#it's like. easy to translate things but also it so incredibly isn't?

[marvelouslizzie]

I'm Not Sure If I Can Do This

Summary: You want to try something new and Bucky isn't sure if he can do it.

Pairing: Boyfriend!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: 18+, established relationship, teasing, dirty talk, pet names, edging, no protection, no mention of y/n

Word Count: 1.9K

A/N: I wrote this little filthy story because of my friend Andreea's prompt. I'm glad it turned out to be something decent.

You can also send me requests if you want. I can't guarantee I'll write it but I'll certainly try.

Thank you @notafunkiller for proofreading and editing ❤️

All work is mine, please do not repost or translate without my permission.

You thought explaining why you wanted this or even convincing him to do it would be harder, but it was quite the opposite. Bucky Barnes is a guy who loves to give, especially when it comes to pleasure. It’s like he’s thriving on your pleasure while he’s delaying his own. He never made you wait or made you beg for release. Not once. And you really want to be desperate for some reason. And you have no intention to find out why. You just want to experience it. You want him to tease you relentlessly, deny your orgasm, and finally when he allows it, you want it to be explosive.

It’s easy to imagine him doing all those things to you, but the idea of explaining it is just dreadful. That’s why you were so reluctant. You weren’t sure if he would like the idea or maybe he would misunderstand your intention. None of that happened, though. You just said you wanted to try it and as you started to explain why, you noticed how his eyes were shining mischievously. That’s when you realized it was more than okay for him.

And that’s how you ended up all naked and frustrated on your bed. Bucky is a man of his word, so when he said he was going to enjoy this, he was not lying. He has been teasing you for a while now, and all you feel is frustration and of course, that undeniable anticipation. 

“Bucky…” You whine as he’s moving so damn slowly inside you. The touches, the kisses, his damn tongue… It all feels good but not enough to make you come.

“Yes?” 

The way he looks into your eyes makes you melt. You are so close to forgetting that he has been torturing you. He has been denying your orgasm every time you are getting close, yet the look in his eyes… It shows his true feelings.

“What do you want, baby?”

He sounds like he has no idea what you want. You wish you could hate him for this, but you can’t. You’ve been imagining how this would feel like for so long, and he’s just turning your fantasy into reality while enjoying the ride.

“I wanna come.” 

You don’t care if you sound desperate because you are. You are desperate to come. You want that relief you took for granted for so long. All those times he never denied you, all those times he never even paused for a second before giving you all the pleasure in the world.

“Beg for it.”

His response surprises you. You can see the desire in his eyes and how much he’s actually enjoying this, but you never expected that he would be so into it. Maybe he didn’t know it either, but he definitely loves the state you are in. He even seems to enjoy edging himself because while torturing you, he’s torturing himself as well.

“Beg?”

“Yes, baby. Beg. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I-” You can’t deny that, can you? You always imagined it this way, but you never actually begged before. It’s easier when you are just imagining things, but looking at his face and saying those words… It feels incredibly hard.

“If you are not ready to beg yet, you are not ready to come, sweetheart.”

Oh, that’s awfully cruel of him yet so freaking hot. He knows you want to do this so badly, but your pride is standing in the way, and he’s willing to take you to the point where you wouldn’t care about it anymore. Yet your mouth says something else.

“But I am so close…” 

“I know.” He moves in and out of you. His pace is torturously slow, yet it still feels amazing.

Then his fingers move onto your clit, gently rubbing it, and you feel a jolt of electricity all through your body. It’s like a promise. The promise of blinding pleasure, but he stops after a couple of rubs and makes you whine.

“You know what you have to say, don’t you?” You nod in response, tears are beginning to well up. “You can get what you want, any time you want.” You know that, but it’s like your mouth is having a hard time saying those words. “And you know we can stop this any time you want, right?”

He’s trying to remind you of your safe word, but you don’t want to stop. You have no intention of using it.

“Please…” Your voice comes out so pathetically, but it makes him smile. Why is it so hard to say? 

“Please what?” He combines his words with actions. He moves a little bit harder inside you, and it reminds you of what you need. All you need is to ask him, and you know he will give it to you. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, bracing yourself to beg.

“Please move harder.” When you open your eyes back up, you see Bucky smirking. It just spurs something inside you. “Please, please…”

“Oh, baby…” He sounds so condescending yet loving at the same time. You have no idea how that’s even possible. “You really need it, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Your answer comes out instantly. Fuck your pride, you need this.

“Then you will get what you want.” You feel relieved but it doesn’t last long. “But I have one condition.” He completely stops while talking. “You won’t come before I say you can, got it?”

“But…”

“I will move faster and harder, like you asked me to, but you gotta hold it.” He sounds like he’s explaining edging to someone who has no idea what it is. “Show me what a good girl you can be, and I will give you what you want.”

Fuck… He’s making it so hard and hot at the same time. You really didn’t think he would take it this seriously. You thought just a please would be enough for him but it’s not. Yet you can’t seem to find it in your heart to regret asking him to do this.

“Can you do that for me?”

“I… I don’t know. I’ve never tried it before.”

“I know you can take it, sweetheart. Just show me how good you are.”

He’s a menace. He knows praising you will help and he’s using it damn well. So you find yourself nodding, and that’s when he finally starts to move again. 

His hands are grabbing your waist, while he’s fucking you the way you imagined it. It’s rough, it’s fast, but god damn, it feels amazing. You feel your orgasm is quickly approaching, especially after all that teasing, and you try not to focus on the pleasure. It’s so hard to move against your nature. Your body just wants to give into it and enjoy it to the fullest, but no, that’s not what your mind wants. So you close your eyes to fight it. Maybe that will help.

“No, no, no.” You hear Bucky saying. “You gotta look me in the eyes, baby. No cheating.”

“But that’s not…” He doesn’t let you finish. 

“But it is.” 

“Fine.” You know you sound like a child when you open your eyes back to see his pretty ones. They are so full of love and desire. You could come just looking into his eyes but you won’t. Not until he says so. You want to experience that crashingly intense orgasm.

“Good girl.” 

As if calling you a good girl with that deep voice of his isn’t enough, he starts to gently rub your clit and you can feel yourself clenching around him. Your pussy is begging for release. So are you.

“You are doing so good for me, baby.” His voice is full of adoration. “You look so beautiful. All spread for me. Just waiting for my command to come around my cock.” He slams so hard inside you that it makes you moan even though you were trying to hold back all this time. “Let me hear you. You make such pretty noises.”

“Please, Bucky.” It’s so hard to hold back. You can feel tears running down your cheeks. You never wanted to come this badly in your life before. “Please let me come.”

Finally, those words come out of your mouth. It has been a tough journey, but finally, you can ignore your pride and just ask for what you really want.

“That’s all I needed to hear.” He suddenly pushes your legs onto your chest, practically folding you into two. That allows him to move deeper inside you. “You can come now,” he says right before he starts to move again.

And just like that, you start coming on his command. It’s unbelievable how your body was just waiting for four words to come out of his mouth. All that teasing, all the build-up and anticipation pays off. Your whole body starts to shake while he’s railing you like there’s no tomorrow. Your head is thrown back, your eyes are closed and your lips are parted with the most delicious moans coming out of them. 

“That’s it, baby. Take it all.” He sounds like he’s close himself, but you are too lost in the bubble of pleasure to do or say something about it. 

It’s nothing like you have ever felt before. It’s so intense that there’s no thought in your mind, other than Bucky and how good he makes you feel. It’s so long that you forget to breathe for a while. Your ears are buzzing, and your muscles are contracting. You never knew this was possible. You never knew it would be better than you imagined.

When you finally come down from your high, you open your eyes to see Bucky with the most pleased expression. He hasn’t come yet. You can feel how hard he’s inside you, but you can see how accomplished he feels.

“God, you are so fucking beautiful.” He keeps moving with the same pace, chasing his high.

“Come for me, Bucky,” you say while you reach out to touch his face. He has been working so hard to make your fantasy real. “Come inside me. Please.”

“Fuck.” You can see he’s about to come. The veins around his eyes get so visible when he’s close. “You want it, baby?” His voice comes out like a groan.

“Yes. I want it. Please, give it to me.”

That does it. You just watch how he starts to come and damn, it’s such a pretty sight. You have seen this many times before, but it never ceases to surprise you. Him losing himself in pleasure like that… Especially when you know you are the reason for it. You are the reason why he’s so turned on. You are the reason why he comes so hard. You are the one doing this to him. 

When he’s done, he gently moves out and rolls next to you. You whine a little because of how empty you suddenly feel. You feel his hot and deep breaths on your neck. As soon as you think you are feeling a little cold, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you close.

“Thank you,” you say quietly, as if you’re afraid someone else will hear you.

“It’s my pleasure, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I enjoyed that.”

“Oh, I saw how much you enjoyed it, Mr. I’m Not Sure If I Can Do This.”

He scoffs at you bringing up his first reaction. Oh, how wrong he was. It was a completely unexpected experience.

“Maybe we should try choking next time.” You test the waters reluctantly, but the look he’s giving you is nothing but promising.

[trans-axolotl]

hi! do you or your followers have any recommendations or suggestions on ways to get more politically organised when you're very chronically ill and mainly bedbound / housebound?

im truly at a loss of what to do now because i cannot do the usual protest attending, mutual aid fundraiser event hosting, even making food for friends that are struggling. i sign petitions and try to keep friends updated with news but its not enough

Hi anon! Super important question. I have a few thoughts on possible ways to get more involved in organizing while you're bedbound/housebound. A lot of my suggestions are shaped by the context of me mostly doing organizing in largeish US cities, and I also know that a lot of what's possible depends on your own personal access needs/energy levels/etc. feel free to let me know if nothing i suggest is accessible for your situation and I can try to brainstorm some other ways of getting involved!

Joining an organization like Crips for Esims for Gaza that works to directly support Palestinians and needs help with online logistics work like handling donations, buying Esims, and connecting people. Their email is listed in the article to get in contact.

Prisoner solidarity support! This could look like writing cards or letters for incarcerated people, or helping out with a books to prisoners program. Survived and Punished has a guide on how to write letters, Black and Pink has an LGBTQ prison penpal program, and if you search "prisoner penpal program" in your area you can probably find something local to you. The Prison Library Support Network is a great online based organization that works as a reference library for incarcerated people, and has people do research (sometimes just by searching on Google!) to answer information questions sent by incarcerated people. They have regular online trainings about how to participate as a volunteer, the next one is on July 13th.

Listening in on police scanners when there are protests happening in your area, and giving live updates to protesters, either in a Signal message thread or just by posting live updates on twitter/bluesky. This can be super helpful so that people on the ground can get information about what the cops are doing and can try to avoid getting kettled/arrested/etc.

Adding alt text and video captions to social media content about protests, news, protest safety infographics, etc to ensure that this kind of content is accessible to everyone.

If you have access to a printer and ink, printing out things like know your rights cards, radical zines, flyers, etc. a lot of orgs i've been part of haven't had easy access to a printer and would have been SO thrilled if someone reached out to us and said "Hi I can't participate in other ways but I have a printer and I'm happy to print stuff for you when you need!"

Creating plain language translations of news, political concepts, etc. Autism against Fascism is a group that makes plain language articles about fascism and antifascism, and I think there are so many topics surrounding protests, oppression, organizing, etc for which it would be incredibly helpful to have plain language resources.

Online fundraising for a particular cause by making social media posts. You could spotlight a campaign from a family in Gaza and commit to making posts and boosting their campaign. If you have a hobby that you already spend energy on, you could do something like raffling off your art, or doing a video game stream to raise money.

Researching resources in your area and making a mutual aid reference document to help people connect to resources. For example, @tigerrsmn has an amazing trans resource directory that they spent a lot of work researching and continually update. This can be a super helpful community resource to create and share if there isn't something like it for your area yet.

The next few suggestions are ones that require more energy or might require leaving the house so I know they might not be at all relevant for you, but I also got another ask about ways to participate when you're a disabled person who can't risk getting arrested at protests and I wanted to combine the asks in one post.

In person jail support. This usually happens right after a protest where people have gotten arrested and can go into the night or the next day. People show up outside the jail with food, cigs, water, subway cards or cash, and wait for people to get released from jail. This might be more accessible to some people because it's low risk, stays in one spot, and you can sit down the whole time if needed.

Kit making for a harm reduction group. A lot of harm reduction groups in my city have monthly kit making nights where we meet up at a local bookstore and put safer use supplies in individual kits for people to give out at outreach.

Cooking for a mutual aid group, either at a community kitchen or at your own kitchen to create meals for people to hand out at outreach. I highly recommend Food not Bombs if there's a local FNB group in your area.

Creating "Don't get Kettled" maps for your city so that protestors can plan better routes where they can avoid police kettles. This can be done through a combination of looking for google street view and showing up to places in person to look for streets with easy pedestrian exits, accessible exits with no stairs, curb cuts, avoiding dead ends, tunnels, etc.

Cop Watch, Court Watch, ICE Watch. Joining networks of people who keep an eye out in your neighborhood and share information to rapid response networks about when cops and ICE are spotted. Participate in Court Watch by going to in person or virtual court hearings to observe, document, and address injustice in local courts. DC has a really robust CourtWatch program that you could learn from to set up something in your area if a courtwatch program doesn't already exist in your region.

This is definitely not a complete list so followers please feel free to add on with suggestions, and definitely feel free to reach out again with more info/questions and I can try to keep brainstorming!

[mirai-e-jump]

Animage April 2025 Issue ft. Fuyuno Mio Interview (translation below)

Publication: March 10, 2025

Aiming to become Number One

Tono Hoeru, an "outcast" with no family or friends, made a "ring contract" with the Giant God Tega Sword and became GozyuWolf, a red bodied wolf warrior. In order to become number one, Hoeru throws himself into fierce battles against the evil army Buraidan and Ring Warriors, who like himself, have signed contracts with Tega Sword.

"No.1 Sentai Gozyuger," the most recent production in the Super Sentai series, has been gaining a great deal of attention since it started airing in February, as one of its biggest appeals is that it features wildly unconventional characters. Beginning with Hoeru, who's a bad tempered and quick to pick fights kind of person, the five members who Engage (transform) into Gozyugers all have extremely strong personalities. Their competition won't be a straightforward one, as surprising developments will await them in each and every battle.

Unlike the other warriors, who are trying to collect all the Sentai Rings in order to make their dreams and wishes come true, Hoeru's aim is to find his true wish in the midst of battle. What will the battles against the Ring Warriors bring about for Hoeru? The "competition for the rings," which will seriously shake up the viewers emotions, has only just begun!

-Hoeru is a surprisingly cute guy?-

"What was your impression when you learned about the details of this production?"

Fuyuno: Its motif is that all the strongest animals have gathered, so I thought they were unconventional heroes. Hoeru is a wolf, with the other members being a lion, an eagle, and a tyrannosaurus, and while only the unicorn is a mythical creature, they're all motifs worthy of being the main characters, don't you think? Even the name "Number One Sentai" is extremely impactful and straightforward, and I felt that it sounded cool from the first time I heard it.

"Please tell us what you remember from the audition."

Fuyuno: I remember one of the judges at the final audition said to me, "Think of us as children and get us excited." I'm really bad at making things lively, in part because I'm shy, and it was difficult for me to become positive, but I summoned up all my courage and got through it. I remember talking with Rikuo's Hideharu-kun on my way home from the final audition. I was incredibly happy when I found out at our meeting that we had both been chosen.

"What kind of character do you consider Tono Hoeru to be?"

Fuyuno: Hoeru has a foul mouth and isn't very sociable, which tends to give off the impression that he's unapproachable, but he has a kind side to him, and I think he's a surprisingly cute character.

"What do you think is similar and different between you and Hoeru?"

Fuyuno: We may be mostly similar (laughs). I too am often told that I'm unfriendly when first meeting someone, and we share the same clumsy traits. In the episodes that'll soon air, there were moments that made me think, "Something like this has happened to me too," so it was very easy for me to put my feelings into my performance. Hoeru grows bean sprouts in his room, and there are many other scenes that show his high level of self sufficiency, meanwhile, I'm not good at doing housework, so I think that's where Hoeru and I are different.

"Please tell us what you think is important when acting."

Fuyuno: To bring out the humanity that Hoeru has, I'm careful trying to take in the atmosphere of the scene and react accordingly to everyone's performance. Also, Hoeru possesses the mental strength to stand up to strong opponents, even if they're in large groups. I also try to have false confidence in myself on a regular basis.

"How do you communicate with GozyuWolf's Suit Actor Asai Kosuke-san?"

Fuyuno: Asai-san and I will talk about the performance, but now we're also having conversations about private matters. His actions are really cool, and during post recording sessions, I'm conscious of the strength of my voice so that it matches the wild movements of Asai-san's performance.

"What's been your most memorable interaction with Main Director Tasaki Ryuta-san?"

Fuyuno: During script reading, Director Tasaki taught me that an actor must express their emotions into a cup, and to let those emotions out as if it were water overflowing. I was told that I have a big cup, and that I should always prepare my emotions before going to the set so that they can overflow properly. Also, he wrote the words "capture the nature of the role" in my notebook. That motivated me to read the script more carefully, and to focus my mind on understanding Hoeru's character as I play the role.

"How's the teamwork among all the cast members?"

Fuyuno: Everyone performs properly in front of the cameras, but outside of that, we have fun talking and occasionally go out to eat together, so I think our teamwork is really good. In the very beginning, I was trying really hard to talk with them, thinking that I had to keep up with the conversation, but they're all such nice people, that we quickly became close and developed a relationship where I could relax and be myself. Aside from the main members, my first time filming together with Aoi's Yuda Koki-kun was memorable. I felt so at ease when he rushed over to me saying, "Hoeru!" Thanks to the fact that I was able to perform with those emotions, I showed off a really relaxed expression, so I think the scene turned out to be a very good one.

"Finally, please tell us some future highlights."

Fuyuno: I hope that you'll pay attention to the human drama of each of the five members. Each and every one of them has something they've been through and are still struggling with, which will be revealed over time, so please look forward to it.

[hoboblaidd]

People in the Inquisition would not have known Solas = Fen'harel, but there are so many cracks in his disguise that they can reasonably conclude "this elf is purposefully hiding his past." It's not even his magic/the Fade - Solas as a person doesn't quite add up.

He claims he's a random apostate elf from some nowhere village up North. He studies the Fade so extensively that he knows it better than anyone the Inquisition can find. So far, so good tbh - he's "self-taught", and the Fade is something any mage can readily access. Even being a Dreamer isn't a stretch to believe. That's something that comes to some people naturally, and with no Circle or clan to warn him off of it, it's a logical thing for a mage to develop. His aptitude with spirits is another thing that makes sense - he knows how to keep the more dangerous ones at bay so benefits from the knowledge and friendship of the kinder spirits.

His scars and fighting style are also not problematic. Everyone in Thedas has scars, and anyone outside of the nobility could be involved in a fight, especially living in the wilds. Solas appears to be in his 40s. That's a long time living on your own, and on the run from Templars and bigots. Even the sophistication of his magic isn't a problem. Bull's right to notice it doesn't "clunk", but it's not unrealistic for a disciplined self-taught mage to get good enough at the same menu of spells over the course of around ~40 years.

The main problem is everything else. He maintains he was always alone, but has no problem navigating any kind of social circle with an easy charisma. He lived in the wilds all his life, yet has a breadth of knowledge that suggests academia. He has Josie get him books from all cultures, both translated and not, that cross several Ages. He claims that he belonged to no organization, yet has sophisticated insights into politics and diplomacy. He paints in an intricate, difficult style of art with a talent that is perfected, but where would an apostate living in the woods be able to practice fresco painting? He is incredibly passionate about things he'd reasonably have no experience with - slavery, the Qun, the plight of mages, and while yes, it's a moral standpoint anyone could take, he talks about it like he knows it and admits he's taken up his fair share of causes. And then there's General Solas, who slips out occasionally to give sound, on-the-ground tactical advice and admits he's fought in an "elven skirmish."

The disguise is helped by his reticence and ready admission that he doesn't want to give anything away about himself. That's logical for an apostate in a Chantry institution. But even without his knowledge of ancient elves, Solas knows too much about too much.

[thelingodingo]

BTS' Speech Styles

Like anybody, the members of BTS have their own speech patterns and language quirks that make their speaking unique to themselves. So I thought it would be interesting to make a post that goes deeper into the details of how each member speaks in Korean!

Jin: He talks in an old-fashioned manner (very exaggerated ahjusshi) and doesn’t use much slang. He also uses a lot of puns consistently, its quite impressive and cringy honestly. His vocabulary isn't as varied and wide as RM but his grammar is pretty spot on. Also very speedy at talking and hard to understand sometimes. On top that, he's great at getting his point across in serious situations without adding unnecessary emotion.

Suga: I think I once heard a fandom myth that he has a lisp (which he very much does not). But he does mumble a lot and stretches his ㅔ's, making it very difficult for even native Korean speakers to understand him properly. On top of that, Suga also speaks incredibly quickly, making it another thing that makes it very hard to understand him (no wonder he's a rapper). Sometimes, he speaks very swaggy. Sometimes, he speaks like an old uncle. Sometimes, he's like RM and gets very eloquent with his wording.

J-Hope: Because of his dialect, he sounds very warm and friendly. He also seems to enjoy using words such as 되게 (really) and 뭔가 (somewhat) veryveryvery often. His tone fluctuates alot and something about the way he pronounces words is very crisp and staccato-like. He can also be very serious and deadass as well.

RM: He speaks very intellectually and educated. Both his vocabulary and sentence structure is very high-level, sometimes choosing difficult and unconventional words. Every now and then he jokes around in the many different dialects he picked up from the rest of the members (he doesn't come from a place that speaks a different dialect like the others). His normal speaking is also very unique sometimes due to the influence he has from the different dialects of the members, over the years he basically created his very own dialect that's a mix of all the different dialects together. This makes his speech so nuanced and special and difficult to fully translate/convey.

Jimin: Has a very friendly and down to earth tone when talking to fans since he speaks informally. His speech pattern is very playful, sweet, and cheeky. During other occasions, he speaks formally to fans and has the most "feminine" sounding speech style. You can tell he selects words very carefully and delicately to be as nice as possible. In Korea, he has a nickname of Park DaJeong, meaning "Tender Park" due to his speech style. Sometimes, he slips into dialect which is when he sounds a bit "rougher".

Taehyung: Is a big fan of using and repeating adverbs such as 약간, 조금, 진짜, etc. In Korea, people call the way he speaks 태태어 (Tae's language) because of how interestingly different and lowkey peculiarly he speaks Korean. It doesn't have much to do with his dialect, he literally just speaks that way. (he can speak amazingly when needed, it's just that he has his own quirks when speaking in casual situations)

Jungkook: He speaks with hints of dialect quite often, making him sound very rough and most "masculine" sounding in Korean out of all the members. I think he has a very clear and smooth tone which makes it easy to listen to him, so if you're learning Korean he might be a good person to do listening practice. He's not as polished in vocabulary/grammar compared to RM and Jimin but he's still great at speaking.

Something I want to mention is that the younger members very commonly use honorifics/polite social conventions/formal speech towards the older members even with their closeness and family-like relationship. This is actually something about BTS that is highly praised among Korean society due to how professional and respectful it makes them seem.

There's probably more to analyze and delve into when it comes to the members' speaking styles and patterns but this post is just a general overview.

Please let me know if theres any inaccuracies or if you want more posts like this!

[forsaken-headcanons]

very long yap about my builderman hcs

(my interest with Roblox in general leaks into my Forsaken hcs so here is a link to a very old blog post so that you have context for the whole Lua thing: https://blog.haydz6.com/2007/02/encyclopedia-robloxica | Luatongue is a hc name I have for it but it basically means the same thing dw about it)

also, "^" means that a hc is related to the one(s) above it in some way

okay that's out of the way! come on everypony let's get started!!! /silly

------

-Has a southern accent. It's not thick but it is noticeable. 

-Decently muscular.

-His physical body looks like a middle-aged dude, but Builder has existed for an insane amount of time. The Admins are not gods, but they aren't regular mortals either. 

-Was the first Admin. He actually created the admins as a group, along with Roblox HQ to keep some semblance of peace in Robloxia. Before the admins, Robloxia was an incredibly chaotic and dangerous place, with hackers, exploiters, mythical creatures, aliens, demons, angels, deities, gods, and a million other things running around doing whatever they wanted. The admins and Roblox HQ are like the SCP foundation but to a lesser extent. They don't go out of their way to deal with the supernatural, as they also function as the law/government, but they do try to keep the insane reality breaking dudes away from the general populace. 

-Builderman is really, REALLY good at Luatongue. This in addition to his creative thinking made him extremely powerful pre-Forsakening. He may have looked like a normal Robloxian, but he was an admin mainly because he was born with what was essentially divine knowledge that translated to god-like powers. However, when The Spectre took him to its realm, it made him forget nearly all of the Lua he knew, causing him to lose a nearly all of his power. 

-^Despite his extreme natural proficiency with Lua, Builderman is not the prophet, as he isn't able to effectively share what it means with others. Lua is less of a "language" and more of a way that the beings within Robloxia can manipulate the very fabric of Robloxia itself. For anyone who isn't the prophet, telling someone who doesn't have a natural connection to Luatongue how to use it is nearly impossible. It's not even known how the prophet is supposed to share Lua with Robloxia, only that they will have some special ability to do so. 

-^Has notes that he works on periodically of what he can remember about Luatongue. Usually, "working" on these notes entails him sitting somewhere racking his brain for any scraps of it he can remember, jotting it down, and then pondering over the notes to try and gain back more memories of it. 

-^Builderman's knowledge of Lua was among one of the few things that The Spectre couldn't directly prevent the forsaken robloxians from using. The Spectre may be an extremely powerful entity, but it is, by a long shot, not powerful enough to override the code that is the very foundation of the universe. It had actually written off getting a hold of Builderman completely before it got the idea to make him forget Luatongue, and even that was extremely difficult for it, especially since he fought back against being taken by The Spectre, which it wasn't used to it's victims being strong enough to do so. The only reason it managed to pull it off was because Builderman was so focused on his fight with The Spectre and simultaneously resisting it's attempts to transport him to it's realm, that he didn't realize that Spectre was altering his mind as well until it was too late.

-Builderman cannot directly destroy things with Lua; he is only able to create. It's easy for him to work around this because he can just. create something destructive. But Builderman can't straight up use Luatongue to destroy. 

-When he was younger, he created a "focus" item of sorts. It was a trowel, and while it looked normal, it had a certain energy to it. Builderman created the trowel because while he had an unheard of ability to use Lua, he didn't have fine control over his powers. Without the trowel, he can make a wall. With his trowel, he can make a castle-sized wall, or a wall fit for a dollhouse, or even a regular wall the size of what would be in a house, of any color imaginable, and made out of whatever he'd like. 

-^ a secondary thing the trowel does: anyone holding it will be able to walk in the air at will. When he made the trowel, Builderman gave it this property so that he'd be able to get better views on whatever it was he was making at the moment. After he started taking on the role of the regulator of Robloxia, it turned out that being able to basically fly was really useful. 

-^sometimes when he was younger and just messing around, he'd stand like. Fully horizontally in the air just for the laughs. #1 at the lying down game /j 

-^obviously, he doesn't have his trowel with him in The Spectre's realm. Builderman had a deep emotional attachment to it, and misses it sometimes. 

-Even without the use of his weird god-language-powers, Builderman is really good with tech and engineering-type stuff. 

-He naturally has the general vibe of a leader, and this combined with his role pre-Forsakening means that the survivors will nearly always listen to him and do what he says. The other admins also have some authority, but he's got the most. 

BUILDERMAN HEADCANONS WOOHOOOO!!!! he 100% has a slight southern accent. He feels like the type of guy to have one.

[huaidanta]

Analysis: Why I think Fuuta was actually wrong to make his post about the university professor in Bring It On

[Originally a Twitter thread so it may read a bit clunky]

I've been thinking a lot about this sort of belief that Fuuta only really went wrong in the case of Miss Magic/Killcheroy and it got me to consider the other targets in Bring It On.

In particular, I was curious about how people viewed the second case (Rypirotes). Compared to the other subjects, this one had a clear victim and a much more serious offense. The university professor committed sexual harassment which definitely calls for some sort of action.

I made a Twitter poll asking if Fuuta was justified in making his tweet outting the university professor for sexual harassment and the overwhelming majority (78.4%) said yes.

However, I don't agree with Fuuta making the post and I'll explain why:

Fuuta taking a photo of the scene is represented by 3 different texts appearing in front of him. "SHUTTER", "chance", and "盗撮".

Wait... "chance"? To me, "chance" makes it sound like Fuuta sees this as an opportunity, rather than as something genuinely horrible.

Even worse, the kanji that appears here is specifically used to describe non-consensual photography like upskirt shots and peeping photos. They've directly correlated Fuuta taking a photo of the situation as something perverse and violating.

Like... just think about it. Fuuta took a photo of a woman in an incredibly vulnerable situation and put it on the internet for everyone to look at, without ever getting her consent.

As a man, Fuuta has more social power to directly intervene and stop the harassment... We also know he's a coward. Even so, couldn't he have tried reporting it to other authorities at the university? Or at least checked to see if that woman was okay?

We can infer that Fuuta never directly did anything because he was walking the university hallways at 12:25, witnessed the scene and left (we see him leave!!), made a tweet at 12:46, posted the photo at 12:58, and was checking the post at 15:01 (?) from his seat in class.

In his post, Fuuta asks for the others to report this to the university. Why didn't Fuuta do it himself?

Instead, one of the first things he does is tweet "I found a bad guy". He isn't horrified this is happening, he's EXCITED that he gets to broadcast it.

Fuuta and the repliers don't actually care about the wellbeing of the woman. No one expresses real concern for her, they just want a bad guy to take down.

As Es says in Fuuta's T2 VD, this is a game—entertainment—to them.

I also want to point out this comment in particular, because it shows that Fuuta didn't even blur her face out!!!

There's an irony in that by publicly calling out the professor for violating a woman's boundaries and consent, Fuuta's violated those very same things.

It's the only "fight" in Bring It On with a real tangible victim but she's treated as insignificant.

In conclusion, I don't think Fuuta was right to make that post because he never bothered to truly help the victim. The post only further violated her boundaries to serve Fuuta's own selfish interests.

It's easy to get swept up in the desire for retribution and miss that there are real people that were—and continue to be—hurt.

(MV text translations are from Rochisama)

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

I would like to know more lore about your new Wizard Stan please

(I'm a sucker for anything related to Ford Having A Bad Time™ and a new magic system (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠))

Thank you for the interest into my newest au child. They were dropped at my doorstep after their parent threw me into a plane.

Hmm. Lets see.

So wizards are ridiculous here, its a title for crazy guys in robes who act mysterious. Magic is partially about know what your doing and feeling what your doing. Anyone can do magic, but a wizard is someone who understands that they truly don't know what they're doing. Magic isn't science, it's ever changing and bends depending on who or what its working with. A wizards spell book is them writing down magic as they understand it, and thats why deciphering another wizards spells are difficult. They have to translate one magic system into their own and understand what it means from that.

Its also a living thing. As long as the spell caster can come up with a reason their spell should work and feel confident that it will then thats that. Thats now how that spell works for that person. Stan's a wizard because the previous owner of the tower recognized Stan's talent for bsing his way through life and lying would make him an excellent spell caster, and his ability to not concern himself with what everyone else is doing and staying in his lane a great wizard. Stan didn't know any magic but thats easy enough to fix, he already knew he knew nothing after all, and once Stan gets going magic likes him so much it works with him barely doing anything.

Anyone can cast a spell, a wizard is someone who can do it with flair, style, and by knowing that you have to look ridiculous to be cool. Its a title for those ready to take on the mysteries of the universe and know that its an answer for themselves. Like a whispered secret.

Ford is not a wizard, because he is a scientist. Sure he's looking into the mysteries of the universe, but then he's writing it down and is under the impression that there's only one right way to do magic. He's trying to make sense of it like it has hard rules, can be replicated over and over the same way by everyone, and that it follows the same laws as the rest of reality. He's too inflexible and rigid about it. He's not ready to strike a cool pose on a mountain side and yell at the top of his lungs a bunch of lies about spirits that so convincing it becomes real. He's too much a nerd and rule stickler.

Plus he doesn't have a tower. All wizards have towers. He has a house. They'll call him a witch at best. Until he's ready to live in a tower as an apprentice or build his own magic tower he doesn't qualify. Wizard 101 here, you need a tower.

Fords has a house, he's not going to build a tower or move somewhere else. He already knows so much about magic! Can cast incredibly complex spells! He's doing what everyone else is doing! Let him be a wizard!

(He's thinking gandalf wizardry, not Adventure time Wizardry. His drama is too sci-fiy and dramatic in serious ways, he is not ready to be the Tim from monty python and the holy grail. He's not wearing a funky hat or gluing stars to bathrobes either. Wear a funky embarrassing outfit if he wants to get serious)

(i can very easily imagine Stan wearing a funky bathrobe with stars and scurring around yelling fake prophesies at people. Ford's a little harder, but he could. He just has to accept his inner gremlin)

Stan becoming a wizard before casting his first spell is salt in the wound. It gets worse when he starts getting treated like Stan did when they were kids. Stan does some funky spell with no prep and is pure nonsense and is getting praised by all the old wizards, then they turn around and roll their eyes at Ford and shake their heads. Everyone's praising Stan, is impressed by his tower, want to go do secret wizardy things with him, and Fords just his tagalong now. Ford is the plus one here, Ford is the extra Stan, the one who's just a boring version of Stanley.

Stan's not saying that though! Stan's excited to include Ford (Ford loved to share his books) wants to show off all the magic stuff (Ford loved showing off cool physics tricks he learned), show him around his tower (Ford would drag Stan to science events), just wants to hang out! (Ford loved playing with Stan, until his school work started taking priority).

Ford goes home at the end of the day and tries to process what all these feelings me. Stan's immature and a cheat and lied his way into wizadry, but-

but.

Ford is now standing in Stan's shadow. Every day Stan's doing more and more impressive spells for someone who's been doing it for maybe a month. He's a genius when it comes to magic, and no matter how hard Ford tries he can't get the same recognition in the wizard community. It shouldn't bother him, he excels in other places, but it does.

He doesn't like getting compared to his brother. He never has been, not like this. A wizard tells him he can go study fairies in the woods with the same tone their principle said Stan could scrape barnacles and it makes him feel even more emotions about it. And Stan's only being somewhat boastful about the whole thing and Ford just feels so many emotions about it it spills out as anger whenever Stan shows off how much better he is at magic.

Just Ford not knowing how to process the feeling Stan's felt his whole life while Stan's just waiting for everyone to realize they got the wrong twin. Stan's loving the wizard life and messing with Ford a bit but he also doesn't know how to handle a whole set of people who prefer Stan over Ford.

[riddle-me-fear]

Dear Riddler

What languages do you speak?

And do you have a doctor title or master's degree in any subject?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Let's see, obviously English, as my mother tongue, then there's Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, German - all of which I speak fluently - I'd say mid-level Greek and Hebrew, I'm still learning those, and a little bit of Russian. Of course I know a couple words and phrases in a large variety of other languages, but those hardly count.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Tshh. Show-off.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Nobody asked for your opinion, Jonathan.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Aight, genius, genuine question: Why do ya know so damn many languages?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Better. Well, Latin is obvious. French I learned while working with Oswald, since he just loves to surround himself with French women and is generally obsessed with France. Quite useful after the fact, to spy on his meetings and flirt with his assistant to anger him, mh-hm-ha! Of course, I've also visited the country myself, and the locals are much friendlier when you speak to them in their language. Moving on, Spanish is obvious as well. Ah, Italian, because I took quite many trips to Italy, for multiple reasons.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Do these "reasons" by chance have anythin' to do with our local kitty cat?

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Perhaps, perhaps not. Right then, German, oh, there are just too many reasons, from the music, to the inventors, mathematicians, psychologists; To read the works of such great individuals in their original language gives a much broader understanding than to make due with a translation. That isn't just the case with German, obviously, any language I learn is to further and deepen my knowledge in any way, shape or form I can, and learn of the country's history and culture, while I'm at it. Right, Greek and Hebrew, I am learning for that very same reason, and finally, Russian because of too many run-ins with the Bratva to my liking, and I'd rather understand what they're saying to each other, while I'm being held at gunpoint.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Hm, neva had any problems with 'em.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

Lucky you. Next question! Doctor title - nope; Master's degree - yes, two, actually. I've got a master's in Computer Forensics and Cyber Security, and another in Forensic Pathology. Initially - ahah, aaah this is hilarious thinking back on it - I was very motivated to fix the corrupt police system, and tried to achieve that from within.

Jonathan Crane | The Scarecrow

Hehehe, s'ppose that didn't last long.

Edward Nygma | The Riddler

It indeed did not. A person of my incredible intellect would quickly come to realize the GCPD is beyond salvation, something the Gordons still refuse to accept, and have to face the harsh reality thereof each and every time. But my studies were in no way for naught - Now, I have access to the vast digital space of databases the police keeps stored. Sure, they change their security system every year, but it's oh so easy to crack ahahahaha! Aaah, the dirt I have on so many officers, investigators, and what have you... The stories I could tell. If you buy them off me mh-hahaha! Oh, another thing on degrees, though; I'd have even more of them by now, as I am self-taught in quite a number of things. Unfortunately, the university isn't corrupt enough to hand out certificates to criminals. Shame. Not that I need them to prove my genius. They'd just look nice on my wall.

[et-cant-phone-home-no-signal]

Narziß und Goldmund - "Brother..."

Hello my loves! So, as you may have noticed, alongside my newfound love and obsession with KCD1 (and wow what an amazing game btw, highly recommend), I've been digging into Hermann Hesse these past days. I have @perplexingly and @impmansloot to thank for this (and to curse, what have you DONE to me), but a conversation we had in the comments of one of my previous posts has stuck with me - Abbott Daniel calls Narcissus Brother..... something. In each translation, there seems to be a different name for him, and tonight I'm delving into this a little in correlation to my English translation by Leila Vennewitz, and the German language original which we bought. Please also bear in mind that my mum and me are Dutch, and so we are mostly translating into Dutch firstly, then to English, then comparing it to the English translation book. It's a bit of a process but it works well for us, since Dutch is so close to German and it helps us both understand it better before we get to English! Also my mum is NOT a native German speaker and has admitted to not knowing every word she comes across, but she's way more fluent than I am and her input is deeply appreciated by me because I could not do this by myself, my German isn't nearly at a high enough level.

Firstly, let's admire the copy we received today! We had no clue what the book was going to look like, but it turns out we got a beautiful taschenbuch (bag book), or pocket book - it literally fits in your pocket! It's gorgeous and surprisingly, the font isn't too small so it's fairly easy to read. Here it is in contrast to my lovely dress, which complemented the colours by accident.

And here it is scanned in, absolutely stunning. It has a slightly shiny, iridescent quality to it as well that you just can't see unless it's in person, but anyway, moving on!

The abstract I'll be focusing on in this post is literally two pages, and not even all of it, it will be on the language used in a specific section, though I'll be making more posts on other parts too once we've managed to comb the first chapter and more. I want to delve into...

As you can see, I've highlighted certain parts that I'd like to compare! Firstly, I want to say that my translation is actually incredibly faithful for the most part, and both me and my mum are impressed with certain choices Vennewitz made, yet equally baffled by others. Overall, from what we've parsed thus far, Vennewitz has done a marvellous job of marrying old-fashioned and sometimes outdated formal German to a more modern English speaking audience. Some of the sentences in this book are Really Difficult to translate, especially since some terms and language is very much of the early 1900s + of course this is set in medieval times, so certain things are just Different. Also, German sentence structure (like Dutch) follows different rules to English, and so many things are translated "the other way around" as mum and me fondly refer to it - this just means that usually the order of words is completely different in English and thus flows differently, or is even translated in such a way as to accommodate this grammar difference. Regardless, a few things here stood out to me in comparison to the German original.

Firstly, "Mein Befehl" is translated as "An order", which strikes me as interesting purely because he is saying "My command", and why this hasn't been taken into account is a mystery to me. Reading the German makes me feel the power dynamic in a far stronger sense, Abbot Daniel feels less like a passive person here, but that might also be because Vennewitz did not translate "Is es Euer Befehl" either - "Is it your command", instead she chose the passive off the bat with Narziß ("Is that an order") and thus the Abbot must follow suit. I also wonder why 'order' and not 'command' was used, but I suppose they can be interchangeable as it is another way to translate the word! Secondly, the word "zwingen" stood out to me reading the German book, since my immediate gut translation of that is 'force', ('kracht' or 'dwingen' in Dutch - and it feels more forceful too when I read it in German and then also translate it to Dutch first), and even though compel is not an incorrect translation - it's certainly a viable option - I wonder if it was a specific choice; perhaps it's a way to soothe Narziß in this conversation that has honestly seemed quite tense to me thus far. Not overly important, but still interesting to note imo.

Onto the main course! "Du bist ein Schwärmer und hast Gesichte." - ohh this sentence had me and my mum very intrigued, especially when comparing to my translation. 'Schwärmer' in her gut translation to Dutch is 'enthousiast', or in English 'enthusiastic', and the most common translation of 'Gesichte' is 'geschiedenis', or 'history'. Now, with this in mind, these words do have multiple connotations, but I think that taking a gut translation into account when reading is very important, especially since my mum isn't particularly academic, she just loves to read and she loves that we're reading it in German too. She translated this sentence as "You are an enthusiast and have history" initially, then squinted, and decided on "You are an enthusiast and have a vision", because yes, 'Gesichte' can ALSO mean vision (eg. Gesichte haben - having vision), but it wasn't her immediate response, so I do think that's worth noting. 'Schwärmer' can also mean 'visionary' or 'dreamer', which ties into Imp's comment on this in a previous post where I found that in the Russian translation (forgive me, I cannot remember who by) Abbot Daniel apparently calls him "Brother Dreamer", which is a pretty accurate translation with this in consideration + the context of the conversation, but I've also been told that in Ursule Molinaro's translation he is called "Brother Romantic", which... Makes absolutely no sense to me, context or translation wise, so I truly wonder how she got to that particular choice! Anyway that's not the translation I'm focusing on (for now), so let's get back to it.

"You are a visionary." This is such a short way to translate this particular sentence, but, perhaps it's for the best? I feel it complicates the German, as yes, it's followed by the Abbot calling Narziß "Bruder Schwärmer", which I at this point would translate to "Brother Visionary" or "Brother Dreamer". It makes sense, especially since my mum admitted to me after reading the whole conversation again that poor Narziß does not seem particularly enthusiastic about telling the Abbot about his destiny, but with that in mind, the German sentence seems rather repetitive, doesn't it? "You're a visionary/dreamer and you have vision" is a bit much, so, Vennewitz decided to simply cut it down a bit! Maybe it is for the best, even if it sort of changes the flow and feeling of the original conversation, sometimes that's necessary - after all, literal translations rarely get you very far. So, overall... The original German seems to be leaning into the Visionary and Dreamer route, even if the first gut translation is Enthusiast - context is truly the pearl of this whole book! It's something I find reoccurring, and some choices are better than others, but to those who like me were damn curious, it turns out that not all translations are made equal and luckily for me, Vennewitz knew what she was doing when it came to this particular page!

That's all I'm covering in this post, but rest assured I'll have more soon because we are having fun going through the German and comparing and translating it - not only is it fantastic language practice but it also creates a whole new interest into the historical context of the book (for me, at least, my mum is mostly just happy to read in German again bless her). I'd also like to say that thus far, I've scanned in Four (4) chapters of my Vennewitz translation onto the drive and I'll be continuing to scan day by day, so if you want to read the English translation yourself do check out my '#et reads n&g' tag because the drive link is in a previous post with said tag. If there is genuine interest in the German original, I may start scanning that one too, but as the book is smaller there are at least 100 more pages to that book so I'd have to consider it a bit more... I do also wonder if there are other books people really want to read but have zero or difficult access to either online, or in real life, so, hmm, let me know...

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and consider checking out any of my other writing either on AO3 (linked in bio) or even my Tolkien writing (pinned post), if that's of any interest to you! Have a good one and happy reading <3

[spikeface]

pleaseeee lydia for the character game (this is blakchholes ignore the url)

Hiiii and thank you for the ask!

How I feel about this character: I love her!! I'm a sucker for a bitchy and secretly lonely popular girl so Lydia got me from the start. The fact that they make her lie about almost every facet of her personality while instantly becoming obsessed with someone who pushes her to break down her walls? And throw her in the deep end where there's no possible way to maintain her strictly curated sense of self? And show how she responds to that trauma by reaching for connection, while transfiguring the iconic hot-girl-scream, a symbol of female fragility and objectification in horror, into a weapon? I love her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I love shipping Lydia but I'm so picky because she is too. To me, shipping her has so much to do with her obsession with control.

Lydia's obsession with control is so underrated imho. She's doing incredibly well in school in s1, even as she convinces everyone around her that she's an idiot. It would be easy for her, as a rich hot socialite, to simply ignore school, but instead she wants all of the practical uses of excelling in school (not to mention the pleasure of being correct) and the social capital of being a normie ditzy hot girl and the privacy that this facade allows her. Lydia's greatest fear is helplessness and she refuses to compromise on any point. When she sees a horrifying monster she can't get out of her mind, she will simply take a bunch of drugs about it. Problem solved!

All of this translates into her relationship with Jackson, one of my favorite ships for her. Lydia loves Jackson and she wants their relationship to be a performance that gives her advantages in society and distance and control; she wants a key to his place as a symbol of her success in her relationship, and will also keep it on her at all times because he means so much to her, and she'll lie to his face about having it. Her struggle is not so much realizing she loves Jackson but being willing to give up control by admitting it.

In one of my favorite s2 scenes, Allison asks Lydia if she can relate to the vulnerability of being in love, how "you can't breathe until you're with him." Lydia says no. She's always refused that kind of vulnerability.

It's also a very gay-coded response but I'll get to that in a bit.

If Lydia/Jackson is about Lydia wrestling with her need for control, Lydia/Aiden is at the opposite end of the spectrum. From the beginning, Aiden gives her all the control. One of the first scenes with them is Aiden offering to help her study, and Lydia retorting that she's smarter than he is. It's the kind of thing that would have prompted Jackson to meanness in turn, but Aiden is just like "ok 😍, you help me study then 😍."

Aiden is demanding and violent in other areas of his life, but not with Lydia. When she's disgusted and frightened of him after Boyd's death and avoids him, he lets her keep her distance even though, as he confesses, it hurts him. When they're hooking up, the second she expresses any displeasure, he stops everything he's doing and then does exactly what she tells him to. This isn't to praise him for doing, like, the bare minimum re: consent but to point out how deliberate it is for Aiden: he's a violent bully the rest of the time. He loves beating up Isaac and Scott, for instance, and is happy to threaten his twin about dropping Danny. But the second Kali growls at Lydia, he breaks with the alpha pack altogether. When Derek is trying to get it through his head to do the right thing, he has to frame it in terms of what Lydia would do. Aiden follows her around and believes her about the voices he can't hear and strips when she tells him to so he can be her figure-drawing doll. His final thoughts in life are whether Lydia would approve of him.

And you can see how much Lydia likes it! Aiden comforts her because he's the one person in her life who lets her have complete control. At first it's a part of her slut-phase power trip, but as they get closer, you can see the vulnerability come out.

At the same time, "I love him because I have total control" is also very gay-coded. As is, like, everything Lydia does re: Allison. From the moment they meet, Lydia seems to have no control over the intensity of her feelings about Allison, and compensates by being as controlling as she can get away with. She declares they're going to be best friends immediately, and invites herself on Allison's second date, and picks her clothes for her, and takes a prurient interest in her hook ups with Scott. It's But I'm A Cheerleader levels of gay because, while Lydia obsesses over control and privacy in every other aspect of her life, she seems to have no sense of how openly, vulnerably obsessed she is with Allison. She'll sit in her room alone in the dark for hours just waiting to talk to her. Insane!

And their care is just so mutual! A lot of their dynamic has to do with Allison protecting Lydia, but Lydia is also fiercely protective of Allison: the second Braeden grabs Allison, Lydia squares off with her.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I ship Allydia but my favorite gen dynamic is Lydia&Allison, and love that the show prioritized friendship the way that it did. Yes, it's easy to ready gay subtext into "Allison, I love you," but it's incredibly friendship-oriented. Allison is the most important person in Lydia's life almost from the second she walks in, just as she is for Scott. Aiden and Allison die on the same night, but there's no question which hurts Lydia more. Allison echoes in every other dynamic Lydia has, especially the care she takes with other girls: Kira, Malia, Sydney, Tracy. It breaks my heart!

I also enjoy the Lydia&Stiles dynamic, especially in 3b, and adore Lydia&Scott's intimacy and support for each other. Will never be over that moment in Pressure Test when Scott turns to her, the only person in the group who can't heal from a bullet (and who's covered in scars from past assaults), and she's chomping at the bit to go flatten hunters with her voice. She's his tank!

My favorite late season dynamic is Lydia&Malia: they're SO funny together, and complement each other really well. One of the pleasures of 6a is how, with Stiles gone, Lydia&Malia's friendship takes center stage while Scott naps in the back.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Fandom largely doesn't think about Lydia so I don't know what would be my most unpopular opinion. Potentially it's that what Peter did to Lydia matters, something that Peter-fandom is eager to erase. Peter violently assaults her, and then goes out of his way to be cruel to her as he takes over her mind in s2. He pretends to be a boy her age who's interested in her just to work some mockery into his flirting, delighting in how much control he has over her--her worst nightmare. He reveals the truth in the most jarring way possible, and then toys with her terror. Once he's back, he plays at regret but only when it suits him: as soon as she has something he wants again, he'll attack her twice in the course of one conversation. Fandom tends to use Lydia's role as the smart character into a stamp of approval for their fave or OTP, and it's always annoying but disgusting when it's about Peter.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. Oh man, so many things. Since I discussed Lydia/Jackson above, I was always frustrated by how the onus seemed to be solely on Lydia to be vulnerable, rather than both of them, given that they're both control freaks who love each other but were mean to each other. Jackson should have gotten over himself and said "I love you back," geez.

I have a whole rant about her mistreatment in 6a.

I also wish we had seen more of her relationship with her family. Lydia seems so molded by her parents' acrimony and divorce, and shows that Lydia inherits her social craftiness from her mother, but the show only touches on it rarely. Natalie is also the weirdest of the parents, given her obsession with denying the truth and locking her daughter in Eichen, but the show stifles all but the briefest moments of friction between her and Lydia.

Give me a character, if you’d like!

[fablecore]

Your post about fanfiction being a rather largely homogeneous group was so on point. When AO3 surveys or case group articles/studies came out showing that majority of the people in ao3 are White Bisexual Women, I wasn’t really surprised! However, I think you can catch culturally and racially where authors may be from, and I think it’s incredibly apparent in Non-Western works specifically in anime and manga that is often set in Japan. I can’t recall the amount of times I’ve read a fanfic that takes a lot of liberties on how culture and behavior operates in Japan, when trying to fill the holes of whatever mundanity lies between the plot and characterization of the story! I think it’s most egregious in original character or reader stories, where even Japanese-like names they may give their lead doesn’t save them from channeling a very western perspective to the story? A lot of anime characters tend to be quiet eccentric anyway that’s not accurate to reality but I often think the understanding as to why is lost on these writers.

It isn’t to say, that it’s bad to write for these stories! In fact I think it’s more to say that anime isn’t enough to grasp your whole understanding of a country and its customs and to write it as naturally as possible. When I read your stories, I don’t think this is an issue at all! What would be your advice to the proper research people should do in order to capture it? Reading books, surfing sites, watching shows? Or is it more? I’d love to know! Thank you!

be curious! read books by japanese authors, watch jdramas, etc. if you need to do quick research on what life is like from the perspective of [high school student, city yuppie, konbini worker, etc], youtube works fine. try to get small details right, like removing your shoes at the front door and wearing house slippers. you can probably find a reddit post about cultural inaccuracies in stories set in japan.

on the other hand, if you want to write a little more deeply, you should develop a solid worldview with beliefs that you can stand behind. i'll never have the perspective of a japanese person. that's fine. the only thing i can work with is my perspective as a chinese diaspora yank with a worldview shaped by living in the heart of empire. even though i'm writing characters who are very different from me, i can still touch on little kernels of truth because i'm familiar with history, particularly what the west has done to the rest of the world and how it affects them today. for example, much like south korea, japan is an american vassal state. we nuked them, wrote their constitution, and built our own military bases all over their country. putting aside the many valid historical grievances involving japan, american interference to keep itself the dominating superpower on the global stage is the biggest reason why lasting peace isn't yet a reality in east asia. an easy way to make your non-western characters feel real is to just have them make fun of america, a beloved worldwide pasttime 😋 (you could also have them exoticize things like american gas stations or american breakfast cereal, which is funny and true to life)

anyway my point is, research is only a part of it. people don't read stories because they want to read about every cultural custom in agonizingly accurate detail, they're drawn to the story. and story is perspective, ideas, images. if an author can develop a strong worldview (formed by 1. lived experiences/understanding of your own place in the world, 2. research, and 3. private obsessions and interests), that will naturally translate to interesting characters who might not be 100% stereotypically [insert ethnicity here] but are recognizably human and behave in human ways.

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

If you dont mind the ask, what are some of your favorite pokemon cards by moveset, design, and/or art?

Ooh, I like this ask, I think I'm going to dig in and make this my post for the day and put some work into this.

Electrode was the coolest Pokemon in the first generation because blowing up to what would become 2 of any Energy let some cool strats with otherwise slow Pokemon work. It's a shame that it was so weak to Energy Removal, but at least Lass existed to help.

Kabuto from Neo Discovery goes in the art category. Was the first of the clay Pokemon by Yuka Morii that I ever got, and those cards are adorable. I'm glad there was a series of these throughout the years.

Town Volunteers was one of the first Supporters, which was a very positive change to the game, but was also used for art in the Lumiose Museum in XY. I love that they used old cards in that.

This was probably the first deck I used that was really, really good, as I actually got all the cards together for a functional version of it. I couldn't go to many events for various reasons but I'm fond of it anyway.

Flygon here had a lot going for it. It was one of the Delta Species, which was a very cool concept and one I wish they'd go fully back to someday. Tera does some of that but misses out on the Weakness diversity within a type thing, which I know they're actively trying to avoid now. It also let you play with a variety of Delta Species at once with that Poke-Power, so it was fun to mess around with.

My favorite Pokemon may have never been good in the games (does ADV ZU count as good? Probably not) but got one of the best cards of all time. Any deck could use this as 2 of any color of Energy, though you had to return an Energy back to your hand so it worked best alongside things like Blastoise ex or Meganium ex. Those decks could just work with any Pokemon that needed 2 or fewer off-type Energy, so that translated to the vast majority of Pokemon in the game. It was still useful in decks without that to an extent. Oh, and it was also a starter Pokemon for basically any deck running a lot of Delta Species Pokemon, even if it was just the Basic versions to evolve into something else. Incredible card.

Crystal Beach isn't here for design or what it does, it's for story reasons. One person that could possibly read this will know what I'm talking about here.

I didn't get to play a ton in the DP era but I do remember this being silly. 90 for no Energy was such a fun concept, and it was actually pretty good at the time.

The attack is called Everyone Explode Now. What's not to like?

---

I think I should stop here for now, got out of hand a bit. I think I'll put out a second edition of this tomorrow evening with later cards since I rarely write anything after therapy anyway and that'll be a fun easy thing. Can go back to normal posts Wednesday. Thanks for the ask here, that was fun to do!

[a-forbidden-detective]

Today an article came out about the two Ron Kamonohashis playing in the TV anime, Youhei Azakami, and onstage next month, Yuta Kishimoto. Both have given their thoughts about playing the forbidden detective, how they differ, and how they approach this role.

Yuta Kishimoto and Youhei Azakami (whose stylish pullover makes me dizzy), two Rons onstage and the TV anime

It is a long article. So you are in for a long ride! Also, this is a rough translation with the help of an app. So apologies in advance.

—oo—

Having played Ron in the TV anime’s 1st Season, could you tell us again about the charm of this work that you are playing?

Youhei Azakami (hereafter, Azakami): It's a work packed with an incredible amount of coolness. The characters and the story are like that, but the original work features Amano-sensei's wonderful illustrations that make you want to frame each page like a painting. Among them, there are various aspects such as cool serious scenes and, conversely, comical scenes, which made it very appealing as I read through the manga.

When it was adapted into an anime, it was a pressure for us cast members, but I think the animators also felt pressure because they had to faithfully and dynamically animate Amano-sensei's drawings. However, when I watched the completed work as a viewer, I felt a sense of pride and confidence that we were able to create a wonderful piece of work with everyone's efforts.

That's why I truly believe that the charm of this anime lies in the fact that these incredibly cool illustrations were properly animated, with fitting voices and music added. I think it's a comprehensive art form.

Were there any things you were conscious of while performing, or things you noticed during your performance?

Azakami: When I project the character Ron onto myself while acting, I find that he's a bit out of sync with others, so it becomes confusing. Like, why would he suddenly insert a joke in such an important scene, or how can he maintain himself with such drastic shifts? So, I thought it might be more interesting to play him as "mysterious" without getting too emotionally involved.

Therefore, rather than "becoming Ron," I focused on bringing out the "interesting parts" of Ron's character. I think that approach worked well in the end. I felt that it would be more enjoyable for the audience to perceive the character as cool or funny, rather than focusing on consistency.

On the other hand, Kishimoto-san, you will be playing Ron from now on. Could you tell us what you are thinking about in terms of character development at this point (before rehearsals)?

Yuta Kishimoto (hereafter, Kishimoto): Regardless of this work, I'm not the type to rigidly decide everything in advance. Acting is a conversation, isn't it? It's something that is established through live conversations between people, so if you decide everything too rigidly, you might not be able to react when something unexpected comes your way.

So, I only decide on a big axis... I incorporate the Ron that Azakami-san created as a core within myself, and then line up the movements from the anime. From there, it's about how Toto (Isshiki Totomaru) and I move on stage, how we want to present ourselves. If Toto presents himself in a certain way, maybe Ron should present himself like this, or something like that.

That's why, surprisingly, at this point, I don't want to decide too much. I want to value what is created when we actually face each other.

What do you think is the appeal of Ron?

Azakami: If you think about whether you could be friends with him, I think you'd be quite overwhelmed (laughs).

Kishimoto: It would be unbelievable if he were close by.

Azakami: It really would be. However, when you team up as buddies and solve cases together, you realize there's probably no one more reliable. From that buddy perspective, or when he becomes your ally, I think you can really notice his dependable qualities, but it's not easy (laughs).

Kishimoto: If he were the culprit, I definitely wouldn't want to meet him (laughs). It feels like he can read everything. His insight and sharp perspective are just... Once you're found, or targeted, it's over, so you definitely want him on your side.

Azakami: You don't want him as an enemy. That might be something we both agree on.

Since the topic of buddies came up, I'd like to ask about the relationship between Ron, whom you play, and Toto, who is his counterpart.

Azakami: The character Toto takes on the role of someone who can act in place of a person forbidden from being a detective. If that's all there was to him, Toto's presence might seem a bit thin, but he has a passion and a sense of justice that won't tolerate wrongdoing, and he can prioritize someone else's life over his own. Those are his strengths, and I think Ron is probably influenced by them as well.

In the anime, Junya Enoki plays Toto, and he performs with a warmth and a sense of human touch, breathing life into the character beyond just his role or icon status. Thanks to that, the dynamic between Ron's eccentricity and the two of them being an odd pair is created. For viewers, it might be easier to empathize with Toto than with Ron. (Italics mine)

Kishimoto: This is my first time working with (Yutaka) Nozaki-kun, who plays Toto, and it's his first stage performance in six years. In another interview, he mentioned that he's both excited and nervous. I feel that this will allow him to create a very "pure Toto." I think that as Nozaki-kun faces the role, he will naturally become Toto.

To fully convey Toto's charm, the role of Ron, who is his counterpart, is crucial in bringing it out. I hope we can develop a relationship where we complement each other and fit together perfectly.

As we continue with rehearsals, many challenges will arise. If we can overcome these challenges together, I believe we will naturally be able to convey a sense of partnership and relationship.

With the 2nd Season of the anime and the stage performance starting this fall, could you tell us about characters other than Ron that you are paying attention to in each work?

Kishimoto: For me, it's definitely Milo (Moriarty). He's a character who is the complete opposite of Ron, as the cases he causes are 100% unsolvable, so I find myself empathizing with him or getting drawn to him.

Even when watching the anime, I end up viewing it from Ron's perspective, thinking, "This guy..." He's a character that's hard to grasp, but I'm paying attention to his future actions.

Azakami: I think everyone really looks exactly like their characters based on the visuals. There are many characters and actors that catch my interest, but the one I'm most interested in is Professor Grizzly.

In the anime, Mr. Yamaji played the role of Professor Grizzly. He was a senior with many years of experience, and recording with three or four people in the same booth was incredibly educational due to the tension. When the oldest person joins a group of younger people, they have to deliver the best performance and also show their seniority. It's about properly demonstrating that.

The character of Professor Grizzly itself draws attention, making you wonder what kind of performance he will deliver. I think he will become a character with a slightly different atmosphere from everyone else, and having such a senior person on set can really tighten things up. Although I am a voice actor, I am also an actor, so I would like to see the balance and interactions in such situations.

Kishimoto: I have previously worked with Sohei Izumi, who plays Grizzly, and he is incredibly captivating (laughs).

In both anime and stage performances, there is the aspect of playing the same character, but I believe the approach is different. Anime captivates with voice alone, while stage performances captivate with the whole body. I would like to hear about the joys and challenges of acting from each perspective.

Azakami: Stage performances are tough, aren't they? The visual aspect—such as the body and appearance—is something you can't really change. You have to express a character that seems to have come out of a two-dimensional world with your own body.

As you mentioned earlier, it's a process of repeatedly rehearsing and internalizing the character. That's something we voice actors can't quite do, and there's a certain admiration for it.

Voice actors inevitably read scripts, and the premise is to act as if you're not reading. Creating lines from within yourself is something I've always respected and admired, so I'm looking forward to this stage performance.

Kishimoto: On the other hand, we can let the audience feel the character through various elements like visuals and sound, but for voice actors, it's just the voice, right? I can't imagine captivating an audience with just the voice. We have many tools and weapons at our disposal. But to challenge with just the single sword of voice is kind of otherworldly...

Azakami: We both have that feeling, don't we? The grass is always greener on the other side. This is the first time a character I've played is being brought to a 2.5D stage, so I think it's going to be a great learning experience, and I definitely want to see the performance.

Kishimoto: Thank you, it's an honor!

By the way, as someone who has played Ron a little earlier, do you have any advice for Kishimoto-san?

Azakami: Many people refer to me as the original, but since the stage and anime are different media, I would like them to be treated as completely different things. The approach might be entirely different, and I want to see that. I want to see things from a different angle, like "I would approach it this way" or "Kishimoto-san does it this way," things I couldn't see myself.

So, although I've been told that you've watched the footage many times and listened to my voice, from here on, I would love to see the character that Kishimoto-san creates, and I hope the fans will feel that both are the original.

Kishimoto: I have nothing but words of gratitude. I want to cherish the "Ron that only I can portray," and I want to value everyone else besides Ron as well. I hope to deliver something that makes people say, "This is unique to the stage," or "This is how the stage version is."

On the contrary, if even one more person is inspired by the stage performance to check out the original manga or anime, I would feel that "it was worth doing the stage." Therefore, I truly want to cherish the words I have just received and approach the rehearsals with that in mind.

For both of you, not just in the case of Ron in this work, but as actors, could you share what you do, what you keep in mind, or what you are careful about when creating a character?

Azakami: I believe that every character possesses a sense of humanity, so I want them to have weaknesses as well as strengths, and to have flaws as well as beauty. I always think about wanting to bring out those aspects somewhere.

In the case of Ron, even though he is so cool, once he becomes weak, he can't do anything without Toto. I want to emphasize those uncool aspects. Otherwise, I feel the character would become superficial and not three-dimensional, so I want to value the character's shortcomings more than their strengths. (Italics mine; and also Me: screaming internally !!!)

When it comes to playing a character, the character profile often lists strengths, but not weaknesses. I sometimes think that maybe I should just create those weaknesses myself, or perhaps it's something I'm entrusted with.

Kishimoto: Of course, in the original work, everything is depicted in great detail, but I place importance on how Ron spends his time in the background of scenes where another character is in the spotlight, even though they are in the same space.

Additionally, I often think about "What would Ron be thinking?" or "How would Ron face this situation?" especially during rehearsal periods or when engaging with the work, and even at times that have nothing to do with it. Sometimes I get too immersed, but I believe that time spent thinking about these things is very important.

This is because, after all, theater is a living thing, and accidents or unexpected events can occur during performances. But in such times, the thought process of "What would Ron do in this situation?" that I've repeatedly considered naturally comes to the surface.

I've had experiences where by following the path of "I would do this, but Ron would probably move like this," I've reached important points. So, in this work as well, my approach is to think about "What would Ron do...?" in various situations.

Are there any highlights for the 2nd Season of the anime and the stage play?

Azakami: There is a kind of relationship that has been built among the actors since the 1st Season. The atmosphere on set is really good, and every time we have guest actors playing roles like the culprit or the victim, a variety of luxurious cast members come and go. This makes each case have a completely different vibe. It's amazing how much the atmosphere can change depending on the cast, to the point where it feels like we're doing a completely different work.

Of course, the main team that works together... the sense of closeness with these reliable companions has really tightened. The interactions and atmosphere created from that closeness were established in the 1st Season, so in the 2nd Season, I hope we can deliver that to everyone through various approaches.

There are many moments where viewers might think, "Ah, the dialogue exchange between these two was really on point," and I believe that's something we could achieve because it's the 2nd Season. We enjoyed the recording process that much, so I hope everyone looks forward to it.

Kishimoto: In this production, there are several cast members I've worked with before, but like Nozaki-kun earlier, there are also many people I'm meeting for the first time. I am confident that because it's a gathering of people who are new to each other, various chemical reactions will occur. Of course, I think there will be challenges because of that, but I also believe there are things that only this group can achieve, so I want us all to embody that together.

Also, I really want to emphasize the interaction and buddy feeling with Toto. I think it's a significant part of the fun in the original work and the anime, so I truly want to face that with Nozaki-kun and express the duo of Ron and Toto together.

Since we have the opportunity, could you both share the points you're looking forward to in each other's works? Azakami-san, for the stage play, and Kishimoto-san, for the anime's 2nd season.

Azakami: As I mentioned earlier, this is my first time having a work I'm involved in adapted into a 2.5D stage play. Creating a character using my entire body and interacting with others, and then delivering that to the audience, means that we'll definitely notice points that we didn't catch during the anime recording.

There might be scenes where Ron's posture or gestures, or lines that aren't in the original work or the anime script, are expressed. The instinctive reactions to accidents, as you mentioned earlier, are something that can only be discovered by someone who is facing the role as an actor, so I think I'll take advantage of that (laughs).

There are many things I want to absorb from Kishimoto-san's portrayal of Ron, and I'm looking forward to it both as a single work and from an actor's perspective. Honestly, I kind of hope a little accident happens (laughs). I'm curious about how they would handle it (laughs).

Personally, I'm really bad at ad-libbing. When I'm asked to say lines that aren't in the original script, I find it quite challenging (italics mine). I worry that I might be personalizing the character too much. But when I think about how actors should, in a way, become like that, I realized that I'm not good at ad-libbing.

However, rather than trying to create it on my own, I thought I should learn from various people, so please let me learn [from you] (laughs).

Kishimoto: Since the 1st Season ended the way it did, I'm very curious about the movements of the M Family. Up until now, there have been individual incidents, and a story with slight connections has started to emerge. But it's becoming heavier and more serious. I'm particularly interested in the M Family, who seems to be working behind the scenes of these incidents.

However, as the series becomes more serious, I'm looking forward to seeing characters like Ron and Toto, who we couldn't see in the 1st Season, and exploring their new relationships.

Lastly, please share a message for the fans who are looking forward to the anime and stage play.

Kishimoto: First of all, I am personally very happy that it can be adapted into a stage play, and I am truly delighted to be able to play Ron. However, since I have been given this opportunity, I believe it would be meaningless if people don't say, "I'm glad it was Yuta Kishimoto." So, I want to approach this in a way that will definitely make people say that.

However, a stage play cannot be established by myself alone. I am supported by all the staff, and although I am given the opportunity to perform in a double lead role with Toto, the actors who solidify the performance are all senior to me. I hope to absorb as much as I can from their acting and ultimately be able to output as "Ron." I would be delighted if you could enjoy the live performance and "Kamo Ron Stage."

Azakami: With the airing of the 2nd season of the anime and the stage performance happening at the same time, I really feel that the work "Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions" is expanding. I'm truly glad to have had this opportunity for a discussion.

I think it's quite rare to have a discussion where you play the same character. Isn't it a very mysterious time? That's why I love the work that gave us this opportunity and the movement of the entire work. I would be delighted if you could support the original work, the anime, and the stage performance as a whole.

(Thank you Animate!)

[hypermoyashi]

Okay!!! Chapters 15-20 of my Trimax reread are done!! I don't have too many thoughts on some of these chapters since they were mainly fights, and I'm sure there are plenty of people to break down those better than me, but!! Man that fight between Wolfwood and Ninelives was raw--I want if he used a vial off-screen during that fight, because Ninelives took a lot of hits and Wolfwood looked pretty bad off by the end, almost more from exhaustion than injuries. That makes sense, when you're fighting someone who just doesn't die, honestly. But I absolutely adored the Meryl and Milly clutch at the end, saving Wolfwood right at the moment where Ninelives came back yet again but Wolfwood was just too exhausted to fight him. He seemed resigned in that moment, but thankfully, the women showed up to help.

And then the fight between Emilio and Vash... Man, this one fucking gets me. The fact he had actual people scattered in with the puppets, meaning Vash couldn't ever take the first shot and then wound up accidentally hurting someone, who he then had to protect through the rest of the fight (and man, carrying around an unconscious, injured person while fighting is not easy). The fact he knew Emilio, too--Vash truly does not forget a face, and man, him trying to appeal to and save Emilio despite all the horrid things Emilio had done to the people Vash cared about... The fact the ship lost 170 people in that attack, man... Really, Emilio targeting Vash's home, trying to force him into a position where he picks between a child he met and his home, trying to force him to kill the people mixed in with the puppets or be forced into constant disadvantaged states within the fight... Using the faces of the very people Vash cares for to hurt him... Man, this was a rough fight. Kind of glad we got the hospital yuri arc after to give them a moment of rest. More under the cut!

We also get confirmation that Doc (or sensei, in this translation) was one of the people who found Vash 70 years ago, meaning there was about 80 years between the Fall and their meeting. Vash also noted that Doc was included among the puppets, and Luida dodges the question when Vash asks after him. From Vash's expression after she leaves... Yeah, Doc was probably one of the 170 who died in the attack.

I did also really like the conversation between Vash and Wolfwood, where Vash thanks Wolfwood for his helps. Wolfwood is confused because he killed, so of course he's going to assume Vash would be angry with him for it--but Vash just notes he couldn't have protected the ship without Wolfwood, and that he was sorry for burdening Wolfwood with his feelings. So I think that's Vash's way of saying he doesn't blame or judge Wolfwood, since he knows he's doing the best he can under his circumstances, and it's not fair to always hold others to Vash's own incredibly strict standards (which he cannot even live up to himself). I really liked that, because Vash had forgiven many things which feel unforgivable and tried to help people who've done some pretty heinous things (see: Emilio), so it'd feel weird if he was constantly chewing into Wolfwood over it. I think it shows that, even if they have their ideological differences, they are able to meet at a middle ground and understand and be grateful for one another.

And then we also get Wolfwood's thoughts on Vash! He hears about Vash's history from Luida, gets confirmation he isn't human, but also learns that Vash remembers every single name and face of every single person he's met. Luida comments that Vash has only ever done kind things with his long, long life--and that impossibly fond look Wolfwood gives Vash, even knowing he isn't human now... Man, that hits me right in the fucking feels.

I also adored Vash bringing Meryl and Milly out to the cryosleep pods, a place he holds dear and is very drawn to... I love him getting those little moments with them, it's very sweet.

[harukamitsuki]

i really resonate with your opinions about lance and the fandom surrounding him, but you really kill it any time you say some shit like "i wonder if people would treat him the same if he was white"

they 100% would. this is tumblr, bro. most blorbos are white. just look at the previous main three shows, superwholock. lance being cuban has nothing to do with him being treated the way fandom treats him. he is just, like you said, an everyday man who's easy to project on.

another critique i personally have of voltron is that while everyone's skin tone and background is varied, they all have always felt white to me. they have no cultural identity in the show. was hunk's samoan background ever even named or did we just get that from a book or a tweet? i feel like viewers shouldn't have to use outside material to complete the story in front of them.

the fact that we never got that in the actual writing of the show really pissed me off. and this is as someone who's latino. lance has always felt incredibly white to me because the writers spent no fucking time adding any cultural elements into is character. even if he was a no sabo kid incredibly distant from his culture due to growing up at a boarding school, that would still be something. idk if we ever got anything about him being cuban in the show.

part of the writer's inability to write complex characters is also their inability to write poc.

i think this is also why lance works as an everyday man.

my point is that lance would still be very loved if he was white. he's not getting any extra love bc he's cuban. honestly, i feel like his cuban identity just means fanfic writers get to use google translate for shitty spanish lines that make no sense for the story and to occasionally fetishize him. they put no actual effort into understanding his cuban background. and why would they? the writers of voltron never bothered to.

Yeah, no, I get that. Lance is very white, but because his skin isn't and he's canonically Cuban, people tend to forget that? Luz from the Owl House is 100% latina and it feels like she is. Because she speaks spanish and her mother speaks spanish to her. It doesn't have to be in-your-face, but it would have been nice to hear the POC characters mumble their home language under their breaths, or to speak idioms the other don't know because it's not a universal thing.

For example, everyone knows 'don't bite off more than you can chew', but it's 'the one that embrace a lot, cannot keep it together'. They mean the same thing, but it would have been nice for Lance to just come out with that and everyone is confused until he explains.

Or Hunk calling his parents 'tina' and 'tama', meaning mom and dad respectively. It would have been nice if he made dishes inspired by Samoan culture, such as koko alaisa, or something.

If there was just one scene where one of them struggled to find a word in English, I would have been a lot more convinced that they're POC. Just one scene where someone is all 'oh, what was the word. you know? that thing! the thing, you know!'. Just one short scene.

Or, like, a culture clash? As in, they compare something on an alien planet with something common in their homeland and the others are just like 'what? That isn't normal.' And it just delves into a conversation about what is normal in the US but weird in their home countries.

There's just so much that Voltron could have done, but it doesn't which is a massive shame.