are fictional cities of ambiguous statehood, it’s easy to think of them as these weird city states.

Still, it’s surprising tone wise, to see a (traditional) Superman story end with a bad guy being executed (again, they flip the switch right before the credits) and SEEMS like it would be more likely in a Batman story- not to one of the iconic villains obviously, but like a crime lord who lost their power or a corrupt politician who was exposed.

Don't underestimate a Superman story when it comes to dark themes!

Not to be all, "Um, it actually takes a high IQ to enjoy Rick and Morty" about this, but I honestly do think the Batman and Superman shows were, in terms of dark/mature content, on a very similar level--Superman TAS just tends to get shrugged off more because Batman TAS was able to have a cleaner and more together general aesthetic (and because it was VISUALLY LITERALLY a lot darker), and Batman TAS had more memorable rogues, of course. But Superman TAS was dealing with a lot of similar evil guys to Batman TAS, it was just dealing with them in the light of day, which is considerably less scary and dramatic. Also because Superman cares a lot more about his civilian identity than Batman does, and because Superman's civilian identity is "A Guy With A Day Job Who Has To Get Along With His Coworkers," you kind of have different kinds of maturity in terms of what these two men in their respective shows are actively dealing with in their shows' runtime. Superman is maintaining an identity and a a working relationship with his peers in journalism, and maybe being a bit of a mentor/older coworker buddy to Jimmy Olsen. We don't really have that "Recurring civilian support network" factor with Batman aside from Alfred, but Alfred doesn't really count because he's also operating from within the bubble of Wayne Manor and he's actively enabling Bruce's Batman-ing. This is partial nostalgia talking, but I always got the vibe that Batman tended to be more of a 'parent' to the (child) audience, where Superman is more of like, not just superpowers, but adulthood as its own power fantasy. Kind of like how little kids will mimic having jobs and driving in cars, you know?

But getting back to those more mature themes--I do think because Superman TAS had Lois Lane, you had a lot more sex as subtext. That isn't to say that the show reduced Lois to a sex object or anything--because the villains who are creepiest toward her are those she tended to get involved with purely because she's just Doing Journalism Shit. Like there's a whole episode where someone is repeatedly attempting to kill her, and it turns out it's this villain Luminus who was her primary informant in an exposé she wrote on Lex Luthor, which cost Luminus his job. And Luminus only gave her this information because he thought because he was taking this ~big risk with his whole career~ against Luthor, that she'd notice him and fall madly in love with him. But she didn't, so he decided to murder her because she ruined his career. And Lois is listening to his whole villain monologue like "Dude, what? I thought you chose to do this because Luthor is fucked up and evil and someone needs to stop him." And you know, you're watching this show as a little kid and you're like, "It's not nice to try to kill someone just because they don't like you back >:(" and then you're watching the show as an adult and you're like "Ohhhh he was sexually obsessed with her."

[sforzesco]

Cardinal I'm so sorry I hope it's fine to ask but I seem to remember that you talked about Cassius agreeing to marry into Brutus' family even knowing that they were cursed? Or something similar? I can't find the reference again and I am on my knees begging for more context because of my obsession with haunted families.

HEY HEY ALRIGHT!!

Although recently (as in: last week) I’ve been turning around the idea of Brutus being cursed, I’ve actually talked about Brutus’ family being haunted, not cursed!

(With that said, if you’re into curses: Brutus is connected to the cursed Tolosa gold through the Caepio side of his family)

Also recently (as in: I’ve been reading stuff for awhile and slowly turning thoughts around in my head) I’ve been reevaluating my Brutus’ House Is Haunted position to a much more broader The Entire Roman Aristocracy Is Haunted But Brutus Is Real Fucked Up (because Brutus has tyrant killers on both sides of his family, but the haunting the gens Junia claims is the original sacrifice and curse that Rome the Republic was built on: tyrant killing and the killing of one’s own sons, and Augustan revisionism will bury that under their own myth making. Which is. That’s also a kind of haunting)

Speaking of which, if you’re into haunted families, you may get a kick out of studying Roman funerals and imagines! A Roman Household Is A Living Tomb, Actually.

Death on Display: Looking at Roman Funerals, John Bodel

Reconstructing the Roman Republic: an Ancient Political Culture and Modern Research, Karl-J. Hölkeskamp

And with regards to Cassius, my general view on all of that came from a slightly different train of thought: Cassius Marries Into A Haunted House because narratively it always feels more like he’s married Brutus instead of Brutus’ half-sister. Like, she’s just straight up not in Shakespeare, so that makes the historical brother-in-law/childhood friends connection to Brutus that much MORE direct than it already is. Cassius is not often depicted as having his own house! He most frequently shows up in the streets of Rome or IN Brutus’ house, which adds more flavor to the marriage subtext I’ve personally chosen to chew on.

In his own way, Cassius is also haunted by the sheer scale of absence on his own family tree, like. Dude, where IS everyone. Absence is also a kind of Haunting. Everything Is Ghosts, Maybe

[williamrikers]

King of the Cardboard Castle

- thoughts on kanghan after episode 2 -

i just rewatched the episode (because it slaps so hard, i'm fully on board and invested in this show now), and i want to write a little something on kanghan because i see some people in the tag confused by his choices. why did he go to sailom's with a gun? why did he end up comforting sailom? i think it's all very understandable from his character's perspective.

so, to me, that cardboard castle tells us everything we need to know about kanghan: his power is an illusion, built on an unsteady foundation, and could be torn down at any moment. kang is intimately aware of this and does everything he can to try and consolidate the little power and influence he has by any means necessary.

why use a gun to threaten sailom?

but sailom isn't afraid or deferential. he never, EVER is.

kanghan needs to feel dominant. he needs to feel powerful, and literally the only guy at school who keeps defying him is sailom. sailom keeps coming out on top time and time again because he's smarter than kang and never actually starts shit, he just reacts to what's happening, making him basically immune to being ratted out to people in positions of authority. even kang's own grandmother sees through kang's shitty attempts at manipulation and chastises kang in front of the principal.

kanghan's only power is that over the kids at school, truly a king of a very small and incredibly meaningless kingdom. but it is effective in making him feel powerful: all of the other kids defer to kanghan or are openly terrified of him (we saw them all dutifully lining up to have the videos removed from their phones, none of them are ever going to challenge kang).

and kang resents that--has a deep need to put sailom in his place, because he wants that feeling of total power. he wants all of his classmates to defer to him, not just 90% of them. at this point, it's turned into an obsession for him: make sailom afraid just once. make him tremble before kang just once. make him get down on his knees JUST ONCE. (and no, there is no gay subtext at all to kang insisting again and again that sailom should get down on his knees. don't worry about it kanghan your secret gay fantasies are safe with me 😘)

like, he's tried everything else: threatening him physically, trying to get him fired from his job at the car wash, ACTUALLY getting him fired from his job tutoring, hurting his friends, trying to convince his grandmother to cancel his scholarship, taunting him about his home situation and lack of money, actually throwing money in his face/on the ground (from what i understand, a taboo in thailand). and none of it has worked to make sailom treat him with the respect and fear he thinks he deserves. sailom would rather have given up his scholarship than lie about what happened and wrongfully apologize to kang. at this point, i feel like kang is too far gone to be able to back out. he has set this goal for himself (humiliate sailom), and it's been eating his brain. he can't rest until he finally gets what he wants.

can i just put in a quick tangent in here gushing over CHIMON'S MICROEXPRESSIONS!!! god, this man is a joy to watch, just look at the money throwing scene in part 3/4; the depth of emotion chimon manages to convey with just the slightest changes of expression is incredible. i've said this before and i will say it again: chimon is one of the strongest actors on the gmmtv roster right now and i am in awe of his skill.

anyway, kang goes to sailom's house fully intent on humiliating him, but what he finds there is so much worse than any of his own bullying has managed to be. for all his talk, kanghan is not a particularly scary or successful bully: he's the king of the cardboard castle. his power is an illusion, propped up by his family name and his family's money. i don't think he would be capable of taking a hot iron and burning someone with it--the level of violence that sailom is subjected to (ON THE REGULAR, I MIGHT ADD) is completely out of kang's wheelhouse.

and i do think that at this point he genuinely feels for sailom. that he genuinely does feel sorry for him, because you can't be obsessed with someone to the point of going to their house with a gun without caring about them in some way. on the contrary, the kind of obsession kang has with sailom runs bone-deep, and i am absolutely team "kang is going to fall first and fall hard". he's already obsessed with the guy! he values sailom's emotional state in a way he doesn't anyone else's! (sure, initially it's because he wants to make sailom submit but all that obsessive energy has to go SOMEWHERE, right.)

seeing sailom cowering and crying does put things in perspective for kanghan, i think. the way he reaches out to him seems almost involuntary, the way he touches him is hesitant and unsure. but this does read as a very genuine and understandable reaction to me: no matter their differences at school, this is a person who kang knows and, in a twisted way, cares very much about. the normal human reaction at this point is to reach out, to offer comfort, no matter how you feel about the person. it would have been weirder to me if he hadn't, honestly.

also, a note on the use of "friend" by kang in this scene: i've seen people making a big deal out of this but it's absolutely not that deep. please correct me if i'm wrong but as i understand it, "puen" is also frequently used to refer to classmates/people in the same year at uni, no matter whether you're close to them or not. "friend" is just a translation choice which fits imo, because you wouldn't say "get away from my classmate" in english. you'd probably say "get away from my friend" instead, even if you're not really friends, and translation is also about what makes sense in the target language. so him saying that is not some big 180, he's basically just stating that he knows sailom from school.

anyway, where was i going with all of this? to me, kang's choices in this episode are all completely justified from his character's perspective. i neither find it odd that he tried to threaten sailom with a gun, nor that he ended up comforting sailom. because everything he is and claims to be is built on cardboard: the guy doesn't know himself. we know he has some deeply, DEEPLY repressed gay fantasies and that he gets obsessed with the first person to openly defy him because that threatens the stability of his cardboard castle. what if everyone realises that deep down, kanghan is a cringefail loser who is so starved for love and attention he would rather fill the hole in his heart with violence and cruelty than be honest about who he is? what if everyone finds out he's not as scary as he'd like to be?

the cardboard underneath kang is flimsy, and i'm pretty sure his castle is going to collapse pretty soon.

[raisinchallah]

scream i forgot just how insane and deliberate the early gay subtext in xena is painting a very specific picture of like gabrielle small town lesbian having heard stories of adventurers and definitely knows rumors xenas gay and is like immediately obsessed with her and wants to run off with her the moment she sets eyes on her and leave her small town boyfriend shes not into behind but like fdsjkls;sldafdl not even 20 minutes into the first episode shes already spinning lies to the cyclops to escape saying oh see im a double crosser being like dont you see she would never let a man get close enough to do her well you know not that kind of do her but she would let some young innocent girl such as myself close enough like ok again has heard all the rumors about xena and is like ok well i need her sdjkl;;;jdkas and beginning of the SECOND EPISODE shes already telling xena a story about two lovers turned into oak trees so they would entwine with each other and never be parted and xenas like ok and? and gabrielles like oh but you know..... points fingers together i think everyone will find their other tree... even you and xenas like i think the strongest trees stand alone and gabrielles like huge heart eyes you dont have to be alone always xena.... gabrielle was literally ssooo crazy writing in her diary on day ONE mrs. warrior princess surrounded by so many hearts like ok everyone says shes a fearsome warrior but i um have you considered.. her heart

[monstersinthecosmos]

i love you asexuality in the VC post! i feel like i don't see people talk about the ace aspect of those books often, even though that was something that really spoke to me so much when i first read them (tbh it also makes me a little burned out to see some adaptations focus so much on the sex too because part of me is like. but i /liked/ the asexuality of it all! that wasn't a bug it was a feature!!)

I can’t always tell why we don’t talk about it more often; sometimes it feels like it’s so obvious that it goes unsaid, and other times I think ace folks in fandom are just so shy to bring it up because historically people have been such rancid cunts about it? I’m not sure.

But again and again, every time I make asexual VC posts, I get so many people commenting, tagging, DM’ing, inboxing to thank me or tell me they feel seen, and that’s what we need more of! 

It’s hard because like, I understand why visual adaptations feel the need to show it visibly, especially because I think it’s easy to forget that asexuality is already so heavily misunderstood/underdiscussed IN the queer community itself, and when we see this bullshit on TUMBLR of all places it tells me that even inside the queer echo chamber we are struggling for visibility. So I don’t expect mainstream audiences and ~ regular people ~ to understand it at all. I also fully respect the politics behind SHOWING SEX and being loud about it. I think that’s very much needed in the current political climate.

There’s a discussion to be had about non-sexual intimacy and split attraction models though; for example, we could also visually communicate with kissing and casual intimacy, touching, cuddling, etc, and the nature of TV and using sex to sell means that it’s not enough. And when you see an adaptation on a network that can’t use graphic sex anyway, it winds up being a lot of telling and not showing, so by that point I wonder why they can’t just be more casually intimate. 

It goes back to the misunderstanding in the books, too, like, the non-sexual romance and intimacy, even the vampire-sensual intimacy isn’t subtext. Not fucking doesn’t make the queerness subtext. It just means they’re not fucking, and I think when fans insist otherwise we’re getting into “all queer people are obsessed with sex” rhetoric that’s extremely problematic, and if you’re keeping score it’s the current talking point of the right to try to erase our existence in public. But the way this gets weaponized within fandom (on both sides) is just so fucking tired lmao. 

The whole conversation can be a huge bummer and I have interacted with tons of ace folks in this fandom over the years and everyone felt the same way about the canon asexuality and appreciated it and felt seen, etc. Especially older fans who didn’t know what asexuality was and likely felt alienated or were made to feel broken. So I just would love if people could discuss it without punching down at ace people and taking away like, the one fucking thing we had lol, and it would also be great if defensive ace folks didn’t overcorrect and try to center sexlessness as a moralizing tool, because it isn’t. I think when we start weaponizing and trying to arm ourselves by turning orientation into ethics we’re losing the plot. I think sometimes allos punch back and get defensive because they think we’re saying they’re gross for wanting to see sex or whatever and that’s not really the point. 

Personally, I read the books young enough that I always felt very supported by them, like I experienced the same confusion and worry about being broken but also the books were such a source of comfort because I was like, oh I just appreciate people the way vampires do.

Anyway it also provides so much rich extra context and framing for some of the characters and their intentions and can inform so much more meta. Like, examining themes of rape (vampire/biting rape vs literal rape) there’s so much to unpack about intention and desire when vampires see humans as food, when pleasure is about thirst and feeding and survival and nourishment and not only about sexual gratification. It just adds a whole other layer to discuss and I think that enhances the stories a lot. And like I said earlier, I understand that reducing it to “asexuality” as a human construct might seem as reductive as reducing it strictly to sex, but I hope one day people can build their cases against it without being so dismissive of ace people because it’s really recognizable and prominent in the text.