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lovelyney · 1 year ago

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────𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒────

IN WHICH: You accidentally whack Wriothesley in the nose during a training session and feel bad !!

PAIRINGS: Wriothesley x (GN!) Reader

SCENT: fluff but gets kind of nsfw towards the end ??

WARNINGS: uh wrio makes a comment implying masturbation towards the end? that and you guys just makeout, lol.

FLORIST’S NOTE: Reader is a mix between Wrio’s and Sigewinne’s assistant !! Also happy belated new years, blossoms !!

SONG: Bang! Bang! (K,NAAN & Adam Levine)

───────────2023 !! #©LOVELYNEY

WRIOTHESLEY LAUGHS as you drag him through the Fortress of Meropide, drawing the attention of those around you. Though typically, you’d feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or perhaps self-conscious under the scrutinizing gaze of others, this time, it’s different. Your attention is focused solely on Wriothesley as he holds his free hand up to his bloodied nose. Knowing Wriothesley and his job here, it’s easy to imagine it resulting from a scuffle with a particularly stubborn criminal or something along those lines. However, the truth cannot be farther from that. In actuality, you’re the one responsible for this bloody nose. . . Allow me to expand on the situation a little.

Around a week or so ago, he unexpectedly marched into your office and insisted you learn how to fight. His motives for the sudden declaration were not out of a lack of appreciation for your work at the Fortress but rather a desire for your protection while he’s away. On another note, he believes you’re too “reserved and gentle” with others—“too much like a frightened kitten rather than a fearsome lion,” as he blatantly put it. It was a comparison you found somewhat degrading, yet you couldn’t deny it did speak the truth of your nature. In the end, you decided to comply with his wishes, and from there on out, he started to teach you self-defense and train you.

Cut to the present: Wriothesley pulled you aside for your daily training session. Everything was going swimmingly at first, with you defending yourself from his attacks as usual. Then, amid it all, you accidentally hit him square in the nose and rather hard at that. The punch was neither intentional nor malicious, but it still managed to send him stumbling back and clutching his nose in pain. A tsunami of guilt and worry flooded your system as you frantically apologized to him, but he simply brushed it off and smiled. The look in his eyes was one of mild shock but also of something more. . . fond. He seemed amused rather than angry or annoyed, appearing to be impressed and even a little smitten.

Sigewinne enters the infirmary with the medical supplies you requested, stopping just inside the door to ask you a question. She furrows her brow in concern, noticing the panic in your expression. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take care of him, Mx. (Y/N)? You’re a bit pale. . . Maybe you should sit and rest for a little while,” she offers kindly.

Wriothesley observes you with a lovesick expression as you prepare a cotton swab, your tongue poking out between your lips from concentration. His heart singes when you take his hand that’s pressed to his nose and lay it gently on his lap; your skin is warm and soft compared to his, scarred and calloused, from his duties here at the Fortress.

When you assure her with that enchanting smile of yours—the same one that drives him wild—it feels like his entire body has been set on fire, and he’s certain you can feel that fire when you press your palm to his cheek to keep him still. “D—Don’t worry, Sigewinne. I’ll be alright. Thank you, though.” You answer calmly, despite your hold on him being slightly shaky.

With a brief nod of her head, Sigewinne slips out of the room, leaving you and Wriothesley alone. As you press the cotton swab to his nose, he lets out a sharp hissing sound as the disinfectant works its magic. “Ouch! Shit, maybe I didn’t give you enough credit. That was a hell of a punch. . .” he chortles, trying to lighten up your mood a little. But his amusement falters when you pout, your face a heartbreakingly adorable sight.

“I—I really am sorry, Your Grace! I didn’t expect to hit you so hard. . . In—In fact, I thought you’d move out of the way before I even got the chance too,” you lament and carefully tilt his chin up, making sure you cleaned all the blood off. “How badly does it hurt? Do—Do you want me to go get some painkillers or ice? Please, just—”

“Breathe, (Y/N).” Wriothesley’s tone is soothing as he speaks, seeming intent on consoling you. “I’m perfectly fine, sweetheart. I’ve dealt with far worse scuffs than this. So, please, don’t think for a second I’m mad at you or anything of that nature. I’m more proud than anything, really.” He adds, melting under the warmth and care of your gaze. He finds himself feeling a little selfish in this moment, wishing you’d always spend so much time doting on him. You’re always so engrossed in your work, and as much as he admires that side of you, he’s also become increasingly smitten with you without you even batting an eye. Your self-absorbed disposition has made you oblivious to his adoring eyes, and he can’t help but feel a mix of heartbreak and longing as he considers how blind you are to his affections. “Hm. . . Now that we’re alone, there is something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while,” he admits, humming contentedly as your hand presses to his face once more, oblivious to the surge of adrenaline that shoots through his veins with every touch. Your affectionate actions result from your nurturing demeanor, but he begs silently for them to mean something more.

Your puzzled expression, bearing a resemblance to a confused puppy, only further softens the gentle smile on Wriothesley’s face. “Is that so? Is—is there a reason you’re only bringing it up now?” You inquire anxiously, teeth sinking into your lower lip. You hope that your unexpected punch wasn’t the last straw for him firing you or something like that. The worry in your voice and tension in your body language betray your deep concern, and Wriothesley finds himself smitten by your innocence and tenderness.

The duke pauses momentarily, seeming to mull something over in his mind. “It’s been harder to get you alone these days, with you always engrossed in your paperwork or helping Sigewinne. I can’t bring myself to tear you away when you’re always so faithful.” He acknowledges. His eyes linger over your lips for just a moment too long, his imagination taking over as he considers the softness of them and how they taste. His heart pounds against his ribcage as he holds back the urge to kiss those teeth away and murmur how he’s the only one allowed to ruin your lips.

You mutter the words, “My apologies, your Grace,” as you press the bandage to the bridge of his nose. Taking a step back, you freeze under the intensity of his gaze. “Well, you have my full, unrivaled attention as of r-right now...?” You try to sound confident, but your sheepish expression gives you away.

Wriothesley hums in response, amused and enticed by the sudden color that washes over your face. Clearing his throat, he slips one hand around your waist and pulls you flush against his warm frame. His eyes flutter shut for a brief moment as he allows the intensity of the moment to sink in. “Oh? Do I now? Good,” he purrs, his voice deep and velvety as it echoes in your ears—sending vibrations throughout your core. You shudder when the smooth of his fingers glide over the exposed skin on your waist, and he almost finds it a little sadistic with how much he’s enjoying you squirm when he hasn’t even done anything.

Your breathing becomes a touch erratic as you feel the lingering touch of his hand against your waist. You attempt to mask your growing excitement, skin prickling with electricity. Despite your best efforts, there’s a faint quiver in your words that you can only hope he doesn’t notice. “G—Go on. . .”

Sadly, nothing gets past Wriothesley’s gaze, and he’s able to take note of your trembling voice and hands; he isn’t the duke for nothing, after all. He can’t help but feel the boost to his ego when he realizes he has a tight grip over you at this moment. With a swift tug, you’re suddenly pushed against his broad chest, eyes blown wide. He chuckles as you choke over your words, swiping his thumb over your bottom lip. “You know, (princess/prince). . . I can’t tell if you’re just dense or trying to prove something to yourself.” The raven-haired male teases. “I’ve been smitten with you for weeks now, you know,” he presses, eyes trained on your expression to read any changes. “I can’t help but wonder if you’re as aware as your actions suggest—or if you have been merely feigning ignorance. Please, explain yourself.”

Your breath catches in your throat as the magnitude of Wriothesley’s words settles in; he’s so direct and brazen with his declaration that it sucks all the breath out of your lungs. Your mind races as you grapple with the sudden realization that he is just as enamored with you as you are with him. Your expression must speak louder than words because as you open your lips to speak, Wriothesley closes the distance—slotting his mouth on yours.

It sends all your senses reeling like they’ve been drenched in ice water after burning for too long. Like a balm and a spark, it’s both a soothing salve and a blazing inferno, comforting and ravaging you in equal measure. All the tension of your attraction has suddenly become a physical manifestation, the culmination of all the unspoken words and feelings that have gone unsaid for too long.

Wriothesley pulls himself even closer to you, his passion only intensifying the longer the kiss carries on. The feeling of his body pressing against yours ignites a primal urge within you, driving the kisses to become more intense. His hands slide further down the bare flesh of your back, tracing your waist in a possessive claim to your body. His tongue dives underneath your bottom lip; it probes between them, trying to gain access to the interior of your mouth.

A noise akin to a muffled whimper escapes your throat as his tongue pushes into your mouth with a feverish, nearly desperate need. The intensity of the sensation is overwhelming, and you feel yourself shudder with a sense of raw desire as his hand slides down from your hip to your thigh, his fingers squeezing and digging into the soft flesh. His touch is both tender and possessive, sending your nerves reeling.

When his fingers climb closer up your thighs, you plant your hands on his face and gently push his head away, his mouth chasing after yours instantaneously. You sigh softly, your face flushed scarlet from the heat of the situation. “Wriothesley. . . We are still in your office. Anyone can walk in at any time.” You chuckle, swiping the saliva from his bottom lip.

His body hums with contentment at the breathless sound of his name coming from your lips. He lets out a displeased huff as he nestles his nose in the crook of your neck, sharply inhaling your scent and drowning himself in the warmth of your body. He absentmindedly starts nipping at your skin, “And? I’ve had enough nights getting off—”

“O—Okayokay! As an. . . apology for keeping you waiting, how about after work, we fulfill those fantasies of yours?” You chuckle nervously and thread your fingers through his hair, smiling when he leans his entire body onto you. “Don’t think I didn’t see the way some of the inmates looked at me when I dragged you in here. . . I don’t think I could recover if they walked in and found out they guessed right.”

Wriothesley’s laughter is like a deep, thunderous rumble that soon after swarms your stomach with butterflies. His kisses pepper your face in response, the sweet scent of your skin filling him with a sense of contentment. He pulls away and smiles down at you, the heat and adoration in his eyes impossible to miss. “After work, then,” he repeats and holds up his pinky, signaling you to do the same. Rolling your eyes, you indulge him and hook your pinky to his—a cutesy gesture veiled in a not-so-innocent promise.

#꒱₊˚ fawn’s flowers #꒱₊˚ lumindounce bells #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin impact x y/n #wriothesley #wriothesley x reader #wriothesley x you #wriothesley x y/n #wriothesley fluff #genshin fluff

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salvatwh0re · 1 year ago

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I have officially mastered the void

So this morning (afternoon actually) i decided to tap into the void so I did the 61 points yoga nidra meditation with a subliminal. I didn’t really need the subliminal I was just using it cause my headphones are somewhat noise cancelling and my family was awake so I didn’t want to get distracted. But the meditation was really relaxing. At first I had some trouble staying focused but then I reminded myself why I was doing this and what I was doing it for. So it kept me motivated. After that i affirmed a little bit then I counted down from 100 and then I affirmed some more then I got bored of affirming so i started visualizing and then I got bored of that so I just decided to focus on the darkness behind my eyelids.

I never really took that advice from people when they said it helped cause I didn’t believe them but it actually worked. Out of everything else I did that was the one thing that sent me straight to the void. I think for the most part it was just letting go of that desperate feeling i always have when I try to enter. I always feel like I’m forcing myself to do it so I just let go and kind of forgot about what I was doing while still keeping that intention.

I was getting pretty anxious tho because of the time so I just got out but i did it again and it sent me straight to the void again. So now I know the secret to getting into the void is to just let go of that desperation and to stop forcing yourself, just let it happen. If you feel you’ve affirmed enough stop affirming, if you feel you’ve focused on your breathing enough, go back to your automatic breathing pattern STOP FORCING YOURSELF IT WILL GET YOU NOWHERE!!

and I know a lot of people stress about not being aware in the void and not affirming for your desires but stressing over that is exactly what’s going to make you forget tbh. When you let go of that desperation you let go of those other doubts too, those things that were stopping you from getting there in the first place. I feel like removing yourself from those thoughts is really effective in getting you what you want.

I will say it might help to have a list of things you want either written down or set in your mind because it will be a lot easier to remember what you’re going to affirm. When you’re in the void or even before you tap in completely you’re supposed to be super relaxed so it might be a little difficult to bring up those thoughts but because of how different the void is from the 3D it’s kind of hard to forget. Especially if you’ve been trying for a long time.

The void isn’t really something you question, you know for sure you’re in cause you can’t hear feel see taste or smell anything so it’s pretty identifiable. And because you’ve reminded yourself over and over that that’s what the void feels like, once you feel it you’re going to be like OHHH ok now i know to affirm for my desires. You’ve been training your brain to associate the void with your desires so of course once you recognize that you’re in you’re going to remember to affirm for your desires.

Also I don’t really like using the term void personally, but it’s what I learned it as. I feel like calling it the void just makes it sound so otherworldly and extraterrestrial and scary tbh. I think that’s what was holding me back as well, fear. I know that Neville Goddard refers to it as the I AM state which is a perfect name for it because it really is a state of just BEING like you’re not worried about anything else other than yourself and that’s the beauty of it. I would go on more cause there’s so much I can say but overall i hope you just let you go of that desperation so that you can finally push through and get everything you’ve been wanting because you deserve it.

#void state #void success #the void state #loassumption

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kcokaine · 3 months ago

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Hi! Just wanted to thank you for your collab, Most Twisted Curse. It's beyond words the quality of it. The story, the dialogues, the characterization (!!!), the fight, the art (<3) everything is just mesmerizing... Satoru is such a delight to read. He is the cutest brat (he's such a babe). Sukuna is as intriguing as always (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome pushed to another level)... It's easy to tell the dedication you guys put to make something that outstanding. It oozes love for the pair, thank you so much!

I must say that what motivated me the most to write this is the art in chapter 8. I invite everyone to detail Sukuna's bloody smile and gaze in the art where Satoru is impaling his heart with his bare hand... The king of curses is the 2D representation of smitten, like... man, I don't want to pierce anyone's ribcage to receive that kind of adoration, but to be looked like that and by jujutsu royalty no less... phew! Satoru is fighting with everything he got, with his brain fried and bleeding to death, hyper-focused on fulfilling what he believes is his destiny, prepared to sacrifice his life. And Sukuna is like "you are going to be my wife you like it or not, no backsies"...

I'm so sorry if I interpreted the art incorrectly, but I just adore how you express Sukugo, so thank you and your partner for such an incredible work.

MAKING ME BLUSH AND GIGGLE!!!! NO! You absolutely interpreted it perfectly. Its the first look of adoration from Sukuna, the first heart eyes he makes at GOjo and then it just keeps happening. Gojo misinterprets it as eyes of hunger, eyes of a ravenous cannibal but Sukuna is actually infatuated with him on much higher level than a dinner dish. Ofc there is hunger but most improtantly passion. He is passionate about Satoru. you can notice i tried to replicate the same looks here hehe

Its a playful passioan and infatuation. Somewhat of a cheeky interest

compared to the realization he is in love with him

(ofc sukuna himself denies it)

#iba asks #most twisted curse ao3 #sukugo stuff

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anna-the-undertaker · 5 months ago

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Here’s a thought nugget for ya! Can demons/angels smell when MC is on their period?

Are demons like sharks in the water? Does that make the Bros+Royals more protective or distant?

And what about angels? Do the grown-ups treat MC differently? Does Luke already instinct y’alls know what’s up?

And how does Solomon deal with all the chaos every month?

This was really fun to write. I hope this was what you were expecting. Any critique is appreciated and will help me better my writing, so please leave a comment. Hearing from y'all acts as motivation for me.

MC, the boys, and the Human Menstrual Cycle

To answer the first question, yes, demons and angels can detect when MC is on their period or when they’re ovulating. Demons, in particular, are highly sensitive to the change in smell, especially if they’re romantically involved with MC. During ovulation (the period before the menstrual cycle begins and eggs are released from the ovaries and into the uterus to, possibly, be fertilized by sperm cells), MC’s body emits subtle pheromones that humans can't smell but demons can easily pick up on. These pheromones might trigger a protective or possessive instinct in some of the demons, particularly those who are more territorial or prone to jealousy.

During MC’s period, the scent of blood, combined with hormonal changes, can cause various reactions. Some demons might be more on edge or aggressive due to their heightened senses, while others might become more nurturing, wanting to care for MC during this vulnerable time. Angels, on the other hand, might sense the change in MC’s aura or energy rather than a physical scent, but the effect is similar. They would likely be more concerned with ensuring MC’s comfort and well-being.

As for if the demons are like sharks in the water, in a way, yes, they are. Demons are drawn to the scent of blood. They have eaten humans, and some probably still do or would if they were allowed to. However, reactions to the smell would vary as this isn't just an open wound and the smell is very different than the blood that runs through a human's veins.

The Brothers who are romantically involved with MC might become more protective, wanting to keep MC close to ensure their safety. This protectiveness could manifest as possessiveness (especially towards each other), with them being more attentive and hovering over MC during this time.

For the Royals, the reaction could be a bit different. Diavolo and Barbatos might not exhibit the same intensity of protectiveness but would still be aware of MC's state. Diavolo would be more curious and fascinated by the human body's natural processes, while Barbatos would quietly ensure that MC has everything they need. They wouldn't be distant, but their reactions would be more controlled and subtle.

All in all, though, one thing is certain. During this time MC would be quarantined or at the very least not be allowed to go out on their own to ensure their safety from other demons.

The angels are more attuned to changes in emotional and spiritual energy rather than an actual scent, however. Simeon might sense the shift in MC's energy and become more compassionate, offering gentle support and comfort. He wouldn't be driven by instinct as the demons are but would be more focused on MC's emotional state and ensuring they feel at ease.

Luke, being a child, wouldn't fully understand what's happening, but he would know that something is different. He might become extra caring and try to cheer MC up with sweets or small gestures, without realizing the full context. His innocence and concern would be endearing, even if he doesn't fully grasp what is going on.

Then there is Solomon. Being the experienced and somewhat mischievous sorcerer, he would handle the monthly situation with a mix of care and chaos. He'll still help MC, perhaps brewing up special teas or using magic to ease their discomfort. However, Solomon's chaotic side also emerges as he finds the whole situation amusing. He might intentionally stir the pot by subtly triggering the demons' instincts, just to see their reactions. He might say something provocative or leave items around that intensify the demons' protective behaviors, all while feigning innocence. Watching the ensuing chaos unfold becomes his own personal entertainment, a smirk never far from his lips as he observes the demons' reactions with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

#obey me #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me mc #obey me mammon #obey me lucifer #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me belphegor #obey me asmodeus #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me beelzebub #obey me simeon #obey me luke

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kenyaru · 3 months ago

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STILL HURTS, but not as much hurt | 01

1ST DATE, FOR REAL THIS TIME. synopsis | after getting back together, Bradley wanted to do something nice for the goof that decided to take him back after everything. even though they had been out before, he doesn’t actually recall going out on a real date. Better late than never, he supposes. This date, however, doesn’t go exactly as planned.. genre | fluff, date during the day!, mixed pov, bradley somewhat ooc, awkward interactions, reoccuring themes from still hurts (02) pairing | max goof x bradley uppercrust iii (maxley) warnings | none! (unless you fear dates and awkward interactions) word count | 2.69k author's note | hello everyone! finally, here is the awaited (somewhat) prologue of "Still Hurts". Sorry for the delay, I had some midterm exams, but they are over, so this is being posted today :). I hope you guys love this fluffiness and enjoy it just as much as the first two! (spoilers; there's gonna be more coming~) enjoy reading <3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come to think of it, Max and Bradley never actually went on a date before, as silly as that sounds. Sure, they went on their casual hangouts at the Bean Scene or skate park, but they wouldn’t have considered it a date, per say.

And of course, Bradley had to realize this while doing a study session with Max in the library, occasionally looking over to see his love half-asleep reading the Calculus textbook in front of him. No matter how many times he studied and tried to get focused, Max always found a way to doze off. “Max~” Bradley whispered, poking the Goof’s shoulder, causing him to flutter open his eyes, clearly dazed. Just like his inner child told him to, Max most likely, and did, stay up all night playing video games with P.J. and Bobby. “Huh- what-” Max grumbled, his eyes focusing on Bradely, a small smile coming to his face as he stifled a yawn. “Mm..did I fall asleep again?” He asked, sitting up and closing the Calculus textbook, already deciding that he didn’t have the motivation to even look at another equation.

“You did, and you were nearly done with that problem too.” Bradley said with a soft chuckle, closing his own textbook. He gently moved a bit of Max’s hair out of his face, giving him a reassuring look. “You usually fall asleep, but today you seem extra tired. Work got you down?” Bradley asked, genuine concern heard in his voice. Following their almost breakup, Bradley was doing everything in his power to not only be more open, but show Max that he cared, which he obviously did all the time, but genuinely show his concerns. Like, right now for example. He noticed how tired Max seemed when arriving at the library, how his answers seemed uninterested and like he was struggling to even keep his eyes open. Even late night gaming couldn’t do this to the Goof.

Max shrugged at the question asked, letting out a full yawn this time as he aimlessly put away his pencils. “I guess, yeah. I feel like everyday’s just waking up, going to class, studying and going to sleep, y’know?” Max explained, a somewhat sorrowful expression on his face. It was unusual for Max to feel this way as he had believed that he wouldn’t let college stress get to him, but this year, that wasn’t the case. He felt like he was falling behind, struggling to catch up and even his free time felt like a detriment to what he had to get done. Bradley asking, though, did make him feel a little better that someone other than his roommates noticed that something was off. Bradley gave him a sympathetic look, deciding to speak on his thoughts earlier instead of waiting until it was the weekend like he had planned. “Well..would you wanna go on a date?” The question caused Max’s face to go red like he had been out in the sun. Surely he hadn’t heard right. “I’m sorry?” “Would you like to go on a date? Y’know, just you and me go somewhere.” Bradley repeated, noticing how Max seemed to fluster at even the mention of it. It was honestly adorable how they had been dating for over a year, yet the Goof still gets flustered over the mention of things that couples do.

Even though Max was sure they went on dates before, hearing Bradley ask him so bluntly like that made his heart skip a beat. He felt special, wanted. He knows that it might be weird to freak out over being asked out on a date when you’re dating someone, but he couldn’t lie that it made him feel butterflies all over again. “Of course I would wanna go on a date with you!” Max exclaimed, a bit too loudly as he put his red face in his hands. “Sorry..” He grumbled, embarrassed.

Bradley took Max’s hand in his own, kissing it gently with a soft chuckle. “Awe, my baby is embarrassed.” He teased, causing Max to take his hand away, which only made him laugh harder at his flustered acts. “I’m teasing, Max, come on, pack your stuff up.” Bradley said as he stood up from his seat, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. “Wait, we’re going now?” Max asked, the sudden demand by his boyfriend confusing him as he did so anyways, putting his textbooks into his bag.

“Yeah, why have to wait until the weekend? You don’t have any more classes, right?” Max shook his head, standing up just as Bradley did, following him out of the library and onto the quiet campus. It was mid afternoon after all, and everyone was either in classes or off studying somewhere. Max did have to agree that leaving right now would be the best idea.

“Okay, to the car then. I have a place that I think you’ll love.” Bradley said confidently before taking Max’s hand and leading him towards the University’s parking lot, pride bubbling in him from the high hopes of being able to surprise his boyfriend with something he would love.

Well, hoped he would love. _____

What Max didn’t expect to see when Bradley pulled into the parking lot was a huge blue and white building with paintings of several different aquatic animals on the sides. Whales, dolphins, even little sea turtles were plastered on the outside. It could only be one place, and this place, he hadn’t been in years.

“Did you bring me to an aquarium?” He asked, turning to see Bradley giving him a confident smile as he put the car in park.

“I did, love. And you’d better like it because we have a few hours here.” Bradley said, though his expression showed that he was kidding, but was full of hope that his boyfriend would like the gesture. He had honestly thought about this idea last minute, but he assumed it would be a good escape for the both of them as there really isn’t much cuter than seeing sea animals living their best lives in their water compartments.

Max, to Bradley’s relief, gave him that big, goofy, smile that he loved so much.

“I don’t know, we might just have to go inside and see. And then I’ll tell you if I like it.” Max said, already getting out of the car, his excitement contained by the sly remark. This was somewhere he didn’t think he needed to really go to often, but now that he was here, he realized how much he missed it.

Bradley followed Max’s lead, getting out of the car and heading behind Max, taking his hand in his own and opening the door for the both of them. They walked into the dimly lit environment flooded with hues of blue and white to resemble being in the ocean.

“It’s beautiful in here..nothing at all like I remember. Granted, I hadn’t been here since I was little.” Max whispered, more to himself than to Bradley as he watched his lover check in, being allowed to pass through the entrance gates and into the aquarium.

“I know right? I had a feeling you would like the vibes of it.” Bradley handed Max the map showing all the sections with the different sea creatures, including a cafe on the top floor. Max scanned the map, not sure where to start and decided to simply look over to his left, noticing the dolphin looking back at him through the glass.

“Oh- hello there.” He greeted with a smile, causing Bradley to chuckle softly, joining him next to the tank and watching as the dolphin seemed to greet Max back, spinning around before returning to his position in front of the glass. Max was infatuated, unable to get his eyes off the beautiful creature in which Bradley took out his phone, wanting to capture this adorable moment in a picture.

Seeing Max’s smile, taking live photo evidence of how happy he seemed in that moment, was enough to make Bradley want to give him the world, or as much of it as he could.

—-

Continuing through the many sections of sea creatures, the couple saw big animals like sharks and adult sea turtles to really tiny ones like clownfish and seahorses. Bradley was taking pictures every now and then, wanting to capture each moment so he could look through them when he was down. That was just what Max did to him; lifted him when he was down.

It wasn’t until they were heading up to the cafe that something made Max stop in his tracks, his face a sort of uncomfortable expression.

“What’s wrong?” Bradley asked, turning back to see that Max had stopped. Max shook his head, trying to play it off, though his gaze aimed past his lover’s. Just as Bradley was about to turn and look, Max quickly repositioned him.

“No! Don’t look.” He urged. “Sorry..it’s just- that’s Roxanne. The girl I dated in high school.” Max whispered, his voice full of awkward tension. He didn’t feel any harsh feelings towards her or anything, he just felt it was going to be super awkward, especially since he had no clue how she was going to react to his new partner. Of course, they were still friends, but distant friends, and with their busy schedules, rarely spoke. So, it was weird to see her here of all places.

Just as he was getting his bearings, Max saw Roxanne heading in the direction, causing him to try to hide behind Bradley, who was not interested in his shenanigans.

“Max, what is up with you? It’s fine- she won’t like, yell at you or anything, right?”

“No, but it’s gonna be super awkward and when I tell you I don’t want to deal with th-” “Max?” A familiar voice called, causing Max to further hide his head into his boyfriend’s back.

“Please tell me she’s not coming over here-” “She’s coming over here.” “Oh- come on..”Max whispered, moving from behind Bradley with an awkward smile, waving to Roxanne as she approached. She looked relatively the same; ginger hair flowing down her back the way it always did, eyes big and bright.

“Hey Max! Didn’t expect to see you here.” Roxanne turned to look at Bradley. “Sorry, was I interrupting?” She asked, to which Bradley shook his head, assuring her that it was fine. “I’m Roxanne, one of Max’s friends from high school.” The way she introduced herself was so casual, like they didn’t have any romantic history and were simply friends. Granted, their ‘romantic history’ was nothing short of the classic high school romance that didn’t work out, but it seemed to be for the better and thankfully, there was no bad blood.

Bradley gave his usual confident smile, putting his hands in his pockets. “Bradley Uppercrust The Third, pleasure to meet you.” Roxanne couldn’t help but smile, nodding in acknowledgement of his name.

Then, followed silence, very awkward silence. It seemed like no one knew how to continue the conversation or even move forward, especially since neither Max or Bradley knew if the other was comfortable with mentioning their relationship to Max’s former girlfriend.

It seemed Roxanne wasn’t very fond of the silence either as she swayed her hands a bit before nodding her head towards the stairs. “Soo..you guys were heading to the cafe?”

Max nodded, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. “Yeah, we were just about to go up there.” Roxanne nodded once more.

“I recommend the Aqua Shake. It’s just a blueberry shake, but it has a cute dolphin cookie in the whipped cream.” Roxanne suggested with a somewhat bubbly smile.

“Oh, you’ve been here before?” Bradley asked.

“Yeah, I have. I’m only here right now with some cousins-” Roxanne paused, quickly turning to the area she had just come from. “And I realized I should have been watching them. Shoot- it was nice seeing you Max, and meeting you Bradley!” She suddenly exclaimed before heading off, most likely in search of said cousins.

Before Bradley could even process the ending of the interaction, Max had put his hoodie over his head, groaning as he walked up the stairs. “That was so awkward..”

“It wasn’t too bad.” Bradley commented, walking beside Max as they arrived at the top of the stairs. “She seemed nice. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say that we were dating. Hope that's fine with you.”

Max hadn’t really considered that yet; letting others know and being so open about his relationship. When all his friends and father knows about it, he tends to forget that people outside of his close knit family aren’t aware.

“It’s alright. I don’t think I wanted her to know either right now, anyways.” Max said, standing in line and skimming over the menu, spotting the Aqua Shake that Roxanne had suggested. Though the interaction was over, Max wasn’t able to shake the slight tension in his heart, like something was tugging on his heart strings. It felt weird since he couldn’t tell what that feeling was.

Bradley was already pulling out his wallet, ready to pay for whatever Max wanted and share with him when they got it. Roxanne was an afterthought to him and, even though he knew how Max acted around her in high school, he was in no way concerned about any possibility of him regaining feelings or something like that. He saw how that ended last time. It didn’t seem to bother Max either, at least from what he could see. As Max told him when they first started dating, he and Roxanne ended things pretty smoothly.

After ordering the shake and some curly fries, the couple left to go eat in the car, wanting to leave soon after as it was already approaching the evening.

Sitting in the car, the couple got comfortable, busting out the straws and sharing the aquatic shake. It had blue and white patterns, with the dolphin cookie on top, which Max happily broke in half and shared with his other half.

“Okay, Roxanne was right- this is super good. Especially the cookie with the whipped cream. Did you try it?” Max asked, a big smile on his face as he ate the cookie once more.

“I did, just a bite though. This is all too sweet for me, you can have it babe.” Bradley said, handing it to him before putting on Max’s seatbelt and his own. “Be careful, don’t spill it anywhere.”

Bradley warned before pulling out of the parking spot, turning on the radio to play their shared playlist on the way back to campus. This date was definitely a success, but even in the comfort of their favorite songs on the car ride home, he couldn’t shake that something felt weird, off. Or maybe that was just Bradley’s anxieties taking over.

Max had continued sipping at the blueberry goodness of the overpriced shake that his boyfriend had bought for him, making occasional glances to the left towards the blonde. He hated to admit it, but after getting back together, he felt this tension, like something was pushing them apart even though there was really nothing wrong. Right?

Bradley had pulled into the parking lot almost mindlessly as he turned off the car and looked out the window for a moment, mind focused on analyzing every moment of the date. Did he do the best he could? Was Max actually happy?

“Brad?”

Max called, only to get no response from his love.

“Bradley?”

Max said again, confused as to why he was receiving no answer, concern etched on his features.

“Bradley!”

Max’s voice pulled Bradley out of his thoughts, turning his head to face his love. He was wiping his hands off from the stickiness of the shake and had already unbuckled his seat belt.

“We’re here. Are you okay? You zoned out for a bit, there.” Bradley nodded, taking off his own seatbelt and leaning in to gently kiss Max’s cheek. Though his mind was reeling, he gave Max his usual smile.

“I’m alright. Come on, let's start heading back.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#maxley #max goof #bradley uppercrust iii #fanfic #pls see this #an extremely goofy movie #fluff #akward #first date

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full-clown-car · 4 months ago

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So I want to elaborate on why I held the unpopular opinion that Joker 2 was good. I think I said it was "responsibly realistic", and there's a series of points I could use to elaborate on that. But I want to start with Lee's relationship to Arthur. Because it did go very much in the opposite direction that fans expected from the Joker/Harley romance - and that's good.

The directors did keep in one aspect of Harley's original character - her unethical and unhealthy motives for getting close to Joker. Originally, Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist who specifically wanted to work with Joker because she was fascinated by him and wanted to write a book about him to advance her own career. She had unprofessional motives and got too close to him - their relationship did not start off on professional footing. With the boundaries broken, she allowed herself to develop romantic feelings about him, which is a MAJOR no-no between psych professionals and patients. He then proceeded to exploit and manipulate the shit of of her attachment to him.

In J2, they altered that a little. Lee is not his counselor, but she does have a master's in psychology and she develops a fascination with the Joker prior to meeting Arthur, which she lies about and exploits when she gets close to him. It's like the women who wrote letters to Ted Bundy in prison, although Lee goes a step above and beyond by having herself voluntarily committed to a low-security wing of the psychiatric facility where Arthur is being held. She lies to him to make him feel the connection to her that she already believes she feels, because she needs them to have that connection - whether it's real or not. Then, when she's about to lose her hold on him, she uses the established fantasy to manipulate him back into his position under her thumb. To keep him being Joker, not Arthur.

And to be clear, I don't think that Joker and Arthur are split personalities - I think Arthur does remember everything Joker has done, and vice versa. But he is somewhat dissociative in nature, and I think Joker is in fact a part of him - an act he puts on to survive and attempt to get things that he needs from the world. Rather than being two distinct personalities in the same body as in DID, they are two halves of a whole.

But Lee only cares about the Joker half. She, like the rest of the world, doesn't give a shit about Arthur. She's obsessed with Joker, not the true and depressing story of the mentally ill victim of the system Arthur Fleck. This is what we can see in the sex scene between them when she sneaks into solitary confinement with him. She brings makeup into the cell and tries to make it into an erotic thing. She paints his face for him, saying she wants to see him as he really is. But the thing is - even though Joker is part of who he is, so is the chronically abused Arthur Fleck. But she's not attracted to that guy. That guy is not part of the fantasy for her.

The sex scene is not sexy, at least I didn't find it to be so. It was disturbing. Lee is smooth and sultry, while the camera focuses in on Arthur's trademark jerky movements. He does not have a lot of experience with women. Actually, he has no experience. He moves awkwardly and comes quickly (sorry to be NSFW.) But it doesn't matter - she's got him now. He's never been with a woman before, and he's desperate for love and easy to manipulate. And she brings out and eggs on the Joker in him, and he goes along with it because it makes him feel empowered.

Until he's not. Because he's in a maximum-security prison and he's not. When the guards get sick of him rallying his fellow prisoners and spreading a sense of empowerment within the prison, they strike back. Against Arthur first, and then against his friends, to remind all of them that the guards are the ones who get to call the shots in Arkham. They are the ones who tell the jokes and they are the ones who get to laugh.

And at this point, Arthur has fired his lawyer, something Harley manipulated him into doing. Because she never cared if Arthur got the death penalty really, or if he was able to access the treatment she convinced herself he didn't need. But Arthur's laywer was the only one who gave a shit what was going on in the prison. She was the only one keeping an eye on the guards. Without her, no one even bothers to try holding them accountable. They assault Arthur and use violent restraint to kill his friend, and no one outside the prison cares, because mentally ill Arthur Fleck and all the other prisoners in E ward are the throwaways of society, the ones who've been abused by society to the point of severe dysfunction and have now been thrown away. No one's coming to save them. There is no grand revenge, at least not here. No one cares about these people. This isn't where Joker lives. It's where Arthur lives, and everyone like him. And he can't act anymore. He's too wounded. He can't put on the Joker persona.

And for being wounded enough to break the fantasy - for being a real abused, mentally ill person instead of a caricature of one - Lee leaves him. She's done. Because the relationship they forged was never sustainable. She didn't love the whole person - the Arthur/Joker duo. She had an obsession with Joker, and the facade cracked.

People who complain about the musical numbers failed to understand what they were for. They were dissociations of Arthur's, yes, because that's a coping technique for him, but the flaws in the relationship already present in their singing and dancing. We see him afraid of her controlling him, her garnering all the attention in her double act. Because he is an inherently unhealthy person, and he needs the Joker to be about garnering him the attention he feels he needs. When he senses her taking control, he has visions of her pulling a gun on him. He could only tolerate her when she was content to play second string in their double act. If he were to have become free and dated her, one of them would have ended up hurting the other because they are two fundamentally unhealthy people in a fundamentally unhealthy relationship.

When everything blew up in the courtroom, I was so sure that it was Lee. That she'd come back to free Arthur. But the audience was skillfully faked out. The bomb was set off by a couple of Joker fanatics who'd heard his slurred confession of wanting to "blow it all up" the day before and taken it literally. And even when they free him, he has no idea what to do with that freedom. He goes to Lee, but she's already gone. And you know what? She blames him for breaking. She has no idea what he's been going through. Because that stuff was happening to Arthur, and it's not Arthur that matters to her. To anyone who idolized the Joker. They only want to see what they already see of themselves in him, but that doesn't mean they know how to give him the help he needs.

Is that sad and depressing and anticlimactic? Of course. But it's real. This is what a relationship like theirs would look like in real life. In past iterations of their relationship, they had a lot of fans - people who thought they wanted the "mad love" Joker and Harley had, who fundamentally misunderstood the unhealthy nature of their relationship. That's why I say it was responsible for the filmmakers to portray them this way. Nobody would look at this dynamic and say "that's what I want for myself."

And they shouldn't. Arthur was in no place to be in a relationship, and Lee made very unhealthy decisions in deciding that she needed to create a false persona to get close to him. I don't think most people are going to leave the theaters romanticizing those two - and given the character of Arthur the filmmakers established in the previous film, that is a very good thing. Unlike Arthur, we need to be able to distinguish fantasy from reality.

#joker 2 #arthur fleck #harley quinn #joker #joker 2 spoilers #long post

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blackrabbittwst · 1 year ago

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Hello! I'd like to request for Trey, Azul, and Jade with a self-indulgent reader please~ A reader who happily accepts gifts, eats whatever they want, and encourages others to treat themselves just as much! I'm one of these people, and I've never understood people who worry so much. Ex: Ask me if its okay to take something from me, even though I offered it to them. ??? 😂

P.s. I don't mind whatever format you use!

A/N: Hello! And of course! I’m somewhat similar to this as well so I think it’s so cute! I definitely encourage people to treat themselves (almost to much haha), and these three boys don’t give themselves enough self loving, so they need it!

Synopsis: A self indulgent S/O who happily accepts gifts, eats what they want, and encourages others to treat themselves.

Characters: Trey Clover, Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech

Pairings: Trey Clover, x Reader, Azul Ashengrotto x Reader, Jade Leech x Reader

Gender/Pronoun: Gender Neutral

Warning: N/A

Trey clover

He would love to see your bright smile as you accepted his baked goods! It gives him butterflies in his stomach as he sees you appreciate his hard work. Also, he definitely wants to see your expression when you take a bite. It's his biggest pride and joy to see your expression light up as you hum with approval for how delicious it is.

No matter what he made that day, you would accept it as if it was the best thing you'd received all day, which he always appreciated. He has never needed to use his UM on any food that he gives to you since you love everything he makes! However, whether you know it or not, he would be aware of the foods you dislike so that he can make sure to not use it as an ingredient.

He would be the type to not really give himself a break and he wouldn't understand why you insisted he buy himself a hat every so often or take a break when he had so much to do!

Don't forget that he did spend all his allowance when he was a child so that his little bro could go to a spell driver game. He’s so used to giving things to others but not receiving or treating things to himself.

He would appreciate the concern that you feel like he should treat himself more, but it would take a while for him to fully embrace the concept. It made him feel a little guilty when he could use his resources to make others happy. He's used to keeping the peace and always appeasing others. To be kind to himself is something that doesn't easily occur to him.

Once he is able to accept your gifts and be a little more self-indulgent, he’ll feel a larger sense of self-fulfillment and joy in life that he didn’t realize he needed. He’d be less stressed overall and realize he’s a little more productive while also being more motivated to do tasks he normally would not enjoy.

Azul Ashengrotto

While Azul tends to be a little greedy here and there, he never uses this money for his own material needs. He’s more likely to invest it in the lounge, a deal, a project, or for compensation for something shady lol.

While he likes good things here and there, most of the time he’d have his nose on the grindstone. The workaholic he is will be only focusing on the Monstro Lounge and the numbers for it rather than enjoying the fruits of his labors. So you’d need to convince him to actually use some of his money for himself once and a while. Everyone deserves to treat themselves!

While he loves spoiling you with gifts and buying you all the things you could wish for, you think it’s unfair that only you get to enjoy the results of his hard work. Of course, you’d accept his gifts with joy and happiness, but he deserves to share this happiness with himself too!

However one of the big reasons he loves buying you things is that he loves seeing the look on your face light up when he gives you something. Your eyes basically twinkle like the stars in the sky by how happy and grateful that he would think of you.

Even as you try to coax him to treat himself more, he actually feels guilty using his own money just for himself. He'd rather put it to good use like an investment or something for the lounge. Buying something so frivolous like a new board game, or a coin for his collection seems like a waste when he could use that money for something more productive.

You have to convince him that he doesn't have to spend his money all the time on himself, but he should reward himself for all his hard work with the money he earned. Life is too short to just save all your earnings and never enjoy the fruits of your labor.

He would try to convince you that his investing in the Lounge is treating himself, but you don’t take his loophole as an excuse.

It might be better to just treat him yourself if he gets too stubborn so he can get used to the sensation.

Jade Leech

Especially if you love plant life, happily accepting his gifts would just make his day week. The amount of effort and time he puts into his plants and foraging shows how passionate is is about his hobby, and sharing it with you only makes life so much better.

He loves that you’d appreciate his fascination with mushrooms and accepts his terrarium gifts. He spends hours making sure the terrarium is to your style and aesthetic with the specific flora he specifically foraged from the mountains.

The moment he sees his terrarium flourish in your room, you might notice a big bright smile on his face as he strolls over to it. He wants to make sure his work of art is health and happy just like you, after all.

He used to being mocked by Floyd and Azul for his fascination of mountains, so having some thoroughly enjoy his hobbies is a dream come true.

Out of the Trey and Azul, Jade is most likely to take your encouragement of treating himself. While he works at a brisk and efficient pace, he always seems to prioritize his likes and passion. Like when he has a day off, he always goes out of his way to forage for new things. It would make him super happy if you went along with him. Even if you aren’t fond of the outdoors, he’d be patient and slow down his pace. He’s just ecstatic he can enjoy two things he loves together!

Jade’s cooking skills are just like him, accurate and efficient (especially after seeing him in the culinary crucible). If you try his mushroom dishes and/or dishes he makes with the flora he foraged, it would put him over the moon. Floyd and Azul are tired of his shenanigans and mushrooms that he can’t serve them often at the Lounge, much to his chagrin.

If you don’t love eating mushrooms, it isn’t the end of the world. He might just sneak them in here and there as an experiment. He would make the dish in such a way that non-mushroom lovers would be able tolerate them. Maybe by cutting them up in small bits, or frying them to change their texture (which can be the biggest problem about mushrooms). However, it would mean so much to him if you, a mushroom hater, takes the effort to at least try his mushroom dishes. It really shows that you love him.

#blackrabbittwst #disney twst #twst wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #jade leech x reader #jade leech #trey clover x reader #trey clover #azul ashengrotto x reader #azul ashengrotto

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wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart · 1 year ago

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Aren't you tired of forced romances with no chemistry that only take away from the actually interesting plot? Don't you just want media where romance isn't portrayed as being superior and more important than (queer)platonic relationships?

Well, my exhausted aro ass is too, so here are a few tricks and wisdoms I've gathered over my years of being a-spec (which is all of them) on how to avoid romance (in media) in a very allonormative society 💚🤍🩶🖤

(this is a rec list btw. no I am not shitting on the shows that I tagged, quite the opposite)

1. Middle Grade

I get if you aren't really into that, because it is kind of annoying to be pointed to literal children's literature when all you want is a story that isn't constantly being interrupted by describing the main guy's heated eyes for the twentieth time.

However.

It is true that in middle grade, friendship is always more important than romance. Because, let's face it. Making two eleven year old characters kiss is kinda weird. So even if there is a romance, it isn't very prominent and treated more like friendship and/or a puppy crush. Plus some stories get surprisingly dark?!?!

Examples

- Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), technically a romance in the end, but mostly focused on found family, shenanigans, and finding your own value

- House of Many Ways (DWJ). Yes, again. I really like her books okay? They always have something so fantastical and whimsical about them. This is my other favorite book by her and it has literally no romance at all. Plus a hmc cameo that is so fun !!

- Coraline (Neil Gaiman). Maybe this is cheating because I never actually read it. However. a) the movie traumatized me. b) Wybie was added to the movie, he doesn't exist in the book, so if "power of friendship" isn't your thing this will be great. Probably vibes over plot.

Flyte (Angie Sage). Technically this is the second book, but I never read the first one and still understood everything. Once again, no romance at all. A fun read, which can get surprisingly dark at times.

2. Short Story Collections

Once again, I get it if it isn't your thing. Short stories are - as the name reveals - short. Which means: no worldbuilding, very limited narrator, open ending, no time to really get attached to characters, etc.

But.

The cool thing about collections, is that they always have a certain theme. And as long as the theme is not romance, romance will not be the focus. Even if there is a romantic relationship, it will be used to explore this theme since there simply isn't time for anything else.

Examples:

Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata) This is the book that actually made me figure out: hey! I do actually like short stories !! The main theme is basically about being different and it plays a lot with body horror and the perception of your own body in contrast with how society sees it. There is even a story about two women who platonically live together and raised multiple children!

Canterbury Classics: Classic Tales of Horror (introduction by Ernest Hilbert). As the name suggests, this is a collection of horror short stories, featuring well-known authors such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe or Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As these are classic old tales, the language is a bit complicated at times and you can read them for free on Gutenberg. However, the book is very very pretty and the introduction is very interesting (Origins of the genre, specific tropes and monsters, etc.)

3. Podcasts

PODCASTS!!! If you follow me, you are probably already aware of those. However, in case you don't, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Audiodramas.

The cool thing about Podcasts is that pretty much anyone can do it. All you need is an idea, a mic, a lot of motivation, and you're pretty much set to go. No producers or publishers you need to get approval from. So it is only natural that this medium is filled to the brim with queer creators. Basically every character is somewhat queer. It's awesome.

Examples:

- The Silt Verses. I adore TSV. I listened to the first season like, four times. (the second one is good too but OH MY GOD THE FIRST ONE). And one of the main characters is canonically and explicitly aro!! Sister Carpenter, I love you with my whole being. And the great thing is, it is very clear that the writers love her, too!! There is a lot (like a LOT) of body horror so it isn't for everybody. But if you think you can handle it I really recommend it. (Plus, not any romance plotlines at all !!)

- Wolf 359. This is one of the older ones and it is really good. It's a bunch of restless and very unwell people stuck in a spaceship under the unforgiving rule of capitalism. However bad you imagine it, I can assure you it is worse. But the really cool thing is that there literally isn't any romance at all. Like, there are great m/f friendships but they never even hint towards a romance. Some people are so unused to that that they literally ship the main dude with the fucking robot AI. (don't worry, not an actual romance plot).

- Girl in space. I am sure you will be absolutely shook to know that this one also takes place in space. It is about a girl. In space. Shocking, I know. Except that she has been on her own for well over a year when suddenly a fleet of strange ships arrive and kidnap her. There is also a very asshole-y robot. And questions about what makes us human. And found family!! And a goat. And cheese. Just go listen to it okay. This is also one of the shortest ones of the list, so maybe a good start.

- Malevolent. I have to confess that I personally am not a huge fan of this one? Like the premise is really cool - a detective who wakes up blind and with a demon in his head who can see through the detectives eyes. What the fuck?, you may ask yourself. So does Arthur Lester. Mysteries and other dimensions and a whole lot of pain ensues. Harlan is undeniably an awesome VA and a great writer, but his stories just seem a bit too repetitive to me? Nonetheless I know of lots of people who enjoy it a lot. Trying to define the relationship between Arthur and John (his demon) is perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. (Jk. there are multiple murders and stuff. they've really got other priorities)

- Middle:Below. This is another short one and probably the least famous of this list? It's about this funky lil dude with a ghost roommate and a cat who can talk (.....or can it?). There is a m/f friendship but it never turns into a romance (wow it is possible!!). They all go on adventures on the dimension between life and death. Despite the description, this is literally just a comedy. A bit spooky at best. Reminds me a bit of scarier kids cartoons like gravity falls.

4. "Gay" movies/series in countries with homophobic censorship

Now you may think, "hey that seems like a bit of an asshole move!". And you would be 100% correct in thinking that.

However.

It does also mean that the main relationship of the story can never be explicitly romantic. They can allude to it, they can try to show it. But they can never confirm. So it is very easy to interpret them as having a QPR. (because tbh I don't think I've ever seen one on television.)

Examples:

The Untamed. Look. I am aware that the first episode is so fucking atrocious, all right? And no, the CGI does in fact never get better. And sometimes the translated subtitles are a bit awkward. But I swear that it is so good. Trust me on this one, okay? Just make it through the first ep. It's a wild ride. Lan Zhan I love you. (However the book it is based on (written by a woman) depicts them being in an explicitly romantic relationship, with lots of very inaccurate and badly researched smut, so the fandom pretty much sees them as exclusively romantic.)

- Word of Honor. Very much in the same vein as The Untamed. Except that the first episode is less horrible. And the one dude has a very fruity fan. And they also raise a kid together. And the costumes of the villains are really fun!! I actually never finished this one tbh. I know that the book it is based on has one very extremely terrible ableist plot point, but I don't know if that made it into the show since I never got that far

The Devil Judge. The last two were fantasy, this one is a dystopia. Very tense and interesting. There is a romantic subplot (typical childhood friend vs bad boy love triangle), but he rejects the childhood friend and they can't exactly show him and the "bad boy" (who is actually a judge. and also kinda his sugar daddy) as explicitly romantic for the reason above. They also live in the same house and cook together and take care of a child together. Can totally recommend.

Assassination Classroom. A bunch of students have to kill their teacher who is an alien. that's literally the plot. I cried so hard at the finale. Nagisa and Karma have MASSIVE vibes and you can't convince me otherwise. (There is a romantic subplot that does end in a kiss, but they agree to continue as friends since those were..... extenuating circumstances. The dude very clearly is not into her). Nagisa also very aro-spec coded imo.

5. "Straightbaiting" Anime

Sometimes Anime does this thing (which I personally find very hilarious) where a boy and a girl will have no other romantic involvements or love interests while growing closer and closer, but never get together. A bit like reverse queerbaiting.

Examples:

- Fairy Tail. The ultimate power is friendship anime. That is all you need to know. (I should also perhaps warn you that the end of the last arc (and the sequel series, but we don't talk about that) are huge letdowns. Like the buildup? So good. But....welp. If that doesn't bother you too much and the idea to have a group of people be the main character instead of one person only, this may be the series for you. Just do yourself a favor and skip all the filler arcs

Soul Eater. I really love the vibes of this one. Once again, most of the fandom likes depicting them as explicitly romantic, but they never canonically are. It also reminds me a bit of creepy children cartoons. It is also where the superior fictional school exists, Devon. Frankenstein teaches there (the dude, not the monster). People transform into badass weapons. Nobody can convince me that Make Albarn is not a trans woman. However the ending deviates a bit from the manga, and I personally think the anime one is a bit worse

Noragami. This one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first anime I really watched. This one also has people who transform into weapons, but the vibes are very different. It goes a bit more into Japanese folklore in case that interests you.

Bonus: Canonically Aro/Heavily Aro-Coded Characters

They were not anywhere above because the stories they are in didn't really fit any of the categories. But they exist!

Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts). I adore Wolf. There is also barely any romance. Like, it will seem like it at first, but don't worry, it's only straightbaiting. There is a romance subplot but it's very brief and very much in the background. Overall very good aro show 👍

Isaac (Heartstopper) Very queer show, very high likelihood that you already know of it. The series per se is very romance focused, but as far as I've heard the a-spec rep in S2 is really good

Georgia (Loveless). Actually never read it. But, well. Title pretty self-explanatory dare I say. By the same author as Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)

Chance/Chris and Shadow/Ryan (woe.begone) Are explicitly in a QPR together !! they are also probably the healthiest couple in the podcast lol

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein). Henry is the "a couple of besties!!" to Victor's "we look like a couple <3"

Barbie (Barbie 2023) If you've seen it you know what I mean.

Jo Marsh (Little Women). I never read the book, but Jo in the 2019 movie??? very sus.

I would also recommend checking out Japanese books! I personally think they are much better at writing romance than the western people lol. It's more about knowing each other and sharing your views of the world, thus changing each other and leaving a mark forever, even if the relationship ends. (studio ghibli romance vibes). My favorite Japanese book doesn't have an English translation :(

aber an alle Deutsch-Sprecher*innen: Die Katzen von Shinjuku (Durian Sukegawa) -> og title: Shinjuku no Neko

Can't think of anything else right now, but please leave some of your own recommendations! Hope this helps ^^

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musicalmoritz · 6 months ago

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I am hopeful about how the anime will adapt TeruAoi

Hear me out, one of the most common complaints about the writing of the manga is that Teru’s crush on Aoi doesn’t make any sense. There’s still the possibility he could like Akane instead (or the even less likely possibility he could like both), but right now it’s strongly looking like his crush is Aoi. I know, I wanted gay people too, but this is what we’re working with. There are hints throughout the manga that he likes her, but most of those come in the form of jokes where he’s trying to get a rise out of Akane. That actually provides more evidence towards him liking Akane than Aoi, since in those scenes he’s focused on how Akane is feeling rather than Aoi herself. So if AidaIro intend on us to pick up on TeruAoi, they’ve done a very poor job. I’d argue that the ship thrives off of heteronormativity, most straight readers (and even many queer ones) will automatically assume Teru likes Aoi and not Akane simply because he’s a boy and she’s a girl. It’s a reasonable assumption, queer rep still isn’t common enough to be the default. But it’s not a great basis for building an actual relationship, even a one-sided one

Look at Kou and Nene, that’s a one-sided relationship that was written well while still making it clear who we’re supposed to be rooting for. TBHK isn’t a love triangle like Twilight, we’re not meant to have equal fuel for both sides because AidaIro ultimately care that we support HanaNene. Kou and Nene have had numerous scenes building their friendship and, by extension, Kou’s feelings for her. However, most of these scenes are intercepted by HanaNene and Mitsukou moments. Their most notable ship moment, the donut scene, was used so that Nene could cheer Hanako up. This method gives Kounene plenty of buildup to where Kou’s feelings for her make sense without disrupting either of the main pairings. It’s also remedied by the fact that Kou gets another love interest fairly early on, so he’s not stuck in the role of the “second choice” for long. That was never really part of his arc but I digress

A lot of my points here are up for interpretation or preference, some fans don’t have a problem with how TeruAoi has been built up. It’s not going to be engame, so some might even say it doesn’t matter. But with Teru’s feelings for her being such a consistent thing throughout the manga, I’d say it’s fairly important that they’re set up well. It’s central to the dynamic of the Sunflower Troupe too, which is even more important. Teru’s feelings for Aoi play into the Terukane rivalry that is so integral to their dynamic, and towards motivating Teru during the Red House arc. Keep in mind, if TeruAoi were well-written, the fandom wouldn’t be so divided on whether or not Aoi is Teru’s crush

There is still the chance that it’s been kept vague for a reason and Teru is actually gay. Please AidaIro it’s not too late-

Despite the negative tone of everything you just read, I love TeruAoi. I’m content with it being canon, although I would rather have Terukane if I’m being honest. I’m a multishipper though, so I want to make it clear that I am by no means a TeruAoi hater. On the contrary, I think they have a lot of potential, and I hope the anime doesn’t waste the opportunity to explore that. So onto the actual point of this rant

THIS CHAPTER. The one that somewhat salvaged TeruAoi’s lazy writing. The chapter that brought TeruAoi shippers rain after a drought. We’re going to see it animated in October. And I am going insane over that

The anime is known for being a poor adaptation of the manga, but in my opinion it has its benefits and its drawbacks. One of the biggest drawbacks is Teru, they completely cut out the arc that delves into his childhood and dynamic with Kou. We lost a lot of his characterization and he essentially became a background character. My boy deserves better than that. But the two new trailers showed a lot of Teru from what I remember (it’s impossible for me to miss my king), and I’m taking that as a sign that they’ve realized his potential as a character. We might get the Young Exorcist arc in season 2, since it’s incredibly important to Kou and Teru’s development both as characters and as a sibling dynamic. This might be wishful thinking but now that they realize people like this series and want to see more of it, maybe they’ll start doing the side characters justice

One of the good points, and this is going to be very controversial, is AoiAoi. The number one complaint I’ve seen about the anime (besides the exclusion of the Young Exorcist arc), is that they nerfed Akane. I disagree. Yes, anime Akane is nothing but a goofy looking nerd who simps for Aoi, but that’s essentially what his character was in the first few arcs of the manga. They adapted him accurately for what they covered. You could just as well complain that Aoi is nothing but Nene’s popular best friend in the anime. That’s true, but only because they haven’t gotten to the Grim Reaper arc yet. The anime notoriously didn’t get to the Clock Keepers arc, but since we’re getting that in season 2, we’ll be seeing a lot more of anime Akane soon. And I don’t think he’s going to disappoint

“But how did they do AoiAoi well if they didn’t adapt much?” I’m so glad you asked. Not many people have pointed this out, but the anime clearly favored AoiAoi in comparison to the other side characters. They added in a lot of scenes that weren’t in the manga, such as their interaction in the garden and the “I’d cut off my own head” scene. I can’t remember them adding in many other scenes, besides Yako’s backstory, so they must have wanted some fan service. The anime really leans into the romance element (for better or worse), which is where I think they could do right by TeruAoi

We’ll be getting the iconic convenience store chapter in October, before season 2 of the anime comes out. This means we’ll get a meaningful TeruAoi moment animated before any meaningful AoiAoi moments have been animated, though AoiAoi has already been setup through the first seasons of TBHK and ASHK. So anime-onlys already know Akane and Aoi have feelings for each other, but before that gets explored in a serious manner, they’ll learn that Teru also potentially has feelings for Aoi. This is good, this will put the idea in viewers heads that Teru likes Aoi before he even jokes about liking her in the main series. The first time his feelings were mentioned in the manga was during the exam chapter, and that won’t get animated until season 3 or 4. So until then, they’ll already have the concept of TeruAoi. And they’ll be introduced to that concept through a serious episode rather than a gag scene of Teru threatening Akane

This will set up the group dynamic well while still upholding AoiAoi as the one we’re supposed to root for. They were established first, and we’ll get more insight into Akane’s feelings during the Clock Keepers arc. It won’t come at the expense of AoiAoi, but we’ll be shown a more serious TeruAoi scene to build them up as competition. That will balance out the two dynamics

I’m also hoping they add in a few scenes of TeruAoi the way they did with AoiAoi. The two aren’t really friends until the Grim Reaper arc, but they could throw in a few gag scenes of Teru sucking up to Aoi the way he’s mentioned to do in the manga. A scene of him being overly friendly to her in the hallway, offering to help her carry her bag, etc. And she could still shut him down in a polite way so they don’t lose the dynamic they have in the manga. I wouldn’t want them to do too much or give more confirmation of Teru’s feelings than we get at that point in the manga, but a few filler scenes could really help to build their relationship. At the very least, it would help Teru’s feelings make sense. But I’m already very optimistic since the TeruAoi episode of ASHK is already going to give Teru’s feelings more grounding. Releasing it before the two of them interact/mention each other in the main anime is honestly the best decision they could have made. It will be pleasantly unexpected to anime-onlys who haven’t seen the characters interact before and don’t know what their relationship is in the manga

Anyways, I know a lot of people are freaking out about the anime getting a season 2 (and I understand why), but I’m trying to stay hopeful. The first season was bad, but it’s a good introduction to the series. It was how I got into tbhk, and I felt it was a good start. It was enough to get me hyperfixated after just a few episodes so it’s not THAT bad (okay, it’s kinda bad). But they still have time to fix the major mistakes they made in season 2, as long as we get the Young Exorcist arc. And either way, ASHK is going to be delightful

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clownakai · 21 days ago

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Do you think Akai will find out that Conan was the last one that got to see akemi?

Ooo good question... Let's see.

On the one hand, my heart says that it should happen. Drawing from my own experiences, I feel like a lot of people would rather know what their loved ones' last moments were like, and while Akemi's were definitely not peaceful nor devoid of pain, I think knowing that she didn't die alone would be somewhat cathartic to know for Akai: he wasn't there when he needed to be, but, as horrifying as it was for a teenager to experience, there was someone by Akemi's side when she died— someone Akai knows for a fact would have cared and done all he could to prevent her death.

He did fail her, he did leave, but that didn't mean she was completely alone. And for someone like Akai, who I think is the kind of person who believes they can make a lot of difference with their actions/skills/etc. (in Akai's case, this is true as far as helping take down the organization goes; the problem emerges when this line of thinking— "I am important, I am a focal piece of this puzzle"— bleeds into contexts where it doesn't apply that well, and I believe this is true as far as Akemi's life choices after Akai was extracted go too. The matter of responsibility re: Akemi's decision to try to leave the organization with Shiho is something to be discussed elsewhere though, or I'll never get to the point here fjsjfjsk), it would actually be beneficial to know that what he probably considers to be one of his greatest regrets— accepting to leave without Akemi as he didn't have the means to bring Shiho along as well—, which could have been internalized as "I left her alone and in a bad position within the organization, therefore she died alone", didn't actually reflect reality. Not all the way, at least: the takeaway here is that Akai isn't the be-all, end-all of things.

Crudely said, the world doesn't revolve around him and his actions. That could be basis for one more step towards properly processing Akemi's death instead of solely using his mostly repressed grief to fuel everything he does.

(I hope I explained myself decently fjdjgjd, I personally tended to focus a lot on conjecture re: how Akai could have subconsciously internalized events rather than going for narrative significance because I'm a sucker for things visibly and concretely impacting characters when they happen.

DetCo doesn't do a lot of that in-depth, though, which is why I specified that this is what my heart says.)

Now, on the other hand, my head says.... Ehhhhhhh. It might happen just like it might not. From a solely plot-focused perspective, the additional information wouldn't really serve a purpose if it was Conan telling Akai this. The latter is plenty motivated already, and the nature of what would be shared wouldn't really add to that unless we count the confirmation that it was indeed Gin who killed Akemi (I looked around, but as far as I've seen it was never specified whether Akai actually knows she was shot by Gin. He's sure she was executed for trying to leave the organization, but anyone could have been dispatched to do it): in that case, I can see Akai being adamant in wanting to be the one to apprehend Gin, but seeing as his approach is fundamentally different from, say, Furuya's, there wouldn't be any significant enough changes in what he'd do story-wise, I think.

For that reason, I don't really see this reveal happening anytime soon, and if it does happen, I think it'd make more sense for Shiho to be the one telling Akai about it. She herself found out through Conan's recollection of the events, and we got to witness her externalizing her grief in that one incredibly visceral scene (my beloved).

There could be a tie-in to that, even: "someone as smart and skilled as you... how come you couldn't save her?" is what Shiho asks Conan, and it's easy to apply that to Akai as well (that's what Furuya wonders re: Scotch's death too, funnily enough. Akai really b out there collecting failures like Pokémon /silly). Someone like Akai, so skilled and with the FBI's resources at hand, somehow still left Akemi behind and didn't foresee a scenario that could result in her death; he is certainly less justified than Conan in this failure.

Now, I don't think that particular question was ever answered at all (understandable, as what the hell do you even say to that when the one asking is actively having an emotional breakdown?), but as far as we've seen, Shiho seems to have concluded that Conan didn't fail to prevent her sister's death for lack of trying. When someone shows again and again how much they value human life (to the point of endangering themself in order to preserve it, and showing genuine distress when they fail) you're less inclined to believe they actively decided not to help your sister specifically for some obscure reason.

What I'm trying to say is that Shiho would thematically be the more appropriate pick if Gosho wants Akai to know what truly happened to Akemi, and depending on where he wants to take it, he could even use it as a sort of starting point from where Shiho and Akai can begin to find common ground and bond with each other (either before a hypothetical final showdown™ or after everything is said and done and the bad guys have been defeated), as they're probably the only two living people who knew Akemi well enough to mourn her so strongly.

Still, this option hinges on whether or not Gosho intends to actually develop (or even simply hint at) any interpersonal relationships between Shiho and what family she has left: something like that would be incredibly complicated to portray properly in a story where this kind of thing isn't the focus though, so it might just never happen.

(sidenote: I've been actively ignoring the cousins thing until now bc I have genuinely no clue how either of them would react to that knowledge. From what little I know, marriage between cousins is legally allowed in Japan, although the incidence is very very low nowadays. So on that front it's mostly a matter of culture I guess? I don't think Gosho is going to actively address it anyway fjdjgkd)

TLDR: I have serious doubts on whether it'll happen at all due to the nature of DetCo and what it tends to focus on, but if it did there could be a way or two to give the moment some narrative significance.

#Good fucking lord. Atlas try not to yap challenge (impossible)#I'm so fucking sorry anon I didn't mean to yap so much😭😭😭#Anyway here are my perfectly coherent thoughts (lying) I hope they don't sound too far-fetched fjskfkdksfk #asks #anon ask #yapping time #dcmk #detco #detective conan #akai shuichi #edogawa conan #haibara ai #miyano akemi

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gachagon · 1 year ago

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I really think this arc we're going to be learning more about Kunigami now and what he experienced during Wild Card because during this entire speech, the one thing that really struck out to me was this:

"Do I want to beat that guy?" is a pretty interesting goal to have and I think its deliberately placed next to Kunigami's panel because out of everyone here, he's the only one who doesn't really have "originality" like Ego is talking about here. Kunigami is someone who's ego isn't something that's been defined yet, and when he used to have an ego that somewhat made sense, it wasn't good enough to persist in Blue Lock's system and thus he was booted out of it.

This panel is showing that Kunigami's current ego is really just to try and beat the other guy, but notice how it's not "Do I want to be Number One?" which is a goal that was pretty much the entire point of Blue Lock.

All of these other goals that Ego lists are ways for people to just keep afloat in Blue Lock, to keep going even when things seem to put their back against the wall. But the last one is the actual answer that he's been touting since the beginning. "To be the number 1 striker".

I also think this arc will be another critic of Ego's philosophy.

During the last chapter, Loki seems to have a pretty strategic but academically focused way of thinking when it comes to soccer. Even when he's giving feedback to the team, it's like a teacher that's grading your homework (And he even references homework in this very chapter). He tells each player what they're good at, but also what they need to improve directly.

But none of it is really for his own benefit, but rather to help THIS silly lil guy:

Loki's motivations and reason for wanting to help Charles is still selfish and egotistical in a sense, but it's a lot less self centered in that he admits what he himself needs to become the best.

And I even think there was a bit of foreshadowing of whats to come in the last match since Isagi quite literally did what Charles did, and "played it by ear". Hiori was able to play best when he wasn't constantly thinking of his parent's. And now we have this character who's got the oppurtunity to learn how to be great, but who really just wants to do everything on his own, on the fly, when he's on the field already.

#ramblings #bllk #blue lock manga #blue lock #kunigami #julien loki

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absoluteocellibehavior · 1 month ago

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Oscar and Our Lady of Guadalupe

I've talked a bit about Oscar and his connection to Mary on here, but I figured it would serve best to actually put it together coherently.

Firstly, I must address the fact that, like many of the other people in the Malevolent fandom, see Oscar as Hispanic. Now, you may be saying "Ocelli! How in the world could Oscar be Hispanic? He is very clearly Scottish. Listen to him." yada yada and I hear ya. I hear ya. However, I cannot get the image of it out of my mind and this was before there was a lot of fanart of him out there. However, I do have some mild evidence of this. The Hispanic population in New York is very little in the 1900 area which is about the time we are estimating that Oscar was born. However, it's not zero. Additionally, there is a large percentage of Hispanic people that are Catholic, making Oscar's parents much more likely to have given him to a Catholic orphanage. With such a low population of Hispanics in New York coupled with the spike in racist nationalism occurring at the time due to European immigration, it is very likely that Oscar's family didn't have the means to raise a child. Based on the fact that Oscar never knew his parents, it's most probable that he was dropped off as a baby in which he was still learning how to speak. Therefore, he has a Scottish accent because he learned how to speak from his Scottish caretakers. This also gives reason for Oscar ostracization in the orphanage. Unfortunately...racism. It's assumed that Oscar never got adopted due to his violent act against Father McKenna, but this probably only agitated the motivations of not adopting him due to his race as well. Oscar's role in the church is somewhat in the background. It's assumed that he would run certain masses but based on the amount of availably he had in Season Four, it's probably just to fill in for daily mass. Rather, he focuses on serving the community. He would have been increasingly difficult for him to have been an authority figure in the church, but he fought tooth and nail for it in order to be able to balance out the evil in the magisterium like Father McKenna. This doesn't mean that they'd allow him to do everything he should be able to, hence him being put in the "messy" jobs so to speak. Oscar loves what he does, and he won't ever complain about it nonetheless.

With that explanation out of the way, I'm going to double back to the fact that Oscar NEVER was adopted. He never had a healthy father or mother figure in his life. So, I find it likely that Oscar would lean into Mary and Joseph as his spiritual parents. Think about it. I love the idea that he wears a rosary constantly. Someone once explained to me that holding the rosary was the equivalent of holding Mary's hand. So, Oscar wears a rosary as a symbol of his mom's protection and her watching over him.

Something that only enhances this, is Oscar discovering the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As Catholics, we believe that there have been multiple appearances of Mary all over the world. One of which (my personal favorite) is Our Lady of Guadalupe. As the story goes, Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, an Aztec convert to Christianity in the 1500s, four separate times as a woman of mixed Indigenous and European features. She asked for a shrine to be built on the place which she appeared at (Tepeyac Hill) which the bishop of the region hesitated to do. On the fourth appearance, Mary instructed for Juan Diego to gather roses from that hill and bring them to the bishop. These roses were miraculous for two reasons: they were blooming in the middle of winter, and they were native to the bishop's homeland of Castile. When Juan Diego opened his cloak full of roses, an imprint of Mary was revealed to be on the inside of the cloak that we know as the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe plays a large role in not only Mexico's religion but in its overall history. All that is to say, I think Oscar would find great comfort in not only Mary, but specifically Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the face of persecution, he was able to look up to Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego for guidance and spiritual support (yes, yes, he wasn't canonized until Pope John Paul II but this happened centuries earlier and he would have heard about it. Sue me). Additionally, I’d like to think Oscar picks his birthday to be December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Feast Day, in order to share it with his “mom”.

Well! There you go! This is a very important Oscar headcannon to me and I thought you all might appreciate it!

#malevolent #malevolent podcast #oscar malevolent #malevolent oscar #father oscar #fandom faith breakdown

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givemeanaccountalready · 27 days ago

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A Who-Swung-It Mystery: The Case of the Switch-Hitter (3/3)

1 / 2 / 3

Alright, it's time for the final segment of this god-forsaken theory. For those who have justifiably forgotten about everything I yammered on about months ago, the TL;DR is: Mikoto is the one who killed the blond guy we see in the beginning of MeMe, and John is covering for him.

God help me, I want this out of my drafts. Fingers crossed that I finish strong. In the first post, I reviewed the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and discussed how Mikoto being the killer would subvert the evil alter trope. I emphasized that we should not treat Mikoto as completely good and John as completely evil, and then I used what we know of Mikoto and John's respective personalities and how that was reflected in how they bat. In the second post, I focused entirely on MeMe and its clear separation of the physical world and Mikoto's mindscape. I looked at lighting, lyrics, the left-right dichotomy established using Mikoto and John, and the tarot cards used.

The full theory is as follows:

Blond has blackmail material on Mikoto, most likely of John lashing out at others, and threatened to send it to Mikoto's boss if Mikoto didn't do as he said.

Mikoto is still unaware of John's existence, and so while he doubts whether the validity of the video, he understands that he stands to lose his current position and his career if it gets out. Hence, Mikoto's Trial 2 trailer line of, "DESTROY EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!" The idea that the blond had blackmail would give way to Mikoto's motive for the murder.

In a fit of rage, he grabs the bat and performs the left-handed swing that cripples the blond. The right handed, overhead swing is the killing blow. John is the one who handled the clean-up after the fact, and his intervention is what allows Mikoto to tell himself that all he did was dream.

Personally, I think that Mikoto swung the killing blow, but I recognize that some may not be convinced. It is possible that after that left-handed swing, Mikoto realized the severity of what he had done, and the stress caused him and John to switch. This would give the blond time to crawl away like how we saw in MeMe.

Mikoto spoke his Trial 1 line from the teaser trailer, "My life... it wasn't supposed to be this way," just before John began to front.

John Doe vs Neoplasm: That's Not Him

In the first post, I mentioned my belief that the identity talking at the end of Neoplasm was John pretending to be Mikoto rather than the actual Mikoto speaking. While Mikoto gives off the, "I'm just a silly guy, just a normal bean living his best life," vibe, he treats Es's accusations seriously. In John Doe, Mikoto is adamant that he has done nothing wrong, and points out that Es could be jumping the gun by labeling him a murderer because Es knows about as much as Mikoto does about any murder. Mikoto tells Es what his impressions of his fellow prisoners are, and then he guesses that Milgram could have mistaken Mikoto for someone else. Es shoots back with:

"You're not lying. Milgram is always right. If both these statements are true, it's only natural to arrive at that conclusion [Mikoto repressed the memory of killing someone], isn't it?... To escape psychological stress, humans may repress certain memories as a coping mechanism... If I believe you, there's no other logical conclusion, since I still prioritize my faith in Milgram over your statements... A murderer without the memory of the murder"

Their words send Mikoto into a panic, and we meet John for the first time. And I'm now realizing that that last statement might be why Mikoto keeps insisting for Es and the audience to look at him and believe him in his songs. Es (and we, the audience) prioritized believing Milgram over him. Oh Mikoto, you tricky, little sneak, you~ When Mikoto switches back at the end of John Doe, he voiced his confusion over how he and Es suffered injuries and seemed to be somewhat aware that something happened that he doesn't remember, "Wait! You're covered in bruises too! What's wrong? What happened?" Mikoto sounds scared. Now, compare this to what we see in Neoplasm.

We can see that the Guilty verdict has taken a mental toll on Mikoto, even if John's existence interferes with Milgram's punishment. After Es chains him at the beginning of Neoplasm, Mikoto glumly admits, "Well, I mean... I do get it. I... go out of control while I'm asleep, right?" Mikoto tells Es that he knows he got into a fight with Kotoko because the others told him about it, and how he knows that Es and the prisoners are scared of him. He's miserable, but he still tries to laugh it off, which leads to him and Es discussing the habit. Es lays it out clearly: denial is Mikoto’s main coping mechanism. Mikoto even agrees with it, stating that he prefers to pretend that he’s fine rather than actually acknowledging how upset he is. Only this time, his coping mechanism is failing, and acknowledging that seems to trigger the switch with John. Throughout John's part of Neoplasm, John lets Es lead the conversation and gives short, vague answers regarding the murder. He manages to rattle Es, by demanding to know what their opinion on Mikoto’s culpability is, not what the law would say. John’s ‘parting’ words are, “If you forgive Mikoto… I’ll disappear… That’s right. I’ll have to disappear eventually, anyway… Disappear and take all of it with me. I… was born to protect Mikoto after all… Yeah, if it’s for Mikoto, I’ll do anything.”

Then the bell rings, startling Es. ‘Mikoto’ asks who the John they are referring to is, and then quickly assumes that it must be Es’s dog. He then goes on to try to guess the breed until Es interrupts him. Now, why bother calling attention to the allegedly final words of John and “Mikoto” asking about the dog. This “Mikoto” doesn’t display any sign of disorientation after switching back, and he also fails to comment on the loss of time, instead asking about Es's "dog." The disorientation isn't necessary, as we saw with that one timeline convo where Mikoto was shouting for John to come out, Mikoto didn't express any confusion about briefly losing time. It's the behavior that gets me. Before John began to front in Neoplasm, Mikoto was understandably upset and trying to understand his situation. He knows that he was losing time, and right before John and him had switched, Es and he were discussing how his coping mechanisms were failing him. Now Es is talking about their "dog," with no smooth transition in the course of conversation. "Mikoto" does not object or try to redirect what should be seen as the conversation going off-tangent. "Mikoto" doesn't ask what happened to cause this change, and instead cheerily asks about the dog. Maybe Trial 1 Mikoto would have done so, if only to get on Es's good side, but Trial 2 Mikoto is in physical pain from his fight with Kotoko (that he can't even remember), and emotional pain because of his Guilty Verdict and realization that something's wrong.

Mikoto may act happy-go-lucky, but he's a prudent guy with a knack for planning ahead so he gets what he wants. Am I really just supposed to believe he's going to dive headfirst into that silly bean act of his when he's beginning to put together the pieces of the puzzle known as his life? No! To quote Haruka, "It's weird." I genuinely think that this is just John pretending to be Mikoto, rather than Mikoto actually switching back. Why? To remind Es that Mikoto is just a harmless guy. And it being John, rather than Mikoto, at the forefront would explain why Double differs so dramatically from MeMe. Which brings me to my break down of Double.

Double's Unclear Boundaries between the Mental and Physical World

Genuine aside here: Mikoto is so much better at persuasion than John is. Had John not have interfered and attempted to manipulate the situation the way he had, I might have actually bought Mikoto's story that this all had he did was have a bad dream. Mikoto may be telling the truth in that he truly thinks that he just dreamed of killing the blond, but John is so bad at covering for him that I spent months writing, and then re-writing this damn post to prove John's lying and so is Mikoto. God, I love messy characters. And I mean that.

Back to serious mode, okay? While most of MeMe takes place in the physical world and then cuts to Mikoto's mindscape, Double seems to almost entirely be in Mikoto's mindscape. And where in the MeMe post, I sequentially broke down the most important frames, I think that here I want to call attention to the most important frames. I initially used Mikoto's eyes to track whether Mikoto or John was fronting. But as you'll soon see, Mikoto's eyes are hidden or otherwise obscured during what I believe are the key parts of the video.

The limbal ring is the dark ring encircling a person's irises, providing a clear border between the iris and sclera (whites of the eyes). Throughout Double, you can see that there is an orange spot below Mikoto's pupil and above the limbal ring. Occasionally, you can see the reflection of light in Mikoto's eyes, and when this light is on the limbal ring, it gives his eyes a bit of an orange glow, and this orange glow signifies that John is the one fronting. When the reflection of light is above Mikoto's pupil or otherwise not seen, Mikoto is the one fronting. I'm currently thanking God for giving me the foresight to not hold strong with the Trikoto theory, because the sake of my health depends on there only being Mikoto and John.

The first image is of Mikoto and the second is of John. Going back to the left-right dichotomy that these two have, Milgram has associated Mikoto's right side with himself and his left with John. And here, we are shown the eye identifiers for Mikoto and John on his right and left eye, respectively.

But wait! When Double opens, we see Mikoto's left profile (and his sense of joy leaving his body). And if you look at the frames where Mikoto lowers his head, you can see the orange dot in his eye and the light above his pupil until the screen shatters, distorting our view of his eyes. But, the lyrics and body language can tell us that that's John. But that's Mikoto on John's side of the screen. This breaks the left-right dichotomy! I have two possible explanations for you:

This scene is meant to represent John's 'birth' and so breaking the dichotomy does not matter because it has yet to be established.

The dichotomy Mikoto spent the first video creating actually does not matter because John just inadvertently revealed that Mikoto and John are two sides of the same coin. This scene signifies John witnessing Mikoto's distress and forcibly switching during Neoplasm, or some other stressful event before Milgram.

Both ideas are "fun" and fit with the lyrics to come. I think it is important to note that no lyrics are sung until the screen shatters and we see who we presume to be John sing, "I've got you / Leave it to me." We know that John sees himself as Mikoto's protector and that it is his role to relieve Mikoto's stress. Sure, it was probably meant to be John's 'birth' in response to a stressful event, but number 2 is a hell of a lot more fun and plays John's reactive personality (playing it by ear) against Mikoto's more shrewd and proactive one. The next forty seconds do not show Mikoto's eyes, but we can guess that this is most likely John based on how he acts. And the lyrics.

Mikoto prides himself in being considerate to others, while John will do what he thinks is best for Mikoto, others be damned. John ignores his boss's angry texts and when he finally answers the phone, he holds it far from his ear that Mikoto would have a hard time hearing any putdowns or guilt-trips his boss gives him. He indulges Mikoto's nicotine habit by smoking instead of vaping, and even worse, he smokes in an enclosed surrounding, not very considerate towards the mannequins, so going by behavior, this is John. The lyrics in the scene support this, "Keeping things at bay / you're doing your best / 'No, I need to do more..." / say what? You're gonna break / Me, the newborn, other you / I'll take it all on / Doesn't matter if you didn't wish for it / can't get rid of me now /Just the two of us / relieved, aren't you? / I'll protect you (us)" In addition to what we see, we can hear John's protective nature in the first half and then his more selfish, short-term thinking in the second. John seems to believe that so long as he takes care of Mikoto the way he sees fit, things will be fine and Mikoto will be grateful for it. The last line, "I'll protect you (us)" is telling in that it explicitly shows John willingly embraces this protector role, but that there is some self-interest in his motivation. John doesn't only protect Mikoto from the consequences of his actions, but also from those born of John's wrongdoings.

As Mikoto wakes up on the morning train, the screen cuts to Mikoto's right eye, where the light is above Mikoto's pupil and we can see the orange spot on his eye still. This is Mikoto, and he sings, "All I did was dream / and that's what you found GUILTY / 'He's a liar,' you said / and made me out to be a scoundrel, why?" Hey, doesn't that sound familiar to MeMe's, "I'm probably just having a bad dream / I need to wake up soon / Why am I here? / It must be a mistake / Take a good look at me / Until you find me" Y'know, I just ragged a bit on John for doing the, "That's a dog's name," bit twice and now Mikoto is pulling the bad dream bit twice. They really are more similar than either would like to admit, eh?

Back to the matter at hand. As the sunlight in the background overwhelms the shot, we can see the switch between Mikoto and John as John goes into, "Hey now, I saved you, right?" The screen goes black, and you can see John (the twin orange lights on his limbal rings gives him away) sitting on the night train, surrounded by bloody mannequins. John continues to sing, "So why in the hell are you crying?" and the shot closes in on his left eye, where you can see the light under the orange dot, on the limbal ring.

The next scene is of John shoving the mannequin into the train door and then smashing it into pieces with what looks like a left-hand swing. The bat definitely originates from Mikoto's left side, but it takes a downwards arc rather than level swing. We only see Mikoto's face, and therefore see the orange lights on his limbal rings signifying John is in control, after the orange-red blood is wiped away. But wait, that just means that John wiped away the blood, but it doesn't say with 100% certainty who swung the bat, and like I said, learning to bat left-handed is something Mikoto would do, not John. But judging by the confident, more demanding lyrics of that scene, "Cling to me, hoist me up as your savior / stand up and sing out your gratitude / that'd be good" I think we can reasonably assume that John swung the bat in this scene.

My first several versions of this draft asserted that this must symbolize whatever John did that was considered blackmail-worthy in the blond victim's eyes. I still think that this is supposed to symbolize that, but now I look at my theory #2 for why the left-right dichotomy is inconsistently followed throughout Double, and wonder, is this John's imitation of the murder? The first blow delivered to Mikoto's blond victim in MeMe came from a left-handed, level swing of the bat, and the killing blow was that over-the-head, downwards blow. This can't be the murder because it contradicts what we explicitly saw in MeMe, so it has to be the blackmail-worthy event. I think this has to be the blackmail-worthy event of John lashing out, but I can't entirely discount the idea that John just did a rushed version of the murder seen in MeMe by combining the two deadly swings of the bat into one. The lyrics can support this to a degree, because in order for John to take the blame and save Mikoto from punishment, John needs Mikoto, Es, and us to believe that John is bad but Mikoto is good. Mikoto needs to get with the program and sing his heart out to Es and us for that Innocent verdict.

You see why this took me forever and a half? John's definitely sloppier than Mikoto, but he's damn good at muddying the waters. I have to give him that much credit. In my head, it's about 60:40 that this scene represents the blackmail-worthy event against John putting on a show to ask, "BAM! See? Am I bad enough for you now? You'll forgive Mikoto, right?"

Next scene. Mikoto rides the morning train and pulls at his hair, but the lyrics hint that John is the one singing while Mikoto is in control, warning Mikoto that, "You're overdoing it / you're already broken." And then the screen cuts to the nighttime train, where we see a stressed Mikoto in the background, and John riding at the forefront symbolizing that John is control. John has decided, "But if you persist, I guess it's my job to keep things on an even keel, / Me, the other you / I'll take it all on," and we see John stand up with a bit of a smirk as he hefts the bat up with his right hand and smacks it against his left hand. This was some really nice imagery. We could not only tell that who was Mikoto and who was John, but it shows that while John knows Mikoto and his struggles, Mikoto really doesn't know that John is there. Mikoto really didn't know about his DID before Milgram.

There are two ways that I think you can read this scene as: A.) this takes place before the murder and depicts John switching with Mikoto and attempting to relieve Mikoto's stress through whatever avenue he deems appropriate, or B.) this is just more of John grandstanding to make himself look like a villain. A.) is much more likely than B.), but I want to put it out there, since I was hung up on the lack of left-right separation.

The phone call scene is another disorganized scene in that John is doing a fabulous job of muddying the waters. As established in Undercover, Mikoto's kill Es frame shows Mikoto performing a left-handed swing of the bat into Es's lower back. This is presumably the left-handed swing that crippled the blond victim, forcing him to use his hands to drag himself away from Mikoto rather than run, as seen in the beginning of MeMe. But the left-handed swing of the bat in the phone call scene is the second swing of the bat scene, not the first. The only, clear right-handed swing of the damn bat is shown first!

And as you can see, the orange light is on the limbal ring, so this should be John. And we hear Mikoto, "Oh, hello? Mom? It's been a while" as we smash cut from John swinging the bat to Mikoto talking on the phone. The orange splotch is hidden but the light is above his pupil, signifying that Mikoto is fronting, and this seems to be further supported by the soft-spoken tone. Smash cut again to the left-handed swing of the bat going into the mannequin's head. And of course, we cannot see the eyes, but wait, why is that smashing into the mannequin's head, when we know that the left-handed swing went into the victim's lower back? Why was it shown second? What the hell? All great questions. They still bug me, which is why I left this alone for chunks of time. I wanted to come up with answers, but I'm not nearly as confident during Double as I was with MeMe. Yet, Double is what convinced me that Mikoto did it. Let me finish the shots and I'll explain to the best of my ability.

The next smash cut after the left-handed swing is of that orange-red blood flying through the air. It cuts to Mikoto's right eye, and the orange splotch is still there. But, there is no light reflected anywhere in Mikoto's eye. Not above his pupil, not anywhere on the limbal ring, just the impression that Mikoto's eyes are opening as his phone call with his mother ends. Another smash cut to Mikoto's phone falling into his lap as the song goes back into full swing.

The number of smash cuts during the phone call scene and the following chorus make this the must jarring part of Double for me. It feels as if the animators purposefully mixed up the pieces for us. That right-handed swing cannot be the first blow, for three reasons: Undercover established that the left-handed swing was the first blow, all of that blood splatter spraying backwards indicates that that there was a prior hit, and John's arms are positioned as if he is drawing the bat back over his shoulder. The only logical explanation for this right-handed bat swing is that John or Mikoto has hit the victim at least once before this frame and is currently repositioning the bat to take another swing. This may be the first proper baseball batting we see, but it is not the first blow dealt to the victim.

The left-handed batting frame that we see next is not 100% what we saw in Undercover. In Mikoto's "Kill Es" frame, Mikoto swings the bat into Es's lower back. But here in Double, Mikoto or John swings the bat at about waist-level, but instead takes off the head of a sitting mannequin. Making it even more difficult, the right-handed swing takes place in the lit area while the left-handed swing takes place in the darkened train compartment. The music video does try to associate Mikoto with light and John with darkness, but it's not faithful to those associations. The two most egregious examples would be witnessing Mikoto's profile go from happy to despondent over a dark background at the very beginning of Double, and when John shoves the mannequin into the train door and sloppily smacks its head in (you can see the light outside of the train compartment). Hell, John's clear right-handed swing during the phone call takes place in the light as well. The dichotomy established in MeMe has been thrown out the window, and I'm mad about it because I spent the first two posts talking it up, only to toss it out.

John, I take back what I said in the last post. You might be a great accomplice after all. I still want to hold by my earlier assertions, but I can't tell if they're blinding me from seeing the full picture, or if the reason why I can't make sense of Double is because it's mostly told by John's perspective, and John is trying his best to take the fall for something Mikoto did, hence all of my stumbling.

This should represent the murder scene, but the scenes seem to be out of order. Mikoto calling his mother makes a modicum of sense because most people associate mothers with comfort and Mikoto is in hell right now. He seems to be on the urge of breaking as he talks to her. But Mikoto brushed off his mother's worries the same way he brushed off Kazui's concerns during one of the more recent timeline conversations. Maybe, Mikoto wanted to tell her and be comforted, rather than ignore the problem or fight back. Maybe Mikoto thought about his mom and what he last said to her during the murder and that's why it came up during Double's depiction of the murder.

It's speculation, I know. Back to the chorus. "I don't even know / the reason why I'm here / 'He's a liar,' you said / and made me out to be a scoundrel, why?" While Mikoto sings, he is sitting in the back corner of the subway train compartment, too far for us to get a proper look at his face. The windows are bright white and there's orange-red blood everywhere. Mikoto stands up when he notices the blood, and then the shot changes so that we can partially make out Mikoto's face. Mikoto is visibly sweating, and while we can see the orange patch on his eye, there is no light on the limbal ring or enough of his right eye in the frame to check to see if the light is above his pupil, marking this as truly Mikoto. I believe it's Mikoto, but I don't have proof other than the shocked demeanor. Mikoto asks why, and then the shot jumps back to reveal Mikoto standing in the bloody train compartment, but the windows are now dark.

My primary take of this three shot sequence is that this is Mikoto realizing the gravity of what he has done. It was pointed out to me that Mikoto is holding a baseball bat in the opening of MeMe, hinting at premeditation, but I can't find the picture. Maybe Mikoto just meant to frighten the blond with the bat, or maybe he did plan to kill the blond from the get-go. Either way, there's thinking of it and then actually doing it, and the shock shown here by Mikoto reflects that. Shock and horror over what he's done would be reasonable, and ties in with his, "My life... it wasn't supposed to be this way," line from the Trial 1 trailer. The cut from light to dark may signify that John is now fronting and dealing with the murder scene, but even so, Mikoto cannot entirely erase this memory. But since it's so horrifying and is coupled with John's intervention, it seems like a vivid nightmare rather than reality. I do really like the mirroring that's done in the first and third shots shown here, and I believe that it's significant, even if you disagree with my theory and interpretation.

Alright, Mikoto runs, and I can only have so many images in one post, so I'll make this quick. The orange lights on the limbal rings are faintly visible as Mikoto runs, hinting that this is really John, not Mikoto. If I had to make a conclusion, I would say that this is John. This scene may be representative of John panicking and rushing to clean things up before Mikoto switches back. It's out of character, but John is panicking because holy shit, Mikoto finally snapped and that's not what he's meant to do. Speculative, yeah. Next cut. Mikoto's back is to us as he stalks down the subway train compartment, so it's near impossible to tell who is walking. He's carrying and swinging the bat using only his right hand, like how we saw John do earlier in Double. The assured walk and then frustration expressed Mikoto swings the bat backwards with his right hand signals that this may be John.

Meh, I don't like it either. I do, however, like the ending frames where Mikoto's hands are bloodied. If you look at the first Mikoto, you can see the light at the top of his eyes, signaling that this is Mikoto. The blood is solely on his left hand, which is behind him and supporting him. There is no murder weapon. The camera pans up where we see John, with the faint orange light on his limbal rings, standing there with the same bloodied left hand, this time holding the bat.

I believe that the bloodied left hand ties into the fact that the left-handed swing was the first swing of the baseball bat. It's the guilty hand~ But more importantly, Mikoto is clearly panicked and using that bloodied hand to hold himself up, which I think supports the idea that Mikoto killed his blackmailer after the blond showed his proverbial hand. John is just standing there without much expression, which is unusual for what we know about his personality. He looks confused, but he is holding the murder weapon with the same bloodied, left hand. This may represent John taking the blame but just making stuff up as he goes along.

Cut again, and now both of Mikoto's hands are bloodied. The light is still at the top of his eyes, signaling that this is Mikoto. The last thing Mikoto does is try to smile, and then he breaks down and apologizes, smearing blood over both eyes.

So, yeah... sorry guys. Weak end to a strong start, I think. This isn't my best work by far. I still stand by the idea that John is trying to protect Mikoto by taking the blame, and even if the frames I chose don't support my theory 100%, I believe that all this conflicting information comes from John who is trying to deceive Milgram's song extraction device, but the best he can do is blur the lines. If MeMe was Mikoto's song, then Double is John's, and in John's active attempt to take the fall for something he didn't do, he pokes holes in the idea that Mikoto is passive.

#milgram #mikoto kayano #mikoto did it #who swung it #milgram theory #I’m so done #he did it #I know he did it #but I hate this stinking music video #started strong #ended weak #didn't even proofread this by the end #I'm tired boss

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